Two classes of polypeptides derived from human IgE are described. One class binds selectively to the high affinity IgE receptor on mast cells and basophils, but not to the low affinity IgE receptor on B-cells, monocytes, eosinophils and platelets. The other class binds to the low affinity receptor, but not the high affinity receptor. The differential binding polypeptides of this invention are useful in diagnostic procedures for IgE receptors or in the therapy of IgE-mediated disorders such as allergies. They also are useful in preparing antibodies capable of binding regions of IgE that participate in receptor binding.

This invention relates to polypeptides containing IgE sequences, especially IgE antagonists and to polypeptides capable of differential binding to Fc.epsilon.RI and Fc.epsilon.RII.
IgE is a member of the immunoglobulin family that mediates allergic responses such as asthma, food allergies, type 1 hypersensitivity and the familiar sinus inflammation suffered on a widespread basis. IgE is secreted by, and expressed on the surface of, B-cells. IgE synthesized by B-cells is anchored in the B-cell membrane by a transmembrane domain linked to the mature IgE sequence by a short membrane binding region. IgE also is bound to B-cells (and monocytes, eosinophils and platelets) through its Fc region to a low affinity IgE receptor (Fc.epsilon.RII, hereafter "FCEL"). Upon exposure of a mammal an allergen B-cells are clonally amplified which synthesize IgE that binds the allergen. This IgE in turn is released into the circulation by the B-cells where it is bound by B-cells (through the FCEL) and by mast cells and basophils through the so-called high affinity receptor (Fc.epsilon.RI, hereinafter "FCEH") found on the surface of the mast cells and basophils. Such mast cells and basophils are thereby sensitized for allergen. The next exposure to the allergen cross-links the Fc.epsilon.RII-bound IgE on these cells and thus activates their release of histamine and other factors which are responsible for clinical hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis.
The art has reported antibodies capable of binding to FCEL-bound IgE but not IgE located on FCEH (see for example WO 89/00138 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,782). These antibodies are disclosed to be clinically advantageous because they bind to IgE found on B-cells or circulating free in the body, but do not bind to FCEH and thus will not activate mast cells or basophils.
It is generally understood that FCEH, like FCEL, binds to a recognition site in the IgE constant (Fc) domain. The IgE recognition sites for the two receptors are poorly defined, despite considerable effort in the past directed to the problem.
Over the past decade several studies have been undertaken to determine which portion of the IgE molecule is involved in binding to Fc.epsilon.RI and Fc.epsilon.RII. Essentially three approaches have been tried. First, peptides corresponding to specific portions of IgE sequence have been used as either competitive inhibitors of IgE-receptor binding (Burt et al., Eur. J. Immun. 17:437-440 [1987]; Helm et al., Nature 331:180-183 [1988]; Helm et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 86:9465-9469 [1989]; Vercelli et al., Nature 338:649-651 [1989]; Nio et al., Peptide Chemistry p203-208 [1990]) or to elicit anti-IgE antibodies which would block IgE-receptor interaction (Burt et al., Molec. Immun. 24:379-389 [1987]; Robertson et al., Molec. Immun. 25:103-113 [1988]; Baniyash et al., Molec. Immun. 25:705-711 [1988]). For competitive peptides, the best that could be achieved was a sequence that was 1000-fold less active than IgE (Burt et al., Eur. J. Immun. 17:437-440 [1987]).
Helm et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 86:9465-9469 (1989) found that a peptide corresponding to residues 329-409 blocked in vivo sensitization of human basophil granulocytes with human IgE antibodies. Further studies indicated that residues 395-409 were not essential for binding of the 329-409 peptide to Fc.epsilon.RI (Helm et al., Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. 86:9465-9469 [1989]). Note that the IgE described below had the sequence of Padlan et al., Mol. Immun., 23:1063 (1986), but that the IgE residue numbers used herein are those of Kabat et al. Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. 1987).
Vercelli et al., Nature, 338:649-651 (1989) used recombinant IgE peptides as well as anti-Fc.epsilon. monoclonal antibodies to investigate the B-cell (Fc.epsilon.RII) binding site of human IgE. They concluded that the Fc.epsilon.RII binding site is in FC.epsilon.3 near K399-V402.
Burt et al., Eur. J. Immun., 17:437-440 (1987) investigated seven peptides for competition against rat IgE in binding to rat mast cells. Their most active peptide, p129, was 1000-fold less active than IgE. p129 corresponds to human sequence 439-453 which includes loop EF. Another of their peptides, p130, corresponding to residues 396-419 in the Fc.epsilon.3 domain, had no activity.
Robertson et al., Molec. Immun., 25:103-113 (1988) assessed IgE binding by sequence-directed antibodies induced by several synthetic peptides. They concluded that the sequence defined by their .epsilon.-peptide-4 (corresponding to residues 446-460), were not significantly involved in receptor binding while the sequence defined by their .epsilon.-peptide-3 (corresponding to residues 387-401), was likely to be proximal to the IgE-receptor recognition site.
Nio et al., Peptide Chemistry, p203-208 (1990) evaluated numerous peptides with respect to their ability to inhibit histamine release by human basophils in vitro. Only one peptide (peptide 2, Table 1), exhibited specific inhibition; this peptide encompassed residues 376-388. However, a larger peptide which incorporated this sequence (peptide 3, Table 1), had no inhibitory activity.
Second, mutations in IgE have been partially explored. Schwarzbaum et al., Eur. J. Immun., 19:1015-1023 [1989] (supra) found that a point mutant P404H (P442H herein) had 2-fold reduced affinity for Fc.epsilon.RI on rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells, but the interpretation of this finding is controversial (Weetall et al., J. Immunol., 145, 3849-3854 [1990]).
Third, chimeric molecules have been constructed. Human IgE does not bind to the murine receptor (Kulczycki Jr., et al., J. Exp. Med., 139:600-616 [1974]) while rodent IgE binds to the human receptor with a reduced affinity (Conrad, et al., J. Immun., 130:327-333 [1983]); human IgG1 does not bind to IgE receptors (Weetall et al., J. Immun., 145:3849-3854 [1990]). Based on these observations, several groups have constructed human-murine chimeras or human IgE-IgG chimeras. Weetall et al., J. Immun., 145:3849-3854 (1990) made a series of human IgG1-murine IgE chimeras and concluded that the Fc.epsilon.2 and Fc.epsilon.3 domains are involved in binding murine Fc.epsilon.RI while the Fc.epsilon.4 domain is unlikely to be involved in binding to murine Fc.epsilon.RI (but may possibly be involved in binding to Fc.epsilon.RII). However, their conclusions rest primarily on lack of binding by chimeras and since three of their five chimeras lacked some interchain disulfide bonds, the conclusions drawn from these data are uncertain.
Nissim et al., EMBO J., 10:101-107 (1991) constructed a series of human-murine IgE chimeras and measured binding to RBL cells. Their study included chimeras which incorporated receptor binding into molecules which should otherwise not bind. They concluded that the entire binding site of IgE which binds with high affinity to the specialized Fc.epsilon. receptor on RBL cells could be assigned to Fc.epsilon.3.
The results reported by these authors (e.g. Helm et al., and Burt et al.,) are inconsistent. Further, in the case of anti-IgE antibodies it is difficult to eliminate the possibility of nonspecific blocking due to steric hindrance (Schwarzbaum et al., Eur. J. Immun. 19:1015-1023 [1989]). It is apparent that considerable confusion exists in the art as to the domains of IgE Fc which are involved in the binding of IgE to FCEH or in the maintenance of IgE conformation responsible for IgE binding to FCEH.
It is an object of this invention to identify polypeptides capable of differential binding to FCEL and FCEH.
It is an object herein to determine an IgE domain which is implicated in FCEH receptor binding, but which is not involved in FCEL receptor binding, and vice-versa.
It is another object herein to identify antagonists which are capable of inhibiting allergic responses, including antagonists that neutralize the FCEH or FCEL receptor-binding domains of Fc.epsilon. and immunoglobulin analogues that bind FCEL but do not bind FCEH, or that bind FCEH but not FCEL.
It is another object to provide novel polypeptides for use in the assay of Fc.epsilon. receptors and for use as immunogens or for selecting anti-IgE antibodies.


An example method for gathering a plurality of data sets for a particular process is provided. Each data set indicates transitions between different stages for a corresponding occurrence of the particular process. The method includes generating stage transition data based on the plurality of data sets. The stage transition data indicates an aggregate value for each distinct transition. The method includes determining a root stage based on the plurality of data sets. The method includes selecting each additional stage in the pipeline of stages. Each additional stage is sequentially selected based on a dynamically determined path constructed to reduce a value of a cost function. The method includes selectively modifying the pipeline of stages responsive to detecting an improvement to the value of the cost function. The method also includes generating a command to perform the particular process using the modified pipeline of stages.

A process can be performed by executing different stages in various orders. In one occurrence of the process, a first set of stages can be executed to see the process through to completion. In another occurrence of the process, a second set of stages (e.g., a different set of stages) can be executed to see the process through to completion. It is the case that the first set of stages and the second set of stages are not mutually exclusive. For example, the first set of stages and the second set of stages can include similar stages that are executed to see the process through to completion.
As a non-limiting example, a human resources department may have different protocols (e.g., sets of stages) for hiring personnel. According to a first protocol (i.e., an applicant-initiated protocol), the human resources department receives an application from a new applicant. According to a second protocol (i.e., a department-initiated protocol), the human resources department receives a lead on a potential new hire and can reach out to the potential new hire without requiring the potential new hire to fill out an application. Nevertheless, the first protocol and the second protocol can include similar stages. As a non-limiting example, each protocol may include performance of a phone interview, an on-site interview, a manager review of qualifications, and the like.
Because there can be many different ways to perform a process (e.g., many different protocols for hiring personnel), some methods can be determined to be more effective than others. In some scenarios, it may be desirable to determine the most frequently used methods to perform the process. As a non-limiting example, the human resources department may desire to outline a path (i.e., a pipeline of stages) that represents the most commonly used method for hiring personnel. However, generation of the most commonly used method becomes increasingly difficult as the amount of distinct protocols used for hiring personnel increases.

Systems and methods for generating a pipeline of stages for a process


The invention relates to a content delivery entity (100) configured to deliver a first data traffic from a first Internet content provider (310) to a mobile user equipment (200) via an access network of a mobile communications network. The entity (100) comprises an interface (113) configured to detect the first data traffic that shall be treated with priority. An acceleration unit (120) is configured to accelerate the delivery of the first data traffic from the first Internet content provider to the content delivery entity, and a controller (110) is configured to forward the first data traffic from the first Internet content provider (310) to the mobile user equipment (200) in the access network in such a way that the first data traffic from the first Internet content provider (310) is routed to the mobile user equipment (200) in the access network with a priority different from that of a second data traffic that is delivered from a second Internet content provider (330, 390) through the access network.

In communication networks, differentiated handling of network traffic may be used to meet requirements with respect to Quality of Service (QoS) depending on the type of network traffic. For this purpose, a forwarding treatment of data packets, i.e., the way of forwarding data packets by a node, may be adjusted so as to obtain a desired QoS level or prioritize certain types of traffic over others.
For example, in mobile communication networks network traffic related to a specific service may be directed to a bearer offering a certain QoS level. In this respect, a bearer is considered to be an information transmission context or path of defined characteristics, e.g. capacity, delay and/or bit error rate. It is possible to establish a number of bearers between a gateway of a mobile communications network and a user equipment (UE), e.g., a mobile phone or other type of mobile terminal. A bearer may carry downlink (DL) data traffic in a direction from the network to the user equipment, and may carry data traffic in an uplink (UL) direction from the user equipment to the network. In the gateway and in the UE the data traffic, which includes a plurality of IP data packets (IP: "Internet Protocol", which may be the IP Version 4, also referred to as IPv4, or the IP Version 6, also referred to as IPv6) can be filtered, e.g. using IP 5-tuple packet filters, thereby directing the IP data packets to a desired bearer.
Studies have shown that despite the use of prioritized traffic to a mobile user equipment users are still not satisfied with the speed of how content from an Internet content provider is provided to the user.
Thus, a need exists to further accelerate a data traffic from an Internet content provider to a mobile user equipment.


A crate adapted to store therein a container having a central bottle portion having label disposed thereon and a lower portion disposed below the label. The crate includes a floor member having an upper surface with a plurality of container support portions disposed thereon. The crate also includes a first pair of opposed upstanding side walls and a second pair of opposed upstanding side walls attached to a periphery of the floor member and defining a compartment area with the floor member. The crate further includes at least one container standoff member which is disposed within the compartment area proximate the floor member and is associated with a corresponding container support portion for defining at least one container receiving area. The at least one standoff member has a relatively short height corresponding generally to the lower portion of the container, the standoff member adapted to engage the lower portion of the container and oriented such that it does not contact the label of the container.

Divided crates are used in industry today to transport a variety of goods. Such divided crates are commonly formed of corrugated cardboard, plastic, and wood and have an open compartment into which the goods are placed. When transporting bottles or the like, typical crates do not allow the bottles to maintain an upright or aligned configuration but instead allow for play. Such alignment is desirable particularly when crates are stacked upon one another. For example, typically, a single plastic beverage bottle can support the weight of many bottles of the same size filled with beverage if the bottle is standing upright on a flat, horizontal surface and the weight of the other bottles is applied to the closure of the single bottle and is directed substantially vertically along the symmetric axis. However, if a compressive load is applied to a conventional plastic beverage bottle along a direction other than the symmetry axis of the bottle, the bottle may buckle. This tendency of conventional plastic bottles to give way under off-axis compressive loads is particularly pronounced for large capacity bottles, such as the two-liter bottle widely used for marketing soft drinks.
In addition, crates are frequently stacked on pallets which can be lifted and moved about by lift trucks. The stacks of crates on the pallets must therefore be particularly stable in order to remain standing. A technique for interconnecting stacks of empty cases, called "cross-stacking," is often used to improve the stability of empty cases loaded on a warehouse pallet. Cross-stacking generally involves stacking rectangular bottle cases to build up a layered structure, with each layer having cases oriented parallel to each other and with the adjacent layers being oriented at right angles to each other. Thus, since the adjacent layers are perpendicular, each case in the cross-stacked layer rests on at least two cases in the layer below. As a result, the cases of the cross-stacked layer tend to keep the cases on which they rest from moving apart from each other. The cross-stacked layers therefore stabilize the stacked structure.
Bottles can tilt away from vertical alignment upon stacking if conventional partitioned cases having low side walls are used to contain the bottles. Tilted bottles in the lower cases of a stack may cause the stack to fall. Even absent buckling, the tendency of bottles to tilt in conventional low-sided cases is not desirable. Tilting generally places an undesirably low limit on the number of tiers in a stack since the tilting of bottles in one case and may lead to instability.
A competing concern for storing and transporting beverage bottles is protecting the bottle label. Most beverage bottles sold today, whether glass or plastic, have labels attached thereto, via adhesive or screened thereon. Because of the information the label provides, it is desirable that the label stay intact and fully attached to the bottle. Of course, the label provides the nature of the bottle's content as well as the brand name and associated trademarks and goodwill of the manufacturer, among other things. In many crates which have dividers and other walls adjacent the bottles, the bottle label may be subject to rubbing, wear, or other damage resulting from contact with the dividers or walls.
The prior art has attempted to keep the bottles in an upright orientation. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,814, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. While this patent discloses a case which maintains bottles in an upright position, it does not resolve the possibility that the labels may be subjected to wear from the case dividers and walls.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved crate for storing and transporting containers such as bottles, whereby the containers are stable, upright, and do not tend to tilt from vertical. Also, the crate should be capable of stacking and cross-stacking, and the bottle labels should be protected from rubbing, wear, and other damages resulting from contact with the crate's dividers and/or walls,


A driving concentration level calculating apparatus is provided and includes a controller configured to acquire an acceleration of a traveling vehicle and measure a relative velocity to a preceding vehicle. In addition, noise is removed from the acquired acceleration of the traveling vehicle and from the measured relative velocity to the preceding vehicle. A plurality of correlation values are calculated based on the acceleration of the traveling vehicle and the relative velocity to the preceding vehicle from which noise has been removed. In addition, the controller is configured to detect a time at which a maximum correlation value is calculated as a driving concentration level from among the calculated correlation values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving concentration level calculating apparatus and method, and a system and a method for warning of a vehicle collision using the driving concentration level calculating apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to adjusting the timing of a collision warning taking into account a driver's driving concentration level when a time to collision inverse (TTCi) exceeds a threshold value.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, with the aid of information and communication technologies, vehicles have been developed into intelligent vehicles to provide improved safety and convenience. Since these intelligent vehicles require various types of driver input to provide functions to the driver, various types of devices must be operated while driving. Such driver inputs required to provide safety and convenience, however, cause drivers to be distracted, resulting in collisions with a preceding vehicle.
Typically, a collision warning system measures the velocity of the traveling vehicle and the relative speed and relative distance to a preceding vehicle, to warn of a collision with the preceding vehicle. However, since such a collision warning system takes into account surrounding situations only and does not consider a concentration level, it cannot provide the best timing for warning a driver of a collision.

Driving concentration level calculating apparatus and method, and system and method for warning of vehicle collision using the same


A blanket substrate comprising spun yarn of polyvinyl alcohol based fibers, in which the fibers have primary ridged streaks which are formed on their surfaces in the direction of the fiber axis with finer secondary ridged steaks formed in the primary ridged streaks, the fibers having a cross-section circularity of at least 80%.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blanket substrate and a blanket, having the substrate, for offset printing, etc.
2. Description of the Background
A blanket, formed as a laminate comprising 3 or 4 fabric layers and a rubber layer, and having a smooth rubber layer for contact by ink, has been widely used in the past in offset printing. In order to prepare blankets having good printing characteristics, high-quality blanket substrates must be used. Accordingly, blanket substrates are required to have high-level properties of (1) good dimensional stability with little xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d, (2) good adhesiveness to rubber layers, and (3) uniform thickness.
Blanket substrates with poor dimensional stability, under the load of machine driving, will elongate. This elongation lowers printing accuracy. In order to ensure the quality of the printed images desired, the xe2x80x9celongatedxe2x80x9d portion of the substrate must be wound up, which, however, interferes with efficient printing operation. On the other hand, the substrates which have low adhesiveness to rubber layers and the substrates whose thickness is not uniform give uneven prints, which results in unsatisfactory printing accuracy.
In order to prepare substrates which have uniform thickness and good adhesiveness to other layers, high-quality yarn of Egyptian cotton has been widely used, which, however, is problematic, because the use of this cotton for production of the substrates requires particular treatment with wet heat in order to enhance the dimensional stability of the substrates. In addition, even after the treatment, the dimensional stability of the substrates is lowered when they are again wetted. As a result, in repeated offset printing, blankets having a substrate are elongated whenever they are pressed against rolls and wetted. If the degree of xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d is too large, the blankets must be re-tightened, for which the printing operation must be stopped. In addition, the xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d changes the thickness of the blankets, which change results in non-uniformity of blanket thickness. The maintenance of the blankets requires much labor. Blankets, if not maintained well, will have poor printing characteristics.
Given this situation, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers having good dimensional stability and having high affinity for rubber have been proposed as blanket substrates (see JP 47-32908 and JP 62-282986). However, since ordinary PVA based fibers have a cocoon-like cross section, blanket substrates comprising them are problematic, because they often do not have uniform thickness, and, in addition, when used for a long period of time, they often lose xe2x80x9cresistance of cycle compressionxe2x80x9d and their capabilities become unsatisfactory.
Specifically, JP 47-32908 proposes using spun yarn prepared from PVA based fibers in order to prevent the elongation of blankets. However, the fibers constituting the spun yarn exhibit xe2x80x9cinterfiber slipsxe2x80x9d when a mechanical load is applied thereto. After all, therefore, even though high-strength fibers having a high modulus of elasticity are used for substrates, xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d of the substrates comprising them is inevitable.
On the other hand, JP 62-282986 proposes the use of high strength, low-elongation PVA filament yarn for blanket substrates. In the proposed method disclosed, the substrates produced will not elongate very much, but their adhesiveness to other layers is low because the surface of the filament yarn from which the substrate is prepared has no nap. Therefore, these substrates do not ensure satisfactory printing accuracy.
In order to solve the problems noted above, the use of core yarn prepared by applying short fibers onto the surf ace of synthetic filaments or long staple fibers having a length of from 10-30 cm has been proposed for blanket substrates (see JP 63-249696 and 6-297877). These disclosures state that the core of the core yarn prevents the xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d of the blanket substrates comprising the core yarn, and that the short fibers on the surface of the core improve the adhesiveness of the substrates to other layers. In practice, however, it is difficult to produce homogeneous, high-quality core yarn. Therefore, the substrates comprising core yarn are still problematic, because their thicknesses will not be uniform. In addition, since the short fibers which exist on the surface of the core will have xe2x80x9cinterfiber slipsxe2x80x9d, the dimensional stability of the substrates cannot be improved to a satisfactory degree. A need, therefore, continues to exist for an improved substrate for blankets used in printing operations.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a blanket substrate which has the properties of good dimensional stability, uniform thickness, resistance to cyclic compression and good adhesiveness to rubber.
Another object of the invention is to provide a blanket which is comprised of the substrate.
Briefly, these objects and other objects of the present invention as hereinafter will become more readily apparent can be attained by a substrate for a blanket which comprises a spun yarn of polyvinyl alcohol based fibers, wherein the fibers have primary ridged streaks which are formed on their surf ace in the direction of the fiber axis with finer secondary ridged steaks formed in the primary ridged streaks, and have a cross-section circularity of at least 80%.


A reagent system is provided for substantially lysing red blood cells in a whole blood sample prior to leukocyte analysis, which system includes a first reagent for substantially lysing the red blood cells in the whole blood sample, and a second reagent for quenching the activity of the first reagent. The first reagent is formulated to include an autoclaved saponin compound and an acid selected from the group consisting of a halogenated carboxylic acid, a phosphoric acid and a combination thereof. The second reagent includes a base and has a pH value of about 8 to 12. Also provided is a method of lysing the red blood cells and stabilizing white blood cells present in a sample of whole blood.

Analysis of leukocyte populations from whole blood samples is an important diagnostic procedure. The ability to analyze the major subpopulations of leukocytes in an automated manner has proved to be an effective tool for a rapid diagnosis of one or more blood samples.
For a number of automated hematology analyzers, a blood sample is typically split into a first portion that is subjected to techniques for analysis of red blood cells. A second portion is also obtained from the sample, which is employed for white blood cell analysis. It is important during analysis of the second portion that red blood cells be substantially completely lysed so that they do not interfere with white blood cell analysis. Thus far, several lysis reagents have been developed for use in whole blood samples. The claimed subject matter constitutes an improvement relative to existing reagents.


A network element implementing a method for determining an optimal maximum transmission unit (MTU) value on a path between two nodes in a network is described. A sending node interested in learning the optimal MTU path value allows fragmentation of datagrams sent on the path, selects an initial MTU, and sends one or more data packets to a receiving node. Upon receiving the data the receiver determines if fragmentation occurred. If no fragmentation occurred then the MTU path selected is the optimal MTU for the given path between the nodes. If fragmentation did occur then the sender is notified that the selected MTU was not the optimal MTU for the path. Either the receiver proposes a new MTU for the path, or the sender selects a new, smaller MTU. The process repeats until the receiver detects no fragmentation.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
1. Stream Control Transmission Protocol
SCTP is a general-purpose transport protocol for message-oriented applications that was designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) SIGTRAN working group, which released the SCTP standard draft document in IETF Request for Comments (RFC) 2960 in October 2000. SCTP provides support for multi-homed hosts, and can be used as the transport protocol for upper-layer applications that require monitoring and detection of loss of session. The computer system hosts communicating over an SCTP transport connection are usually represented by the so-called SCTP endpoints. An SCTP endpoint is the logical sender/receiver of SCTP packets. An SCTP endpoint is associated with one or more transport addresses, and each transport address is defined by a Network Layer address, a Transport Layer protocol and a Transport Layer port number. For example, in the case of SCTP running over IP, a transport address is defined by the combination of an IP address and an SCTP port number (where SCTP is the Transport Layer protocol). According to the standard SCTP specification, each message containing user data and sent from one SCTP endpoint to another must be acknowledged by the receiving SCTP endpoint.
An SCTP association is a protocol relationship between SCTP endpoints, and is composed of the two SCTP endpoints and the protocol state information. The protocol state information includes, among other parameters, one or more verification tags, a set of transmission sequence numbers, and a set of stream sequence numbers. An SCTP association can be uniquely identified by the transport addresses used by the endpoints in the association. Two SCTP endpoints cannot have more than one SCTP association between them at any given time.
The data units transported over an SCTP transport connection are referred to as SCTP packets. If SCTP runs over Internet Protocol (IP), an SCTP packet forms the payload of an IP packet. An SCTP packet is composed of a common header and one or more chunks. The common header contains fields for a source port number, a destination port number, a verification tag, and a checksum. The source port numbers and the destination port numbers are used for the identification of an SCTP association. SCTP uses the same port concept used by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The verification tag is a randomly generated value that is SCTP association-specific, and is exchanged between the SCTP endpoints at the SCTP association startup. The verification tag serves as a key that allows a receiver to verify that the SCTP packet belongs to the current SCTP association. The checksum is used for the detection of transmission errors.
A chunk is a unit of information within an SCTP packet, consisting of a chunk header and chunk-specific content. A chunk header includes a chunk type field, used to distinguish upper-layer application data chunks and different types of control chunks, chunk flag field for chunk specific flags, and a chunk length field. The chunk-specific content occupies the rest of the chunk, and is represented as a value field that contains the actual payload of the chunk. A Transmission Sequence Number (TSN) is attached to each chunk containing upper-layer application data to permit the receiving SCTP endpoint to acknowledge the receipt of the chunk and to detect duplicate deliveries. The TSN is a 32-bit sequence number maintained internally by the SCTP stack.
SCTP supports different streams of messages within one SCTP association. A message is a unit of data in a chunk sent by an upper-layer application over the SCTP association from one SCTP endpoint to another. A stream is a unidirectional logical channel established from one SCTP endpoint to another associated SCTP endpoint, within which all data messages are delivered in sequence unless out-of-order delivery is requested by the upper-layer application. A 16-bit sequence number, called the Stream Sequence Number (SSN), is associated with each stream, and is maintained internally by the SCTP stack to ensure sequenced delivery of the data messages within a given stream to the upper-layer application. One SSN is attached to each data message sent or received by the upper-layer application.
2. Path MTU Discovery
A Path Maximum Transmission Unit (PMTU) value is the maximum number of bytes of an IP datagram that can be transferred in a single unit over a specific path in an IP network. The PMTU for a particular path may vary widely as a result of congestion or other network conditions. If an IP datagram exceeds the MTU, normally it is either fragmented into smaller pieces by the network en route to its destination or dropped by the network.
Path MTU discovery (PMTUD) is a method used to intelligently discover the path maximum transmission unit (MTU) for a particular connection. The most common technique for PMTUD is described in RFC 1191. The objective is to find the MTU value for a path so that IP datagrams can be delivered without fragmentation. PMTUD is a mandatory function of SCTP that makes SCTP more adaptive to various network conditions. In SCTP the PMTU value is dynamic; changes within the routing infrastructure of the network can lead to a different path through the network, and thus to a different value for PMTU.
A common approach to implement PMTUD involves configuring hosts to mark outbound IP datagrams with a "Don't Fragment" (DF) bit in the IP header which directs routers along the path not to fragment an IP packet. For example, when a router receives a 1,500-byte IP datagram in which the DF bit is set to 1, and the route of choice is over a link having a PMTU of 512, the router cannot forward the IP datagram. Instead, the router returns to the sender an ICMP message coded to indicate that the destination is unreachable due to the need to fragment. (See RFC 1191.)
To handle the ICMP message, the SCTP sender may either reduce the size of datagrams it is sending along the path, or cease setting the DF bit in the headers of those datagrams. Clearly, the former strategy may continue to elicit ICMP messages for a while, whereas ceasing to set the DF bit authorizes the IP layer along the path to perform IP fragmentation on the datagram whenever it becomes necessary. However, fragmentation is undesirable for many reasons.
ICMP messages are unreliable, and due to the security risk they pose, ICMP is not widely enabled on routers that are coupled to the public Internet. In fact, routers of many enterprises drop all ICMP messages. This seriously hinders operation of the PMTU algorithm, resulting in upstream routers settling for a sub-optimal MTU. Additionally, the result of setting the DF bit in all IP datagrams results in numerous dropped packets, and as a result seriously affects throughput. A new technique is needed that does not involve ICMP messaging or participation from intermediary routers.

Method of determining a maximum transmission unit value of a network path using transport layer feedback


An image display device comprises an optical imaging arrangement for providing image information to illumination light and for transmitting the light as an optical image signal; a display for receiving the optical image signal and for displaying an image based on the image information; and a projecting optical arrangement including a reflecting part having a reflecting surface for reflecting the optical image signal, and a refracting optical part having a refracting surface for projecting the optical image signal onto the reflecting part. At least one of the reflecting surface and the refracting surface is aspherical.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display device by which an optical image signal based on image information is projected onto a display means to display an image, and a method for adjusting optical elements of in the image display device into alignment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 95 is a diagrammatic representation of a conventional image display device. Reference numeral 1 denotes a luminous element for emitting light; 2 denotes a parabolic reflector for reflecting the light from the luminous element 1 mostly into parallel rays of light; and 3 denotes a condenser lens for gathering the light reflected by the parabolic reflector 2. The luminous element 1, the parabolic reflector 2 and the condenser lens 3 constitute an illumination light source system.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a light valve for spatially intensity-modulating the light gathered by condenser lens 3 based on image information; 5 denotes a projecting optical lens for projecting the light intensity-modulated by the light valve onto a screen; and 6 denotes the screen for displaying, as an image, the light projected thereon by the projecting optical lens 5. The arrows indicate optical paths.
Next, the operation of the prior art example will be described below.
Light emitted from the luminous element 1 is reflected by the parabolic reflector 2 and focused through the condenser lens 3 onto the light valve 4. The light valve 4 spatially intensity-modulates the focused light based on image information. The intensity-modulated light is projected by the projecting optical lens 5 onto the screen 6 from behind (from the left-hand side in FIG. 95) and displayed thereon. A user of the image display device visually identifies the image from the front (from the right-hand side in FIG. 95).
The depth dimension of the image display device of FIG. 95 corresponds to the distance from the illumination light source system composed of the luminous element 1, the parabolic reflector 2 and the condenser lens 3 to the screen 6. It is preferable to minimize the depth dimension of the image display device if the image size displayable is the same. For such a reason, the conventional image display device of FIG. 95 uses a wide-angle projecting optical lens 5 to display an image on the screen so that the depth dimension of the display device is minimized to provide a flat device configuration.
Since the projecting optical lens 5 has a limitation of increasing its angle of field, however, it is customary in the art, with a view to reducing the depth dimension, to place a plane mirror at an angle of 45° to the horizontal to bend the optical path from the projecting optical lens 5, projecting an image onto the screen 6 as depicted in FIG. 96.
In the image display device of FIG. 96, the illumination light source system, the light valve 4 and the projecting optical lens 5 are disposed in the direction of height of the device (in the vertical direction in FIG. 96) to reduce the depth dimension of the device. The depth dimension of the image display device in this case corresponds to the distance from the plane mirror 7 to the screen 6. With the plane mirror 7 tilted more than 45° from the horizon, the depth dimension of the image display device can be further reduced; in this instance, however, the light valve 4 and the illumination light source system interfere with the projected light, and the light is shaded or eclipsed accordingly, resulting in the light path getting out of the screen 6.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Gazette 6-11767 there is disclosed an image display device of the type wherein light is reflected by a convex mirror is used in place of the plane mirror 7 in FIG. 96 to display a magnified image on the screen 6, but the image displayed on the screen 6 is distorted.
The conventional device configurations described above impose limitations on the reduction of the depth dimension of the device and permit no further reduction.

Image display device and adjustment for alignment


Two spaced guiding plates for a wrapping device each have a first inclined face formed thereon and each of which faces the other, therefore, a V-shaped space is defined therebetween. An adjusting plate is securely mounted on a side of the wrapping device and has a second inclined face formed thereon. The first inclined face and the second inclined face are in line with each other, such that edges of a sheet of material for wrapping a article are able to be guided by the first inclined face and the second inclined face. With the help of the guiding plates and the adjusting plate, the present invention is able to precisely guide edges of the sheet of material and to efficiently wrap the article.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guiding plate, and more particularly to a guiding plate for a wrapping device, which guides a sheet of wrapping material smoothly and enables a wrapping device to wrap a product or package precisely according to the size of the product or the package.
2. Background
Packing devices and wrapping devices are used all over the world in automated systems, especially in factories. Notwithstanding the differences between different devices, one thing that a packing device or a wrapping device does not include is a material used to wrap products. The material is used to wrap the product entirely to protect the product from contamination from the environment and to maintain the quality thereof. It is therefore noted that the wrapping device or the packing device does have the function of wrapping the product. But, a conventional wrapping device can not meet the needs of users, which is able to be adapted to the different sizes and/or dimensions of products. Furthermore, conventional wrapping devices still suffer from another disadvantage, that is, the wrapping material often have wrinkles, which causes a degradation in the appearance of the product. It is appreciated from the operation of a conventional wrapping device that alteration and/or modification thereof is required to facilitate smooth operation of the wrapping procedure and to be adapted to the dimensions of different products.
The present invention provides an improved guiding plate for a wrapping device to obviate and/or mitigate the aforementioned problems.

5th Fl., No. 360, Sec. 6, Chungshan N. Rd.


The present invention relates to conducting a plurality of chemical reactions in a system including an apparatus which provides energy for the chemical reactions, such as chemical reactions in organic synthesis, where a particular advantage is the use of predetermined reaction parameters corresponding to similar chemical reactions. The present invention also relates to a system for performing said method and to corresponding kits and software. The system comprises an apparatus which can provide energy for the chemical reactions, said apparatus comprising a reaction cavity and a liquid handler, and a parameter selecting unit having a user interface means, a search unit means, apparatus control unit means, and storage means for carrying a database.

Automated synthesis and diagnostic processes has met increasing interest in the last decades. In view of the need for standardised processes yielding product and results of uniform quality, a number of useful systems and methods for synthesis and diagnostic processes have been developed. A wide range of systems are commercially available, especially in the field of peptide and oligonucleotide synthesis where standardised synthetic steps can be described in great detail. In peptide and oligonucleotide synthesis standard protocols have been developed so that synthesis thereof can be effected in an automated manner.
A field of great interest is the field of development of novel organic compounds, e.g. novel drug candidates. Some of the major obstacles for an organic chemist today are the time consumed, the complexity, and the search for efficient routes in organic synthesis. As an example, the average performance some ten years ago was around 25–50 complete substances per chemist a year in the pharmaceutical industry, resulting in an equal amount of new chemical entities as potential new drug candidates. Today the figure is close to 100's per year and will soon be expected to be in the region of 1000's per year per day.
Thus, the challenges for the pharmaceutical industry and the organic chemist include identification of ways of reducing time in the drug development, identification of ways of creating chemical diversity, development of new synthesis routes and reintroduction of old "impossible" synthetic routes. Also, it is a constant challenge to reach classes of totally new chemical entities.
Microwaves assisted chemistry offers a way of providing solutions to at least some of the above problems, namely by speeding up the reaction time with orders of magnitude, improving the yield of chemical reactions, offering higher purity of the resulting product due to rapid heating and thereby reducing impurities from side reactions, and making reactions which were not considered feasible with conventional thermal heating possible.
However, it has often been considered difficult to select optimal conditions for an organic transformation independent if it is based on conventional methods or the use of microwave dielectric heating in that suitable reaction conditions often are found within a very narrow "window". In particular, it is usually considered quite difficult to determine the most suitable combination of process parameters, e.g. applied power, time, solvent, etc.
Although the organic chemist has knowledge about a wide variety of chemical reaction types, he will, if possible, tend to select familiar reaction types even when totally new chemical entities are to be synthesised. Thus, for the organic chemist, it would be desirable if he could gain access to "novel" reaction types associated with reagents unfamiliar to him in a easy manner. Preferably, the automated synthesis of novel drug candidates and other complex chemical entities should not be limited to "chemistries" developed by the organic chemist operating the system.
There is thus a need for a flexible set-up where the organic chemist can explore a number of reactions without the need for detailed literature studies. This will make it possible for the organic chemist to perform a number of reactions (R reactions) in order to become familiarised with the reaction type. This appears to be especially relevant in the cases where the organic chemist is utilising microwave assisted chemical reactions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,784 describes a chemical treatment cassette for enabling the performance of various complex chemistries with minimal human intervention. It is described that the cassette includes a machine readable code set for identifying the exact chemical treatment protocols required for the samples in the cassette. Thus, the machine readable code set substitutes the manual instructions normally provided to a system so that the cassettes can be processed independent of human intervention. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,784, the machine readable code set and thereby the exact chemical treatment protocols should still be defined and selected by the user prior to the processing of the samples.

Method for performing multiple chemical reactions and a kit and system therefor


Described is a branch unit that predicts branch instruction target addresses. The prediction is improved by using a Call-Return Stack to predict subroutine routine branches. The mechanism is designed for high-performance processors where call and return instructions may overlap in execution or may be issued speculatively. The mechanism maintains the state for the known execution trace and tracks speculative execution traces.

As background for our invention consider previous publications in the similar area. IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 34, No. 11, April 1992, pp. 269-271 "Return Address Stack Cache" by Barrera et al describes a stack for saving subroutine return addresses. The NSIA is saved in the LIFO stack mechanism as the Call instruction completes. The prediction for a Return target address is predicted from the top address in the stack. The stack is not adjusted until the Return completes. If there is a Call in progress (after branch prediction and before the prediction is verified and updated) a Return prediction must wait for the Call to finish. Similarly if a Return is in progress, another Return prediction must wait. As computer processors become faster by executing more instructions at a time, this waiting is significant. This mechanism is described for a computer instruction set with explicit Call and Return instructions.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 30, No. 11, April 1988, pp. 221-225 "Subroutine Call/Return Stack" by Webb describes a pair of stacks for saving subroutine addresses. This mechanism uses a branch history table with an extra bit in each entry to identify Return instructions. A Return is identified when the branch prediction is verified for the Return. If the stack prediction was correct, a potential return instruction must have functioned as a Return. Consequently, the first time a particular potential Return is encountered, it is not handled as a Return. On subsequent executions of the instruction, the Branch History Table identifies the instruction as a Return and it is predicted using the stack. This mechanism requires two stacks, which are each used in associative searches to find the prediction of a Return and to identify Returns.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 24, No. 7A, December 1981, pp. 3255-3258 "Subroutine Return Address Stack" by Losq describes a stack for saving return addresses and the register identifier in which the address is saved on a Call and branched to in a Return. This filters out some cases of potential Calls and Returns that do not implement the Call and Return functions. Therefore the stack is used to predict a Return only if the register identifier at the top of the stack matches the register identifier in the instruction. This mechanism does not handle a Return prediction if another Call or Return is in progress.

Computer system branch prediction of subroutine returns

International Business Machines Corporation


An orientation sensor measures the orientation of the orientation sensor itself on a sensor coordinate system, and outputs an orientation measurement value. A first alignment data setting unit reads out first alignment data, which is recorded in an external storage device and represents the gravitational direction on a reference coordinate system, and sets that data in an orientation calculation unit. A second alignment data setting unit sets second alignment data, which represents a difference angle in the azimuth direction between the sensor coordinate system and reference coordinate system in the orientation calculation unit in accordance with a command input by an operator from a command input unit. The orientation calculation unit calculates the orientation of an object on the reference coordinate system using the first and second alignment data on the basis of the orientation measurement value input from the orientation sensor, and outputs it.

In recent years, studies about mixed reality (MR) that aims at seamless joint of physical and virtual spaces have been extensively made. An image display apparatus which presents mixed reality is implemented by an apparatus which superimposes an image of a virtual space (e.g., a virtual object, text information, and the like rendered by computer graphics) onto an image of a physical space captured by an image sensing device such as a video camera or the like.
As applications of such image display apparatus, navigation that superimposes the names and information of famous buildings and the like as virtual space images in an image of a physical space obtained by capturing an urban area, a landscape simulation that superimposes a computer graphics image of a building which is planned to be constructed onto an image obtained by capturing a planned construction site of that building, and the like are expected.
A common requirement for these applications involves the precision level of registration between the physical and virtual spaces, and many efforts have been conventionally made in this respect. In order to attain accurate registration between the physical and virtual spaces, camera parameters (intrinsic and extrinsic parameters) required to generate an image on the virtual space can be always matched with those of an image sensing device. If intrinsic parameters of the image sensing device are known, a problem of registration in mixed reality eventuates in a problem of calculating extrinsic parameters of the image sensing device, i.e., the position and orientation of the image sensing device on a reference coordinate system set on the physical space.
As a method of calculating the position and orientation of an image sensing device on the reference coordinate system set on the physical space, for example, T. HÖllerer, S. Feiner, and J. Pavlik, Situated documentaries: embedding multimedia presentations in the real world, Proc. International Symposium on Wearable Computers '99, pp. 79-86, 1999. has proposed a technique for acquiring the position and orientation of an image sensing device using orientation measurement of an image sensing device using an orientation sensor and position measurement of an image sensing device by a global positioning system or the like in combination.
As typical orientation sensors used in such method, TISS-5-40 (TOKIMEC INC.) and InertiaCube2 (InterSense Inc.) are available. Each of these orientation sensors mainly comprises gyro sensors for detecting angular velocities in triaxial directions, and acceleration sensors for detecting accelerations in the triaxial directions, and measures the triaxial orientation values (azimuth angle, pitch angle, roll angle) as a combination of these measurement values. In general, angle information obtained by the gyro sensor alone is only a relative change in orientation with respect to an orientation at a given time. However, these orientation sensors are characterized in that the gravitational direction of the earth is measured using the acceleration sensors to obtain the absolute angles with reference to the gravitational direction as tilt angles (i.e., pitch and roll angles).
Orientation measurement values output from the orientation sensor represent the orientation of the sensor itself on a sensor coordinate system defined by the sensor itself irrespective of a reference coordinate system. The sensor coordinate system is defined to have the gravitational direction (down direction) as a Z-axis, and a direction in front of a sensor upon initializing the sensor on an X-Y plane specified by this Z-axis as an X-axis, in case of, e.g., TISS-5-40 above. In case of InertiCube2, the sensor coordinate system is defined to have the gravitational direction (down direction) as a Z-axis, and a north direction indicated by a built-in geomagnetic sensor upon initializing the sensor on an X-Y plane specified by this Z-axis as an X-axis. In this way, the orientation measurement values of the orientation sensor do not normally indicate the orientation itself of an object to be measured (an image sensing device in case of an image display apparatus that presents mixed reality) on the reference coordinate system as information to be acquired.
That is, the orientation measurement values of the orientation sensor cannot be directly used as the orientation of the object to be measured on the reference coordinate system, and must undergo some kind of coordinate conversion. More specifically, coordinate conversion that converts the orientation of the sensor itself into that of the object to be measured, and coordinate conversion that converts the orientation of the object to be measured on the sensor coordinate system into that on the reference coordinate system are required.
In this specification, data required to perform coordinate conversion that converts the orientation of the sensor itself into that of the object to be measured will be referred to as offset data hereinafter. Also, data required to perform coordinate conversion that converts the orientation of the object to be measured on the sensor coordinate system into that on the reference coordinate system will be referred to as alignment data hereinafter.
The prior art of an orientation measurement method that measures the orientation of an object to be measured using an orientation sensor which can measure tilt angles as the absolute angles with reference to the gravitational direction will be explained below taking a general image display apparatus that presents mixed reality as an example. Especially, the conventional setting method and use method of alignment data will be explained.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a general image display apparatus which presents mixed reality.
A camera 110, display unit 120, and orientation sensor 130 are fixed to a head-mount unit 100.
The orientation sensor 130 measures the orientation of the orientation sensor 130 itself on the sensor coordinate system, and outputs orientation measurement values of three degrees of freedom. The orientation sensor 130 comprises, e.g., TISS-5-40 or InertiaCube2.
An orientation calculation unit 140 receives the orientation measurement values from the orientation sensor 130, applies coordinate conversion to the orientation measurement values in accordance with alignment data and offset data held by an internal memory (not shown) to calculate the orientation of the camera 110 on the reference coordinate system, and outputs it to an image generation unit 150 as orientation information.
The image generation unit 150 generates a virtual image corresponding to the position and orientation of the camera 110 in accordance with the orientation information input from the orientation calculation unit 140 and position information of the camera 110 on the reference coordinate system, which is input from a position calculation unit (not shown: e.g., a receiver of a global positioning system), and outputs that image by superimposing it onto an actually captured image input from the camera 110. The display unit 120 receives the image output from the image generation unit 150, and displays it.
With the above arrangement, an observer (not shown: i.e., a person who wears the head-mount unit 100) observes a composite image of the actually captured image (an image of the physical space) and virtual image (an image of the virtual space), which is displayed on the display unit 120 arranged in front of his or her eyes.
The method of calculating the orientation of the camera 110 on the reference coordinate system by the orientation calculation unit 140 will be described below using FIG. 2.
Initially, variables in FIG. 2 will be explained.
RWV: the orientation of the camera 110 on a reference coordinate system 200 (a coordinate system fixed to the physical space)
RWT: the orientation of a sensor coordinate system 210 on the reference coordinate system 200
RTS: the orientation of the orientation sensor 130 on the sensor coordinate system 210
RSV: the orientation of the camera 110 from the perspective of the orientation sensor 130
In this specification, the orientation of an object B on a coordinate system A is described by a 3×3 matrix RAB where RAB is a coordinate conversion matrix from a coordinate system B defined by the object B into the coordinate system A, and defines a conversion formula PA=RAB·PB that converts coordinates PB=(XB, YB, ZB)T on the coordinate system B into coordinates PA=(XA, YA, ZA)T on the coordinate system A. That is, the orientation RWV of the camera 110 on the reference coordinate system 200 can be reworded as the coordinate conversion matrix (PW=RWV·PV) for converting coordinates PV=(XV, YV, ZV)T on the camera coordinate system 200 into coordinates PW=(XW, YW, ZW)T on the reference coordinate system 200.
At this time, the relationship among RWT, RTS, RSV, and RWV can be described by:RWV=RWT·RTS·RSV  (A)
In equation (A), RTS corresponds to the input data from the orientation sensor 130 to the orientation calculation unit 140, RWV corresponds to the output data from the orientation calculation unit 140, RSV corresponds to the offset data, and RWT corresponds to the alignment data. The orientation calculation unit 140 calculates RWV based on equation (A) using RTS input from the orientation sensor 130, and RSV and RWT held by the internal memory, and outputs it to the image generation unit 150.
Therefore, in order to attain accurate registration between the physical space and virtual space, accurate RSV and RWT must be set in the internal memory of the orientation calculation unit 140 by some means.
The value of the offset data RSV is always constant as long as the relative orientation relationship between the orientation sensor 130 and camera 100 remains the same. In case of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. 1, since both the orientation sensor 130 and camera 100 are fixed to the head-mount unit 100, the offset data need only be derived only when the orientation sensor 130 and camera 100 are set on the head-mount unit 100. In general, since an object whose orientation is to be measured and an orientation sensor used to measure it are fixed to keep rigidity, the offset data need only be derived only when the orientation sensor is set on the object to be measured.
Likewise, the value of the alignment data RWT is always constant as long as the relative orientation relationship between the reference coordinate system 200 and sensor coordinate system 210 remains the same, and the alignment data need only be derived only when the reference coordinate system 200 is defined. However, in practice, in case of, e.g., TISS-5-40, since the sensor coordinate system 210 is determined depending on the orientation of the orientation sensor 130 upon initializing the sensor, as described above, if the orientation of the orientation sensor 130 upon initializing the sensor differs, the sensor coordinate system 210 differs. In case of InertiaCube2, since the sensor coordinate system 210 is determined depending on the north direction indicated by the geomagnetic sensor upon initializing the sensor, the sensor coordinate system 210 may differ depending on a change in magnetic environment upon initializing the sensor.
For this reason, there is a restriction in use of the once derived alignment data without any change that the orientation sensor 130 must always be initialized in the same orientation or magnetic environment.
As one method free from such restriction, a method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-132374 (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/080976 A1) previously filed by the present application is known. This conventional method will be explained below.
If the above restriction is not placed, the definition of the sensor coordinate system 210 changes depending on the orientation, magnetic environment, and the like upon initializing the orientation sensor 130. Therefore, an appropriate value of the alignment data is not constant, and must be derived again every time the orientation sensor 130 is initialized. Since this conventional method facilitates derivation of the alignment data, the orientation can be accurately measured even when the sensor coordinate system 210 has changed.
In general, an orientation sensor which can measure tilt angles as the absolute angles with reference to the gravitational direction has a feature that one of the axes of the sensor coordinate system 210 is set to agree with the gravitational direction (or its inverse direction). For example, in TISS-5-40 or InertiaCube2, the Z-axis of the sensor coordinate system 210 is set to agree with the gravitational direction, as shown in FIG. 3. In the following description, assume that the Z-axis of the sensor coordinate system 210 indicates the gravitational direction.
This conventional method limits the degrees of freedom in design of the reference coordinate system 200 so as to facilitate derivation of alignment data. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, only the orientation that can be expressed by rotating the sensor coordinate system 210 in the azimuth direction can be defined as that of the reference coordinate system 200. In other words, the condition that the gravitational direction must always be defined as the Z-axis of the reference coordinate system 200 is placed as a restriction upon designing the reference coordinate system 200.
If the reference coordinate system 200 is designed under such restriction, the Z-axis direction of the reference coordinate system 200 agrees with that of the sensor coordinate system 210. For this reason, the alignment data RWT as data required to convert the orientation on the sensor coordinate system 210 into that on the reference coordinate system 200 can be expressed by a rotation matrix that expresses a rotation in the azimuth direction. In other words, alignment data RWT can be expressed by only one scalar quantity φWT that expresses the rotation angle about the Z-axis. That is, RWT is given by:
                              R          WT                =                  [                                                                      cos                                                                                ϕ                    WT                                                                                -                    si                                                                                n                                                                                ϕ                    WT                                                                              0                                                                                sin                                                                                ϕ                    WT                                                                                cos                                                                                ϕ                    WT                                                                              0                                                                    0                                            0                                            1                                              ]                                    (        B        )
As described above, the appropriate value of the alignment data is not constant, and must be re-derived every time the orientation sensor 130 is initialized. With this conventional method, since the alignment data is defined by only φWT, the value which must be re-derived every time the orientation sensor 130 is initialized is only one scalar quantity φWT.
For example, after the orientation sensor 130 is initialized, the value φWT held by the orientation calculation unit 140 need only be interactively increased/decreased via an input device (not shown) such as a joystick or the like to attain accurate registration between an actually captured image and virtual image while observing an image (formed by superposing the virtual image on the actually captured image) displayed on the display unit 120. This process can be done very easily since only one variable need only be changed, and the degree of freedom of a variable is 1.
In this way, the conventional method allows accurate orientation measurement without placing any restriction that the orientation sensor 130 must always be initialized in the same orientation or magnetic environment, since re-derivation of alignment data is facilitated by limiting the degree of freedom in design of the reference coordinate system 200.
However, this method suffers a program that the reference coordinate system cannot be freely designed. For this reason, the degree of freedom in design of an application is limited. Also, it is difficult to apply this method to an existing application which has a unique reference coordinate system.

Data conversion method and apparatus, and orientation measurement apparatus


Embodiments of the present invention provide devices, systems and methods of seamless layer 2 handover between heterogeneous networks for a hybrid wireless communication device. For example, an apparatus includes a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first wireless communication protocol, a second, collocated, wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second wireless communication protocol, and possibly shared radio frequency components. A method includes a fragmented handover procedure in which a network entry procedure is divided into atomic operations which may be performed during short, orderly, absences from the active network. The method further includes orderly switching back to the active network for any data or connection-management transactions, until the fragmented handover is completed and layer 2 connections are established at the second network. Other features are described and claimed.

In the field of wireless communications, a hybrid wireless communication station may include multiple wireless transceivers, for example, a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first wireless communication standard or protocol, and a second transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second wireless communication standard or protocol. In some cases, the hybrid station may include separate subsystems for wireless communication with heterogeneous networks, and may share radio frequency (RF) components.
In many cases, the hybrid station may be fully connected to only one network at a time, for example, due to consideration such as operating cost, power consumption, or interference that may be caused by concurrent communication of wireless signals by the first and second transceivers. Thus, the hybrid station may be connected to a primary network with one active subsystem that is fully associated, while the other subsystem is not fully connected to the network, e.g. it is unassociated, scanning or in idle mode in the other, secondary, network. As network conditions change, e.g., during roaming from one coverage area to another, handover to the other network may be required.
However, the handover duration between the heterogeneous networks may be quite long. In order to avoid (relatively) long intervals without layer 2 (L2) network connectivity during handover, a special mechanism may be required to enable L2 transactions at the active network while entering the secondary network.
Current solutions for collocated heterogeneous network technologies may not provide means of accurate coordination between the two subsystems. For example, they may not include support for an effective layer 2 make-before-break handover between the heterogeneous subsystems, and thus the requirements of low latency applications for seamless handover are not being met. In particular, current solutions do not promote the use of shared RF for multi-radio implementations that require seamless roaming.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

Device, system and method of layer 2 handover between hereogenous networks


A high-Tc oxide superconductor including Bi, Sr, Ca, Cu, O and at least one of Pb and Al, with a high critical temperature than that of liquid nitrogen. A method for producing the high-Tx oxide superconductor is also disclosed, in which Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3, SrCO.sub.3, CaCO.sub.3, CuO and PbO or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 powders are mixed, calcined, ground, cold-pressed and sintered. The calcined mixture may be melted and annealed to obtain a tape-form superconductor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-Tc oxide superconductor of a Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system and a method for producing the high-Tc oxide superconductor.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a conventional oxide superconductor of a Y-Ba-Cu-O system, its critical temperature Tc, at which the resistance becomes completely zero, is relatively high such as up to 90 K. However, in order to obtain high and good characteristics, it is necessary to set a composition ratio of Y:Ba:Cu to exactly 1:2:3, and it is quite difficult to control this composition ratio. Further, this superconductor is unstable and readily reacts with water or carbon dioxide to deteriorate its characteristics, and thus changes with the passage of time in the air. That is, this unstable superconductor must be handled carefully, e.g., it must be stored apart from the air.
An oxide superconductor of a Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system having a relatively high critical temperature Tc has been proposed. However, in actual, it is difficult to determine its producing conditions, and the obtained superconductor is liable to separate into two phases. Its zero resistance temperature is 75 K. at most, and hence none of such superconductors operates in stable at temperature 77 K. of liquid nitrogen. Accordingly, the application fields of the conventional superconductors are largely restricted.

High-Tc oxide superconductor and method for producing the same


According to an embodiment, a reader includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire an image containing a code; a detecting unit configured to detect a plurality of local regions containing parts of the code from the image; an integrating unit configured to integrate the local regions to obtain an integrated region; and a reading unit configured to read the code on the integrated region.

Various codes such as bar codes are used for writing information on management of articles in a wide range of fields such as merchandise sales, distribution, and production processes. For reading such codes, a hand scanner or a pen scanner that directly points a code to read the code, a stationary scanner that emits beams in a plurality of directions to read a code with any of the beams, or the like is used.
With the related art as described above, however, when a code is printed on or attached to a deformable object, the code will be distorted as the object is deformed and therefore may not be readable.

Reader, reading method and computer program product


A security system for recording information outside a vehicle and delivering such information to a remote location includes a plurality of cameras mounted within a housing with radial lines of sight for providing a panoramic view of the surroundings. The present invention further includes a communication mechanism for transmitting an image to a remote location. A user interface includes one of a hand-operable video phone, personal computer and cellcorder. The present invention further includes an image stabilizing mechanism for maintaining the lines of sight along a linear path. The image stabilizing mechanism is secured to the housing and cameras. Such an image stabilizing mechanism includes a housing that has a motor, a gyro, and a helical spring member, which provide support as the vehicle is in motion.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a surveillance system and, more particularly, to a vehicle-mounted surveillance system including a stabilizing mechanism for providing a steady image stream during vehicle motion.
2. Prior Art
Very often vehicles are operated by persons other than their owners. In those situations the owners normally have a vested interest in seeing that their vehicles are operated in a safe and prudent manner. For example, the backs of trucks are often marked, "How is my driving? Call (a certain telephone number)." Rental car companies also have an interest in seeing that their cars are not mishandled. Government agencies too sometimes need to maintain surveillance on the operation of their law enforcement vehicles, especially with the heightened threat of terrorist activities.
As opposed to organizations with substantial resources, individuals have a far more limited means available to them for this purpose. Thus parents, for example, have had to rely on word of mouth reports as to how their adolescent children drive a family car. Thus a need has long existed for a way of monitoring the driving of adolescent children which is cost effective, both in terms of equipment and time efficiency, and yet which may be achieved with reasonable cost economy.
Traditionally, surveillance is done using a system that photographs subjects at remote locations and transmits data representative of the photograph to a base location. As concerns over security increase, more locations, such as automatic tellers (ATMs), have incorporated a photographic identification system in order to deter thefts and unlawful acts. Such systems make routine surveillance images of subjects as they present themselves at the location to be protected. By storing images of persons as they present themselves at a location, they are less likely to commit a crime since the image has "pre-witnessed" them.
Images accumulated by a surveillance system are stored on video tape or by other means for later processing. In the event that a wrongful act occurs at a remote location in which images are collected, the images can be cross matched to the approximate time of the act and the identity of the subject, based upon reviewed images can be ascertained.
While the above-described surveillance systems have become increasingly common at permanent fixed locations, the use of such surveillance in mobile applications has been more problematic. It can prove difficult and unreliable to store the images on board a vehicle since they are prone to tampering. A typical environment in which surveillance of subjects may be particularly desirable is in the taxicab industry. The ability to remotely store images of passengers, before or as they enter a vehicle or surrounding building structure, would invariably serve to deter would-be thieves from carrying out their plans.
Accordingly, a need remains for a vehicle mounted surveillance system that overcomes the above-noted shortcomings, especially for overcoming terrorist activities in vulnerable areas of the world. This invention will be beneficial to Neighborhood Watch Programs and the Amber Alert Program for missing children. This invention is also designed to provide personal safety and give owners and family members peace of mind through knowing that the area around their vehicle is safe before they arrive there. In situations where the owner is apprehensive about walking to his/her parked car (during the daytime of nighttime), he/she can use the hand operated video phone to survey the surroundings from a distance. If anything is amiss, they can contact police if necessary.


A recess portion is provided on a rear face of a head main body. A resin layer is bonded between ribs, of an innermost face. After an element assembly of the resin layer, an element assembly of the FRP body and a balloon are inserted into the recess portion, the iron golf club head is mounted in a mold, and a gas such as air is supplied into the balloon through an air opening inserted into an opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to a golf club head for batting the golf ball, and particularly to an iron golf club head. More particularly, this invention relates to an iron golf club head including a head main body having a recess (cavity) retreated from the rear face, and an FRP body provided in this recess.
2. Description of the Related Art
The iron golf club heads were conventionally made of metal material alone such as stainless steel or cast iron. In recent years, the iron golf club heads with an FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) material disposed behind the head main body are available on the market.
For example, in JP-A-62-97570, an iron club was disclosed in which a CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) layer is attached on the back face of a batting face to enhance the feeling of batting.
Also, this CFRP layer is attached on the back face of the batting face, and covered with a plastic backup member, as disclosed in JP-A-63-19169. In FIG. 5 of JP-A-63-19169, an iron golf club head is shown in which an entrance portion of cavity is closed with the backup member to make the FRP member a hollow structure.
FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 5 as disclosed in JP-A-63-19169. A head main body 1 of this iron club head has a recess 4 behind a batting face portion 2, and a rising portion 8 standing from the rear edge of a sole face portion 3.
A fiber reinforced member 5 is intimately affixed on the inner face of the recess 4. The fiber reinforced member 5 has a hollow shell structure. In JP-A-63-19169, there is no description how the fiber reinforced member 5 with the hollow shell structure is disposed or formed within the recess 4. The plastic material is filled into the recess 4 to cover this fiber reinforced member 5 and cured to form a backup member 6 (left upper column and left lower column at page 5 in JP-A-63-19169).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides for delaying an xa_close call on a connection and reducing the number of xa_open/xa_close calls. This process improves upon the original method of carrying out the xa_close call. The connection is always in an xa_open stage and will avoid a subsequent costly xa_open/xa_close. The only event which triggers the xa_close is the time out on the connection.

Distributed database systems are utilized extensively for many applications. If an application needs to access multiple resource managers (database servers) in a single transaction, then the XA protocol should be used to ensure that the state remains consistent between them. The XA protocol supports the use of two-phase commit, ensuring that modifications between the multiple resources either commit together or are rolled back together. It should be noted that for many resource managers, using XA adds substantial overhead to all operations, not just the commit. As a result, XA should be used only when necessary. Resource managers (database servers) that do not "know" about one another can not cooperate directly in distributed transactions. (Example: a transaction may span over an Informix, DB2 and Oracle database.) Instead, the transaction manager controls the transaction, indicating to each resource manager whether and when to commit or roll back, based on the global state of the transaction. A transaction manager coordinates transactions between resource managers using a two-phase commit protocol. The two-phase commit protocol provides the ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) properties of transactions across multiple resources.
In the first phase of two-phase commit, the transaction manager tells each resource to "prepare" to commit; that is, to perform all operations for a commit and be ready either to make the changes permanent or to undo all changes. Each resource manager responds, indicating whether or not the prepare operation succeeded.
In the second phase, if all prepare operations succeed, the transaction manager tells all resource managers to commit their changes; otherwise, it tells them all to roll back and indicates transaction failure to the application.
A particular resource manager may participate in multiple simultaneous distributed transactions. The ACID properties apply for all resource managers involved in a particular distribute transaction, as well as for all pending transactions within a particular resource manager.
A distributed transaction protocol, such as XA includes, i.e., a 2 phase commit mechanism supported by major database vendors, transaction managers and client tool vendors. The protocol involves xa_open followed by xa_close which are used to enable/disable distributed transactions equivalent to a database open and database close statements in a normal connection/transaction scenario. The xa_open and xa_close calls both require a considerable amount of time because they require accessing resource managers on the network. Therefore, it is desirable to optimize the number of open and close calls to minimize the time required to execute transactions.

Method and system for optimizing XA open and XA close operations in a distributed database system

International Business Machines Corporation


This invention provides a superconducting tunnel junction element showing satisfactory Josephson effect. The element includes a Bi-based layered compound such as Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 (Ca.sub.0.6 Y.sub.0.4)Cu.sub.2 O.sub.8, Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Cu.sub.2 O.sub.6 and Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.8 as the barrier layer between the superconducting oxide electrodes. The structural matching of the superconducting oxide with the Bi-based compound is supposed to be good. Some kinds of Cu-based superconducting oxides such as YSr.sub.2 Cu.sub.2.7 Re.sub.0.3 O.sub.7, Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.6 and (La.sub.0.9 Sr.sub.0.1).sub.2 CuO.sub.4 are used for the electrodes to obtain a Josephson element which can work at a high temperature. When using the superconducting oxides including Ba such as YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 for the electrode, forming a thin film between the electrode and the barrier is better to prevent Ba from reacting with Bi in the barrier layer. The superconducting device comprising the element has various uses such as magnetic detecting use, communicating use and computing use.

Some of the superconducting oxides found recently have a superconducting critical temperature (Tc) higher than the boiling point of liquid nitrogen so that the applications of superconductors have been broadened significantly. Getting a superconducting device expected to be applied in an electronics field, some kinds of superconducting junctions are produced on a trial basis as a basic element of the device. The junctions are, for example, those which utilize in-plain grain boundaries, those which utilize the differences of surfaces like steps and those of a multilayer-type (S:Takada, Oyo Buturi, vol.62, 1993, p443).
The superconducting junctions which have been produced so far, however, have not provided a satisfactory effect. In other words, tunnel junction elements showing an ideal Josephson characteristics have been hard to obtain. This is because it is technically hard to completely get rid of disorder from tunnel junctions due to the contacts between superconducting compounds and non-superconduting compounds especially when including a composite oxide showing a high Tc. Though it was reported that a single crystal of Bi-based superconducting oxide showed characteristics like tunnel junction ( K. Tanabe et al, Physical Review B, vol.53, No.14, April 1996), the characteristics were observed only in the single crystal so that it was hard to apply it to a useful element or device in an electronics field.
As described above, it has been hard to produce a tunnel junction element which can be applied to a superconduting device. In order to get a good contact between a superconduting layer and a non-superconducting layer and make the element practical, it is necessary that the compounds of the layers are compatible and the element is not hard to produce. A tunnel junction element including a niobium (Nb) layer known as a superconducting metal, was not actually realized until a superb combination of the metal as electrodes and an aluminium oxide as a barrier layer was discovered. Such a superb combination including a superconducting oxide has been hard to produce, to date.

Superconducting tunnel junction element and superconducting device

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An IC test equipment corrects the timing data for generating the strobe signal by each of the paths corresponding to a plurality of the devices under test measured in parallel and achieves an accurate measurement by each path, a measurement method in the IC test equipment, and a storage medium of the same. The IC test equipment is constructed as follows. The data generating circuit outputs the minimum value T1min of the timing data to the adding circuit. The data correction circuit outputs to the adding circuit the delay time TDLn with regard to the foregoing T1min corresponding to the device under test of the concerned number in accordance with the number data Dn inputted from the controller of the device under test. The adding circuit adds the foregoing T1min and the delay time TDLn to correct the timing data. Further, the clock generator generates the strobe signal on the basis of the corrected timing data inputted from the adding circuit to output to the register, and controls to latch inside the register circuit the voltage level data inputted to the register circuit from the judgment circuit when the strobe signal is generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC test equipment to test semiconductor integrated circuits, specifically to an IC test equipment that has a common judgment circuit and measures a plurality of devices under test in parallel, a measurement method in the IC test equipment, and a storage medium of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, circuits used in various electronic equipments have been made into ICs (Integrated Circuits) with impetus. IC or LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) is embodied by printing, vapor deposition, and other methods, by which the functions of resistors, capacitors, transistors, and other devices are formed. However, there are some dispersions in characteristics among these products which are mass-produced. The IC test equipment is to test whether the characteristic of the IC or LSI with such dispersions meets the specification or not.
When semiconductor integrated circuits such as an IC are tested using an IC test equipment, it is effective that a plurality of devices under test (Device Under Test: DUT) are tested in parallel by one and the same device program.
A conventional IC test equipment 11 will now be described with reference to FIG. 2, by which a plurality of devices under test can be tested in parallel.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram to illustrate the circuit configuration of the conventional IC test equipment 11, in which devices under test (1) through (5) are mounted on an IC measurement board 30.
In FIG. 2, the IC test equipment 11 comprises a pattern generator 12, controller 13, clock generator 14, judgment circuit 15, register circuit 16, data generating circuit 17, and clock generator 20, and tests a plurality of devices under test (1) through (5) mounted on the IC measurement board 30.
First, the controller 13 outputs to the clock generator 14 a control signal that indicates the very device under test a plurality of the foregoing devices under test (1) through (5), and controls the clock generator 14 to output the Enable signal to arbitrary device to be tested. The clock generator 14 generates the Enable signal for bringing the devices under test into the Enable state, and supplies the Enable signal only to the arbitrary device to be tested out of a plurality of the devices under test on the basis of the control signal inputted from the controller 13.
Next, the pattern generator 12 generates a pattern signal required for testing the devices under test, and outputs the pattern signal to each of the foregoing devices under test (1) through (5). On the other hand, the data generating circuit 17 outputs to the clock generator 20 a timing data T1 for the clock signal (strobe signal to define the time-position when good or not good is judged) generated by the clock generator 20.
And, the judgment circuit 15 judges the voltage level of a signal when an output terminal of a plurality of the foregoing devices under test is short-circuited, and transfers the result to the register circuit 16. In practice, the clock generator 14 controlled by the controller 13 selects one arbitrary device under test out of a plurality of the devices under test, and brings only the selected device under test into the Enable state. And, the judgment circuit 15 judges the voltage level of the signal outputted from the output terminal of the selected device under test, and transfers it as a voltage level data to the register circuit 16.
And, the clock generator 20 generates the strobe signal on the basis of the timing data T1 inputted from the data generating circuit 17 to output to the register circuit 16, and controls to latch inside the register circuit 16 the voltage level data inputted to the register circuit 16 from the judgment circuit 15 when the strobe signal is generated. The register circuit 16 latches to hold inside thereof the voltage level data inputted from the judgment circuit 15, on the basis of the timing of the strobe signal inputted from the clock generator 20.
However, in the foregoing IC test equipment 11, the time from when the pattern signal is outputted from the pattern generator 12 until when the pattern signal propagates through a device under test, passes through the judgment circuit 15, and reaches the register circuit 16 differs depending on the path corresponding to the device under test that the pattern signal propagates through. T1n is the time from when the pattern signal is outputted until when the pattern signal propagating through the n-th device under test (n: anyone of the numbers (1) through (5) of the devices under test) reaches the register circuit 16. T11, T12, . . , T15 are the times, based on the above definition, when the pattern signal passes through the devices under test (1), (2), . . . , (5), respectively, which have different values each other. T1 is defined as the average value of the times T11, T12, . . , T15.
Naturally, the T1 as the average of the times T11, T12, . . , T15 is deviated from the times T11, T12, . . , T15 by each of the paths. The clock generator 20 generates the strobe signal on the basis of the timing data T1 that contains the above deviations or errors from the times T11, T12, . . , T15 by each of the paths corresponding to a plurality of the devices under test. Therefore, it is unavoidable that the voltage level data inputted from the judgment circuit 15, which is latched by the register circuit 16 and held inside thereof on the basis of the timing of the strobe signal, involves measurement deviations between the devices under test.

IC test equipment, measurement method in the IC test equipment, and storage medium of the same


A fluid deceleration device is provided for a hydraulic system having a housing forming a sump, and a valve unit having an outlet port through which hydraulic fluid is expelled for communication to the sump. The fluid deceleration device includes an elongated tilted fluid container and a conduit which communicates fluid from the outlet port to an interior of the container. The container has an upper open end surrounded by a lip. When the container is filled, de-aerated fluid spills over the lip and falls into the sump.

The present invention relates to a fluid deceleration/de-aeration device for a hydraulic system.
Tractor hydraulic systems include, among other components, hydraulic pumps, a hydraulic sump or reservoir, hydraulic functions such as cylinders, and control valves which control communication between the pump, the sump and the hydraulic function. Hydraulic reservoirs or sumps have been used to store fluid and provide de-aerating time for the hydraulic fluid. If the fluid is not de-aerated properly the hydraulic pump is susceptible to cavitation damage and failure. Aerated oil in a hydraulic system can cause noise, erratic operation and heat, and can reduce component life. For example, in certain tractor hydraulic systems hydraulic fluid can be atomized if it flows with excessive velocity out of a control valve port as it is communicated to the sump, thus causing the hydraulic fluid in the sump to become mixed with air or aerated.