A method for determining the concentration ratio in a sample of a target peptide to a reference peptide that is chemically identical with the target peptide, but labeled by isotopes, acquires mass spectra of the target and reference peptides. One of a plurality of families of superimposed bell-shaped curves which is a best fit to ion current peak groups of the target and reference peptides in the mass spectra is determined by varying parameters of the families. In each family, each bell-shaped curve has a predetermined height, the curves have fixed distances from each other and the relative curve heights and curve distances in the families are individually calculated from an elemental composition of the peptides and an isotope abundance distribution of elements composing the peptides, taking into account purity of the isotopes. The concentration ratio is then determined from the parameters of the best fit.

The invention relates to an accurate determination of peptide concentrations in body fluids by mass spectrometry using internal reference substances. In medical research and medical diagnostics, protein concentrations in body fluids are usually determined by immuno assays, particularly by "Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assays" (ELISA). Most often, because it is the safest method, a method called "Double Antibody Sandwich ELISA" is used, requiring two specific antibodies binding at two different epitopes of the protein molecule without sterical hindrance. The method is expensive, requires highly specific antibodies, does not allow for the application of internal references, and is not applicable for smaller peptides, because these rather tiny molecules in general do not offer two sufficiently separated specific binding epitopes for antibodies. Also, other types of immuno assays usually are not adaptable to these peptides.
Peptides—like the larger proteins—are biomolecules most essential for life. Blood and other body fluids contain many hundreds of physiologically active peptides: numerous peptide hormones, releasing hormones, neurotransmitters, and many others. Their concentration is highly informative about health or defects such as infections or other diseases; quite often small changes of the concentrations are decisive. A simple, safe, inexpensive, fast and highly precise analysis method, easily extensible to a multitude of different body fluid peptides, is urgently required. Occasionally, also peptide antibiotics and peptide toxins have to be analyzed quantitatively.
Diagnostic analysis procedures must fulfill strong quality standards. In most countries, permissions by state offices or official organizations are required to apply these methods in medical labs. In the USA, the FDA is responsible for the approval of medical analysis procedures. In some countries, state offices or official organizations must check the quality of a certain analytical procedure and the quality of the required devices according to rules which are specified by law.
In the field of bioorganic substances, mass spectrometry is most often directed to precise mass determinations for the identification of substances and only occasionally to quantitative analyses. Ionization methods for proteins and peptides, like electrospray ionization (ESI) or ionization by matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI) were often regarded as non-quantitative. In fact, competitive processes during the ionization of mixtures of substances turn out to be advantageous for some substances and disadvantageous for others; so the degree of ionization depends on the mixture and the concentrations of the analyte substances. In the past, particularly MALDI was regarded as highly non-quantitative because early preparation methods of samples on mass spectrometric target plates ("dried droplets") did not produce homogeneous samples, and the yield of ions varied over orders of magnitude from sample spot to sample spot.
More modern sample preparations use hydrophilic sample areas on hydrophobic MALDI target plates (U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,872 B1; GB 2 332 273 B; DE 197 54 978 C1; M. Schürenberg and J. Franzen, 1998), allowing for very homogeneous thin layer preparations. MALDI target plates made from electrically conductive plastics are commercially available, pre-prepared with thin layers of HCCA on 384 spots with 0.8 millimeter diameter (U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,465 B2; GB 2 391 066 B; DE 102 30 328 B4; M. Schürenberg, 2002). HCCA is an acronym for α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, a widely used matrix substance for the ionization of proteins and peptides by matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI). These thin layer preparations, in connection with suitable lasers, show excellent precision of quantitative analyses procedures with coefficients of variations (CV) in the order of five to ten percent, if suitable reference substances are used.
The best quantitative analysis procedures for measuring concentrations of analyte substances in fluids are based upon reference substances, measured in the same spectrum (internal standard). Most favorable reference substances are isotopically labeled substances of otherwise exactly the same type as the targeted analyte substance. As an example, a reference peptide for a target peptide may be a synthetically produced target peptide with just one arginine comprising six 13C and four 15N atoms instead of the native six 12C and four 14N atoms. This reference peptide is 10 dalton heavier than the target peptide. In a mass spectrum, the isotope groups of both substances are clearly separated. The reference substance is added in exactly known amounts to the fluid with the analyte substance, e.g., a blood plasma. Both analyte and reference substance are now extracted from the fluid, e.g., using magnetic beads with immobilized antibodies for the analyte substance. The extraction does not need to be extremely specific because any cross-reaction with other substances will be immediately visible in the mass spectrum, and usually does not disturb the analytical procedure. The extracted substances will then be removed from the extraction sites, e.g., immobilized antibody layers, and a sample preparation of the extracted substances will be prepared on a thin layer spot on a MALDI target plate. The ratio of peak heights or peak areas in the mass spectrum can be determined, and from this ratio, the concentration of the analyte substance can be calculated. Because the extraction process has exactly the same yield for both the analyte and the chemically identical reference, and the mass spectrometric sensitivity is also identical with respect to ionization and detection, the ratio reflects (in first order) the ratio of the concentrations.
Any quantitative mass spectrometric analysis procedure requires a safe recognition of the analyte by an accurate mass determination. We now change the subject from precise determination of peptide concentrations to accurate mass determination. In fact, mass spectrometers can only determine the ratio m/z of the ion mass m to the number z of unbalanced elementary charges of the ion. Where the terms "mass of an ion" or "ion mass" are used here for simplification, they always refer to this ratio m/z of the mass m to the dimensionless number of elementary charges z of the ion. This charge-related mass m/z has the physical dimension of a mass; it is often also called "mass-to-charge ratio", although this is incorrect with regard to physical dimensions. In general, for the ionization of peptides by MALDI, z=1 is valid, in contrast to an ionization by electrospray (ESI), where most of the ions are multiply charged.
Any mass spectrometer delivers a series of ion current values forming a "spectrum". The scale parameter x of the spectrum depends on the kind of mass spectrometer, it may be spatial position p, as in mass spectrometers with ion detection by photoplates or diode arrays, a scan voltage V, as in RF ion traps, or a flight time t in case of time-of-flight mass spectrometers. In general, the term "spectrum" acquired by a mass spectrometer should denote any of these ion current spectra noted above, but also any transformation of the ion current spectrum into other forms, as, for example, a spectrum of the frequencies f in Fourier-transform mass spectrometers, including even the final spectrum of the masses m.
For an accurate mass determination of ions by a given mass spectrometer, the mass spectrometer first has to be calibrated with a mixture of known calibration substances, covering the mass range of interest. This calibration procedure results in a function between the charge-related mass m/z of the ions and the scale parameter x along the spectrum, called a "calibration curve" m/z=f(x). Then a spectrum of the ions of an analyte substance can be measured and the masses m/z of the ions at a certain location x on the scale can be calculated using the calibration curve. For even more accurate mass measurements, one adds to the analyte substance one or more known mass reference substances and corrects the masses of the analyte substance using the mass differences, found for the mass reference substances between calculated and true masses (method with "internal mass reference").
The basis of all these calibration methods is always the exact determination of the precise scale parameter x for an individual peak on the spectrum scale axis. Any spectrum acquired by a mass spectrometer consists of a large series of individual digital values, either measurement values or transformed measurement values, where the indices of the series represent the spectrum scale. For exact mass determinations, one must derive the accurate position, frequency, or time value from a measured (spatial or temporal) profile of the measured ion current values across a peak. Usually, the ion current peak consists of four to ten measurement values above background noise. In the simplest case a centroid formation of the individual measured values is used. In more elaborate but more accurate methods a theoretically derived or experimentally determined function is fitted into the measured profile of a mass peak, from which the optimal positions, frequencies or time values of the peaks are derived.
In the following, we shall restrict the description for reasons of clarity to time-of-flight spectra only; this should, however, not mean that the invention will be restricted to this type of spectra. In modern time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOF-MS), single spectra are obtained in 50 to 200 microseconds, using measuring rates up to 4 giga-samples per second and more. The acquisition of single spectra is repeated 5,000 to 10,000 times per second; the series of 200,000 to 800,000 measuring values are added in real time, value for value over a predetermined time period to yield a sum spectrum in which the signal-to-noise ratio is greatly improved and the dynamic measuring range is enlarged. The determination of the exact flight time of the ions of a peak is then performed using the series of summed measuring values of this sum spectrum. The flight time determination of a peak constitutes the main source of inaccuracies of the mass determination.
For more complex substances, as for biopolymers like peptides, measured with sufficient mass resolutions R, the spectrum of the molecular ions always shows several peaks with ions of the same elemental but different isotopic composition, the peaks being one atomic mass unit apart from each other. These peaks are called here an "isotope group". FIGS. 1 to 3, which show ion current peaks versus a scale factor x, present three examples for peptides with masses of 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 dalton, respectively. The lightest ions form the "mono-isotopic peak" of the group, composed only of 1H, 12C, 14N, 16O, 31P and 32S. There are methods to calculate the exact form of the isotope group of peaks from the elemental composition and the known isotope abundances of the elements, but these calculations are rather complicated and slow.
In document U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,064 B1 (GB 2 333 893 B; DE 198 03 309 01; C. Koester, 1998), a highly precise method is described for the determination of the flight time of the mono-isotopic peak, using a process of fitting a whole family of superimposed bell-shaped curves of known mass distances and averaged peak height relations into the measured signal pattern of the complete isotope peak group, instead of fitting just one single bell-shaped curve into a measured signal profile of a single ion peak. This method has become widely known by the name "SNAP". The method is directed to an exact determination of the masses of ions of unknown substances for their identification. While the substances themselves are unknown, the class of substances, e.g., proteins, is generally known. Therefore, the peak height distribution of the isotope group is calculated as an average for the class of substances, using an average of the elemental composition of that class and the known isotope abundances of the elements. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the average peak height distribution is strongly dependent on the mass of the ions. Therefore, a series of averaged peak height distributions is calculated once for ions of different masses of this class of substances, stored in a table, and used over and over, calculating the averaged peak height distribution at a given mass by interpolation from the stored distributions in the table. This procedure saves time, because the calculation of peak height distributions from averaged elemental composition and isotope abundances is rather complicated and cannot be performed for each isotope group in a complicated spectrum in an acceptable time span.
Coming back to the determination of peptide concentrations, to improve the precision of the analysis procedure, the readily available SNAP procedure was applied to the isotope groups of target and reference peptide. Regrettably, however, no improvement of the precision could be observed.
A highly precise procedure is still sought for the determination of the ratio of the target peptide ion current to the reference peptide ion current, represented by the detectable peaks in the measured spectrum and used for the quantitative analysis of peptides in fluids. Because the analytical procedure should also be used for diagnostic purposes, it is a most essential requirement to enable the procedure to recognize, by built-in quality indicators, any technical faults and disturbances in each individual analysis.

Quantitative peptide analysis by mass spectrometry based on bell-function fitting for ion isotope distribution


Methods for the measurement of the object spacing distance or separation of objects are increasingly utilized in obstacle warning systems for motor vehicles, in order to warn the drivers of the motor vehicles of sources of danger on the roadway. It would be sensible or suitable in such a system, to take into account also the relative speed of objects approaching the motor vehicle. The new method shall enable the determination of the relative speed of an object in a simple manner and provide exact measurement results. In the new measurement method, the object separation is cyclically determined respectively after expiration of a prescribed cycle period. Furthermore, the number of the cycles is determined, within which the object separation changes so far that a prescribed separation band is completely traversed. The relative speed of the object is then calculated from the difference between the object separation determined before the entry into the separation band and the object separation determined after the exit out of the separation band, and from the determined number of cycles. Pre-crash sensing.

The invention relates to a method for the measurement of the relative speed of an object according to patent claim 1.
Methods for the determination of object separations or spacing distances are increasingly utilized in obstacle warning systems for motor vehicles, in order to warn the drivers of the motor vehicles of sources of danger on the roadway. For example, a method for the obstacle recognition is known from the DE 41 15 747 C2, in which an observation or monitoring space in front of a vehicle is repeatedly sensed or sampled with a laser source, in order to calculate the object separation or spacing distance from the signal transit time of the light emitted from the laser source and reflected on an object, and to warn the driver, through acoustic or optical signals, of a possible collision with the object, depending on the determined object separation.
It would be sensible or suitable in the estimation of the collision probability, to determine also the speed of the objects approaching the vehicle. While this could be determined through a differentiation of the time course or progression of the object separation, the result, however, would be inexact due to the noise increased or amplified through the differentiation. While the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement result could be suppressed through a filtering, the filtering would, however, lead to an undesired time delay in the providing of the measurement result. Furthermore, it would be conceivable to improve the signal-to-noise ratio through increasing of the radiation power of the laser source, but an increasing of the radiation power is not desired, because this could lead to an eye injury of persons or animals that might look in the direction of the laser source.
Therefore, it is an underlying object of the invention to present a method for the determination of the relative speed of an object, that can be carried out with a low effort or expense, and provides exact measurement results.

Method for determining the relative speed of an object


The blood pressure detecting device includes a blood pressure meter, a physiological detector, and a processing unit. The processing unit stores an equation to convert the value of the physiological data to the corresponding blood pressure value. To determine the equation during calibration, the patient's physiological data is measured several times in the course of normal activities in order to obtain an actual blood pressure value for each patient. To determine the equation during measurement mode, the patient measures the physiological data value as above, and then a customized equation stored in memory will convert the physiological value to the patient's blood pressure value. Therefore, the more calibration data are collected for an individual patient, the more accurate the equation will be made, and thus a more accurate measurement will be made.

The invention relates to a blood pressure detecting device that uses the relationship between blood pressure and other physiological data to estimate the blood pressure of a patient.
A conventional blood pressure detecting device may use physiological data such as the transit speed of a pulse to estimate a patient's blood pressure. In this indirect method, the blood pressure is estimated based on a known relationship between the blood pressure and the physiological data. The known relationship is based on blood pressure and physiological data for a large group of patients. This relationship may be calibrated to a patient by measuring the physiological data (e.g., the pulse transit speed) and the blood pressure of the patient while the patient is resting and while the patient is exercising actively.


An optical transmission medium includes: a plurality of cores; a first cladding that covers each of the plurality of cores; a second cladding that covers a plurality of first claddings; and a reflection layer that covers the second cladding and has reflection characteristics with respect to a wavelength band of multimode light.

In optical communication systems, increases in the transmission capacity and transmission distance of optical communication have been achieved by using wavelength multiplexing (WDM) technology and optical amplification relay technology. Furthermore, research and development is also being carried out into optical communication systems in which multicore optical fibers having a plurality of cores formed in each optical fiber are used in optical transmission paths in order to achieve further increases in transmission capacity (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-251376, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-338308, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2013-235139, and International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2011/116075).
In an optical fiber used as an optical transmission medium or an optical amplification medium, there are cases where the refractive index (may be referred to as the "refractive index profile") between a core and a cladding, for example, is controlled in order to improve the effect of trapping light that is to be transmitted or amplified.
However, there is a limit to the light trapping effect that is able to be obtained with refractive index control. Therefore, loss may occur in light that propagates through the optical fiber. Furthermore, when refractive index control is to be carried out in a multicore optical fiber, there are cases where the optical fiber structure itself becomes complex and there is no choice but to increase the optical fiber diameter.
In one aspect, one objective of the present disclosure is to improve the effect of trapping multimode light that propagates through an optical transmission medium, within the optical transmission medium without resorting to refractive index control, to achieve an improvement in performance with regard to optical transmission and optical amplification for which the optical transmission medium is used.
Furthermore, in one aspect, an optical amplifier includes: the optical transmission medium; a multimode excitation light source that outputs multimode excitation light that is the aforementioned multimode light; and an excitation light introducing structure that introduces the multimode excitation light that is output from the multimode excitation light source, to a region inside a reflection layer of the optical transmission medium.

Optical transmission medium and optical amplifier


A method and an apparatus for performing message communication accurately at high rate even when the communication line is busy. When the communication line between the message transmitting side and the message receiving side connected with an ISDN network is busy, the call between the message transmitting side and the message receiving side is temporarily interrupted and then a message is transmitted automatically from the message transmitting side to the message receiving side by using call setting information where a transmission message is set in a subaddress.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for message communication between telecommunications terminals connected to an integrated services digital network, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for message communication capable of highspeed, high quality message communication during a call.
Recently, a method and an apparatus for message communication, which, in addition to ordinary calls, is capable of communicating messages between wired telecommunications terminals wire-connected to an ISDN (integrated service digital network), or between wireless telecommunications terminals, for example, PHS (Personal Handyphone System) and other portable telecommunications terminals, wirelessly-connected via a radio base station to an integrated service digital network, has been proposed.
This type of message communication method and apparatus is constituted so that predetermined message information prepared in advance, or message information inputted using a keypad is transmitted from a message transmitting terminal to a message receiving terminal, and the message receiving terminal displays this received message information on a display or the like.
Incidentally, as this type of message communication method and apparatus,
1) a system, which utilizes DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) signals; and
2) a system, which at call setting utilizes a subaddress contained in call setting information, have been proposed.
Here, because 1), the system that utilizes DTMF signals, can be used even between telecommunications terminals that are in the midst of a call, the degree of freedom of message communication increases. However, since the message communication thereof not only requires time, but also suffers from numerous line quality-caused transmission errors, if, for example, the telecommunications terminal is a PHS or other wireless terminal, this system is unsuitable for transmitting data that must be accurate, such as telephone directory information.
Further, since 1), the system that uses a subaddress contained in call setting information at call setting, is capable of transmitting messages at highspeed, and line quality-caused transmission errors are few, even when the telecommunications terminal is a PHS or other wireless terminal, accurate, highspeed message transmission is possible. However, the problem is that because call setting information comprise signals that are sent from a call-originating terminal to a call-terminating terminal only at call setting, this system cannot be used during a call, for example, when one wants to send data to the called party while a call is in progress.
Thus, a system that performs message communication using conventional DTMF signals is advantageous in that it can be used even between telecommunications terminals that are in the midst of a call, but because the transmission rate is slow, and there are numerous line quality-caused transmission errors, this system is not suitable for transmitting accurate message information using, for example, a PHS or other wireless terminal. Further, because a system that uses a subaddress contained in call setting information at call setting is capable of transmitting messages at highspeed, and generates few line quality-caused transmission errors, message transmission can be performed accurately and at highspeed between PHS or other wireless terminals, but the problem is that since call setting information comprise signals that are sent from a call-originating terminal to a call-terminating terminal only at call setting, this system cannot be used during a call, for example, when one wants to send data to the called party while a call is in progress.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for message communication, which is capable of performing message communication accurately and at highspeed during a call.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is a method for message communication, which comprises a first telecommunications terminal and a second telecommunications terminal connected to the first telecommunications terminal via an integrated services digital network, and which communicates a predetermined message between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:
disconnecting once a call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal when the call is in progress between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal via the integrated service digital network;
performing a message transmission thereafter by attaching a desired message to call setting information and originating a call from the first telecommunications terminal or the second telecommunications terminal, which becomes a message transmitting terminal; and
performing a message reception by the first telecommunications terminal or the second telecommunications terminal, which becomes a message receiving terminal, by receiving the desired message attached to the call setting information.
Further, the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the desired message is set in a subaddress of the call setting information.
Further, the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal are wired telecommunications terminals wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal are wireless telecommunications terminals wirelessly-connected to a base station which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, at least one of the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal is a wireless telecommunications terminal wirelessly-connected to a base station which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call disconnection is performed correspondent to both a message transmitting operation at the message transmitting terminal and a message receiving operation at the message receiving terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call disconnection is performed by transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal correspondent to a message receiving operation of the message receiving terminal and by responding to the receipt of the call disconnect signal at the message transmitting terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call disconnection is performed by transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal correspondent to a message transmitting operation of the message transmitting terminal and by responding to the receipt of the call disconnect signal at the message receiving terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call disconnection is performed by transmitting message mode alert information to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal correspondent to a message transmitting operation of the message transmitting terminal, by transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal correspondent to a message receiving operation based on reception of the message mode alert information at the message receiving terminal and by responding to the receipt of the call disconnect signal at the message transmitting terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call setting information utilized at the message transmission is set on the basis of call setting information sent to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 11 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the call setting information utilized at the message transmission is set using call originator identification information sent to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 12 is a message communication apparatus, which comprises a first telecommunications terminal and a second telecommunications terminal connected to the first telecommunications terminal via an integrated service digital network, and which communicates a predetermined message between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal, characterized in that the message communication apparatus comprises:
call disconnecting means for disconnecting once a call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal for communicating a desired message when a call is in progress between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal via the integrated services digital network;
message transmitting means for performing a message transmission by attaching the desired message to call setting information and originating a call from the first telecommunications terminal or the second telecommunications terminal, which becomes the message transmitting terminal; and
message receiving means for performing a message reception by receiving the desired message attached to the call setting information at the first telecommunications terminal or the second telecommunications terminal, which becomes the message receiving terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 13 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the call disconnecting means comprises:
first call disconnecting means, which is provided in the message transmitting terminal, for disconnecting the call correspondent to a predetermined message transmitting operation; and
second call disconnecting means, which is provided in the message receiving terminal, for disconnecting the call correspondent to a predetermined message receiving operation.
Further, the invention of claim 14 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the call disconnecting means comprises:
call disconnect signal transmitting means, which is provided in the message receiving terminal, for transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal correspondent to a predetermined message receiving operation; and
disconnecting means, which is provided in the message transmitting terminal, for disconnecting the call in response to the receipt of the call disconnect signal.
Further, the invention of claim 15 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the call disconnecting means comprises:
call disconnect signal transmitting means, which is provided in the message transmitting terminal, for transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal correspondent to a predetermined message receiving operation; and
disconnecting means, which is provided in the message receiving terminal, for disconnecting the call in response to the receipt of the call disconnect signal.
Further, the invention of claim 16 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the call disconnecting means comprises:
message mode alert information transmitting means for transmitting message mode alert information to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal correspondent to a message transmitting operation of the message transmitting terminal;
call disconnect signal transmitting means, which is provided in the message receiving terminal, for transmitting a call disconnect signal to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal correspondent to a message receiving operation based on the receipt of the message mode alert information; and
disconnecting means, which is provided in the message transmitting terminal, for disconnecting the call in response to the receipt of the call disconnect signal.
Further, the invention of claim 17 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the message transmitting means transmits the desired message by setting it in a subaddress of the call setting information, and the message receiving means performs the massage reception by extracting the desired message set in the subaddress of the call setting information.
Further, the invention of claim 18 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal are wired telecommunications terminals wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 19 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal are wireless telecommunications terminals wirelessly-connected to a base station which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 20 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, at least one of the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal is a wireless telecommunications terminal wirelessly-connected to a base station which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 21 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 12, the message transmitting means performs the message transmission by originating a call to the message receiving terminal using call setting information which is set on the basis of call setting information sent to the message receiving terminal from the message transmitting terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 22 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the message transmitting means performs the message transmission by originating a call to the message receiving terminal using call setting information which is set using call originator identification information sent to the message transmitting terminal from the message receiving terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 23 is a message transmitting terminal connected to an integrated services digital network, characterized in that the message transmitting terminal comprises:
call disconnecting means for disconnecting once a call with a message receiving terminal in order to transmit a desired message during the call with the message receiving terminal; and
message transmitting means for performing a message transmission by attaching the desired message to call setting information and originating a call after disconnecting the call by the call disconnecting means.
Further, the invention of claim 24 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 23, the message transmitting terminal is a wired communications terminal wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 25 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 23, the message transmitting terminal is a wireless communications terminal wirelessly-connected to a base station which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 26 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 23, the message transmitting means performs the message transmission by originating a call to the message receiving terminal using call setting information set on the basis of call setting information sent to the message receiving terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 27 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 23, the message transmitting means performs the message transmission by originating a call to the message receiving terminal using call setting information set using call originator identification information received from the message receiving terminal when transitioning to the call between the first telecommunications terminal and the second telecommunications terminal.
Further, the invention of claim 28 is a message receiving terminal connected to an integrated services digital network, characterized in that the message receiving terminal comprises:
call disconnecting means for disconnecting once a call with a message transmitting terminal in order to receive a desired message during the call with the message transmitting terminal; and
message receiving means for receiving the desired message attached to call setting information sent from the message transmitting terminal after disconnecting the call by the call disconnecting means.
Further, the invention of claim 29 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 28, the message receiving terminal is a wired communications terminal wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.
Further, the invention of claim 30 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 23, the message receiving terminal is a wireless communications terminal wirelessly-connected to a base station, which is wire-connected to the integrated services digital network.

Method and apparatus for message communication


A method for fitting a roll mantle of a tubular roll used in a paper machine or equivalent with glide bearings and a tubular roll. The roll mantle is supported on a stationary roll axle by hydraulic glide bearing elements acting upon the roll mantle and/or upon the roll ends. The bearing elements are loaded hydraulically by the pressure of a first pressure medium. The roll is loaded from outside radially in the direction of at least one plane, i.e. in a so-called principal loading direction. The roll mantle is supported on the roll axle by the glide bearing elements which act radially substantially in the principal loading direction in opposite directions and which are provided with a device for regulating the braking pressure provided by a second pressure medium, so that in the principal loading direction, the roll mantle is allowed to move over a certain distance. When the roll mantle approaches its preset extreme position in that direction, the movement of the roll mantle is braked and slowed down by the regulation device, and finally the movement is stopped in its extreme position by the glide bearing elements.

The present invention relates to a method for fitting a tubular roll mantle of a roll intended for a paper machine or equivalent with glide bearings, in which the roll mantle is supported on a stationary roll axle by means of hydraulic glide bearing elements acting upon the roll mantle or upon the roll ends. The bearing elements are hydraulically loaded by the effective pressure applied by a pressure medium. The roll is loaded from its exterior radially in the direction of at least one plane, i.e. in a so-called principal loading direction.
The invention also relates to a tubular roll that makes use of the method in accordance with the invention for a paper machine or equivalent. The roll mantle of the roll is revolvingly supported on a stationary roll axle by means of glide bearing elements that act upon the inner face of the roll mantle and/or upon the roll ends. The glide bearing elements are loaded by means of the pressure of a hydraulic pressure medium, while the roll is loaded from its exterior radially in the direction of at least one plane, i.e., in the so-called principal loading direction.
Tubular rolls in paper machines are ordinarily mounted or journalled on the roll axle at the ends of the roll mantle by means of roller bearings. Such a conventional mode of journalling has its advantages, for example, the fact that the journalling can be accomplished quite simply, and so far its costs have been considered to be relatively moderate. However, this conventional mode of journalling, in which the roll mantle is journalled on the axle permanently by its ends, is not suitable for all objects of use in paper machines. In quite a number of cases, the roll mantle must be able to move radially in relation to the roll axle, which characteristic is quite often required, e.g., for variable-crown rolls which are in nip contact with a back-up roll. By means of the crown variation means in a variable-crown roll, attempts are made to shape the roll mantle in the desired way especially in view of regulation of the profile of linear load. Therefore, the roll ends must also be able to move in the radial direction in relation to the axle in order that the profile of linear load could be controlled in the end areas of the roll. In addition to the profile-regulation properties in the end areas of the roll, the regulation of the loading in the end areas of the roll also affects the control of the temperatures in the end areas of the roll.
For this reason, such rolls have been developed in which the entire roll mantle can move in the direction of loading radially in relation to the roll axle. One roll of this type is described in the assignee's EP Patent No. 0 332 594. In the roll described in this reference, the end bearings of the variable-crown roll are not mounted directly on the central axle of the roll. Rather, the bearings are arranged on separate annular parts which can move radially in relation to the roll axle. The variable-crown roll in accordance with this reference is a nip roll, and the radial movement of the roll mantle is confined to the direction of the nip plane. The movement is accomplished so that hydraulic power units are arranged between the annular parts and the roll axle. The power units shift the end bearings by means of a hydraulic pressure medium toward the nip or away from the nip. The principal object of the device in EP '594 is to open and close the nip. There is also a large number of other rolls of similar type, which produce a substantially corresponding action accomplished by means of a somewhat different technique.
The fitting of a roll with roller bearings also produces considerable drawbacks and/or problems for the manufacture and operation of the roll. It is one particular drawback that the roller bearings require certain machining of the roll mantle. The wear of the bearings may also result in problems and, further, the roller bearings impose their restrictions in respect of the oil or fluid to be used in the roll. For example, the following properties can be considered as the weak points of the conventional mode of journalling.
Restrictions of speed: Even at present, the speeds of rotation of the rolls exceed the maximum permitted speeds specified by bearing manufacturers.
Precision of rolling: With the present technology, it is very difficult to increase the rolling precision of an assembled roll further. In a traditional roll, even if all the components (bearings, bearing spaces, outer face of mantle) are machined as precisely as possible, the defects are summed up in an assembled roll.
Fitting of a roll mantle with glide bearings is also known in the prior art. Such rolls with glide bearings are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,060,357 and 5,111,563. In the roll in accordance with the '357 patent, the roll mantle is provided with roller bearings arranged in the areas of its end pieces. The bearings are arranged on separate ring parts of a type similar to those described in EP '594. The roll is intended for use as a nip roll, and its roll mantle can move in the direction of the nip plane in relation to the axle, e.g., for the purpose of opening and closing the nip. Lateral support of the roll mantle, i.e. the support in the direction transverse to the nip plane, is provided by means of a complicated construction of glide bearings which endeavors to make the movement of the roll mantle take place exactly in the direction of the nip plane. It is a drawback of the construction that it is extremely complicated, for example, with a number of glide faces and arrangements of articulated joints, for which reason, the reliability in operation, controllability, and the dependability of the construction cannot be considered to be very good. It is a further problem of the apparatus in accordance with the '357 patent that forces transverse to the nip plane and applied to the roll from outside, i.e., the roll exterior, cannot be compensated for because such forces cause a disruption of the oil film between the glide shoes and the inner face of the roll mantle. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,563, an arrangement of lateral support of a roll with glide bearings is described, which arrangement is simpler than the apparatus of the '357 patent mentioned above. In this reference, the arrangement of the glide bearings in the lateral direction is accomplished by means of an arrangement of articulated joints that is likewise not capable of compensating for lateral forces applied to the roll from outside.

Method for providing a roll mantle of a tubular roll for a paper machine or equivalent with glide bearings


A perpetual day reminder calendar consisting of display stand, date indicating cubes, day indicating plates and month indicating plates uniquely styled for ease of operation and clarity of information. The displaying of the current day is accomplished by the use of indica placed on both sides of day indicating plates, the current date is accomplished by the use of indica placed on the faces of date indicating cubes, and the current month of the year is accomplished by the use of indica placed on both sides of month indicating plates. The calendar's functional components are presented and held securely by use of a display stand. The display stand also offers at least one surface for information or advertising.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to calendars; specifically, day reminder calendars, perpetual and multi year calendars, calendar design and calendar construction.
2. Prior Art
Previously; many day reminder calendars were made with tearaway paper sheets arranged in a pad. Dailey a page is torn off exposing the next calendar date. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,011 (1968) to Norris. Each day the calendar diminishes piece by piece creating trash which is problematic and wasteful. Frequently two or more pages may be torn off accidently. These annual calendars must be purchased at the beginning of the year to realize their maximum value.
The solution to these limitations is the perpetual day reminder calendar. These ever renewable non obsoletable calendars come in many different creations. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 1,501,803 (1924) to Orth; U.S. Pat. No. 1,681,235 (1928) to Hiering; U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,248 (1937) to Huston; U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,415 (1936) to Trollen; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 297,244 (1988) to Kennedy; U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,741 (1971) to Kahre Et Al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,436 (1972) to Weissman. Each of these prior art calendars contains some or all of the following deficiencies:    a) do not have good proportion between elements;    b) a reliance on abbreviations;    c) clumsy to manipulate;    d) difficult to read;    e) they don't always shield unwanted information;    f) poor styling.


A precoded waveshaping transmitter comprises a synchronous delay line circuit, a transmitter state machine and a differential current digital to analog converter. Through the provision of a plurality of precoded staggered time delayed data from the combination of the delay line circuit and transmitter state machine the DAC can provide a predetermined output. In a preferred implementation, a subharmonic frequency can be maintained at least 27dB below the fundamental frequency when the PWT is driven by an all ones Manchester encoded signal.

In late 1990, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the standards body which maintains Local Area Network (LAN) standards, revised the 802.3 Ethernet specification to add the so-called 10BASE-T specification, which allows use of unshielded twisted pair as one the media for interconnection of Ethernet nodes. Because 10BASE-T lowers the overall cost of building a local area network and provides for certain network management functions not possible with traditional thick and thin coax media, it is expected to become the predominant medium in the future, with the percentage of new nodes using 10BASE-T expected to rise from about 30% in 1991 to more than 80% by 1995.
Most current designs for an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) consist of three chips: a transceiver, a Manchester encoder/decoder and the network controller. The transceiver and the encoder/decoder are connected through the Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) port, which provides a medium independent interface. When twisted-pair (TP) was first introduced as a medium for Ethernet, a technique of predistorting the wide pulse and putting it through a 7th order elliptic filter with 3dB band edge at 15-20 MHz was used to fit it into the existing jitter budget of the network. Therefore, a TP medium attachment unit is usually implemented together with a transceiver, a hybrid transmit/receive filter and a transformer.
Testing and reliability issues of the discrete hybrid filter have made the integration of the external filter an important issue. Also, to improve overall reliability and costs, integration of the transceiver, encoder/decoder, external filter and, eventually, the network controller has become a goal for the local area network equipment designer.
One embodiment of such a precoded waveshaping technique, disclosed by LEVEL ONE COMMUNICATIONS and Fujitsu Corp. in two papers entitled 10Mb/s 10BASE-T/AUI TRANSCEIVER WITH INTEGRATED WAVESHAPING FILTER AND DATA RECOVERY, and A HIGH INTEGRATED PRODUCT FAMILY FOR 10BASE-T APPLICATIONS, respectively includes a Manchester encoded signal at its output and does not require a typical 10BASE-T 5-7th order 15 MHz elliptic passive filter. The only external components are the insertion resistors and the line isolation transformer. The waveshaping technique is based on shaping the output waveform at N times the data rate to make it appear as though it has been passed through an elliptic filter. The high frequency signal aliasing is then eliminated by a first order lowpass continuous filter. To reconstruct the significant trailing tail effect from the previous pulse, two bits of information are used to decide the proper waveshaping. Although this prior waveshaping apparatus is an improvement over previously known systems it has some disadvantages. This technique requires an active filter which consumes additional power and also provides additional complexity to the transmitter. An additional problem is that the conventional prior art waveshaping techniques use 1 to .sqroot.2 transform ratio to avoid headroom problems with output of the line driver. This ratio can cause nonlinear behavior at the output due to additional harmonics on the output signal. A final disadvantage of conventional waveshaping techniques is that a certain amount of open loop gain is required at the sample frequency. Hence, the line driver circuit will be sensitive to temperature and process variations.
Accordingly, what is needed is a precoded waveshaping transmitter that overcomes the above mentioned problems associated with conventional transmitters. The present invention addresses such a need.

Precoded waveshaping transmitter for a twisted pair which eliminates the need for a filter


A method of managing a plurality of operable wall panels in a room equipped with an overhead track system from which the panels suspend and in which the panels are movable to selectively partition the room, the track system including a reading portion. The method comprising providing an identification tag on each of the plurality of panels, each identification tag having panel information, and wirelessly communicating between the identification tag of each of the plurality of panels and a controller, wherein the controller being operable to receive and transmit panel control data comprising the panel information.

The invention generally relates to space management. In particular, the invention relates to a control system for space management.
Flexible space management using partitions comprising a plurality of operable wall panels has in the past been performed manually. For example, layouts and configurations of a space using partitions are typically done using computer generated prints, numbers, manual calculations, and color-coding methods. After the layouts or the configurations of partitions are obtained on prints, the space is generally partitioned manually. In other words, the wall panels are manually moved and installed at locations according to the layouts. The manual installation is often time consuming and confusing for the operator.
Additionally, various factors such as complexity of the layouts, the number of panels, and the size of the space will reduce the likelihood that the installed partitions match the layouts. To re-install, to change, or to expand the partitions in the event of user error may add considerable amount of installation time and labor costs to a project. Depending on the layouts configured for the space, some panels will require periodic maintenance after installation because they are used more frequently than other panels. However, it is often the case that all panels are examined and maintained on a single rigid inspection schedule, even though more frequently used panels may require more frequent maintenance than panels that are less frequently used. Thus, maintaining the panels can become inefficient and costly.

Flexible space management system and method


The disclosure discloses a computing device including a connection module, a processing unit and a logic expansion unit, and a power supply method of a connection module. The connection module includes a detection unit and a power switch. The detection unit is configured to detect whether the connection module is connected with an external peripheral device, and to generate a detection signal. The power switch is configured to receive a power switching signal and to provide a rated voltage to the connection module according to the power switching signal. The processing unit and the logic expansion unit are coupled to each other. When the computing device is at a normal mode, the processing unit is configured to provide the power switching signal, acquires a connection status between the connection module and the external peripheral device, and to control the logic expansion unit to record the connection status.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to a computer application technique; in particular, to a computing device which detects the connection status of a connection module, in order to determine whether to provide electric power.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the computer system (for example, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or an all-in-one computer) including universal serial bus (USB) connection ports enters a shutdown mode or a sleep mode, the chip sets (for example, a south bridge chip set) in the computer system still provide power (for example, a 5V voltage) to the USB connection ports, for sensing the input signals transmitted by the peripheral devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or some external human interface devices (HID). That is, the peripheral devices can receive a power supply from the computer system through the USB connection ports, no matter what mode the computer system is under. For example, when the computer system is in the shutdown mode or the sleep mode, the USB connection ports still continuously provide electric power to the HID devices such as the mouse and the keyboard, thus the user can turn on or make the computer system recover to the normal mode by triggering the mouse or pushing the specific button on the keyboard via the USB connection ports.
However, the disadvantage of the above manners is that the computer system needs to provide electric power to each of the USB connection ports no matter if the computer system is in the shutdown mode or the standby mode, thus the electric power is wasted. For example, when the computer system is in the sleep mode, each USB connection port still consumes 500 microamperes (μA, low power devices) or 2.5 milliamperes (mA, high power devices) of electric currents, that means respectively consuming 2500 μW or 12.5 mW of the electric power. Moreover, the conventional computer system has a plurality of USB connection ports, which makes small power consumptions be accumulated into large power consumption. In addition, the computer system usually does not have the relating mechanisms for detecting whether each of the USB connection ports is connected to a corresponding human interface device (HID). That is, the computer system cannot know connection statuses of the USB connection ports, thus the south bridge chips can only provide electric power to all of the USB connection ports. Therefore, the unused USB connection ports of the computer system still consume unnecessary electric power.

Computing device and power supply method of connection module

INVENTEC (PUDONG) TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION


A method and system for economically packaging microarrays into sealed reaction chambers and storage vessels. A pocket strip is manufactured as a linear sequence of pockets, or wells, into which microarrays are positioned. A cover strip is then heat sealed to the upper surface of the pocket strip to create a linear sequence of sealed reaction chambers or storage vessels each containing a microarray. Mechanical features or optical features are included along the length of the pocket strip to facilitate mechanical translation and positioning of microarrays embedded within the microarray strip. Septa are affixed to, or embedded within, the cover strip to provide resealable ports through which solutions can be introduced into, or extracted from, the reaction chambers.

Microarrays are widely used and increasingly important tools for rapid hybridization analysis of sample solutions against hundreds or thousands of precisely ordered and positioned features on the active surfaces of microarrays that contain different types of molecules. Microarrays are normally prepared by synthesizing or attaching a large number of molecular species to a chemically prepared substrate such as silicone, glass, or plastic. Each feature, or element, on the active surface of the microarray is defined to be a small, regularly-shaped region on the surface of the substrate. The features are arranged in a regular pattern. Each feature may contain a different molecular species, and the molecular species within a given feature may differ from the molecular species within the remaining features of the microarray. In one type of hybridization experiment, a sample solution containing radioactively, fluorescently, or chemoluminescently labeled molecules is applied to the active surface of the microarray. Certain of the labeled molecules in the sample solution may specifically bind to, or hybridize with, one or more of the different molecular species in one or more features of the microarray. Following hybridization, the sample solution is removed by washing the surface of the microarray with a buffer solution, and the microarray is then analyzed by radiometric or optical methods to determine to which specific features of the microarray the labeled molecules are bound. Thus, in a single experiment, a solution of labeled molecules can be screened for binding to hundreds or thousands of different molecular species that together compose the microarray. Microarrays commonly contain oligonucleotides or complementary deoxyribonucleic molecules to which labeled deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid molecules bind via sequence-specific hybridization.
Generally, radiometric or optical analysis of the microarray produces a scanned image consisting of a two-dimensional matrix, or grid, of pixels, each pixel having one or more intensity values corresponding to one or more signals. Scanned images are commonly produced electronically by optical or radiometric scanners and the resulting two-dimensional matrix of pixels is stored in computer memory or on a non-volatile storage device. Alternatively, analog methods of analysis, such as photography, can be used to produce continuous images of a microarray that can be then digitized by a scanning device and stored in computer memory or in a computer storage device.
Microarrays are often prepared on 1-inch by 3-inch glass substrates, not coincidentally having dimensions of common glass microscope slides. Commercial microarrays are often prepared on smaller substrates that are embedded in plastic housings. FIG. 1 shows a common, currently available commercial microarray packaged within a plastic housing. The microarray substrate 101 is embedded within the large, rather bulky plastic housing 102 to form an upper transparent cover over an aperture 103 within the plastic housing 102. The features that together compose the microarray are arranged on the inner, or downward surface of the substrate 101, and are thus exposed to a chamber within the plastic housing 102 comprising the microarray substrate 101 and the sides of the aperture 104–107. A transparent bottom cover may be embedded in the lower surface of the plastic housing to seal the chamber in order to create a small reaction vessel into which sample solutions may be introduced for hybridization with molecular species bound to the substrate of the microarray. Thus, the plastic housing serves to package the microarray and protect the microarray from contamination and mechanical damage during handling and storage and may also serve as a reaction chamber in which sample solutions are introduced for hybridization with features of the microarray. The plastic housing may further serve as a support for the microarray during optical or radiometric scanning of the microarray following exposure of the microarray to sample solutions. Scanning may, in certain cases, be carried out through the substrate of the microarray without a need to remove the microarray from the plastic housing.
Although currently commonly used and widely commercially available, the plastic microarray packaging shown in FIG. 1 has a number of disadvantages. First, it is necessary to seal the substrate of the microarray within the plastic housing to prevent exchange of liquids and vapors between the external environment and the reaction chamber formed by the substrate of the microarray, the plastic housing, and a bottom cover. Microarray substrates are commonly made from glass. Thus, a tight seal between the glass microarray substrate and the plastic housing is required. Unfortunately, many sealants used to seal glass to plastic may contain unreactive monomer or produce reactive surfaces that interfere chemically within the hybridization processes that need to be carried out within the reaction vessel. A second disadvantage is that glass and plastic exhibit different thermal expansion behaviors, creating high stress that may lead to glass-to-plastic bond failures during exposure of the plastic microarray packaging and embedded microarray to thermal fluctuations. A third disadvantage of the plastic packaging shown in FIG. 1 is that the plastic packaging is generally insufficiently mechanically stable to allow for reliable automated positioning of the microarray within a scanning device. As a result, scanning devices need an auto-focusing feature or other additional electromechanical systems for positioning the microarray within the scanning device. A fourth disadvantage of the plastic packaging shown in FIG. 1 is that, when the embedded microarray is scanned without removing the microarray from the plastic packaging, the thickness of the microarray substrate or of the lower transparent cover, depending from which side of the package the microarray is scanned, must have a relatively precise and uniform thickness so that the microarray substrate or bottom cover is not a source of uncontrolled error during the scanning process. Manufacturing either the microarray substrate or bottom cover to the required precision and uniformity adds to the cost of the microarray/plastic housing module. In general, fully automated manufacture of the plastic housing and embedded microarray is both complex and difficult. A final disadvantage of the plastic packaging for the microarray shown in FIG. 1 is that the microarray/plastic housing module is primarily designed for individual handling, and lacks features that would facilitate automated positioning, hybridization, and scanning of the microarray/plastic housing modules. Thus, designers, manufacturers, and users of microarrays have recognized the need for a more economical packaging method and system for microarrays with features that facilitate automated processing and handling of microarrays.


A method and system to switch between a Service virtual machine (VM) and a Guest VM in a virtual machine monitor (VMM) of a computer system. The VMM is loaded on the computer system to support a Service VM and a Guest VM. The Service OS is booted in the Service VM during the pre-boot phase. The Guest OS is booted in the Guest VM of the computer system. During OS runtime of the Guest OS, a VM switch is performed from the Guest VM to the Service VM without rebooting the computer system. The Service OS includes diagnostic tools to analyze the Guest OS. In one embodiment, the VM switch is performed by firmware of the computer system. In another embodiment, the VMM operates in accordance with an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) framework standard.

1. Field of Invention
The field of invention relates generally to computer systems and, more specifically but not exclusively, relates to switching between a service virtual machine and a guest virtual machine in a virtual machine monitor environment.
2. Background Information
In a typical PC architecture, the initialization and configuration of the computer system by the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is commonly referred to as the pre-boot phase. It is generally defined as the firmware that runs between the processor reset and the first instruction of the Operating System (OS) loader. At the start of a pre-boot, it is up to the code in the firmware to initialize the system to the point that an operating system loaded off of media, such as a hard disk, can take over. The start of the OS load begins the period commonly referred to as OS runtime. During OS runtime, the firmware acts as an interface between software and hardware components of a computer system. As computer systems have become more sophisticated, the operational environment between the application and OS levels and the hardware level is generally referred to as the firmware or the firmware environment.
In today's servers, the system architecture allows for a bi-modal server management. Generally, a server has a server management OS and a guest operating system (OS). The management OS includes diagnostic tools and utilities to service the guest operating system and the server environment. The guest OS operates as a conventional operating system. Usually, the system first boots the management OS from the system management partition, and then the system must be rebooted in order to run the guest OS.
However, rebooting into the guest OS results in the loss of all state information from the management OS. Also, if there is a system failure while running in the guest OS, the machine must be rebooted back into the management OS for diagnosis. This reboot results in the loss of key state information that could be analyzed to discover system problems.
Also, some guest OS faults are so severe that the guest OS cannot take a snapshot of its own system state or perform an error dump to a storage device. Thus, vital information for system managers will be lost because the only solution is to reboot the system. Further, if the same error repeats itself, for example due to a mis-configured software patch, the system may continually crash without a scheme to diagnose the error.

Switching between a service virtual machine and a guest virtual machine in a virtual machine monitor environment


Novel heterocyclic ether compounds having the formula: ##STR1## wherein A, m, R, X, Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2 and Y.sup.3 are specifically defined, which are useful in selectively controlling chemical synaptic transmission; therapeutically-effective pharmaceutical compositions thereof; and use of said compositions to selectively control synaptic transmission in mammals.

Compounds that selectively control chemical synaptic transmission offer therapeutic utility in treating disorders that are associated with dysfunctions in synaptic transmission. This utility may arise from controlling either pre-synaptic or post-synaptic chemical transmission. The control of synaptic chemical transmission is, in turn, a direct result of a modulation of the excitability of the synaptic membrane. Presynaptic control of membrane excitability results from the direct effect an active compound has upon the organelles and enzymes present in the nerve terminal for synthesizing, storing, and releasing the neurotransmitter, as well as the process for active re-uptake. Postsynaptic control of membrane excitability results from the influence an active compound has upon the cytoplasmic organelles that respond to neurotransmitter action.
An explanation of the processes involved in chemical synaptic transmission will help to illustrate more fully the potential applications of the invention. (For a fuller explanation of chemical synaptic transmission refer to Hoffman et al., "Neurotransmission: The autonomic and somatic motor nervous systems." In: Goodman and Gilman's, The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed., J. G. Hardman, L. E. Limbird, P. B. Molinoff, R. W. Ruddon, and A. Goodman Gilman, eds., Pergamon Press, New York, 1996, pp. 105-139).
Typically, chemical synaptic transmission begins with a stimulus that depolarizes the transmembrane potential of the synaptic junction above the threshold that elicits an all-or-none action potential in a nerve axon. The action potential propagates to the nerve terminal where ion fluxes activate a mobilization process leading to neurotransmitter secretion and "transmission" to the postsynaptic cell. Those cells which receive communication from the central and peripheral nervous systems in the form of neurotransmitters are referred to as "excitable cells." Excitable cells are cells such as nerves, smooth muscle cells, cardiac cells and glands. The effect of a neurotransmitter upon an excitable cell may be to cause either an excitatory or an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (EPSP or IPSP, respectively) depending upon the nature of the postsynaptic receptor for the particular neurotransmitter and the extent to which other neurotransmitters are present. Whether a particular neurotransmitter causes excitation or inhibition depends principally on the ionic channels that are opened in the postsynaptic membrane (i.e., in the excitable cell).
EPSPs typically result from a local depolarization of the membrane due to a generalized increased permeability to cations (notably Na.sup.+ and K.sup.+), whereas IPSPs are the result of stabilization or hyperpolarization of the membrane excitability due to a increase in permeability to primarily smaller ions (including K.sup.+ and Cl.sup.-). For example, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine excites at skeletal muscle junctions by opening permeability channels for Na.sup.+ and K.sup.+. At other synapses, such as cardiac cells, acetylcholine can be inhibitory, primarily resulting from an increase in K.sup.+ conductance.
The biological effects of the compounds of the present invention result from modulation of a particular subtype of acetylcholine receptor. It is, therefore, important to understand the differences between two receptor subtypes. The two distinct subfamilies of acetylcholine receptors are defined as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. (See Goodman and Gilman's, The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, op. cit.).
The responses of these receptor subtypes are mediated by two entirely different classes of second messenger systems. When the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is activated, the response is an increased flux of specific extracellular ions (e.g. Na.sup.+, K.sup.+ and Ca.sup.++) through the neuronal membrane. In contrast, muscarinic acetylcholine receptor activation leads to changes in intracellular systems that contain complex molecules such as G-proteins and inositol phosphates. Thus, the biological consequences of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation are distinct from those of muscarinic receptor activation. In an analogous manner, inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors results in still other biological effects, which are distinct and different from those arising from muscarinic receptor inhibition.
As indicated above, the two principal sites to which drug compounds that affect chemical synaptic transmission may be directed are the presynaptic nerve terminal and the postsynaptic membrane. Actions of drugs directed to the presynaptic site may be mediated through presynaptic receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter which the same secreting structure has released (i.e., through an autoreceptor), or through a presynaptic receptor that responds to another neurotransmitter (i.e., through a heteroreceptor). Actions of drugs directed to the postsynaptic membrane mimic the action of the endogenous neurotransmitter or inhibit the interaction of the endogenous neurotransmitter with a postsynaptic receptor.
Classic examples of drugs that modulate postsynaptic membrane excitability are the neuromuscular blocking agents which interact with nicotinic acetylcholine-gated channel receptors on skeletal muscle, for example, competitive (stabilizing) agents, such as curare, or depolarizing agents, such as succinylcholine.
In the central nervous system, postsynaptic cells can have many neurotransmitters impinging upon them. This makes it difficult to know the precise net balance of chemical synaptic transmission required to control a given cell. Nonetheless, by designing compounds that selectively affect only one pre- or postsynaptic receptor, it is possible to modulate the net balance of all the other inputs. Obviously, the more that is understood about chemical synaptic transmission in CNS disorders, the easier it would be to design drugs to treat such disorders.
Knowing how specific neurotransmitters act in the CNS allows one to speculate about the disorders that may be treatable with certain CNS-active drugs. For example, dopamine is widely recognized as an important neurotransmitter in the central nervous systems in humans and animals. Many aspects of the pharmacology of dopamine have been reviewed by Roth and Elsworth, "Biochemical Pharmacology of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons", In: Psychopharmacology: The Fourth Generation of Progress, F. E. Bloom and D. J. Kupfer, Eds., Raven Press, N.Y., 1995, pp 227-243). Patients with Parkinson's disease have a primary loss of dopamnine containing neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway, which results in profound loss of motor control. Therapeutic strategies to replace the dopamine deficiency with dopamine mimetics, as well as administering pharmacologic agents that modify dopamine release and other neurotransmitters have been found to have therapeutic benefit ("Parkinson's Disease", In: Psychopharmacology: The Fourth Generation of Progress, op. cit, pp 1479-1484).
New and selective neurotransmitter controlling agents are still being sought, in the hope that one or more will be useful in important, but as yet poorly controlled, disease states or behavior models. For example, dementia, such as is seen with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinsonism, remains largely untreatable. Symptoms of chronic alcoholism and nicotine withdrawal involve aspects of the central nervous system, as does the behavioral disorder Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD). Specific agents for treatment of these and related disorders are few in number or non-existent.
A more complete discussion of the possible utility as CNS-active agents of compounds with activity as cholinergic ligands selective for neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, (i.e., for controlling chemical synaptic transmission) may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,958, to Gunn et al., issued Dec. 5, 1995, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Existing acetylcholine agonists are therapeutically sub-optimal in treating the conditions discussed above. For example, such compounds have unfavorable pharmacokinetics (e.g., arecoline and nicotine), poor potency and lack of selectivity (e.g., nicotine), poor CNS penetration (e.g., carbachol) or poor oral bioavailability (e.g., nicotine). In addition, other agents have many unwanted central agonist actions, including hypothermia, hypolocomotion and tremor and peripheral side effects, including miosis, lachrymation, defecation and tachycardia (Benowitz et al., in: Nicotine Psychopharmacology, S. Wonnacott, M. A. H. Russell, & I. P. Stolerman, eds., Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1990, pp. 112-157; and M. Davidson, et al., in Current Research in Alzheimer Therapy, E. Giacobini and R. Becker, ed.; Taylor & Francis: New York, 1988; pp 333-336).
Additional conditions for which neurotransmnitter controlling agents may be useful include acute and chronic pain. (A. Dray and L. Urban, Annu. Rev. Pharmacology Toxicol. 36: 253-280, (1996).
A 6-bromo-2-(1-piperidinyl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridine of indeterminate use was disclosed by Meth-Cohn et al., J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans., 1:2509-17 (1981). Ciba-Geigy and Schenker et al. have disclosed various (2-benzofuranyl)-substituted tetrahydro pyridines and pyridines useful in treating mental depression (GB Patent No. 1,510,977, published May 17, 1978; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,210,655 and 4,600,719). Toyama has disclosed N-BOC-thienopyridine derivatives having use an intermediates for preparation of complex cephalosporin-related antibiotic agents (PCT Patent Application WO 92/18505, published Oct. 29, 1992). Kabi Pharmacia has disclosed bicyclic heteroaryl compounds attached to a quinuclidene moiety useful for treating diseases related to muscarinic receptor function (PCT Patent Application WO 93/23395, published Nov. 25, 1993). Festal et al. have disclosed urea derivatives containing an azaindole moiety having utility as hypolipidemic and antiatheromatous agents (U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,849). Baker et al. have disclosed a class of substituted azetidine, pyrrolidine and piperidine derivatives having selective activity as agonists of 5-HT.sub.1 -like receptors (PCT Patent Application WO 96/04274, published Feb. 15, 1996).

Furopyridine, thienopyridine pyrrolopyridine useful in controlling chemical synaptic transmission


The present invention relates to an adhesive and soluble adhesive bandage or patch comprising a soluble film of natural origin with high mineral content. The soluble film comprises from 20 to 90 wt % of mineral filler and wherein the mineral filler content level is higher than the polysaccharide content level. It also relates to these bandages or patches for use in cosmetics or therapy. Also, a method of making a soluble film.

Soluble bandages are known in the form of water-soluble polymer-based sheets, for example for hydration and skincare, in particular to contribute active ingredients on the skin at the application point of the bandage, such as essential oils or plant extracts (EP 750,905, EP 613,692). Such soluble films can also be used as "mouthwash" by dissolving to release active ingredients once they are placed in the mouth (U.S. Pat. No. 7,491,406).
The incorporation of mineral fillers into polymer compositions of natural origin has been subject to many scientific studies on the physicochemical properties of such mixtures. Sanchez Garcia et al. describes the barrier properties of carrageenan-based compositions, to which different fillers are added, including clay and zein (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010, 58, 6884-6894). Tunc & Duman describe the preparation and characteristics of nanocomposite films based on methylcellulose and montmorillonite (Applied Clay Science, 5010, 48, 414-424). Wilhelm et al. describes the study of the physicochemical properties of starch-based films, reinforced with clay (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2003, 52, 101-110). Carvalho et al. describes the analysis of thermoplastic compositions based on starch and kaolin (Carbohydrate Polymers, 2001, 45, 189-194). Savanan et al. describes the improved thermal stability of compositions based on chitin and bentonite via a cross-linking agent (Elixir Appl. Chem., 2012, 44, 7374-7377).
However, none of these documents describe films able to be used as an adhesive bandage or patch, in cosmetics or therapy.
It will additionally be noted that what is identified as a "film" in these publications is generally a rigid and breakable product, much more comparable to chips, not corresponding to a film able to be used as an adhesive bandage or patch, in cosmetics or therapy. This is in particular the case for the product described by Tunc & Duman.
It is also known that in such bandages or patches, films based on natural polysaccharides do not comprise high mineral filler content levels, at the very most 15% (WO2006/027873).
However, it remains necessary to improve these soluble films both in terms of their mechanical strength and their stability over time, or to provide a new solution that allows greater versatility in the nature and quantity of active ingredients that can be incorporated into the bandage or patch.
For manufacturing, the use of mineral fillers simultaneously makes it possible to play a surfactant role during the film casting operation, reduce the drying time of the film, and stiffen the film.
During the use of the bandage or patch, and based on the polymer used, the presence of a high filler level makes it possible to reduce the sensitivity of the film to hygrometry and accelerate the drying time on the skin.

Highly mineral-filled adhesive bandage or patch


Reagents, immunoassay methods, and kits for detecting the presence or amount of trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene in a sample. Reagents include antibodies, immunogens for preparing antibodies, and assay conjugates. The immunogens elicit high affinity antibodies to trichloroethylene. The antibodies have minimal crossreactivity to other halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons. The assay conjugates provide for sufficient binding of the antibody to the conjugate with maximum inhibition of that binding by free trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene in the sample. The reagents are useful in immunoassays to detect trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, especially in environmental samples. Kits contain antibodies specific for trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene and assay conjugates.

Environmental contamination is a severe problem endangering the lives of many plants and animals, including humans. Many attempts are being made to reduce contamination by either preventing escape of the contaminants into the environment, containing the contaminants, or treating the contaminants in some way to make them less harmful. However, the first step in contaminant elimination or reduction is the identification of the contaminant followed by a determination of the quantity of contamination at the contaminated site. As the contaminated site is treated, such as by contaminant removal, degradation or encapsulation, the site is monitored to determine the effectiveness of the clean-up procedure.
The current approach of collecting soil and water samples and sending them to a laboratory for chemical analysis is time-consuming, inefficient, costly, may result in inaccurate measurements, and can pose health and safety risks to workers and the community. Ideally, the degree of contamination remaining in a contaminated site during and after the clean-up procedure should be monitored by personnel at the site. For example, during a remediation effort involving large, expensive earth moving equipment, it is important to know whether all of the contaminated soil has been removed from a site before equipment and personnel are moved to the next job site. Immediate results regarding the extent of remaining contamination allow these decisions to be made in the most cost effective manner. To be effective in the field, contaminant monitoring methods must be simple, portable, rapid, unambiguous, able to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and should provide results that can be visualized at the test site, preferably in the absence of instrumentation.
A major component of the costs associated with a hazardous site characterization can be attributed to analytical testing. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) are common analytical methods utilized to evaluate environmental pollutants. Although highly sensitive, these methods require sophisticated equipment that are not easily adapted for use in the field. Portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometers (GC/MS) for sample analysis in the field have been developed. However, the costs of production, maintenance, and operation of such instruments by highly trained technicians are understandably high.
Halogenated Hydrocarbons
Halogenated hydrocarbons have been identified as common pollutants in the United States. Halogenated hydrocarbons have been and still are widely used in many industries as cleaning solvents, refrigerants, fumigants, and starting materials for the syntheses of other chemicals. This class of contaminants includes volatile halogenated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, a general solvent and degreaser and the most prevalent halogenated hydrocarbon contaminant, and perchloroethylene (dry cleaning fluid). Because of the extensive use and stability of halogenated hydrocarbons, hundreds of contaminated groundwater and landfill sites exist in the United States.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile compound, routinely used as a solvent in various industrial applications throughout the world. Because of its prevalent use, frequent releases of this compound from accidental spills, leaking storage containers and improper disposal practices have led to environmental contamination. Due to its potential teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties coupled with a partition coefficient that suggests its ability to migrate quickly through soil, federal regulations have been enacted to limit trichloroethylene levels in the environment.
To determine if trichloroethylene contamination exists, an accurate and reliable site characterization must be performed. The extent of the contamination is determined by making borings at regular intervals across the entire site and taking samples from each boring every two to five feet until the water table is encountered. Trichloroethylene levels in these samples are used to project the extent of the contaminant plume. Because of the volatility associated with trichloroethylene, special sample collection, handling and storage techniques must be employed to minimize contaminant loss to evaporation and assure accuracy from the analysis. When dealing with volatile compounds, such as trichloroethylene, the most accurate and reliable results are usually obtained from on-site testing or 24 hour turn-around analyses.
Immunoassays
Various approaches have been described for carrying out immunoassays (e.g. P. Tijssen, PRACTICE AND THEORY OF ENZYME IMMUNOASSAYS, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1985), which rely on the binding of analyte by an analyte receptor or antibody to determine the concentrations of analyte in a sample. The most widely applied immunoassay method for detection of small molecules, such as those having a molecular weight less than 1000 daltons, is the heterogeneous, competitive immunoassay. In the heterogeneous, competition immunoassay a structurally similar derivative or analog of the analyte to be detected is chemically coupled to a substance to form an analyte-conjugate. The analyte-conjugate is employed as a reagent in the assay and competes with analyte in the sample for antibody binding sites. Either the antibody or the analyte-conjugate is labeled in such a way as to render them detectable, and the immunoassay method provides a physical means for separating bound and unbound label. A sample suspected of containing analyte, the analyte-conjugate, and the antibody are reacted together. Bound and unbound label are separated and either can be quantitated as a measure of analyte concentration in the sample.
Environmental Immunoassays
Immunoassay methods have been available for the detection of some environmental contaminants for several years. However, a crucial step in the development of an immunoassay is the availability or production of antibodies that bind to the analyte to be detected. Small molecules such as trichloroethylene (ClCHCCl.sub.2) and perchloroethylene (C.sub.2 Cl.sub.4) are too small to produce an appropriate immune response when injected into laboratory animals. Such molecules, commonly referred to as haptens, must first be coupled to a larger molecule, commonly referred to as a carrier molecule, to produce a conjugate that then may be used to produce antibodies. However, the ability to produce antibodies to hapten is not predictable. Furthermore, even if antibodies to the hapten are produced, they may not possess sufficient sensitivity and specificity for the analyte to be utilized in an immunoassay having the requisite performance characteristics.
Antibodies for use in an immunoassay for the detection of small aliphatic organic compounds including trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene are available as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,909 to Roger Piasio. However, these antibodies react better with other organic compounds such as toluene and therefore lack specificity for trichloroethylene.
Little progress on the development of inexpensive, onsite monitoring methods, such as immunoassay methods, has been made. Therefore, there is an on-going need for development of antibodies and immunoassays specific for the detection of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, particularly assays that are highly sensitive and specific, and can be used for on-site detection of environmental contamination.

Reagents, methods and kits for detecting trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene


An injection apparatus includes an actuating cylinder, an accommodating chamber, and a volume changing part capable of changing the volume of the accommodating chamber. The actuating cylinder has an operation chamber and a piston accommodated in the operation chamber, and supplies an incompressible fluid to the injection cylinder by forcing out the incompressible fluid inside the operation chamber with the piston. The accommodating chamber is connected to the operation chamber, and holds at least some of the incompressible fluid that flows out from the operation chamber due to the piston being pushed out. The volume changing part expands the volume of the accommodating chamber, at the latest simultaneously with the start of acceleration of the actuating cylinder, and stops the expansion of the volume when the operating speed of the piston of the actuating cylinder has reached a desired speed.

Injection apparatuses are known as apparatuses for molding a desired product by injecting a molding material into a mold and filling the mold with the molding material. See Patent Document 1, for example. The injection apparatus of this type generally operates in three steps: a low-speed step, a high-speed step and a pressure-increasing step; operates the piston of an injection cylinder at a desired speed in the respective steps; and also operates to impart a desired pressure to the molding material in a mold.


A process for production of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series through a condensation reaction of aniline with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst, neutralization of the acid catalyst after reaction completion, and distillation of the resultant polyamine mixture is described. The key feature of the process is the abrupt increase in reaction temperature after the condensation reaction or after the first rearrangement step.

The present invention relates to an improved process for the production of polyamine mixtures of the polyamino-polyaryl-polymethylene series, as well as to the use thereof in the production of white polyurethane foam materials.
The production of diaminoarylmethane and polyamino-polyaryl-polymethylene mixtures by the acid condensation of aromatic amine and formaldehyde is known (U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,730). The diaminoarylmethane and the polyamine mixtures are valuable as intermediate products in the production of the corresponding isocyanates. Polyurethane foams produced from such isocyanates show a yellow-brown coloration. The coloration of the foam has come to serve as a quality characteristic of the isocyanate used: the darker the coloration, the poorer the isocyanate used.
German Auslegeschrift 3,225,135 describes a process for the production of polyamino polyaryl polymethylenes in which the components are preferably mixed at temperatures of up to 50.degree. C., and in which the reaction mixture is reacted in a tube reactor at a continuously increasing temperature from 50.degree.C. until reaching from 90.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. The polyurethane foam materials produced from the corresponding isocyanates are darkly discolored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,526 describes a special process for the production of polyamino polyaryl polymethylenes, in which the amine is reacted with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst at 10.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. at a protonation degree of from 0.1 to 25%. Additional acid is added subsequently, and the temperature is adjusted 75.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. The polyamine is then separated. The disadvantage of this process is the expensive separation of the acid catalyst. In addition, the polyurethane foam obtained from the corresponding isocyanate is not light in color.
The object of the present invention was therefore to discover a process which permits production of a high grade isocyanate that results in a light polyurethane foam material.

Process for the production of polyamine mixtures of the polyamino-polyaryl-polymethylene series