A compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 represents an alkyl group having from 2 to 16 carbon atoms; rings A, B, C, and D each represents a 1,4-phenylene group or a 1,4-phenylene group having one or two halogen atoms; Y represents a single bond, ##STR2## m and n each represents 0 or 1; p represents 0, 1, or 2; q represents 0 or an integer of from 1 to 6; and C* and C** each represents an asymmetric carbon atom in an (S)- or (R)-configuration, and a liquid crystal composition containing the compound of formula (I). The compound of formula (I) is a chiral liquid crystal compound exhibiting large spontaneous polarization, a long helical pitch, an SC* phase in a broad temperature range including room temperature, satisfactory orientation, and a high rate of response.

Liquid crystal display elements now widespread chiefly employ a TN (twisted nematic) type display mode utilizing nematic liquid crystals. Under the state of the art, although a TN type display system offers many merits and advantages, it has considerably lower rates of response as compared with light-emission type display systems, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT). Studies on liquid crystal display systems other than the TN type mode have been made, but satisfactory improvements on response characteristics have not been reached.
In recent years, it has been turned out that liquid crystal devices utilizing ferroelectric smectic liquid crystals make it possible to obtain rates of response 100 to 1,000 times higher than those conventionally obtained and to obtain memory of display even after cut-off of an electric source because of bistability (memory effects). This means a great possibility of application to light shutters, printer heads, panel type television sets, etc., and extensive investigations are now being made to establish practical application in various fields.
The liquid crystal phase of ferroelectric liquid crystals belongs to a tilt type chiral smectic phase. Preferred of chiral smectic phases in view of practical use is a phase called chiral smectic C phase (hereinafter referred to SC* phase) having the lowest viscosity.
Liquid crystal compounds exhibiting an SC* phase (hereinafter referred to as SC* compounds) have hitherto been studied, and a number of compounds of this type have been synthesized. However, none of these SC* compounds, when used alone, does not satisfy all of the characteristics required for use as a light switching element for ferroelectric liquid crystal display. That is, the ferroelectric liquid crystal compound is required to have (1) ferroelectricity in a broad temperature range including room temperature, (2) an appropriate phase series in a high temperature region, (3) a long helical pitch, particularly in a chiral nematic phase (hereinafter referred to N* phase), (4) an appropriate tilt angle, (5) low viscosity, and (6) a fairly large spontaneous polarization value (hereinafter referred to as PS value), and to exhibit (7) satisfactory orientation owing to the characteristics (2) and (3), and (8) high rate of response owing to the characteristics (5) and (6).
Hence, under the present circumstances, SC* liquid crystal compositions are used for studies and the like.
SC* liquid crystal compositions are generally prepared by doping a liquid crystal compound or composition (hereinafter referred to as a mother liquid crystal) which shows no ferroelectric properties and exhibits non-chiral smectic C phase (hereinafter referred to as SC) with one or more kinds of chiral compounds (hereinafter referred to as a chiral dopant). According to this technique, however, unless the chiral dopant to be added exhibits considerably large spontaneous polarization, the resulting SC* liquid crystal composition shows too small spontaneous polarization to have a high response rate.
The chiral dopant is not always required to show a liquid crystal phase. However, in order not to make the liquid crystal temperature range of the composition narrow, it is desirable that the chiral dopant exhibits a liquid crystal phase, preferably a chiral smectic phase (hereinafter referred to as SX), and particularly, if possible, an SC* phase, up to a high temperature region. Further, many of liquid crystal compounds capable of exhibiting large spontaneous polarization give a strong twisting force to the liquid crystal phase, thus reducing the helical pitch in phases where a helix appears, i.e., SC* and N* phases, which adversely influences orientation of the liquid crystal compounds. Therefore, when such a liquid crystal compound is used as a chiral dopant, it has been necessary to limit the amount to be added or to control the helical pitch of the SC* liquid crystal composition by addition of a chiral compound which shows twisting in the opposite direction. However, control of the helical pitch has encountered with troublesome problems. For example, if the chiral compound shows twisting in the opposite direction, the direction of spontaneous polarization would also be opposite to offset the spontaneous polarization of the chiral dopant.
For these reasons, it has been demanded to develop a chiral liquid crystal compound which shows spontaneous polarization as large as possible, has a large helical pitch, and exhibits an SC* phase by itself.

Lactic acid derivatives and liquid crystal compositions containing the same


According to the present invention we provide a method for the preparation of a dispersion to be coated onto a photographic support characterised in that one or a plurality of vessels visit one or more preparation stations until the dispersion is prepared and the dispersion when prepared is stored for a period and thereafter is supplied to an apparatus in which it is coated onto a photographic support, the rate of dispersion preparation and the vessel movements being matched to the requirements of each preparation station.

In the photographic industry dispersions (usually termed emulsions) of silver halides are prepared and are coated onto film or paper supports. These dispersions are prepared by a complicated process having a significant number of steps.
Complex color photographic products frequently require a range of quantities of a number of different dispersions to coat a given amount. This is conveniently achieved by the use of a suitable number of small batches made simultaneously, or in succession and stored until required.
The transport of liquids around a system using vessels which move from place to place in the system is used in automated analytical techniques such as are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,383,041 and 4,692,308 and in beverage vending machines such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,158. The movement of materials around "pipeless" chemical plants using vessels travelling about the plants has been described in general terms by a number of Japanese authors:
1. "Multipurpose Pipeless Reaction-Mixing System"--T. Shimada, S. Omoto, A. Nakamoto & O. Funamoto--Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.; PA1 2. "Multipurpose Pipeless Reaction/Mixing System"--T. Shimada, S. Omoto & A. Nakamoto--Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.; PA1 3. "Demonstration of Pipeless Chemical Plant"--K. Takahashi, H. Fujii, K. Shima & O. Okuda--Toyo Engineering Co. Ltd.; and PA1 4. "Towards AI Batch Plants--A Proposal of Pipeless Chemical Plant `MILOX`"--K. Takahashi, H. Fujii, K. Shima & O. Okuda--Toyo Engineering Co. Ltd. PA1 (i) reduced costs through reductions in labour, waste, inventories and eliminated processes; and
Such plants, which are advocated for use in multiproduct--small volume systems, are not described in great detail.


An exemplary power driven vehicle has a take-apart frame comprising a front frame and a rear frame that are detachably and pivotally connected together. The front frame includes means for receiving at least one steerable wheel and a steering mechanism and means for receiving a seat, and the rear frame includes means for receiving at least two drive wheels. The vehicle also has at least one steerable wheel, a steering mechanism, and a seat connected to said front frame. At least two drive wheels are pivotally connected to said rear frame via a single axle. An electric motor is mounted on the rear frame and adapted to drive at least one of the drive wheels. A shroud partially covers the front frame and is fixedly connected thereto. At least one battery box is detachably mounted on the shroud and is in electrical communication with the electric motor. A locking and unlocking means of the vehicle is adapted to prevent, or alternatively allow, the disconnection of the rear frame from the front frame. The locking and unlocking means comprises a locking lever pivotally connected to the front frame. At least one groove or recess in the locking means engages the rear frame when the vehicle is in its normal position, thus preventing the rear frame from pivoting relative to the front frame. In an unlocking position the rear frame is allowed to pivot relative to the front frame, thereby allowing the rear from to be disconnected from the front frame.

Three-wheeled or four-wheeled scooters used by partially disabled persons are well known in the art. Generally, these scooters include two rear wheels and a third wheel disposed at the front of the vehicle. In some designs, the front wheel is power driven while in other designs the rear wheels are power driven. Typically, the driven wheel(s) are powered by one or more batteries and are carried by the scooter. The batteries are rechargeable and provide a cost efficient manner of powering the vehicles.
The front wheel is usually steered by a tiller or conventional steering assembly. Means for controlling the motor are mounted on the steering assembly within easy reach of the vehicle operator. Preferably, the seat and steering assembly are adjustable to accommodate different size people and to facilitate ease of storage and transport.
To further facilitate the transfer of such vehicles in an automobile van or in some other mariner to the site of operation of the personal mobility vehicle, it has been proposed to construct such vehicles so that they may be disassembled into several components. In particular, it has been proposed to provide the scooter with a two-part frame assembly. It was further contemplated that such personal vehicles would be capable of disassembly and assembly by users who have some physical disability but are sufficiently physically active to assemble or disassemble the components of a personal vehicle. However, in many cases the mechanism used in conventional scooters for assembling and disassembling their different components, and in particular the two parts of their frame, are relatively complex and complicated to handle. Generally, this assembling or disassembling operation involves many successive steps during which the user is often compelled to use both of its hands at the same time. Furthermore, in such conventional scooters, it is often difficult to know if the two-part frame assembly is correctly and safely assembled.

Power driven vehicle having a take-apart frame


According to one embodiment, a first calculation unit calculates a first feature amount concerning an edge direction in a specific region. A second calculation unit calculates a second feature amount concerning an edge intensity or a brightness value in the specific region. A storage unit stores filter characteristics. The each filter characteristic is associated with a first feature amounts range and a second feature amounts range which ultrasonic images suitable for the each filter characteristic may have. A selection unit selects a filter characteristic corresponding to both the calculated first feature amount and the calculated second feature amount. An image filter unit applies an image filter having the selected filter characteristic.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic probe to a subject, receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the subject via the ultrasonic probe, and generates an ultrasonic image based on an echo signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic image includes various kinds of noise and speckle due to ultrasonic interference other than information concerning the subject tissue. Noise and speckle degrade the image quality of the ultrasonic image.
There is available a method of reducing noise and speckle and enhancing information concerning a subject tissue by calculating the edge information of each pixel of an ultrasonic image and applying a filter corresponding to the calculated edge information to each pixel. More specifically, this filter smoothes the information in the edge direction and sharpens the information in a direction perpendicular to the edge direction. The image processing method using the filter is used to improve, for example, the image quality of a blood vessel image.
In this filtering method, it is preferable to optimize a filter characteristic in accordance with the behavior of a living tissue in a diagnostic region. In the present circumstances, a set of parameters for determining a filter characteristic is set in advance for each diagnostic region. In this case, the operator selects a parameter set corresponding to a diagnostic region as a scan target on an operation window, and a filter corresponding to the selected parameter set is applied to an ultrasonic image.
In ultrasonic examination, when the operator moves the ultrasonic probe, the diagnostic region or living tissue depicted in an ultrasonic image sometimes changes. Even if a selected parameter set is suitable for a diagnostic region or living tissue before movement, the parameter set is not always suitable for the diagnostic region or living tissue after the movement. If a parameter set is not suitable for a diagnostic region or living tissue, filtering suitable for the diagnostic region or living tissue is not performed, resulting in a deterioration in image diagnostic performance.
It is an object of an embodiment to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a medical image processing apparatus, and a medical image processing method which can improve image diagnostic performance.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, medical image processing apparatus, and medical image processing method


A fabrication method of a semiconductor package is disclosed, which includes the steps of: providing a substrate having at least a carrying region and a cutting region defined on a surface thereof, wherein the cutting region surrounds the carrying region; disposing at least an electronic element on the carrying region of the substrate; disposing a shield having a recess portion and at least a positioning member extending outwards, on the carrying region of the substrate with the electronic element received in the recess portion and the positioning member extending outwards to the cutting region; and performing a cutting process along the cutting region to remove portions of the positioning member and the substrate. Therefore, the shield is precisely positioned on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor packages and fabrication methods thereof, and more particularly, to a semiconductor package having a shield and a fabrication method of the semiconductor package.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the rapid development of electronic industries, electronic products are required to have light weight, small size, high speed and multi-function and accordingly semiconductor packages of the electronic products are developed towards high operational speed, high element density, high complexity and integration of multi-functional electronic elements such as biological, optical, mechanical, electo-mechanical and magnetic elements on a circuit board.
Since semiconductor packages are arranged in a high density, electromagnetic interference (EMI) easily occurs between the semiconductor packages. Accordingly, EMI shields are usually disposed at outsides of the semiconductor packages to protect the semiconductor packages against EMI.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show such a conventional semiconductor package 1. Referring to the left side of FIG. 1B, at least an electronic element 11 is disposed on a substrate 10. An EMI shield 12 is attached to the substrate 10 through a conductive adhesive layer 122 and a receiving space 110 is formed between the shield 12 and the substrate 10 for receiving the electronic element 11. However, referring to the right side of FIG. 1B, since the fabrication process of the semiconductor package 1′ lacks a positioning function, the shield easily deviates from the desired position, thus reducing the product yield.
To overcome the above-describe drawback, a semiconductor package 2 that has an EMI shield and a positioning function is provided, which is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an electronic element 21 is disposed on a substrate 20 and an EMI shield 22 is attached to the substrate 20. The substrate 20 has a plurality of positioning holes 220 for positioning the shield 22. A receiving space 210 is formed between the shield 22 and the substrate 20 for receiving the electronic element 21. However, the available wiring space on the substrate 20 is reduced due to the formation of the positioning holes 220. Therefore, a larger-sized substrate 20 is required to provide sufficient wiring space, thus increasing the cost and the overall size of the semiconductor package.
Therefore, it is an urgent issue to solve the above-described drawbacks.

Shield, package structure and semiconductor package having the shield and fabrication method of the semiconductor package

Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd.


Process for producing mammals with defined genetic properties, particularly transgenic mammals. Animals which are derived completely from ES cells are obtained by injecting totipotent cells (embryonic stem cells or embryonic germ cells) genetically manipulated and cultured in vitro into tetraploid blastocysts and implanting the resulting embryo in a foster mother, in a single operation.

The invention relates to the production of mammals with defined genetic properties, particularly the production of transgenic animals.
Transgenic animals are organisms into whose germline permanent genetic changes have been introduced; a newly introduced gene is known as a transgene. Transgenic animals constitute an essential tool in modern biology for analysing the tissue-specific regulation of genes and their function in development and in diseases. Moreover, transgenic technology provides an opportunity of having animal models available for diseases in humans and producing large amounts of proteins in farm animals.
In the method of producing transgenic animals which has hitherto been used most frequently, recombinant DNA is microinjected into the fertilized eggs; another technique for introducing genes into animal embryos makes use of viruses, usually recombinant retroviral vectors (cf. the summarising articles by Wagner and Keller, 1992).
The third and most recent technique for introducing foreign genetic material into animals makes use of the potential of embryonic stem cells (ES cells) to create chimeric animals. Mammalian embryos have the capacity to incorporate foreign cells during their development. Two different pre-implantation embryos, usually morulae, are aggregated in vitro; this produces a chimeric embryo, which constitutes a mixture of the two embryos. These embryos are then transferred into a pseudo-pregnant mouse which acts as a foster mother; the chimeric offspring obtained have, in their tissues, different numbers of cells which originate from one of the two original embryos. Combining this method with the use of ES cells has proved very effective in the production of genetically manipulated animals.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of blastocysts; they are totipotent cells which are capable of developing into all cell lineages, including germ cells, when introduced into an embryo by injection into diploid blastocysts or by aggregation with morulae (Robertson, 1987; Bradley, 1987; Beddington and Robertson, 1989; Nagy et al., 1990). ES cells can be isolated from blastocysts and then established as permanent cell lines if they are cultivated under well defined culture conditions which are strictly adhered to; they can be genetically manipulated. In view of this ability, they constitute an effective tool for modifying the mammalian and particularly the mouse genome by being introduced into the animals, for example, by means of controlled mutations or other genetic modifications (Wagner et al., 1991; Ramirez-Solis et al., 1993; Skarnes, 1993; Bronson and Smithies, 1994).
For some time, cells designated xe2x80x9cembryonic germ cellsxe2x80x9d (EG cells) have been available, which can be cultivated from primordial germ cells into immortalised cell lines and are similar to ES cells in many respects; EG cells are, inter alia, totipotent, can be manipulated in the same way as ES cells and form germline chimeras when introduced into blastocysts (Donovan et al., 1997).
In recent years, various experimental techniques have been developed for producing animals derived from totipotent cells. (Totipotent cells are cells with the ability to differentiate themselves into all somatic cells as well as germ cells.) In the case of ES cells the primary objective of these methods was to obtain the entire developmental potential of ES cells in vitro (Williams et al., 1988; Smith et al., .1988) and to restrict the developmental potential of the host cells in the formation of chimeras and thus increase the frequency of forming germline chimeras (Nagy et al., 1990; Kaufman and Webb, 1990). One of the most important pieces of progress in the development of these techniques is the use of tetraploid embryos as host cells, because tetraploid cells have only restricted potential for development after they have been implanted (Nagy et al., 1990; Kaufmann and Webb, 1990; Kubiak and Tarkowski, 1985). When tetraploid embryos are aggregated with diploid embryos, the differentiation of the tetraploid cells is largely restricted to the primitive endoderm and the trophectoderm, which subsequently form extraembryonic tissue, whereas the diploid cells can form the actual embryo (James and West, 1994; James et al., 1995).
In an earlier study, various ES cell lines were aggregated with morulae in order to produce fetuses which are derived completely from ES cells (organisms derived completely from ES cells are hereinafter referred to as ES animals, e.g. ES mice or ES fetuses; however, the ES foetuses obtained died at birth (Nagy, 1990). Further studies showed that viable, fertile ES mice derived exclusively from ES cells can be obtained if wild-type R1 cells of an earlier passage (Nagy et al., 1993) or TT2 cell lines (Ueda et al., 1995) are used for the aggregation with tetraploid morulae.
Moreover, ES mice are produced by injecting ES cells into diploid blastocysts in a first step, thereby initially obtaining chimeric mice; further crosses produced ES mice after two generations. The method of injecting into blastocysts was first described by Gardner, 1968, and a simplified version was described by Bradley and Robertson, 1986, and by Bradley, 1987.
The objective of obtaining viable ES mice by using ES cells from later passages has not been achieved with the methods available hitherto (Nagy et al., 1993); it did not seem possible to produce ES mice at all using genetically modified ES cells. (The possibility of using ES cells from later passages is significant particularly in view of the use of cell lines and also with respect to the use of genetically modified ES cells the selection of which naturally goes hand in hand with an increase in the number of passages.)
The aim of the present invention was to provide a new process by which mammals with defined genetic properties, particularly transgenic mammals, can be obtained which are derived completely from totipotent cells.
The objective is achieved by means of a process for producing mammals with defined genetic properties, particularly transgenic mammals, wherein totipotent cells of the same mammalian species are introduced into blastocysts and the resulting embryo is transferred into a foster mother. The process is characterised in that totipotent cells with defined genetic properties are introduced into tetraploid blastocysts.
Using the process according to the invention it is possible to obtain animals which are completely derived from totipotent cells. The process according to the invention has the advantage that animals derived totally from totipotent cells are obtained in a single step from totipotent cells cultivated in vitro (ES cells or EG cells).
The term xe2x80x9ctransgenic mammalsxe2x80x9d includes, for the purposes of the present invention, animals which have a permanent genetic modification of any kind.
Animals which xe2x80x9care totally derived from totipotent cellsxe2x80x9d preferably contain up to 100% of cells originating from ES cells or EG cells. However, the animals may contain a small proportion, preferably not more than 10%, of cells derived from the tetraploid blastocysts.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the mammals are mice; however, the process may also theoretically be applied to all mammals from which ES cells or EG cells can be obtained. The prerequisite for obtaining totipotent cells from mammals other than mice is the definition of conditions which allow the cultivation of ES cells or primordial germ cells from these organisms and the establishing of ES or EG cell lines, which include, inter alia, the need for specific growth factors as well as feeder cells for co-cultivation with the ES cells or EG cells. These conditions can be determined empirically by series of tests.
The isolation of ES cells from blastocysts, the establishing of ES cell lines and their subsequent cultivation are carried out by conventional methods as described, for example, by Doetchmann et al., 1985; Li et al., 1992; Robertson, 1987; Bradley, 1987; Wurst and Joyner, 1993; Hogen et al., 1994; Wang et al., 1992. The cultivation of EG cells can be carried out using methods described in the summarising article by Donovan et al., 1997, and in the original literature cited therein. Totipotent cell lines, e.g. mouse ES cell lines, can be tested in preliminary trials to see whether they are suitable for use in the present invention on the basis of their development potential. To find this out, cells of the lines in question may be injected into diploid mouse embryos, the resulting embryos are introduced into foster mothers and the young are examined for their chimerism rate and for the frequency of formation of germline chimeras.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the totipotent cells are ES cells.
Tetraploid blastocysts may be obtained by known methods by electrofusion of two-cell embryos and subsequently cultured as described, for example, by James et al., 1992; Nagy and Rossant, 1993; or by Kubiak and Tarkowski, 1985.
The introduction of the ES cells or EG cells into the blastocysts is also carried out in a manner known per se. The preferred method for the purposes of the present invention is the microinjection method as described by Wang et al., 1991, for example. In conventional microinjection, about 5-10 ES cells taken from a single cell suspension are injected into a blastocyst immobilised by a holding pipette in a micromanipulation apparatus. Then the embryos are incubated for at least 3 hours, possibly overnight.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, genetically manipulated totipotent cells are used in order to obtain transgenic animals.
There are no restrictions regarding the type of genetic alteration of the totipotent cells; genes may be overexpressed, mutated or, in order to produce so-called knock-out animals, switched off; furthermore, foreign genes may be inserted or intrachromosomal deletions may be carried out. The genetic modification may be carried out on one or both alleles; this latter approach has been described for example by Hilberg and Wagner, 1992, for switching off the c-jun gene. The fact that the present invention allows genetic modification on both alleles is particularly advantageous; with the methods of the prior art it was only possible to obtain transgenic animals in which both alleles had the desired modification, after further crossing and tedious breeding of animals which had a genetic modification on one allele.
The genetic manipulation of the totipotent cells may be carried out by conventional methods. Generally, plasmids are used, preferably linearised plasmids, which carry the desired genetic modification. With a view to the selectability of the genetically modified ES cells, the plasmids preferably contain a marker gene, e.g. the neomycin, hygromycin or puromycin resistance gene, under the control of a promoter. With a view to the expression of a gene contained on the plasmid in the host cells the plasmid may contain gene expression control sequences, e.g. a strong promoter which is functional in ES cells or EG cells, such as the PGK (phosphoglycerol kinase) promoter.
The methods by which the plasmid is introduced into the cells are standard methods known from the literature for in vitro transfer of DNA into mammalian cells, such as electroporation; calcium phosphate precipitation or methods based on receptor-mediated endocytosis, disclosed in WO 93/07283, for example.
Another method of introducing genetic changes in the totipotent cells makes use of viruses, e.g. recombinant retroviral vectors; with regard to sequence sections contained on the vector which allow the selection of genetically modified cells or expression in the cell, basically the same applies as has already been stated with regard to the plasmids (Wagner and Keller, 1992; Stewart et al., 1985).
Using the process according to the invention it is routinely possible to produce viable and fertile transgenic mammals, particularly ES or EG mice, from totipotent cells genetically modified in vitro.
Using the process according to the invention, transgenic animals can be reproducibly created, inter alia from genetically manipulated totipotent cells which overexpress a specific gene, for example, or in which a specific gene has been inactivated, and these transgenic animals may be used, inter alia, for studies of gene function or for the production of proteins. Compared with conventional methods of producing transgenic animals, the process according to the invention provides an effective, rapid and economical method of producing mutant animal foetuses, particularly mouse foetuses, as well as transgenic strains directly from totipotent cells in which the desired genetic modifications have been made.
All three ES cell lines designated D3, R1 and GS1 investigated for the purposes of the present invention formed germline chimeras after injection into diploid blastocysts. When they were injected into tetraploid blastocysts, live ES mice were obtained from R1 and GS1 cells. With D3 cells it was not possible to produce live ES mice, even with cells from an early passage (passage 9), after injection of ES cells into tetraploid blastocysts. This accords with previous observations from aggregation experiments (Nagy et al., 1990; see also Table 2) with these cells. The inability of D3 cells to form viable ES mice presumably cannot be put down to the fact that these cells have lost their development potential; D3 cells have frequently been used in so-called gene targeting experiments in which, after they have been injected into diploid blastocysts, a high rate of chimerism and germline chimeras have been obtained (Urbxc3xa1nek et al., 1994; Wang et al., 1992; Wang et al., 1994; cf. also Tab.1). However, it is possible that the potential of D3 cells to differentiate into a few cell types which are critical for adapting the foetus to post-natal life is affected by unknown genetic or epigenetic changes. This assumption is supported by the observation that D3 cells are capable of producing foetuses which develop up to the normal birth date but the newborn are incapable of maintaining breathing, and they have a high birth weight and polydactyly and die at birth. These characteristics remind one of the phenotypical features of mice which lack the imprinted Igf2/Mpr gene (Wang et al., 1994; Lau et al., 1994); it might therefore be the case that imprinted genes or genes which regulate the growth of the foetuses are responsible for the effect observed. Whereas in the environment of host cells of diploid embryos defective functions of the ES cells might be complemented by the host cells, the development potential of being able to form all functional cell types, which is inherent in the D3 cells because of their lack of differentiation, would appear to be restricted in an environment derived totally from ES cells. The introduction of different wild-type ES cells into tetraploid embryos, conveniently in series of tests, may therefore be used as a fast and reliable test for checking the suitability of ES cells for use within the scope of the present invention.
The genetic background of the mouse strains from which the various ES cells originate could be another factor which influences the viability of the ES mice. All the ES cell lines used within the scope of the present invention originated from mouse strain 129:the R1 cells originated from a mouse blastocyst from a cross between the sub-strains 129/Sv and 129/Sv-CP (Nagy et al., 1993); GS1 cells originated from 129/Sv/Ev. D3-cells (Doetchmann et al., 1985) and J1 cells (Li et al., 1992) originated from 129/Sv or 129/terSv. TT2 cells which also yielded ES mice originated from an F1 hybrid strain (C57BL/6xc3x97CBA) (Yagi et al., 1993). On the basis of the results obtained within the scope of the present invention as well as earlier studies (Nagy et al., 1993, Ueda et al., 1995) we cannot rule out the possibility that ES cell lines derived from different strains or sub-strains of mice have different capacities to form viable ES mice.
The efficiency in the production of newborn ES mice by injection of wild-type R1 cells into tetraploid embryos (14%) was greater than the production by aggregation (6% within the scope of the present invention or 7% in the study described by Nagy et al., 1993). These results are in agreement with a comparison between the aggregation method and the method by injecting ES cells into diploid embryos (Wood et al., 1993). The use of tetraploid blastocysts according to the invention for the injection method showed that some selected R1 cell clones which had been cultivated in vitro for longer than 24 passages (e.g. R169.2.3 and R-fra3), still had the ability to produce viable ES mice. These findings are remarkable, particularly in view of the results of earlier aggregation experiments in which wild-type R1 cells lost their ability to produce viable ES mice after passage 14 (Nagy et al., 1993). The reasons why the injection of ES cells into tetraploid blastocysts reproducibly leads to the formation of ES mice are not totally clear. Since ES cells are obtained originally from ICM of blastocysts and are also very similar to these ICM cells (Beddington and Robertson, 1989), it is conceivable that both the spatial proximity of ES cells and ICM and their compatibility in development are responsible for this effect. This assumption is further supported by the observation, comparison tests, that the efficiency of producing chimeric mice was lower when ES cells were introduced into diploid morulae below the xe2x80x9czona pellucidaxe2x80x9d than when the conventional blastocyst injection method was used (injection into diploid blastocysts).
The high efficiency of the method according to the invention makes it superior to the methods of the prior art (aggregation of ES cells with tetraploid blastocysts or injection into diploid blastocysts) and offers the only possible method at present of creating mutant mice directly from genetically modified totipotent cells.
The production of viable mutant mice directly from genetically manipulated totipotent cells has numerous advantages. Since the foetal tissues are derived totally from totipotent cells which can be genetically modified, this technique provides a direct method of producing foetal material of pure ES or EG cell origin for cell-biological, molecular-biological or genetic studies (Forrester et al., 1991; Carmeliet et al., 1996).
ES foetuses reproduce the expression patterns of specific genes, such as for example the Pax5 gene or a xe2x80x9ctrappedxe2x80x9d gene, in a reliable manner, compared with foetuses produced by crossing heterozygotic mutant mice obtained from the same ES cells. Advantageously, ES foetuses can be used for expression studies, since they allow rapid production of foetal material (a few days) whereas conventional breeding normally takes four to five months. In addition, the reliable and reproducible expression pattern in ES foetuses minimises any possible complications in conventional chimeric tissues which by definition consist of both wild-type and mutated ES cells. Therefore, this technique is useful for studying gene function or for identifying new genes, e.g. in xe2x80x9cgene-trapxe2x80x9d studies (Skarnes, 1993). It has been shown that, with the aid of the method according to the invention (injection of ES cells into tetraploid blastocysts), mutant mouse lines, e.g. c-fos transgenes and fra-1 xe2x80x9cknock-outxe2x80x9d mice can be produced directly from mutant ES cells in an efficient manner. The process according to the invention makes it possible to produce transgenic mouse lines from ES cells or EG cells which had been preselected for the integration and expression of transgenes. The efficiency of producing mice which overexpress a specific gene is thereby improved significantly, compared with the conventional injection method in which diploid blastocysts are used. The process according to the invention has been used in a number of studies into gene overexpression and inactivation.
Furthermore, using this method, it is possible to produce mutant tissue for studying specific effects if inactivation or overexpression should lead to death or impaired gametogenesis in heterozygotic mutants or even in chimeras (see for example Carmeliet et al., 1996).
Finally, the process according to the invention offers the possibility of producing mutant animal strains, particularly breeds of mice, rapidly and economically and of having quick access to mutant foetuses and animals, which is a major advantage for research in the field of mice genetics.
As well as the production of transgenic animals, the process according to the invention may also be used to produce non-genetically modified ES animals or EG animals which have specific desirable qualities. For this, totipotent cells are used which are preselected for the desired qualities by culture experiments, in order to obtain identical animals with the required qualities.


An article of manufacture for use by trappers of fur bearing animals. The article of manufacture consists of a body having a plurality of circular apertures therethrough and a plurality of elongated apertures therethrough. And, a method for positioning a trap for trapping a fur bearing animal, the method using the article of manufacture provided the trap has a tang, by the steps of: (a) positioning the article of manufacture to an object; and (b) inserting said tang into one of the elongated apertures of the article. If the trap does not have a tang, but does have a coil spring, then a clip having a tang can be inserted into the spring to adapt the trap for positioning according to the method of the instant invention.

The instant invention relates to the trapping of fur bearing animals such as muskrat, mink and raccoon. The instant invention is an article of manufacture (herein called a "bracket") that has a number of applications in this field. In the long history of trapping fur bearing animals, a number of useful articles of manufacture have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,523,690 discloses a holding device for animal traps comprising a body having two circular apertures and one elongated aperture. U.S. Pat. No. 1,660,719 disclosed a nonreturn link for animal traps comprising a body having a circular aperture and an elongated aperture. U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,737 disclosed a bent planar metal slide member having two circular apertures therethrough in a system for trapping fur bearing animals.
Generally, the trapper possesses multiple devices each serving a single purpose and to be utilized for a single trap type. The devices are stabilizing brackets, slide and drowner locks, terminal swivels and stake swivels. Such devices can be cumbersome, equate to a higher accumulative expense and often are inadvertently left behind when needed. Additionally, there is no easy way to stabilize a trap on an object such as a rock, a log, a culvert, etc., generally due to the odd shape of the object. Furthermore, trap manufacturers utilize different steel thickness, width and tang lengths making it extremely difficult to place a trap. For instance, traps with a longer tang that extends to the jaw edge (when set) can utilize a notch or crack in a log, etc., however traps with a shorter tang length cannot utilize such notches or cracks. It would be an advance in the art if a device were discovered that not only overcame the above mentioned problems but provided other benefits as well.


The capacitance type gaseous sensing device (10) includes a first electrode layer (12) formed on a semiconductor substrate layer (14). A seed layer (16) is formed on the first electrode layer (12). A reorganized layer (18) is formed on the first electrode layer (12) through interaction with the seed layer (16) to form a porous sensing layer. A second electrode layer (20) is formed on the reorganized layer (18). The reorganized layer (18) absorbs gaseous elements that change the dielectric constant of the capacitance type sensor device (10). A change in the dielectric constant causes a change in the capacitance of the reorganized layer (18) as measured across the first electrode layer (12) and the second electrode layer (20).

Increasing concern over the daily emission of both toxic and greenhouse gases has prompted the need for more sensitive and selective gas sensors. Legislation restricting the current and future emission of these gases from sources such as internal combustion engines indirectly requires the improvement of sensors to detect gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide. Modern sensors rely on the interactions between sensor and analyte to produce a detectable change in either the electrical, optical, mechanical, electrochemical, or thermal properties of the sensor. This interaction can take the form of physisorption, chemisorption, or catalysis.
A sensor that relies on physisorption has the advantage of being easily refreshed. However, physisorption involves weak attractive forces which present difficulties in establishing analyte detection. Chemisorption sensors rely on the chemical bonding of the analyte molecules to the probe surface to produce a detectable change in the electrical conductivity mass, capacitance, or optical properties of that surface. Difficulties arise when the sensor is in continual use as it is necessary to expose a fresh probe surface to the incoming analyte due to the chemical bonding of the analyte molecules. Catalytic sensors transform the analyte to a different compound, yielding a detectable change of heat. A major disadvantage of catalytic sensors lie in their inability to detect compounds that are chemically stable.
Low density molecular sieves have been shown to be useful as selective chemical sensors. Zeolites are one of the several groups that comprise the structural family of microporous metal oxides known as molecular sieves. Zeolites are crystalline aluminum silicates that have three dimensional networks of connected channels or cages. A molecular sieve based sensor might be used to selectively detect those molecules which can readily absorb into the zeolite cages.
Zeolite molecular sieves have been employed as the active component in surface acoustic wave devices and piezo electric quartz crystal microgravometric type sensors. These approaches involve either a thin film configuration as a ceramic composite or the zeolites are tethered to an electrode surface via organic linkages. The sensing ability of these devices depends on changes in either mass or electrical properties produced by the absorption of the analyte. The sensing characteristics are limited in that a detectable mass change is required and the circuitry needed to detect a change in mass is relatively complicated. Further, these approaches cannot discriminate between analyte molecules of similar size and shape. Another problem is that it is very difficult to deposit uniform thin films of low density molecular sieve material in order to fabricate a reliable gaseous sensor. Therefore, it is desirable to have a gaseous sensor that has a uniform film layer and can discriminate between different types of absorbed analytes.

Method of forming a capacitance type gaseous sensing device and apparatus thereof


Methods and systems for query optimization for a multi-tenant database system are provided. Some embodiments comprise receiving at a network interface of a server in a multi-tenant database system an original query transmitted to the multi-tenant database system by a user associated with a tenant, wherein the original query is associated with data accessible by the tenant, and wherein the multi-tenant database system includes at least a first index and a second index. Metadata associated with the data is retrieved, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in a common table within the multi-tenant database system. A tenant-selective query syntax is determined by analyzing at least one of metadata generated from information about the tenant or metadata generated from the data accessible by the tenant. An improved query is then generated using the query syntax, wherein the improved query is based at least in part upon the original query and a result of a join between a first number of rows associated with the first index and a second number of rows associated with the second index.

The implementations disclosed herein relate generally to database systems and more particularly to query optimization systems and methods for use with multi-tenant database systems ("MTS").
In order to access, retrieve, and process stored data in a database system, a query is generated, automatically or manually, in accordance with the application program interface protocol for the database. In the case of a relational database, the standard protocol is structured query language ("SQL"). SQL is used both for interactive queries to access data in the database and for gathering data and metadata, including statistics. The data access path may determine the order in which tables are retrieved—in the case of table joins, the data access path can have a profound impact on overall query performance. When the data access path is efficient, the amount of data that must be read from disk and the number of required disk accesses are minimized, thus improving overall performance (particularly where disk access is a slow operation). The efficiency of the data access path underlying the actual query is dependent in part on the size and complexity of the data structure scheme of the database and in part on the query logic used.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for providing more efficient database queries.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for joining indexes for query optimization in a multi-tenant database


A character and/or character-string retrieving method with retrieves a plurality of patterns at a time by using a single deterministic finite automaton prepared from a plurality of different patterns. There is also a method for optimizing the number of states for the above-mentioned retrieving method, and a storage medium having records of programs and data necessary for executing the above-mentioned character and/or character-string retrieving and a state number optimizing method. A plurality of regular expressions r.sub.1, r.sub.2, . . . , r.sub.n to be simultaneously retrieved by pattern matching are prepared, and then augmented to form an augmented regular expression ((r.sub.1)#.sub.1,).vertline.((r.sub.2)#.sub.2).vertline. . . . ((r.sub.n)#.sub.n). A deterministic finite automaton is constructed so that it treats states including positions corresponding to #.sub.1, #.sub.2, . . . , n, thereby simultaneously retrieving a plurality of regular expression patterns by distinguishing matches from one another.

The present invention relates to a character and/or character-string retrieving method and more particularly to a character and/or character-string retrieving method that can be applied in a key-information extracting device for extracting key information (e.g., date and time) from, e.g., a document and an electronic mail, a document summarizing device for summarizing document data and filing systems of a document processing device, word processor and PDA (personal digital and assistant devices).
A method for retrieving (pattern matching) a character-string by using a finite automaton has been studied and a representative algorithm has been described in detail in "<Compilers, principles, techniques and tools>, A. V. Aho, R. Sethi and J. D. Ullman, Addison-Wesley Publishers Limited, 1986".
A conventional algorithm will be briefly explained as follows:
There's a flow of procedures on how to prepare a conventional deterministic finite automaton.
In the flow, a pattern r of a regular expression desired to be retrieved by pattern matching is first prepared and an augmented regular expression (r)# is then formed from the prepared regular expression.
A syntax tree T of the augmented regular expression is prepared (by using a method described in detail in the above-mentioned document <Compilers, principles, techniques and tools>), according to which a set of states and a state-transition table are prepared. Among states in a set, a state including a position corresponding to a marker # are considered as an accepting state.
There's a flow of procedures how to optimize the number of states of the prior art deterministic finite automaton.
An initial partition .PI. of a set of states is constructed of two groups: accepting states and non-accepting states.
A new partition .PI..sub.new is constructed from the partition .PI. by splitting each group into subgroups (i.e., if a state "s" in a group "a" goes to a state in a group "b" on a character and/or character-string input (M) but any other state "t" in a group "a" goes to a state out of the group "b" on the same character and/or character-string input (M), the group "a" must be split into two subgroups so that one subgroup contains the state "s" and the other contains the state ("t"). This process of splitting groups in the current partition is repeated until no more groups can be to split. A final partition .PI..sub.final is thus obtained.
A deterministic finite automaton (DFA) M' having the optimized number of states is formed from the final partition .PI..sub.final.
As described above, matching of any character-string by using the prior art finite automaton with only one accepting state was intended to determine whether pattern matching of that character-string would succeeded or not. It was not necessary to determine what pattern matched the character-string. Consequently, when retrieving a plurality of various kinds of patterns separate automatons must be prepared and used for retrieval of a plurality of different patterns respectively.

Character and/or character-string retrieving method and storage medium for use for this method


A distance measuring apparatus is disclosed, which measures the entire image of a target object by employing a light-section method within a short time, without assigning any specific feature to light beams having a beam form obtained by passing through slits. The apparatus comprises a device for simultaneously emitting such light beams; first and second image taking devices for taking an image obtained by light reflected by the target object, where the distance between the first image taking device and the beam emitting device is relatively short while the distance between the first image taking device and the beam emitting device is relatively long; a section for estimating the distance to the target object based on the image taken by the first image taking device; and a section for determining the distance based on the estimated result and on the image taken by the second image taking device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distance measuring apparatus and to a method for measuring a distance from the apparatus to an object by emitting light which passes through a slit, taking an image obtained by light reflected by the object, and referring to a positional relationship between the light emitting position and the image taking position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, CCD cameras and computer image processing techniques have been improved, and accordingly, three-dimensional measurement methods using images have become common. An example of such three-dimensional measurement methods using a CCD camera and the computer image processing is a light-section method. In the light-section method, a light beam passing through a slit or having a beam form obtained by passing through a slit is projected onto a target object to be measured, so as to virtually cut the object using a band-shaped light and a cut surface is observed in a direction other than the direction of the projected light beam. Here, owing to the laser technique, very fine and intense light beams can be obtained. Therefore, even an object having an irregular surface can be measured at high speed and with high accuracy by employing the three-dimensional measurement method using the light-section method.
More specifically, in the light-section method, a light beam which passes through a slit and is emitted from a unit (i.e., distance measuring apparatus) which has a CCD camera is reflected by a surface of a target object, and an image obtained by the reflected light is taken by the CCD camera. The distance between the target object and the unit is measured based on the direction of the emitted beam and the positions of the relevant light source and the CCD camera. Therefore, in order to measure the entire portion of the target object, the light beam which passes through the slit is gradually shifted on the surface of the target object, and an image obtained by the reflected light is taken every time the light beam is shifted.
This method of taking images while shifting the light beam which passed through a slit requires a long measurement time for measuring the entire portion of an object. In order to solve this problem, a plurality of light beams which pass through slits may be emitted from the distance measuring apparatus. In this case, the shift of the light beam on the target surface is unnecessary, and the entire image of the target object can be measured through a single image-taking process. In this method, some of the light beams passing through slits may be ineffective for taking an image. Therefore, in order to specify the ineffective light beams, a specific beam width, pattern, or color is assigned to each light beam, so as to identify the light beam which was used for taking each image.
However, when a floor surface or an obstacle on a floor surface is detected using the light-section method as an optical sensor of a self-controlled robot, the distance towards the target object and the shape of the target object are unknown. Therefore, if a specific width, pattern, or color is assigned to each light beam and images are taken using reflected light beams, a large burden is imposed on the image processing. Additionally, in order to specify each of a plurality of light beams which pass through slits and have different color, a color image taken by a color camera must be processed; thus, the equipment cost is high and a bigger burden is imposed on the complicated color-image processing, and as a result, the processing time is increased. Furthermore, a device for emitting light beams which pass through slits must have a complicated mechanism for assigning a specific width, pattern, or color to each beam.
In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a distance measuring apparatus and method for measuring the entire image of a target object by employing a light-section method with a short measurement time, without assigning any specific feature to light beams having a beam form obtained by passing through slits.
Therefore, the present invention provides a distance measuring apparatus for measuring a distance to a target object by using a light-section method, comprising:
a beam emitting device for simultaneously emitting a plurality of light beams towards the target object, each beam having a beam form obtained by passing through a slit;
a first image taking device for taking an image obtained by light reflected by the target object, where the distance between the first image taking device and the beam emitting device is relatively short so as to obtain a wide distance area;
a second image taking device for taking an image obtained by light reflected by the target object, where the distance between the first image taking device and the beam emitting device is relatively long so as to obtain a high measurement accuracy of the distance;
a distance estimating section for estimating the distance to the target object based on the image taken by the first image taking device; and
a distance determining section for determining the distance to the target object based on the estimated result output from the distance estimating section and on the image taken by the second image taking device.
Preferably, the beam emitting device is positioned between the first image taking device and the second image taking device.
Typically, the beam emitting device includes a diffraction grating for obtaining said plurality of light beams.
Also typically, said plurality of light beams are laser beams.
The beam emitting device may include a beam diffusing element for diffusing a beam in a single plane so as to have said beam form.
Typically, the beam diffusing element has a cylindrical lens.
Typically, each of the first image taking device and the second image taking device comprises an interlaced scanning CCD camera.
The present invention also provides a self-controlled robot having a distance measuring apparatus as explained above.
Typically, the self-controlled robot is a bipedal robot having two legs.
In the self-controlled robot, it is possible that:
the distance estimating section has a section for estimating the height of the target object based on the image taken by the first image taking device; and
the self-controlled robot comprises an action plan determining section for determining an action plan of the robot based on the estimated result output from the distance estimating section; and
the distance determining section has a section for determining a landing position of a leg of the robot based on the action plan, the estimated result output from the distance estimating section, and the image taken by the second image taking section.
The present invention also provides a distance measuring method of measuring a distance to a target object by using a light-section method, comprising:
a beam emitting step of simultaneously emitting a plurality of light beams towards the target object, each beam having a beam form obtained by passing through a slit;
a first image taking step of taking an image obtained by light reflected by the target object, where the distance between the point where the image is taken and the position where the beams are emitted is relatively short so as to obtain a wide distance area;
a second image taking step of taking an image obtained by light reflected by the target object, where the distance between the point where the image is taken and the position where the beams are emitted is relatively long so as to obtain a high measurement accuracy of the distance;
a distance estimating step of estimating the distance to the target object based on the image taken in the first image taking step; and
a distance determining step of determining the distance to the target object based on the estimated result obtained in the distance estimating step and on the image taken in the second image taking step.
Typically, in the method, the position where the beams are emitted is positioned between the point where the image is taken in the first image taking step and the point where the image is taken in the second image taking step.
Preferably, the beam emitting step includes a beam diffusing step of diffusing a beam in a single plane so as to have said beam form.
According to the present invention, a plurality of light beams, each beam having a beam form obtained by passing through a slit, are simultaneously emitted, rough estimation of the distance is performed based on the image taken by the first image taking device, and the distance is determined using the image taken by the second image taking device with reference to the estimated results. Therefore, in a target area, highly accurate measurement of the distance is possible within a short measurement time. In addition, the above plurality of light beams can be generated using a single light source (i.e., beam emitting device); therefore, no color image is necessary, and image data taken by non-color cameras whose brightness data are known or obtained are processed. In addition, the above plurality of light beams can be generated using the diffraction grating and the beam diffusing element such as a cylindrical lens; thus, the structure of the beam emitting device (typically, laser light source) can be simplified.

Distance measuring apparatus and method employing two image taking devices having different measurement accuracy


Methods and systems are presented for prefetching music for devices. The disclosed method includes detecting an access to a music library through a device. The music library is associated with a user music account and is managed in cloud music storage. The disclose method further includes monitoring use activities for the user music account and the use activities of selected songs in the music library are adjustable for relevance based on assigned weightings. One or more songs from the music library that satisfy a prefetching constraint based on the monitored use activities are identified. The songs that satisfy the prefetching constraint are tagged for transferring to the device. The tagged songs are transferred to the device without receiving a user initiated request for the tagged songs.

Internet applications have grown tremendously over the years and so has the functionality provided to devices that access those applications. One area that has seen such growth relates to audio file management. An audio file management application enables a user to search and purchase music selections online and store the purchased music in cloud storage. Audio file management applications also enable users to access and play music stored in the cloud storage using a network connected device. A user may play a song stored in the cloud storage by clicking an icon displayed in the display screen of the user device, and the icon is associated with a song stored in the cloud storage. The song stored in the cloud storage needs to be downloaded to the user device before the song can be played. As a result, there is a delay between the time when the user clicks on the icon associated with the song and the time when the song is played.
It is in this context that embodiments arise.

Method and system for prefetching music for devices


A method includes receiving a first measurement configuration at a user equipment from a wireless communication network; making measurements using the first measurement configuration; in response to a condition being satisfied resulting from the measurements that are made, transmitting an indication that an allowed small cell has been detected; receiving a second measurement configuration at the user equipment from the wireless communication network; and making measurements of the allowed small cell using the second measurement configuration, where the first measurement configuration results in measurements being made less frequently than measurements made in accordance with the second measurement configuration. An apparatus configured to perform the method is also disclosed.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined as follows:    3GPP third generation partnership project    ANR automatic neighbour relation    ASF autonomous search function    BS base station    CSG closed subscriber group    DL downlink (eNB towards UE)    DRx discontinuous reception    eNB E-UTRAN Node B (evolved Node B)    EPC evolved packet core    E-UTRAN evolved UTRAN (LTE)    HeNB home eNB    HO handover    IMTA international mobile telecommunications association    ITU-R international telecommunication union-radiocommunication sector    LTE long term evolution of UTRAN (E-UTRAN)    LTE-A LTE advanced    MAC medium access control (layer 2, L2)    MM/MME mobility management/mobility management entity    OFDMA orthogonal frequency division multiple access    O&M operations and maintenance    PCI physical cell identifier    PDCP packet data convergence protocol    PHY physical (layer 1, L1)    PSC packet scheduling    RAT radio access technology    Rel release    RLC radio link control    RRC radio resource control    RRM radio resource management    SGW serving gateway    SI system information    SC-FDMA single carrier, frequency division multiple access    UE user equipment, such as a mobile station, mobile node or mobile terminal    UL uplink (UE towards eNB)    UPE user plane entity    UTRAN universal terrestrial radio access network
One modern communication system is known as evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN, also referred to as UTRAN-LTE or as E-UTRA). In this system the DL access technique is OFDMA, and the UL access technique is SC-FDMA.
One specification of interest is 3GPP TS 36.300, V10.4.0 (2011 June), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (EUTRAN); Overall description; Stage 2 (Release 10), referred to for simplicity hereafter as 3GPP TS 36.300. Another specification of interest is 3GPP TS 36.331 V10.2.0 (2011 June) Technical Specification 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (Release 10).
FIG. 1A reproduces FIG. 4.1 of 3GPP TS 36.300 and shows the overall architecture of the EUTRAN system (Rel-8). The E-UTRAN system includes eNBs, providing the E-UTRAN user plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UEs. The eNBs are interconnected with each other by means of an X2 interface. The eNBs are also connected by means of an S1 interface to an EPC, more specifically to a MME by means of a S1 MME interface and to a S-GW by means of a S1 interface (MME/S-GW 4). The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relationship between MMEs/S-GWs/UPEs and eNBs.
The eNB hosts the following functions:    functions for RRM: RRC, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both UL and DL (scheduling);    IP header compression and encryption of the user data stream;    selection of a MME at UE attachment;    routing of User Plane data towards the EPC (MME/S-GW);    scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originated from the MME);    scheduling and transmission of broadcast information (originated from the MME or O&M); and    a measurement and measurement reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling.
Also of particular interest herein are further releases of 3GPP LTE targeted towards future IMT-A systems, referred to herein for convenience simply as LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). A goal of LTE-A is to provide significantly enhanced services by means of higher data rates and lower latency with reduced cost. LTE-A is directed toward extending and optimizing the 3GPP LTE Rel-8 radio access technologies to provide higher data rates at lower cost. LTE-A will be a more optimized radio system fulfilling the ITU-R requirements for IMT-Advanced while maintaining backwards compatibility with LTE Rel-8.
A problem relates to small cell discovery and measurement triggering, where by small cells what is generally meant are picocells or HeNB cells. Under current 3GPP assumptions the UE should be able to detect (discover) allowed and earlier visited CSG/hybrid cells using an implementation-specific Autonomous Search Function (ASF). This function is currently specified in a vague manner and the details of this function are left to individual implementations. However, 3GPP is now working towards improving small cell discovery and proximity indications (thus also improving the ASF). Reference in this regard can be made to, for example, 3GPP TSG-RAN Meeting #51, RP-110438, Kansas City, US, Mar. 15-18, 2011, Source: Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia Corporation, Alcatel-Lucent; Title: New work item proposal for Hetnet Mobility Improvements for LTE, Agenda Item: 14.1.
The challenge that is presented is how should a UE, in the (RRC) connected mode, find a previously discovered and allowed CSG/hybrid cell. Ideally this additional UE task should not lead to a noticeable increase in the signaling load, UE battery power consumption, nor should it have a negative impact on any potentially ongoing data transmission such as, for example, requiring a lower data rate to be used. Under current assumptions the UE is to perform the needed measurements in an implementation specific way, and once a cell has been discovered the network should be notified via a proximity indication message. Based on this message the network configures the UE with an appropriate measurement configuration (on the indicated carrier) and from that time forward then standardized measurement rules are used.
By way of background, reference can be made to Section 10.5.1.2, RRC_CONNECTED, of 3GPP TS 36.300. As is currently specified, while the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state the UE performs normal measurement and mobility procedures based on configuration provided by the network. The UE is not required to support manual selection of CSG IDs while in RRC_CONNECTED state.
Handover to a HNB/HeNB follows the framework of UE assisted network controlled handover as described in Section 10.1.2.1. Handover to a HNB/HeNB is different from the normal handover procedure in three aspects:    1. Proximity Estimation: in case the UE is able to determine, using autonomous search procedures, that it is near a CSG or hybrid cell whose CSG ID is in the UE's CSG white list, the UE may provide to the source eNB an indication of proximity. The proximity indication may be used as follows:            If a measurement configuration is not present for the concerned frequency/RAT, the source eNB may configure the UE to perform measurements and reporting for the concerned frequency/RAT.        The source eNB may determine whether to perform other actions related to handover to HNB/HeNBs based on having received a proximity indication (for example, the source eNB may not configure the UE to acquire system information of the HNB/HeNB unless it has received a proximity indication).            2. PSC/PCI Confusion: due to the typical cell size of HNB/HeNBs being much smaller than macro cells, there can be multiple HNBs/HeNBs within the coverage of the source eNB that have the same PSC/PCI. This leads to a condition referred to as PSC/PCI confusion, wherein the source eNB is unable to determine the correct target cell for handover from the PSC/PCI included in the measurement reports from the UE. PSC/PCI confusion is solved by the UE reporting the global cell identity of the target HNB/HeNB.    3. Access Control: if the target cell is a hybrid cell, prioritization of allocated resources may be performed based on the UE's membership status. Access control is done by a two step process, where first the UE reports the membership status based on the CSG ID received from the target cell and the UE's CSG white list, and then the network verifies the reported status.
Mobility from eNB/HeNB to a HeNB CSG/hybrid cell takes place with the S1 Handover procedure. In the following call flow the source cell can be an eNB or a HeNB.
The procedure applies to any scenario where the CSG ID is provided by the UE or provided by the source eNB.
Reference can be made to FIG. 1B, which reproduces FIG. 10.5.1.2-1 "Mobility to HeNBs CSG and hybrid cells" from 3GPP TS 36.300. The enumerated steps and procedures in FIG. 1B are described as follows.    1) The source eNB configures the UE with proximity indication control.    2) The UE sends an "entering" proximity indication when it determines it may be near a cell (based on autonomous search procedures) whose CSG ID is in the UEs CSG white list. The proximity indication includes the RAT and frequency of the cell.    3) if a measurement configuration is not present for the concerned frequency/RAT the source eNB configures the UE with relevant measurement configuration including measurement gaps as needed, so that the UE can perform measurements on the reported RAT and frequency. The network may also use the proximity indication to minimize the requesting of handover preparation information of CSG/hybrid cells by avoiding requesting such information when the UE is not in the geographical area where cells whose CSG IDs are in the UEs CSG White-list are located.    4) The UE sends a measurement report including the PCI (e.g., due to triggered event A3).    5) The source eNB configures the UE to perform SI acquisition and reporting of a particular PCI.    6) The UE performs SI acquisition using autonomous gaps, i.e., the UE may suspend reception and transmission with the source eNB within the limits defined in 3GPP TS 36.133 to acquire the relevant system information from the target HeNB.    7) The UE sends a measurement report including (E-)CGI, TAT, CSG ID and "member/non-member" indication.    8) The source eNB includes the target E-CGI and the CSG ID in the Handover Required message sent to the MME. If the target is a hybrid cell the Cell Access Mode of the target is included.    9) The MME performs UE access control to the CSG cell based on the CSG ID received in the Handover Required message and the stored CSG subscription data for the UE. If the access control procedure fails, the MME ends the handover procedure by replying with the Handover Preparation Failure message. If the Cell Access Mode is present, the MME determines the CSG Membership Status of the UE handing over to the hybrid cell and includes it in the Handover Request message.    10-11) The MME sends the Handover Request message to the target HeNB including the target CSG ID received in the Handover Required message. If the target is a hybrid cell the CSG Membership Status will be included in the Handover Request message.    12) The target HeNB verifies that the CSG ID received in the Handover Request message matches the CSG ID broadcast in the target cell and if such validation is successful it allocates appropriate resources. UE prioritization may also be applied if the CSG Membership Status indicates that the UE is a member.    13-14) The target HeNB sends the Handover Request Acknowledge message to the MME via the HeNB GW if present.    15) The MME sends the Handover Command message to the source eNB.    16) The source eNB transmits the Handover Command (RRC Connection Reconfiguration message including mobility control information) to the UE.
NOTE: Steps 1-9, 15 and 16 also apply to inter-RAT mobility from LTE to HNB.
After sending an "entering" proximity indication (step 2), if the UE determines that it is no longer near a cell whose CSG ID is in the UE's CSG white list, the UE sends a "leaving" proximity indication to the source eNB. Upon reception of this indication, the source eNB may reconfigure the UE to stop measurements on the reported RAT and frequency.
In the above procedure as currently specified in 3GPP TS 36.300 steps 2 and 3 may not be performed in case the UE has not previously visited the HeNB, e.g., when the UE first visits a hybrid cell.
The PCI confusion is said to be resolved by steps 5, 6 and 7. The source eNB can request SI acquisition and reporting for any PCI, not limited to PSCs/PCIs of CSG or hybrid cells.

Method and apparatus providing multi-level proximity indication and small cell discovery


The present invention includes an apparatus and method for holding a tool that includes one or more substantially cylindrical members, wherein each member has a longitudinal channel and a base having one or more planarly spaced substantially cylindrical openings and a longitudinal slot extending along each substantially cylindrical opening, wherein each substantially cylindrical member is secured within one of the cylindrical openings and is free to rotatively engage one or more tools.

In both consumer and industrial settings, there has been a growing necessity for a tool holder that operates by rotationally engaging and releasing a tool or tools. While most tool holders are capable of engaging and releasing tools with the assistance of gravity, their restraining capacity often fails to account for various environments. Instead, standardized restraints are fashioned according to a tool's size or shape. Such restraints often fail to account for a sufficient amount of environmental variables in which the tool is subjected to or used in.
For example, while a tool belt may successfully hold a socket wrench through a snap or clip in a low altitude construction setting, that same tool belt may not appropriately hold the same tool in a similar construction setting at a higher altitude. As a general rule, higher winds are present more often at higher altitudes rather than at lower altitudes. Accordingly, modern tool restraints solve such problems often by increasing took holders' tensile strengths, either by making structural or material alterations. However, along with such changes comes compromised ease of use, weight, tool accessibility, as well as numerous other problems.
Such problems are especially commonplace in environments which include turbomachinery and other similar surroundings involving the generation of unusually large forces. Not only must the tool holder be secured, but the tools it holds must be readily available, quickly accessible, neatly organized, and yet able to be restrained and released at a moments notice. In such environments, traditional tool holders which attempt to solve such problems at best are inefficient, as with increased tensile strengths, comes unacceptable compromises in efficiency.
As a consequence of the foregoing, a longstanding need exists among users for an apparatus and method allowing for the quick, simple, and effective storage and retrieval of tools in high energy environments.


An information retrieval device includes a degree-of-association information storage unit capable of storing an item(s) of degree-of-association information indicating a degree of association between each of an item(s) of first information and each of an item(s) of second information; an accepting unit that accepts a query including an item(s) of query information which is/are an item(s) of information used for retrieval of content; a query converter that obtains, by using an item(s) of first information corresponding to each of the item(s) of query information, and the item(s) of degree-of-association information, an item(s) of second information whose degree of association with the item(s) of first information is greater as a predetermined condition is better satisfied; and a retrieval unit that retrieves content by using the item(s) of second information obtained by the query converter. Accordingly, content necessary for a user can be retrieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information retrieval device and the like which retrieve content.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been technology that determines an ad by using user interest information and map-based location information (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-138100 (page 1, FIG. 1, etc.).
However, with the related art, it has been difficult to retrieve content such as an ad necessary for a user.

Information retrieval device, information retrieval method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium