Methods and apparatus for detecting that a processing node, in a network including a plurality of processing nodes, is reporting invalid results and for taking corrective actions in response to the detection are described.

Like electricity, nowadays computing power is an essential utility in human's daily life, ranging from education, science to marketing and media. Recently, many real-world problems are being reshaped by mathematically analyzing big data. This trend leads to a stronger need for computing power. However, access to powerful computing devices (e.g., cloud center) has always been unfair and undemocratic as the cost of using these computing devices is typically high. On the other hand, the waste of computing power from billions of idle devices in families and data centers around the globe is tremendous. Thus, how to utilize these idle computing devices to satisfy the growing need for computing power becomes an intriguing and challenging research topic. Along the line, blockchain technology is promising in the sense that these idle geo-distributed computing devices can be tied together by a blockchain network, a server-less and secure network. A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is owned by the whole network and is designed to be tamper proof. Specifically, a client/user on the network can rent the computing power from a computing power provider (provider in short) anywhere in the world to help complete a computing task. The task can be machine learning training, 3D rendering, scientific computation and more.
However, a long-standing problem of outsourcing computational tasks to another party is how a client/user can verify the result efficiently without re-executing the task. On one hand, providers do not necessarily have strong incentives to ensure correctness. On the other hand, for complex and large scale providers (e.g., cloud servers), it is unlikely to guarantee that the execution is always correct due to mis-configurations, randomness in hardware and more. This problem, recognized as verifiable computing, remains to be addressed in a way that provides a practical solution.

Methods and apparatus for verifying processing results and/or taking corrective actions in response to a detected invalid result


An engine compression braking system having a rocker lever and reset valve assembly to operate an engine in both normal power and braking modes while effectively controlling opening and closing of the exhaust valve for compression braking. The reset valve assembly includes a reset pin mounted in a passage of the rocker arm and movement of the reset pin in the compression mode of braking is controlled by contact of the reset pin with a support shaft which the rocker arm rotates around.

Compression braking is known in the art and is used for many applications, including braking heavy vehicles. Compression brakes convert an internal combustion engine cylinder to a compressor by cutting off the fuel flow and opening an exhaust valve of the cylinder near the end of the compression stroke. This allows the power generated in the piston to escape to the atmosphere, rather than continuing to power the vehicle. One type of compression braking system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,730 to Gustafson.
An early technique for accomplishing compression braking is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,392 to Cummins, where a slave hydraulic piston located over an exhaust valve opens the exhaust valve near the end of the compression stroke of an engine piston with which the exhaust valve is associated. To place the engine into braking mode, solenoids are energized which cause pressurized lubricating oil to flow through a control valve, creating a hydraulic link between a master piston and a slave piston. The master piston is displaced inward by an engine element (such as a camshaft mechanism) periodically in timed relationship with the compression stroke of the engine. A typical modern compression braking system may include exhaust valves operated during the engine's power mode by an exhaust rocker lever.
The system may also include a reset valve which operates to cause the slave piston to retract after an initial opening of the exhaust valve during braking. As a result, the exhaust valve is closed prior to the end of the expansion stroke and before the hydraulic pressure drops due to a return motion of the master piston. This design advantageously avoids shock or asymmetric loading of the valve or valve crosshead by the exhaust rocker arm at the start of the main opening event of the exhaust valve following the initial opening event.
The modern compression braking system has been further improved by the system disclosed in Gustafson, wherein the engine compression braking system has an integral rocker lever and reset valve capable of effectively avoiding asymmetric loading of a valve crosshead while providing accurate and predictable compression braking. However, further improvements in this technological area are desired.

Compression relief brake reset mechanism


The invention relates to a brake lining (1) comprising a lining support plate (2) which is provided with a friction lining (7) arranged on the surface thereof. A damper plate (3) is placed on the opposite to the friction lining (7) second face of the lining support plate (2). Said damper plate (3) comprises integrated anchoring elements (4) for preventing lateral sliding thereof, wherein said anchoring elements (4) pass through a recess embodied in the lining support plate (2) and are engaged with the friction lining (7). Damping layer (6) on which a brake piston can act during braking is disposed on the damper plate (3) opposite to the lining support plate (2). An adhesive layer (8) is applied between the damper plate (3) and the lining support plate (2) in such a way that the damper plate (3) is fixable to the lining support plate (2).

The invention relates to a brake lining with a lining backplate, with a friction lining arranged on a first side of the lining backplate, with a damping plate or damper plate that is arranged on a second side of the lining backplate facing away from the friction lining and with means to secure the damping plate against lateral slipping.
A brake lining of the above-mentioned type is disclosed in WO 96/115386. A damping plate uncouples vibrations of a brake piston, which acts on the brake lining, from the lining backplate. An adhesive layer, for instance, a cold-bonding or hot-bonding polymer layer, is applied onto the bottom of the damping plate and serves to attach the damping plate to the lining backplate as well as to improve the damping properties. On the piston side, a layer of rubber, plastic or paint is arranged on the damping plate, forming a damping layer between the piston and the brake lining. This prevents direct metal-on-metal contact between the brake piston and the lining backplate, thus achieving an uncoupling of the vibrations that occur during the braking procedure.
Multilayered lining backplates are also known from the state of the art. German patent application DE 195 42 524 A1 discloses such a brake lining, whereby the lining material is attached to several of the layers of the lining carrier.
European patent application EP 0 282 129 A1 describes a brake lining having a one-piece backplate in which sections of a damping plate extend into recesses in the backplate and prevent the damping plate from slipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,551 A discloses a brake lining in which shaped protuberances on the backplate extend into the lining material.
In the production of brake linings, it is indispensable for the friction lining to be firmly connected to the lining backplate. Moreover, it must be ensured that the damping plate is firmly connected to the lining backplate and that it can transfer the braking force as required. Since at elevated braking temperatures, the adhesive layer between the damping plate and the lining backplate provides less adhesion with respect to the shear forces that occur, the prior-art brake linings are provided with additional means to secure the damping plate against lateral slipping. For this purpose, through holes with counter-sunk bores are formed in the lining backplate. Countersunk screws inserted into these holes secure the damping plate against shear forces and lateral slipping.
The object of the invention is to improve and simplify the attachment between the damping plate and the friction lining.


The present invention relates to the use of an acid enriched in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or DHA-derived EPA for manufacturing a drug for the treatment of processes that involve associated oxidative damage. In particular, it is for the treatment of processes associated with neurodegenerative, ocular, ischaemic and inflammatory pathology, atherosclerosis, with oxidative damage to DNA and with physical exercise.

The omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for maintaining cellular functional integrity, and are necessary in general for human health. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3, DHA), an important omega-3 component of fish oil and of marine algae, is concentrated in the brain, in the photoreceptors and in the synapses of the retina. DHA-enriched diets are initially metabolised by the liver and afterwards distributed via the lipoproteins in the blood in order to meet the needs of the various organs. The administration of DHA leads to an increase of its concentration at tissue level, inducing also an increase in the concentration of omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which in linked metabolically, whereas the administration of EPA only increases its concentration decreasing that of DHA at cell level.
In general, the DHA is incorporated into the phospholipids of the cell membrane, which have effects on its composition and functionality, on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), on membrane lipid oxidation, on transcription regulation, on the biosynthesis of eicosanoids and on intracellular signal transduction. Furthermore, in the central nervous system, the DHA is involved in the development of the learning capacity related to the memory, in the excitable functions of the membrane, in biogenesis of the photoreceptor cells and in transducing the signal dependent upon quinase protein. A potential dietary therapy would be based on correcting the optimum levels of omega-3 fatty acids to prevent certain pathologies from originating or progressing, such as inflammatory pathologies, tumoral processes, cardiovascular diseases, depression and neurological disorders.
In the central nervous system, both the brain and the retina show an unusual capacity for retaining DHA, even under situations of very prolonged dietary deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids. Several studies have described the protective effect of DHA on neurones, in which it is present in very high levels. For example, it is involved in protecting the neuronal cells from death by apoptosis. Recently, it has been shown that DHA, found in reduced amounts in the hippocampus of rats of advanced age, is capable of protecting primary cultures of said cells against the cytotoxicity induced by glutamate.
In the photoreceptors of the retina, DHA has also been shown to modulate the levels of the pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family. The external segments of the retinal photoreceptor contain rodopsin, as well as a higher DHA content than any other type of cell. The DHA is concentrated in the phospholipids of the photoreceptor segment disc's outer membranes. Retinal dysfunctions have been observed under conditions of reduction of optimal DHA concentration. The retina pigmentary epithelial cell (RPE) plays a very active role in DHA take-up, conservation and transport. The high DHA content in the photoreceptor and in the RPE cells is mainly linked to domains in the membrane with physical characteristics that contribute to the modulation of receptors, ionic channels, carriers, etc., while it also appears to regulate the concentration of phosphatidilserine.
It is unknown to date if these effects are entirely mediated by the DHA itself or by any metabolic derivatives. Certain derivatives of DHA have been identified in the retina. Although the enzymes involved in the synthesis of said derivatives have not been identified precisely, some recent results suggest the participation of an A2 phospholipase (PLA2) followed by a lipoxygenase (LOX). The PLA2 releases the DHA from the membrane phospholipids and the LOX converts it into its metabolically active derivatives.
The reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced during normal cellular functioning. The ROS include the superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and the oxydril radical. Their high chemical reactivity leads to the oxidation of proteins, of DNA or of lipids. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), the catalase (CAT) and the glutation peroxidase (GPx) are the primary antioxidant enzymes that protect against the molecular and cellular damage caused by the presence of ROS. The oxidative stress activates many metabolic channels; some are cytoprotective, while others lead to death of the cell. Recent studies indicate that an imbalance between ROS production and breakdown is a significant risk factor in the pathogenesis of many illnesses, in some cases related to a deterioration of the antioxidant system.
The DHA is presented as a target of the ROS that produces damage to the cell of the photoreceptor and to the RPE. The retinal degeneration induced by light promotes loss of DHA in the photoreceptors. For example, when the RPE cells are damaged or die, photoreceptor function deteriorates because the RPE cells are essential for its survival. Thus, death of the RPE cell under the effect of oxidative stress leads to a deterioration of eyesight, particularly when the cells of the macula are affected, since it is responsible for eyesight acuity. The pathophysiology of many retinal degenerations (e.g., macular degenerations related to age and to Stargardt disease) involves oxidative stress that leads to RPE cell apoptosis. Indeed, RPE cell apoptosis appears to be the dominant factor in the macular degeneration observed with age. Such studies suggest that said cells have developed highly effective antioxidant mechanisms to protect themselves from their high DHA content and show notable adaptive capacity.
Furthermore, the relationship between the free radicals and ageing is perfectly well accepted, based on the evidence that free radicals produced during aerobic respiration cause oxidative damage that accumulates and leads to a gradual loss of the homeostatic mechanisms, interference in gene expression patterns and a loss of the cell's functional capacity, leading to ageing and death. An interrelation exists between the generation of oxidants, antioxidant protection and repair of the oxidative damage. Many studies have been carried out to determine whether antioxidant defences decline with age. These have included analysis of the main components thereof: activity or expression of the SOD, CAT, GPx enzymes, glutation reductase, glutation-S-transferase and the concentration of compounds of low molecular weight with antioxidant properties. For example, an over-expression of SOD and CAT in Drosophila melanogaster increases life expectancy by 30% and reduces damage by protein oxidation. In this context, in vitro and in vivo exposure of cutaneous tissue to UV rays generates free radicals and other reactive oxygen species, leading to cellular oxidative stress, documented as contributing significantly to ageing. Excessive exposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation can give rise to acute or chronic damage. Under acute conditions erythema or burns can be produced, while chronic over-exposure increases the risk of skin cancer and ageing. Moreover, it is known that the cutaneous cells can respond to acute or chronic oxidative stress by increasing expression of a variety of proteins, such as the enzymes involved in maintaining cell integrity and resistance to oxidative damage.
In the art, it is well known that telomeres are non-coding DNA regions located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. These are constituted by highly conserved DNA sequences, repeated in tandem (TTAGG)n, and associated proteins, and have a special structure which hinders the ligation to the ends of other chromosomes, preventing the telomeric fusion. They have an essential role in the preservation of the chromosomic integrity, protecting the coding DNA from the enzymatic action and its degradation, contributing to the maintenance of the chromosomic stability.
In contrast with coding sequences which have a semiconservative replication, the telomeres undergo a progressive loss of its repetitive sequences during the successive cell division. Nowadays, it is considered that a minimum telomeric length is required in order to keep the telomere function and when these reach a critical size they have difficulties for the division in the mitosis, generating telomeric association (TAS) and chromosomic instability. Said chromosomic instability would be associated with an increase in the probability of producing errors capable of generating significant genetic changes.
Owing to the multiplicity of double bonds, the omega-3 fatty acids are considered to be molecular targets for generation and propagation of free radicals during the oxidative stress processes related to generation of lipidic peroxides. Contradictory results have been obtained, however, in various studies of susceptibility to oxidative stress owing to dietary supplements of omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies in humans have shown increased oxidation of the LDL, while others have found no such effect. In studies with animals, treatment with omega-3 fatty acids has been found to lead to increased or reduced susceptibility to oxidation of the LDL. On the other hand, an over-expression of the genes involved in the antioxidant defence system has been found in the livers of mice fed on a fish-oil-enriched diet for three months.
Furthermore, various in vitro studies with a cellular line of glyal origin have shown that membranes rich in omega-3 fatty acids are more susceptible to oxidative damage. Long-term supplementation of these cells with high concentrations of DHA resulted in increased levels of lipidic peroxides in the culture medium, and a higher percentage of cell death due to apoptosis induced by exposure to hydrogen peroxide. It has also been shown, however, that intra-amniotic administration of ethyl docosahexaenoate reduces lipidic peroxidation in the foetal brains of rats. It has been suggested that this response is due to a free-radical sequestering effect via activation of antioxidant enzymes. An increase in the antioxidant capacity of the brain is important for the primary endogenous defence against oxidative stress, because the brain is relatively rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and relatively poor in antioxidant enzymes.
These contradictory results suggest that the hypothesis based on the premise that oxidation of a fatty acid increases with the number of double bonds has no in vivo applicability, since other potential mechanisms may act to reduce oxidative damage, such as a three-dimensional structure of the omega-3 fatty acids in the lipids and lipoproteins of the membrane that make the double bonds less susceptible to an attack by the ROS, an inhibition of pro-oxidant enzymes such as PLA2 or a greater expression of antioxidant enzymes.
On the other hand, the idea of associating physical exercise with the production of free radicals comes from early 80s due to the observation of the damage in membrane lipids during ischemia-reperfusion events in hypoxic tissue (see Lovlin et al., Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. Occup. Physiol. 1987, 56 (3) 313-6). At the same time, an increase in the GSSH/GSH ratio was observed in rat muscle cells (see Lew H. Et al. FEBS Lett, 1985; 185(2): 262-6, Sen C K et al., J. Appl. Physiol. 1994; 77(5): 2177-87) as well as in human blood (see MacPhail Db et al., Free Radic Res Commun 1993; 18(3): 177-81, Gohil K. et al. J. Appl. Physiol. 1988 January; 64(1): 115-9). Free radicals also affect DNA and acute physical exercise increases damage in DNA, as evidenced by the increase of 8-OxodG. Exhausting physical effort (running a marathon) causes damage in DNA which is evident for some days after the trial and also causes damage in immunocompetent cells (which can be associated with the immune decrease shown in sportsmen after such a trial).
However, other authors did not observe any effects (except for minor damage) after swimming for 90 minutes, running for 60 minutes or making an exhausting effort by rowing. At the same time, researches on trained and non-trained sportsmen did not find any difference in the urinary excretion of 8-oxo-dG, even those finding such a damage, considered to be secondary to subsequent reactions to the effort and not to the action of exercise over the DNA in acute way.
The event of intensive physical exercise producing oxidative stress is very well known in the art, but its origin is not well determined yet.
Studies carried out with n-3 fatty acids related to sports performance were focused on the antiinflammatory effect and, indeed, first assays tried to find the possible action of these nutrients improving the alveolar-capillary absorption by diminishing the intensive physical exercise-induced broncoconstriction. In that regard, Mickleborough proved that after administering 3.2 g EPA and 2.2 g DHA regime proinflammatory cytokines were attenuated by diminishing the presence of TNF-α and IL-1β in an elite athlete, along with a decrease in the broncoconstriction. Walser related n-3 fatty acids vascular effects to positive effects in people showing intolerance to physical exercise. In that regard, van Houten et al. studied that a n-3 fatty acid high ingestion was associated with a better recovery in patients carrying out a cardiac rehabilitation after a coronary syndrome.
The absence of positive results in the physical performance in the analyzed studies is due to the evaluation of patients, not healthy people, and what it has been searched are vascular and inflammatory effects.
At the same time, researches have been carried out based on the following theoretical concept: increasing free fatty acids in plasma above 1 mmol/L (occurring when glycogen is used up), the competence with tryptophan transport makes this to be increased with the subsequent serotonine increase, a neurotransmitter related to the so-called "central fatigue" in long duration sports. In that regard, it is known that n-3 fatty acids diminish the amount of free fatty acids in plasma probably by up-regulating the fatty acid oxidation by activating the transcription nuclear factor PPARα. However, these assays were not successful, since Huffman (2004) by using a dose regime of 4 g of n-3 fatty acid (500 g capsules containing 300 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA) carried out a study in both sex runners without finding any decrease in free TRP nor a less perception of effort, nor any statistically performance increase in the performance, although there was a statistical tendency for improving the performance in subjects whom n-3 fatty acid were administered, leaving open the possibility to authors that the cause of diminishing the statistical power for the study was the low number of subjects studied (5 men and 5 women).
Another subsequent research wherein the efficacy of n-3 acids related to the performance was evaluated did not find any significant differences using maize oil as a placebo. Raastad administering 1.60 g EPA and 1.04 g DHA per day for several weeks, did not find any improvement in football players (see, Raastad et al. Scand J. Med Sci Sports 1997; 7(1): 25-31).
On the other hand, it is known that free fatty acids interfere with the use of glucose in the muscle, since its analogues at intracellular level, acyl-CoA, in the mitochondria inhibit the pyruvate dehydrogenase (inhibition by product), furthermore, stimulates glycogenolysis and glyconeogenesis, causing a smooth hyperglycemia during fasting, indeed, the continuous administration of polyunsaturated fatty acids during fasting helps to maintain glycemia, by maybe activating glucose-6-phosphatase at a hepatic level. It is also known that a composition of fatty acids in the muscle alters insulin sensitivity, showing that a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasmatic membrane improves insulin sensitivity and a high content of saturated fatty acids produces the opposite effect.
Exercise increases glucose uptake, capillary perfusion, glycogen synthesis rate and insulin sensitivity. During muscular contraction changes are produced in temperature, intracellular pH, ATP/ADP ratio, as well as Ca++ intracellular concentration and other metabolites which could act as messengers in the cellular functioning regulation with exercise. In this regard, Ca++ regulates a great amount of intracellular proteins, including calmodulin kinase, protein kinase C (PKC) and calcineurin which are important intermediates in the signals of intracellular transduction. During aerobic exercise, acetyl-CoA carboxylase is deactivated by AMP kinase (AMPK) which leads to a drop in malonyl-Coa levels, deinhibiting carnitine palmitol transferase with the resulting increase of fatty acid transport within the mitochondria (thus promoting fatty acid oxidation).
AMPK activation effects probably include stimulation of GLUT4 and hexokinase expression, as well as mitochondria enzymes. However, surprisingly, AMPK activation is not the unique way (independent of insulin) wherein the exercise increases the response to glucose in skeletal muscle. See Mora and Pessin, J. Biol. Chem. 2000; 275 (21): 16323-16328, showed that an increase in the glucose response in the muscle, indeed, there are several transcription factors such as MEF2A and MEF2D activating GLUT4 and those factors are activated by exercise.
An increase in intramuscular lipids is common in obesity states and physical training, but the result is that for obese people is associated with insulin resistance, whereas in sportsmen the great activity of carnitine palmitol transferase makes fatty acids undergo beta oxidation. There are strong evidences that a rich diet in n-3 fatty acid, even with an increase of glycemia and insulinaemia (signals of insulin resistance), act at a insulin receptor level maintaining the level of GLUT-4 protein translocation, which has specifically showed with DHA (see, Jaescchke H. Proc. Soc Exp Biol. Med 1995; 209: 104-11).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Use of DHA, EPA or DHA-derived EPA for treating a pathology associated with cellular oxidative damage


A lever pivot safety stop socket for fluorescent lamps. The device consists of a molded plastic housing which includes electrical contact strips, attached to power leads; and a plastic, levered and slotted rotor. The rotor fits into an opening in the housing face, leaving its lever portion outside, and able to turn the rotor. Both housing top and lever portion include a wide slot, and when the lever is pointing towards the housing top, the slots line up. This is the lamp installation position, allowing lamp terminal end pins to be easily dropped into the housing slot and into the rotor slots. The lamp can then be rotated a quarter turn in either direction by the lever, to make a full connection with the power contacts in the housing. Provision is made so that no more than a quarter turn can be made from the installation position in either direction, avoiding “opens”, arcing and possible damage. A mounting bracket is attached to the housing for mounting the socket.

At present, conventional fluorescent lamp sockets are designed so that for a lamp installation, it is necessary to first line up the lamp parallel end pins with a central slit in the socket face, push both ends of the lamp all the way into the socket slit and then, holding the lamp, manually rotate the lamp about a quarter turn. The lamp should then be installed. The reverse steps are performed to remove a lamp from the fixture.
Problems may arise because a lamp may be rotated more than a quarter turn in a socket during installation. Due to built in tolerances separating the thin insulating components from the curved socket contacts, any over rotation or under rotation can result in only one of the two lamp end pins making electrical contact. Such contact may also be intermittent, particularly if the sockets are old and the contacts have deformed or pitted surfaces. The result is arcing which can damage a lamp as well as a socket, leading to a required removal and replacement of a lamp.
This situation is a common problem particularly for small, tubular fluorescent lamps that are installed in closed areas such as display cases. Because of their size and location it is difficult for even a skilled person to see and correctly install or remove a lamp for replacement. The problem is made worse by the fact that a failed lamp in a showcase is likely to be very hot, and so more difficult to grip, rotate and remove.
There is therefore, a need for a fluorescent lamp socket that makes installation or removal of a small size lamp easy, and the lamp can not be over or under rotated in a socket.

Lever pivot safety stop socket for fluorescent lamps


A human gene encoding a novel mitogen-activated (MAP) kinase kinase, MKK7, provides methods and reagents for treating a variety of MKK7-mediated disorders, such as ischemic heart disease, kidney failure, oxidative liver damage, respiratory distress syndrome, heat and radiation burns, septic shock, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory diseases. MKK7 reagents can also be used to induce or prevent apoptosis.

The invention relates to the area of transduction of extracellular signals into the nucleus of human cells. More particularly, the invention relates to transduction of extracellular signals by means of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase pathways.
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is a major signaling system by which cells transduce extracellular cues into intracellular responses. MAPKs phosphorylate substrates on serine or threonine residues adjacent to proline residues and are thus proline-directed protein kinases, as described in Cano and Mahadevan, TIBS Reviews 20:117-122 (1995). It is believed that multiple MAPK cascades exist, thus implicating many other molecules in the up- and downstream events contributing to MAPK signal transduction events.
The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), or stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK), signal transduction pathway is activated in response to cellular stresses, including DNA damage, heat shock, and UV light, as well as by proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNFxcex1. (Gupta et al., 1996, EMBO J. 15:2760-70; Derijard et al., 1994, Cell 76:1025-37; Kyriakis et al., 1994, Nature 369:156-60; and Kallunki et al., 1994, Genes Dev. 8:2996-3007). After activation, JNK binds to and phosphorylates transcription factors such as ATF2 and c-Jun, which increases transcription of genes activated by these factors. Whitmarsh et al., 1996, J. Mol. Med. 74:589-607.
The pathways responsible for transducing environmental stress signals through JNK have not been fully described. Thus, there is a need in the art for the identification of proteins which are involved in JNK stress signal transduction pathways. Such proteins can be manipulated, for example, to protect cells against stress due to disease or environmental conditions.
It is an object of the invention to provide the amino acid sequence and DNA coding sequence of a unique member of the MAP kinase kinase family. This and other objects of the invention are provided by one or more of the embodiments described below.
One embodiment of the invention is an isolated and purified human mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MKK7) protein having an amino acid sequence which is at least 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:2. Percent identity is determined using a Smith-Waterman homology search algorithm using an affine gap search with a gap open penalty of 12 and a gap extension penalty of 1.
Still another embodiment of the invention is an MKK7 fusion protein comprising a first protein segment and a second protein segment fused together by means of a peptide bond. The first protein segment consists of a human MKK7 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2.
Even another embodiment of the invention is a cDNA molecule which encodes a human MKK7 protein having an amino acid sequence which is at least 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:2. Percent identity is determined using a Smith-Waterman homology search algorithm using an affine gap search with a gap open penalty of 12 and a gap extension penalty of 1.
Another embodiment of the invention is a cDNA molecule which is at least 85% identical to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1. Percent identity is determined using a Smith-Waterman homology search algorithm as implemented in a MPSRCH program using an affine gap search with a gap open penalty of 12 and a gap extension penalty of 1.
A further embodiment of the invention is an isolated and purified subgenomic polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence which hybridizes to SEQ ID NO:1 after washing with 0.2xc3x97SSC at 65xc2x0 C. The nucleotide sequence encodes a human MKK7 protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a construct comprising a promoter and a polynucleotide segment encoding a human MKK7 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2. The polynucleotide segment is located downstream from the promoter. Transcription of the polynucleotide segment initiates at the promoter.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a host cell comprising a construct which comprises a promoter and a polynucleotide segment encoding a human MKK7 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2.
A further embodiment of the invention is a recombinant host cell comprising a new transcription initiation unit. The new transcription initiation unit comprises in 5xe2x80x2 to 3xe2x80x2 order an exogenous regulatory sequence, an exogenous exon, and a splice donor site. The new transcription initiation unit is located upstream of a coding sequence of an MKK7 gene as shown in SEQ ID NO:1. The exogenous regulatory sequence controls transcription of the coding sequence of the MKK7 gene.
Even another embodiment of the invention is a polynucleotide probe comprising at least 12 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1 and a detectable label.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of increasing transcription of a gene responsive to an AP-1 transcription factor. A cell is contacted with a polynucleotide encoding all or a portion of an MKK7 protein under conditions where said all or a portion of the MKK7 protein phosphorylates a c-Jun NH2 terminal kinase. Phosphorylation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase thereby phosphorylates an AP-1 transcription factor. Transcription of the gene is thereby increased.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of decreasing transcription of a gene responsive to an AP-1 transcription factor. A cell is contacted with a polynucleotide encoding a reagent which binds to an MKK7 gene or expression product. The ability of MKK7 protein to phosphorylate a c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase is thereby decreased.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a method of inducing apoptosis of a cell. A cell is contacted with a polynucleotide encoding all or a portion of an MKK7 expression product. The all or a portion of the MKK7 expression product is capable of inducing apoptosis of the cell. Apoptosis of the cell is thereby induced.
Even another embodiment of the invention is a method of preventing apoptosis of a cell. A cell is contacted with a reagent which binds to an MKK7 gene or expression product. Apoptosis of the cell is thereby prevented.
A further embodiment of the invention is a method of identifying a test compound which modulates signal transduction through a JNK pathway. A biological sample is contacted with a test compound. Phosphorylation or synthesis of an MKK7 protein ash shown in SEQ ID NO:2 or phosphorylation of a substrate of the MKK7 protein is detected. A test compound which increases or decreases phosphorylation or synthesis of the MKK7 protein or phosphorylation of the MKK7 substrate identifies a potential drug for modulating signal transduction through the JNK pathway.
The present invention provides the art with the amino acid sequence and DNA coding sequence of human MKK7, a unique member of the MAP kinase kinase family. The invention can be used, inter alia, to regulate gene transcription and to effect or prevent apoptosis.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MKK7)


A communication terminal has a predictive text editor for use in a dialogue application. The communication terminal comprises a transceiver unit through which said communication terminal is connected with a network and being able to receive a dialogue input. Language information is identified in said dialogue input. A directory language is automatically selected for said predictive text editor according to the identified language. The predictive text editor uses the selected directory language for transforming a string of ambiguous keystrokes entered by the user into text for said dialogue application.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communication terminal, for example, a cellular or cordless phone or a communicator, having a predictive text editor application for entering and editing data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A predictive test editor is widely used in hand-portable terminals with a few alphanumerical keys, each representing a number of letters—for example, two–four letters and one of the numbers 0–9.
The user is able to manually set the directory language to be used by the editor. In some cases a phone manufacturer sets the language to be English as default or simply sets the predictive text editor off as default. Then the user has to change the editor from the multi-tab editor to the predictive editor, and also set the desired language.
The directory is language specific and it contains sets of strings occurring in the language. U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,437 and WO 98/33111 describe this kind of directory. The user is not able to write an English text by using, for example a German directory.
Predictive editors have therefore not been used for dialogue between two parties when E-mailing or chatting, or between for example, an Internet based server and a mobile communication terminal.

Communication terminal having a predictive text editor application


A communication agent apparatus includes at least one mobile unit, a presence information inquiring unit, a handling method determination unit, and a handling method execution unit. The mobile unit transports a communication device. The presence information inquiring unit acquires presence information indicating the current situation of a called user. The handling method determination unit determines a handling method for communication made from a calling user to the called user on the basis of the acquired presence information. The handling method execution unit executes the determined handling method. When the handling method determination unit determines a handling method of delivering a communication device used for communication to the called user, the mobile unit delivers the communication device to the called user in accordance with a move command from the handling method execution unit.

The present invention relates to a communication agent apparatus which intermediates communication on the basis of presence information indicating the current situation of a called user.
A conventional communication system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-169137 (reference 1) comprises a service control station which has a communication function (call forwarding service to an agent communication device, a telephone answering service, or the like) designated by a called user in correspondence with presence information indicating the current situation of the called user, a communication device which allows a calling user to select a desired communication method of communication methods corresponding to the presence information, a communication control station which generates a command which can execute the selected communication method, and an information transfer apparatus which executes the selected communication method for communication between the calling communication device and the called communication device in accordance with the generated command.
The above communication system can provide a facility for a called user by serving as an agent for communication made to the called user on the basis of presence information indicating the current situation of the called user. However, the handling methods which a conventional apparatus of this type can take are mainly limited to the distribution of communication such as call forwarding service to an agent communication device and telephone answering service. For this reason, this system does not effectively function in a situation in which, for example, a called user wants to answer by himself/herself but cannot answer because he/she is present in a place distant from the communication device.


In playing back data in an optical disk device, to perform high-speed data playback with a low number of playback retries even if an error occur when data is being read. In reading data composed of ECC blocks, if a data error occurs during a read operation, the data from sectors for which PI error correction can be performed is left alone. Playback retries using different playback conditions are performed just on the sectors for which PI error correction can be performed. Thus, the playback retry count can be reduced.

The present application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 00-106690, filed on Apr. 4, 2000.
The present invention relates to an optical disk device playing back information from an optical information recording medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for playing back data in the same.
Conventionally, various systems have been known and put in use regarding optical disk devices. In these optical disk devices, optically recorded information is read and played back. Information is recorded on optical information recording media by forming recording marks on a disc-shaped optical recording medium using concave and convex pits, phase changes, or the like. Recent years have seen development and attention placed on optical recording media such as those known as DVDs that provide higher information recording density and allow large amounts of information to be recorded. Some optical disk devices that can read and playback or record/playback recorded information from these disks are already commercially available.
In this type optical recording medium (hereinafter referred to as optical disks) such as DVD, ECC (Error Correction Code) blocks serve as the smallest unit for recording data. An ECC blocks is formed from 16 sectors (or frames) of 2048 bytes, providing a total capacity of 32 kbytes. Error correction is performed on these ECC blocks to assure data reliability. There are two types of error correction. PI correction corrects individual sectors and PO correction corrects 16-sector blocks. Improved error correction performance is provided by using both types of error correction.
In high-density recording media such as DVDs, laser beams with shorter wavelength compared to those from conventional optical disk devices such as CDs is used for optical playback means in order to increase information recording density on the disc-shaped medium. Track pitch density is also increased. Thus, concave and convex formations known as land regions and groove regions are formed on the recording surface of the medium, and information is recorded in these regions. These land regions and groove regions are alternated every time around based on the tracking operation performed by the optical pickup, which serves as optical playback means.
Various types of high-density recording media have been proposed such as recording media from which recorded information can only be played back, recording media which can only record once, and recording media which can be recorded a plurality of times.
Playback of data from the high-density recording media described above can be easily affected by various playback conditions such as focus and tracking. Errors can occur even with the error correction described above, and it is necessary to handle these.
Furthermore, since the smallest recording unit is large, as in the ECC block, playing back data from these smallest recording units on a high-density recording medium can result in difficulties in finding optimal playback conditions. This can result in multiple playback retries and long data read times.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems described above and to provide an optical disk device and a method for playing back data for the same that plays back data at high speeds with a low number of playback retries even if an error occurs during a data read.
The present invention provides a method for playing back data from an optical information recording medium. A data recording block that includes a first error correction code series and a second error correction code series serves as the smallest recording unit. The second error correction code series in the smallest recording unit is divided into a plurality of groups and recorded. When playing back data from the smallest recording unit, a second error correction is performed on the second error correction code series. Information regarding whether or not the error correction was possible for each of the plurality of groups when performing the error correction is stored. A first error correction is performed on the first error correction code series. Data from the groups for which the second error correction was possible is stored if the first error correction is not possible. Data of the smallest recording unit from the optical information recording medium is played back again. Error correction is performed on the groups for which the second error correction was not possible, and the first error correction is performed.
In this invention, ECC blocks are used as the smallest recording unit, PO correction is used for the first error correction, and PI correction is used for the second error correction.
In this invention, before playing back data again from the optical information recording medium, at least one of the following conditions is changed: focusing conditions, tracking conditions, playback sync signal detection conditions, playback equalizer conditions, data slide conditions, and speed conditions.
Alternatively, in order to achieve the objects described above, the present invention provides an optical disk device playing back data from an optical information recording medium. A data recording block that includes a first error correction code series and a second error correction code series serves as the smallest recording unit. The second error correction code series in the smallest recording unit is divided into a plurality of groups and recorded. Means for playing back data plays back data from the smallest recording unit. Means for performing second error correction performs a second error correction on the second error correction code series. Means for performing first error correction performs a first error correction on the first error correction code series. Means for storing error evaluations stores whether or not error correction was possible for each of the plurality of groups. Means for controlling performs the following control operations. When playing back data, playback means plays back data from the smallest recording unit in the optical recording medium. Second error correcting means performs the second error correction on the playback data. Error evaluation storing means stores whether or not error correction was possible on the plurality of groups. First error correcting means performs the first error correction. If the error correction is not possible, data from the groups for which the second error correction was possible is stored. Data from the smallest recording unit on the optical information recording medium is played back again. Error correction is performed on groups for which the second error correction was not possible. The first error correction is performed.
In the optical disk device of the present invention, ECC blocks are used as the smallest recording unit, PO correction is used for the first error correction, and PI correction is used for the second error correction.
Also, the optical disk device of the present invention includes: means for controlling optical head focus; means for controlling tracking; means for detecting playback sync signals; means for setting up playback equalizer; means for setting up data slices; and means for controlling a disk rotation motor. Before playing back data from the optical recording medium again, controlling means changes control conditions for at least one means selected from the group consisting of focus controlling means, tracking controlling means, playback sync signal detecting means, playback equalizer settings controlling means, data slice settings controlling means, and disk rotation motor controlling means.

Method and apparatus for optical disk device


A method and apparatus are provided for transmitting uplink control information. A UE identifies a resource allocated for transmission of the uplink control information. The UE monitors a downlink transmission channel during an active time when a DRX is configured. The UE starts or restarts a timer when a downlink transmission occurs during the active time. The UE transmits the uplink control information via the identified resource when the timer is running.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication system, and more particularly to a method for radio resource management for a User Equipment (UE).
2. Description of the Related Art
A Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS) system is a 3rd generation (3G) asynchronous mobile communication system, which uses wideband Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and is based on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), which are European mobile communication systems. In the third generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is in charge of standardization of the UMTS, there is active discussion about a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system as a next generation mobile communication system. The LTE technology is targeting commercialization by 2010 and the realization of high speed packet-based communication at speeds of about 100 Mbps. Accordingly, various schemes are being discussed, which include a scheme of reducing the number of nodes located in communication paths by simplifying the structure of a network, and a scheme of approaching a wireless protocol to a wireless channel as closely as possible.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a structure of an evolved UMTS mobile communication system to which the present invention is applicable. Referring to FIG. 1, each of Evolved UMTS Radio Access Networks (E-RANs) 110 and 112 has a simplified 2 node structure, which includes Evolved Node Bs (ENBs) 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 and anchor nodes (Enhanced Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (EGGSNs)) 130 and 132. A User Equipment (UE) 101 is connected to an Internet Protocol (IP) network 114 through the E-RAN 110 or 112. The ENBs 120 to 128 correspond to legacy Node Bs of the UMTS system and are connected to the UE 101 through a wireless channel. However, different from legacy Node Bs, the ENBs 120 to 128 perform more complicated functions. In the LTE, all user traffic including the real-time service, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) using the Internet protocol, are provided through a shared channel. Therefore, the LTE requires an apparatus for collecting status information of UEs and performing scheduling using the collected information. The ENBs 120 to 128 control the scheduling. Usually, one ENB controls a plurality of cells. Further, the ENB performs Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC), which determines a modulation scheme and a channel coding rate in accordance with the channel status of a UE. As in the High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), which is also called "Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DHC)", and the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) of the UMTS, the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) is performed between the ENBs 120 to 128 and the UE 101 in the LTE also. The HARQ process soft-combines previously-received data with retransmitted data without discarding the previously-received data, thereby improving the ratio of success in the reception. The HARQ process improves the transmission efficiency in the high speed packet communication, such as the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and the Enhanced Dedicated Channel (EDCH). In order to implement a maximum transmission speed of 100 Mbps, the LTE is expected to use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in 20 MHz bandwidth as wireless connection technology. However, because it is impossible for only the HARQ to satisfy requirements for various Qualities of Service (QoSs), an outer Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) in a higher layer may be performed between the UE 101 and the ENBs 120 to 128.
In the wireless communication as described above, degradation in the quality of a high quality data service is caused mainly by the channel environment. The channel environment in the wireless communication frequently changes due to interference by multi-path signals or other users, Doppler Effect due to movement and frequent speed change of a User Equipment (UE), shadowing, change in the power of a received signal caused by the fading as well as the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN), etc. One of the main schemes used to overcome the fading in a typical OFDM system is the Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) scheme. According to the AMC scheme, the modulation scheme and the coding scheme are adaptively controlled according to channel change in a downlink (DL).
In order to apply power control or an AMC scheme according to the channel change to a DL channel, a UE must report Channel Quality Information (CQI) of a received downlink signal to the ENB. Usually, it is possible to detect the CQI by measuring a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of a received signal by a UE. Upon receiving the CQI from the UE, the ENB can acquire the information on the downlink channel state of the UE and can set a corresponding modulation scheme and a corresponding coding scheme or control the power based on the acquired DL channel state information. In contrast, in order to apply the power control or AMC scheme according to the channel change to the UL channel, the UE must transmit a pilot signal (also called a "Reference Signal (RS)") with a predetermined pattern in an uplink. Hereinafter, such a UL pilot signal is called a "sounding." The ENB can measure the uplink channel state through a received sounding and can set a corresponding modulation scheme and a corresponding coding scheme or control the power based on the measured uplink channel state.
The CQI, sounding, or a response information, such as an Acknowledgement/Negative Acknowledgement (ACK/NACK), on an uplink HARQ in response to transmission of a downlink HARQ is commonly referred to as "uplink control information".
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) operation of a UE that is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-connected mode.
In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), radio modes of a UE in the 3GPP LTE system are classified largely into an RRC idle mode and an RRC connected mode. Definitions of the RRC idle mode and the RRC connected mode are based on 3GPP TS36.300.
In general, the RRC idle mode refers to a state of a UE, in which the ENB does not have information of Radio Bearer (RB) context and UE context, and an anchor node has the context information of the UE and manages the location of the UE according to each Tracking Area (TA) for paging, instead of managing the location cell by cell. Further, the RRC connected mode refers to a state of a UE, in which not only an anchor node, but also the ENB has information of RB context and UE context (a possibility that the information may include service context information is not excluded). An RRC connection is established between the UE and the ENB, so that it is possible to manage the location of the UE cell by cell. Usually, in order to receive and/or transmit data for a particular service, UEs in an RRC idle mode must first establish an RRC connection to the ENB and report UE context information to the ENB, and then establish a signaling connection to an anchor node and report UE context and service context information to the anchor node. However, UEs in an RRC connected mode can be allocated corresponding radio resources directly from the ENB and then receive and/or transmit data for a particular service through the resources.
The DRX operation minimizes power consumption of a UE through discontinuous reception of channels only at particular periods, instead of continuously consuming power through continuous reception of channels, when it is unnecessary to continuously transmit data to the UE. The DRX usually includes the following elements.                Active Period: a period in which a receiver of a UE is on, or a period in which reception of data of a corresponding service is expected when discontinuous reception has been set for each service.        Sleep Period: a period in which a receiver of a UE is off, or a period in which reception of data of a corresponding service is not expected when discontinuous reception has been set for each service. If the UE receiver is off is determined by the sleep period overlapping an active period of another service.        Discontinuous Reception Period (DRX cycle length; 210 & 220): a period or length between active periods.
Although FIG. 2 illustrates active periods having the same length, the active periods starting from the points 205, 215, and 225 may have different lengths.
When a UE is in a discontinuous reception mode as described above, uplink control information may not be required as much as in a continuous reception mode. For example, if a radio resource allocated in a continuous reception mode in order to transmit CQI frequently overlaps with a sleep period in a discontinuous reception mode, it is not desirable in view of the power consumption of a UE to transmit multiple CQIs or transmit CQI multiple times in the sleep period. Further, because downlink transmission does not occur in the sleep period, the multiple CQIs are not actually used. Further, even though the UE does not actually perform the transmission of the multiple CQIs, the radio resources for transmission of the CQI or CQIs have already been allocated, which results in a waste of radio resources.
Therefore, it is necessary to reconfigure uplink control information transmission resources, which have been allocated in a previous continuous or discontinuous reception mode, when a UE enters a new discontinuous reception mode. Accordingly, it is necessary to perform an explicit reconfiguration procedure through an RRC message, which may cause a signaling overhead.

Method and user equipment apparatus for radio resource management in a mobile communication system


In an electronic package, a solder connection for bonding faying surfaces is formed of tin-bismuth alloy comprising a tertiary metal, preferably gold or silver, in an amount effective to increase the melting temperature of the alloy and enhance mechanical properties of the connection at elevated temperatures typically encountered during operation. A process for forming the solder connection comprises applying a film of the tertiary metal onto at least one faying surface and thereafter applying tin-bismuth solder paste onto the film. Preferably, a plate of tin-bismuth alloy is first electroplated onto the faying surface, onto which the tertiary metal is plated. During heating to reflow the solder, the tertiary metal dissolves to produce a uniform liquid that forms the connection.

This invention relates to a solder connection formed of a tin-bismuth solder alloy and, more particularly, to such solder alloy comprising a tertiary metal, preferably gold or silver, to enhance high temperature properties. In one aspect, this invention relates to a process for forming a solder connection by reflowing tin-bismuth solder paste, wherein the tertiary metal is deposited onto the faying surface and dissolves into the solder liquid during reflow to improve high temperature properties of the product connection.
In the manufacture of a microelectronic package, it is common practice to attach a component onto a printed circuit board or the like by surface mounting utilizing a solder connection formed from a solder paste. For this purpose, the board features a circuit trace that includes a solder-wettable bond pad that constitutes a first faying surface for the connection. Similarly, the component includes a second, solder-wettable faying surface, for example, a contact. The solder paste comprises particles of solder alloy dispersed in a vaporizable vehicle and containing an expendable organic binder. The paste is applied to the faying surface, after which the component is assembled with the second faying surface in contact with the deposit. The assembly is then heated to melt and reflow the solder alloy. Upon cooling, the solder alloy resolidifies and bonds to the faying surfaces to complete the connection. The solder connection not only physically attaches the component to the board, but also electrically connects the trace on the board and the contact of the component to conduct electrical current to or from the component for processing.
The circuit trace in the board is commonly formed of copper. In order to protect the copper surface from oxidation and thereby enhance wetting by the solder alloy, which wetting is essential to forming a strong solder bond, it is common practice to electroplate solder alloy onto the bond pad prior to applying the solder paste. During reflow, solder liquid from the plate and the paste interfuse to form a uniform connection.
Common solder is composed of tin-lead alloy. It has been proposed to form a lead-free solder connection composed of tin-bismuth alloy. However, tin-bismuth alloy in the form that is electroplated or is commercially available in paste exhibits poor mechanical properties at elevated temperatures of the type typically encountered by microelectronic packages during use. In particular, such solder alloys tend to become unacceptably soft at temperatures as low as 100.degree. C. and exhibit a relatively low melting temperature, particularly in comparison to the common tin-lead solders.

Tin-bismuth solder connection having improved high temperature properties, and process for forming same


The invention is a system and method for managing a resource having multiple entry points. Each mobile machine includes a queue manager for generating a queue position request upon approach to the resource. A resource manager establishes queues, one for each entry point to the resource, to control access to the resource. Upon receiving a queue position request from an approaching mobile machine, the resource manager determines which queue to place the mobile machine, and then generates a queue position and sends a queue position signal to the approaching mobile machine.

Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Ill., manufactures off-road mining mobile machines. For example, the Caterpillar 777C is an off-road mining truck. In commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,125, Kyrtsos et al disclose an autonomous mobile machine system for use with a mining mobile machine such as the 777C truck. Such an autonomous mobile machine system may be used, for example, to implement an autonomous mining operation. For example, a plurality of autonomous dump trucks can haul rock from an excavation site to a crusher site in an open pit mining operation.
In addition, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,030, Kemner et al disclose a system using a queuing technique to manage a single input, fixed position resource such as a wheel loader.
In such a mining system, resources such as intersections must be shared by a plurality of mobile machines. It is desired to manage the mobile machines and the resources so that operation of the mining system is optimized. This invention addresses the management of resources having multiple inputs, or entry points. For effective management of the resource, each entry point will require its own queue. For example, an intersection has at least one entry point and at least one exit point. Each entry point of the intersection requires a queue. Each queue must be appropriately managed, and all the queues for the intersection must be managed as a whole to effectively manage access to the intersection.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

System and method for managing access of a fleet of mobile machines to a resource having multiple entry points


One embodiment of an optical fiber for reducing insertion loss and insertion loss ripple includes a tapered region where the optical fiber has a diameter of approximately 125 microns at a first end and a diameter of approximately 50 microns at a second end. The cladding layer of the tapered region is tapered from the first end towards the second end. This section of the optical fiber may be tapered using an etch process or any other technically feasible process. The tapered configuration enables the distance between the optical axes of two optical fibers inserted into a ferrule to be reduced from approximately 125 microns to approximately 50 microns. Decreasing the distance between the optical axes causes a reduction in both insertion loss and insertion loss ripple.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical devices and, more particularly, to a fiber optic pigtail design for reducing insertion loss and insertion loss ripple.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bulk fiber (i.e., fiber with a 125 micron cladding diameter) is the most widely used fiber in fiber optic data and communications systems. Although fairly well-established as an industry standard, one well-known drawback of bulk fiber is that traditional methods of coupling these fibers to optical components with ferrules result in relatively high insertion loss and insertion loss ripple. High losses are particularly problematic when optical devices, such as dispersion compensators, are designed using several cascaded optical components, each of which is coupled to one or more optical fibers with a ferrule. For example, some dispersion compensator designs may include upwards of ten or more cascaded optical components. If the insertion loss and insertion loss ripple associated with each individual optical component are too great, then the compounded losses across the dispersion compensator may ultimately render the device unusable.
As the foregoing illustrates, there is a need in the art for a fiber optic pigtail design that reduces insertion loss and insertion loss ripple when bulk fiber is coupled to an optical component with a ferrule.

Fiber optic pigtail design for reducing insertion loss and insertion loss ripple


The present disclosure relates to switching of bandwidth parts in wireless communication network. Embodiments may provide a method performed by a wireless device for switching of bandwidth parts. The method comprises: receiving (1501) a first message from a base station indicating a first physical uplink control channel; receiving (1502) a second message from the base station indicating switching from a first bandwidth part to a second bandwidth part; in response to the second message, switching (1504) to the second bandwidth part for communication with the base station, with a utilization of the first physical uplink control channel A radio resource, such as a physical uplink control channel may be allocated previously to the wireless device, thus, service interruptions for the wireless device during the switch of bandwidth part may be reduced.

As the improvement of the communication technology, a carrier wave with much wider bandwidth is used between a base station (such as a gNB in a 5G network) and a wireless device, so as to improve the data transmission speed and the performance for serving numerous users.
However, it will be power consuming if the wireless device needs to monitor the full bandwidth for control channels (e.g., CORESET) all the time, and there may also be some types of wireless devices which only support a relatively narrow bandwidth. Thus, a carrier bandwidth may be divided to a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWP) with relatively narrow frequency ranges. A bandwidth part may be allocated for the wireless device to communicate with the base station. Communication within a bandwidth part will enables power saving for the wireless device since the wireless device doesn't need to monitor the full bandwidth. Further, radio resource management for the network across the wide bandwidth will be more efficient.
There currently exist certain challenges using bandwidth parts. For example, when the wireless device is indicated to switch from a source bandwidth part (BWP) to a target bandwidth part, the wireless device may have to completely interrupt the communication with the base station, refine its synchronization to the network and wait for a new radio resource. Such interruptions will be time consuming.

Switching of bandwidth parts in wireless communication network


An optical medium, which may be nonlinear, is provided with a matrix of conductors ("select lines") parallel to a face (planar surface) of the optical medium. The select lines are preferably superconductive, and are arranged in a two offset planar, preferably orthogonal sets. Adjacent pairs of select lines in both sets of select lines define discrete volumes, or "cells" within the optical medium. Light directed through the cells is refracted at angles determined by the quiescent optical properties of the optical medium, and may be "steered" to different angles by current passing through the select lines.

Optical switches, which are switching elements based on photons rather than electrons, are finding increased applications. In one example, optical switches are employed in conjunction with optical fibers in communication networks. In other cases, optical switching elements are being evaluated for use in ultra high speed computers since photons travel significantly faster than electrons, can travel in free space and can cross paths without interference.
Typical fiber-optic switches are relatively bulky, operate at low switching speeds, have limited lifetime switching cycles, and can access only a very limited number of channels. Examples of such fiber-optic switches are discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 below.
A class of optical media, particularly crystals, exhibits nonlinear behavior. The class includes materials such as Beta Barium Borate (BBO), Lanthanum Borate (LaB), Lithium Triborate (LBO), Nd:YAIBO.sub.3, Terbium and Erbium Borate, and Potassium Niobate.
Frequency doubling is an example of such nonlinear behavior. Frequency doubling is a specific example of what is known as the sum-frequency generation process, and occurs when an incident radiation of frequency v, on propagating through some crystalline materials, emerges as radiation consisting of a mixture of two frequencies, the original frequency v and a new frequency 2v.
The inverse of the aforementioned sum-frequency process is the optical parametric process, wherein incident radiation having a frequency v, on propagating through a nonlinear medium is converted into two lower frequency (higher wavelength) waves, which are of essentially variable frequency.
The parametric behavior of materials has been shown to be useful in creating optical logic gates. U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,869, entitled OPTICAL PARAMETRONS, shows an optical parametric logic gate. The parametric logic gate includes an optical resonant cavity having nonlinear optical characteristics, such that the cavity will generate a subharmonic output signal having a frequency f when supplied with a pump frequency 2f. The subharmonic output signal may have one of two possible phases which differ by .pi. radians and correspond to binary 1 and 0 respectively. A bias signal having a frequency f is supplied to the resonant cavity. Optical input signals are summed with the bias signal to produce a resultant seed input signal having one of two phases. The phase of the seed input signal is imparted to the phase of the output subharmonic. The type of logical operation which the parametron performs can be controlled by adjusting the power of the bias signal. Input and output interfaces for the optical parametron are also disclosed.
Another behavioral characteristic of nonlinear optical media is the ability of the material to change its refractive index in the presence of a strong electromagnetic field. In this manner, the angle of light passing therethrough can be modified according to the strength and direction of the field, albeit within a limited range of angles. This effect is a piezoelectric type effect, and is analogous to the magnetorestrictive effect observed in other materials and employed for micropositioning.


An electrifying apparatus, a processing unit including the electrifying apparatus, and an image formation apparatus including the electrifying apparatus. The electrifying apparatus includes a conductive sheet for electrifying at least one of a surface of a photoconductor and toner adhered to the surface. The conductive sheet is specified to have a pure-water contact angle equal to or greater than 108 degrees, and to have a shore D hardness equal to or less than 65.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrifying apparatus for electrifying (charging) at least one of the surface of a latent-image supporting object, such as a photoconductor, and toner adhered to the surface by a conductive member to which bias is supplied while the conductive member is contacting the surface of the latent-image supporting object. The present invention further relates to a processing unit and an image formation apparatus using the electrifying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, image formation apparatuses that employ an electronic photography method form an image according to the following processes. Namely, a electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure scanning a latent-image supporting object, such as a photoconductor, that is uniformly electrified; then the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by a development apparatus. Subsequently, the toner image is either directly transferred onto a recording object such as paper from the latent-image supporting object, or transferred to the recording object through a middle transfer object.
According to a conventional electrifying apparatus used by the image formation apparatuses, an electric bias is provided to an electrifying roller serving as a conductive member that touches the surface of the latent-image supporting object so that the surface of the latent-image supporting object may be uniformly electrified by the conductive member.
Further, Patent Reference 1 discloses an electrifying apparatus that includes an auxiliary electrifying apparatus, to which auxiliary electrifying apparatus an auxiliary electric bias is provided. The auxiliary electrifying apparatus is provided in addition to a main electrifying apparatus for principally electrifying the latent-image supporting object such as an electrifying roller and an electrifying charger of a scorotron method. The auxiliary electrifying apparatus contacts a part of the peripheral surface of the latent-image supporting object, which is endlessly moving, after the latent image supporting object passes a transfer process location and before advancing into a location of a main electrifying process to be performed by the main electrifying apparatus. In this way, auxiliary electrifying of the surface of the latent-image supporting object is carried out and residual toner adhered to the surface is charged to have a regular polarity by discharging or charge injection by the auxiliary electrifying apparatus before the uniform electrifying is performed by the main electrifying apparatus. Thereby, charge unevenness of the latent-image supporting object can be reduced, and background dirt due to residual toner with a low charge or a reverse charge being conveyed to a development area can be prevented.
With the conventional electrifying apparatuses, if residual toner is fixed to the electrifying apparatus and the auxiliary electrifying apparatus (the conductive member) that contact the latent-image supporting object, discharging and charge injection between the conductive member, the residual toner, and the latent-image supporting object are interfered with. Accordingly, the main electrifying and the auxiliary electrifying are degraded; therefore, charge unevenness is generated, and electrifying of the residual toner is degraded, causing the background dirt to be generated. Here, the background dirt is a phenomenon of the toner adhering to the background part (uniformly charged part) of the latent-image supporting object.
Then, an electrifying apparatus disclosed by Patent Reference 2 specifies that the electrifying apparatus have a pure-water contact angle of greater than 90 degrees so that the toner adhesion to the electrifying apparatus is reduced.
[Patent Reference 1] JPA 2005-62737
[Patent Reference 2] JPA 11-352752
However, the inventors of the present invention found out by experiments that the toner adhesion to the conductive member, such as the electrifying apparatus, could not be reduced over a long period of time by only satisfying the condition that the pure-water contact angle be comparatively great. For example, a conductive member having a pure-water contact angle of 100 degrees caused toner adhesion after printing out thousands of sheets.

Electrifying apparatus, a processing unit, and an image formation apparatus


There is provided a test apparatus including a plurality of test signal feeding sections that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of memories under test, where each of the plurality of test signal feeding sections feeds a test signal designed to test a corresponding one of the plurality of memories under test to the corresponding memory under test, a plurality of defect detecting sections that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of memories under test, where each of the plurality of defect detecting sections detects a defect in a corresponding one of the plurality of memories under test, a plurality of first calculating sections that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of memories under test, where each of the plurality of first calculating sections calculates a remedy solution for a corresponding one of the plurality of memories under test and the remedy solution remedies the defect in the corresponding memory under test by replacing a defective storage cell in the corresponding memory under test with a backup cell of the corresponding memory under test, and a second calculating section that takes over, from one or more of the plurality of first calculating sections which have not finished calculating the remedy solutions, the unfinished remedy solution calculations, in response to a start of calculations by the plurality of first calculating sections for remedy solutions for a different group of memories under test, and performs the remedy solution calculations.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a test apparatus, a test method, a calculating apparatus and a computer-readable medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to a test apparatus, a test method, a calculating apparatus and a computer-readable medium which calculate a remedy solution for a defective storage cell in a memory under test.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5 illustrates the configuration of a conventional test apparatus 100 which calculates a remedy solution for replacing a defective storage cell in a semiconductor memory with a backup cell (for example, see Non-patent Document 1).
The test apparatus 100 includes therein a plurality of test signal feeding sections 120, a plurality of defect detecting sections 130, a plurality of fail memories 140, and a plurality of calculating sections 150. Each of the test signal feeding sections 120 feeds a test signal to a corresponding one of a plurality of memories under tests 110. Each of the defect detecting sections 130 detects information identifying a defective storage cell in a corresponding one of the memories under test 110 (fail information) with reference to the data read from the corresponding memory under test 110 in response to the test signal, and writes the detected fail information into a corresponding one of the fail memories 140. The fail information written on each of the fail memories 140 is transferred to a corresponding one of the calculating sections 150 on completion of the test on a corresponding one of the memories under test 110. Each of the calculating sections 150 obtains a remedy solution for a corresponding one of the memories under test 110 with reference to the fail information transferred thereto. Here, the calculating sections 150 perform the processing to obtain the remedy solutions while the test signal feeding sections 120 and the defect detecting sections 130 perform tests.
Non-patent Document 1: Jin-Fu Li and 6 other members, "A Built-In Self-Repair Scheme for Semiconductor Memories with 2-D Redundancy", INTERNATIONAL TEST CONFERENCE, INTERNATIONAL TEST CONFERENCE 2003 PROCEEDINGS, Sep. 30, 2003, p. 393-402
FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating the processing timings seen when the conventional test apparatus 100 tests a group of memories under test 110 during one test session.
The test apparatus 100 requires a different duration to calculate a remedy solution for each of the memories under test 110. Therefore, even if each calculating section 150 concurrently starts the calculation for a corresponding one of the memories under test 110, each calculating section 150 finishes the calculation at a different timing. Furthermore, since the remedy solution calculations are NP-complete, it is not known in advance how long the test apparatus 100 will require in order to complete the calculations. For these reasons, one or more of the calculating sections 150 may not complete the calculations by the time the test signal feeding sections 120 and the defect detecting sections 130 finish the tests which are performed in parallel.
Here, until the calculating sections 150 complete the current calculations, the pieces of fail information written in the fail memories 140 are not transferred to the calculating sections 150. Therefore, the defect detecting sections 130 can not start the tests on the next group of memories under test 110 until the calculating sections 150 finish the current calculations. Here, consider a case where the test apparatus 100 tests a group of memories under test 110 during each test session. In this case, if the test apparatus 100 takes a relatively long time to calculate a remedy solution for any one of the memories under test 110 in the tested group, the test apparatus 100 can start testing none of the memories under test 110 included in the next group until completing the relatively lengthy calculation. This means a longer waiting time X from the end of the current tests to the start of the next tests. As a result, the test apparatus 100 suffers from a lowered throughput.

Test apparatus, test method, analyzing apparatus and computer readable medium


The present invention relates to a process for purifying a composition (I) comprising at least one cyclic ketone having from 7 to 16 carbon atoms, which comprises thermal treatment of the composition (I) with at least one acid and further purification by means of a process selected from the group consisting of distillation, extraction and crystallization, Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for preparing cyclododecanone, which comprises such a purification, and the use of at least one acid for purifying a composition (I) comprising at least one cyclic ketone having from 7 to 16 carbon atoms by thermal treatment of the composition (I) with the acid.

The present invention relates to a process for purifying a composition (I) comprising at least one cyclic ketone having from 7 to 16 carbon atoms, which comprises thermal treatment of the composition (I) with at least one acid and further purification by means of a process selected from the group consisting of distillation, extraction and crystallization. The present invention further relates to a process for preparing cyclododecanone, which comprises such a purification, and the use of at least one acid for purifying a composition (I) comprising at least one cyclic ketone having from 7 to 16 carbon atoms by thermal treatment of the composition (I) with the acid.
Cyclic ketones are required in high purity for various applications. Due to the production process, cyclic ketones frequently comprise impurities, for example impurities having oxygen-comprising groups which can be removed only with difficulty by means of conventional purification processes such as distillation, extraction or recrystallization. Conventional purification processes for such separation problems are therefore complicated and costly.
Thus, for example, cyclododecanone is an important intermediate for the preparation of, for example, laurinlactam, dedecanedicarboxylic acid and polyamides derived therefrom, for example Nylon 12 or Nylon 6.12.
Cyclododecanone is prepared, for example, by air oxidation of cyclododecane in the presence of boric acid to form cyclododecylborate, hydrolysis of the borate to form cyclododecanol and subsequently dehydrogenation of the cyclododecanol. Cyclododecane itself is obtained by full hydrogenation of cyclododecatriene. A description of this industrial process for the synthesis of cyclododecanone may be found, inter alia, in T. Schiffer, G. Oenbrink, "Cyclododecanol, Cyclododecanone and Laurolactam" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 6th Edition, 2000, Electronic Release, Wiley VCH.
A further process starts out from the epoxidation of cyclododecatriene, With cyclododecanone being obtained from the epoxide by hydrogenation and rearrangement. Such a process is described, for example, in EP 1 018 498 A2.
DE 103 44 595 A and DE 103 44 594 A describe processes for preparing cyclododecanone in which oxidation with dinitrogen monoxide is carried out in one process step.
In all processes, the purity of the crude products is not sufficient for some applications without additional purification. Organic compounds having oxygen-comprising groups in particular are frequently comprised in the products obtained in unacceptably large amounts. In these cases, a very complicated purification, for example by multistage distillation and/or crystallization, is therefore necessary.


A circuit for generating a clock signal which is frequency aligned with a reference clock signal is disclosed. The circuit comprises a phase detector coupled to receive the reference clock signal and the generated clock signal. A frequency alignment circuit generates an average frequency alignment signal based upon comparison of the phase of a generated pulse train and the phase of a reference pulse train. Finally, an oscillator control circuit is selectively coupled to receive an output of the phase detector based upon the frequency alignment signal from the frequency alignment circuit. The oscillator control circuit generating an oscillator control signal for controlling the frequency of the generated clock signal. A method of generating a clock signal which is frequency aligned with a reference clock signal is also disclosed.

Internal clocks are an integral part of any integrated circuit, and must be carefully controlled to ensure proper timing in the integrated circuit. Clock management circuits are used in an integrated circuit, such as a programmable logic device (PLD), to control timing of various clock signals of the device. Certain aspects of clock management circuits are often performed using phase-lock loop (PLL) circuits. In general, a PLL is used to synchronize the frequency and/or phase of an output clock signal to that of an input clock signal. In addition to their primary function of removing clock distribution delay, PLLs typically provide additional functionality such as frequency synthesis and phase shifting.
As shown in FIG. 1, a PLL 100 uses a voltage controlled oscillator 102, which generates a clock signal that approximates the input clock REFCLK. Control logic 104, consisting of a phase detector 106 and a filter 108, adjusts the oscillator frequency and/or phase to compensate for the clock distribution delay. The phase detector determines how much and in what direction the frequency and/or phase of the output clock signal should be adjusted relative to the input clock signal. The control logic 104 compares the input clock REFCLK to the feedback clock OSCCLK, and adjusts the oscillator clock until the rising edge of the input clock REFCLK aligns with the OSCCLK. Because a PLL generates its own clock signal by using an oscillator whose frequency of oscillation is adjusted to match a given input clock, a PLL may reduce the reference clock jitter.
A PLL could use either analog or digital circuitry. Each approach has its own advantages. An analog implementation generally produces a PLL with a finer timing resolution, and sometimes consumes less silicon area. Conventional circuits using analog controlled PLLs maintain phase alignment through feedback loops with continuous gain from the phase error signal to control the oscillator. However, analog implementations can require additional power supplies which require close control. These analog implementations also typically necessitate large loop filter elements to give low loop bandwidths needed for jitter filtering applications. A large magnitude of jitter can cause the PLL's phase detector to fail and the system to lose lock.
Conversely, digital implementations offer advantages in noise immunity, lower power consumption and better jitter performance. Digital implementations also provide the ability to stop the clock, facilitating power management. Some conventional devices use digitally controlled loops with digitally quantized gain from the phase/frequency error signal to control the oscillator. However, these structures also typically have complex digital loop filters that require significant area.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more efficient circuit for and method of generating a clock signal.

Circuit for and method of generating a frequency aligned clock signal


An apparatus comprises a thin-film bulk acoustic resonator such as including an acoustic mirror, a piezoelectric region acoustically coupled to the acoustic mirror, and first and second conductors electrically coupled to the piezoelectric region. In an example, an integrated circuit substrate can include an interface circuit connected to the first and second conductors of the resonator, the integrated circuit substrate configured to mechanically support the resonator. An example can include an array of such resonators co-integrated with the interface circuit and configured to detect a mass change associated with one or more of a specified protein binding, a specified antibody-antigen coupling, a specified hybridization of a DNA oligomer, or an adsorption of specified gas molecules.

Ultra-high-precision mass sensing can be an important detection method such as for biomolecular and chemical detection. Detecting molecules by mass need not require chemical or fluorescent labeling, which can allow for simplified detection protocols and for sensing in systems adversely affected by labeling. For example, the limited cross reactivity of fluorescently labeled generic binders can limit the specificity of a protein assay, such as used for analyzing or characterizing various cells, biomarkers, or autoimmune diseases, among others. Additionally, use of unbound labeled reporters can also have limitations, such as preventing real-time detection and quantification of binding events, as such unbound reporters must generally be washed away prior to optical interrogation.

Monolithic FBAR-CMOS structure such as for mass sensing

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A method can include determining a data value stored in a memory element of a memory cell array based on the length of time required to cause a property of the memory element to change. A memory device can include a plurality of elements programmable into at least two different states; and an electrical bias section that applies sense conditions to a selected element; and a sense section configured to distinguish between the two different states according to whether a change in property occurs in the selected element within a predetermined time under the sense conditions.

Memory devices typically include memory elements for storing data. "Flash" electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs) can include an electrical storage gate layer for altering a transistor threshold voltage. Thus, such devices can sense data values based on a transistor threshold voltage.
Devices having one time programmable elements, such as "anti-fuse" elements, can program an element by creating a non-reversible conductive path. Thus, such devices can sense data values based on the resistance of the cell.
Conventional conductive bridge random access memories (CBRAMs) include memory elements (sometimes referred to as programmable metallization cells (PMCs)) that are programmed and erased to different resistance levels. Many conventional CBRAM elements have a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. In one state (e.g., erased), substantially no current can flow through the MIM structure. In another state (e.g., programmed), a conductive path can be formed through the insulator layer. Accordingly, such memory devices can sense data values based on a resistance of a storage element (e.g., PMC).
In all of these conventional examples, the sense operations measure a property of the memory cell that remains substantially unchanged over the duration of the operation. Other operations, typically called "write" (or program) and "erase," are employed to change the value of the property that is to be sensed. Likewise, such conventional read operations rely on the property being sensed remaining substantially unchanged in between read operations. Changes that do occur can be considered "errors," and additional "correction" operations can be employed to return the property of the cell to its intended value. In contrast, write and erase operations (but not read operations), a property to be sensed can change over time to establish static state to be sensed.

Memory devices, circuits and methods having data values based on dynamic change in material property


A method for pre-shaping a major surface (21,22) of a semiconductor wafer (20) in preparation for polishing includes shaping the major surface (21,22) so that it has a concave shape. In a preferred method, an etching process is used to form the concave shape. The concave shape provides a starting wafer that is extremely flat after polishing.

This invention relates, in general, to semiconductor processing and more particularly to methods of making semiconductor substrates that are very flat.
The semiconductor industry is designing integrated circuit (IC) devices that incorporate increasingly smaller and more complex geometries. As a result, the materials and equipment used to manufacture such devices are subject to increasingly tighter constraints. For example, the semiconductor substrates or wafers used to build the IC devices must have low concentrations of defects and must be extremely flat.
Techniques for making semiconductor substrates are well known. Once an ingot of semiconductor material has been grown and shaped, it is sawn into individual substrates followed by a lapping or grinding process to make them more flat and parallel. Next, the substrate edges are rounded using an edge grind process. After edge grind, the substrates are etched to remove any work damage and contamination. Finally, the substrates are polished on one or both sides to provide a starting substrate ready for IC device manufacture.
Typically, substrate flatness is characterized by parameters such as total thickness variation (TTV) and site focal plane deviation (SFPD). The TTV of a substrate is the difference between the minimum and maximum thickness values measured across the surface of the substrate. The SFPD is the greatest distance above or below a selected focal plane and is measured either using a front side reference or a back side reference. Typically, many sites on a substrate are measured for focal plane deviation and yield is determined by the number of sites meeting a specified focal plane deviation value (e.g., less than 0.5 micron). With a back side reference SFPD (which is a more stringent test than the front side reference SFPD), the focal plane deviation is calculated based on a reference plane that is parallel to the back side of the substrate and that contains the center of the site being measured.
Although progress has been made in achieving flatter semiconductor substrates, structures and methods are still needed that produce substrates with enhanced flatness in order to support the semiconductor industry's push towards IC designs with smaller and more complex geometries. Also, it would advantageous to produce such substrates in a cost effective and reproducible manner.

Method for pre-shaping a semiconductor substrate for polishing and structure