A method for mass spectrometry comprises: receiving or generating a respective value of an optimal collision energy for generating each one of a plurality of n product-ion species of interest from at least one precursor-ion species, each optimal collision energy corresponding to a respective maximum fragmentation efficiency; determining a number, m, wherein m<n, of precursor-ion collision energy values required to fragment all of the at least one precursor-ion species such that a fragmentation efficiency of each product-ion species of interest generated by the fragmentation is equal to the respective maximum fragmentation efficiency, within a pre-determined tolerance; and performing a mass spectrometric analysis that includes fragmenting the one or more precursor-ion species in a collision cell by imparting, in sequence, each of and only the m precursor-ion collision energy values to ions received from an ion source.

In the field of tandem mass spectrometry, so-called "full-scan mode" is an analytical procedure in which a population of precursor ions is fragmented to produce a single mass spectrum that comprises intensities for a plurality of product-ion species together comprising a range of mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio values. Nearly all mass spectrometers can be operated in such a mode. By contrast, the single reaction monitoring (SRM) mode and the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode are most commonly performed using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (common shorthand notation, "QqQ"), in which mass spectral data acquisition comprises the measurement of a one or more precursor/product ion pairs. During each measurement corresponding to a particular precursor-ion/product-ion pair, a first quadrupole (Q1) is set to transmit only a selected particular limited precursor-ion m/z range while filtering out all other ranges and, subsequently, the so-isolated selected precursor is fragmented at a particular collision energy in a second quadruple (q2) operated as a fragmentation cell. A third quadrupole (Q3) is set to transmit a particular resultant product-ion m/z to a detector and the so-detected product-ion signal, as integrated during a time period, is thereby recorded.
Some mass spectrometers do not have a true SRM or MRM mode of operation. In such apparatuses, the intensities of a wide range of product-ion m/z values are recorded after accumulating a particular precursor m/z and then fragmenting the accumulated ions. Examples of this type of instrument, which are here termed "full scan instruments", are time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers, ORBITRAP™ and other electrostatic-trap-type mass analyzers and mass spectrometers, Fourier Transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass analyzers, and quadrupole ion trap mass analyzers and mass spectrometers. Of these various mass spectrometer instruments, only the Fourier transform based instruments (FT-ICR, ORBITRAP™ and other electrostatic-trap-type mass analyzers and mass spectrometers) measure the intensities of all the product ions in a truly simultaneous fashion. For the remainder of the so-called full-scan instruments, the condition δt<<tdwell holds (where the symbol "<<" may be taken to mean "less than 5% of"). In other words, in the case of these other instruments, the ratio of the time increment, δt, required to analyze an m/z increment is much smaller than the dwell time, tdwell, that is used to accumulate the ions in the spectrum. Accordingly, these instruments are able to measure the intensities of product ions in an essentially simultaneous fashion and are therefore included in the category of "full-scan" instruments. By contrast, in the case of the QqQ instrument, δt=tdwell. Nonetheless, it should be noted that a QqQ mass spectrometer can also generate a full scan tandem mass spectrum by concatenating multiple individual product-ion species measurements over a scanned range of Q3 settings. However, this is usually not the most analytically-relevant mode for that type of apparatus.
A typical QqQ MRM analytical protocol calls for the measurement of multiple product-ion species, comprising respective m/z values, that are generated by fragmentation of a given precursor-ion species, so that the ratio of the product-ion intensities can serve as a measure of confidence that the analyte of interest is actually present. In this scenario, the various product-ion species are simultaneously produced by fragmenting the precursor-ion species in the collision cell under the application of a single collision energy that has been chosen so as to produce a range of product-ion species. In an ideal situation for a full scan instrument, the multiple product-ion species are optimally produced at nearly the same collision energy, E1, thus requiring only a single accumulation of the precursor ions followed by a single fragmentation under the application of the collision energy E1, and a single m/z analysis event. This ideal situation is associated with the greatest measurement efficiency, since the maximum quantities of all product ions are generated in a single ion accumulation and fragmentation event instead of in multiple accumulation and fragmentation events. However, sometimes different collision energies are required for optimal production of the various product-ion species. In such scenarios, some product-ion species may be produced at low efficiency, as exemplified by the product-ion species indicated by a star symbol in the lowermost mass spectrum 104 of the anti-parasitic veterinary drug Closantel depicted in FIG. 1. The less-than-maximal generation of some product-ion species as a result of the application of a non-optimal collision energy may lead to the problem low confidence of detection of a targeted analyte and/or low detection sensitivity.
To solve the above-noted problem, the concept of stepped collision energy was introduced, in which a single spectrum contains ions fragmented at a series of collision energies. This concept was described, for example, by Carr and coworkers (Huddleston, Michael J., Roland S. Annan, Mark F. Bean, and Steven A. Carr. "Selective detection of phosphopeptides in complex mixtures by electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry." Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 4, no. 9 (1993): 710-717) in a study of phosphopeptides. As described in that study, an orifice region collision energy was incrementally stepped to different values as a quadrupole mass filter was ramped to produce a full scan MS/MS spectrum of the product ions. Specifically, two collision energies were employed, a first collision energy for "declustering" and another collision energy for "diagnostic fragments". Later, this concept was extended to analytical studies employing linear ion trap and ORBITRAP™ mass spectrometers ("Enhanced Fragmentation of Small Molecules in a Thermo Scientific LTQ Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer Using Stepped Collision Energy". Thermo Fisher Product Support Bulletin 121; Geiger, Tamar, Juergen Cox, and Matthias Mann. "Proteomics on an Orbitrap benchtop mass spectrometer using all ion fragmentation." Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (2010): mcp-M110; U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,957
To date, the stepped collision energy concept has only been applied to the problem of determining a collision energy procedure to produce acceptable fragmentation for a wide range of generic analytes, without specifying how to set the number of events and their collision energies in a customized way for each analyte. The stepped collision energy procedures described in the art perform a series of accumulation events for each precursor, at a plurality of collision energies, which are agnostic to the identity of the precursor except for its m/z (by way of the "normalized" collision energy scheme), followed by a single m/z analysis event. This is typically specified as a nominal normalized collision energy and two others collision energies that are lower and higher by some amount, for example 35%+/−10%.
In the present study, to determine the range of variability of optimal collision energies, a set of 280 pesticides were characterized to find the collision energy that optimized the sum of all product ions (FIG. 2). It is observed that, especially in the case of beam-type fragmentation (FIG. 2A), the optimal collision energies cannot be simply correlated to the mass of the precursor ion, so they need to be determined individually, if only a single energy is to be used. In the case of some pesticides in which collision energy is supplied by resonant excitation (rCID) within a quadrupole (FIG. 2B), the prior-art strategies may allow one to obtain reasonably good fragmentation coverage. Nonetheless, there may be some compounds for which the general prior-art stepped collision energy procedure is unable to yield optimal fragmentation of the products of interest. Thus, there is a need in the art of tandem mass spectrometry for methods of full-scan operation that are more specific in optimizing the number of fragmentation events, and the collision energies used for each such event.

Optimized stepped collision energy scheme for tandem mass spectrometry


A system and process for computing motion or depth estimates from multiple images. In general terms this is accomplished by associating a depth or motion map with each input image (or some subset of the images equal or greater than two), rather that computing a single map for all the images. In addition, consistency between the estimates associated with different images is ensured. More particularly, this involves minimizing a three-part cost function, which consists of an intensity (or color) compatibility constraint, a motion/depth compatibility constraint, and a flow smoothness constraint. In addition, a visibility term is added to the intensity (or color) compatibility and motion/depth compatibility constraints to prevent the matching of pixels into areas that are occluded. In operation, the cost function is computed in two phases. During an initializing phase, the motion or depth for each image being examined are estimated independently. Since there are not yet any estimates for other frames to employ in the calculation, the motion or depth compatibility term is ignored. In addition, no visibilities are computed and it is assumed all pixels are visible. Once an initial set of motion estimates have been computed, the visibilities are computed and the motion or depth estimates recalculated using the visibility terms and the motion or depth compatibility constraint. The foregoing process can then be repeated several times using the revised estimates from the previous iteration as the initializing estimates for the new iteration, to obtain better estimates of motion/depth values and visibility.

1. Technical Field:
The invention is related to a computer-implemented system and process for estimating a motion or depth map for multiple images of a 3D scene, and more particularly, to a system and process for estimating motion or depth maps for more than one image of the multiple images of the 3D scene.
2. Background Art:
Stereo and motion have long been central research problems in computer vision. Early work was motivated by the desire to recover depth maps and coarse shape and motion models for robotics and object recognition applications. More recently, depth maps obtained from stereo (or alternately dense correspondence maps obtained from motion) have been combined with texture maps extracted from input images in order to create realistic 3-D scenes and environments for virtual reality and virtual studio applications. Similarly, these maps have been employed for motion-compensated prediction in video processing applications. Unfortunately, the quality and resolution of most of today""s algorithms falls quite short of that demanded by these new applications, where even isolated errors in correspondence become readily visible when composited with synthetic graphical elements.
One of the most common errors made by these algorithms is a mis-estimation of depth or motion near occlusion boundaries. Traditional correspondence algorithms assume that every pixel has a corresponding pixel in all other images. Obviously, in occluded regions, this is not so. Furthermore, if only a single depth or motion map is used, it is impossible to predict the appearance of the scene in regions which are occluded. This point is illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 depicts a slice through a motion sequence spatio-temporal volume. A standard estimation algorithm only estimates the motion at the center frame designated by the (⇄) symbol, and ignores other frames such as those designated by the (xe2x86x92) symbols. As can be seen some pixels that are occluded in the center frame are visible in some of the other frames. Other problems with traditional approaches include dealing with untextured or regularly textured regions, and with viewpoint-dependent effects such as specularities or shading.
One popular approach to tackling these problems is to build a 3D volumetric model of the scene [15, 18]. The scene volume is discretized, often in terms of equal increments of disparity. The goal is then to find the voxels which lie on the surfaces of the objects in the scene. The benefits of such an approach include the equal and efficient treatment of a large number of images [5], the possibility of modeling occlusions [9], and the detection of mixed pixels at occlusion boundaries [18]. Unfortunately, discretizing space volumetrically introduces a large number of degrees of freedom and leads to sampling and aliasing artifacts. To prevent a systematic xe2x80x9cfatteningxe2x80x9d of depth layers near occlusion boundaries, variable window sizes [10] or iterative evidence aggregation [14] can be used. Sub-pixel disparities can be estimated by finding the analytic minimum of the local error surface [13] or using gradient-based techniques [12], but this requires going back to a single depth/motion map representation.
Another active area of research is the detection of parametric motions within image sequences [19, 3, 20]. Here, the goal is to decompose the images into sub-images, commonly referred to as layers, such that the pixels within each layer move with a parametric transformation. For rigid scenes, the layers can be interpreted as planes in 3D being viewed by a moving camera, which results in fewer unknowns. This representation facilitates reasoning about occlusions, permits the computation of accurate out-of-plane displacements, and enables the modeling of mixed or transparent pixels [1]. Unfortunately, initializing such an algorithm and determining the appropriate number of layers is not straightforward, and may require sophisticated optimization algorithms to resolve.
Thus, all current correspondence algorithms have their limitations. Single depth or motion maps cannot represent occluded regions not visible in the reference image and usually have problems matching near discontinuities. Volumetric techniques have an excessively large number of degrees of freedom and have limited resolution, which can lead to sampling or aliasing artifacts. Layered motion and stereo algorithms require combinatorial search to determine the correct number of layers and cannot naturally handle true three-dimensional objects (they are better at representing xe2x80x9ccutoutxe2x80x9d scenes). Furthermore, none of these approaches can easily model the variation of scene or object appearance with respect to the viewing position.
It is noted that in the preceding paragraphs, as well as in the remainder of this specification, the description refers to various individual publications identified by a numeric designator contained within a pair of brackets. For example, such a reference may be identified by reciting, xe2x80x9creference [1]xe2x80x9d or simply xe2x80x9c[1]xe2x80x9d. Multiple references will be identified by a pair of brackets containing more than one designator, for example, [15, 18]. A listing of the publications corresponding to each designator can be found at the end of the Detailed Description section.
The present invention relates to a new approach to computing dense motion or depth estimates from multiple images that overcomes the problems of current depth and motion estimation methods. In general terms this is accomplished by associating a depth or motion map with each input image (or some subset of the images equal to or greater than two), rather that computing a single map for all the images. In addition, consistency between the estimates associated with different images is ensured by using a motion compatibility constraint and reasoning about occlusion relationships by computing pixel visibilities. This system of cross-checking estimates between images produces richer, more accurate, estimates for the desired motion and depth maps.
More particularly, a preferred process according to the present invention involves using a multi-view framework that generates dense depth or motion estimates for the input images (or a subset thereof). This is accomplished by minimizing a three-part cost function, which consists of an intensity compatibility constraint, a motion or depth compatibility constraint, and a motion smoothness constraint. The motion smoothness term uses the presence of color/brightness discontinuities to modify the probability of motion smoothness violations. In addition, a visibility term is added to the intensity compatibility and motion/depth compatibility constraints to prevent the matching of pixels into areas that are occluded. In operation, the cost function is computed in two phases. During an initializing phase, the motion or depth values for each image being examined are estimated independently. Since there is not yet any motion/depth estimates for other frames to employ in the calculation, the motion/depth compatibility term is ignored. In addition, no visibilities are computed and it is assumed all pixels are visible. Once an initial set of motion/depth estimates have been computed, the visibilities are computed and the motion/depth estimates recalculated using the visibility terms and the motion/depth compatibility constraint. The foregoing process can then be repeated several times using the revised motion/depth estimates from the previous iteration as the initializing estimates for the new iteration, to obtain better estimates of motion/depth and visibility.
The foregoing new approach is motivated by several target applications. One application is view interpolation, where it is desired to generate novel views from a collection of images with associated depth maps. The use of multiple depth maps and images allows modeling partially occluded regions and to model view-dependent effects (such as specularities) by blending images taken from nearby viewpoints [6]. Another application is motion-compensated frame interpolation (e.g., for video compression, rate conversion, or de-interlacing), where the ability to predict bi-directionally (from both previous and future keyframes) yield better prediction results [11]. A third application is as a low-level representation from which segmentation and layer extraction (or 3D model construction) can take place.
In addition to the just described benefits, other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows hereinafter when taken in conjunction with the drawing figures which accompany it.

Multi-view approach to motion and stereo


The invention relates to a process for purifying aniline produced by gas-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, by fractional condensation of the crude reaction product obtained in gaseous form so that at least two liquid process products, a partial condensate (PK) and a total condensate (TK), are obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for purifying aniline produced by gas-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, by fractional condensation of the crude reaction product obtained in gaseous form so that at least two liquid process products, a partial condensate (PK) and a total condensate (TK), are obtained, wherein the condensation leading to the formation of PK is carried out at higher condensation than the temperature leading to the formation of TK, a product stream originating from PK and a product stream originating from TK are each passed separately from one another into a distillation column consisting of at least one stripping section and at least one rectifying section, wherein the product stream originating from PK is introduced into the lower section of the distillation column between the lowermost stripping section and the section which follows, and the product stream originating from TK is introduced into the top of the distillation column above the uppermost rectifying section, and the desired purified aniline is withdrawn in a side stream between the lowermost stripping section and the uppermost rectifying section of the distillation column.
2. Description of Related Art
Aromatic amines are important intermediates, which must be available inexpensively and in large amounts. Aniline, an aromatic amine which is of particular importance industrially, can be purified in an outstanding manner by the process according to the invention. Aniline is an important intermediate in the production of di- and poly-isocyanates of the diphenylmethane series (MDI) and is produced on an industrial scale generally by catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. Installations with very large capacities must be constructed for that purpose in order to be able to cover the enormous worldwide requirement. The hydrogenation of nitrobenzene is preferably carried out in the gas phase on stationary, heterogeneous supported catalysts, such as, for example, Pd on aluminium oxide or carbon supports, in fixed-bed reactors at an absolute pressure of from 2 to 50 bar and a temperature in the range from 250 to 500° C. under adiabatic conditions in gas recycle mode; see EP-A-0 696 573, EP-A-0 696 574 and EP-A-1 882 681. "Gas recycle mode" means that the non-condensable gases (that is to say substantially hydrogen not reacted during the hydrogenation and any added inert gases) contained in the crude reaction product, optionally with the exception of small amounts diverted off to keep constant further gaseous components of the recycle gas—such as, for example, ammonia formed on the catalyst by deamination reactions, are fed back into the reaction.
In the production of aniline, water and organic secondary products are also formed in addition to the target product. Amounts of unreacted nitrobenzene may additionally also be present, depending upon the production process. Such organic secondary components, as well as any unreacted nitrobenzene, must be separated off before the aniline is used further. The organic secondary components and any unreacted nitrobenzene can be divided into two groups: a) the group of the "low boilers", that is to say compounds or azeotropically boiling mixtures of individual components having boiling points below that of aniline (b.p.=184° C.), and b) the group of the "high boilers", that is to say compounds or azeotropically boiling mixtures of individual components having boiling points above that of aniline. Nitrobenzene (b.p.=211° C.) accordingly belongs to the group of the high boilers.
A crude product stream of a gas-phase hydrogenation installation of nitrobenzene accordingly generally comprises:                aniline,        process water (i.e. the sum of water formed in the reaction and water optionally added to the starting gas stream),        non-condensable gases (excess hydrogen—optionally containing gaseous impurities such as, for example, methane, carbon oxides—and optionally added inert gases, for example for improving the selectivity of added nitrogen, see EP-A-1 882 681, and optionally gaseous secondary products, for example ammonia from deamination reactions),        low boilers, and        high boilers (which can optionally also contain amounts of unreacted nitrobenzene).
An example of the group of the low boilers is benzene (b.p.=80° C.), and an example of the group of the high boilers is diphenylamine (b.p.=302° C.). The aniline can easily be separated from those two impurities mentioned as examples because their boiling points are very different from that of aniline (ΔTs=104 K and 118 K). On the other hand, it is precisely the high boilers which, after condensation of the product, make it necessary to evaporate and condense the aniline again, so that their presence is particularly problematical.
A particular difficulty is in addition the separation of those secondary products whose boiling points are very similar to those of aniline, because the outlay in terms of distillation is considerable here. In this context, the separation of phenol (b.p.=182° C.) represents a major challenge for distillation technology, which is reflected in the use of long distillation columns with a large number of plates and high reflux ratios, with a correspondingly high outlay in terms of investment and energy.
Compounds having phenolic hydroxy groups, that is to say compounds that carry at least one hydroxy group (—OH) directly on an aromatic ring, can generally be problematical in the working-up of aniline. In addition to phenol, which has already been mentioned, particular mention may be made of the various aminophenols.
The purification of aniline is therefore not a trivial matter and has considerable industrial importance. Many approaches address in particular the mentioned problem in connection with compounds having phenolic hydroxy groups. The solution consists in converting the compounds having phenolic hydroxy groups into the corresponding salts by reaction with suitable bases, the salts, as non-volatile compounds, being substantially easier to separate off.
JP-A-49-035341, US-A-2005 080294, EP-A-1 845 079 and EP-A-2-028 176 accordingly disclose processes in which an aromatic amine is distilled in the presence of a base. In that procedure, problems of solids deposition, fouling and/or a pronounced rise in viscosity in the distillation must be prevented by complex and/or expensive measures.
As an alternative to the removal of compounds having phenolic hydroxy groups from aniline during the distillation, JP-A-08-295654 describes an extraction with dilute aqueous alkali hydroxide solution. Disadvantages of that process are the high NaOH consumption and the formation—as a result of the low concentration of the alkali hydroxide solutions—of very large amounts of waste water containing alkali phenolate.
EP-A-1 845 080 describes a process for the purification of aniline by extraction with aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution having a concentration >0.7% by mass, wherein the concentration and temperature are so adjusted that the aqueous phase always represents the lower phase in the subsequent phase separation.
JP-A-2007217405 describes a process in which the phenol-containing aniline is brought into contact with aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution at least twice, in such a manner that the concentration of alkali metal hydroxide in the aqueous phase is from 0.1% by mass to 0.7% by mass.
JP-A-2005 350388 relates very generally to the improvement of aniline working-up. A process is described in which a portion of the bottom product of the aniline distillation column is discharged therefrom and converted into the gas phase separately, that is to say in a second evaporator which is different from the actual evaporator of the column. The gas phase so obtained is fed back into the pure aniline column; high boiler fractions that cannot be evaporated are separated off. A disadvantage of that process is that low boilers and water must be separated off upstream of the actual aniline distillation column by an additional distillation in a dewatering column in a process that is complex in terms of apparatus.
None of the mentioned publications discusses how to reduce the proportion of aniline that must be evaporated and condensed again in a distillation process. If the aniline to be purified is from a gas-phase process, it even passes through two condensations according to the prior art: the reaction product obtained in gaseous form is first condensed as completely as possible, the aqueous phase is separated off, and the resulting organic phase is distilled, that is to say the desired product is (i) condensed, (ii) evaporated and (iii) condensed again, which is very expensive in terms of energy and apparatus and leads to considerable thermal stresses on the aniline.
Accordingly, it was an object of the present invention to provide a process for purifying aniline from gas-phase hydrogenations, in which only a minimal proportion of the aniline itself must be evaporated and condensed again and in which the separation of compounds having phenolic hydroxy groups is achieved as effectively as possible with minimal losses of valuable aniline.

Process for purifying aniline from gas phase hydrogenations


A system and method for backhaul based explicit sounding feedback of 802.11 AP to AP channel state information (CSI) so that inter AP interference can be reduced and multiple APs transmissions that can occur simultaneously on the same radio channel. A modification may be made to APs such that they can accurately measure the CSI between them that in turn enables their respective beamformer to create pattern nulls toward each other while simultaneously developing pattern enhancements toward their intended station. An AP may send a sounding packet to its associated STAs, poll explicit feedbacks from STAs and receive backhaul CSI feedbacks from neighboring APs. There is no additional Wi-Fi overhead in physical layer. Backhaul feedback link is established through direct peer-to-peer (P2P) link which bypassed the sounding controller to reduce CSI feedback delay.

Prior to setting forth a short discussion of the related art, it may be helpful to set forth definitions of certain terms that will be used hereinafter. Some of these terms are defined in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification but it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to systems and methods complying with the IEEE 802.11 specification.
The term "Wi-Fi" is used to refer to technology that allows communication devices to interact wirelessly based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. The wireless communication may use microwave bands, e.g. in the 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz range.
The term "AP" is an acronym for Access Point and is used herein to define a device that allows wireless devices (known as User Equipment or "UE") to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, or related standards. The AP usually connects to a router (via a wired network) as a standalone device, but it can also be an integral component of the router itself.
The term "UE" is an acronym for User Equipment(s) and is an example of a station, e.g. Wi-Fi station (STA) that may attach to an AP.
The term "associated STA" as used herein refers to a STA that is served by a certain AP, for example with a certain Service Set Identifier (SSID).
The term "station" or STA is a term used for any participant on the network, for example as used in the 802.11 specification. Both UEs and APs are considered in this context to be examples of stations. In the following the abbreviation STA is used for stations whose packets are detected by a Wi-Fi RDN station implementing embodiments of the invention.
BSS is acronym for Basic Service Set, which is typically a cluster of Stations associated with an AP dedicated to managing the BSS. A BSS built around an AP is called an infrastructure BSS. The term "backhaul" is used in the following to denote a communication path between two APs or base stations, for example using a different protocol from that used for wireless communication between an AP or base station and supported equipment or STA. The 802.11 specification does not provide for communication between APs. A backhaul link may operate outside a wireless, e.g. Wi-Fi, environment in which APs or base stations and associated UEs or other STAs are operating, or use one or more different channels from those used by APs to communicate with their associated stations. A backhaul link may use any combination of wired and wireless communication including but not limited to a cellular communication network, Ethernet, and the internet.
"Beacon transmission" refers to periodical information transmission which may include system information.
HT-LTF is an acronym for high throughput long training field as defined in the 802.11 specification.
MPDU is an acronym for media access code (MAC) protocol data unit as defined in the 802.11 specification.
NAV is an acronym for network allocation vector as defined in the 802.11 specification.
NDP is an acronym for null data packet.
PPDU is an acronym for physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit as defined in the 802.11 specification.
The term "sounding" refers to a channel calibration procedure involving the sending of a packet, called a "sounding packet" from one participant on a network to another, for example as defined in the 802.11 specifications.
VHT is an acronym for very high throughput as defined in the 802.11 specification.
The specific Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) mechanism used in the 802.11 Media Access Control (MAC) is referred to as the distributed coordination function (DCF). A station that wishes to transmit first performs a clear channel assessment (CCA) by sensing the medium for a fixed duration, the DCF inter-frame space (DIFS).
SIFS, Short Inter Frame Space, as defined in the 802.11 specifications is the period between reception of the data frame and transmission of the ACK. SIFS is shorter than DIFS.
The term Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) as used herein refers to a CCA function, e.g. as defined in the 802.11 specification.
The term "MIMO" is an acronym for multiple input multiple output and as used herein, is defined as the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. MIMO offers significant increases in data throughput and link range without additional bandwidth or increased transmit power. It achieves this goal by spreading the transmit power over the antennas to achieve spatial multiplexing that improves the spectral efficiency (more bits per second per Hz of bandwidth) or to achieve a diversity gain that improves the link reliability (reduced fading), or increased antenna directivity.
"Channel estimation" is used herein to refer to estimation of channel state information (CSI) which describes properties of a communication link such as signal to noise ratio "SNR" and signal to interference plus noise ratio "SINR". Channel estimation may be performed by user equipment or APs as well as other components operating in a communications system.
The term "beamforming" sometimes referred to as "spatial filtering" as used herein, is a signal processing technique used in antenna arrays for directional signal transmission or reception. This is achieved by combining elements in the array in such a way that signals at particular angles experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. Beamforming can be used at both the transmitting and receiving ends in order to achieve spatial selectivity. The operation of attempting to achieve destructive interference in order to cancel a signal in a particular direction or angle is referred to as "nulling". Complete cancellation of a signal is not usually achieved in practice and a "null" in a radiation pattern may refer to a minimum in signal strength. The lower the signal strength, the "deeper" the null is said to be.
The term "beamformer" as used herein refers to analog and/or digital circuitry that implements beamforming and may include combiners and phase shifters or delays and in some cases amplifiers and/or attenuators to adjust the weights of signals to or from each antenna in an antenna array. Digital beamformers may be implemented in digital circuitry such as a digital signal processor (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), microprocessor or the central processing unit "CPU" of a computer to set the weights as may be expressed by phases and/or amplitudes of the above signals. Various techniques are used to implement beamforming including: Butler matrices, Blass Matrices and Rotman Lenses. In general, most approaches may attempt to provide simultaneous coverage within a sector using multiple beams.

System and method for backhaul based sounding feedback


The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity and isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polypeptides having dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity and isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing the polypeptides. The present invention further relates to methods of obtaining protein hydrolysates useful as flavour improving agents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various food products, e.g., soups, sauces and seasonings, contain flavoring agents obtained by hydrolysis of proteinaceous materials. This hydrolysis is conventionally accomplished using strong hydrochloric acid, followed by neutralization with sodium hydroxide. However, such chemical hydrolysis leads to severe degradation of the amino acids obtained during the hydrolysis, and also to hazardous byproducts formed in the course of this chemical reaction. Increasing concern over the use of flavoring agents obtained by chemical hydrolysis has led to the development of enzymatic hydrolysis processes.
Enzymatic hydrolysis processes of proteinaceous materials aim at obtaining a high degree of hydrolysis (DH), and this is usually attained using a complex of unspecific acting proteolytic enzymes (i.e., unspecific-acting endo- and exo-peptidases). For example, WO 94/25580 describes a method for hydrolyzing proteins by use of an unspecific acting enzyme preparation obtained from Aspergillus oryzae. Specific acting proteolytic enzymes have not been used for this purpose because such enzymes only lead to an inadequate degree of hydrolysis.
Polypeptides having dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity catalyze the removal of dipeptides from the N-terminus of peptides, polypeptides, and proteins. Such polypeptides are classified under the Enzyme Classification Number E.C. 3.4.14.—of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Beauvais et al. (1997, Journal of Biological Chemistry 272: 6238–6244) disclose a dipeptidyl-peptidase from Aspergillus fumigatus which has a molecular weight of 88 kDa by SDS-PAGE and a substrate specificity limited to the hydrolysis of X-Ala, His-Ser, and Ser-Tyr dipeptides at a neutral pH optimum. Tachi et al. (1992, Phytochemistry 31: 3707–3709) disclose an X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase from Aspergillus oryzae which has a molecular weight of 145 kDa by SDS-PAGE and a substrate specificity toward the peptide bond at the carboxyl site of a proline residue in the penultimate position of N-terminal free dipeptides and amides at a neutral pH optimum.
The production of protein hydrolysates with desirable organoleptic properties and high degrees of hydrolysis generally requires the use of a mixture of peptidase activities. It would be desirable to provide a single component peptidase enzyme which has activity useful for improving the organoleptic properties and degree of hydrolysis of protein hydrolysates used in food products either alone or in combination with other enzymes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved polypeptides having dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity as well as methods for obtaining protein hydrolysates with desirable organoleptic qualities and high degrees of hydrolysis.

Polypeptides having dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity and nucleic acids encoding same


A scanning device includes sheet a holding member provided with an arcuate support surface open to the upside and one side for holding a sheet to be scanned on the back surface of which a magnetic layer is formed, a light source for irradiating the sheet to be scanned with light, a spinner including a deflection mirror for deflecting light from the light source toward the sheet to be scanned and a converging optical system for converging light deflected by the deflection mirror onto a surface of the sheet to be scanned, a motor for rotating the spinner coaxially with a center axis of the arcuate support surface, a light detector for detecting light from the sheet to be scanned, a sub-scanning motor for translating the sheet holding member relative to the spinner in parallel with the center axis, magnetic material provided on the arcuate support surface of the sheet holding member, sheet end portion holding members provided at one end portion of the arcuate support surface of the sheet holding member and adapted for abutting against one end portion of the sheet to be scanned to hold the one end portion at a predetermined position, and sheet pressing members provided at the other end portion of the arcuate support surface of the sheet holding member and adapted for abutting against the other end portion of the sheet to be scanned to press the sheet to be scanned along the arcuate support surface toward the sheet end portion holding members. According to the thus constituted scanning device, it is possible to hold a sheet to be scanned in close contact with a predetermined position of the arcuate support surface of a sheet holding means with a simple structure.

The present invention relates to a scanning device and, particularly, to such a device suitable for scanning stimulable phosphor storing the energy of light, radiation or an electron beam with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, thereby releasing the energy of light, radiation or an electron beam in the form of light, and reading an image of light, radiation or an electron beam stored in the stimulable phosphor by photoelectrically detecting released light.


In one embodiment, a plurality of bottom electrodes spaced apart from each other are formed on a lower insulating layer. A high-k dielectric layer and an upper conductive layer are sequentially and conformally formed overlying the bottom electrodes. The high-k dielectric layer and the upper conductive layer cover the bottom electrodes and the lower insulating layer between the bottom electrodes. A hard mask layer is selectively formed on the upper conductive layer to have an overhang over each of the bottom electrodes. Then the upper conductive layer is anisotropically etched using the hard mask layer as an etch mask, thereby forming upper electrodes spaced from each other. Therefore, a photolithography process of forming upper electrodes can be omitted, and damage to the upper electrodes due to etch can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a ferroelectric random access memory cell having the ferroelectric capacitors.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) is a nonvolatile random access memory, utilizing ferroelectric capacitors as a memory device. Further, the FeRAM offers many advantages over other memories, in which the FeRAM is characterized by a relatively high operational speed, relatively low voltage programming, relatively low power consumption, and also radiation hardness. Because of these properties, the FeRAM is noted as a next-generation memory device.
The ferroelectric capacitor includes a bottom electrode, an upper electrode, and a high-k dielectric layer interposed between the bottom electrode and the upper electrode. The high-k dielectric layer has bistable polarization states. Thus, if a voltage is applied between the upper electrode and the bottom electrode, and an electric field above a coercive force (Ec) is generated, the high-k dielectric layer is polarized into one state. Then, even though an electric potential is lost, the high-k dielectric layer maintains the polarization state. If a voltage of an opposite direction to the above voltage is applied between the upper electrode and the bottom electrode, and an electric field above the coercive force (Ec) is generated with an opposite direction to the above electric field, the high-k dielectric layer is polarized into the other state. The FeRAM stores information using bistable polarization states of the high-k dielectric layer. Thus, in order to program and read information to the ferroelectric capacitor, it is necessary to apply a pulse-type voltage to the upper electrode.
Further, the ferroelectric capacitor has high capacitance. In the FeRAM, it is necessary to connect a limited number of ferroelectric capacitors to a common plate line, in order to apply a pulse-type voltage to the upper electrode, unlike DRAM. Therefore, the upper electrodes need to be separated from each other.
Further, in order to achieve a highly-integrated FeRAM, a higher number of capacitors should be formed inside a unit cell array, like DRAM. Therefore, the ferroelectric capacitors need to be formed three-dimensionally. A method of forming the ferroelectric capacitors three-dimensionally includes a trench-type capacitor and a box-type capacitor.
The method of forming the box-type capacitor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,035 in the title of "Integrated circuit and method" to Moise, et al.
According to the disclosure by Moise, et al, a lower insulating layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate. Bottom electrodes are formed on the lower insulating layer. A high-k dielectric layer such as strontium bismuth tantalate (SrBi2Ta2O5; SBT) is conformally formed on the semiconductor substrate having the bottom electrodes, and then, an upper electrode layer is formed. Then, a diffusion barrier layer, a reflection preventive layer and photoresist are sequentially deposited. The photoresist is exposed and developed, thereby confining the positions of drive lines for a FeRAM cell array. Then, the reflection preventive layer, the diffusion barrier layer, the upper electrode layer, and the high-k dielectric layer are etched, using the patterned photoresist as a mask. Thus, box-type ferroelectric capacitors are formed.
In the method, it is advantageous that the box-type ferroelectric capacitors are formed, and a large number of these capacitors are formed inside a unit cell array. However, the method includes forming photoresist and patterning through photolithography in order to etch the upper electrode layer. Thus, the patterned photoresist should be aligned with the bottom electrodes. However, with a high-integration of the FeRAM, it is difficult to pattern the photoresist to be aligned with the bottom electrodes. Thus, a misalignment may be generated. The misalignment results in etch damage to an upper electrode.
Therefore, the method has a difficulty in fabricating highly-integrated ferroelectric capacitors while preventing the etch damage to the upper electrode.

Method of fabricating a plurality of ferroelectric capacitors


An alloy suitable for use as a spinner in forming glass fibers, the alloy being cobalt-based and including higher amounts of nickel and lower amounts of cobalt than used in typical cobalt-based superalloys.

In certain industrial applications there is a need for alloys which possess high rupture strength, high corrosion resistance and high oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures. Among such applications is the glass or mineral fiber industry where filaments are produced by passing a molten mineral material, for example glass, through the foraminous walls of a chamber which is adapted for rotation at high speeds (the chamber being known as a spinner). The filaments are emitted through the fiberizing orifices in the walls due to the centrifugal action of the rotating spinner. Such spinners are typically operated, at temperatures on the order of about 2050.degree. F. and rotation speeds on the order of 2050 RPM.
The advantages of being the low cost producer in any industry are enormous. Typically increased production or reduced costs in one area results in poor performance or increased cost in another area. Many ways exist to reduce costs in the production of glass fibers. Higher spinner rotational speeds increase production, but decrease spinner life. Stronger and more corrosion-resistant alloys help attain higher spinner speeds, but usually cost more.
Additional cost savings can be realized by fiberizing low cost batch formulations. But these have higher viscosities than normally used for glass wool insulation. The higher viscosities require higher fiberizing temperatures which in turn reduce spinner life.


A system and method for controlling the operation of an infant care device based upon whether the infant care device is occupied or unoccupied. One or more sensors are positioned within the infant care device to determine whether the infant care device is occupied or unoccupied. A controller receives the indication of the occupied status of the infant care device and operates the infant care device in a selected mode of operation. Upon a change in the occupied status of the infant care device, the controller adjusts various operating parameters and alarm parameters. The controller continuously monitors the occupied status of the infant care device and controls the operation of the infant care device accordingly.

The present disclosure relates to an infant care device and a method for operating the infant care device that adjusts the operation based upon the presence of an infant. More specifically the present disclosure relates to a system and method that adjusts alarm parameters and operating modes of the infant care device based upon whether the infant care device is occupied or unoccupied.
Premature infants are often placed within an infant care device so that they may have a controlled and monitored environment to aid in their survival and growth. Premature infants are fragile and, as such, require a highly controlled environment. As such, currently available infant care devices include a highly automated control system to maintain the temperature within the infant care device environment and to monitor the physiological state of the infant. Typically, once the infant care device has been turned on the infant care device operates in a normal operating mode to control the temperature environment within the infant care device. If the infant is removed, the caregiver must manually indicate that the infant has been removed. This manual indication by the caregiver requires the caregiver to carry out additional steps, which are often difficult depending upon whether the caregiver has a free hand or time to enter such manual indication. Thus, it has been recognized that it would be desirable to have a system and method that automatically determines whether the infant care device is occupied or unoccupied without requiring the caregiver to manually enter such status.

System and method for detection of infant presence


The present invention has multiple aspects relating to assembled self fixing bone-tendon-bone (BTB) grafts and BTB implants. A preferred application in which self fixing assembled bone-tendon-bone (BTB) grafts and implants of the present technology can be used is for ACL repairs in a human patient. In one embodiment, a self fixing BTB graft is characterized by the presence of threads along at least a portion of the exterior surface of one or both bone blocks. In another embodiment, a self fixing assembled bone-tendon-bone implant comprises a removable tendon tensioner which imparts a predetermined tension on the tendon of the BTB graft.

In the field of medicine, there has been an increasing need to develop implant materials for correction of biological defects. Particularly in the field of orthopedic medicine, there has been the need to replace or correct bone, ligament and tendon defects or injuries. As a result, there have emerged a number of synthetic implant materials, including but not limited to metallic implant materials and devices, devices composed in whole or in part from polymeric substances, as well as allograft, autograft, and xenograft implants. It is generally recognized that for implant materials to be acceptable, they must be pathogen free, and must be biologically acceptable. Generally, it is preferable if the implant materials may be remodeled over time such that autogenous bone replaces the implant materials. This goal is best achieved by utilizing autograft bone from a first site for implantation into a second site. However, use of autograft materials is attended by the significant disadvantage that a second site of morbidity must be created to harvest autograft for implantation into a first diseased or injured site. As a result, allograft and xenograft implants have been given increasing attention in recent years. However, use of such materials has the disadvantage that human allograft materials are frequently low in availability and are high in cost of recovery, treatment and preparation for implantation. By contrast, xenograft implant materials, such as bovine bone, are readily available. However, immunological, regulatory and disease transmission considerations impose significant constraints on the ready use of such materials.
In view of the foregoing considerations, it remains the case that there has been a long felt need for increased supplies of biologically acceptable implant materials to replace or correct bone, ligament and tendon defects or injuries. This invention provides a significant advance in the art, and largely meets this need, by providing materials and methods for production of various bone-soft tissue implants from component parts to produce assembled implants.
Orthopedic medicine is increasingly becoming aware of the vast potential and advantages of using bone-tendon-bone grafts to repair common joint injuries, such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) or Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) tears. One technique that is currently used for repairing these types of injuries involves surgically reconnecting the torn portions of a damaged ligament. However, this technique is often not possible, especially when the damage to the ligament is extensive. To address situations where the damage to the joint ligaments is severe, another technique commonly performed involves redirecting tendons to provide increased support to a damaged knee. These conventional techniques are not without their shortcomings; in most cases, the repaired joint lacks flexibility and stability.
The recent utilization of bone-tendon-bone grafts has dramatically improved the results of joint repair in cases of severe trauma. Even in cases of extensive damage to the joint ligaments, orthopedic surgeons have been able to achieve 100 percent range of motion and stability using donor bone-tendon-bone grafts. Despite these realized advantages, there have been some difficulties encountered with utilizing bone-tendon-bone grafts. For example, surgical procedures involving transplantation and fixation of these grafts can be tedious and lengthy. Currently, bone-tendon-bone grafts must be specifically shaped for the recipient during surgery, which can require thirty minutes to over an hour of time. Further, surgeons must establish a means of attaching the graft, which also takes up valuable surgery time. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system that addresses this and the foregoing concerns. Thus it is an object of this invention to provide a bone-tendon-bone graft that is constructed to precise dimensions and is adapted for robust fixation while allowing adherence to preferred surgical techniques and promoting reduced operating room times and providing fewer opportunities for error during surgery.
Bone-tendon-bone (BTB) grafts of the prior art are made in one of two ways: (1) by harvesting a naturally occurring tendon/ligament and portions of the bone(s) to which it is attached, thus maintaining the naturally occurring attachment of tendon/ligament and bone; or (2) by attaching the opposing ends of one or more pieces of tendon, ligament or a synthetic material to separate bone blocks. The name BTB is used for historical reasons. One skilled in the art recognizes that by definition, a "tendon" is a collagenous cord that attaches muscle to its point of origin, typically to bone. By definition, a "ligament" is a band of collagenous tissue that interconnects bone or supports viscera. Thus, it would appear that a BTB would more properly be called a bone-ligament-bone graft or implant. However, many of the earliest BTBs employed a tendon, which is larger and generally more plentiful in a body. The name bone-soft tissue graft thus more accurately encompasses the subject matter meant when the term bone-tendon-bone graft is used. Because the name BTB became adopted by the art, it is used herein to encompass all of the bone-soft tissue-bone and bone-soft tissue grafts described herein.
Additionally, the term "tendon" as used herein means a length of tendon, a bundle of tendons of the same or different lengths, a length of ligament, a bundle of ligaments of the same length or different lengths, a segment or segments of pericardium, dermis or fascia, or a combination thereof. Preferably, the tendon is a length of tendon or ligament, or a bundle of tendons or ligaments of the same length or different lengths, or a combination thereof. It is also within the scope of the present invention that the tendons or ligaments or both in the bundles are of the same thickness or of different thicknesses. In the bundles, the tendons, or ligaments or both can be allograft, xenograft, synthetic, artificial ligament scaffolds or a combination thereof. Preferably, the tendons are allograft or xenograft.
Tendons (or ligaments) are fibrous semi-hard materials that are slippery and difficult to grip. Thus, one of the issues in manufacturing an assembled BTB is how to attach the slippery tendon to the bone. The tendon has a tendency to squirm and slip when compressed between boney surfaces, much like a banana peel compressed between the floor and one's foot. One solution that is commonly used is to bite the tendon with a component that has some sort of teeth or threads, providing improved gripping over a flat surface. However, teeth or threads have a tendency to cut into the tendon fibers when the tendon is pulled at high tensile strength. Thus, most assembled BTBs provide some sort of trade-off between reducing slipping and squirming by biting which does not allow for achievement of maximum tensile strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,662 ("the '662 patent"), which issued to Stone on Dec. 6, 1994 and which is entitled "Suture Anchor Assembly," discloses the use of a screw made from titanium, stainless steel, or some other durable, non-degradable, biocompatible material having an eyelet at one end for attaching a suture connected to a soft material, such as a ligament or tendon. U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,662 at col. 1, lines 8-9. One problem with such a device is that the screw, although bio-compatible, will never become assimilated into the patient's body. A second problem is that the tendon or ligament will never form a natural attachment to the screw.
One attempt at solving these problems was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,560 ("the '560 patent"), which issued on Sep. 14, 1999 to Simon et al. and which is entitled "Wedge Orthopedic Screw." The '560 patent discloses a wedge-shaped interference screw made from a biocompatible material for use with a ligament and with two bone blocks for performing anterior cruciate ligament repairs. In the '560 patent, a bio-compatible, wedge-shaped interference screw, a bone block and a ligament are inserted into an osseous tunnel drilled into a bone of a patient in need of a ligament repair. The interference screw compresses the flat surface of a bone block against a ligament that is pressed into the wall of the osseous tunnel. As the interference screw advances, the force that it presses against the ligament is buttressed by the force against the opposing tunnel wall. A second interference screw compresses a second bone block against an opposing end of the ligament in a second osseous tunnel drilled in a second bone in need of ligament repair. It is more difficult to pull a predetermined tension on the tendon because the tendon slips in the bone tunnel and uncontrollably alters the tension when the interference screw is being threaded in the bone tunnel. The slippery ligament is also subject to slippage when compressed between the bone block and the tunnel wall. Such slippage results in a loss of tension in the joint. In the case of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair, this loss of tension causes a wobbly knee. This is undesirable in any human, and particularly in athletes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bone to tendon connection that will decrease slippage and loss of tension in a BTB. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a BTB with a stiffness of at least 90 N/mm, preferably 170 N/mm, more preferably 230 N/mm. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a BTB with an elongation of no more than 5 mm, preferably less than 2 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm. Stiffness and elongation for any given BTB can be calculated by methods known in the art. Stiffness is defined as the slope of the force-displacement curve when the BTB is subject to axial load increasing from below 100 Newtons to above at least 200 Newtons. Elongation is defined as the difference in length for a given BTB measured before the first cycle of a dynamic load test and after 1000 cycles of loading to at least 200 Newtons.
Another approach to making a BTB is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,520 ("the '520 patent") which issued to Beck, et al. on Oct. 5, 1999, and which is entitled "Endosteal Anchoring Device for Urging a Ligament Against a Bone." Like the '560 patent, the '520 patent utilizes an interference screw and a bone block (called an "anchor body" therein) to press the end of a ligament against the side wall of an osseous tunnel in the patient's bone. The '520 patent differs from the '560 patent in that the ligament loops around the bone block in a "U" shape. This "U" shape of the tendon captures the tendon in the first bone tunnel, but leaves two free tendon ends to be secured in the second bone tunnel. In addition in the '520 patent, the bone block, which presses the ligament against the walls of the osseous tunnel contains two grooves for "locking" (col. 7, line 2) the ligament in place, and "restricting excessive compression on the ligament" (col. 7, lines 8-9). The "locking" of the tendon against the tunnel wall still leaves the tendon free to move against the tunnel wall near the ends of the anchor body. This leads to impaired healing and recovery due to tendon to bone contact within the tunnel and also due to micromotions of the tendon within the tunnel. Ultimately, this may lead to widening of the bone tunnels rather than their closure. Additionally, the location of the tendon in the locking grooves is a function of the anchor body design and is not a controlled design parameter. Thus, the tendon placement with respect to either the tunnel wall or the tunnel centerline cannot be matched to particular surgical needs or to surgeon preference.
Yet another approach to making a BTB is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat Appl. Pub. No. 2003/0023304 ("the '304 publication"), to Carter et al., which published on Jan. 30, 2003. The '304 publication discloses several embodiments of a BTB. In each of the various embodiments, a tendon is bound in an internal chamber created in the bone blocks. For example, in FIG. 10, a plurality of cams reverse the direction of the tendon several times and cancellous chips packed in any open space bite into the tendon to keep it from slipping. In FIG. 12, a screw compresses the tendon against the side of an internal chamber. In FIG. 14, an internal wedge that has teeth bites into a tendon and tightens the grip as the tendon is pulled. In yet another embodiment, shown in FIG. 15, one end of a tendon is doubled over and the doubled over end is held in place by a series of grooves and rings. While all of these embodiments are useful, they each are challenging to manufacture and/or assemble due to their inherent complexity and reliance on small or intricate parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a BTB having a robust design, simple components, ease of manufacturability, and high reliability, all while maintaining an acceptable tensile strength, stiffness, and elongation performance. This is important for all BTB grafts, especially for those implanted in athletes and other individuals where maximum performance is required.
One isolated and purified BTB that is not hindered by slippage or cut fibers when subjected to high tensile pulling is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,726 ("the '726 patent") which issued on Dec. 24, 2002 to Carter et al. The '726 patent discloses the use of natural BTBs that are cut from allograft or xenograft sources, commonly referred to as "pre-shaped BTBs." Typically, the BTB is cut as a single piece from a section of the patella (bone), patellar tendon and the tibia (bone) of the donor. One problem is that only 2-3 grafts can be obtained per knee of the donor, depending upon the donor's age and health. Hence, it is an object of the present invention to be able to make BTB grafts in large quantities. It is also an object of the present invention to make BTB grafts having high tensile strength, suitable for ACL repairs, from tendon and bone components, wherein the BTBs are constructed so as to minimize the art recognized slippage and tearing associated with conventional modes of construction as described above.
Another problem with pre-shaped (natural) BTBs is that the size of the BTB or the length of the tendon between the two bone pieces cannot be precisely selected. Some of the physical dimensions of the graft, particularly tendon (ligament) length, are determined by the anatomy of the donor. Frequently, this leads to compromises such as excessive gage length, or length between the bone blocks, which result in surgical challenges and compromised healing and recovery. For example, a natural BTB with a tendon that is too long for an ACL repair results in having a length of unsecured and wobbling tendon in the bone tunnel between the ends of the secured bone portions. The wobbling tendon hinders healing in the bone tunnel. Hence, it is yet another object of the present invention to be able to make BTB grafts having a predetermined and variable set of design parameters including gage length, bone block diameter, tendon size, and bone block or tendon shape, size, orientation or a combination thereof.
The standard method for implanting a BTB is to use an interference screw to fix each of the bone blocks in a bone tunnel. Typically, the bone block has a groove or a notch along all or a portion of its length to accommodate the shape of the screw. In some instances the groove in the bone block is even threaded. A problem with this mode of attachment is that in the bone tunnel, the forces are not equal on all sides of the bone bock. Rather, the side of the bone block that is in contact with the interference screw and the opposing side of the bone block that is in contact with the bone tunnel would experience the greatest force and some compression which often leads to fracturing. As a result, healing around the bone block would be uneven until all of the bone block was eventually remodeled. It is an object of the present invention to provide a BTB that can be installed and fixed within an osseous tunnel without an interference screw so as to eliminate variable compression between the bone blocks of the BTB and the bone tunnel. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a BTB wherein the tendon is optionally pretensioned.

Self fixing assembled bone-tendon-bone graft


A method for connecting and optimizing audio input devices, comprises the steps of: determining an audio input type; generating a first GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of an audio input device; generating a second GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user connection of the audio input device; testing the connected audio input device; configuring audio settings of the connected audio input device; and, storing for later retrieval an association of the connected audio input device and the configured audio settings. The audio settings are configured and the association is stored only if the testing step is successful. The second GUI display screen can include a device specific image and device specific instructions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of connecting audio input devices to audio systems in computers, as well as determining the proper audio settings for the audio input devices to achieve optimal results. In particular, this invention relates to selecting, connecting and optimizing all audio input devices, not just microphones.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, audio input devices for computers have been only microphones. The use of alternative input devices in connection with personal computers has increased in popularity due to the advent of inexpensive multimedia computers. Alternative audio input devices can include, for example, personal transcription devices, that is, hand-held recorders used for dictation. In some cases, these devices are analog and use recording tape. More recent arrivals in the marketplace are digital recorders using flash memory cards. Example of such digital input devices are the Olympus(copyright) D1000 or the Sony(copyright) ICD-70. Such audio input devices, and others, can be used in addition to microphones to provide audio inputs to speech recognition applications in computers. Inasmuch as microphones are considered the fundamental audio input device, the alternative audio input devices need to be connected to other input plugs and ports. Such plugs and ports are generally designated as line-in or auxiliary plugs and ports. The term input device as used herein is intended to cover all sources of audio input signals, particularly those sources other than microphones, for example, line-in or auxiliary devices.
Audio input devices are generally connected to sound cards installed within a computer, for example a personal computer. The sound card receives and digitizes the analog signals generated by the input device. The digital signals are processed by the processor of the computer for performing functions such as storage of the audio file in memory or other audio related functions. The audio levels, as measured by the amplitude of the audio input waveform, at which the analog audio signals are recorded prior to being digitized are critical to any application that subsequently uses this data. It will be appreciated that each of the alternative audio input devices can have characteristically different output signals, requiring different kinds of jacks or ports and requiring different parameters with respect to setting up the sound card. These differences can be manifested from manufacturer to manufacturer, and from model to model of each manufacturer. Moreover, sound cards from different manufacturers, as well as different sound cards produced by the same manufacturer, will also have different characteristic responses to input signals. Despite the vast potential for variation of alternative input devices and sound cards, each speech application has optimum signal parameter requirements independent of the audio input sources which must be satisfied to maximize the efficiency of the speech recognition engine in the speech application. The audio levels at which the analog audio signals are recorded, prior to being digitized, are critical to any application that uses this data. These settings can adversely affect applications that require audio signals to function properly.
There are many ways in which audio input devices can be improperly connected and audio systems can be misconfigured. These include, for example, selection of the wrong sound card, selection of the wrong audio input device, loose plugs, selection of the wrong jack, improper setting of mute switches, battery problems in microphones and adapters, environments with high background noise, improper adjustment of audio parameters and the presence of disruptive audio feedback.
The present approach to this problem, to the extent there is any approach at all, is the use of a manual procedure. Manual procedures require considerable user intervention, which is by nature problematic at best. Accordingly, a significant need exists for a method and apparatus that facilitates the proper connection of the input device or devices and the configuration of the respective audio settings, no matter the variation of the input devices and sound cards and speech applications. The method and apparatus should be user-friendly, insofar as sophisticated knowledge of computer operation should not be required. The method or apparatus should address all of the problems which can be encountered, and in so doing, should display diagnostic information and clear instructions to the user for correcting problems.
Certain characteristics of the digitized signals can be used to enhance algorithms that process the signals. In other word, a cleaner, less noisy audio input signal enhances the performance of the speech recognition engine. One such class of algorithms that processes digitized signals are those that perform speech recognition. Some speech recognition systems allow the user to train the speech recognition engine with digitized samples of the user""s own speech. This training produces a set of training data that is associated with a particular user and/or enrollment. This generally increases the performance and accuracy of the system because the speech application is taking into account specific voice and speaking characteristics of the user gathered during training, the environment and the corresponding audio input device. The system can be trained, for example, for different input devices, such as microphones and line-in devices. The system can also be trained, for example, for a low or high background noise environment. Such training gives the user the flexibility to optimally tailor the system to the user""s particular needs. However, performance of the system using the data, for example the accuracy of a speech recognition, can suffer severely if the speech recognition engine is using a particular set of training data that does not correspond correctly to the current digitized signals coming in from the sound card. This can easily occur if the user accidentally mismatches the input device or environment with the selected training data.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus that programmatically maintains the correct association between a user""s training data and the corresponding audio input device.
Audio feedback is a problem caused by having an open microphone in the acoustic field of the corresponding output speaker. The audio levels in which the analog audio signals are recorded at, prior to being digitized, are critical to any application that uses this data. Before the audio settings can be correctly set for a particular device, that device has to be correctly connected to the computer and correctly set up for use with the computer. However, an incorrectly configured audio mixer has the potential of causing audio feedback that is not only annoying, but in severe cases can cause hearing problems. This problem usually manifests itself as a loud high-pitched sound, often described as a squeal or whistle. The user will generally have no idea of the potential of audio feedback, and if this is the case, the user probably will not recognize the need to correct the problem proactively.
Accordingly, a need exists to identify the likelihood or potential for audio feedback, so that the user can take the steps necessary to prevent such audio feedback before the feedback occurs.
Speech recognition programs use standard microphone input to obtain data to convert to text. However, other kinds of audio input devices must now be accommodated, and users must be able to select from multiple audio input sources. These sources can even include recorded data files in multiple formats. The ability to convert standard windows audio files(.WAV) to text has been demonstrated. Even so, the user must still manually convert the recorded data from the input device in the .WAV format before using another software application to convert the audio data into text. There is a need for a method and apparatus for simplifying the selection of many input audio devices and the processing of their respective output signals in many file formats, not just the .WAV format.
Use of the wrong audio device, or source, in the first instance, is another potential problem occasioned by the availability of multiple audio input devices. Connecting the wrong audio input device can cause the set up procedure to fail. In such a case, there is a need for a method and apparatus to guide a user through the procedure for changing the audio input device when it appears that such a wrong connection is the cause of the set up failure.
The significant need for a method and apparatus that facilitates the proper connection of the input device or devices and the configuration of the respective audio settings, no matter the variation of the input devices and sound cards and speech applications, is provided in accordance with the inventive arrangements taught herein. The method and apparatus is user-friendly, insofar as sophisticated knowledge of computer operation should not be required. The method or apparatus addresses all of the problems which can be encountered, and in so doing, can display diagnostic information and clear instructions to the user for correcting problems.
A method for connecting and optimizing audio input devices, in accordance with an inventive arrangements, comprises the steps of: determining an audio input type; generating a first graphical user interface (GUI) display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of an audio input device; generating a second GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user connection of the audio input device; testing the connected audio input device; configuring audio settings of the connected audio input device; and, storing for later retrieval an association of the connected audio input device and the adjusted audio levels;
The method can further comprise the step of configuring the audio settings and storing the association only if the testing step is successful.
The method can further comprise the step of generating at least one further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user trouble shooting of the connected audio input device, in the event the testing step is unsuccessful.
The method can further comprise the step of retesting the audio input device after the trouble shooting.
The method can further comprise the step of aborting the connecting and optimizing method, in the event the retesting step is unsuccessful.
The method can comprise the step of adjusting the audio levels and storing the association, in the event the retesting step is successful.
The method can further comprise the step of determining if a plurality of sound cards is available for use by the user, prior to the step of determining the audio input type.
The method can further comprise the step of automatically selecting the one sound card without user prompts, if only one sound card is available.
The method can further comprise the step of generating a further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of one of the plurality of sound cards, if the plurality of sound cards is available.
The method can further comprise the step of, prior to the step of determining the audio input type, generating a further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of one of a plurality of sound cards if the plurality of sound cards is available.
The method can comprise the step of including in the second GUI display screen a device specific image and a set of device specific connection instructions.
A computer apparatus programmed with a routine set of instructions stored in a fixed medium for connecting and optimizing audio input devices, in accordance with the inventive arrangements, comprises: means for determining an audio input type; means for generating a first graphical user interface (GUI) display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of an audio input device; means for generating a second GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user connection of the audio input device; means for testing the connected audio input device; means for configuring audio settings of the connected audio input device; and, means for storing for later retrieval an association of the connected audio input device and the configured audio settings.
The means for adjusting the audio levels and the means for storing the association can be operable only if the testing is successful.
The apparatus can further comprising means for generating at least one further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user trouble shooting of the connected audio input device, in the event the testing is unsuccessful.
The apparatus can further comprise means for retesting the audio input device after the trouble shooting.
The operation of the apparatus for connecting and optimizing can be aborted in the event the retesting is unsuccessful.
The means for adjusting the audio levels and the means for storing the association can be operable in the event the retesting is successful.
The apparatus can further comprise means, operable prior to operation of the means for determining the audio input type, for determining if a plurality of sound cards is available for use by the user.
The apparatus can further comprise means, operable if only one sound card is available, for automatically selecting the one sound card without user prompts.
The apparatus can further comprise means, operable if the plurality of sound cards is available, for generating a further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of one of the plurality of sound cards.
The apparatus can further comprise means, operable if the plurality of sound cards is available, for generating a further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of one of the plurality of sound cards.
The apparatus can further comprise means, operable prior to operation of the means for determining the audio input type, for generating a further GUI display screen for prompting and enabling user selection of one of a plurality of sound cards if the plurality of sound cards is available.
The second GUI display screen can include a device specific image and a set of device specific connection instructions.

Connecting and optimizing audio input devices

International Business Machines Corporation


An arrangement for coupling a SCP (Signaling Control Point) and Signaling Transfer Point (STP) nodes of a SS7 network is disclosed. The arrangement includes an aggregated signaling gateway arrangement (ASGA), which includes at least a first signaling gateway and a second signaling gateway. The first signaling gateway is coupled between the SCP and a first STP node of the SS7 network. The second signaling gateway is coupled between the SCP and a second STP node of the SS7 network, the first signaling gateway and the second gateway being associated with a single SS7 point code.

SS7 networks have long been employed to carry critical data pertaining to the management of telecommunication networks, such management includes, for example, setting up and tearing down communication sessions as well as the provision of intelligent services. These intelligent services include, for example, 800 number calling, calling card services, cellular phone roaming, and the like. To facilitate discussion, FIG. 1 is a prior art diagram of a typical SS7 network 102, including a plurality of Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) 104, 106, 108, 110, 112. As is well known, a STP functions as a packet switch for SS7 messages. The STPs are interconnected in a mesh network in pairs for redundancy, with the STPs of each pair being identical.
External communication nodes gain access to the SS7 network by connecting to a pair of STPs. For example, switches 120, 122, and 124 gain access to SS7 network 102 by connecting to the pair of STPs 112 and 114 as shown. A Signaling Control Point (SCP) 130 is also shown in the example of FIG. 1. SCP represents a node that contains a service database and application to provide, for example, the aforementioned intelligent services. For example, if a user of a telephone 170 dials an 800 number (e.g., 1-800-123-4567), the routing information for that 800-number call is provided by SCP 130 since the 800 number service involves a virtual telephone number. In this case, switch 120 sends a message to SCP 130 to ask for routing instructions to enable the 800-number call to be set up.
When the SS7 network was originally conceived, the speed of the links between the STPs in the mesh network were relatively slow, typically on the order of 56 Kbits/second. As the network grows, more external communication nodes such as switches are connected to the network. Accordingly, it is not unusual for a STP pair to be connected to tens or hundreds of switches, for example, as the network grows. Since each STP acts as a concentration point into the SS7 network for all the SS7 messages to and from all the external nodes connected to it, the traffic between STPs on the mesh network increases correspondingly over time. Thus as the network grows, the low-speed links between the STPs of the mesh network become a bottleneck to network performance.
Increasing the number of links between STPs represents one approach to solving the SS7 network bandwidth bottleneck problem. However, the SS7 standard places a limit of 16 links between any two nodes (e.g., any two STPs). Consequently, once the limit of 16 links is reached between pairs of STPs, the other way to relieve the bandwidth bottleneck in the SS7 network is to increase the speed of the links.
High Speed Link (HSL) represents one technology that has been adopted by many SS7 network operators for high speed transmission in the SS7 network. The guiding documentation for implementing HSL may be obtained from Telcordia (previously BellCore), and/or ANSI/ITU-T standards. HSL transports SS7 messages over ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) cells employing T1 connections. As is well known, a standard T1 connection supports 24 56-Kbits/second links. However, due to the inefficiency involved in transporting SS7 messages over ATM cells, the actual throughput is on the order of 14 56-Kbits links. In other words, a high overhead penalty is imposed with the use of HSL. However, HSL still offers significantly better performance than the previous 56 Kbits link speed. Consequently, HSL is deemed an acceptable solution for relieving the bandwidth bottleneck among the STPs.
The same bandwidth bottleneck also exists with regards to the links between SCP 130 and the SS7 network, e.g., on links 170 and 172 between SCP 130 and STPs 104 and 106 of the SS7 network. Not surprisingly, as more external communication nodes are connected to the SS7 network and as intelligent services become increasingly popular among telecommunication users, more traffic is sent to and from the SCPs. Again, once the number of links to and from a SCP reaches 32, the other way to increase data throughput to and from a SCP is to increase the speed of the links themselves. Solving this bandwidth bottleneck is also critical for network performance.
While HSL has been a satisfactory interim solution for increasing the transmission speed between STPs in the SS7 network, integrating HSL into the SCPs has proven to be more expensive and difficult than anticipated. In the era of cost-cutting, service providers and network operators chaff at the high development cost involved in such integration, and HSL has not gained acceptance for SCP-to-STP communication in the same way that it has for STP-to-STP communication.
Another approach is to employ a relatively new technology called SS7-over-IP to carry data between the SCPs and the SS7 network. SS7-over IP involves carrying SS7 messages over IP (Internet Protocol) packets and has the potential for very high speeds, e.g., 10 Mbits/second, 100 Mbits/second, or even greater. In fact, some SCPs have developed the capability for transmitting SS7 messages using SS7-over-IP in anticipation of the SS7 network evolution to IP networks. While this may be the ultimate solution for future networks, the proposal to use SS7-over-IP as the transmission technology between a SCP and the SS7 network has not been widely accepted by today's cost-conscious and highly conservative network operators. For one, existing STPs are configured to communicate using HSL, and network operators are highly reluctant to perform the upgrade to enable STPs to communicate using SS7-over-IP, as an alternative or in addition to HSL.
Furthermore, existing SS7 network operators tend to associate IP with lossy transmission and tend to perceive IP to be an unreliable technology for the transmission of critical data, such as SS7 messages. The other considerations are more political but also impact the acceptance of SS7-over-IP by SS7 network operators. SS7 administrators loath to surrender control of their "mission-critical" SS7 networks to IP administrators, who are deemed to be concerned with the maintenance of a lossy IP network geared toward transporting low-priority, non-mission-critical data. SS7 network operators also prefer to keep the transmission of SS7 messages within a dedicated private physical network instead of a public network, such as networks implementing IP.
Accordingly, a new solution is desired to relieve the bandwidth bottleneck between the SCPs and the SS7 network.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A portable radio device is shown with an outer cover (202) and a radiating antenna element (206, 207, 208, 226, 227) inside the outer cover (202). At a location corresponding to the location of the radiating antenna element (206, 207, 208, 226, 227), there is thermoplastic material (203, 215, 217, 219) the loss tangent value of which is less than 0.005. The outer cover (202) has, on the outer surface thereof and at a location corresponding to the location of the radiating antenna element (206, 207, 208, 226, 227), a coating (204, 209, 216, 218, 220) that is one of: diamond coating, diamond-like coating, diamond-based nanocomposite coating.

Portable radio devices typically comprise an internal antenna, which means that the radiating antenna element is located within the smooth overall outline of the device, without the antenna causing any protrusions, and enclosed inside an essentially continuous outer cover of the device. The outer cover should naturally cause as little attenuation of radio waves as possible, so that it would allow the antenna to freely receive and transmit radio frequency transmissions. The radiating antenna element is typically flat and comprises conductive sections, strips and/or patches. A ground plane is needed inside the radio device and relatively near to the radiating antenna element to achieve proper operation.
A prior art publication WO 2005/034286 discloses a combined antenna and cover structure for a portable radio device. A central idea of the invention is to "bake" the radiating antenna element into the material of the outer cover, and to use a capacitive feed to couple it to the antenna port of the transceiver. A relatively similar solution is known from the publication EP 1 439 602, which mentions that the radiating antenna element may also comprise of a foil or other conductive material attached to an inner surface of the outer cover. A publication JP 2000114832 discloses an antenna structure, in which the antenna is a of the built-in planar type, although a protruding part of the outer cover is separately provided for it in order to bring the antenna away from the attenuating shadow of other components in the portable radio device. A prior art publication JP 57-79711 suggests placing the planar antenna at the outer surface of the outer cover. A yet another prior art publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,596 introduces various antenna modules that can be used in portable radio devices.
A problem of the known prior art antennas of the kinds described above is the effect of radio frequency losses in the cover materials. Losses in the radiating antenna element itself are typically not of importance, because it is relatively easy to make the radiating antenna element from a sufficiently thick layer of sufficiently conductive material, such as copper, so that radio frequency losses are to a large extent eliminated. The cover material, on the other hand, has traditionally been selected on other grounds than low RF losses. A vast majority of outer covers for portable radio devices are manufactured by injection molding. The material used for an injection molded outer cover must naturally have properties that are advantageous in the process. Also, the completed outer cover must have sufficient mechanical stiffness and durability as well as dimensional accuracy, and it must serve as a good basis for surface treatments such as decorative painting.
In prior art literature the problem of losses appears at most in the form of abstract statements. Publication WO 2005/034286 calls for "a material with as low losses as possible"; the publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,596 speaks about a "curable dielectric resin film". It is often customary to characterize the losses of various dielectric materials with their relative electric permittivity, also designated as the dielectric constant of the material. However, a better measure of the actual losses is the so called dielectric loss tangent (tan d), which is the imaginary part of the dielectric constant divided by the real part of the dielectric constant. The dielectric loss tangent is typically frequency dependent. As an example, the commonly used low-frequency circuit board material FR-4 has a relative permittivity between 4.1 and 4.5, and a loss tangent value of about 0.02 at 1 MHz, while high-frequency circuit board materials such as DiClad® made by Arlon Materials for Electronics has a relative permittivity between 2.17 and 2.65 and a loss tangent value between 0.0008 and 0.0022 in the range from 1 MHz to 10 GHz.
The most common materials used for injection molding are acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Loss tangent values for these materials in their pure forms are found in B. Riddle, J. Baker-Jarvis, J. Krupka: "Complex Permittivity Measurements of Common Plastics Over Variable Temperatures", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 727-733, Mar. 2003. Approximate values for frequencies around 10-11 GHz and room temperature are the following: ABS 0.006-0.009, PC 0.0004-0.0006, HDPE 0.0001-0.0002, PMMA 0.006-0.01, PP 0.00007-0.0001, PS 0.0004-0.0006, and PVC 0.005-0.008. In many cases the material used for an injection molded object is a mixture of at least two different kinds of plastic. Reinforcement materials such as glass fibers or the like can be mixed to the plastic to achieve suitable mechanical properties.
The prior art problem of losses in the dielectric outer cover material is made worse by environmental conditions, which cause e.g. moisture and impurities to get absorbed in the outer cover material, which tends to increase the original loss tangent value of the material. Yet another problem of the prior art antenna structures is that if the portable radio device is transmitting at full power, losses in the antenna structure may cause local heating, which the user feels through the outer cover. Users do not like to feel such local heating, because they easily associate it with assumed malfunctioning of the device.