An aromatic heterocyclic compound and an aromatic diamino compound are allowed to separately react with a dicarboxylic acid derivative in an organic solvent, thereby synthesizing two kinds of oligomers, and these two kinds of oligomers are allowed to react with each other in an organic solvent to synthesize a block copolymer precursor, or an aromatic heterocyclic compound, an aromatic diamino compound and a dicarboxylic acid derivative are allowed to react in an organic solvent, thereby synthesizing a random copolymer precursor. The block or random copolymer precursor and a matrix polymer are dissolved in an organic solvent, then, the solvent is removed from the solution, and the resulting coagulum is heated to induce a ring-closing reaction, thereby obtaining a molecular composite material in which the copolymer is dispersed finely and homogeneously in the matrix polymer.

The present invention relates to aromatic heterocyclic copolymers excellent in mechanical characteristics and suitable for use as structural materials for aircraft, automotive vehicles and space equipment, methods for producing the same, and methods for producing formed articles of the same.
The present invention further relates to molecular composite materials composed of matrix polymers and aromatic heterocyclic copolymers, methods for producing the same, and methods for producing formed articles of the same, and more particularly to molecular composite materials excellent in mechanical characteristics and suitable for use as structural materials for aircraft, automotive vehicles and space equipment.
In recent years, not only light alloys such as alloys of Ti, Al, etc., but also composite materials such as fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) have been widely used in automotive vehicles and various vehicles, as well as aircraft, for the purpose of lightening weight. These composite materials have also been used as various kinds of structural materials, and composite materials excellent in mechanical characteristics have also been widely researched and developed.
In order to obtain composite materials excellent in mechanical characteristics, fiber high in strength and elasticity has been widely used as reinforcing materials to be added to matrices, and such fiber includes glass fiber and carbon fiber. Further, aromatic polyamide fiber termed so-called aramid fiber such as Kevlar (E. I. du Pont) have also been used.
Carbon fiber shows extremely high elasticity, but is inferior to aramid fiber such as Kevlar in loop strength and knot strength. On the other hand, aramid fiber has high strength, but is inferior to carbon fiber in elasticity. Then, new fiber having both the high elasticity of carbon fiber and the high strength and easy handling of aramid fiber has been desired, and research and development of such fiber have been made.
As substances meeting such requirements, heterocycle-containing aromatic polymers such as poly-p-phenylenebenzobisthiazole (polybenzothiazole; PBZ-T) and poly-p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole (polybenzoxazole; PBZ-O) are noted. Heterocycles are introduced into these substances as means for solving the problem of low elasticity, and hygroscopicity which is the disadvantage of Kevlar is also overcome thereby. Main chains of these substances exhibit rigidity, and can provide fiber having higher strength and elasticity.
Such polymers having heterocycles such as thiazole imidazole, oxazole and oxazinone rings in recurring units (hereinafter referred to as "polythiazoles, etc."), particularly polythiazoles containing thiazole rings, are high in rigidity, and have high strength, high elasticity and high thermal stability. They are therefore considered to be hopeful as plastic materials used as single bodies instead of metal materials, or as reinforcing materials for other engineering plastics.
However, rigid polymers such as polythiazoles, etc. are generally poor in solubility because of their high rigidity, and only dissolved in limited strong acids such as methanesulfonic acid and chlorosulfonic acid. Further, they are low in elongation, poor in bending properties, and thermally infusible, resulting in the difficulty of melt molding. It is therefore difficult to use them as single bodies.
Accordingly, the development of aromatic heterocyclic polymers has been desired which are improved in elongation and bending properties, soluble in organic solvent under mild conditions without use of strong acids, and miscible with other polymers, resulting in the possibility of general melt molding.
On the other hand, when other engineering plastics are compounded with reinforcing fiber, the strength of the resulting composite materials is known to largely depend on the interfacial adhesion between the matrix resins and the fiber, as well as the strength of the matrix resins and the fiber used as the reinforcing material. Under this situation, use of the matrix resins or the fiber having high strength and elasticity as materials does not necessarily result in acquisition of composite materials excellent in strength.
Then, attempts have been made to obtain so-called polymer blend composite materials (molecular composite materials) by finely dispersing rigid polymers such as aromatic polyamides as reinforcing polymers in polymers acting as matrix resins at a molecular level, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems.
However, even if the polymers having the above-mentioned heterocycles in recurring units are simply mixed with the matrix polymers to attempt to produce the molecular composite materials, sufficient miscibility of the reinforcing polymers with the matrix polymers can not generally obtained because of rigidity of the reinforcing polymers, resulting in difficulty of achieving homogeneous dispersion of the reinforcing polymers in the matrix polymers. If the reinforcing polymers are not homogeneously dispersed in the matrix polymers, molecular composite materials excellent in mechanical characteristics can not be obtained. Accordingly, various attempts have hitherto been made as described below.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-287167 discloses a method for producing a polymer composite comprising introducing a polymer solution mainly containing a reinforcing polymer (A) substantially consisting of a polythiazole having a rod-like skeleton and a matrix polymer (B) having the fusing property into a coagulation bath to form a film, wherein said polymer solution exhibits optical anisotropy, and is coagulated by way of an apparent optical isotropic phase after immersion in the coagulation bath.
Further, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-7976 discloses a polymer composition containing a reinforcing polymer (A) substantially consisting of a polythiazole having a rod-like skeleton and a matrix polymer (B) composed of slightly crystallizable aromatic copolyamide having a glass transition temperature of 200.degree. C. or more, an incipient fluidization temperature of 500 C. or less and an apparent crystal size of 25 .ANG. or less, crystals having said crystal size being formed when kept between the glass transition temperature and the incipient fluidization temperature for any time within 5 hours, in an (A)/[(A)+(B)] ratio of 0.15 to 0.70 (based on weight).
However, in the method for producing the polymer composite shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-287167 and the production of a composite material using the polymer composition disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-7976, homogeneous dispersion of the reinforcing polymers in the matrix polymers can not be expected so much, and the strength of the resulting molecular composite materials is not significantly improved. This is considered to be caused by insufficient dispersion of the reinforcing polymers in the matrix polymers because of poor miscibility of the reinforcing polymers showing rigidity with the matrix polymers.
Then, a method has been proposed which comprises homogeneously mixing a precursor of a rigid aromatic polymer with a matrix polymer or a precursor thereof in an organic solvent, not mixing the rigid aromatic polymer with the matrix polymer, and removing the organic solvent, followed by heating to convert the precursor to the rigid aromatic polymer (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-1760 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-1761).
However, the inventors' researches revealed that, for example, when a molecular composite material was attempted to be produced using a thermoplastic resin as the matrix resin for the purpose of molding the molecular composite material by hot pressing, and using an aromatic polythiazole precursor therewith, by the method shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-1760 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-1761 described above, an aromatic polythiazole formed by the thiazole ring-closing reaction coagulates in the heat molding stage of a homogeneous mixture of the matrix polymer and the precursor, resulting in reduced mechanical characteristics of the molecular composite material.
Further, although the use of the precursor improves the miscibility, it raises the problem that long-term stirring in an organic solvent is required in order to obtain the homogeneous mixture of the matrix polymer and the precursor. Furthermore, the aromatic polythiazole is poor in interaction with the matrix polymer, for example, in hydrogen bonds, so that the resulting molecular composite material is low in elongation. This causes a defect when it is used as a structural material.

Aromatic heterocyclic copolymers, molecular composite materials and their production


A lens includes a gradient index of refraction and a curved shape. A method of making the lens includes forming a plurality of layers, forming a shaped resist on the plurality of layers, and etching the resist and the plurality of layers to transfer the shape of the resist into the plurality of layers.

Solid state imagers, including charge coupled devices (CCD) and CMOS imagers, are used in photo imaging applications. A solid state imager includes a focal plane array of pixels, typically arranged in rows and columns, each one of the pixels including a photosensor for accumulating photo-generated charge. A microlens is placed over a respective imager pixel and is used to focus light onto the respective photosensor. The use of microlenses significantly improves the photosensitivity of the imager by collecting light from a large light collecting area and focusing it on a small photosensitive area of the pixels. The ratio of the overall light collecting area of the photosensitive area to the overall area of the pixel is known as the "fill factor" of the pixel.
Optimally, all of the light from a pixel's overall light collecting area, including an associated microlens, will be directed to the pixel's photosensitive area. However, in practice, a phenomenon known as optical crosstalk can result when off-axis light strikes a microlens at an obtuse angle and strikes the photosensitive region of an adjacent pixel. Optical crosstalk can degrade the quality of a captured image by causing a light reading that is too low in some pixels and too high in others, and can alter color balance of an image, as light intended for one color pixel strikes the photosensitive area of a different color pixel.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a microlens that could reduce optical crosstalk.

Gradient index microlenses and method of formation


Embodiments for assisting steering of a vehicle responsive to detecting an object in a proximity of a vehicle are described. Embodiments described include: receiving an image of a lane indicator corresponding to a lane of travel of the vehicle from an image capturing device; determining, based on the image, reference values corresponding to a position of the lane indicator relative to the vehicle; associating each of the reference values to values used to locate a point within a reference frame related to a direction the vehicle is traveling; receiving position information of an object in an environment external to the vehicle from a radar sensor; determining, based on the values and the position information, an assigned lane of the object; detecting an impending change of the lane of travel of the vehicle to the assigned lane of the object; generating a steering control value based on the impending change.

Advances in occupant safety in vehicles have played a significant role in reducing the number of fatalities and injuries in the last few decades. Such advances include passive safety features (e.g., seat belt, airbag, chassis structure design etc.) as well as active safety features (e.g., Electronic Stability Control, Anti-lock Braking System, adaptive cruise, automatic braking system, and the like). The active safety features are crucial in avoiding a crash or mitigating the severity of a crash.
Typically, a vehicle is provided with various features for monitoring conditions of other moving vehicles proximate the vehicle. The features may enable the vehicle to detect the presence of other vehicles and obstacles. Such features may also may alert an operator of the vehicle or control vehicle maneuvers in response to various conditions of other vehicles or obstacles.

Systems and methods for obstacle proximity detection

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation


A registered address that is normally used by the user and comprises personal information is input into an MFP apparatus. The MFP apparatus sends a command including the registered address to the mail provider, obtains a new address for which the registered address is designated as a forwarding address, and deletes the registered address from the MFP apparatus. Where the MFP apparatus receives an e-mail non-arrival notification, the MFP apparatus sends the non-arrival notification to the new address. The non-arrival notification sent to the new address is received by the mail provider and forwarded to the registered address. In this way, notification of the e-mail's non-arrival can be provided without the registered address remaining in the MFP apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology to send and receive e-mail messages over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a data communication apparatus that can send and receive data over a network, an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) apparatus, for example, is known. An MFP is a multi-function apparatus having such functions as those of a scanner, a copier, a printer and a facsimile machine, and is further capable of sending image data obtained through reading carried out using the scanner or other function over a network such as the Internet via an e-mail message. The use of this MFP apparatus enables an image of an original document to be sent to a recipient such as another MFP apparatus or a PC through an easy operation.
When an e-mail message is sent from a sender to a recipient over a network such as the Internet, it is sent in a relay fashion across multiple mail servers. The e-mail is not sent directly to the recipient (the apparatus that is ultimately intended to receive the e-mail), as mentioned above, and in some cases the sent e-mail does not reach the intended recipient's address. In such a case, an e-mail message (non-arrival notification) comprising non-arrival information is returned some period of time after the original e-mail is sent.
As a result, a user that sends an e-mail using an MFP apparatus checks based on the sending history whether or not a non-arrival notification was returned after a certain period of time elapsed, thereby determining whether or not the e-mail was sent.
Incidentally, a service has been proposed in which an MFP apparatus described above is installed in a retail outlet such as a convenience store for use by the customers of the store. By allowing users who do not have an MFP at home to use this service, images of original documents can be sent to recipients via e-mail, vastly increasing user convenience.
When an MFP apparatus installed in a retail store is used in this way, in order to determine whether or not the transmitted e-mail was received, it is necessary to wait for an indefinite period of time to ensure that a non-arrival notification is not returned, which is extremely inconvenient for the user of the service.
With this situation as a backdrop, one possible approach is to have the user input his regular e-mail address in the MFP, such that when the MFP receives a non-arrival notification, the notification can be forwarded to the user's regular e-mail address in order to inform him of such non-arrival.
However, the storage of users' regular e-mail addresses in a retail store used by a large number of anonymous customers entails the risk of disclosure of personal information such as e-mail addresses.

E-mail non-arrival information notification method and data communication apparatus


A vessel occluder is disposed inside a principal blood vessel for occluding tributary blood vessels inside the principal blood vessel while still allowing blood to flow through the principal vessel. The vessel occluder includes a support structure and associated membrane that can be collapsed for insertion into the principal vessel. Once inserted at the desired location the support structure is allowed to expand, forcing the membrane to contact the inner walls of the vessel with sufficient force to occlude the openings of the tributary vessels.

Medical devices for treating narrowed and occluded blood vessels are well known in the art. When treating a narrowed or occluded blood vessel, it is often necessary to provide support to the vessel while simultaneously allowing for the perfusion of blood. Collapsible and expandable stents and stent delivery systems have been used for this purpose. A stent delivery system typically inserts a stent into the lumen of an anatomical vessel to keep a previously blocked passageway open while simultaneously allowing blood to perfuse through the stent. An example of such a system is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,923 (the '923 patent) to Gittings.
The '923 patent discloses a collapsible and expandable support. The support is collapsed and disposed within a sheath, being axially moveable within the sheath. The sheath is inserted into the lumen of a blood vessel, and an external force applied to the support axially moves the support outwardly of the sheath into the lumen of the blood vessel causing the support to expand. The support expands outwardly against the interior walls of the blood vessel, unblocking and supporting the blood vessel while allowing for the perfusion of fluid. The collapsible and expandable support disclosed in the '923 patent remains in the lumen of the blood vessel, supporting the passageway, while the sheath is removed.
Additional collapsible and expandable stents are disclosed in the prior art which include a guidewire attached to the collapsible and expandable support. An example of such a system is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,001 to Garrison et al. (the '001 patent). The '001 patent discloses a sheath and a guidewire being axially moveable within the sheath. An expandable and collapsible support is disposed on the guidewire with the support being axially moveable inwardly of the sheath to collapse the support and is axially moveable outwardly of the sheath to expand the support. The '001 device does not use an expandable cage to block tributary vessels.
In addition to stents being collapsible within a sheath, the prior art also discloses stents being collapsible without a sheath. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,484 to Hillstead discloses a support end disposed on a guidewire. A mechanism for moving the proximal support end axially along the guidewire opposite the distal support end collapses the support. The guidewire and support are inserted into the lumen of a blood vessel and a mechanism for moving the proximal support end axially along the guidewire towards the distal support end causes the support to expand outwardly against the blood vessel, supporting the blood vessel while simultaneously allowing for the perfusion of fluid through the vessel. The Hillstead device does not use an expandable cage to block tributary vessels.
While the prior art stents support a blood vessel allowing for the perfusion of blood, it is oftentimes necessary to isolate a blood vessel during surgical repair. In such circumstances, the side branches or sections of major vessels are typically clamped to prevent retrograde or antegrade flow to or from smaller vessels that branch off of major vessels. By occluding these vessels, a clearer operating field is achieved and less blood units may be required during the procedure.


An enhanced object detection method uses image discontinuousness for enhancing performance of identifying objects of a specific class in an image data. The method includes retrieving an image data; computing an image discontinuousness value between a first area and other areas surrounding of the first area, which is with different sizes and in different positions within the image data, and marking areas with an image discontinuousness value larger than a threshold; and identifying the objects of the specific class within the sliding window and outputting detection result.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an object detection method, and more particularly to an enhanced object detection method, which uses image discontinuousness to improve the quality of object detection and to shorten the time required for object detection.
2. Related Art
For data process device, detecting humans or objects of specific class in an image involves numerical computation, different from human brain logics. Object detection is widely used in monitoring, automated machinery (robot), or environmental monitoring.
Take human detection as an illustration, body size, posture, clothing, image capturing angle, light, and image quality all influence appearance of people in images, so the detection can not be accomplished by simple comparison of image characteristics but by relatively complex computation mechanism.
In the above computation mechanism, the common used calculation basis is Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) proposed by Dalal et al. HOG counts occurrences of gradient orientation of pixels in a localized portion of an image as the feature of the localized portion and then uses support vector machine to perform detection.
However, the requirement for resolution or clarity is relatively high for HOG, and the object may not be detected if the resolution is low or the edge of the object is blurred due to noises. Besides, often HOG doesn't detect the complete object but part of the object, the representative vector dimensions of the object in HOG are so large that the computation is heavy and that the HOG is difficult to used in real-time applications. Therefore, there is still room for the improvement of HOG, and improvement methods are continuously proposed as well.

Enhanced object detection method using image discontinuousness


A shock absorbing cradle for supporting a bicycle on an arm of a bicycle carrier. The cradle includes an arm receiving base having a bicycle carrier arm engaging surface and a floating carriage releasably coupled to the arm receiving base. The floating carriage includes an upper portion having a bicycle engaging surface and a resilient member disposed between the upper portion and the arm receiving base.

Transportation of equipment, especially sports equipment, such as one or more bicycles, often involves the use of a carrier frame attached to a carrying vehicle. Sports equipment can be carried on the carrier frames for different applications. The securement devices affix the sports equipment to the carrier frame which in turn is affixed to the vehicle.


A magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus includes a tape deck having winding mandrels (5) which are rotatably supported on bearing spindles (3), these winding mandrels being adapted to engage winding-mandrel holes in the magnetic-tape cassette (11), and each have at least one coupling fin (10a, 10b, 10c) arranged on its circumference. To facilitate lowering of the cassette (11) onto the winding mandrels (5) and to preclude any problems which could then arise, the winding mandrels (5) are mounted on the bearing spindles (3) so as to be axially movable in a range of axial movement and are each pre-loaded towards a preferred axial position by at least one spring (9).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus having a tape deck comprising winding mandrels which are rotatably supported on bearing spindles, the winding mandrels being adapted to engage winding-mandrel holes in the magnetic-tape cassette, and each comprising at least one coupling fin arranged on its circumference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus is known from German Patentschrift 44 05 153 A1. This known magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus comprises winding mandrels which are mounted on bearing spindles so as to be rotatable. The winding mandrels engage radial grooves of the bearing spindles with spring noses, so that the axial positions of the winding mandrels are accurately defined. The winding mandrels have coupling fins which cooperate with the coupling noses provided on the reel bodies of the magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus, in such a manner that the reel bodies of the cassette are rotated when the winding mandrels are rotated.
When a magnetic-tape cassette is lowered onto such winding mandrels, problems may arise as a result of canting or jamming of the reel bodies of the magnetic-tape cassette on the winding mandrels.


In order to apply an electronic signature from a client station having authentication resources at a server, the following steps are carried out: the client station is authenticated at the server, thus establishing an authenticated communication channel; a private key/public key pair is generated at the client station; a signature certificate request generated by means of at least the public key is transmitted from the client station to the server via the authenticated channel; a signature certificate obtained in response to the request is returned via the authenticated channel; this certificate is verified at the client station; an electronic signature is calculated at the client station by means of the private key, after which this private key is destroyed; and the calculated signature is formatted with the aid of the signature certificate received via the authenticated channel.

The present invention relates to public key cryptography techniques. It relates more particularly to methods of certifying cryptographic keys.
The fundamental object used to provide confidence in the public part of a cryptographic key (public key) is the certificate. The certificate standard used in numerous networks including the Internet is X.509, version 3. A specification of this is provided by the PKIX working group of the IETF ("Internet Engineering Task Force") in Request for Comments (RFC) 3280, "Internet X.509. Public Key Infrastructure; Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile", published in April 2002. The certificate is an object which comprises, in particular:                the public key to be certified;        the identity of its holder;        a period of validity;        a cryptographic signature of these data by the private key of a Certification Authority (abbreviated to CA) issuing the certificate.
Having confidence in the public key associated with an identity is equivalent to being certain of the validity of the certificate. For PKIX, a certificate is valid at a given instant T (in terms of confidence):                either if it is expressly declared to be a "certificate of confidence". In practice, users' certificates are never declared to be certificates of confidence. Instead, a smaller number of certificates of confidence is declared, consisting of the certificates of certain CAs;        or if the following conditions are fulfilled:                    the cryptographic signature of the certificate is mathematically valid;            the instant T forms part of the period of validity of the certificate;            the certificate is not revoked at the instant T;            the public key of the issuing CA is available via a certificate of the CA, and this certificate of the CA is itself valid at the instant T.
A certificate is revoked at an instant TR of its period of validity if, from this instant onwards, the CA which has issued it has doubts as to whether the private key associated with the certificate has been compromised. The purpose is to invalidate the certificate from TR onwards. In practice, this is the case when the user of the certificate loses his private key associated with the certified public key or has had it stolen, when the CA no longer wishes to certify the user's key (for example when an employee leaves a business), or in other cases.
According to PKIX, a revoked certificate must be entered in a revocation list (CRL, "Certificate Revocation List") which is a list of certificates issued by a CA and revoked by it. In theory, a CA must never remove a certificate from a CRL. For example, if a signature is issued at an instant T with a certificate revoked at T, it must always be possible to establish that the certificate was actually revoked at T and therefore that the signature is invalid.
At present, there are two means of establishing that a given certificate has not been revoked:                accessing the CRL. The verifier of the certificate downloads the CRL from a server, verifies the signature of the CRL and then searches for the certificate to be verified in the CRL;        on-line checking of non-revocation. So that the verifier can avoid downloading CRLs which may be very large, an on-line protocol has been specified for checking only one or a few certificates. This is the OCSP protocol described in RFC 2560, "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure; Online Certificate Status Protocol—OCSP", published in June 1999 by the IETF. According to this protocol, the verifier of the certificate sends an OCSP request to an OCSP server subordinate to the issuing CA, receives the signed OCSP response from this server, verifies the signature of the OCSP response and analyses this response.
The OCSP is used on-line. The CRLs are used either on-line or off-line, but with regular updating of the CRLs.
In a public key infrastructure, when a certificate expires, the Certification Authority uses a renewal mechanism to deliver a new certificate to the user without having to repeat the registration phase, which consists in the collection and verification of the data relating to the user.
Certificates in the X.509 format are produced for purposes expressed explicitly, called "key usage" (for example, electronic signature, encryption, authentication, time-stamping, SSL server, etc.). A certificate can have a composite key usage. However, in order to limit the risks if a certificate becomes compromised, it is prudent and common practice to assign only a restricted number of these key usages to a single certificate. Thus a user can, in certain cases, have a plurality of certificates, each corresponding to a different use. The problem is then, on the one hand, the user's difficulties in handling these certificates, and, on the other hand, the high management cost for the certification authority. It is therefore useful to be able to distribute these certificates with a restricted key usage, which is as small as possible for each user, without restricting the applications which this makes available to the user.
Public key cryptographic mechanisms can be used to provide a plurality of services having different characteristics, which justify different treatments of the certificates used for the provision of each of the services.
Examples of these services are:
                Confidentiality (encryption): encrypted data must be recoverable if the private key is lost, otherwise they may be irretrievably lost. Encryption keys are therefore sequestered and recoverable.        Electronic signature: the signature key must exist in the form of a single copy, held by the certificate holder, in order to ensure that no-one else has been able to sign in his name. Since the key cannot be duplicated, it cannot be sequestered, and must be different from the encryption key. Signatures must be verifiable beyond the period of validity of the certificate, and therefore the certificate must be retained in order to permit these verifications.        Authentication: the authentication key must also be unique, and therefore different from the encryption key. But the possibility of inducing a user to apply an electronic signature by making him believe that he is simply providing an authentication must be prevented. This could be achieved by replacing the challenge used in a challenge/response public key authentication system. There is a risk that such a message could be signed by the user without his knowledge. The authentication key must therefore be distinguished from the signature key. Furthermore, the authentication certificate does not generally have to be kept beyond its lifetime, since it is only used in unique, instantaneous, and non-persistent verification operations.
It is therefore frequently necessary to provide specialized certificates, and a user wishing to use a plurality of the above services has to have the same number of certificates. Encryption certificates have a lifetime determined in the Certification Policy of the Certification Authority that issues them. This lifetime is typically from one to three years for users' certificates.
Since this is a long time, it is necessary to allow for the possibility that the certified key may be compromised during the period of validity of the certificate. A revocation and revocation check mechanism is therefore established for invalidating a certificate which must no longer be used. On the other hand, the fact that an electronic signature has been applied with a certificate having a relatively long lifetime gives little information as to the date on which the signature was applied. The electronic signature mechanism must therefore be linked to a time-stamping mechanism.
The electronic signature function makes it possible to guarantee the authenticity of a document, in other words to reliably authenticate its signatory or signatories and to guarantee that the document has not been modified (integrity). The electronic signature is frequently used to guarantee non-repudiation. The non-repudiation of a document is a matter of providing a defence against subsequent denial by its originator.
The most commonly used formats for signed messages are:                PKCS#7, published by RSA Security, Inc., and by the IETF in March 1998 (RFC 2315, "PKCS#7: Cryptographic Message Syntax; Version 1.5"), which has also been adopted in CMS ("Cryptographic Message. Syntax", RFC 2630, IETF, June 1999). These standards are used, in particular, in the S/MIME ("Secure Multipurpose. Internet Mail Extensions") specification for signed electronic mail. They are based on certificates issued by PKIX (X.509, CRL, OCSP) and are "extendable", in the sense that it is possible to add extensions (supplementary information) which can be signed (authenticated/Attributes) or unsigned (unauthenticated/Attributes).        XML-DSig, belonging to the XML ("extended Markup Language") family of data formats. This format enables certificates issued by PKIX to be used, and is also extendable.        PGP, corresponding to the signed messages produced by the PGP ("Pretty Good Privacy") software marketed by Networks Associates Technology, Inc. and similar products. These certificates are different from those issued by PKIX.
Clearly, with these electronic signature formats the signature certificate has to have a key usage which permits the signature. However, the key usage in question is not always the same, varying with the tools used. For example, the Netscape Mail messaging software produced by Netscape Communications Corporation and Outlook Express produced by Microsoft Corporation require different key usages. Furthermore, signing is not permitted if the certificate does not have one of these key usages.
There are services which enable a user to apply an electronic signature without himself having cryptographic equipment. Services of this kind can operate in various ways:                1/ The user is registered at a server which stores, in encrypted form, a locked signature key and a certificate in his name. When the user wishes to apply a signature, he sends the data to be signed to the server, together with a password for decrypting and unlocking his signature key. The server uses this password and these data to apply the signature, and returns the result to the user. A drawback of this mode of operation is that the user does not control his means of signature. Since the signatures are not applied at his station, he cannot be certain that the server will not apply other signatures without his knowledge.        2/ The user is registered at a server which stores, in encrypted form, a signature key and a certificate in his name. When the user wishes to apply a signature, he authenticates himself at the server, and the server sends him his encrypted signature key. The user decrypts his key by means of a password known only to him, uses this key to apply his signature, and then deletes the key from his station. A drawback of this mode of operation is the presence of signature keys in a database on the server. A malicious individual having access to the key database could attempt to attack these keys in order to decrypt them, and consequently use them for applying signatures without the knowledge of the keyholder.
When an electronic signature is used to guard against repudiation, it is desirable for the signature to remain valid for a certain period. In general, the period of validity required for the signature (of the order of ten years at the present time) is considerably longer than the period of validity of a certificate (one year at the present time). Furthermore, it is generally desirable to have not only a signature but also the date (and possibly the time) of the signature.
There are several well-known methods for locating a signature in time (time-stamping) and for extending the period of validity of a signature beyond that of the signatory's certificate:                Non-consensual time-stamping: the signatory himself places the time-stamping data element in his document and signs this data element as an integral part of the document. This guarantees only the agreement of the signatory himself as to the time, and does not enable the validity of the signature to be extended. In another embodiment, the non-consensual time-stamping is applied by a server and kept with the signature.        Consensual time-stamping: the signatory and the addressee of the signed document agree on a time-stamp, which the signatory places in his document and which he signs at the same time. A variant consists in having the time-stamp initially signed by the addressee, and placing this signed time-stamp in the document. In both cases, the signature can be considered to be correctly located in time because of the degree of protection provided by the protocol. Again, however, the validity of the signature cannot be extended.        Secure time-stamping: when the document has been signed, the signatory makes use of a "time-stamping third party". This is a reliable third party holding a key and a certificate with a long life, in other words one whose life covers the period of validity of the signature. The time-stamping third party sends him a time-stamping token which comprises the time-stamp and a unique reference to the signed document, the token itself being signed by the time-stamping third party with his long-life key. This token guarantees the instant of time-stamping of the document in a cryptographically secure way. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to determine the time of signature from the time of the token, and, on the other hand, to extend the validity of the signature by extending it to the period of validity of the time-stamping token. There is, in particular, an IETF standard on time-stamping, namely the TSP (RFC 3161, "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure; Time-Stamp Protocol", August 2001).
A number of methods can be used to authenticate a user at a server:                The static password. This is a character string sent by the user to the server. The server can also know this password and compare the transmitted value directly with the known value. Otherwise, it can know the result of an operation performed on this password, and initially perform this operation on the transmitted value before making the comparison.        The questionnaire. A number of questions are put to the user, who is considered to be the only party who knows the answers, and who has previously answered the same questions to record the answers. The questions are generally of the following type: mother's maiden name, football team supported, favorite cartoon character, dog's name, etc.        The calculated password. The user has a device which performs a calculation, different on each occasion, on the basis of a secret key shared between the device and the server and a pseudo-random element such as the time. The server performs the same calculation and compares the results. If the values are identical, the user must be in possession of the device, and is therefore who he claims to be.        The non-reusable password. The user has a certain number of one-time codes, in the form of scratch cards for example, which are referenced at the server. If the code submitted for authentication is one of those that the user is considered to hold, the authentication is successful.        Challenge/response with secret key. The user shares a secret key with the server. The server sends a random number to the user (the "challenge"). The user performs a calculation on the challenge with the aid of the secret key and sends back the result of the calculation (the "response"). The server performs the same calculation and compares its result with the response sent by the user. If there is a match, the user is authenticated.        Challenge/response with public key. The user has a private key of which he is the sole holder. The server knows the public key corresponding to this private key, in the form of a certificate for example. The server sends a random challenge to the user, who performs a calculation on this challenge with the aid of his private key. The resulting response is sent to the server, which applies the reverse calculation to it with the aid of the public key. If this results in the original challenge sent, the user is authenticated.
It should be noted that the availability of an authentication resource is not generally sufficient for the electronic signature of a document. In order to apply an electronic signature, a user must be the only party in possession of a secret, whereas in most authentication mechanisms (except the public key challenge/response system) the secret has to be shared in order to be verifiable by the server.
An object of the present invention is to propose a simple and efficient method enabling a user having authentication resources to apply an electronic signature.

Electronic signature method, program and server for implementing the method


The present invention relates to a method of diagnosis of pathological pregnancy which relies on an evaluation of the amount of placental isoferritin (PLF) in the serum or amniotic fluid of a pregnant woman. Diagnosis may also be achieved by observation of percentages of PLF-bearing lymphocytes in the pregnant female. Detection of PLF levels is achieved by immunoassay with a PLF-specific antibody. Also described is a method of treating or preventing pathological pregnancies and transplant or graft rejection by administration of effective amounts of PLF and/or a PLF-specific antibody in combination with immunization.

2.1. FERRITIN
Iron is known to be an essential element of the makeup of every living organism, but may also become toxic at physiological pH values by virtue of its tending to oxidize, hydrolyze and precipitate as insoluble ferric oxide polymers. The protein ferritin, found in all living cells, is the body's means for ensuring that iron toxicity does not occur. Ferritin functions by storing iron in the cells in a soluble and readily available form. The iron stored in cells may then be mobilized whenever needed by the body, for example, for erythropoiesis.
The name "ferritin" actually encompasses a number of individual isomeric forms which are characteristic of different tissue types. Each isoferritin has 24 subunits of two distinct types, namely light subunits (L) and heavy subunits (H). These subunits differ in molecular weight, the light subunit being about 18 kDa, and the heavy subunit about 19-21 kDa. The isoferritins extracted from different tissues or organs typically exhibit different isoelectric points, with the isoelectric focusing pattern of human tissues forming a continuous spectrum; those tissues associated with high iron storage have ferritins at the basic end of the spectrum (e.g. spleen and liver), while iron poor tissues, (e.g. heart and placenta) and malignant cells have acidic ferritins. (Drysdale, Ciba Found. Symp. 51:41, 1977). The difference in isoelectric point appears to be related to the different distribution of light and heavy subunits in each type. Specifically, heavy subunit-rich ferritins are relatively acidic, and light chain rich ferritins are relatively basic (Cosell, et al., in Ferritins and Isoferritins as Biochemical Markers, p. 49-65, 1984, Elsevier). Current studies indicate that the H and L subunits are encoded by a complex group of genes, therefore suggesting that there is an even greater heterogeneity of ferritin molecules than had previously been expected.
A specific type of acidic isoferritin has been shown to be characteristic of neoplastic cells and placental cells (Drysdale and Singer, Cancer Res. 44:3352, 1974). This protein is also known as oncofetal ferritin or placental isoferritin (PLF). Human placental ferritin has been shown to be composed predominantly of a single subunit type comigrating with a liver ferritin standard on SDS-PAGE (Brown et al. Biochem. J. 182:763, 1979). However, an immunoradiometric assay performed with anti-human spleen ferritin has shown tissue specific antigenicity for PLF. (Brown et al., supra). A three subunit structure has been revealed for PLF (Moroz et al. G.I. Pat. Clin. 1:17-23, 1986). In addition to the L and H subunits characteristic of all ferritins, there is also a high molecular weight (43 kDa) subunit which appears to be unique for human placenta, and thus provides a potential site for identification of the placental isoferritin molecule as distinguished from any other type of ferritin.
2.2. PATHOLOGICAL PREGNANCY
While the majority of women who become pregnant have no substantial difficulty in carrying a child to term, there are certain conditions which commonly arise in connection with problem pregnancies. Certain visible abnormalities, such as bleeding, may be symptomatic of more serious problems, but may also be a mere irregularity which does not develop into a condition which threatens the normal pattern of gestation. On the other hand, certain conditions such as spontaneous abortion, may occur without any warning, resulting in premature termination of the pregnancy and often in the death of the fetus. Although some women, in successive pregnancies, show a pattern of difficulty with carrying a fetus to term, and can therefore be treated accordingly in advance, the development of problems is not uniformly predictable, particularly in a first pregnancy. The early identification of a woman in a high risk category would facilitate prescription of an appropriate treatment regimen, thereby increasing the chances of full-term birth of a healthy baby, as well as decreasing the possible dangers to the mother's health. Some of the more commonly occurring problems during pregnancy are toxemia, premature contractions, premature delivery, missed abortion, and spontaneous abortions or miscarriages.
A substantial number of pregnant women, perhaps as high as 7%, experience rapid weight gain, edema, and elevation of blood pressure at some time during their pregnancy. This condition, known as toxemia, results in a decrease in blood flow and in glomerular filtration, a situation which is completely the reverse of what is observed in a normal pregnancy. Because of the reduction in the glomerular filtration rate, the major problem is water retention. A particularly severe form of toxemia, eclampsia, is characterized by extreme vascular spasticity throughout the body, and clonic convulsion, followed by greatly decreased kidney output, hypertension and a general toxic condition. Toxemia of course threatens the health of the fetus, and in its more severe forms, may also threaten the mother's life.
Other problems may also arise during pregnancy which can be an indication of risk of premature delivery, or of spontaneous abortions. Many women may experience premature contractions at an early stage (as early as 16 weeks of gestation) during a pregnancy. The correlation of this symptom with a high risk of preterm delivery has not been clearly established. Similarly, abnormal bleeding can frequently occur at any time during pregnancy. This symptom may be an indication of an imminent miscarriage or a missed abortion; on the other hand, in about 50% of the cases it does not develop into anything more serious. Clearly, an early evaluation of such conditions, with some predictive significance as to risk of premature delivery or spontaneous abortion, would be of tremendous value to the clinician in both a hospital and office setting.
It has frequently been noted that something of an anomaly exists in a pregnancy being carried to full term: a fetal trophoblast which implants in the mother's uterus carries major histocompatibility antigens from both the mother and the father, and thus, except in rare circumstances, presents antigens to the maternal circulation (and immune system) which must, under normal circumstances, recognize the father's antigens as foreign. The embryo and fetus therefore stand in the position of an allograft, and, as yet, there has been no fully satisfactory explanation as to why the mother does not reject the fetus in much the same manner as a foreign skin graft would be rejected. It is clear that the embryo is protected in some way from the action of the mother's immune system. A number of mechanisms have been postulated to explain this phenomenon; among them are low levels or absence of Class II antigens on the syncytiotrophoblast which is in closest contact with the placenta, making it more likely that paternal Class I antigens will induce tolerance rather than a cytotoxic response; protection of trophoblast cells against cytotoxic lymphocytes by a barrier of negatively-charged mucopolysaccharide, or a protective effect of the physical barrier provided by the placenta.
Currently, one of the more popular theories of fetal protection is the suggestion of a general suppression of the mother's immune response. The placenta is known to secrete a variety of different products into the maternal circulation; these products include human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) as well as substance known to have an immunoregulatory effect, such as estrogen, progesterone, corticosteroids, and pregnancy-associated growth factors (Caldwell et al. J. Immunol. 115:1249, 1975; Fabris et al. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 28:306, 1977; Baer et al. Ciba Foundation Symp. Excerpts Medica 64:293, 1979; Suteri et al. Ann. NY Acad. Sci 286:384, 1977; Monse et al. J. Immunol. 128:218, 1982). Placental isoferritin is also known to be secreted into the maternal circulation by the placenta (Brown et al. Biochem. J. 182:763, 1979). It has been suggested that some substance secreted by the placenta early in development may be responsible for inducing a general immunosuppression in the mother, thereby preventing rejection of the embryo and allowing normal full-term delivery.
In the same vein, a substantial number of irregularities which can occur during pregnancy also remain essentially unexplained as to cause. It has been suggested that some, or many of these problems may be associated with a mother's mounting an immunological response to the presence of foreign antigens on the fetus. In other words, in problem pregnancies, it is possible that the difficulties arise because of the failure of this postulated temporary immunosuppression to develop. The mother then reacts normally in response to a foreign stimulus, and various degrees of rejection of the fetus may then occur.
Evidence obtained in connection with the present invention provides the basis for suggestion of a mechanism for at least part of the physiological and immunological basis for tolerance (or non-tolerance) of the "fetal allograft" in pregnant women. It has now been discovered that a significant positive correlation exists between high serum PLF levels in pregnant women, and successful full term delivery. Similarly, abnormally low levels of PLF have been shown to be consistently associated with premature delivery, toxemia, and other pregnancy-related pathologies. Thus, low levels or absence of PLF in pregnant women can serve as marker for a potentially high risk pregnancy; detection of this state is ideally achieved by use of a PLF-specific monoclonal antibody in a novel immunoassay system, whereby early detection and diagnosis of a pathological condition can be made. This method is particularly well adapted for use in monitoring women after their first trimester of pregnancy, since levels of PLF, even in normal women, may be too low to detect prior to that time. For diagnosis of potential problems in first trimester, however, it has been discovered that detection of a relatively high level of ferritin bearing lymphocytes (FBL's) indicative of the occurrence of immunosuppression. Thus, pregnant women in the first trimester having less than about 5% of FBLs can be identified as potentially being at risk for a problem pregnancy.
The role of PLF in pregnancy does not appear to be limited to its use as a convenient marker however; there is also ample evidence to show that PLF plays an active role in the immunosuppression which appears to be a necessary event to support a normal pregnancy. Based on the observation of an apparent cause-and-effect relationship between PLF levels and immunosuppression, there is thus provided a means for treatment and prevention of actual and potentially pathological pregnancies, as well as a means for inducing immunosuppressions in those clinical situations in which production of a hyporesponsive immune state is desirable, e.g., in organ or tissue transplantation, to prevent rejection of the transplant.

Isoferritin as a marker for pathological pregnancy


The present invention features a method for determining the prognosis for survival of a cancer patient. Methods for measuring the level of NOL3 expression in a cancer cell-containing sample from a patient, and comparing the level of NOL3 expression in the sample to a reference level of NOL3 expression are also included. A higher level of NOL3 relative to the reference level correlates with decreased survival of the patient, and an equivalent or lower level of NOL3 relative to the reference level correlates with increased survival of the patient.

The treatment of malignant gliomas remains one of the greatest challenges facing adult and pediatric oncologists today. At the most severe end of the spectrum is glioblastoma muitiforme (GBM)—among the most malignant of cancers, with a median survival of less than 12 months and an inherent resistance to both chemo- and radio-therapeutics (DeAngelis, N. Engl. J. Med. 344, 114-123, 2001). While initial treatment of GBM with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy often produces some palliation of symptoms, these tumors almost universally recur with an unrelenting progression to death. Despite great advances in our understanding of the molecular causes of GBM (Kitange et al., Curr. Opin. Oncol. 15, 187-203, 2003), there has been very little improvement in outcomes for patients with GBM.


A connection terminal for connecting, in an electrically contacting manner, to at least one conductor includes a current bar held on a mount. The current bar connects to the at least one conductor. The connection terminal also includes an actuation lever, a clamping spring, and a slotted guide. The slotted guide has at least one closure slot and a clamping slot that branches off transversely therefrom. The actuation lever is movably guided in the slotted guide by a first pin and a second pin.

The prior art describes various connection terminals that are also suitable for connecting conductors of large diameters. In this way, conductors having large cross sections can for example be connected to screw terminals. In the process, the conductor is securely clamped on the electrical connection terminal by means of a screw connection. However, the disadvantage of such screw terminals is that it is not easily possible to simply pivot the stripped conductor in from above. In particular in the case of large, solid conductors, this leads to the assembly being made significantly more difficult since the conductor has to be bent and inserted into the screw terminal axially from the front before the conductor can be clamped.
By comparison, the assembly is simpler in an electrical connection terminal that allows a conductor, which is to be connected, to be pivoted in from above. In this case, the conductor to be connected can be cut to the appropriate length beforehand and is pivoted in during assembly.
A connection terminal of this type is known from WO 2013/004343 A1. In this electrical connection terminal, a manual lever and a clamping lever are provided and interconnected by means of a dynamic transmission ratio such that at the start of the closure operation a relatively small movement of the manual lever is brought about by a large movement of the clamping lever, whilst at the end of the closure operation a large movement of the manual lever leads to a relatively small movement of the clamping lever. In this lever terminal, a good balance between opening angle and actuation force is achieved.


A multi-component hummingbird feeder which can be completely disassembled. The hummingbird feeder has a liquid reservoir comprised of a cup-shaped bottom and a dome-shaped top. A hollow neck protrudes vertically from the bottom and through a central aperture in the top. A collar is seated on the top and surrounds the portion of the neck which extends above the top. A head which is adapted to coact with the collar is placed in the upper end of the neck and tightened until the top and bottom elements are in a tight sealing interengagement. Located in the top are feeding ports to provide access to a liquid food supply in the reservoir.

Conventional hummingbird feeders are designed to store and dispense liquids, typically mixtures of sugar and water. Such mixtures are widely used as substitutes for the natural floral nectar consumed by hummingbirds in the wild. It is known, however, that in warm climates, mixtures of sugar and water exhibit a tendency to ferment and provide a media for the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. The results of the chemical reaction and these growths can endanger the health of the birds being fed.
In order to address this problem, some prior art feeders are subdivided into multiple components which can be disassembled in order to accommodate cleaning of parts contaminated by mold and mildew. The difficulty with these feeders, however, is that they tend to leak along joints between components defining the liquid reservoirs. This can be particularly troublesome when the feeders are exposed to windy conditions tending to swing them about their vertical axes of suspension. The resulting leakage of the liquid sugar mixture onto the underlying ground area and surrounding surfaces attracts bees, which in turn can pose a hazard to humans in the vicinity of the feeders. Other prior art feeders seek to avoid leakage problems by resorting to predominantly unitary designs. In many respects, however, this approach is counterproductive, particularly since it compromises or negates cleaning and proper maintenance.


A filter system for filtering a fluid has at least one filter housing with a first housing part and a second housing part. The filter housing has at least one inlet and at least one outlet for the fluid. A fluid path extends between the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet. At least one filter element is arranged in the at least one filter housing in the fluid path. At least one damper element is provided that is completely or partially filled with the fluid at least after an initial filling. The at least one damper element is provided with a volume that, at least in operation of the filter system, is filled completely or partially with the fluid. The volume is separated from the fluid path.

DE 37 15 582 A1 discloses an air filter system with a damper element by means of which noises can be damped that may occur in pulsating fuel flows. The damper element operates in the manner of a swirl plate that, by a plurality of flow channels, divides, diverts, and swirls the pulsating fuel flow for oscillation reduction.


A method, system and program are disclosed for accelerating data storage by providing non-disruptive storage caching using spliced cache appliances with packet inspection intelligence. A cache appliance that transparently monitors NFS and CIFS traffic between clients and NAS subsystems and caches files using dynamically adjustable cache policies provides low-latency access and redundancy in responding to both read and write requests for cached files, thereby improving access time to the data stored on the disk-based NAS filer (group).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to the field of computer storage networks. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a standalone cache memory device which is connected between one or more host machines and a storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data storage technology over the years has evolved from a direct attached storage model (DAS) to using remote computer storage models, such as Network Attached Storage (NAS) and a Storage Area Network (SAN). With the direct storage model, the storage is directly attached to the workstations and application servers, but this creates numerous difficulties with the administration, backup, compliance and maintenance of the directly stored data. These difficulties are alleviated at least in part by separating the application server/workstations from the storage medium. For example, FIG. 1 depicts a typical NAS system 100 in which a number of PCs, workstations and application servers (clients) use a network 10 to access storage resources on a number of remote network attached storage and file servers (or filers). In the depicted system 100, each of the networked PC or workstation devices 12-14 and application servers 16-18 may act as a storage client that is connected to the network 10 by the appropriate routers 11 and switches 15 to remotely store and retrieve data with one or more NAS filers 1-6, which in turn are connected to the network 10 by the appropriate routers 9 and switches 7-8. Typically, the storage clients (e.g., 14) use an IP-based network protocol, such as CIFS and NFS, to communicate store, retrieve and modify files on an NAS filer (e.g., 5).
Conventional NAS devices are designed with data storage hardware components (including a plurality of hard disk drives, one or more processors for controlling access to the disk drives, I/O controller and high speed cache memory) and operating system and other software that provides data storage and access functions. Even with a high speed internal cache memory, the access response time for NAS devices continues to be outpaced by the faster processor speeds in the client devices 12-14, 16-18, especially where any one NAS device may be connected to a plurality of client storage devices. In part, this performance problem is caused by the lower cache hit rates that result from a combination of increased disk capacity and high-density mounting on the NAS storage device.
While a number of solutions have been proposed to address these problems, they are, for a variety of reasons, not entirely satisfactory. For example, increases in the size and speed of the cache memory result in increased costs. And while faster disk drives have been developed, the increased disk drive access speeds are not enough to overcome the performance gap. Other solutions have proposed using performance-oriented data placement, but these have provided only limited performance gains. Attempts to increase response speed by using disk striping across multiple RAID disks have not proven to be scalable or have otherwise suffered from proprietary limitations. And while parallel file systems with virtualization have been able to provide short-term performance gains, they are massively complex and difficult to implement. Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for improving the disk storage access time to overcome the problems in the art, such as outlined above. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional solutions will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follow.

Non-disruptive storage caching using spliced cache appliances with packet inspection intelligence


A measurement system for frames of heavy duty trucks and trailers does not require a dimensional reference database. A plurality of electronic targets are attached to selected target points on the frame. A position of the laser scanner from the selected target points is determined. Measurement data for additional targets is determined. The frame dimensions are then analyzed for defects that are greater than a pre-set tolerance. Measurements outside of a tolerance range can be flagged with contrasting color. The results of the frame analysis are shown on the user's screen, on the electronic target, and can be printed out or emailed for future inspection. The frame can be repaired while the targets and laser scanner are still deployed so that the measurement system can continue to display the status of the measurement points in real time and the success of the repairs can be confirmed.

It is often necessary to inspect, and if necessary, straighten the frame of a vehicle or a trailer that has been damaged such as often occurs in a crash. Due to the many varied shapes, sizes and configurations of vehicle frames, especially for heavy duty trucks and trailers, it can be difficult to determine whether a vehicle's frame has been bent from an original configuration.
Conventional techniques for measuring frames require a database containing x,y,z coordinates and point properties for every vehicle to be measured. The measurement systems use these properties to assist with scanner orientation. Then measurements are taken with the laser scanner. After the measurement process is complete, the system displays the measured error from the known database points. Frame data is available from several data suppliers for cars and light duty trucks. However, such data is usually not available for heavy duty trucks and for trailers hauled by these trucks.
It is not feasible to create a database of frame data for heavy duty trucks and trailers because there are too many different configurations to measure all variants, and manufacturer-supplied data is not available. Because of this and technical problems with accurate measurements over the length of these vehicles there has never been a system capable of accurately measuring frames of heavy duty vehicles or their trailers.
Therefore, there is an ongoing need to provide a frame measurement method and system that does not require a vehicle database in order to operate.

Vehicle and trailer frame measuring system


A method of determining a fabric type for a laundry load can include comparing the density of the laundry load in a first wetted state, which may be a dry state or a partially saturated state, to the density of the laundry load in a second wetted state, which may be a partially saturated, fully saturated, or beyond fully saturated state, and determining a fabric type based on the comparison.

Parameters for an operation cycle of a laundry treating appliance can depend on several factors, such as the size of a laundry load and the type of fabric of the laundry load. In some laundry treating appliances, the user manually inputs a fabric type through a user interface. However, it may be desirable to have the appliance automatically determine the fabric type because, for example, manual input may be perceived as inconvenient to the user and may result in a subjective, inaccurate characterization of the laundry type.

Method of determining fabric type of a laundry load in a laundry treating appliance


A curable composition comprising: (A) an infrared absorber which is a cyanine dye having a structure in which hetero rings are bonded to each other via a methine chain and which has at least one substituent having a structure selected from the group consisting of an amide bond, a urethane bond, a urea bond and a sulfonamide bond on at least one of aromatic rings at both ends, nitrogen atoms present on the hetero rings at both ends and the methine chain; (B) at least one of a radical generator and an acid generator; and (C) at least one of a radical polymerizable compound and an acid crosslinking agent.

In recent years, the development of laser is remarkable. With respect to solid lasers and semiconductor lasers which radiate infrared light having a wavelength of from 760 nm to 1,200 nm (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "infrared laser"), ones which have a high output and a small size become easily available. Even in the field of lithographic printing, such lasers are very useful as a recording light source in undergoing directly plate making of a printing plate from digital data of a computer and the like. Following this, various studies have been made regarding image forming materials which are sensitive to these various lasers.
In general, as a negative working image forming material capable of undergoing recording upon irradiation with infrared light, there are known a polymerization system image forming material having a recording layer made of a polymerizable composition containing an infrared absorber capable of absorbing energy of infrared light to convert it into heat, a radical generator capable of generating a radical by the heat obtained from the infrared absorber, and a radical polymerizable compound capable of being polymerized with the generated radical as an initiator, in which a polymerization reaction of the radical polymerizable compound is caused and advanced in an exposed area, whereby the recording layer is cured to form an image; and an acid crosslinking system image forming material having a recording layer made of an acid crosslinking composition containing an infrared absorber capable of absorbing energy of infrared light to convert it into heat, an acid generator capable of generating an acid by the heat obtained from the infrared absorber, and an acid crosslinking agent capable of being crosslinked with the generated acid as an initiator, in which a crosslinking reaction of the acid crosslinking agent is caused and advanced in an exposed area, whereby the recording layer is cured to form an image.
Such a negative working image forming material is liable to be lowered in sensitive as compared with a positive working image forming material in which solubilization of a recording layer is caused by energy of infrared light. As a result, the curing reaction of the recording layer in the exposed area became insufficient so that a problem rose in resistance to printing (press life). Accordingly, a composition which is highly sensitive to such an infrared recording light source, namely a negative working curable composition in which solubility in a developing solution is largely lowered upon exposure with infrared light, is being demanded.
As a polymerization system curable composition which is aimed to enhance the sensitivity, for example, in sensitive materials utilizing a polymerization reaction of an ethylenically unsaturated compound, there are known a sensitive material having a reduction type additive added thereto (for example, see JP-A-2002-82429) and a sensitive material having a dithio compound, etc, added thereto (for example, see JP-A-2002-90985). However, even all of these sensitive materials were not satisfactory with respect to the sensitivity in practical use. Further, such sensitive materials containing components having excellent reactivity with light or heat involved such an anxiety that the storage stability is inferior, for example, an undesired reaction is caused in handling under white light or during the preservation, or by any change of the circumferential temperature, or polymerization hindrance is caused due to oxygen in air.
On the other hand, an attempt to solve the foregoing problems has been made by controlling the structure of an infrared absorber. As such a sensitive material, there are known a sensitive material using a cyanine dye having an electron withdrawing group or a heavy atom-containing substituent on at least one of aromatic rings at both ends (for example, see JP-A-2002-278057) and a sensitive material using a cyanine dye having a specified substituent on nitrogen atoms at both ends (for example, see JP-A-2003-270781). By these sensitive materials, an enhancement of the characteristics was observed to a certain extent. However, when all of the foregoing characteristics are taken into consideration, there was still room for further improvement.
Also, in general cyanine dyes, after developing with an alkaline aqueous developing solution, the cyanine dye is liable to be deposited in the developing solution. For that reason, there was encountered a problem that the deposit adsorbed in an image area or a non-image area, thereby deteriorating the image quality of the resulting printing plate.

Curable composition and image forming material containing the same


According to one or more embodiments, operations may include storing existing machine learning (ML) projects in a corpus. The operations may also include generating a search query for a new ML project based on a new dataset and a new ML task for the new ML project. In addition, the operations may include searching through the existing ML projects stored in the corpus, based on the search query, for a set of existing ML projects. Moreover, the operations may include merging the ML pipelines of the set of existing ML projects to generate a new ML pipeline for the new ML project. In addition, the operations may include adapting functional blocks of the new ML pipeline for the new ML project to enable the new ML pipeline to be executed to perform the new ML task on the new dataset.

Machine learning (ML) generally employs ML models that are trained with training data to make predictions that automatically become more accurate with ongoing training. ML may be used in a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, traffic prediction, web searching, online fraud detection, medical diagnosis, speech recognition, email filtering, image recognition, virtual personal assistants, and automatic translation.
As ML has become increasingly common, there is often a scarcity of ML experts (e.g., skilled data scientists) available to implement new ML projects. For example, by some estimates, the vast majority of data scientist currently tasked with developing new ML projects are non-experts (e.g., relatively unskilled or novice), with only around 2 in 5 having a masters or doctoral degree that would qualify them for increasingly complex ML project development.
Automated ML (AutoML) is the process of automating the process of applying ML to real-world problems. AutoML may allow non-experts to make use of ML models and techniques without requiring them to first become ML experts. AutoML has been proposed as a solution to the ever-growing challenge of implementing new ML projects even though there is a scarcity of ML experts. However, current AutoML solutions offer only simplistic and partial solutions that are insufficient to enable non-experts to fully implement new ML projects.
The subject matter claimed in the present disclosure is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced.

Automatically generating a pipeline of a new machine learning project from pipelines of existing machine learning projects stored in a corpus


The present invention discloses a semiconductor, includes one or more luminescent layers; and one or more electron gas layers with two-dimensional electron gases that are distributed parallel to the luminescent layers.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductors, and more particularly, to a method of semiconductor fabrication.
(2) Description of Related Art
In recent years, light-emitting diodes have come into widespread use as light-emitting devices formed using compound semiconductors, and have been used primarily in optical data transmission, in special illumination equipment, and similar. In addition, white-light light-emitting diodes, which cause a blue-light light-emitting diode using a nitride semiconductor to emit blue light, and passes this blue light through a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet)—based yellow phosphor to generate white light, have been put into use (see for example Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-268770).
In such a configuration, YAG-based yellow phosphors are formed by covering the light-emitting layer with a resin into which is intermixed the YAG-based yellow phosphor powder. In the YAG-based yellow phosphor, a portion of the blue light is converted into yellow light. Through color mixing of the converted yellow light with the unconverted blue light, white light can be obtained. Such a white-light light-emitting diode can be formed in large chip sizes to enable use in ordinary illumination and other areas, and a variety of different applications are anticipated.
However, there has been the problem that, when the intermixed concentration of the YAG-based yellow phosphor is not uniform, the output color is uneven. That is, in portions in which the concentration of the YAG-based yellow phosphor is low, the color is bluish, and in portions in which the concentration of the YAG-based yellow phosphor is high, the color is yellowish, and so there is the problem that the color is uneven. Further, there has been the problem that, when the film thickness of the resin into which the YAG-based yellow phosphor powder is intermixed is uneven, the output color is uneven. Such color unevenness is more prominent for larger chip sizes, and so it has been difficult to use YAG-based yellow phosphors in general-purpose illumination lamps.
On the other hand, SiC phosphors in which SiC crystals are doped with acceptor impurities and donor impurities have been proposed (see International Patent Publication No. 2005/090515). In this configuration, through stimulation by near-ultraviolet light emitted from a near-ultraviolet light-emitting diode or similar, donor electrons and acceptor holes can recombine, and the energy transition upon this recombination results in fluorescence. Because the wavelength of this fluorescence depends on the energy gap between the donor level and the acceptor level, by appropriately choosing the elements introduced as the acceptor impurities and donor impurities, fluorescence at an arbitrary color can be induced.
In International Patent Publication No. 2005/090515, by providing a two-layer SiC phosphor in which SiC crystals are respectively doped with boron and aluminum as acceptor impurities, to induce yellow and blue fluorescence, by mixing of these fluorescent colors, white light is obtained. In the process of light-emitting diode layering from an SiC substrate, SiC phosphors can easily be formed, the film thickness and impurity concentrations can easily be controlled so as to be uniform, and satisfactory color uniformity can be achieved.
However, there has been the problem that, even if the SiC phosphor is formed uniformly, when the current supplied to the light emission layer is uneven, the light emission amount is uneven. In particular, if the chip size is increased, it becomes impossible to supply a uniform current to the light emission layer, and so it is difficult to use such a light-emitting diode in general-purpose illumination and similar. Further, it has been necessary to extend electrodes over the entire chip in order to enable the uniform supply of current to the light emission layer. In particular, as a result of forming an electrode on the side of the light extraction face, there are the problems that the efficiency of light extraction is decreased by the electrode extending over the entire chip, and that a transparent electrode must be used.

Semiconductor and method of semiconductor fabrication


An electrochemical measuring cell has a three-electrode system including electrode, counter electrode and reference electrode in an electrolyte. The measuring cell has an additive promoting the electrochemical reaction and is selective and highly sensitive for the detection of hydrogen halides and also provides a stable measuring signal. A measuring cell of this kind has an additive of tetrachloroauric acid in the electrolyte for detecting hydrochloric acid with all electrodes being made of gold. The counter electrode is protected by a cation exchange membrane to provide a further improvement.

Such an electrochemical measuring cell is disclosed in published German patent application 2,627,271. The electrochemical measuring cell disclosed herein includes an ion selective measuring electrode and counter electrode made of silver which are dipped into an electrolyte of sulfuric acid and a silver sulfate as an additive. When detecting hydrochloric acid for example, the chloride ions dissolved in the electrolyte react with the silver ions and form a silver chloride deposit between the measuring electrode and the membrane. This leads to a change or blockage of the diffusion paths during the course of the measuring operation which, in turn, leads to an unwanted falsification of the measuring result. Accordingly, this measuring cell makes the detection possible by means of the additive but the electrode becomes blocked.
In a measuring cell disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,204, the gas sample reaches the semipermeable membrane subjected to the ambient whereupon the component to be detected diffuses through the membrane and is dissolved in the electrolyte. The electrochemical reaction takes place at the interface of the electrolyte/measuring electrode surface. The resulting measurement signal is taken off between the measuring electrode and the counter electrode and is a measure for the concentration of the component to be detected. An additive of copper salt is intended to catalyze the oxidation of the substance to be detected (hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide). Although this additive stimulates the reaction, it does not activate the electrode.

Electrochemical measuring cell for detecting gases and vapors


High molecular weight surface proteins of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae which exhibit immunogenic properties and genes encoding the same are described. Specifically, genes coding for two immunodominant high molecular weight proteins, HMW1 and HMW2, have been cloned, expressed and sequenced, while genes coding for high molecular proteins HMW3 and HMW4 have been cloned, expressed and partially sequenced.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae are non-encapsulated organisms that are defined by their lack of reactivity with antisera against known H. influenzae capsular antigens.
These organisms commonly inhabit the upper respiratory tract of humans and are frequently responsible for infections, such as otitis media, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Since these organisms do not have a polysaccharide capsule, they are not controlled by the present Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines, which are directed towards Hib bacterial capsular polysaccharides. The non-typeable strains, however, do produce surface antigens that can elicit bactericidal antibodies. Two of the major outer membrane proteins, P2 and P6, have been identified as targets of human serum bactericidal activity. However, it has been shown that the P2 protein sequence is variable, in particular in the non-typeable Haemophilus strains. Thus, a P2-based vaccine would not protect against all strains of the organism.
There have previously been identified by Barenkamp et al (Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J., 9:333-339, 1990) a group of high-molecular-weight (HMW) proteins that appeared to be major targets of antibodies present in human convalescent sera. Examination of a series of middle ear isolates revealed the presence of one or two such proteins in most strains. However, prior to the present invention, the structures of these proteins were unknown as were pure isolates of such proteins.

High molecular weight surface proteins of non-typeable haemophilus

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


The invention concerns a memory cell having: first and second cross-coupled gated inverters (102, 104), each including first and second inputs (IN1, IN2) and an output (OUT) and being adapted to couple its output to a first logic level only when the first and second inputs both receive the inverse of the first logic level; a first cut-off circuit (106) coupling the second input (IN2) of the first gated inverter (102) to the first input (IN1) of the first gated inverter (102); and a second cut-off circuit (108) coupling the second input (IN2) of the second gated inverter (104) to the first input (IN1) of the second gated inverter (104).

Electronic systems often require the ability to store data to a memory (writing) and retrieve data from the memory (reading). A memory array is composed of memory cells. Each memory cell is capable of storing a bit of data. Such memory cells are typically composed of transistors such as MOSFET.
Scaling of transistor dimensions and of electronic devices in the microelectronics industry has brought about two unintended significant problems related to memory cells: the first is a rapid increase in susceptibility to radiation-induced errors; the second is a rise of overall power consumption, mainly due to the increase of leakage currents.
Radiation induced errors in electronic circuits are caused by an energy transfer when a radiation particle strikes the substrate of the electronic circuit, resulting in the excitement of electron-hole pairs. If the impact occurs at a transistor's reversed biased drain junction, these electrical charge carriers will drift into the junction, resulting in a transient current pulse. Due to the finite resistance of the transistors composing the memory cell, this current pulse may result in a voltage level change of the struck junction, logically interpreted as a change of the data stored in the cell.
Low voltage operation as a manner of power consumption reduction only aggravates radiation susceptibility related reliability issues, since the electrical charge accumulating in the struck junction depends on the junction's capacitance and voltage.
Either low power adequate memory cells or radiation-hardened memory cells have been designed before, but there is a need for a memory cell which efficiently combines low power and SEU tolerance characteristics.

Low power radiation hardened memory cell


A stabilizing support for opening- and closing-wedge osteotomies, constituted by a plate for connecting, by screws, two bone portions formed by an osteotomy rima; the plate comprises fixing means that are adapted to be inserted and fixed in each one of the portions in order to lock the portions in a preset configuration, so as to support an axial load that bears on the bone.

The present invention relates to a stabilizing support for opening- and closing-wedge osteotomies, particularly of the miniinvasive type for tibial and femoral osteotomies.
The practice of osteotomy, performed in particular at the distal epiphysis of the femur or at the proximal epiphysis of the tibia in order to modify the load conditions of the knee, is currently widely used and often is the most advisable solution when the patient's angle between the diaphyseal longitudinal axis of the femur and the longitudinal axis of the tibia is open medially or laterally at values that differ from those considered anatomically normal.
Stabilizing supports constituted by a plate for connecting, by means of screws, the two bone portions formed by the osteotomy rima are known. For better comprehension, reference should be made to FIGS. 1 and 2, which refer to a particular stabilizing support, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,620,448 and 5,749,875.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a detail of a stabilizing support 1 fixed to the proximal epiphysis of the tibia 2 by means of screws 2a and constituted by a plate 3 provided with a tooth 4 to be inserted in a osteotomy rima 5; such tooth, which has an upper face 6 and a lower face 7, is suitable to support the axial load that bears on the bone. FIG. 2 is instead a perspective view of such support.
Support 1 has a drawback linked to the shape of the tooth 4, which is preferably parallelepipedal and therefore does not ensure correct resting of opposite surfaces 8 and 9 formed by the rima 5, which is substantially wedge-shaped. The contact between the surfaces 8 and 9 and the tooth 4 in fact occurs only along points or segments (for example along the segment 10) and therefore is not distributed correctly on the upper face 6 and the lower face 7 of the tooth 4.
Accordingly, the screws 2a are loaded excessively by the weight of the body of the patient, causing wear and mechanical instability. Furthermore, the presence of the tooth 4 inserted in the osteotomy rima 5 prevents its correct and complete filling with any bone inserts; therefore, after the removal of the support, the bone portion affected by the rima might not be perfectly intact and might have insufficient mechanical strength.

Stabilizing support for opening- and closing-wedge osteotomies


A method of compressing digital image data and a device thereof of coding digital image data within constant rate data not deteriorating a resolution of an image without regard to a complexity of digital image data. A format of M.times.N pixel blocks (where M, N are natural numbers) is made from luminance and sub-sampled chrominance signals, and first to fourth edge values TY, TR-Y, TB-Y, Ai respectively from the luminance, sub-sampled signals and the blocks are detected. A quantization scaling factor is determined by normalizing the first edge value, and the number of bits corresponding to the each block is allocated according to the first to fourth edge values. The number of AC (alternating current) factor bits is allocated by subtracting the number of DC (direct current) factor bits of the each block coded by a one-dimensional Huffman coding from the number of the allocation bits.

This invention relates to a method of compressing digital image data and a device thereof for a digital image recording device, and more particularly to a method of compressing digital image data and a device thereof capable of coding the digital image data within predetermined constant rate data.
Generally, there is disclosed a device for recording a color still image converted into digital data on a recording media such as a magnetic tape or an integrated circuit (IC) card.
The digital image data is formed properly as a plurality of blocks for performing a conversion-coding such as a discrete cosine transform (DCT) in such digital image recording device. The blocks is produced by dividing an original image by a unit of 8.times.8 pixels or 16.times.16 pixels. A conversion factors are produced by applying the DCT conversion coding to the blocks. The conversion factors are Huffman-coded and variable-length-coded through a proper quantization. A union group JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) of the CCITT (Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy and Telephony) and the ISO (International Standard Organization) recommended the method of compressing and coding the digital image data by the above described steps on Feb. 1990.
The conventional method described as above has a problem that a quantity of compressed data is changed according to a complexity of an input digital image data. Especially, it is not desirable that the quantity of digital image data is changed in a still video camera for compressing and recording digital data on a record media such as an IC card because the number of scenes of a digital image recorded on the IC card may be changed according to a complexity of the input image contents.
Therefore, a user experiences an inconvenience since the number of scenes to be recorded on one IC card made of static random access memory (SRAM) is not predictable.

Method of compressing digital image data and device thereof


Aspects for easing the attachment of a peripheral cable to a personal computer (PC) include providing a connector with a symmetric shape that supports multiple orientations of cable attachment to a PC. An orientation of insertion is identified when the connector is attached to the PC, and signal lines from the connector are rearranged based on the identified orientation of the connector.

Personal computer (PC) systems typically connect to external devices, such as printers, joysticks, scanners, routers, etc., using cables. Examples include USB (Universal Serial Bus), PS/2, serial, and parallel cables. These peripheral cables can only be inserted into a socket one particular way, thus requiring a user to visually check the cable orientation before inserting. If the cable plugs in to the back of a laptop or stand-alone PC, the user is required to either physically move the machine and look at the socket orientation, or the user has to walk to the back of the system, which is a nuisance.
Accordingly, a need exists for a manner of easing the attachment of peripheral cables to a PC. The present invention addresses such a need.

Method and system for easing attachment of a peripheral cable to a personal computer

International Business Machines Corporation