A computer processor including a single fused-unfused floating point multiply-add (FMA) module computes the result of the operation A*B+C for floating point numbers for fused multiply-add rounding operations and unfused multiply-add rounding operations. In one embodiment, a fused multiply-add rounding implementation is augmented with additional hardware which calculates an unfused multiply-add rounding result without adding additional pipeline stages. In one embodiment, a computation by the fused-unfused floating point multiply-add (FMA) module is initiated using a single opcode which determines whether a fused multiply-add rounding result or unfused multiply-add rounding result is generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to computer processors.
2. Description of Related Art
In the computation of the multiply-add operation A*B+C, where A, B, and C are floating point numbers, rounding is accomplished utilizing one of two techniques. The first technique is termed fused multiply-add rounding, and the second technique is termed unfused multiply-add rounding.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional floating point multiply-add (FMA) module 100 utilizing conventional fused multiply-add rounding. In FIG. 1, a mantissa of an operand A is input to a carry save adder (CSA) 104 at an input 104_1, and a mantissa of an operand B is input to CSA 104 at an input 104_2. The partial products of the operation A*B are formed and reduced in CSA 104 until two partial products, term S and term T, remain. In the present example, term S is output from CSA 104 at output 104_3, and term T is output from CSA 104 at output 104_4.
In parallel with the operation of CSA 104, a mantissa of an operand C is input to an alignment module 102 at an input 102_1, and the binary point of the mantissa of operand C is aligned with a position of a binary point of the product of A*B. The resultant aligned C term is output from alignment module 102 at output 102_2.
Term S, term T, and the portion of the aligned C term that is not larger than the product of A*B, are input to a full adders module (FA) 106, respectively at inputs 106_2, 106_3 and 106_1, and combined in full adders of FA module 106 to produce two resulting new terms, term X and term Y. Term X is output from FA module 106 at output 106_4, and term Y is output from FA 106 at output 106_5.
Term X and term Y are next input to a carry lookahead adder (CLA) 108, respectively at inputs 108_1, and 108_2. Term X and term Y are added in CLA 108 to produce two resultant sums, a first sum for a carry-in of zero, herein termed Sum C0, and a second sum for a carry-in of 1, herein termed Sum C1. Sum C0 is output from CLA 108 at output 108_4 and Sum C1 is output from CLA 108 at output 108_3.
The portion of the aligned C mantissa that is larger than the product of A*B, output from alignment module 102 at output 102_2, is input to an increment module 110 at input 110_1 and incremented in increment module 110. The incremented term output from increment module 110 at output 110_2 is input to mux 114 at input 114_1 together with the unincremented aligned C term input to mux 114 at input 114_2.
The Sum C0 term output from CLA 108 is input to mux 112 at input 112_2 together with the Sum C1 term input at input 112_1. Initially, the value of zero is used as input at input 112_3. The resultant carry out of mux 112 at output 112_4 is then input to mux 114 at input 114_3 and is used to select the incremented or unincremented high order bits, i.e., the bits that are in positions larger than the positions for the product of A and B, in mux 114. The initially selected high order bits are then output from mux 114 at output 114_4.
The resultant carry out from mux 114 is termed the end around carry. The end around carry is then used as the carry in to CLA 108, which is accomplished by replacing the initial input of zero at input 114_3 to mux 114 with the end around carry value. After this replacement, the output from mux 112 at output 112_4 becomes the input to normalizer module 116 at input 116_2. The carry out from mux 112 at output 112_4 is input to mux 114 at input 114_3 and used to select the incremented or unincremented high order bits.
The selected high order bits output from mux 114 are then input to normalizer 116 at input 116_1 together with the resultant carry out of mux 112 input to normalizer 116 at input 116_2.
Normalizer 116 normalizes the values and outputs the normalized value at output 116_3. The normalized value is input to a rounding module 118 at input 118_1 where the normalized value is rounded and the fused multiply-add rounding result output from rounding module 118 at output 118_2. The above fused multiply-add rounding method is well known to those of skill in the art and is not further described herein in detail to avoid detracting from the principles of the invention.

Fused multiply-add rounding and unfused multiply-add rounding in a single multiply-add module


A method for detecting and recognizing surface defects of an automated fiber placement composite based on an image converted from point clouds, including: acquiring a surface point cloud of the automated fiber placement composite; fitting a plane to surface point data; calculating a distance from each point of the surface point cloud to a fitted plane; enveloping the surface point cloud by OBB, and generating a grayscale image according to the OBB and the distance; constructing a pre-trained semantic segmentation network for defect of fiber placement, and inputting the grayscale image to segment and recognize defect areas thereon; mapping a segmentation result output by the semantic segmentation network to the point cloud followed by defect evaluation and visualization.

The extensive application of composite materials in the high-teach fields such as aerospace and automobiles has promoted the enhancement of the manufacturing process and precision of composite products. The particularity of the composite material renders its manufacturing process relatively complicated. Initially, some composite materials are made by hand lay-up. With the development and application of the automation technology, 3D braiding, filament winding, and automated fiber placement have gradually emerged. As one of the representative techniques for the fabrication of resin-based composites, the automated fiber placement involves not only the material manufacturing process, but also the CAD/CAM/CAE technologies and the electromechanical automation control. Currently, the automated fiber placement has been widely employed for the manufacturing of aerospace-related components.
However, during the automated fiber placement process of composite materials, some external defects (such as warping, wrinkling, twisting and lapping) will occur due to the insufficient equipment precision and fiber placement trajectory. To meet the precision requirements of composite products in the practical application, it is extremely critical and urgent to quantitatively evaluate the defects while detecting the categories of surface defects of the automated fiber placement composites. Unfortunately, most of the existing detection methods are still carried out by eye detection, resulting in low efficiency. Moreover, the visual fatigue caused by long-term manual operation will inevitably bring a declined in the detection accuracy. In recent years, with the development of computer vision technology, various image-based methods for detecting the surface defects of the automated fiber placement composites have been proposed to recognize the defects. In view of the dependence on color images, these detection approaches are susceptible to light and fail to further evaluate the defect level, limiting the application scope.

Method for detecting and recognizing surface defects of automated fiber placement composite based on image converted from point cloud

Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics


A magnetic disk apparatus is configured such that a physical track number is converted into an absolute track number by making a track pitch in an absolute track area formed by a given magnetic head wider by a given amount than a track pitch in a corresponding absolute track area formed by a reference magnetic head if the number of absolute tracks is larger in the absolute track area formed by the given magnetic head than in, the absolute track area formed by the reference magnetic head although the number of physical tracks is identical in corresponding physical track areas between different magnetic disks. The given amount is commensurate with an unused area corresponding to a difference in the number of absolute tracks between the absolute track area formed by the given magnetic head and the absolute track area formed by the reference magnetic head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to magnetic disk drives, and particularly relates to a magnetic disk drive provided with a magnetic disk on which servo information is written by a stack servo track writer (SSTW) in a radial pattern in radial directions to be placed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
An SSTW (also referred to as STW) is an apparatus designed to write servo information on a magnetic disk. Each magnetic disk on which servo information is written by an SSTW is mounted in an individual magnetic disk drive. Magnetic disks having servo information written by an SSTW in advance are mounted in magnetic disk drives, so that the productivity of the magnetic disk drives can be improved compared to the case in which servo information is written to individual magnetic disks after these disks are mounted in magnetic disk drives.
The eccentricity of a magnetic disk set in an SSTW differs from the eccentricity of the magnetic disk having servo information written thereon by the SSTW as mounted in a magnetic disk drive. Further, the tilt of the surface of a magnetic disk set in an SSTW differs from the tilt of the magnetic disk having servo information written thereon by the SSTW as mounted in a magnetic disk drive. Moreover, when a magnetic head serving as a reference in an SSTW is fixedly placed at a given position on a magnetic disk, this position does not match the corresponding position of another magnetic head on another magnetic disk. A similar phenomenon also occurs when this magnetic disk having servo information written thereon by the SSTW is mounted in a magnetic disk drive. Because of these factors, the tracks of a magnetic disk having servo information written thereon as set in an SSTW may not match and deviate from tracks (scan paths) scanned by a magnetic head on this magnetic disk having the servo information written by the SSTW as mounted in a magnetic disk drive. When a magnetic head serving as a reference in a magnetic disk drive is fixedly placed at a given position on a magnetic disk, this position does not match the corresponding position of another magnetic head on another magnetic disk, resulting in a difference in accessed track numbers. In this application, such phenomenon is referred to as an "inter-media collapse".
Patent Document 1 discloses a method of making a track pitch vary in response to the density of the magnetic flux of the magnetic field of a voice coil motor when servo information is written to a magnetic disk. Patent Document 2 discloses a method of mounting a magnetic disk having control information written thereon by an SSTW in a magnetic disk drive. Patent Document 3 discloses a method of making a track pitch vary in response to a radial position in order to compensate for the phenomenon in which the skew angle of a magnetic head to a magnetic disk differs depending on the radial direction. Patent Document 4 discloses a method of changing a track pitch separately for each area on a magnetic disk in order to provide a sufficiently large track pitch compared to the track width in which data is written. Patent Document 5 discloses a method of writing servo information to a magnetic disk at accurate track pitches.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-65271    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-73406    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-237142    [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-16745    [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-100611
As the record density of a magnetic disk increases, the track pitch decreases, resulting in an adjacent track influence (hereinafter referred to as an ATI) becoming unignorable. That is, when data is written to tracks on both sides of a given track, for example, these tracks serve as a noise source with respect to the given track, which causes an error rate to increase when data is read from this given track. As the number of times data is written to the tracks on both sides increases, the deterioration of the error rate becomes increasingly conspicuous. In the worst case, data cannot be properly read from this given track.
Patent Document 3 as described above changes a track pitch separately for each area on a magnetic disk as an anti-ATI measure. Since the track pitch is constant within each area, however, it is difficult to achieve the objective of improving the record density of a magnetic disk simultaneously with the objective of suppressing an ATI.
Accordingly, there is a need for a magnetic disk drive that can improve the record density of a magnetic disk and suppress an ATI at the same time. That is, there is a need for a magnetic disk drive that can suppress the occurrence of an ATI accompanying the improvement of the record density of a magnetic disk.

Magnetic disk apparatus suppressing adjacent track influence


A row crop header includes a frame, a first shield, a first hinge mechanism pivotably coupling the first shield to the frame, a second shield and a second hinge mechanism pivotably coupling the second shield to the first shield. The first hinge mechanism includes a first female coupling member coupled to a first one of the first shield and the frame and a first male coupling member coupled to a second one of the first shield and the frame. The first male coupling member is rotatably received within the first female coupling member for pivotably coupling the first shield to the frame. The first male coupling member is removable from the first female coupling member upon selective rotation of the first male and first female coupling members relative to one another. The second hinge mechanism includes a second female coupling member coupled to one of the first shields and the second shield and a second male coupling member coupled to the other of the first shield and the second shield. The second male coupling member is rotatably received within the second female coupling member for pivotally coupling the first shield to the second shield. The second male coupling member is removable from the second female coupling member upon selective rotation of the second male and female coupling members relative to one another.

Row unit hoods and dividers (forward, tapered hoods) are used to direct ears and stalks of corn into a gathering unit on a corn head while protecting the row unit gathering mechanism. These hoods and dividers are typically mounted to the row unit arm on one end and secured to the row unit arm on the other end using a latch or fastener. These mounting configurations typically require a tool for disassembly and removal.
Several variations of header row unit hoods and dividers have been developed for allowing pivotal access to the row unit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,682 teaches hingedly mounted hoods with two parts articulately connected to one another so that they can be pivoted to and fixed in a tipped roof shape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,368 teaches a hood assembly composed of left and right-hand portions being pivotable away from each other about a fore and aft axis and being releasably secured by spring latches. Neither of these variations of row unit hoods and dividers allow easy, adequate access for full inspection of the row unit, or toolless removal of the dividers and hoods.
Since most conventional hoods and dividers are wide and constructed of metal, they can be heavy and cumbersome to move. However, the last several years has seen a rapid increase in the research and development of lighter and narrower plastic hoods and dividers. Future worldwide road transportation regulations may further promote development of lighter, narrower hoods and dividers by defining acceptable size and shape requirements. Therefore, customer demand for lighter, narrower hoods and dividers that can be easily removed for storing, transporting, cleaning, inspecting, servicing, and shipping will increase.

Row crop header shield with detachable shields


A lighting system that includes luminaires (1,2,3,4,5) installed at individual locations (R1-5) in premises, is commissioned by placing auxiliary commissioning devices (6) in the premises at spaced apart locations and forming them into a wireless local network. The auxiliary commissioning devices each include a sensor (13) to detect light from the luminaires, establishing the locations of the auxiliary commissioning devices in relation to the premises, for example by using ranging on the basis of signal strengths of the devices (6) in the local network, and detecting light emitted from the luminaires individually with the sensors (13) of the auxiliary commissioning devices such as to associate the luminaires with individual ones of the commissioning devices.

In commercial premises, complex multi-service infrastructures are typically deployed to provide heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting control, which may be managed from a central location to simplify maintenance and to optimize energy consumption in the building.
The installation of building infrastructure systems is a complex and lengthy undertaking, particularly in the commissioning process for networked lighting where switches and sensors are associated with one or more luminaires by a manual process so that the luminaires can be operated individually or in groups by specific switches and sensors, with the overall network being managed by a central controller. As a result, the commissioning process is currently a very expensive and labor intensive process.


In a solar cell having p doped regions and n doped regions alternately formed in a surface of a semiconductor wafer in offset levels through use of masking and etching techniques, metal contacts are made to the p regions and n regions by first forming a base layer contacting the p doped regions and n doped regions which functions as an antireflection layer, and then forming a barrier layer, such as titanium tungsten or chromium, and a conductive layer such as copper over the barrier layer. Preferably the conductive layer is a plating layer and the thickness thereof can be increased by plating.

This invention relates generally to solar cells, and more particularly the invention relates to metal contact structures for use in solar cells.
The use of photovoltaic cells for the direct conversion of solar radiation into electrical energy is well known, see Swanson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,352 for example. Briefly, the photovoltaic cell comprises a substrate of semiconductive material having a p-n junction defined therein. In the planar silicon cell the p-n junction is formed near a surface of the substrate which receives impinging radiation. Radiated photons create mobile carriers (holes and electrons) and the substrate which can be directed to an electrical circuit outside of the cell. Only photons having at least a minimum energy level (e.g., 1.1 electron volt for silicon) can generate an electron-hole pair in the semiconductor pair. Photons having less energy are either not absorbed or are absorbed as heat, and the excess energy of photons having more than 1.1 electron volt energy (e.g., photons have a wavelength of 1.1 μm and less) create heat. These and other losses limit the efficiency of photovoltaic cells in directly converting solar energy to electricity to less than 30%.
Solar cells with interdigitated contacts of opposite polarity on the back surface of the cell are known and have numerous advantages over conventional solar cells with front side metal grids and blanket or grid metallized backside contacts, including improved photo-generation due to elimination of front grid shading, much reduced grid series resistance, and improved "blue" photo-response since heavy front surface doping is not required to minimize front contact resistance and since there are no front contacts. In addition to the performance advantages, the back/contact cell structure allows simplified module assembly due to coplanar contacts. See Swanson U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,770 for example.
The present invention is directed to an improved metal contact structure which is especially applicable to solar cells.

Metal contact structure for solar cell and method of manufacture


The present invention is directed to, even when dividing an image arranged between a plurality of pages constituting facing pages before bookbinding printing, preventing different results of correction processing of images on the facing pages after bookbinding printing. An editing system lays out images on facing pages, divides an image laid out on facing pages to generate division images for respective single-side pages, and inserts the division images into the respective single-side pages to generate respective document data. Then, a printing control system extracts division images from the document data, combines the division images, performs correction processing on the combined image, divides the corrected combined image, inserts the division images into the respective document data to update it, and performs print processing based on the updated document data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for adjusting images arranged on facing pages to the same tint when performing bookbinding printing, for example, according to an electronic book data format.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been a technique for selecting a plurality of images, arranging the images in order of the selection, image capture data, or file name, and laying them out on pages of an electronic book (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-186927).
Then, bookbinding printing is performed on the images, for example, according to an electronic book data format. Unlike the display of an electronic book, once a book is bound, the book cannot be opened all the way to a gutter depending on the way of binding. Therefore, the center portion between facing pages may be hidden. Therefore, white space is formed at the center portion between facing pages (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-331730). In this case, if an image is arranged across the gutter between facing pages, an image portion arranged at the center portion between facing pages will be missing. On the other hand, if an image is arranged on each of the right and left pages constituting facing pages instead of being arranged at the center portion between facing pages, no image portion is hidden or missing after bookbinding printing.
Accordingly, it is assumed to divide an image arranged between facing pages into right and left pieces, and add a space to the page binding area. Thus, pieces of images are respectively arranged on the right and left pages.
In this case, however, similar to originally separate images, the images respectively arranged on the right and left pages are to be separately subjected to correction processing as different images. Therefore, there has been a problem that, for example, different color adjustment processing is applied to each of the right and left division images resulting in different tint between the right and left images although they will become a continuous image after bookbinding printing.

Bookbinding printing system, information processing apparatus, method for controlling the same, and storage medium


This disclosure describes methods, non-transitory computer readable storage media, and systems that provide secure password sharing across a plurality of users and client devices via a shared folder. For example, in one or more embodiments, the disclosed system retrieves a public key set including public encryption keys for client devices having access to the shared folder. The disclosed system provides the public key set to a client device requesting to share the shared folder. The disclosed system receives an encrypted payload for the shared folder and a shared encryption key that is utilized to encrypt the payload and is encrypted in the shared folder utilizing the public key set. The disclosed system also detects key rotation events and notifies one or more client devices to generate a modified shared encryption key and re-encrypt the payload for storage within the shared folder.

Technological advances in network communications and computing device capabilities have increased access to many different types of services over network connections. For example, many online systems provide remote access to services via login interfaces that allow users to log in to their accounts with the systems. Accordingly, such online systems allow a user to create a separate user account with login information (e.g., a username and a password) for each of the different services. Because users often have large numbers of different accounts for many different services, each having its own login information, users can find it difficult to remember and securely manage login information for each of the different services.
Many conventional credential storage systems provide storage of login information for different accounts. For example, some conventional systems store credentials on a local client device or on a remote device (e.g., cloud storage) that allows a user to access their login information for logging in to accounts for various services from a central location. In particular, some conventional credential storage systems store and encrypt passwords to various services behind a central credential (e.g., a username/password combination or biometric credential). Alternatively, other conventional credential storage systems encrypt passwords using public encryption keys and distribute those public encryption keys to client devices that can use corresponding private encryption keys to decrypt the passwords.
While these conventional credential storage systems provide a central location of digitally storing login information for users, the conventional systems exhibit a number of disadvantages. Specifically, by utilizing a single set of credentials (e.g., associated with a single user) to access login information for different services, the conventional systems limit access to only users that also have access to the credentials. Thus, if a first user of the conventional systems desires to give access to any of the login information to a second user, the first user must provide the credentials to the second user. Providing the credentials to the second user also gives access to all of the login information stored in the account rather than a selective sharing of login information. Accordingly, the conventional credential storage systems lack flexibility and security for extending use beyond a single user.
In addition to rigid login-information-access protocols, a credential storage system that shares digital data among users and client devices introduces network security risks and data-loss risks. For instance, after users leave a sharing group that shares secure data among users, the former members of the sharing group pose a security risk and should no longer have access to the secure data. For instance, when a user associated with a computing device with a private encryption key leaves a sharing group, the leaving user may continue to access the secure data until a computing device updates the collection of public encryption keys corresponding to authorized members of the sharing group. Additionally, when encrypting or re-encrypting data across client devices, differences in the data encrypted and synchronized across the client devices results in data loss. For example, an asynchronous connection to a central location (e.g., a server) can cause a server or other computing device to lose data when client devices exchange or send different encryption key versions (e.g., in the case of key rotations) or different payloads stored at the client devices. Thus, any conventional credential storage (or other) system that shares data among client devices introduce both risks of compromised network security and data loss.

Utilizing encryption key exchange and rotation to share passwords via a shared folder


A process for registering lines of termination with indicia in a transported sheet of web material is disclosed. The process provides for the steps of: (a) transporting the sheet of web material in a first direction; (b) applying indicia to the sheet from a print cylinder, the print cylinder having a first angular position; (c) imparting lines of termination to the sheet of web material with a rotatable blade, the rotatable blade having a second angular position; (d) calculating a position error by comparing the first angular position of the print cylinder and the second angular position of the rotatable blade; and, (e) adjusting the second angular position of the rotatable blade according to the position error.

Sheets for household use are well known in the art. It is often desirable to decorate such sheets, such as by printing. Printing can impart an aesthetically pleasing pattern to the sheet. Alternatively, the sheet may be embossed to impart an aesthetically pleasing pattern which is also tactually discernible.
Such sheets are typically made in continuous form and then later cut to discrete lengths as desired. Such cutting to discrete lengths may occur at the point of use, such as is caused by the consumer detaching one sheet from the balance thereof at a line of termination. For this purpose, the line of termination typically comprises a line of weakness, such as a perforation. Alternatively, the continuous sheet may be cut into discrete portions prior to the point of use. Such arrangement often occurs in individual napkins or facial tissues that are cut during manufacture and purchased by the consumer as discrete units.
It has been relatively facile in the prior art to register indicia with a cross-machine direction of such sheets while such sheets are transported in a continuous fashion during manufacturing. However, it is difficult to register the indicia in the machine direction and particularly difficult to register the indicia with lines of termination of such sheet materials.
One manner in which the foregoing difficulties have been addressed is to keep the length of the sheet material disposed between application of the indicia and the deposition of lines of weakness therein relatively short. However, this approach does not provide for feasibility in manufacturing processes, can require smaller sized equipment, and is infeasible where any modules necessary to impart such lines of weakness, or for the application of the indicia, provide a web path that is large enough to cause improper spacing between the indicia and the lines of weakness.
Other processes may provide acceptable results with regard to processing of a single type of web material, such as short sheets, but not work acceptably where longer sheet lengths are required. For example, one approach provides for a relatively short path length between the point at which the latter of the indicia and/or lines of termination are applied or imparted to the sheet and the point at which the continuous sheet is cut into separate discrete units at the point of manufacture. However, where relatively longer sheet lengths are required (i.e., rolled products, such as toilet tissue or paper toweling), difficulties are introduced by the cumulative error that occurs over the length of the continuous sheet. For example, a misregistration of 0.001 inches at the first repeat unit will provide a misregistration of 1 inch after the manufacture of 1,000 inches of sheet material.
The processes of the prior art provide for even larger problems when a parent roll being processed is exhausted and a new parent roll is started. A parent roll is a large roll of product that is later converted to multiple individual sheets by the apparatus and process disclosed herein. It should be known to those of skill in the art that different parent rolls have different properties which can affect the transport of the sheet through a manufacturing apparatus. By way of example, the amount of stretch in the sheet material as it travels through the apparatus frequently varies greatly between different parent rolls. As these properties vary, so does the registration of the indicia with the lines of termination. Such variations in registration must be accounted for in the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, it should be apparent to those of skill in the art that the approaches that may be feasible when dealing with longer sheet lengths are not sufficient for dealing with registration difficulties that occur in shorter sheet lengths and vice versa. Thus, it would be useful to provide a mechanism for overcoming these problems associated with misregistration between indicia and lines of termination in products having longer unit lengths and, in particular, core wound paper products and yet be flexible enough to deal with discrete articles of relatively short unit length. Additionally, it would be useful to provide for adjustments to the spacing between indicia and lines of termination while the sheet is being processed into consumer goods.

Process for perforating printed or embossed substrates


In a network in which a plurality of protection paths have been formed for one working path between a first node and a second node, each node determines preference levels corresponding to an order to be preferentially used when performing protection switching on the plurality of protection paths. Next, each node exchanges pieces of information about the preference levels determined for the plurality of protection paths.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection switching method and apparatus.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Protection switching is a method of restarting traffic to the highest degree when the traffic is stopped due to the generation of a failure in a network. A protection switching method is classified into linear protection switching, ring protection switching, and shared mesh protection switching according to the topology of a network. The linear protection switching includes various protection architectures, such as 1+1, 1:1, 1:N, and M:N.
In protection switching, paths between nodes are basically divided into a working path and a protection path. When there is no failure, traffic is carried along the working path. When a failure occurs in a network or a path is changed by control of an operator, the traffic is carried along the protection path.
Standardization for shared mesh protection switching has recently been under progress. The shared mesh protection switching is a method in which protection paths for protecting a working path between different terminals share limited resources, and is used to improve use efficiency of network resources. In this method, since protection paths allocated for different working paths share limited resources, only a protection path allocated for a working path having high priority can perform switching for traffic using shared resources when a failure is generated in different working paths at the same time. Here, assuming that only one protection path is provided to different working paths, if a working path having high priority uses the protection path due to its failure, the failure of a working path having low priority is not protected.
A working path having low priority can use an m:1 protection architecture so that it can switch traffic to another protection path. That is, protection switching can be performed using an available path, from among m protection paths, by allocating the m protection paths in order to protect one working path.
Meanwhile, in transport networks, such as Ethernet, a Multi-Protocol Label Switching—Transport Profile (MPLS-TP), and an Optical Transport Network (OTN), a 1+1, 1:1, or 1:n protection architecture is used for linear protection switching. The protection architectures have a common point in that they use only one protection path in order to protect one or n working paths.
Accordingly, since only one protection path that can be used when a protection switching situation is generated is present, the allocation of a plurality of protection paths, such as an m:n or m:1 protection architecture, is considered in any Automatic Protection Switching (APS) protocol defined so far.

Protection switching method and apparatus

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A manufacturing process and a power junction field-effect transistor (JFET) are provided. The basic concept of the present invention is to allow the current to flow vertically from the drain region on the bottom side to the source region on the topside of the device. By regulating the voltage applied between the gate regions and the source region, the power junction field-effect transistor (JFET) of the present invention can be built to handle large current and higher voltage for power management purposes, as is similar to the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).

Recently, field effect transistors (FETs) such as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) or junction field effect transistors (JFETs) have achieved a great deal of advance in their performance and manufacturing process technology. The field-effect transistor is a transistor that relies on an electric field to control the shape of the nonconductive depletion layer within a semiconductor material, thus controlling the conductivity of a channel in that material. In other words, once a voltage is applied between the gate region and the source layer, the current is controlled to flow vertically from the drain region to the source layer with the gate region in between. Like all transistors, field-effect transistors can be used as voltage-controlled variable resistors or voltage controlled current sources.
The junction field-effect transistor (JFET) uses voltage applied across a reverse-biased PN junction between the gate region and the source/drain region to control the width of the depletion region, which then controls the conductivity of a semiconductor channel. The metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is a field-effect transistor having a metallic gate insulated from the channel by an oxide layer and the channel conductivity thereof is dependent only on the potential at the gate region.
The MOSFET device is extensively used in digital circuits because the structure thereof is developed toward minimization and it is a very efficient switch. As such, it is possible to fabricate a great number of MOS transistors in a single chip. The structure of the junction field-effect transistor (JFET) is distinguished from the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). Due to the structure difference, the junction field-effect transistors (JFETs) are typically used as analog switches or signal amplifiers, especially low-noise amplifiers, but seldom used as logical operation units or power amplifiers.
Due to the specific structure, the conventional junction field-effect transistor (JFET) fails to handle large current for power management purposes. It is important to modify and regulate the structure and the manufacturing process of the junction field-effect transistor (JFET) so as to overcome the above-described disadvantages resulted from the prior art.

Manufacturing process and structure of power junction field effect transistor


A radio network control node acts across an Iur interface as a drift radio network control node (262) for a user equipment unit (UE) in a communications system supporting a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS). The drift radio network control node (262) maintains a first counter for counting a number of events occurring at the drift radio network control node (262). Registration of the drift radio network control node (262) with a core network node (30) is advantageously delayed until the counter has exceeded a first threshold value. In one example mode, the number of events occurring at the drift network control node (262) which is counted by the counter is a number of user equipment units for which a Iur linking procedure is performed for the MBMS session. In another example mode, the number of events occurring at the drift network control node (262) which is counted by the counter are time periods elapsed since an Iur linking procedure for the MBMS session has been performed for a predetermined user equipment unit.

1. Technical Field
The technical field relates to multimedia broadcasting and/or multicasting in a wireless communications context.
2. Related Art and Other Considerations
There is an ever increasing demand for wireless communication devices to perform a variety of applications. Current and future generations of mobile wireless communications devices, referred generally and generically hereafter as user equipment units (UEs), are striving to deliver multimedia services using one or both multicasting or broadcasting modes. Multicasting directs streaming media (audio, video, etc.) to plural specific subscribers. In contrast, broadcasting provides content that can be accessed by anyone with suitable equipment. Television and radio are examples of broadcasting, and a pay-per-view webcast is an example of multicasting.
A new service, called multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), is being developed for both these modes of operation. MBMS will provide point-to-multi-point transmissions of multimedia data like text, audio, and video from a single point source over a radio interface to a broadcast area or to a multicast group. Although the content will typically be in a streaming format, e.g., MPEG/H.261 visual data and associated audio data, any content or format may be used. Similarly, the media can be delivered streamed, on-demand, or at a scheduled time. MBMS is described, e.g., in 3GPP TS 25.246 v6.3.0 (2004-06), 3rd Generation Partnership Project: Technical Specification Group Services and Systems Aspects; Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS); Architecture and functional description (Release 6).
The MBMS session content is provided as a data stream from the content provider to a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) in the packet data core network. The GGSN delivers the data stream to each serving GPRS support node (SGSN) that has one or more user equipment unit MBMS subscribers having an "activated MBMS context" in the SGSN's geographic coverage area. A base station controller (BSC) may well supervise the cell areas in which user equipment units (UEs) from multiple SGSNs in the MBMS session pool are located.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example system that supports wireless communications and MBMS services. This system may accommodate one or more standard architectures including a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) (as well as other systems) based on code division multiple access (CDMA), GPRS/EDGE and other systems based on time division multiple access (TDMA), etc.
As shown in FIG. 1, one or more example radio access networks (RAN) provide radio access services to/from a user equipment unit (UE) 20 over a wireless interface (e.g., Uu or Um). Interfaces are represented in FIG. 1 by dot-dashed lines. The user equipment unit (UE) 20, also termed a mobile terminal, can be any mobile station such as a mobile telephone ("cellular" telephone) and laptops with mobile termination, and thus can be, for example, portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or a car-mounted mobile device which communicates voice and/or data with the radio access network.
The example radio access networks can include one or more of a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) 24 and a GPRS/EDGE radio access network (GERAN) 25, both of which are used in third generation cellular systems. The RAN may also be a generic access network (GAN) and the RAN node a generic access network controller (GANC). Transport of information over the communications interface between the RBS/Node B and RNC/BSC/GANC interfaces is typically based on asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) or Internet Protocol (IP).
A RAN includes one or more radio network controllers (RNCs), base station controllers (BSCs), or generic access network controllers (GANCs). Each controller is coupled to one or more radio base stations (BSs), sometimes referred to as Node B's. For example, the UTRAN 24 illustrated in FIG. 1 has included one or more radio network controllers (RNCs) 26 and one or more base stations (BS) 28. For sake of simplicity, the UTRAN 24 of FIG. 1 is shown with only two RNC nodes, particularly RNC 261 and RNC262. Each RNC 26 is connected to one or more base stations (BS) 28. For example, and again for sake of simplicity, two base station nodes are shown connected to each RNC 26. In this regard, RNC 261 serves base station 281-1 and base station 281-2, while RNC 262 serves base station 282-1 and base station 282-2. Each base station can serve one or more cells. It will be appreciated that a different number of base stations can be served by each RNC, and that RNCs need not serve the same number of base stations.
FIG. 1 shows that an RNC can be connected over an Iur interface to one or more other RNCs in the UTRAN 24. In order to support continuation of established connections when the UE is moving between cells controlled by different RNCs in the Radio Access Network, a Signalling Network (e.g. Signalling System No 7) enables RNCs to perform the required RNC-RNC signaling.
Those skilled in the art appreciate that, with respect to a certain RAN-UE connection, an RNC can either have the role of a serving RNC (SRNC) or the role of a drift RNC (DRNC). If an RNC is a serving RNC (SRNC), the RNC is in charge of the connection with the user equipment unit (UE), e.g., it has full control of the connection within the radio access network (RAN). A serving RNC (SRNC) is connected to the core network. On the other hand, if an RNC is a drift RNC (DRNC), its supports the serving RNC (SRNC) by supplying radio resources (within the cells controlled by the drift RNC (DRNC)) needed for a connection with the user equipment unit (UE). A system which includes the drift radio network controller (DRNC) and the base stations controlled over the Iub Interface by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) is herein referenced as a DRNC subsystem or DRNS. An RNC is said to be the Controlling RNC (CRNC) for the base stations connected to it by an Iub interface. This CRNC role is not UE specific. The CRNC is, among other things, responsible for handling radio resource management for the cells in the base stations connected to it by the Iub interface.
The UTRAN 24 communicates with core network serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs) 30 over an Iu interface. The GERAN 25 communicates with core network serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs) 30 over a Gb (or optionally Iu) interface.
SGSN 30 supports packet-based communications and provides functions such as authentication, ciphering, mobility management, charging data, and logical link management toward the user equipment unit 20. SGSN 30 is coupled to a UE subscriber database called the home location register (HLR) 32 over a Gr interface.
A gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 34 communicates with one or more SGSNs over a Gn/Gp interface. Gateway GRPS support node (GGSN) 34 provides the interface towards the packet-switched networks (e.g., the Internet, X.25 external networks) and translates data formats, signaling protocols, and address information in order to permit communication between the different networks.
The gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 34 communicates with a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 36 over a Gmb/Gi interface. The multicast/broadcast content is provided by a MBMS content provider 38.
The broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 36 provides functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery such as serving as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions and authorizing and initiating MBMS Bearer Services within the PLMN. The BM-SC 36 is a functional entity that exists for each MBMS User Service. The BM-SC 36 generates charging records for content provider transmitted data, and provides the GGSN 34 with transport associated parameters such as quality-of-service and one or more MBMS service areas. Further, the BM-SC 36 may schedule MBMS session transmissions and retransmissions, retrieve content from external sources and provide this content using MBMS bearer services. The BM-SC 36 labels each MBMS session with an MBMS Session Identifier to allow the UE 20 to distinguish the MBMS session retransmissions. Each transmission and subsequent retransmission of a specific MBMS session are identified by a common MBMS Session Identifier (e.g., 2-3 octets) passed at the application layer in the content, which may also be passed in a shortened form (i.e., the least significant octet) in a MBMS Session Start Request message to sent to the RNCs/BSCs/GANCs in the RANs.
The GGSN 34 serves as an entry point for IP multicast traffic as MBMS data. Upon notification from the BM-SC 36, the GGSN 34 requests establishment of a bearer plane for a broadcast or multicast MBMS transmission. Bearer plane establishment for multicast services is carried out towards each SGSN (usually there are multiple such SGSNs) that have requested to receive transmissions for the specific multicast MBMS bearer service. The GGSN 34 receives IP multicast traffic (whether from BM-SC 36 or other data sources) and routes the traffic to the proper GTP tunnels set-up as part of the MBMS bearer service.
The SGSN role within MBMS architecture is, e.g., to perform MBMS bearer service control functions for each individual UE and to provide MBMS transmissions to UTRAN/GERAN/GAN. The SGSN 30 supports intra-SGSN and inter-SGSN mobility procedures, which requires the SGSN 30 to store a user-specific MBMS UE context for each activated multicast MBMS bearer service and to pass these user-specific MBMS UE contexts to the new SGSN during inter-SGSN mobility procedures. The SGSN 30 must generate charging data per multicast MBMS bearer service for each user. Each SGSN 30 initially tries to establish Iu/Gb and Gn bearers shared by many users on demand when data has to be transferred to the users. But as described below, the Iu and Gb bearer establishment is controlled by the RNC/BSC/or GANC.
FIG. 2 illustrates phases of an MBMS multicast service. There are eight phases: subscription, service announcement, joining, session start, MBMS notification, data transfer, session stop, and leaving. The subscription, joining, and leaving phases are performed individually per user. The other phases are performed for all users interested in the related service.
The subscription phase establishes the relationship between the user and the service provider, which allows the user to receive the related MBMS multicast service. A subscription is an agreement of a user to receive service(s) offered by an operator. Subscription information is recorded in the BM-SC. MBMS user service announcement/discovery mechanisms allow users to request or be informed about the range of MBMS user services available.
A service announcement distributes to users information about the service, parameters required for service activation (e.g. IP multicast address), and possibly other service-related parameters (e.g. service start time).
Joining (i.e., MBMS multicast activation by the user) is the process by which a subscriber joins (becomes a member of) a multicast group, i.e., the user indicates to the network that he/she is willing to receive multicast mode data of a specific MBMS bearer service.
Session start is the point at which the BM-SC is ready to send data and occurs independently of activation of the service by the user. Session start also triggers bearer resource establishment for MBMS data transfer.
MBMS notification informs the UEs about forthcoming (and potentially about ongoing) MBMS multicast data transfer, and data transfer is the phase when MBMS data are transferred to the UEs.
Session stop is the point at which the BM-SC determines that there will be no more data to send for some period of time. This period is preferably long enough to justify removal of bearer resources associated with the session. At the leaving phase, a subscriber leaves (stops being a member of) a multicast group.
FIG. 3 illustrates phases of an MBMS broadcast service. There are five phases: service announcement, session start, MBMS notification, data transfer, and session stop. These phases have already been described above.
Radio Resource Control (RRC) is a layer 3 signalling protocol used between the radio access network and the user equipment unit (UE) 20, to support the management of radio resources. A user equipment unit (UE) 20 in the RRC protocol operates in a state model conceptualized as having two modes: an Idle Mode and a Connection Mode. The Idle Mode is entered after power on. In Idle Mode there is no connection between the user equipment unit (UE) and the UTRAN. When a connection is established, the user equipment unit (UE) is assigned a U-RNTI and the mobile terminal enters Connected Mode. The U-RNTI (UTRAN Radio Network Temporary Identity) is a global identity, which can be used in any cell in the UTRAN.
A URA (UTRAN Routing Area) is a geographical area comprising of one or more cells. Each URA is identified by a unique identity, which is broadcast in all cells belonging to the URA. A URA can comprise cells controlled by more than one RNC
Within Connected Mode there are four different states: CELL_DCH state; CELL_FACH state; CELL_PCH state; and URA_PCH. Each state reflects a different level of activity. The CELL_DCH state is characterized, e.g., by having a dedicated channel (DCH) assigned to the user equipment unit (UE). In the CELL_FACH state, no dedicated physical channel is assigned, but the user equipment unit (UE) listens continuously to a common channel (the FACH) in the downlink belonging to the selected cell. In the uplink, the user equipment unit (UE) typically uses a random access channel (RACH). In the CELL_PCH state, the user equipment unit (UE) monitors a paging channel (PCH) of a selected cell. The URA_PCH state is almost identical to the CELL_PCH state. The difference is that the user equipment unit (UE) does only update the network of its location after crossing URA borders. An URA (UTRAN. Registration Area) is a group of cells. This means that in this state the position of the user equipment unit (UE) is in general known only on URA level.
Each RNC 26 which is controlling one or several cells within an MBMS Service area maintains a CRNC MBMS Service Context ("MBMS Service Context") for each MSM Service. The MBMS Service Context contains a list of PMM connected mode user equipment units (UEs) which are present in one or several cells of the RNC and which have activated the MBMS service, and/or a list of UTRAN Routing Areas (URAs) in which there is at least one URA_PCH user equipment unit (UE) which has activated the MBMS service. The list includes at least the U-RNTI of the user equipment units (UEs) in a state other than URA-PCH and/or URA identifiers (URA-IDs).
In standards there are basically three methods described where MBMS Service Context is built up in RAN (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 25.346 v6.3.0 (2004-12), 3rd Generation Partnership Project: Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Introduction of the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) in the Radio Access Network (RAN); Stage 2 (Release 6)). These three methods refer to "RNC registration". RNC Registration for a certain MBMS service denotes the process wherein the core network, e.g., SGSN 30, becomes aware of an RNC hosting user equipment units (UEs), which have activated that MBMS service.
A first method for acquiring a MBMS Service Context involves implicit registration of a RNC node to the core network. This is the implicit (no additional signaling required over Iu) method where a RNC in it is role of SRNC is registered in a SGSN whenever a mobile moves (from RRC Idle/URA_PCH/CELL_PCH) to CELL_FACH/CELL_DCH to set up a PS RAB at MBMS join or in CELL_FACH/CELL_DCH is joining a MBMS Service.
A second method for acquiring a MBMS Service Context involves explicit registration of a RNC node to the core network. This is the explicit method where a RNC in it is role of DRNC signals to its default SGSN to be registered for the first joined UE for which it is a DRNC.
A third method for acquiring a MBMS Service Context involves registration based on Routing Areas (RA). This is an implicit method where the RAs are registered for mobiles which have joined the MBMS service. The RAU procedure implicitly gives the RA for joined mobiles.
The registration information is used by the core network to distribute a MBMS Session Start Request message to RNCs where there are joined user equipment units (UEs) and to set up Iu user plane resources for the MBMS session.
Another important issue is that the MBMS Session Start Request message paging over UTRAN, the implication of this is that paging load.
So far the stage 2 specification (3GPP TS 25.346) specifies that the UE is linked to a MBMS Service Context in the SRNC when the mobile is joining the service and is in PMM-CONNECTED, or in case the mobile sets up a packet switch radio access bearer (PS RAB). This may happen at any point in time, before and during sessions. The consequences of this are that a MBMS UE context will be established in the SRNC via the UE linking procedure over Iu, whenever the mobile is joining the service.
According to 3GPP TS 25.346 v6.3.0, a MBMS Service Context for a session is made available to RAN via individual UE linking over Iu before session start. The SRNC uses the context information for tracking purposes, point-to-point (ptp) bearer set up and for paging considerations. The SRNC is also responsible for Iur-linking.
3GPP TS 25.346 v6.3.0 does not specifically state when the Iur-linking procedure occurs, i.e., when the DRNC is informed of the MBMS UE context from SRNC. The main purpose of Iur-linking is to provide the DRNC (in its role of the CRNC) with information for making a ptp/ptm (point-to-point/point-to-multipoint) decision on a cell by cell basis, and for channel configuration for the MBMS transmission in case of a point-to-multipoint (ptm) decision. There are two main possibilities: Early Iur-linking and late Iur-linking, i.e. Iur-linking only at MBMS session start.
3GPP TS 25.346 v6.3.0 allows linking over Iur to be performed at service activation, at session start, and during an ongoing session (a user equipment joins an ongoing session). The early Iur-linking and late Iur-linking are indeed one and the same procedure. They differ only in the circumstances when they are respectively triggered. The early Iur-linking is a complementary procedure, such that late Iur-linking is a mandated procedure and must be implemented in SRNC to support late arrivals of user equipment units (UEs) when a session has started. The early Iur-linking is an optional feature and provides optimization of signalling load processing at MBMS session start.
What is needed, therefore, and an object herein provided for, are means, methods, and techniques for providing or controlling registration of a drift radio network control node at a core network in conjunction with a Iur Linking Procedure for a MBMS service.

Radio access node registration for multimedia broadcast multicast service


A computer-implemented method for minimizing join operation processing time within a database system based on estimated joined table spread of the database system has been provided. The computer-implemented method includes estimating value distribution of data in a joined table, wherein the joined table is a result of join operation between two instances of tables of a database system. The computer-implemented method further includes determining boundaries for partitioning at least one range of attributes of the estimated value distribution, wherein the boundaries for partitioning at least one range of attributes of the estimated value distribution corresponds to a same number of rows of the joined table. The computer-implemented method further includes determining at least one assignment of the determined partition of the at least one range of attributes to processing units of the database system.

The present invention relates generally to the field of database computing systems. More specifically, the present invention is related to a method and system for avoiding intermediate data skew processing in a massive parallel processing (MPP) environment using range partitioning in order to cluster data within processing units for further processing.
A database engine (or storage engine) is an underlying software component that a database management system (DBMS) uses to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) data from a database computing system. A database engine can also be adapted to prepare an execution plan which can be optimized before execution of the query of the database engine. Such optimization of the database engine is performed based on several processed information. Further, in case of a massive parallel processing (MPP) environment of the database computing system, an important dimension of the MPP environment is distribution of data of the database computing system among all processing units of the database computing system. In a MPP environment, data can be distributed several times during a single query execution of the database computing system. For example, the process of data redistribution is required for JOIN operation of the database computing system. For instance, the JOIN operator is one of the set operations available in relational databases. The JOIN operation specifies how to relate tables in a query of the database computing system. Further, such redistribution of data between processing units of the database computing system during the query execution may lead to intermediate data skew of the redistributed data. Intermediate data skew involves cases where one of the processing units of the database computing system received significantly more data than other processing units of the database computing system and, as a result, the database computing system allocates additional time to complete processing operations of the database computing system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Avoidance of intermediate data skew in a massive parallel processing environment

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of producing in a cell in vivo a clostridial neurotoxin light chain peptide by delivering into the cell in vivo a nucleic acid construct. The nucleic acid construct comprises (a) a nucleic acid encoding a clostridial neurotoxin light chain peptide and (b) a regulatory sequence operably linked to the nucleic acid to allow expression of the nucleic acid. The expression of the nucleic acid produces the clostridial neurotoxin light chain peptide in the cell in vivo.

Clostridial neurotoxins are neurotoxins secreted from the Clostridium genus of bacteria. Such neurotoxins are potent inhibitors of calcium-dependent neurotransmitter secretion in neuronal cells. They are considered to mediate this activity through a specific endoproteolytic cleavage of at least one of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins, which include VAMP (synaptobrevin, cellubrevin), syntaxin, and SNAP-25. SNARE proteins are thought to be central to the vesicle docking and membrane fusion events of neurotransmitter secretion or hormone secretion. The neuronal cell targeting of clostridial neurotoxins, such as tetanus neurotoxins and botulinum neurotoxins, is considered to be a receptor-mediated event following which the toxins become internalized and subsequently traffic to the appropriate intracellular compartment where they affect their protease activity.
Botulinum neurotoxin and tetanus neurotoxin are expressed as 150-kDa single polypeptides (termed dichains) containing a disulfide bond between the 50-kDa N-terminal light chain (LC) and the 100-kDa C-terminal heavy chain (HC) (FIG. 1). A post-translational cryptic cleavage generates the mature toxin structure consisting of two chains connected by a disulfide bond. The LC contains the zinc-protease catalytic domain, responsible for the toxins' intracellular enzymatic activity. The 100-kDa HC may be further proteolyzed into a 50-kDa N-terminal membrane-spanning domain (Hn) and a 50-kDa C-terminal receptor-binding domain (Hc).
The molecular mechanism of toxin intoxication of these neurotoxins appears to involve at least three steps or stages. In the first step of the process, the toxin binds to the presynaptic membrane of the target neuron through a specific interaction between the HC and a cell surface receptor. The receptor is thought to be different for each serotype of botulinum toxin and for tetanus toxin. The carboxyl end segment of the HC, Hc, appears to be important for targeting of the toxin to the cell surface.
In the second step, the toxin crosses the plasma membrane of the poisoned cell. The toxin is first engulfed by the cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis, and an endosome containing the toxin is formed. The toxin then escapes the endosome into the cytoplasm of the cell. This last step is thought to be mediated by the amino end segment of the H chain, HN, which triggers a conformational change of the toxin in response to a pH of about 5.5 or lower. Endosomes are known to possess a proton pump which decreases intra-endosomal pH. The conformational shift exposes hydrophobic residues in the toxin, which permits the toxin to embed itself in the endosomal membrane. The toxin then translocates through the endosomal membrane into the cytosol.
The last step of the mechanism of neurotoxin activity appears to involve reduction of the disulfide bond joining the HC and LC. The entire toxic activity of botulinum and tetanus toxins is contained in the LC of the holotoxin. The LC is a zinc (Zn2+) protease, which then selectively cleaves specific sites of one of the three SNARE proteins. Their proteolysis inhibits exocytosis and blocks acetylcholine secretion, leading ultimately to muscular paralysis. The LC itself is non-toxic because it cannot translocate through cholinergic nerve endings into cytosol.
Botulinum neurotoxins have been used in clinical settings for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders characterized by hyperactive skeletal muscles. Botulinum toxin type A has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of blepharospasm, strabismus, and hemifacial spasm. Non-type A botulinum toxin serotypes apparently have a lower potency and/or a shorter duration of activity as compared to botulinum toxin type A. Clinical effects of peripheral intramuscular botulinum toxin type A are usually seen within one week of injection. The typical duration of symptomatic relief from a single intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A averages about three months.

In vivo production of a clostridial neurotoxin light chain peptide


An electron emission device has an optimized inner structure where the electrons emitted from the electron emission regions are straightly migrated toward the phosphor layers. The electron emission device includes first and second substrates facing each other, and cathode electrodes formed on the first substrate. Electron emission regions are formed on the cathode electrodes. An insulating layer and gate electrodes are formed on the cathode electrodes and have openings exposing the electron emission regions. Phosphor layers are formed on the second substrate. An anode electrode is formed on a surface of the phosphor layers. The distance z between the cathode and the anode electrodes satisfies the following condition:0.7d((Va−Vc)/Vg)≦z≦1.4d((Va−Vc)/Vg),where Vc indicates the voltage applied to the cathode electrodes, Vg the voltage applied to the gate electrodes, Va the voltage applied to the anode electrode, and d the distance between the cathode and the gate electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron emission device, and in particular, to an electron emission device which has cathode and gate electrodes for controlling the emission of electrons from electron emission regions, and an anode electrode for accelerating the electrons.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, electron emission devices are classified into a first type where a hot cathode is used as an electron emission source and a second type where a cold cathode is used as the electron emission source.
The second type of electron emission device may be a field emitter array (FEA) type, a surface-conduction emission (SCE) type, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type, or a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) type.
The FEA-type electron emission device is based on the principle that when a material having a low work function or a high aspect ratio is used as an electron emission source, electrons are easily emitted from the electron emission source when an electric field is applied thereto under a vacuum atmosphere. A front sharp-pointed tip structure based on molybdenum (Mo) or silicon (Si), or a carbonaceous material such as graphite, has been applied for use as the electron emission source.
In common FEA-type electron emission devices, a first substrate and a second substrate make up a vacuum container. Electron emission regions are formed on the first substrate together with cathode and gate electrodes functioning as the driving electrodes for controlling the electron emission. Phosphor layers are formed on a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate together with an anode electrode for keeping the phosphor layers in a high potential state.
The cathode electrodes are electrically connected to the electron emission regions to apply thereto the electric current required for electron emission, and the gate electrodes form electric fields around the electron emission regions using the voltage difference thereof from the cathode electrodes. In relation to the structure of the cathode and gate electrodes and the electron emission regions, the gate electrodes are placed over the cathode electrodes while interposing an insulating layer, and openings are formed at the gate electrodes and the insulating layer partially exposing the surface of the cathode electrodes. The electron emission regions are placed on the cathode electrodes within the openings.
With the above structure, predetermined voltages are applied to the cathode, gate, and anode electrodes to emit electrons from the electron emission regions. The electrons can be straightly migrated toward the second substrate without spreading only when an even potential distribution is made around the gate electrodes over the electron emission regions.
The even potential distribution means that, when viewing a side elevation view of the cathode and gate electrodes and the electron emission regions, the equipotential lines existing between the cathode and gate electrodes are located parallel to the top surface of the first substrate while being evenly spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. Equipotential lines not satisfying such a condition are considerably convex or concave in any one direction, so even potential distribution is not realized.
According to the operation principle of a known electronic lens, when the electrons pass through the interior of the electric field, the direction of electron migration is determined by the vector composition of the direction of electron migration and the direction of force (opposite to the direction of the electric field). In this regard, when a concave potential distribution directed toward the electron emission regions is formed around the gate electrodes, the electrons are considerably spread while passing through the openings of the gate electrodes. When a convex potential distribution directed toward the electron emission regions is formed around the gate electrodes, the electrons are focused while passing through the openings of the gate electrodes. However, the electrons are soon over-focused on the subsequent migration route, so that beam spreading also significantly occurs.
Accordingly, with the common FEA-type electron emission device, the potential distribution around the gate electrodes should be made as even as possible.
However, a considerable technical difficulty is encountered in making the even potential distribution because the potential distribution depends upon various factors, such as the voltages applied to the cathode, gate and anode electrodes, and the shape characteristic of the interior structure. As those factors also largely depend upon the discharge current characteristic of the electron emission regions, the screen brightness, and the processing capacity. There are technical limitations to optimizing the respective factors and to obtain the even potential distribution.
Consequently, with the conventional FEA-type electron emission device, a non-even potential distribution, that is, a convex or concave potential distribution directed toward the electron emission regions, is made around the gate electrodes during the operation thereof. The electrons emitted from the electron emission regions are spread while proceeding toward the second substrate, and land on black layers or incorrect phosphor layers, thereby deteriorating the screen display quality.


An exemplary flexible printed circuit (20) includes a primary body (210) and a secondary body (220). The primary body includes a primary connection portion (211), and a primary engaging portion. The secondary body includes a secondary connection portion (221) and a secondary engaging portion (223). The primary body and the secondary body are electrically connected by connecting the primary engaging portion and the secondary engaging portion together.

Quite a few electronic appliances such as liquid crystal displays need a flexible printed circuit to connect a variety of electronic circuits together.
Referring to FIG. 11, a typical flexible printed circuit 10 includes a main body 11, a first connection body 12, and a second connection body 13. The main body 11 has a generally rectangular structure. The first and second connection bodies 12, 13 are respectively connected to two adjacent edges of the main body 11. The main body 11 as well as the first connection body 12 and the second connection body 13 is comprised of a metal wire layer 15 having a plurality of conductive metal wires, and an insulation layer 16 formed on the metal wire layer 15. The first and second connection bodies 12, 13 are electrically connected to the main body 11 through the metal wires.
A portion of the metal wire layer 15 located at the free end of the first connection body 12 is exposed, thus the metal wires can be connected with a mating connector (not shown) of an electrical circuit of an associated electronic component. A free end of the second connecting portion 13 is similar to the free end of the first connecting portion 12. However, a layout design of metal wires is different. The first connection body 12 is connected to an electrical circuit having a first joint interface. The second connection body 13 is connected to another electrical circuit having a second joint interface. If the first joint interface is wider than the second joint interface, a width of the end portion of the first connection body 12 is correspondingly wider than a width of the end portion of the second connection body 13, and vice versa. That is, the layout design of the first and second connection bodies 12, 13 is with the aim of making the width of the end portions of the first and second connection bodies 12, 13 equal to the width of electrical circuits corresponding to the first and second connection bodies 12, 13.
However, the first and second connection bodies 12, 13 of the flexible printed circuit 10 can only connect with specified electrical circuits respectively. When the flexible printed circuit 10 needs an improvement, or the specified connectors are changed to different ones (e.g. according to new user requirements), the flexible printed circuit needs be replaced with a new flexible printed circuit 10. Thus the production cost of an electronic appliance employing the flexible printed circuit 10 is increased, and the manufacturing of the electronic appliance may be delayed.
What is needed, therefore, is a flexible printed circuit that can overcome the above-described deficiencies.

Flexible printed circuit with primary and secondary bodies


A failsafe hydraulic circuit designed to avoid simultaneous engagement of two friction engagement elements (e.g., clutches, brakes, etc.) incorporated in a speed change apparatus of a motor vehicle or the like. If a first failsafe valve is in the open position state and a first engaging pressure is supplied to a first hydraulic servo via the first failsafe valve, the first engaging pressure is also input to a first oil pressure switch via a second failsafe valve being in the closed position state. Therefore, using the first oil pressure switch, it can be detected that the first engaging pressure is supplied to the first hydraulic servo. Furthermore, if the first engaging pressure is, for example, greater than the set pressure of the first oil pressure switch, this situation can also be detected. Such detections provide confirmation of normal operation of the first failsafe valve and the second failsafe valve.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-371354 filed on Oct. 30, 2003, including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a failsafe hydraulic circuit designed to avoid simultaneous engagement of two friction engagement elements (e.g., clutches, brakes, etc.) incorporated in, for example, a speed change apparatus of a motor vehicle or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A speed change apparatus installed in a motor vehicle or the like has a plurality of clutches and brakes that are engaged and disengaged on the basis of the engaging pressures supplied to hydraulic servos. Among these clutches and brakes, the clutches and brakes that need to avoid simultaneous engagement are provided with failsafe hydraulic circuits.
A known failsafe hydraulic circuit as mentioned above is equipped with a failsafe valve and an oil pressure switch (oil pressure detector device), as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-49937.
For example, an oil supplying passage to the hydraulic servo of a specific friction engagement element is provided with a failsafe valve that operates to prevent the supply of oil pressure to the specific hydraulic element, using as a signal pressure the oil pressure supplied to the hydraulic servo of a friction engagement element that should not engage simultaneously with the specific friction engagement element in order to achieve a related shift speed. In order to check the operation of the failsafe valve, line pressure is connected to a portion of the valve, and the introduction and shutoff of the line pressure is detected by the oil pressure switch.
However, the above-described failsafe hydraulic circuit has the following problem. That is, although the oil pressure switch is able to detect whether the operation of the failsafe valve is normal, it is impossible to acquire further information, for example, information regarding the engaging pressure supplied to the hydraulic servo or the like.


SUSD2 protein is used as a marker in identification, selection or separation of pancreatic internal secretion precursor cells and/or newborn pancreatic internal secretion cells; and a use of an mRNA, for encoding the SUSD2 protein, of a precursor protein as the marker in identification of the pancreatic internal secretion precursor cells and/or the newborn pancreatic internal secretion cells. Analysis of gene expression of pancreatic endoderm cells sourced by induced directional differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells finds the enrichment expression of a SUSD2 gene in the pancreatic internal secretion precursor cells and the newborn pancreatic internal secretion cells. A protein encoded by the SUSD2 gene is a receptor protein on cell membranes. Using the protein as the marker, the identification, the selection or the separation of the pancreatic internal secretion precursor cells and the newborn pancreatic internal secretion cells can be conducted.

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived pancreatic beta-cells provide sufficient sources of donor islet cells for use in cell replacement therapy for diabetes, particularly for type I diabetes. In addition, the directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into pancreatic beta-cells can also provide a model for studying human pancreatic development in vitro. The process of the directed differentiation of hPSCs into pancreatic beta-cells can be divided into several stages by mimicking development events in vivo: definitive endoderm, gut tube, posterior foregut, pancreatic endoderm, and pancreatic endocrine cells. Among them, pancreatic endoderm cells are mixed cell populations, usually including pancreatic progenitor cells, pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells and nascent pancreatic endocrine cells and the like. The cell fate is determinate by detecting the expression of pancreatic development-related genes. Pancreatic progenitor cells are mainly indicated by expression of the relevant genes such as PDX1, HNF1B, SOX9, NKX6.1, HNF6 and so on. NGN3 is the most important marker gene of pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells, and however, due to its transient expression characteristics, it is required to combine with the expression of its downstream genes such as NKX2.2 and NEUROD1, as well as negative expression of endocrine-related genes such as CHROMOGRANIN A, INSULIN, and GLUCAGON to indicate the fate of pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells. Although the expression of these marker genes can be used to indicate the fate of specific cells, the expression of these proteins cannot be used to isolate and purify specific cell populations as they are all transcription factors or secretory proteins, generally locating within the cytoplasm or nucleus, in particular human pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells and nascent pancreatic endocrine cells, so that their molecular characteristics cannot be studied in more detail.
At present, pancreatic progenitor cells can be obtained by directed differentiation of hPSCs, however, these cells differentiated into functional mature pancreatic beta-cells with low efficiency in vitro. Although after pancreatic precursor cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells are transplanted into immunodeficient mouse, functionally mature islet cells can be obtained, due to the proliferative capacity of pancreatic precursor cells, their tumorigenicity limits their promotion to clinical application. The functional mature beta-cells are more desirable donor cell sources than pancreatic progenitor cells. However, how to differentiate pancreatic progenitor cells into functional mature beta-cells in vitro greatly limits the implementation of alternative treatment of diabetes cells, while in the differentiation process from pancreatic precursor cells to pancreatic beta-cells, the most important step is the correct realization of efficient induced differentiation of pancreatic endocrine precursor cells. Studies on animal model such as mouse have greatly promoted the understanding of the development of pancreatic beta-cells. These studies have played a decisive role in directing the directed differentiation of pancreatic beta-cells in vitro. In spite of this, studies on the fate specialization of pancreatic endocrine precursor cells and the fate selection between different endocrine cells are still few. In addition, there exist some species differences between human and model animal such as mouse. Therefore, finding relevant molecular markers to directly isolate pancreas-related cells at a particular developmental stage for researching can significantly speed up the acquisition of functional mature pancreatic beta-cells in vitro.

PEKING UNIVERSITY SHENZHEN GRADUATE SCHOOL

BEIJING RUIPU CHENCHUANG TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention provides specific sites for modifying antibodies or antibody fragments by replacing at least one native amino acid in the constant region of a parental antibody or antibody fragment with cysteine, which can be used as a site of attachment for a payload or linker-payload combination.

The value of methods for modifying antibodies is well known, and many methods for conjugation of antibodies to attach various "payload" moieties have been developed. Many of these methods rely upon the natural occurrence of specific reactive amino acid residues on the antibody, such as lysine and cysteine, which can be used to attach a payload. However, relying on the native amino acids is not always desirable, because the location and amount of payload attached depend on the number and position of those reactive amino acids: too many or too few such residues make it difficult to efficiently control loading of the payload onto the antibody. In addition, placement of the reactive amino acids may make it difficult to get complete conjugation, resulting in heterogeneous products during conjugation. Heterogeneity of a pharmaceutical active ingredient, for example, is typically undesirable because it compounds the unpredictability of administering a drug to a heterogeneous population of subjects: it is far preferable to administer a homogeneous product, and far more difficult to fully characterize and predict behavior of a heterogeneous one. Site-specific conjugation of a cytotoxic drug to an antibody through, for example, engineered cysteine residues results in homogenous immunoconjugates that exhibit improved therapeutic index (Junutula et al., (2008) Nat Biotechnol. 26(8):925-932)).
Antibodies have been engineered to add certain residues like cysteine in specific positions where these residues can be used for conjugation (Lyons et al., (1990) Protein Eng., 3:703-708), but the value of specific substitutions can vary with certain antibodies, as engineered cysteine might interfere with folding of the antibody and oxidation of the proper intra-molecular disulfide bonds (Voynov et al., (2010) Bioconjug. Chem. 21(2):385-392).
Because engineered cysteines in antibodies expressed in mammalian cells are modified through disulfide bonds with glutathione (GSH) and/or cysteine during their biosynthesis (Chen et al. (2009) mAbs 1:6, 563-571), the modified cysteine(s) in the antibody drug conjugate product as initially expressed is unreactive to thiol reactive reagents. Activation of the engineered cysteine(s) requires reduction of the GSH and/or cysteine adduct (which typically results in reduction of all inter-chain disulfide bonds of the antibody), followed by reoxidation and reformation of the native, inter-chain disulfide bonds prior to conjugation (Junutula et al., (2008) Nat. Biotechnol. 26(8):925-32). Some of the sites where cysteine has been inserted interfere with the process of reoxidation and subsequently result in undesirable, non-homogeneous conjugation products. It is therefore important to identify sites on the antibody where the introduced cysteine does not interfere with the reoxidation process prior to the conjugation with a thiol reactive reagent such as maleimide or bromo-, chloro- or iodo-acetamide groups.
Conjugation of cysteine residues with bromo-acetamide, iodo-acetamide or chloro-acetamide results in the formation of a stable thioether linkage. (Alley et al., (2008) Bioconjug Chem. 19(3):759-65). However, the chemistry is less efficient than maleimide conjugation chemistry. Since forming such thiol-maleimide linkages is a popular and highly efficient method to use when attaching a payload or linker to cysteine, there is a need to identify cysteine substitution sites on an antibody where maleimide linkages can be used. More importantly, site-specifically conjugated immunoconjugates can exhibit improved therapeutic index, thus there remains a need to identify specific privileged sites for cysteine substitution in antibodies that enables conjugation of payloads onto antibodies to form efficiently, and that provide conjugates having high stability. The instant invention provides such privileged cysteine substitution sites that give improved antibodies for conjugation purposes and immunoconjugates comprising such improved antibodies.

Specific sites for modifying antibodies to make immunoconjugates