Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including, one or more modules that are interconnected via a system bus, wherein each of one or more the modules includes, a functional device, which conforms to a local interface that differs from an interface for the system bus, and performs a predetermined function, and an interface device, which is connected to the functional device via a local bus conforming to the local interface, and connected to another module via the system bus, wherein, when information in a first format conforming to the local interface is supplied from the functional device via the local bus, the interface device converts the information from the first format to a second format conforming to the interface for the system bus and supplies the converted information to the another module via the system bus, and wherein, when information in the second format is supplied from the another module via the system bus, the interface device converts the information from the second format to the first format and supplies the converted information to the functional device via the local bus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, method, and program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus, method, and program that are capable of reducing the degree of dependence of a module on a general-purpose bus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) (trademark) bus, PCI Express (trademark) bus, and various other general-purpose buses have been proposed. Various modules that are designed in compliance with bus interfaces for such general-purpose buses are now readily available. There are an increasing number of cases where an information processing apparatus (an apparatus disclosed, for instance, by Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-274326) is commercialized by combining a module purchased from a third party with a proprietarily developed module while using the above-mentioned general-purpose buses as a backbone.
When a product is designed in the above manner, the designer of the product can achieve commercialization with high efficiency because resources can be concentrated on the development of new modules.

Information processing apparatus, method, and program


The present invention relates to the use of an electronically controlled humidity chamber with temperature controls: to determine, by vapor desorption, high capillary pressures of core samples; to produce core samples with a high capillary pressure for testing electrical properties; and, using a curve of high capillary pressures from vapor desorption data, to transform a curve of high capillary pressures determined from high pressure mercury injection.

1. Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to the use of an electronically controlled humidity chamber with temperature controls to collect vapor desorption data which is used to calculate the capillary pressure of a core sample. In another aspect of the present invention, a core sample with a high capillary pressure is produced and at least one electrical property is determined. In another aspect of the present invention, the capillary pressures determined according to the present invention are used to transform capillary pressures determined from the high pressure mercury injection method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Knowledge of capillary pressure or each specific rock/oil/water combination present in reservoir rocks is highly important for predicting potential hydrocarbon in place within a reservoir. Capillary pressure data is a measure of the interaction between fluids and the rock pore surface. The strength of capillary interaction varies with the fluid saturations, the interfacial tension between the fluids, the pore structure, and the wettability of the pore surfaces.
Capillary pressure measurements also provide basic descriptions of the reservoir rock, fluids and rock-fluid behavior. Capillary pressure data may be used to: estimate pore throat size distribution to classify hydraulic rock types; determine initial water saturation conditions; estimate water saturation, permeability, porosity, and height above free water level for reserve estimates; estimate absolute permeability; estimate seal capacity of the sealing facies; and estimate capillary pressure water saturation profiles.
Several techniques have been developed for measuring capillary pressures of core samples, including porous plate, centrifuge and mercury injection. As known by one of skill in the art, the porous plate and centrifuge methods have the advantage of being able to use reservoir fluids during the capillary pressure measurements; however, limitations on the maximum achievable capillary pressure preclude application in situations where high capillary pressure exists, such as tight gas sands. The porous plate and centrifuge methods are generally limited to capillary pressures up to about 1000 psi.
High-pressure mercury-injection can reach the necessary pressures, typically 5000 to 10,000 psi, but the use of non-reservoir fluids to compute capillary pressures produces inaccurate results and transformation is required to correct the capillary pressure data. The inaccurate results are believed to be due to the lack of a true wetting phase during testing. The test is performed on dry samples using mercury as the non-wetting phase fluid and assuming air is the wetting liquid. This requires conversion to reservoir conditions using contact angle and surface tension inputs. Additionally, the oil and gas industry lacks a consensus of standards for correcting system compressibility at high pressures resulting in water saturation/capillary pressure distribution measurement uncertainties. Finally, use of the contact angle and surface tension scaling parameters are generally not appropriate for rocks with ultra-low water saturations and high capillary pressures or rocks common to tight gas sand reservoirs.
It is also known that the vapor desorption method can be used to calculate capillary pressures. While the vapor desorption method produces accurate results at moderately high capillary pressures and moderately low water saturations, the vapor desorption measurement precision decreases at very high relative humidity (>95%) which limits the lower limit of capillary pressure to a range of approximately 1000 psi. Thus, a disadvantage of the vapor desorption technique is the inability to measure capillary pressures at high water saturations.
For the vapor desorption method, it is known that the Kelvin relationship: Pc=ln(RH/100)RT/Vm, (where: Pc is the capillary pressure, psi; RH is the relative humidity; R is the universal gas constant, 8.314 J/Mol K; T is the absolute temperature, degrees Kelvin; and Vm is the molar volume of water) can be used to compute air/brine capillary pressures for core samples. (The Kelvin relationship is known to those of skill in the art.) This is detailed in SPE Paper No. 16286, "Use of Water Vapor Desorption Data in the Determination of Capillary Pressures". Experimentally, the core samples are allowed to reach equilibrium in a constant vapor pressure environment. As discussed in the paper, a known way to establish the constant vapor pressure environment is to use saturated solutions of salts such as BaCl2, KNO3, and K2SO4. Using the vapor pressure data for these solutions, the Kelvin capillary pressures are calculated for a range of NaCl brine compositions and a range of temperatures. The lowest humidity level shown in the paper is 0.8987 produced by a saturated solution of BaCl2 at 30° C. Applicants are not aware of salt solutions that will produce practical humidity levels below this 0.8987 level. The paper discusses the use of salt solutions to calculate capillary pressures as high as 4000 psi.
Electrical properties such as formation factor and resistivity index are often calculated at a number of varying water saturations or capillary pressures. However, because the porous plate and centrifuge methods are limited on the maximum capillary pressure, the calculation of these electrical properties has been limited to high water saturations and low capillary pressures.
Thus, there are a number of shortcomings with the prior art, including: the inability to accurately determine high capillary pressures; the inability to produce core samples having low water saturation and high capillary pressure for measurement of electrical properties; and the inability to obtain accurate capillary pressures using the high-pressure mercury injection method.

Electronic humidity chamber for vapor desorption to determine high capillary pressures


A photovoltaic (PV) system has a plurality of PV panels that convert solar energy into electrical energy. Each PV panel is coupled to a respective switching power converter. A parameter (e.g., voltage or current) of a combined current signal from each of the switching power converters is sensed, and a controller controls the duty cycle of each switching power converter in order to maximize the sensed parameter. In this regard, the controller adjusts the duty cycles of the power switching converters in groups while the duty cycles of other power switching converters are held constant in order to set the duty cycles for maximum power transfer, thereby accounting for variations in the power output by each PV panel.

Although there have been improvements in efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cells, their success as efficient energy producers is also dependent on how their outputs are interfaced with powered devices. PV cells are typically connected in series arrangements to obtain a desired voltage value, and then the series arrangements are connected in parallel to obtain a desired current level. These arrangements of PV cells and their electrical interconnections are placed on a support structure to form a PV panel. The energy available from the PV panel is dependent on the characteristics of the PV cells and the amount of light energy, usually from the sun, striking the PV panel. In order to maximize the transfer of available energy from the PV panel, a load connected to the panel must have a resistance value that provides maximum power transfer. Furthermore, the value of that resistance should be controlled in order to maintain an impedance match with the output impedance of the PV panel as the output characteristics of the PV panel change.
In general, a PV system for providing electrical energy comprises PV panels, DC power converters, and controllers. For other PV systems, the energy sources may be combinations of PV panels and PV cells. A DC power converter is coupled to each PV panel and is used to convert the panel output voltage and current to a load voltage and load current. The load voltage is applied to a load, such as a battery, heater or other device. The output of the converter is controlled by a controller so that the load voltage has a desired value and the load current has values dependent on the power available from the respective PV panel.
For most PV systems, a dedicated converter serves as a variable load to each PV panel and has an output suitable for supplying energy to a load. The output of the PV panel is coupled to the input of the converter. If the controller of the converter operates using a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) algorithm, then most of the energy available from a panel is available (except for losses in converter components) at the output of the converter. It is well known that when an MPPT algorithm of a controller controls the operation of the converter, then maximum power is available to a load connected to the converter. For a typical solar power system, a dedicated controller and converter are assigned to each solar panel. The controller monitors the output voltage and output current of its respective solar panel and uses an MPPT algorithm to adjust the duty cycle of the converter in order to obtain maximum power transfer. Because the input resistance of the converter is the resistance seen by the solar panel, that resistance should change in response to the panel changes in order to maximize power transfer. By varying the duty cycle of the converter, the input impedance of the converter changes in such a way that maximum power is transferred to a load connected to the output of the converter.
A power converter is a device that converters one voltage value to another voltage value. Power converters, such as switching DC-to-DC converters, are capable converting a variety of input voltages to a desired output voltage and output current. These switching DC-to-DC converters, hereafter called converters, are often used with alternative energy sources such as PV panels and wind turbines. Such converters have a controller that responds quickly to the changing output characteristics of the alternative energy source in order to extract maximum energy. Although embodiments of a controller described in this disclosure are used to extract maximum energy from multiple PV panels, the controller may be used by other energy sources. Other types of converters, sometimes called inverters, may convert outputs from PV panels into AC voltages that are coupled to a power distribution grid.
It is understood by those working in solar energy technology that shadows from clouds can cause sudden changes in the available energy from a PV panel so that any device that extracts maximum power must adapt to these changing conditions. Converters capable of adapting to the output changes of a PV panel usually have a controller that uses the MPPT algorithm. Controllers that use the MPPT algorithm cause a converter to serve as variable resistance to the PV panel in such a way that power transfer is at a maximum. Controllers that use the MPPT algorithm are complex and must be connected to sensors that continuously monitor voltages and currents. As with most technologies complexity is directly related to cost, so that an improved control system could reduce the cost of producing solar energy.
A PV panel 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. The PV panel 10 comprises multiple PV cells 20 that are connected together so as to provide an output voltage and current at output port 12. The output voltage of the PV panel across the two conductors of the port is VP, and the output current, IP, flows from the port when a load (not shown) is connected across the port. Since power, P=V*I, then the maximum power point (MPP) occurs at the knee of the PV output curve depicted in FIG. 2. At the MPP, the resistance of a load must equal Vmax/Imax. When no load is connected to the PV panel the panel voltage is VOC and when the output terminals are short circuited the current flowing is ISC. Note that Vmax is less than VOC and Imax is less than ISC. For conventional solar energy systems, a dedicated converter and MPPT controller is assigned to each PV panel of the system so that maximum energy is extracted from the system despite uneven characteristic of the outputs of the PV panels.

Systems and methods for controlling power switching converters for photovoltaic panels

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA


An image sensing apparatus that controls exposure includes a signal processing unit for processing the output signal of a image sensing element, an aperture control unit for controlling aperture, and an external sensor for measuring the brightness of an object. In this case, exposure is controlled using the luminance information of both the image data and the external sensor, with the sampling period of the external sensor being set to be shorter than the accumulation period of the solid-state image sensing element. At least one of the aperture and the accumulation period is then controlled, based on the luminance information measured by the external sensor during the accumulation period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensing apparatus which controls exposure, a control method for the image sensing apparatus, a computer program, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, auto exposure (AE) control of an image sensing apparatus having a solid-state image sensing element such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor involves appropriately adjusting the exposure conditions, and setting an exposure period according to the sensitivity of the solid-state image sensing element being used when image sensing is performed. When setting the exposure period, all pixel data for one screen is read and divided into a plurality of image blocks, and a specific image block area is extracted from the plurality of image blocks. The luminance levels of the pixel data in the specific image block area are then integrated to derive an integrated value for all of the pixel data in the specific image block area.
The integrated value is compared with a predetermined luminance level, and the exposure conditions are changed if the comparison result shows a difference. The exposure conditions include the charge accumulation period of the solid-state image sensing element, shutter speed, aperture size, and the like. All the pixel data for one screen is again read from the solid-state image sensing element using the set exposure conditions, and the optimal values of the exposure conditions are derived by measuring, comparing and determining the integrated value for the luminance levels of the pixel data in the specific image block area. By repeating the above operations several times, the conditions at which the integrated value is equal to the prescribed luminance level are determined as the exposure conditions (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-350204, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-199272).
However, with the conventional method of AE control described above, aperture control is performed with each accumulation period because of the use of image data from the solid-state image sensing element, resulting in insufficient exposure control response. The possibility also exists of exposure being destabilized due to changes in brightness during the accumulation period. In particular, exposure is controlled intermittently when image sensing is performed at a slow shutter speed because of the longer accumulation period, making it impossible to obtain stable image data due to not being able to respond to changes in the brightness of the object. Note that a slow shutter speed here indicates a shutter speed of less than 1/60 sec.

Image sensing apparatus and control method


Techniques are described for managing operations of a wireless-power-transmitting device, capable of operating in multiple radio-frequency (RF) bands. An example integrated circuit includes (i) an interface to couple with a power amplifier, (ii) an encryption block configured to authorize wireless-power-receiving devices, and (iii) a processing subsystem. The processing subsystem is configured to determine, using the encryption block, that multiple wireless-power-receiving devices are authorized to receive wirelessly-delivered power at multiple distinct frequencies. And after determining that the multiple wireless-power-receiving devices are authorized to receive wirelessly-delivered power, the processing subsystem provides multiple input signals, including signals having different respective frequencies, to the power amplifiers via the interface, to be amplified such that, when the amplified signals are sent to antennas, the antennas transmit RF signals to multiple receivers at multiple frequencies. The processing subsystem, interface, and encryption block are on a single integrated circuit.

Conventional charging pads utilize inductive coils to generate a magnetic field that is used to charge a device. Users typically must place the device at a specific position on the charging pad and are unable to move the device to different positions on the pad, without interrupting or terminating the charging of the device. This results in a frustrating experience for many users as they may be unable to locate the device at the exact right position on the pad in which to start charging their device.
Conventional charging pads also utilize components that are distributed across multiple different integrated circuits. Such a configuration results in processing delays that cause these charging pads to operate slower (e.g., wireless charging and adjustments made during wireless charging takes longer) than is desired by users of such pads.

Circuit for managing multi-band operations of a wireless power transmitting device


This invention presents antigenic preparations of Leptospira species outer membrane proteins and their immunogenic fragments which are useful for inducing immune response in animals, e.g., for use as vaccines against diseases caused by leptospirosis. Also presented are methods and kits for diagnosing leptospirosis by detecting the presence of these proteins, their immunogenic fragments, antibodies to these proteins or their fragments, or polynucleotides which encode or are translatable into these proteins or their fragments. Further disclosed are methods for isolating these proteins.

Leptospirosis is an important, global human and veterinary health problem. It is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic strains of Leptospira species which are capable of infecting most mammalian species. Infection occurs either through direct contact with an infected animal or indirect contact with contaminated soil or water. In livestock, the disease causes economic losses due to abortion, stillbirth, infertility, decreased milk production, and death.
Efforts to control leptospirosis have been hampered because virulent leptospires have the capacity for both long-term survival in the environment as well as persistent infection and shedding by wildlife and livestock. Currently available leptospiral vaccines produce short-term immunity and do not provide cross-protection against many of the 170 serovars of pathogenic Leptospira species {Thiermann, et al., J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 184:722 (1984)}. These vaccines consist of inactivated whole organisms or outer envelope preparations which produce seroreactivity as determined by microscopic agglutination of intact organisms. The nature of the protective immunogens in these vaccine preparations has not been conclusively elucidated, although several lines of evidence suggest that lipopolysaccharide-like substance ("LLS") may confer a degree of protection. Commercially available vaccines, which consist of heat or formalin-killed leptospires, produce incomplete or only short-term immunity, requiring their administration annually or semiannually. In the case of L. interrogans serovar hardjo, the common bovine pathogen in North America, vaccines prepared in this way are ineffective {Bolin, C. A., et al., Am. J. Vet. Res., 50:161-165 (1989) and Bolin, C. A., et al., Am. J. Vet. Res., 50:2004-2008 (1989)}. Thus there is an important need for development of an improved leptospiral vaccine.
The pathogenesis of leptospirosis is similar to that of other spirochetal diseases, including syphilis (caused by Treponema pallidum) and Lyme borreliosis (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi). Both syphilis and Lyme borreliosis are characterized by widespread dissemination early in the course of disease, including invasion of the central nervous system. Leptospira species share this ability with other pathogenic spirochetes such that meningitis is a common manifestation of leptospirosis. Another feature of spirochetal infections is the ability to persist chronically in the host, as manifested in cases of tertiary syphilis and chronic Lyme arthritis.
Identification of outer membrane ("OM") components is essential in the development of protective immunogens for spirochetal diseases. There are at least two classes of leptospiral outer membrane proteins ("OMPs"). One class of leptospiral OMPs are the transmembrane proteins, such as the porin OmpL1 and the TonB-dependent OmpL2, that are produced in small amounts by pathogenic Leptospira species {Haake, D. A., et al., J. Bacteriol., 175:4225-4234 (1993); Haake, D. A., et al.}. Transmembrane OMPs are distinguished from other membrane proteins structurally by the fact that they contain beta-sheet membrane-spanning regions. They are also functionally unique in that they create channels for transport of nutrients across the outer membrane.
A second class of leptospiral OMPs are the lipoproteins, which are produced by Leptospira species in generous amounts. Lipoproteins are anchored to membranes by fatty acids attached to their amino-terminal cysteine. Both the outer membrane and cytoplasmic membrane contain lipoproteins, and the signal(s) by which lipoproteins are translocated to the outer membrane are not known. Therefore, in order to define a lipoprotein as an OMP, it must be shown to be a component of isolated leptospiral OM. Several Triton X-114 detergent phase lipoproteins have been identified, including LipL36 (also referred to as "LipL1") and LipL41 (also referred to as "LipL2"). LipL1 and LipL2 are described in Shang, E. S., et al., "Molecular Cloning and Sequence Analysis of the Genes Encoding Two Leptospiral Lipoproteins, LipL1 and LipL2", Abstract No. D-2, in Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, May 21-25, 1995, p. 249 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1995), this reference is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The Triton-extractable 32-kDa major outer membrane protein is probably also a lipoprotein {Zuerner, et al., Microbial Pathogenesis, 10:311-322 (1991)}. However, lacking a carefully defined technique for isolating the leptospiral OM, it was not possible to determine to what extent these lipoproteins are found in the OM, nor to identify additional components of the leptospiral OM.
Development of techniques for isolation of the OM from Leptospira species and other spirochetes has been difficult because of their unique architecture {Holt, S. C., Microbiol. Rev., 42:114-160 (1978)}. Like enteric gram-negative bacteria, spirochetes have both an outer membrane and a & cytoplasmic membrane, separated by a periplasmic space. However, spirochetal architecture differs significantly from that of gram-negative bacteria in that the peptidoglycan cell wall of spirochetes is associated with the cytoplasmic membrane rather than the outer membrane. For this reason, the spirochetal outer membrane is extremely labile and difficult to isolate from components of the underlying cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane which together constitute the protoplasmic cylinder ("PC").
A number of approaches have been used in the isolation of the leptospiral outer membrane {Auran, et al., Infect. Immun., 5:968-975 (1972); Nunes-Edwards, et al., Infect. Immun., 48:492-497(1985); Nicholson, et al., Veterinary Microbiology, 36:123-138 (1993)}. These studies did not take into account spirochetal outer membrane fragility and the lack of OM selectivity of ionic or nonionic detergents {Penn, et al., J. Gen. Microbiol., 131:2349 (1985); Stamm, et al., Infect. Immun., 55:2255 (1987); and Cunningham, et al., J. Bacteriol., 170:5789 (1988)}. Notably lacking from these reports are controls to assess contamination of the OM fraction with PC components. Recently, spirochetal OM isolation has been advanced by developments in three areas. Firstly, specific OM markers such as porins (e.g. OmpL1) have been identified, allowing assessment of efficiency of OM release. Secondly, techniques have been developed for assessing the degree of contamination with PC components. Thirdly, new techniques involving hypotonic citrate and hypertonic sucrose have been found to be of use in the isolation of the OM of Treponema species {Blanco, et al., J. Bacteriol., 176:6088-6099 (1994); Radolf, et al., Infect. Immun., 63:2154-2163 (1995)} and B. burgdorferi {Skare, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 96:2380-2392 (1995); Radolf, et al., Infect. Immun., 63:4244-4252 (1995)}. Without modification, these techniques did not facilitate isolation of the leptospiral OM.


A performance management system and method for generating a plurality of forecasts for one or more electronic devices is presented. The forecasts are generated from stored performance data and analyzed to determine which devices are likely to experience performance degradation within a predetermined period of time. A single forecast is extracted for further analysis such that computer modeling may be performed upon the performance data to enable the user to predict when device performance will begin to degrade. In one embodiment, graphical displays are created for those devices forecasted to perform at an undesirable level such that suspect devices may be subjected to further analysis.

Managing a computer system which includes a plurality of devices such as networks or servers, is of special interest to data processing or information technology personnel. Such computer systems typically include a plurality of diverse devices including memory, disks, local area network (LAN) adaptors and central processing units (CPUs) which interact in various ways to facilitate data processing applications.
As systems become larger and more complex, interactions between electronic devices become harder to define, model, and/or predict. Such systems may suffer from inefficiencies or "bottlenecks" that slow or even stop the system.
Often, the performance of a computer system or network is less than it could be because of one or more components having an inappropriate load applied thereto. Thus, it is desirable to know what changes to the system would be required in order to improve capacity of each electronic device. Further, such changes would allow the manipulation of a preset number of electronic devices instead of the system as a whole. To accomplish this, there remains a need for a system and method capable of collecting and analyzing performance data such that it may be utilized to predict future performance of individual electronic devices.

Managing the performance of an electronic device


The presently claimed invention is an apparatus and method for the detection of endotoxin via a competitive assay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting endotoxin.
2. Description of the Related Art
All gram-negative bacteria and many fungi have endotoxin as a major constituent of their cell surface. Most gram-positive bacteria have a similar, endotoxin-like molecule as a constituent of the cell surface. In general, bacterial endotoxins partially consist of a highly variable outer region and a conserved inner core. The variable outer region is composed of repeating oligosaccharide (sugar) units comprising the O-ANTIGENIC region. The OUTER CORE and the O-ANTIGEN region, found within the cell walls of various gram negative bacterial species, show species differentiation among endotoxins. Bacterial endotoxins also consist of a relatively constant, conserved inner core region. The conserved inner core consists of the KDO region and the heptose region. The lipid A moiety (also a conserved portion of the endotoxin) is the toxic region of the endotoxin found in the cell surface of gram-negative bacteria. An exemplary endotoxin is shown below: ##STR1##
Endotoxin is an extremely powerful stimulator of the immune system. The devastating effects of bacterial infections and septicemia are in large part due to endotoxin. Mortality rates, due to septicemia are high, 60% or more. The most effective treatment of endotoxin related problems is early detection in real time with high sensitivity. Additionally, endotoxin is a significant contaminant in food products and pharmaceutical products. Accurate determination of endotoxin concentration is required prior to product distribution. To satisfy the requirements of industrial production, endotoxin assays must be accurate, rapid and cost effective.
Levin and Bang observed in the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) that blood coagulation was a consequence of gram-negative bacterial infections. See Levin, J., Bang, F.B., 19 THROMBOS. DIATH. HAEMORRH., 186-197 (1968), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. When an extract of the horseshoe crab blood was prepared and tested, a gelation reaction was observed in the presence of endotoxin. Levin and Bang postulated that endotoxin mediated the gelation reaction of horseshoe crab blood. They further postulated that the gelation reaction was initiated enzymatically. The enzyme responsible for initiating the gelation reaction was identified as limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL).
The reaction mechanism for the gelation reaction in horseshoe crab blood involves the activation of a proclotting enzyme by Ca.sup.+ and endotoxin. The activated proclotting enzyme catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of coagulogen (a clottable protein of 215 amino acid residues) into polypeptide subunits. Clotting occurs following the cleavage of the 215 amino acid coagulogen protein into a soluble peptide of 45 amino acid residues and an insoluble peptide (coagulin) of approximately 170 amino acid residues. The insoluble 170 amino acid peptide, coagulin, undergoes polymerization to form a stable clot or gel. The presence of a gel or clot indicates the presence of endotoxin. The formation of a gel or clot is used in what is known as the limulus amebocyte lysate method (LAL). The LAL method and its variations are the most commonly used endotoxin detection methods.
The standard LAL tests are of two types, gelation and chromogenic. Both assays are based on the enzyme cleavage reaction of coagulogen, but, in the chromogenic assay, a color is produced during the cleavage step. Thus, the presence of the color instead of a clot or gel indicates the presence of endotoxin.
The limitations of these LAL assays include limitations of specificity, limitations of interfering substances and limitations of reproducibility. The LAL techniques require an enzymatic reaction to detect the presence of endotoxin. Hence, substances that inhibit or stimulate enzymatic cleavage of the 215 amino acid coagulogen protein will lead to false-negative or false-positive results, respectively. In samples, such as serum or blood, there are several factors known to interfere with the LAL method. For example, the LAL enzyme cascade is inhibited by antibiotics, hormones, heavy metals, amino acids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, plasma proteins, enzymes, electrolytes and B-1,3-D-glucan. See Satoshi, M., Masahiro, N., Taizo, W., Tadashi, S. and Tetsuya, T., 198 ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY 292-297 (1983), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. For example, false positive gelation can be caused by thrombin, thromboplastin, RNA, RNAase, trypsin, trypsin-like enzymes, lipotechoic acid and peptidoglycan fragments. False negative results (blocking gelation) can be caused by trypsin inhibitors, EDTA, other calcium binding reagents, high salt concentrations and semi-synthetic penicillins. See European Patent No. EP 0 265 127 A1, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
Another detection strategy is the sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This assay (ELISA) involves immobilizing an antibody specific for a conserved region of the endotoxin (e.g. the KDO region). Using ELISA, the endotoxin immobilized (i.e. captured) by a first antibody is detected by using a second antibody attached to another antigenic site of the endotoxin and a chromogenic enzyme. The sensitivity of this technique is about 1 .mu.g/ml. This test is time consuming, requiring over 4 hours.
There are several limitations of the ELISA assay used in the detection of endotoxin. Endotoxin has low affinity for ELISA plates. The lack of endotoxin affinity diminishes sensitivity. When a first antibody is immobilized onto an ELISA plate and endotoxin is bound by (i.e. captured by or immobilized by) the first antibody, there appears to be significant interference with the binding of a secondary antibody to the immobilized endotoxin, used in the detection of endotoxin. Finally, the sensitivity of ELISA assays (in the 1.mu.g/ml range) is far below that of the LAL assays (1 ng/ml for chromogenic LAL assay) and higher than clinically relevant concentrations of endotoxin of about 1 ng/ml.
Other variations of the LAL assays have been developed. These involve combining the LAL assay with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A capture antibody (i.e. a polyclonal first anti-endotoxin antibody) for the oligosaccharide region of an endotoxin is immobilized on a microtiter plate. Endotoxin is introduced over the ELISA microtiter plate. The bound endotoxin is detected by using the chromogenic LAL system. Sensitivity is in the range of 2 pg/ml in PBS and 10 pg/ml in diluted plasma. See Mertsola, J., Cope, L.D., Munford R.S., McCracken, G.H. and Hansen, E.J, Detection of Experimnental Haemophilus influenzae Type b Bacteremia and Endotoxemia by Means of an Immunolimulus Assay, 164 THE JOURNAL OF INFECTUOUS DISEASES 353-358 (1991), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. See Mertsola et al., Specific Detection of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Lipooligosaccharide by Immunoassay, 28 (12) JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY pp. 2700-2706 (December 1990), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. The combination ELISA/LAL assay requires at least 12-24 hours to complete.
In the combination ELISA/LAL assay systems, the limitations are cumulative. The endotoxin is first bound to an ELISA microtiter plate via a reaction with an antibody or other capture molecule and the endotoxin is then detected using the chromogenic LAL assay. The substances that interfere with the LAL assay also interfere with the combination ELISA/LAL assay. In addition, the LAL reaction portion of the assay requires a minimum of 40 minutes to 2 hours to perform and requires that serum be removed prior to the addition of the enzyme because serum components may inhibit the enzyme activity. the LAL assay does not reliably quantitate the amount of endotoxin present. Detection of endotoxin in serum is five times (5x) less sensitive than detection of endotoxin in buffer.
An antibody-based test reported to have higher sensitivity than ELISA is the latex immunoassay technique. In this assay, latex beads are coated with a monoclonal antibody (Ab1) specific for the O-9 determinant of endotoxin. The beads are then incubated with a solution containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS; synonym for endotoxin). A magnetic bead coated with another monoclonal antibody (Ab2) specific for a different antigenic site of an endotoxin is added to the LPS solution surrounding the latex beads coated with Ab1. In the presence of LPS, the magnetic beads (coated with Ab2) complex with the latex beads (coated with Abl), via the LPS, and the latex beads are sedimented by the use of a magnet. The quantitation of LPS is based on the turbidity of the solution remaining after sedimentation of the magnetic beads (i.e. measuring the latex beads still remaining in solution after sedimentation). The sensitivity varies based on incubation time from 5-30 minutes. Sensitivities of 0.9-25 ng/ml were reported. A serious disadvantage of this assay is that it is inhibited by serum and by high concentrations of endotoxin. See Lim, P., 135 JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGICAL METHODS 257-261 (1990), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,598 (Pollack et al.) discloses the use of monoclonal antibodies for the immunological detection of endotoxin or endotoxin bearing organisms. See Pollack et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,598), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes. Pollack et al. states, at column 18, lines 24-28, that detection of endotoxin can be carried out in hours compared with detection of endotoxin based on standard microbiological or cultural methods in days. Clearly, a detection method that works in a time shorter than hours would be advantageous.
The oldest and best known test for endotoxin is the rabbit pyrogen test. This assay has a low sensitivity, is expensive and is plagued with reproducibility problems since different rabbits have different sensitivities to endotoxin challenge. Additionally, animal tests are very time consuming and, therefore, of limited application in a clinical setting.
The immunoassays for endotoxin previously described are all sandwich immunoassays which include the binding of two proteins to the endotoxin molecule. In general, sandwich assays are the preferred approach for the detection of large molecule, whereas competition assays are used for the detection of small molecules with only a single protein binding site. Another sandwich assay for endotoxin, reported by Connelly, uses lipopolysaccharide binding proteins of amebocyte lysates and labelled detection reagents. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,567, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. The general scheme used by Connelly involves holding lipopolysaccharide binding proteins from one or more various organisms (See Col. 4, lines 62-68, U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,567 of Connelly) within the wells of microtiter plates for about 2 hours followed by washing in PBS (phosphate buffered saline), followed by holding BSA (bovine serum albumin) within the same microtiter plate wells for about 1 hour, followed by introduction of an endotoxin containing sample (or sample suspected of containing endotoxin) and holding the sample for about 30 minutes to about 1 hour within the same wells, followed by introduction of a horseradish peroxidase conjugated to an LPS antibody via the heterobifunctional linking agent N-succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomehtyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) and holding the LPS antibody-peroxidase conjugate within the same wells for for about 30-60 minutes, followed by washing in PBS and introducing a chromogenic substrate, tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into the same wells and holding for about another 10-15 minutes before taking an optical density measurment at 630 nm. See Connelly at Examples 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Id.
In all of the Connelly examples, the pH is maintained at 9.0 or less and the time to reading the optical density (OD) from the time when the sample containing LPS (or suspected of containing LPS) is first intrtoduced into the microtiter plate wells is between about 1 1/6 hours (1 hour, 10 min.--simultaneous or staggered addition of example 5 of Connelly at Col 12, lines 15-35) to about 3 1/6 hours (3 hours, 10 min.--sequential addition of example 4 of Connelly at Cols. 10 and 11).
European Patent (EP 0 265 127) of Harvey and Wilson describes a method and apparatus for the detection of endotoxin using either polymyxin, an octapeptin, or other similar cyclic peptides. An assay is carried out wherein the amount of a polymyxin-endotoxin conjugate (hereinafter, polymyxin B-LPS conjugate) formed is quantitated. The amount of the polymyxin B-LPS conjugate formed is quantitated by attaching a label to either the polymyxin B or to the endotoxin. The labelled polymyxin B-LPS conjugate is then measured. At page 7, lines 27-31 of EP 0 265 127 it is stated that:
In one form of the assay, the analyte which contains LPS and a standard, labelled, LPS preparation compete for a limited amount of immobilized polymyxin B, and the amount of label bound to the polymyxin B is then quantitated. (Emphasis added.) From the above quoted language, it appears at first glance that the analyte (containing LPS or suspected of containing LPS) and the standard, labelled, LPS preparation are simultaneously placed in proximity to the immobilized polymyxin B wherein the analyte LPS and the standard, labelled LPS compete for binding to the polymyxin B. However, upon closer examination of Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4 of EP 0 265 127, it appears that the analyte LPS and the standard, labelled, LPS preparation are not added simultaneously. Instead, the analyte LPS and the standard, labelled, LPS preparation are added consecutively in proximity to the exemplary immobilized polymyxin B. The requirement that the sample and labelled reagent be added sequentially causes the assay to be inherently slower than an assay involving simultaneous addition of analyte and labelled endotoxin. Examples 1-4 describe slow, multistep reactions. PA1 (1) binding capacity of immobilized polymyxin B for LPS is determined by using isotopically labelled LPS (.sup.14 C LPS); PA1 (2) incubating test analyte solution (containing LPS or suspected of containing LPS) with immobilized polymyxin B; PA1 (3) adding a known quantity of isotopically labelled LPS (.sup.14 C LPS) to the mixture of step (2); PA1 (4) measuring the amount of isotopically labelled LPS in solution; PA1 (5) subtracting the amount of isotopically labelled LPS in solution (i.e. unbound isotopically labelled LPS) from the total amount of .sup.14 C LPS introduced in step (3) to determine the amound of .sup.14 C LPS bound to the immobilized polymyxin B; and PA1 (6) subtracting the amount of .sup.14 C LPS bound to the immobilized polymyxin B determined in step (5) from the binding capacity of the immobilized polymyxin B in step (1) to determine the amount of analyte LPS present. The net result of step (6) indicates the amount of analyte LPS present and bound to the immobilized polymyxin B. PA1 (1) incubating analyte LPS samples with a known quantity of polymyxin B alkaline phospatase conjugate in sufficient excess to promote binding between all the analyte LPS and the polymyxin B-alkaline phosphatase conjugate; PA1 (2) incubating the mixture of step (2) with an immobilized, standard LPS preparation to bind the unbound excess of the polymyxin B alkaline phosphatase conjugate from step (1); PA1 (3) rinsing the preparation of step (2); PA1 (4) measuring the amount of the excess polymyxin B-alkaline phosphatase conjugate of step (1) now bound to the immobilized, standard LPS preparation of step (2); and PA1 (5) subtracting the amount of excess polymyxin B alkaline phosphatase determined in step (4) from the total polymyxin B alkaline phosphatase conjugate used in step (1) to determine the amount of analyte LPS present. An assay time of 1 hour plus the time necessary for scintillation counting was required. Sensitivity was 10 .mu.g/ml. The statement was made that increasing the specific activity of the .sup.14 C-LPS would increase sensitivity of the assay. However, increasing specific activity also increases bacground so that the gain from such an improvement in the labelled reagent is rarely greater than a factor of 10. In addition, radiolabels may be hazardous to an inexperienced user and involve undesirable problems of disposal as hazardous waste. PA1 (1) incubating a limited excess amount of immobilized polymyxin B with analyte LPS to bind all analyte LPS; PA1 (2) incubating an excess of standard, LPS-alkaline phosphatase conjugate with the mixture of step (1) and removing excess standard LPs-alkaline phosphatase by rinsing; PA1 (3) measuring the amount of standard LPS-alkaline phosphatase conjugate bound in step (2) to the immobilized polymyxin B; and PA1 (4) subtracting the amount of the immobilized LPS-alkaline phosphatase conjugate bound in step (2) from the total amount of immobilized polymyxin B to determine the amount of analyte LPS bound in step (1). It is difficult to imagine how Example 3 is characterized as a "displacement ELISA" (see p. 10, line 21) since it is stated at p. 8, line 25 that LPS can block the binding of .sup.14 C LPS to polymyxin B/S4B. See EP 0 265 127. PA1 (1) immobilizing analyte LPS and rinsing; PA1 (2) binding polymyxin B-alkaline phosphatase conjugate to immobilized analyte LPS of step (1); and PA1 (3) measuring the amount of labelled polymyxin B attached to the immobilized analyte LPS of step (1) to determine the amount of analyte LPS present in an analyte sample. PA1 Examples 2-4 provide neither data nor experimental details. ELISA assays are generally less sensitive than radioimmunoassays using the same reagents and same general approach. Thus, the approaches described in examples 2-4 would not be expected to produce sensitivity greater than about 10 .mu.g/ml. The use of enzymes as labels also involve problems of interferents from the sample matrix, increasing background response over time during the assay, and increasing instability of the enzyme label during storage. PA1 (1) washing steps are required in Examples 2, 3, and 4; PA1 (2) lengthy incubation steps are required in Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, so that all assays require more than 1 hour to perform; PA1 (3) a radioactive label is used in example 1; PA1 (4) enzyme labelled LPS or enzyme labelled polymyxin B is used in Examples 2, 3, and 4; and PA1 (5) analyte samples used are extracts from, for example, body fluids (see p. 7, line 33 of EP 0 265 127). (6) no evidence of sensitivity or potential sensitivity greater than .mu.g/ml is provided.
Example 1 of EP 0 265 127 describes a process wherein the following steps are executed:
Example 2 of EP 0 265 127 describes a process wherein the following steps are executed:
Example 3 of EP 0 265 127 describes a process wherein the following steps are executed:
Example 4 of EP 0 265 127 describes a process wherein the following steps are executed:
In all of the assay formats described, European Patent (EP 0 265 127) has several drawbacks:
Thus, there remains a need for an endotoxin assay with high sensitivity to concentrations as low as about 1 ng/ml which can be used in non-homogeneous samples such as serum or saliva, which has no requirement for enzymes or radiolabels, which requires very little manipulation by the operator, which is rapid, which can be used with intact cells, cell fragments or solubilized cells, which can be used on a wide variety of clinical and environmental samples, which requires minimal or no sample preparation, which can be used in a wide variety of environments, structural forms and conditions, which can be used rapidly (between about 15 seconds to about 10 minutes) to test for the presence of endotoxin and which can be adapted to determine the specific type of endotoxin detected.


An electrical circuit for determining a capacitance is described. The electrical circuit includes a first device, a rectifying circuit and a feedback circuit. The first device has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first device has a first unknown capacitance and the first terminal may be configured to receive a time-varying voltage signal. The rectifying circuit has an input terminal, an output terminal and a feedback terminal. The input terminal may be coupled to the second terminal and the output terminal may be configured for coupling to an output electrical circuit. The feedback circuit may selectively couple the output terminal to the input terminal using the feedback terminal such that the output terminal and the input terminal are substantially at a common voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to a capacitance-measurement circuit.
2. Related Art
Accurate capacitance models are often useful in the design of high-performance integrated circuits. The delay of logic circuits, bandwidth of analog circuits, and power of cross-chip communication usually depend on wire and device capacitance. In addition, for Proximity Communication using capacitive coupling, chip-to-chip wire capacitance may carry signals between chips. Capacitance models may be designed using a combination of physical equations, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional field simulations, and/or measured capacitances. Typically, physical equations and measured capacitances may only be available for a limited set of capacitance geometries. Other geometries are often addressed using field simulations. Field simulations may be calibrated using the physical equations and measured capacitances. Precise capacitance measurements may enable improvements in the field simulation parameters and, thus, may provide more accurate capacitance models for high-performance circuit design.
Unfortunately, existing capacitance-measurement techniques often suffer from limited sensitivity. This limitation may be problematic in measuring the capacitances of wires in integrated circuits, which may be extremely small due to submicron dimensions of modern integrated circuit processes. For example, in a 90-nanometer technology a wire may be only 150 nanometers wide and may have a capacitance smaller than a femtoFarad (fF). In order to measure to two significant digits, an accurate measurement technique would, therefore, have an attoFarad (aF) resolution, which may exceed the capability of existing capacitance-measurement techniques.
What is needed, therefore, is a capacitance-measurement circuit offering improved resolution to overcome the problems listed above.


The disclosure describes a moving receiver station capable of receiving broadcast entertainment signals from a first geostationary satellite associated with a first program provider, or from a second geostationary satellite associated with a second program provider. The receiver station is part of an aircraft and includes a tracking antenna and switching and control system that locks the tracking antenna on either the first or second satellite. The switching and control system receives position information, program attribute information and satellite coverage area information to determine when the aircraft is leaving one coverage area and entering another. The switching and control system switches the antenna to the second satellite when the aircraft enters the second coverage area, and limits the availability of received programming based on whether the aircraft is leaving the first coverage area or entering the second coverage area.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to in-flight aircraft entertainment systems. More particularly it relates to a receiver station capable of receiving broadcast entertainment signals on-board an aircraft during flight, wherein the broadcast signals originate from a plurality of different program providers.
(b) Description of Related Art
Communications satellites generally orbit the earth at the same relative rate of speed as the earth's rotation. Satellites in such an orbit are referred to as geo-stationary. They appear to remain substantially fixed in relation to a specific point on earth, such as a ground-based satellite antenna/dish, thus enabling satellites to relay uninterrupted signals from one point on the earth's surface to another.
Although analog television communication satellites have been used for many years to relay television signals between remote locations, it was only recently that commercially viable direct-to-home broadcast satellite systems were developed for direct delivery of satellite broadcast television programming to viewers in their homes. One such direct-to-home satellite television broadcast system is the DSS.RTM. digital satellite television system utilized by the DIRECTV.RTM. broadcast service. At a satellite uplink facility, television programming signals are digitized, packetized, multiplexed with other digital signals, compressed (if required), mated with error correction codes, modulated on a carrier and uplinked to a geostationary satellite. The satellite receives the uplinked digital bitstream and rebroadcasts it over a footprint that preferably covers at least the continental United States. Receiver stations, which are typically ground-based, receive the digital bitstream of data packets from the satellite. The receiver stations include an antenna, which preferably is in the form of an 18-inch satellite dish. The antenna feeds the received digital bitstream to an integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) unit that recovers the transmitted bitstream and converts the television programming content of the bitstream to television programming signals capable of being displayed on a conventional NTSC television display device.
Aircrafts typically include some form of electronic distribution system for controlling and coordinating the distribution throughout the aircraft of electronic communications such as seat lighting commands, attendant call commands, audio announcements, and audio/video entertainment signals. In many recently developed systems, data communications such as video game software or menus of the available aircraft services may also be distributed.
A typical aircraft communication system includes a headend area, a signal distribution network, and a plurality of peripheral stations consisting primarily of passenger seat stations or terminals. In general, the headend is located at the front of the aircraft cabin, and provides, inter alia, a central location for the assembly of the entertainment related signals/services that are transmitted to passenger terminals via the aircraft's signal distribution system. If the communication signals relate to entertainment services, the aircraft communication system is often referred to as an in-flight entertainment (IFE) system.
A typical headend of an IFE system includes sources for video and related audio, audio unrelated to the video, and entertainment data such as game software and/or menu data. The audio source can include audio tape players (digital and analog), compact disk (CD) players, and other similar devices. The video source can include conventional video tape players (digital and analog), conventional video disk players, and other similar devices.
The data source can be a conventional hard or floppy disk storage medium and a conventional computer. The assignee of the present invention has developed an inflight entertainment system that incorporates a satellite signal receiver station. The in-flight receiver station receives television signals broadcast from a satellite, and the aircraft's signal distribution system distributes the received television programming to passengers. Various aspects of the above-referenced system are disclosed in several co-pending U.S. patent applications, including application Ser. No. 08/667,222, filed Jun. 19, 1996, entitled "Airborne Satellite Television System"; application Ser. No. 08/667,225, filed Jun. 19, 1996, entitled "Distribution Of A Large Number Of Live Television Programs To Individual Passengers In An Aircraft"; and application Ser. No.08/667,224, filed Jun. 19, 1996, entitled "Distribution Of Satellite Television Programs To Passengers In An Aircraft When It Is Out Of Range Of The Satellites". The entire disclosures of above-referenced co-pending patent applications are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
Although the above-referenced patent applications describe advantageous systems, they are not designed for or intended to address the situation where there are several potential sources of broadcast signals in a given geographic area, or where the aircraft moves from the coverage area of one signal transmitter to the coverage area of a second different signal transmitter. Accordingly, there is a need for an in-flight aircraft entertainment system having a receiver station capable of receiving entertainment signals broadcast from several different program providers.

Method and apparatus for receiving broadcast entertainment transmissions at a moving receiver station


A method, system and computer program product are provided for providing alternative text for use in association with image data specified by a uniform resource identifier (URI). The method includes identifying a URI specifying image data, processing the URI to identify data representing alternative text encoded within the URI, and extracting any identified alternative text data for use in association with the image data.

Graphical user interfaces for devices are commonly used to display images. Such images may represent interface icons or pictures. In order to provide fuller accessibility for the interface, alternative text may be provided for display in conjunction with an associated image or instead of the image. Such alternative text is commonly referred to as alt-text. Generally, such alternative text is arranged to provide a description of the associated image and thus provides an alternative means for communicating the image based content and options of the interface to a user.
A number of methods are used for providing the alternative text for an associated image. For example, the alternative text for an image in a hypertext mark-up language (HTML) web page is commonly specified in an "alt" field within the HTML specification of the image.
One problem is that alternative text is coded at the point of use of the image. This is a time consuming process. If the alternative text is associated with a given image file, the image file, or a reference to it, may be passed around a given program or between programs and thus may become separated from any associated alternative text.

Provision of alternative text for use in association with image data

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An absorbent article in the form of pants includes: an absorbent core having two longitudinal edges and two transverse edges, and a pant part. The pant part includes a covering layer, a front section, a back section and an intermediate crotch section, wherein the front and back sections are connected to one another along two opposing longitudinal lateral edges to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. The absorbent core is arranged at least in the crotch section and connected to the covering layer on the side of the covering layer that is intended to face the wearer. The pant part includes at least one low-opacity area, which has an opacity that is lower than 50%. The article also includes a liquid-tight coloured barrier layer placed between said absorbent core and covering layer.

It is important that wearers of nappy pants, sanitary pants and/or incontinence pants feel that the article they wear is discreet in such a way that people in the wearer's vicinity do not see that he or she is using the absorbent protection. By using thinner and more flexible material for the pant material, it has been possible to increase the fit, flexibility and comfort of the article. In line with the fact that the pant material is thinner, its opacity will be less and the wearer's skin can thereby be seen through the pant material.
To meet the wearer's need for comfort but with retained security, the absorbent core that forms part of the article has been designed for a predetermined absorption requirement and placed mainly in the crotch area, in the area which is intended to receive the fluid that leaves the wearer's body.
By restricting the absorption part to the crotch area, the article will thus be experienced as less baggy.
A disadvantage when using an article in the form of pants, the pant material of which includes a thin material with low opacity in combination with an absorbent core and a barrier layer that only constitutes a part of the pants, is that the absorbent core and/or barrier layer appear very clearly through the pant material. The article is experienced as less discreet and of a nappy-like appearance due to the fact that the absorbent core and/or barrier layer are visible through the pants and not as the discreet underwear-like product that many wearers demand.
When wearing an article in the form of pants, the pant material of which includes a thin material with low opacity in combination with an absorbent core and a barrier layer that only constitutes a part of the pants, is that the absorbent core and/or barrier layer appear more or less clearly depending on the colour of the wearer's skin. The darker the skin tone, the more clearly the absorbent core and/or barrier layer, which seen traditionally is beige or white in colour, appear through the pant material of the article.
The prior art in the field is JP 200750145, which describes pants for use with light incontinence, the liquid-proof backing layer that forms a part of which is coloured or coated with the same colour as the outer layer, in order that the thickness of the absorption body shall be more discreet or similar to skin colour.
Document JP2007312927 describes nappy pants that include an inner layer consisting of at least one inelastic nonwoven layer and a beige outer layer consisting of an elastic nonwoven layer consisting of polyurethane elastomer.
It was previously known to design an article in the form of pants with a graphic pattern and colour in order to resemble conventional textile briefs as closely as possible. To meet this requirement, the pants have been designed with a typically conventional pattern in colour, for example longitudinal stripes in grey, blue or brown to resemble men's briefs, or a more feminine pattern, such as flowers, butterflies and/or colours that are regarded as being more associated with women.
A need thus remains to improve the discreetness of articles in the form of nappy pants.

Absorbent article in the form of pants, such as nappy pants, sanitary pants or incontinence pants


The present invention is a system and method for organizing and managing corporate capitalization and securities. A database tracks the complete capitalization, not just the administration of options. For a privately-held company, if the holder of a derivative security, such as a warrant, decides to exercise that derivative security, then the system will issue the holder shares of stock related to that security. The company can access and update the data in the database via a web connection. The data can also be used to perform analyses and determine the effect on the capitalization structure of future actions.

Corporate securities administration traditionally deals exclusively with tracking the allocation, granting, exercising, redemption, conversion, and termination of securities by a company. Using a computer and a variety of software solutions, a securities administrator can track all corporate securities authorized and issued. The owner, value, and status of the security can be tracked as well. Typically, a company wishing to authorize, issue, transfer or record securities uses: 1) a securities law firm to advise, prepare, and draft the necessary documents and assure regulatory compliance, 2) an accounting firm to assess and record the impact of the securities distribution on the corporate balance sheet and tax statements, 3) an outside service provider or transfer agent to actually issue stock certificates to the recipients, and 4) a brokerage firm to facilitate the sale of publicly traded securities. This conventional process is cumbersome and error-prone. Synchronizing, communicating, and validating the work done by in-house company staff and outside firms is very difficult, even for the simplest securities transaction. In typical situations, last minute changes to the securities transaction are common. Sometimes, the securities transaction may not be properly validated against the company's capitalization structure. The problem can be worse in privately-held companies, which commonly do not have qualified resources to properly administer their securities transactions. For example, the securities administrator could be instructed by a company executive to grant a number of stock options which could exceed what was authorized by the company's capitalization structure.
What is needed is a system and method to administer a company's securities administrator functions within the context of the company's capitalization structure.

System and method to organize and manage corporate capitalization and securities


Disclosed are methods of predicting the development of medically refractory ulcerative colitis (MR-UC) in a patient In one embodiment, disclosed is a method of prognosing ulcerative colitis in an individual by determining the presence or absence of one or more risk variants, where the presence of one or more risk variants is indicative of a severe and/or aggressive form of ulcerative colitis. In another embodiment, the severe form of ulcerative colitis is indicative of MR-UC.

All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the two common forms of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Each has a peak age of onset in the second to fourth decades of life and prevalences in European ancestry populations that average approximately 100-150 per 100,000 (D. K. Podolsky, N Engl J Med 347, 417 (2002); E. V. Loftus, Jr., Gastroenterology 126, 1504 (2004)). Although the precise etiology of IBD remains to be elucidated, a widely accepted hypothesis is that ubiquitous, commensal intestinal bacteria trigger an inappropriate, overactive, and ongoing mucosal immune response that mediates intestinal tissue damage in genetically susceptible individuals (D. K. Podolsky, N Engl J Med 347, 417 (2002)). Genetic factors play an important role in IBD pathogenesis, as evidenced by the increased rates of IBD in Ashkenazi Jews, familial aggregation of IBD, and increased concordance for IBD in monozygotic compared to dizygotic twin pairs (S. Vermeire, P. Rutgeerts, Genes Immun 6, 637 (2005)). Moreover, genetic analyses have linked IBD to specific genetic variants, especially CARD15 variants on chromosome 16q12 and the IBDS haplotype (spanning the organic cation transporters, SLC22A4 and SLC22A5, and other genes) on chromosome 5q31 (S. Vermeire, P. Rutgeerts, Genes Immun 6, 637 (2005); J. P. Hugot et al., Nature 411, 599 (2001); Y. Ogura et al., Nature 411, 603 (2001); J. D. Rioux et al., Nat Genet 29, 223 (2001); V. D. Peltekova et al., Nat Genet 36, 471 (2004)). CD and UC are thought to be related disorders that share some genetic susceptibility loci but differ at others.
Thus, there is a need in the art to identify genes, allelic variants and/or haplotypes that may assist in explaining the genetic risk, prognosing, diagnosing and/or predicting susceptibility for or protection against inflammatory bowel disease, and specifically, for using such genes, allelic variants and/or haplotypes to identify those at risk for medically refractive ulcerative colitis (MR-UC) requiring colectomy.

Methods of predicting medically refractive ulcerative colitis (MR-UC) requiring colectomy


Provided is crystalline ziprasidone HCl and processes for preparation thereof.

Ziprasidone is an antipsychotic agent that is chemically unrelated to phenothiazine or butyrophenone antipsychotic agents. Ziprasidone has the following structure:

The preparation of ziprasidone base is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,031 (example 16). Preparation of ziprasidone base is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,925. A process for preparation of ziprasidone HCl monohydrate having a mean particle size equal to or less than about 85 microns is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,366 and EP 0 965 343 A2.
Ziprasidone has been marketed under the name GEODON as an oral capsule and as an injectable drug. GEODON capsules contain the monohydrate hydrochloride salt of ziprasidone, and come in 20, 40, 60 and 80 mg dosage forms. GEODON for injection contains a lyophilized form of ziprasidone mesylate trihydrate, and contains 20 mg base equivalent of ziprasidone. The mesylate salts of ziprasidone, including monohydrate and trihydrate, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,110,918 and 5,245,765.
The present invention relates to the solid state physical properties of ziprasidone HCl. These properties can be influenced by controlling the conditions under which ziprasidone HCl is obtained in solid form. Solid state physical properties include, for example, the flowability of the milled solid. Flowability affects the ease with which the material is handled during processing into a pharmaceutical product. When particles of the powdered compound do not flow past each other easily, a formulation specialist must take that fact into account in developing a tablet or capsule formulation, which may necessitate the use of glidants such as colloidal silicon dioxide, talc, starch or tribasic calcium phosphate.
Another important solid state property of a pharmaceutical compound is its rate of dissolution in aqueous fluid. The rate of dissolution of an active ingredient in a patient's stomach fluid can have therapeutic consequences since it imposes an upper limit on the rate at which an orally-administered active ingredient can reach the patient's bloodstream. The rate of dissolution is also a consideration in formulating syrups, elixirs and other liquid medicaments. The solid state form of a compound may also affect its behavior on compaction and its storage stability.
Ziprasidone HCl has very low solubility in water (0.08 mg/ml). Increase in specific surface area (SSA) of low aqueous solubility materials may improve therapeutic activity (J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 26 (14 Aug. 1993) B181-B187). The surface area of a solid material provides information about the void spaces on the surfaces of individual particles or aggregates of particles (E L Parrott, in Pharmaceutical Technology: Fundamental Pharmaceutics, Burgess, Minneapolis, Minn., 1970, pp 1-36). Factors such as chemical activity, adsorption, dissolution, and bioavailability of the drug may depend on the surface of the solid (E L Parrott, in Pharmaceutical Technology: Fundamental Pharmaceutics, Burgess, Minneapolis, Minn., 1970, pp 1-36, E L Parrott, Pharm. Manuf., 2, 30-37 (1985)). The adsorption of inert gases onto solid materials represents the most widely used method for the determination of SSA, although other methods are available (S L Lowell and J E Shields, Powder Surface Area and Porosity, Chapman and Hall New York, 1984). The BET method (S. Brunauer, P H Emmett and E Teller, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 60, 309 (1938)) is generally used for gas adsorption surface area measurement.
These practical physical characteristics are influenced by the conformation and orientation of molecules in the unit cell, which defines a particular polymorphic form of a substance. These conformational and orientational factors in turn result in particular intramolecular interactions and intermolecular interactions with adjacent molecules that influence the macroscopic properties of the bulk compound. A particular polymorphic form may give rise to distinct spectroscopic properties that may be detectable by powder X-ray diffraction, solid state 13C NMR spectrometry and infrared spectrometry. The polymorphic form may also give rise to thermal behavior different from that of the amorphous material or another polymorphic form. Thermal behavior is measured in the laboratory by such techniques as capillary melting point, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and can be used to distinguish some polymorphic forms from others.
Ziprasidone HCl hemihydrate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,031, Example 16 (column 13, line 13). A crystalline form of ziprasidone HCl (herein designated Form M) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,925 and EP 0 586 181 A1. Form M is characterized by XRD, IR and water content. It is reported that the water content of Form M ranges from 3.8 to 4.5% by weight, and that it is a monohydrate. Ziprasidone HCl Form M is prepared from ziprasidone base anhydrous.
The discovery of new polymorphic forms of a pharmaceutically useful compound provides a new opportunity to improve the performance characteristics of a pharmaceutical product. It enlarges the repertoire of materials that a formulation scientist has available for designing, for example, a pharmaceutical dosage form of a drug with a targeted release profile or other desired characteristic. There is a need in the art for additional polymorphic forms of ziprasidone HCl.

Crystalline ziprasidone HCl and processes for preparation thereof


A steam generator for domestic and industrial use, of the type which has a boiler (5) provided with a resistance heater element (17) and a steam and energy take-off unit (10) for supplying steam and electrical power to an external user item, such as a smoothing iron. At least a first solenoid valve (7) and a second solenoid valve (8) are connected between the boiler (5) and the take-off unit (10) to give rise to at least three separate levels of output steam rate. An electronic controller is coupled to the resistance heater element (17), steam and electrical power take-off unit (10), the power source and the solenoid valves (7,8) for automatically and proportionally exchanging electrical power applied to the resistance heater element (17) with electrical power applied to the external user item, thereby effectively exchanging the amount of steam available for use by, and the electrical power applied to, the external user item.

1. Field of the Invention
This industrial invention relates to a steam generator for domestic and industrial use. More particularly, the present invention provides a steam generator which enables the user to obtain maximum steam efficiency and minimum wastage of electrical energy.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Steam generator which can be used for distributing steam to a plurality of appliances, non-limiting examples of which are a smoothing iron, general cleaning appliances, saunas, humidifiers, etc., are well-known, examples being devices such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,576,568; 4,480,173; and 4,878,458; and Italian Patent Application No. 2927/A87 which matured into Italian Patent No. 1,218,483 on Apr. 19, 1990. Italian Patent No. 1,218,483 is incorporated herein by reference. Such steam generators have given excellent industrial results but require the availability of an electrical system able to sustain sudden absorbed current increases to an extent not always possible in the case of normal users. These absorbed current increases are due to the fact that when the generator is used for feeding steam to appliances which themselves absorb electrical energy, such as a smoothing iron, switching on the appliance results in a current increase and, as stated, implies the need for a large installed power availability. A further limitation is that in order to ensure that the electromechanical pressure switch retains its reliability with time, it is not possible for constructional reasons to reduce the operating pressure hysteresis to a minimum. Finally, prior art steam generators for home or light industrial use have only two levels of steam output; full on or completely closed off. No selection in the amount of steam can be easily made by the user.

Electrically heated steam generator with a proportionally controlled steam and power take-off for supplying steam and electric power to an external user


To provide a valve element unit and a gate valve apparatus which realize a reduction in manufacturing cost by a compact and simple structure and smooth rotary driving of the valve element without greatly moving the valve element in the direction of the center of rotation when the valve element is rotary driven.

Generally, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, various kinds of processes such as, for example, dry etching, sputtering, and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) are repeatedly applied to a semiconductor wafer. Many of the above various processes are performed under a vacuum atmosphere, and load openings through which the wafer is loaded/unloaded into/from process chambers for these kinds of processes are sealed by gate valve apparatuses in a highly airtight state during the processes.
A gate valve apparatus of this type is, for example, mounted on a load opening which is formed on a sidewall of an evacuatable process chamber and has a narrow width large enough to allow the passage of the wafer. During the process, the process is performed in a state where the load opening is airtightly closed by a valve element, which is provided with an O-ring or the like, of the gate valve apparatus.
Here, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a conventional gate valve apparatus 100 has a casing 102, a valve element 104 drivably provided in the casing 102, and a valve element driving unit 106 which rotary drives the valve element 104 and thereafter presses the valve element 104 toward a valve seat. Further, in the casing 102, formed are a first opening 108 through which the casing 102 communicates with an adjacent process chamber (not shown) and a second opening 110 through which the maintenance of a later-described sealing member 112 provided in the valve element 104 is performed. The valve element 104 is capable of closing the first opening 108 or the second opening 110 when rotary driven and pressed toward the valve seat by the valve element driving unit 106. On a front surface of the valve element 104, there are provided the sealing member 112 for airtightly sealing the first opening 108 when the valve element 104 closes the first opening 108 and a sealing member 114 for airtightly sealing the second opening 110 when the valve element 104 closes the second opening 110.
The above-described structure has a problem, as shown in FIG. 17, that portions, of the valve element 104, close to its longitudinal both ends come into contact with sidewalls of the casing 102 (see a portion S shown in FIG. 17) when the valve element 104 closes the first opening 108 after the valve element 104 closes the second opening 110 during the maintenance of the sealing member 112 and then the maintenance is finished, which necessitates increasing the size of the casing or greatly moving the valve element 104 in a direction of the center of rotation before rotary driving the valve element 104. Greatly moving the valve element 104 in the direction of the center of rotation results in a decrease in a rotary drive radius r of the valve element 104, which can solve the problem of the contact (interference) of part of the valve element 104 with the sidewall of the casing 102.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-60374

Valve element unit and gate valve apparatus

Abstract: When a valve element unit 52 is rotary driven by valve element driving mechanisms 54, a rotary drive radius R2 of longitudinal both end sides of a first valve element 56 is smaller than a rotary drive radius R1 of a longitudinal center side of the first valve element 56. Therefore, even when a sidewall is formed on a longitudinal outer side of a transfer port 46 of a casing 44, part of the valve element unit 52 does not come into contact (interfere) with the sidewall, which makes it possible to rotary drive the valve element unit 52 only by slightly moving the valve element unit 52 in a direction of the center of rotation, without greatly moving the valve element unit 52 in the direction of the center of rotation at the time of the rotary driving.


A method of and an apparatus for storing heat energy in a body of graphite at an elevated temperature are disclosed. The method comprises heating an inner region of a body of graphite when it is required to store the heat energy and recovering the heat by way of a heat exchanger, when the energy is required to be used. The apparatus is suitable for the storage of renewable energy and electric energy obtainable from off peak periods of supply.

Heat energy is a form of energy that can be utilised for a wide variety of purposes. Many processes depend for their operation on the availability of heat energy. However, the ease at which heat energy can be utilised is dependent on the temperature (or "level") at which it is available. Devices such as heat pumps designed to "move" or "upgrade" heat from low temperature levels to higher temperature levels are well known to the applicant. However, they are of limited application. In addition, no heat pumps are available for pumping heat at elevated temperatures.
One of the inherent disadvantages of heat energy is that, because of its tendency to be transferred to bodies having a lower temperature, it cannot be stored easily for extended periods of time. This applies in particular to heat at a high temperature. Thus, the higher the temperature at which heat is to be stored, the greater its tendency to be lost due to transfer to lower temperature bodies.
This disadvantage can be substantially overcome or ameliorated by inhibiting the ease at which heat can be lost from a reservoir or body in which it is stored.
Heat transfer can take place by way of conduction, convection or radiation. It is well known that heat loss through conduction can be counteracted by the use of thermal insulation materials, that heat loss from a container through convection can be counteracted by applying a vacuum in a space provided between the container and an enclosure around the container (such as in a vacuum flask), and that heat loss through radiation can be counteracted by the use of materials having surfaces of which the emissivity is low.
Compared to heat energy, electrical energy is not suitable for storage at a large scale. Currently available technologies for storing electrical energy in the form of chemical energy, such as batteries, are very limited in size and have a limited life span. Other technologies such as flywheels, supercapacitors and fuel cells are also only being developed on a small scale. All are characterised by much lower energy densities than a heat storage system and a much higher cost.
A problem faced by large scale commercial producers of electricity is the need to install generating capacity substantially in excess of the average demand, because electricity generating plant must have sufficient capacity to meet peaks of demand. In Australia, for instance, there are typically two peaks per day, one occurring in the mornings and the other in the evenings. In normal times, the differences between peak and off-peak vary between about 125% of average demand and about 75% of average demand respectively. Thus, in NSW, Australia, for example, if the daily average consumption of electricity is around 7500 MW, the normal variation is from about 6000 MW off peak to about 12000 MW at peak. The magnitude of the peaks is usually related to weather conditions. Thus, very hot and very cold weather cause high consumption of electricity. In some other countries, particularly in the northern hemisphere, the variations between peak and off peak are much greater.
World-wide, the variations between peak and average in a particular country or region depend on a range of factors such as the extent to which households in the country or region are connected to electricity, the per capita electricity consumption in the country or region, the cost of electricity, the relative proportions of electricity consumed by industry, mining, agriculture and private households, etc. To discourage the use of electricity during peak periods and to encourage consumption during off-peak periods, utilities often charge a premium for electricity supplied during peak periods. Additionally or as an alternative, a maximum demand charge is sometimes levied, where such charge is related to the need for the utility to create sufficient generating capacity to cater for periods of peak demand.
Existing technologies for storing electrical energy on a large scale include technologies such as pumped storage hydro-electric schemes and compressed air systems. They are limited in the extent to which they can contribute to the smoothing out of supply between peak and off-peak periods, as they can only be installed where geographic features permit.
Since electrical energy cannot be easily stored as such, there is a need for a viable system for converting electrical energy to heat energy and for storing it in that form until it can be utilised at a later time.
There also exists a need for the storage of heat energy for relatively short periods of time between an off-peak period and the next peak period.
Although technologies exist for the recovery of energy from renewable sources, these technologies often suffer from the disadvantage that much of the recovered energy cannot be utilised when the energy is available whilst, when it is needed, the renewable source is not available. Thus, because of differences in the times when they are available and the times at which they are required, these renewable energies cannot be easily integrated into existing power grids. Technologies included in this category include those directed at the recovery of solar, wind and wave energy in the form of heat or electricity.
There accordingly exists a need for the better integration of renewable energies into power grids by relocating times of availability to times of demand as well as the ability to convert an intermittent energy supply into a permanent supply by storing the energy for use when the renewable energy is not available.
Because temperature is the driving force for heat transfer, there is also a need for a method and an apparatus for storing heat energy at high temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,176 describes a method and apparatus for operating power turbomachinery which includes a heat energy storage device comprising a graphite core. The graphite core is heated from its outside surface by electromagnetic induction. However, this storage device suffers from the disadvantage that energy losses are high, which is an inherent problem in heating a body of graphite from the outside, because of the higher operating temperatures on the outside surface of the body of graphite. The heat loss is high despite attempts to minimize it by the use of insulation. In addition, the temperature that can be tolerated on the outside surface of the core is limited by the maximum operating temperature of the insulation material.

Method and apparatus for storing heat energy


The invention provides (1) a volume hologram transfer foil comprising a substrate and protective layer, a volume hologram layer and a heat seal layer stacked on the substrate in this order, wherein a multilayer structure comprising the protective layer, the volume hologram layer and the heat seal layer in this order is releasable from the substrate, and (2) a volume hologram transfer foil wherein the above protective layer is used as a heat seal layer. The heat seal layer comprises a polyester resin having a glass transition temperature of −10° C. to −30° C. With the invention, thermo-compression adhesion of the volume hologram layer to any application member, especially a polyester resin card is improved, so that the invention provides a volume hologram transfer foil useful for prevention of illegal copying, and a volume hologram multilayer structure formed using such a transfer foil.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a hologram transfer foil that enables a volume hologram to be applied by thermo-compression onto any desired application member, and a volume hologram multilayer structure obtained by use of said transfer foil.
2. Related Art
A volume hologram provides a means capable of recording information in its thickness direction, and recording and reconstructing 3M images. Volume holograms are now fabricated by known fabrication processes. Typically, the volume holograms are used for prevention of illegal copying of ID cards, bank cards, etc., because they are fabricated by precise operations using the optical equipment and so are very difficult to fake. In addition, the volume holograms are expressed in interference colors of light and so have an outside appearance hardly achievable by other imaging means.
In a typical application taking full advantage of the aforesaid features of volume holograms, a hologram adhesive label, obtained in a film form with an adhesive attached thereto, is applied to a variety of associated members. For instance, JP-A-63-284586 discloses a transfer type hologram of a multilayer structure comprising a substrate, a volume hologram layer and a heat seal layer in this order. In view of illegal copying using a relief hologram, for instance, Japanese Patent No. 2,934,281 shows a transfer type hologram of a multilayer structure comprising a substrate, a relief hologram layer and a heat seal layer in this order.
In the former, however, the volume hologram layer is basically made up of a photocured resin layer whereas the associated member is formed of high-quality paper or the like. Such a material difference often makes it difficult to select a heat sealing agent showing satisfactory adhesion with respect to both materials, and so this label is applied to only a limited number of application members although depending on the heat sealing agent used. For this reason, the hologram layer peels off at an interface between the volume hologram layer and the heat seal layer or the heat seal layer and the application member, resulting in a high risk of illegal copying. A problem with the latter is that characters, images or the like on the application members cannot be seen through.
In view of prevention of illegal copying, the volume hologram layer must have good adhesion to the application member, and one approach to improvements in the adhesion between a volume hologram layer and an application member is typically set forth in JP-A-2002-358018 showing that the volume hologram layer and the application member are bonded together via a plurality of heat seal layers, and exemplifying a polyvinyl chloride or polyester resin sheet as the application member. However, the polyvinyl chloride sheet offers an environmental pollution problem arising from the generation of dioxin, etc. upon incineration and disposal. In recent years, therefore, the use of polyester resin sheets as application members has grown. Still, polyester resin sheets are lesser adhesive than polyvinyl chloride cards, and there is insufficient adhesion to the volume hologram layer, especially a volume hologram layer comprising a photocation type monomer and a photoradical type monomer, often offering a problem in conjunction with illegal copying. Multiple heat seal layers are unfavorable for fabrication, and so it is desired that the volume hologram layer and the application member be bonded together via a single-layer heat seal layer. What is especially in need is the development of a heat seal layer fit for the use of a polyester resin sheet as an application member.
The present invention has for its object the provision of a counterfeit resistant volume hologram transfer foil which enables a volume hologram layer to be well bonded by thermo-compression to any desired application member, especially a polyester resin card, and which, even when a volume hologram layer is formed of a volume hologram photosensitive material comprising a cation-polymerizable compound and a radical-polymerizable compound, is well bonded by thermo-compression to an application member as well as a volume hologram multilayer structure formed by use of such a transfer foil.

Volume hologram transfer foil, and volume hologram multilayer structure