A microscope for CARS microscopy has means for generating a pump light beam and a Stokes light beam that can be directed coaxially through a microscope optical system onto a sample. A detector detects the detection light proceeding from the sample. The means for generating the pump light beam and the Stokes light beam contain a laser and encompass a microstructured optical element that spectrally broadens the light of the laser.

In scanning microscopy, a sample is illuminated with a light beam in order to observe the detection light emitted, as reflected or fluorescent light, from the sample. The focus of an illuminating light beam is moved in a specimen plane by means of a controllable beam deflection device, generally by tilting two mirrors, the deflection axes usually being perpendicular to one another so that one mirror deflects in the X direction and the other in the Y direction. Tilting of the mirrors is brought about, for example, by means of galvanometer positioning elements. The power level of the detection light coming from the specimen is measured as a function of the position of the scanning beam. The positioning elements are usually equipped with sensors to ascertain the present mirror position.
In confocal scanning microscopy specifically, a specimen is scanned in three dimensions with the focus of a light beam.
A confocal scanning microscope generally comprises a light source, a focusing optical system with which the light of the source is focused onto an aperture (called the "excitation pinhole"), a beam splitter, a beam deflection device for beam control, a microscope optical system, a detection pinhole, and the detectors for detecting the detected or fluorescent light. The illuminating light is coupled in via a beam splitter. The fluorescent or reflected light coming from the specimen travels back through the beam deflection device to the beam splitter, passes through it, and is then focused onto the detection pinhole behind which the detectors are located. Detection light that does not derive directly from the focus region takes a different light path and does not pass through the detection pinhole, so that a point datum is obtained which results, by sequential scanning of the specimen, in a three-dimensional image. A three-dimensional image is usually achieved by acquiring image data in layers, the path of the scanning light beam on or in the specimen ideally describing a meander (scanning one line in the X direction at a constant Y position, then stopping the X scan and slewing by Y displacement to the next line to be scanned, then scanning that line in the negative X direction at constant Y position, etc.). To make possible acquisition of image data in layers, the sample stage or the objective is shifted after a layer is scanned, and the next layer to be scanned is thus brought into the focal plane of the objective.
Spectral detectors are often used for detection; these can be embodied, for example, as multi-band detectors as disclosed e.g. by German Application DE 198 03 151.3 A1.
Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is a technique that is becoming increasingly important. One great advantage is that samples do not need to be labeled with dyes. In addition, living cells can be investigated.
As compared to conventional Raman microscopy and known confocal Raman microscopy, in CARS microscopy a higher detection light yield can be obtained, troublesome secondary effects can be better suppressed, and detection light can be more easily separated from the illuminating light. Conventional confocal Raman spectroscopy requires a detection pinhole in order to achieve good axial resolution, as well as a high-resolution spectrometer. CARS, on the other hand, is a nonlinear optical process (four-wave mixing process). Similarly to the situation with multi-photon microscopy, in which two or more photons are absorbed simultaneously because the probability that multiple photons in correct phase will meet simultaneously is greatest at the focus due to the higher photon density, no detection pinhole is required. Without a detection pinhole, the same axial resolution as in multi-photon microscopy is achieved. Two lasers emitting light of different wavelengths (νP and νS, the pump laser and Stokes laser) are usually used for CARS spectroscopy; νS should be tunable in order to generate a CARS spectrum νCARS (νCARS=2νp−νS, ICARS˜(IP)2·IS). FIG. 2 schematic energy-level diagram of a CARS transition. If the frequency difference νP −νSmatches the frequency difference between two molecular vibration states |1> and |0> in the sample, the CARS signal is then in fact amplified further. In microscope applications, the pump light beam and Stokes light beam are combined coaxially and focused together onto the same sample volume. The direction in which the anti-Stokes radiation is emitted is determined by the phase adaptation condition for the four-wave mixing process, as depicted schematically in FIG. 3.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,237 "Coherent anti-Stokes Raman device" discloses an apparatus in which two pulsed laser beams, generated by two lasers and having different wavelengths in the visible region or the UV region of the spectrum, are used to illuminate a sample simultaneously. With suitably selected wavelengths, the sample can be excited in such a way that it emits the characteristic coherent anti-Stokes Raman radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,912 "Raman analysis apparatus" discloses a microscope that contains an adjustable interference filter in the detection beam path. The interference filter is adjustable in such a way that the portion of the detection light having the desired Raman lines arrives at the detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,081 "Nonlinear vibrational microscopy" discloses a method and an apparatus for microscopic CARS spectroscopy. This document discloses generation of a pump light beam with a titanium-sapphire laser, and a Stokes light beam with an optically parametric oscillator, which are combined into a coaxial illuminating light beam using a dichroic beam combiner. A regenerative amplifier is additionally provided in order to achieve sufficiently high pulse power levels.
Distinct disadvantages of the existing technology result from the limitations of the excitation light source, which usually is very complex because it comprises a pulsed laser (usually a titanium-sapphire laser), additionally a regenerative amplifier that makes low repetition rates (in the kHz range) unavoidable, and furthermore a complex and expensive optically parametric oscillator (OPO) that is pumped by a sub-beam of the pulsed laser. The known illumination arrangements are complex. expensive, and difficult to align; in particular, coaxial superimposition of the pump light beam and Stokes light beam requires a special alignment effort in order to ensure that the two beams are focused onto the same sample volume. The beam splitter used in the existing art for beam combination is usable only for specific combinations of pump light beam wavelength and Stokes light beam wavelength, representing a further disadvantage. If different wavelength combinations are selected, the beam splitter must be replaced—a long and laborious task.
A further disadvantage of the known apparatuses is the small available wavelength region, which also limits the range of samples that can be investigated.

Cars microscope and method for cars microscopy


The present application is directed to a method for performing a bisulfite reaction to determine methylation positions in a nucleic acid, i.e. methylated and non-methylated cytosines, whereby the nucleic acid is incubated in a solution comprising the nucleic acid for a time period of 1.5 to 3.5 hours at a temperature between 70 and 90° C., whereby the concentration of bisulfite in the solution is between 3 M and 6.25 M and whereby the pH value of the solution is between 5.0 and 6.0 whereby the nucleic acid, i.e. the cytosine bases in the nucleic acid, are deaminated. Then the solution comprising the deaminated nucleic acid is desulfonated and preferably desalted. The application is further related to a solution comprising bisulfite with a certain pH and uses thereof as well as a kit comprising the solution.

Genes constitute only a small proportion of the total mammalian genome, and the precise control of their expression in the presence of an overwhelming background of noncoding deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) presents a substantial problem for their regulation. Noncoding DNA, containing introns, repetitive elements, and potentially active transposable elements requires effective mechanisms for its long term silencing. Mammals appear to have taken advantage of the possibilities afforded by cytosine methylation to provide a heritable mechanism for altering DNA-protein interactions to assist in such silencing. DNA methylation is essential for the development of mammals and plays a potential role during aging and cancer. The involvement of methylation in the regulation of gene expression and as an epigenetic modification marking imprinted genes is well established. In mammals, methylation occurs only at cytosine residues and more specifically only on cytosine residues adjacent to a guanosine residue, i.e. at the sequence CG. The detection and mapping of DNA methylation sites are essential steps towards understanding the molecular signals which indicate whether a given sequence is methylated.
This is currently accomplished by the so-called bisulfite method described by Frommer, M., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89 (1992) 1827-1831, for the detection of 5-methyl-cytosines. The bisulfite method of mapping 5-methylcytosine uses the effect that sodium hydrogen sulfite reacts with cytosine but not or only poorly with 5-methyl-cytosine. Cytosine reacts with bisulfite to form a sulfonated cytosine reaction intermediate being prone to deamination resulting in a sulfonated uracil which can be desulfonated to uracil under alkaline conditions (see FIG. 1). It is common knowledge that uracil has the base pairing behavior of thymine different to the educt cytosine whereas 5-methylcytosine has the base pairing behavior of cytosine. This makes the discrimination of methylated or non-methylated cytosines possible by e.g. bisulfite genomic sequencing (Grigg, G., and Clark, S., Bioessays 16 (1994) 431-436; Grigg, G. W., DNA Seq. 6 (1996) 189-198) or methylation specific PCR (MSP) disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,146. Basic studies on the reaction of uracil and cytosine derivatives with bisulfite have been performed by Shapiro et al., JACS 92 (1970)422-424.
There are various documents addressing specific aspects of the bisulfite reaction.
Hayatsu, H., et al., Biochemistry 9 (1970) 2858-2865 reacted uracil, cytosine or their derivatives with 1 M bisulfite, at a pH value around 6, at 37° C. for 24 hours. Hayatsu, H., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 92 (1970) 724-726 describe the reaction of cytosine with 3 M bisulfite at a pH value around 6 at a temperature of 80° C. for 30 min. Slae and Shapiro, J. Org. Chem. 43 (1978) 4197-4200 describe the deamination of cytidine with 1 M bisulfite around neutral pH at various temperatures whereby the reaction time is not described. There were no investigations of the deamination of cytosine or methyl-cytosine in nucleic acids in these documents.
Paulin, R., et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 26 (1998) 5009-5010 investigate the effects of urea on the efficiency of bisulfite-mediated sequencing of 5-methylcytosine in DNA. The DNA is reacted with 3.44 M bisulfite in the presence of 5.36 M urea and 0.5 mM hydroquinone, at a pH value of 5.0 at a temperature of 55° C. for 15 hours.
Raizis, A. M., et al., Anal. Biochem. 226 (1995) 161-166 disclose a bisulfite method for 5-methylcytosine mapping that minimizes template degradation. They investigate a method minimizing template degradation using 5 M bisulfite solutions in the presence of 100 mM hydroquinone at a pH value of 5 at 50° C. A maximum yield of PCR product was observed after 4 hours. Other conditions as increased pH and lower temperatures were also investigated.
Grunau, C., et al., Nucleic Acids Res 29 (2001) e65-5, page 1 to 7, perform a systematic investigation of critical experimental parameters of the bisulfite reaction. They investigate bisulfite solutions of 3.87 to 4.26 and 5.2 to 5.69 M at a pH value of 5. Temperatures that were tested are 15, 35, 55, 80, 85 and 95° C. for 1, 4 and 18 hours. DNA degradation is a problem in these investigations.
Wang, R. Y., et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 8 (1980) 4777-4790 disclose the use of a 3 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5.5 at a temperature of 37° C. for various time periods in the bisulfite treatment of DNA. Feil, R., et al., Nucleic Acids Res 22 (1994) 695-696 disclose the use of a 3.5 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5 at a temperature of 0° C. for 24 hours in the bisulfite treatment of DNA. Clark, S. J., et al., Nucleic Acids Res 22 (1994) 2990-2997, disclose the use of a 3 to 4 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 4.8 to 5.8 at a temperature of 37 to 72° C. for 8 to 16 hours in the bisulfite treatment of DNA. Tasheva, E. S., and Roufa, D. J., Mol. Cell. Biol. 14 (1994) 5636-5644 disclose the use of a 1 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5 at a temperature of 50° C. for 48 hours in the bisulfite treatment of fragments of genomic DNA. Grigg, G. W., DNA Seq 6 (1996) 189-198 discloses the use of a 3.1 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5 at a temperature of 50° C. for 16 hours in the bisulfite treatment of DNA. Komiyama, M., and Oshima, S., Tetrahedron Letters 35 (1994) 8185-8188 disclose the use of a 1 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5 at a temperature of 37° C. for 4 hours in the bisulfite treatment of DNA whereby diethylenetriamine is present.
Olek, A., et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 24 (1996) 5064-5066 disclose a method for bisulfite base sequencing whereby bisulfite treatment and subsequent PCR steps are performed on material embedded in agarose beads. A 5 M bisulfite solution at a pH value of 5 at a temperature of 50° C. is used for 4 hours in the bisulfite treatment of DNA.
A review of DNA methylation analysis can be found in Oakeley, E. J., Pharmacol. Ther. 84 (1999) 389-400.
Different additional components in the bisulfite mixture are disclosed by WO 01/98528, WO02/31186 or by Paulin, R., et al., Nucleic Acids Res 26 (1998) 5009-5010.
Kits for performing bisulfite treatments are commercially available from Intergen, now distributed by Serologicals Corporation, Norcross, Ga., USA, e.g. CpGenome™ DNA modification kit (http://www.serologicals.com/products/int_prod/index.html).
All prior art methods for the bisulfite treatment have disadvantages. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention was to provide a method which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art methods.


A system and method are presented for discovering mobile collaborators on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. Each collaborator is identified on the P2P network by a unique ID. Each collaborator may also be identified by an identity file posted on the P2P network. Collaboration applications may include any of a variety of applications involving the exchange of information between 2 or more collaborators, such as voice over IP (VoIP). Dynamic file querying can be performed to filter the identity files most relevant to a particular peer partner. Web services are used end-to-end between P2P mobile devices and also between devices and third party service providers. Search engines use self-provisioning concepts for searches and WEB services querying. End-user devices register their personal information on P2P networks using identity self-provisioning and WEB services templates for a variety of uses, such as personal, gaming or business.

All people study or work for a business using a desk or a table in an office and conference room of a school, academy institute or public organs or various industrial fields, sitting on chair. In this case, almost chairs have backrests for safely supporting a user's back.
Generally, since a chair backrest supports a back of a user sitting on a chair, the user can take a rest in comfortable posture. In addition, the user's back can be protected in such a manner that a user's back is properly supported. When sitting on a chair, it is needed to sit on a chair in an upright posture in such a manner that a hip part of a user is closely contacted with a rear side of a seat, and a user's back is contacted with a backrest.
Therefore, the backrest of a chair is basically designed to safely protect a user's back based on a human body mechanic system.
The conventional chair has a structure that a backrest is elastically supported in a backward direction, and a dual-back structure that a backrest is divided into two parts for thereby effectively supporting both sides of a backbone of a user.
In the conventional chair, since a backrest of a chair is fixed at a set position irrespective of a position that a user sits, a user must move his hip to a deep corner of a seat in order to sit in upright posture and a user's back must be supported by a backrest, so that a user can sit on a chair in an upright posture. In the case that a user sits on a chair in a manner that a hip part of a user is positioned at an intermediate portion of a seat or is positioned at a front side of a seat, the backside of a user cannot be properly supported by a backrest of a chair. If the user works for a long time in a state that the user did not sit on a chair in an upright posture, a user's back may receive over load, so that a user may feel fatigue within a short time period. In addition, an abnormal phenomenon may occur in a backbone. Namely, the user may have a certain disease such as a back disc, etc.
A student studying on a chair or a worker working on a chair may sit at a rear side of a seat with his hip portion being positioned at a rear side of a sear, without sitting on a chair in an upright posture. If the user works in the above posture for a long time, since the user's upper body is not safely supported by a backrest of a chair, the user may feel fatigue faster. In more serious case, an over load may be applied to a user's back, so that a certain disease such as a back disc may occur in a user's back.

Chair having automatically adjustable backrest


A liquid container includes a hollow body; a tubular suction port coupled to the hollow body; a first porous member disposed in the hollow body; a second porous member disposed in the suction port and being in contact with the first porous member, the second porous member having a liquid suction capability higher than that of the first porous member, wherein at least one of the first and second porous members has a recess so as to establish an air bubble collector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid container in which a porous member is installed, a fuel cell system using the liquid container, and a method for controlling the fuel cell system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various effects can be obtained by installing a hydrophilic porous member within a fuel container or a liquid container, such as an ink container for an ink-jet printer, having a form similar to that of a fuel container. Specifically, by installing a hydrophilic porous member, the liquid can be sucked out from the container no matter which direction the container faces with respect to the direction of the gravity.
However, the installation of the hydrophilic porous member reduces, by the amount of its own volume, the volume of the liquid accommodated in the container. Accordingly, it is necessary to suck out as much fuel as possible from the hydrophilic porous member. However, suppose the case where the liquid is sucked from a container through a hydrophilic porous member with a pump. In this case, when the residual amount of the liquid contained in the hydrophilic porous member becomes not more than a specific amount, air bubbles will enter the sucked liquid, and consequently the liquid with air bubbles will directly flow into a liquid pump to adversely affect the pump performance.
Accordingly, it is required to detect the residual amount of the liquid contained in the hydrophilic porous member at the moment when air bubbles start to enter the liquid which is being sucked with a pump (hereinafter, such a residual amount referred to as "near end"). In addition, it is required to prevent air bubbles from entering the fuel that is sucked from the fuel container upon detection of the near end.
There is, for example, the following method for preventing the entry of air bubbles. In this method, a cavity part is provided between a hydrophilic porous member A and a hydrophilic porous member B that is disposed at a position closer to a suction port than the hydrophilic porous member A. Then, the near end is detected by visually checking whether or not an air bubble enters this cavity part. As can be seen in the configuration of a water-based-ink pen or the like, the liquid suction capability of the hydrophilic porous member B is, in many cases, set higher than that of the hydrophilic porous member A for the purpose of increasing the suction rate of the liquid.
However, with this near end detection, air bubbles will eventually start to enter the sucked liquid unless the container is promptly replaced before the liquid in the cavity part is depleted. A time sufficient for the replacement of a container can be obtained if the suction of liquid is stopped completely once. However, in a case where this method is applied to a fuel cell system or the like, it is not suitable to completely stop the suction of liquid in view of the operation performance. Moreover, although a time sufficient for the replacement of the container can be obtained by providing a cavity part with a sufficient size, the area of a window necessary for the visual check will increase. Even if the air bubble detection is performed by using an optical or electrical mechanism instead of the visual check, the detection area will increase as the window becomes large. Therefore, for miniaturizing the liquid container or the liquid consuming apparatus, it is disadvantageous to provide a cavity part with a sufficient size and is thus not suitable, either.
In an example shown in JP-A H5-42680 (KOKAI), a part of the wall of an ink tank, which is in contact with a porous member, is formed of an acrylic resin, and a plurality of groove parts different in capillary force are formed in the inner surface of the acrylic wall. Here, the residual amount of ink can be detected by utilizing the fact that the state of an ink entering the grooves formed as capillary tubes changes due to the magnitude relation between the capillary force of the porous member and that of the groove on the wall of the ink tank. Installing the above-described mechanism in the suction port of the liquid container makes it possible to detect the near end.
However, particularly in the case where the ink is sucked with a pump, at the time when air bubbles enter the groove part and the near end is detected, a lot of air bubbles have already entered the porous member around the groove part. Accordingly, air bubbles can enter the sucked ink as well.
An example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,672 includes ink reservoirs different in capillary forces. The ink reservoir having the higher capillary force is provided with an ink outlet and an ink level sensor. The ink level sensor is a C-shaped tube with both ends connected to the ink reservoir having the higher capillary force. Here, the capillary force is designed so that the ink in the tube is depleted when the amount of ink in the ink reservoir having the higher capillary force becomes low, thereby obtaining the function to detect the near end.
However, particularly in the case where the ink is sucked with a pump, a large number of air bubbles have already entered the ink reservoir having the higher capillary force when air bubbles enter the ink level sensor and the near end is detected. Accordingly, air bubbles can enter the sucked ink as well.
In addition, if the ink level sensor is connected not to the ink reservoir having the higher capillary force but to the ink reservoir having the smaller capillary force, the ink reservoir tank having the higher capillary force may achieve a state where there is almost no entry of air bubbles when the ink level sensor detects the near end of the ink reservoir.
However, this near end detection will detect a state where the residual amount of ink is more than that in the case where the ink level sensor is connected to the ink reservoir having the higher capillary force. Therefore, in order to detect a state where the residual amount of ink is as small as possible, a more creative study is required.

Liquid container, fuel cell system and method for controlling fuel cell system


A remirror buffer can be used in failover situations so as to backup storage volumes in a service provider. The remirror buffer is dynamically resized to meet current usage metrics captured from a data center. A risk boundary can be defined through which resource hosts are grouped together so as to determine the usage metrics. The risk boundary can be based on a topology of the data center, such as a room/rack/sharing of power supplies, or other characteristics of the resource hosts.

Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) which are available in a remote location and accessible over a network, such as the Internet. Users are able to buy these computing resources (including storage and computing power) as a utility on demand. Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user's data, software and computation. Use of virtual computing resources can provide a number of advantages including cost advantages and/or ability to adapt rapidly to changing computing resource needs.
Cloud computing frequently offers block-based storage. Such block-based storage provides a storage system that is able to interact with various computing virtualizations through a series of standardized storage calls that render the block-based storage functionally agnostic to the structural and functional details of the volumes that it supports and the operating systems executing on the virtualizations to which it provides storage availability.
The block-based storage also can incorporate failover protection for backup purposes. Failover is switching to a redundant or standby computer server, system, hardware component or network upon the failure or abnormal termination of the previously active application, server, system, hardware component, or network. Once a failover situation occurs, the failing component is logically replaced with a new component.
Excess resource capacity should be maintained for failover situations and recovery therefrom. The sizing of the excess capacity has been problematic. Too much extra capacity is wasteful as resources are underused, while too little can compromise servicing customer requests.

Dynamic sizing of storage capacity for a remirror buffer


Methods and devices for transmission of communications during a silence interval are described. A base station (BS) provides timing data to an access terminal (AT) and AT uses timing data to synchronize with BS to carry our silence and non-silence intervals for an RF air interface. AT attempts to initiate communications by transmitting an access probe (AP) to BS during a non-silence interval. Other ATs may transmit communications to BS during non-silence interval. If BS acknowledges AP during non-silence interval, AT does not transmit during a subsequent silence interval. If AP was for an emergency communication and BS does not acknowledge AP sent during non-silence interval, AT transmits another AP during the subsequent silence interval to initiate emergency communication. If AP was not for emergency communication, AT does not transmit AP during the subsequent silence interval. The other ATs do not transmit communications to BS during the subsequent silence interval.

Access terminals, such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), are operable to communicate with radio access networks, such as cellular wireless networks. These access terminals and access networks typically communicate with each other over a radio frequency (RF) air interface according to a wireless protocol such as 1x Evolution Data Optimized (1x Ev-DO), perhaps in conformance with one or more industry specifications such as IS-856, Revision 0, IS-856, Revision A, and IS-856, Revision B. Other wireless protocols may be used as well, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and/or some other wireless protocol.
Access networks typically provide services such as voice, text messaging (such as Short Message Service (SMS) messaging), and packet-data communication, among others. Access networks typically include a plurality of base stations, each of which provides one or more coverage areas, such as cells and sectors (i.e., individual areas of a cell that allow the cell to carry more calls). When an access terminal is positioned in one of these coverage areas, it can communicate over the air interface with the base station, and in turn over one or more circuit-switched and/or packet-switched signaling and/or transport networks to which the base station provides access.
Access terminals and access networks may conduct communication sessions (e.g. voice calls and data sessions) over a pair of frequencies known as carriers, with a base station of an access network transmitting to an access terminal on one of the frequencies, and the access terminal transmitting to the base station on the other. This is known as frequency division duplex (FDD). A base-station-to-access-terminal communication link is known as the forward-link, while an access-terminal-to-base-station communication link is known as the reverse-link. Each of the base stations may transmit one or more pilot signals to the access terminals in the base station's coverage area via the forward-link. The access terminals may use the pilot signals to determine which base station(s) and/or sector(s) to use to conduct a communication session. The access terminals may transmit one or more access probes via the reverse-link to initiate a communication session.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and devices for using silence intervals to enhance wireless communications


A method is provided for securing a microprocessor containing at least one main program, which operates with at least one memory. The method includes implementing counter-measures, during which additional operations, that are not required for the main program, are implemented so as to modify the consumption of current and/or the processing time of the microprocessor. The method also includes: identification of at least one address or one memory zone of the memory(ies), called critical addresses, and which contain, or which may contain, critical data for said main program; monitoring the addressing ports of the memory(ies), so as to detect the access to the critical address(es); and activation of the step of implementing counter-measures, when an access to the critical address(es) is detected.

Chip cards have been used for a long time, especially to identify or authenticate a product, an account and/or a person. The chip, or microprocessor, therefore has a specific transistor structure, which defines a processing logic and memory zones, of which at least part are secured, containing secret data.
This secret data, also known as secured or critical data, is protected by different types of protective measures, for example to prevent the cloning of cards in which they are stored, or information being obtained (such as a secret identification code) permitting fraudulent use of a stolen card.
For example, one security technique consists of storing this data in memory zones that are not accessible and non-modifiable.
There are also protective measures called counter-measures, which consist of masking the current consumption of a card to "outside observers", when the card is in use, by scrambling this consumption or by presenting a chaotic current consumption, that is not representative of the actual consumption of current in the card.
Indeed, failing access to the critical data, a malevolent person may obtain, by observing the consumption of current of a card when in use, useful information about the logic operations carried out.
The implementation of these counter-measures therefore permits the current consumption of a card to be masked when it is in use.
This technique corresponds for example to the activation of additional logic operations, that are not required for the operation of the card, and which cause additional consumption of current, that is not representative of the actual operation of the card.
These counter-measures may be systematically activated during the operation of the card, in order to protect the critical data that may be handled during the operation.
One disadvantage of this technique of the prior art lies in the fact that the activation of these counter-measures is costly in terms of energy consumption of the card.
Furthermore, another disadvantage lies in the fact that the activation of additional operations is costly in terms of the size of the code.
Finally, this security technique based on the activation of counter-measures is also costly in terms of time spent for programming.
There is another security technique which uses counter-measures, limiting the above disadvantages, which consists of only activating the counter-measures at certain moments during the operation of the card.
For example, the main program which carries out the operation of the card may be modified so as to plan the activation of counter-measures at moments that are defined as critical. For example, these moments may correspond to parts of the program code, or programmed actions, which handle data that is identified as critical. These critical moments are identified by the author of the program.
One disadvantage of this technique lies in the fact that it does not guarantee that all of the critical data is secured, as the program may have forgotten to identify part of the code as critical, or has misjudged the security level of an action or part of the code.

Method for securing a microprocessor, corresponding computer program and device


Thin-film transistors each having a different characteristic are selectively formed on the same substrate. A silicon oxide film, an amorphous silicon film, a barrier film for preventing the diffusion of a nickel element and an oxide film containing a nickel element that promotes the crystallization of silicon are sequentially formed on a glass substrate. The oxide film containing the nickel element is patterned and subjected to a heat treatment, to thereby crystallize the amorphous silicon film under the oxide film whereas the amorphous silicon film from which the oxide film has been removed remains as it is. After the heat treatment has been conducted, a laser light is irradiated on those films. On the silicon film which has been crystallized by heating, a laser light is irradiated in a state where even a necessary energy density is attenuated after the laser light transmits the oxide film, thereby promoting the crystalline property. On the other hand, on the silicon film that remains amorphous in the heat treatment, a laser beam is directly irradiated so as to be crystallized. As a result, two kinds of crystalline silicon films different in crystallizing process is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electro-optic device represented by a liquid crystal display, to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device available to the construction of the liquid crystal display, and to a method of selectively forming a thin-film device which is different in its characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there have been known liquid-crystal displays using a thin-film transistor. This is called an active matrix type in which thin-film transistors are disposed in a plurality of pixels that are arranged in the form of a matrix, respectively, so as to control the storage and discharge of an electric charge held in a pixel electrode of each pixel. The active matrix type liquid-crystal display has been expected to be used as a main one in the display field in the future because it is capable of displaying a fine and high-speed moving picture.
Also, there have been known the active matrix type liquid-crystal display of a construction in which a thin-film transistor disposed in a pixel region and a thin-film transistor constituting a peripheral driver circuit for driving the pixels are formed on the same substrate. With the application of such a construction, the pixel region and the peripheral driver circuit are capable of being integrated as a thin-film integrated circuit on one substrate, to thereby remarkably promote the weight-lighting and thinning of the liquid crystal display.
In general, the required characteristics are different between the thin-film transistor disposed in the pixel region and the thin-film transistor disposed in the peripheral driver circuit. The thin-film transistor disposed in the pixel region is required to have a small off-current (also called "leak current"). The "off-current" of the thin-film transistor is directed to a current which is allowed to flow between a source and drain of the thin-film transistor in a state where the thin-film transistor is off. The "large off-current" causes the electric charge to flow out as the off-current without being held in the pixel electrode regardless of the thin-film transistor being off, thereby coming into a state in which an image display cannot be conducted in a required period of time.
On the other hand, the thin-film transistor disposed in the peripheral driver circuit is required to have a characteristic that enables a large on-current to flow, and also enables a high-speed operation to be conducted. In other words, it is required to provide a high mobility. The thin-film transistor disposed in the pixel region is not required to provide the high mobility because it is not required to conduct a high-speed operation so much.
In this way, the thin-film transistor disposed in the pixel region and the thin-film transistor disposed in the peripheral driver circuit are required to provide a different characteristic, respectively. Therefore, in the case of integrating on the same substrate the thin-film transistor disposed in the pixel region and the thin-film transistor disposed in the region of the peripheral driver circuit, a thin-film transistor having a required characteristic need be selectively formed in a required region through a devised manufacture process.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The comprehensive global information network broadcasting system and implementation thereof is designed to be used to provide a plurality of, what is commonly referred to as internet service providers with updated information through the use of high speed satellite links directly to the local internet service provider from a centralized location. The satellite broadcasting system is combined with servers known as caching or proxy servers located at the client site which serve to store web and other data until the end user needs to access the data and a master cache center which coordinates the selection and transmission of information to those client sites via the satellite broadcasting system. The caching of data objects as close to the end user as possible will require less data to transit the backbones networks. The client site cache communicates to the master cache center via a connection to the internet and the client site cache receives from the master cache center via the satellite broadcasting system and, in some cases, the internet connection.

This invention pertains to global information networks, currently referred to as internet or internet systems, and in particular, to such a system for providing a comprehensive global information network broadcasting system and the methods of implementing the same using satellite links to overcome the limitations inherent in current distribution and caching systems.
The explosion of the use of internet and other similar systems has created a series of problems that have become very difficult to overcome. A definition of this technology would include any IP network or internet, public or private, or any group of computers connected together and which includes the current system referred to as the internet. The problems are caused by the architecture of the system. The amount of raw data that is flowing on the internet is growing at a rate which cannot be sustained. One of the main problems is an increase in the number of times that the network is being called upon to move the exact same data sets to multiple users. The use of caches to reduce the number of identical items which are being passed through the internet has been implemented with some success in the past, but it is hampered by the fact that the ideal location for caches, at the edge of the network infrastructure as close as possible to the end users of the caches, presents the largest communications and coordination challenges. Caching at the end of the network, using many small caches at the network edges rather than a few large central caches at the center of the network, is complicated by the fact that the small caches then have a limited cache community size meaning that there are few users using any one cache, and so it is not able mathematically to achieve a high hit rate that is expressed in terms of the number of hits encountered in the use of the cache per 100 requests for information, because of the dependence of the hit rate upon the number of users of the cache, or members of the cache community.
The infrastructure of the current point to point system is restricted to the level of general broadcasting that can be accomplished. As the internet was established, the vast majority of all network traffic was point to point in nature. Currently, the broadcast data on the network has taken over in terms of volume of traffic, but the network continues to have a point to point architecture which is physically unable to do broadcast and will never be able to do real broadcast. The result is that the internet is choking itself with replicated data, moving thousands of copies of the same data around at any given moment in time. The major difference now and when the network originated is the size of the transmission lines which are able to move more data, only it is using the same basic architecture as was found in the original system. Another factor is that most of the data on the internet never gets accessed. Only a very small proportion of the overall material is getting a great majority of the inquiries or "hits" on the system.
There have been a number of attempts to improve the system. Acquiring larger and faster pieces or equipment or storing information in larger local caches is one way of approaching the problem. This can provide a faster response time, at least in the short term. The availability of larger and larger disc storage units have helped in this regard. Also, a number of United States Patents describe attempts to improve speed and storage capacity of interactive networks through a number of different methods--those patents include U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,771 issued to Robert Filepp et al for a "Method For Storing Data In A Interactive Computer Network" and the Patent issued to Ashar Aziz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,060 for a "Method and Apparatus For A Key Management Scheme For Internet Protocols".
What is necessary to achieve real improvement in the system is a caching system which will improve the ability of the cache system to obtain high rates of being accessed. This can be accomplished by a combination of system designs that measure the number of access requests for information or data that were not available on the local caches that are known as "misses". The system then examines the miss data from some or all of the local sites and determine which pieces are of sufficient interest to the internet community. The second piece necessary to improve the operation of the internet is the broadcast system which takes the information or data that has been determined to be of sufficient interest and broadcast that information and data to all the local cache systems. This action will relieve the network of a vast amount of replicated data and information which will open up the entire internet system.
It should be noted that while two basic capabilities are being used here, caching systems and satellite one-way broadcast, the two methods, when used as described herein, solve each others most serious and pressing problems allowing the two to blend into a single unique solution to the problems described herein. For the problem of multiple identical data elements traversing the internet, caching represents a good solution but because of the issue of small cache community sizes not providing high hit rates, caching is limited in its application. Satellite one-way broadcasting addresses this problem by, when combined with the data evaluation and selection that is described in use in herein, solves this problem by aggregating cache community elements from all clients into one single cache community and thus allowing high hit rates to be achieved. The use of satellite communications to provide a true broadcast mechanism in the internet is addressed by satellite communications which allows a single signal to be sent up to a satellite and the resulting signal to be sent down to large geographic areas, such that only a few satellites can achieve nearly global coverage of the planet earth, but the fact that all users must want to use the broadcast information at exactly the same time in the entire geographic area limits its functionality, but the nature of caches, such that they accept information and then store it for a time so that it can be used at times other than the exact time that it is broadcast, so that users do not need to be accessing it at exactly the same time, solves the major difficulty with satellite one-way broadcast.
It is the object of this invention to teach a method for combining the capabilities of satellite communications and caching servers to overcome the disadvantages of each and, at the same time, improve the levels of hit rate that can be achieved by caching servers thereby saving bandwidth and other valuable resources within the internet and other data network which can use these technologies. It is another object of this invention to construct a selection system which uses one-way satellite communications in order to build a true broadcast capability as an addition to the existing point to point internet network, and to use this broadcast capability to aggregate the cache community size, thus increasing the hit rates of caches on all caches which are connected to our network without regard to a number of members of the individual cache server cache community size.
What is needed is a complete comprehensive internet broadcasting system that will use a caching system that is positioned as close as possible to the end user while still being part of the shared infrastructure, because a cache at the end users location can only serve that end user and it is desirable and necessary for efficient and effective use that the cache server be shared by multiple users which will require less data and information to transit across the point to point network. What is also needed is a complete comprehensive internet broadcasting system which will overlay a capability on the existing internet that will allow a real broadcast so that the data or information can be transmitted once and received at all local caching systems.
Clearly, it is desirable for a system of this type to be very adaptable. At the same time, the system should be easy to install and be available to all customers and internet service providers. It is the object of this invention to teach a comprehensive global information network broadcasting system which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages, previously mentioned limitations of existing global information network delivery systems. It is also the object of this invention to teach a method of implementing a comprehensive global information network broadcasting system which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages, previously mentioned of existing global information network delivery systems.

Comprehensive global information network broadcasting system and implementation thereof


Process for catalytical steam reforming a carbonaceous feedstock without any carbon formation, wherein the feedstock is contacted with a nickel catalyst further including gold in an amount of 0.01 to 30% by weight calculated on the amount of nickel in the catalyst.

1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention is related to the production of hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide rich gases by steam reforming of hydrocarbons. In particular, the present invention involves a gold containing nickel reforming catalyst for use in the steam reforming of a hydrocarbon feedstock.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the known processes for the production of hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide rich gases, a mixture of hydrocarbons and steam and/or carbon dioxide is passed at elevated temperature and pressure through a reactor packed with a catalyst, mainly consisting of nickel as the active catalytic component.
Hydrocarbon feedstocks suitable for steam reforming are for instance natural gas, refinery off gases, propane, naphtha and liquified petroleum gases. Taking methane as an example, the reactions which take place can be represented by the following equations: EQU CH.sub.4 +H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.CO+3H.sub.2 (1) EQU CH.sub.4 +CO.sub.2 .fwdarw.2CO+2H.sub.2 (2) EQU CO+H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 (3)
In addition to the reforming reactions (1) and (2), certain carbon forming reactions may occur as follows: EQU CH.sub.4 .fwdarw.C+2H.sub.2 (4) EQU 2CO.fwdarw.C+CO.sub.2 (5)
The carbon thereby formed is detrimental in several ways. It decreases the activity of the catalyst by blocking its active sites. Carbon formation may further cause spalling and pulverization of the catalyst particles, resulting in increasing pressure drop over the catalyst bed and hence discontinuation of the reforming operation due to clogging of the reactor.
It is well known to prevent carbon formation by increasing the steam to hydrocarbon ratio in the process gas or by reducing the molecular weight of the feedstock to reduce the potential for carbon formation.
However, increased steam to hydrocarbon ratio will lead to reduced yields of Co by shifting more carbon monoxide over to carbon dioxide. Thus, in order to maintain CO/H.sub.2 -production at the desired production rate, larger amounts of catalyst and feedstock are required, which depreciate the economy of the reforming process.
Various attempts have been made to overcome carbon deposition without affecting the optimum steam to hydrocarbon ratio.
A method of preventing carbon formation during the is reforming process for the preparation of reducing gases with a high reduction potential is mentioned in GB patent No. 2,015,027. By the disclosed process a feed gas rich in methane is reformed over a supported nickel catalyst in the presence of 2 to 10 ppm by volume sulphur or sulphur compounds in the feed. Thereby, the presence of sulphur counteracts carbon formation and ensures satisfactory reforming activity of the catalyst to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
Furthermore, several catalysts giving decreased carbon deposition have been suggested in the past. In general, the prior art catalysts having a suppression effect upon carbon deposition mainly consist of nickel with alkali promoter. Disadvantages of the alkali promoted catalysts are low activity and the mobility of the alkali metals, which cause migration and evaporation of the alkali promoter during the operation of the catalyst.
Catalysts free of alkali metals are suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,583, by which a nickel, iron or cobalt reforming catalyst is prepared by reducing a precursor comprising an intimate mixture of magnesium aluminum spinel with a mixed solid phase of the oxides of nickel, iron or obalt and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,993, disclosing a nickel, iron or cobalt, magnesium oxide reforming catalyst. Other promoters have been suggested in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,498 mentions a steam reforming process with a silver promoted nickel catalyst on a heat resistant oxide carrier. Furthermore, EP Patent No. 470,626 states the effect of Group IVa and Va metals suppressing the carbon formation. Amounts between 0.1 to 30% by weight calculated on the amount of metallic nickel, of germanium, tin, lead, arsenic, antimony and bismuth are included in the nickel containing catalyst.
Elements from Group Ib are not included in this patent, and in the literature, it is stated that addition of gold has no effect neither on carbon formation nor on the reforming activity (Mono and bi-metallic catalysts for steam reforming, Ph.D. Thesis by Isar-Ul Haque, University of New South Wales, 1990).
Recent STM studies (L. P. Nielsen et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 71 (1993) 754) have shown that gold may form an alloy in the surface of a nickel single crystal although these two elements are immiscible in the bulk. Furthermore, calculations using the density functional theory, predicts that addition of small amounts of gold will alter the reactivity of the neighbouring nickel atoms (P. Kratzer et al., J. Chem. Phys. 105 (13)(1996) 5595). Molecular beam studies of single crystals of nickel promoted with small amounts of gold have confirmed this (P. M. Holmblad et. al., J. Chem. Phys. 104 (1996) 7289).
Thus, it is the main object of this invention to prevent carbon deposition in the steam reforming of hydrocarbons.
We have now observed that addition of small amounts of gold to a nickel containing catalyst provides a catalyst with suppressed carbon deposition during steam reforming of hydrocarbons. Though gold decreases the catalytic activity of the nickel catalyst, the catalyst still provide sufficient activity for the steam reforming. EXAFS confirms that the gold is located at the nickel surface (Annual Report from HASYLAB, 1996).

Process for steam reforming of hydrocarbons


An intelligent peripheral (IP) in a telecommunications network is operated under the control of a service control point (SCP). Control messages conforming to a standard control protocol, which may by INAP (the Intelligent Network Application Protocol) are passed from the SCP to the IP which then executes a predetermined function. Some of the control messages include a field identifying the messages as relating to an additional function not provided for in the standard protocol. In response to such a message the IP executes the relevant additional function instead of one of the standard functions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunications system using an intelligent network (IN) architecture, and in particular to the control of a peripheral in such a network.
2. Related Art
In conventional public switched networks (PSTNs) the functions the network is able to perform depend on the design of the switch which handles basic call-routing. Introducing any new functionality requires the switch to be redesigned, with the provision of new software and possibly also new hardware. For a large network this process can take one or more years. As PSTNs are required to provided a rapidly growing range of services to users, this type of delay in service provision becomes increasingly unacceptable.
Intelligent networks (IN's) have been developed to address the problem of the relative inflexibility of conventional networks. As described in the paper by T W Abernethy and A C Munday ,"lntelligent networks, standards and services" BT Technol J Vol 13 No 2 April 1995, in the intelligent network the control of the basic call routing is carried out at a service switching point (SSP) and is kept functionally separate from the control of call progression by a service control point (SCP). The service control point is also able to access functions provided by an intelligent peripheral (IP). An intelligent peripheral might be equipped, for example, to play pre-recorded announcements to a subscriber. To ensure that the interworking of networks and components of different operators and suppliers is possible, the architecture and protocols of the intelligent network are required to conform to internationally agreed standards. The need to conform to these standards might however tend to negate the very flexibility which the IN architecture was intended to provide. For example, BT has developed and deployed in the UK PSTN a voice messaging service known as CALL MINDER (TM). It would be desirable to incorporate this service on an intelligent peripheral within an IN system. The Call Minder functions however do not correspond to either of the two classes of IP functions which the relevant standards provide for.

Peripheral control in an intelligent network

British Telecommunications public limited company


A gesture sensing device includes a multiple segmented photo sensor and a control circuit for processing sensed voltages output from the sensor. The control circuit processes the sensed voltage signals to determine target motion relative to the segmented photo sensor. The control circuit includes an algorithm configured to calculate one of more differential analog signals using the sensed voltage signals output from the segmented photo sensors. A vector is determined according to the calculated differential analog signals, the vector is used to determine a direction and/or velocity of the target motion.

A gesture sensor is a human interface device that enables the detection of physical movement without the user actually touching the device within which the gesture sensor resides. The detected movements can be subsequently used as input commands for the device. In some applications, the device is programmed to recognize distinct non-contact hand motions, such as left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up, in to out, and out to in hand motions. Gesture sensors have found popular use in handheld devices, such as tablet computing devices and smartphones, and other portable devices, such as laptops. Gesture sensors are also being implemented in video game consoles that detect the motion of a video game player.
Many conventional gesture sensor implementations use three or more illumination sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a light sensor, such as a photo detector. The illumination sources are turned on and off, or flashed, in succession in order for the sensor to obtain spatial information from reflection of the flashed light. FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a conventional gesture sensor. A photo sensor 4 is positioned proximate LED 1, LED 2, and LED 3. A control circuit 5 is programmed to successively turn on and off the LEDs 1-3 and analyze the resulting measurements sensed by the photo sensor 4. Data sensed by the photo sensor 4 is stored separately for each LED. For example, the sensed data corresponding to each flash of LED 1 is stored in an LED 1 register, the sensed data corresponding to each flash of LED 2 is stored in an LED 2 register, and the sensed data corresponding to each flash of LED 3 is stored in an LED 3 register. The result is a time domain signal for each LED. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for detecting a moving target using the gesture sensor of FIG. 1. The motion is detected by observing the relative delay between sensed signals from the same-axis LEDs. For example, to detect left to right or right to left motion, the signals sensed by the LEDs 1 and 2 are compared, as shown in FIG. 2. LED 1 is flashed at a different time than LED 2. The LEDs 1 and 2 are positioned in known locations and are turned on and off in a known sequence. When the light from the LEDs strikes a target moving above the LEDs, light is reflected off the moving target back to the photo sensor 4. The sensed reflected light is converted to a voltage signal which is sent to the control circuit 5. The control circuit 5 includes an algorithm that uses the LED positions, the LED firing sequences, and the received sensed data to determine relative movement of the target. The separation in time between flashes of successive LED's is quite small compared to the velocity of the moving target and is therefore negligible when comparing the time domain signals from one LED to another.
FIG. 2 shows the time domain sensed voltage signals for both the case of left to right motion and right to left motion. The curves labeled "Signal from LED 1" show the sensed voltage resulting from repeated flashes of the LED 1. The low portion of each curve indicates the target is not passing over, or near, the LED 1. In other words, the target is not within the "field of view", or coverage area, of the photo sensor 4 whereby light emitted from the LED 1 can be reflected off the target and onto the photo sensor 4. If the target is not within the field of view of the photo sensor 4 as related to the LED 1, the photo sensor 4 does not sense any reflections of light emitted from LED 1. The high portion of the curve indicates the target is within the field of view related to LED 1, which indicates the target is passing over, or near, the LED 1. The curve labeled "Signal from LED 2" shows the sensed voltage resulting from repeated flashes of the LED 2. LED 1 and LED 2 are alternatively flashed such that while LED 1 is on, LED 2 is off, and vice versa. While the target is positioned within the field of view corresponding to LED 1 but not within the field of view corresponding to LED 2, the sensed voltage related to flashing of LED 1 is high, but the sensed voltage related to flashing of the LED 2 is low. In a simplified sense, this corresponds to a target positioned over, or near, LED 1. While the target is positioned in the middle, between the two LEDs 1 and 2, the photo sensor 4 detects reflected light from flashing of both LED 1 and LED 2 resulting in high sensed voltage levels corresponding to both LED 1 and LED 2. While the target is positioned over, or near, LED2, the sensed voltage related to flashing of LED 2 is high, but the sensed voltage related to flashing of the LED 1 is low. When the target is not positioned over either LED 1 or LED 2 or between LED 1 and LED 2, the photo sensor 4 does not sense reflected light associated with either and the corresponding sensed voltage levels are low.
For left to right motion, the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 1" goes high before the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 2", as shown in the Left to Right Motion signals of FIG. 2. In other words, the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED 2" is delayed relative to the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED 1" when the target is moving from left to right.
FIG. 2 also shows the sensed voltage signals for the case of right to left motion. For right to left motion, the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 2" goes high before the sensed voltage level for "signal from LED 1", as shown in the Right to Left Motion signals of FIG. 2. In other words, the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED 1" is delayed relative to the voltage versus time curve of "signal from LED 2" when the target is moving from right to left.
Up and down motion, where up and down are considered to be motion in the y-axis, is similarly determined using LEDs 2 and 3 and the corresponding voltage versus time data. The control circuit 5 receives the sensed voltage from the photo sensor 4 and determines relative target motion in the y-axis in a similar manner as that described above in relation to the x-axis.
A disadvantage of the multiple illumination source configuration is the multiple number of illumination source components that must be integrated within the device. With ever decreasing device size, additional components are undesirable.

Method for detecting gestures using a multi-segment photodiode and one or fewer illumination sources


An X-ray equipment includes a movable carriage, an X-ray tube, and a cassette storage box for storing a cassette with a radiographic storage medium. In the X-ray equipment, when the cassette storage box is pulled and tilted, a gateway for the cassette is opened. When the cassette storage box is pushed back, the gateway is closed. The X-ray equipment further includes a storage box locking device for locking the cassette storage box in a state where the gateway is closed and for unlocking the cassette storage box when the locked state is released, and a locking release holding device for holding the storage box locking device in a released state. An auto-lock switching device is also attached to the storage box locking device for switching the storage box locking device from the released state to the locked state when the cassette storage box is closed.

The present invention relates to an X-ray equipment used in, for example, a hospital. More specifically, the present invention relates to an X-ray equipment in which a cassette loaded with a radiographic storage medium such as a film is easily taken in and out of a cassette storage box where the cassette is stored.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in a conventional X-ray equipment, a cassette (not shown) loaded with a radiographic storage medium such as a film is stored in a cassette storage box 52. The cassette storage box 52 is mounted on a mobile carriage 51 where an X-ray tube (not shown) for irradiating X-ray on a subject (not shown) is equipped. When an X-ray picture is to be taken, the X-ray equipment is moved to a place where the X-ray picture is taken such as a hospital room, and an unused cassette is taken out of the cassette storage box 52 and the X-ray picture is taken.
When the cassette storage box 52 is pulled and tilted, a gateway for the cassette is opened. When the cassette storage box 52 is pushed back, the gateway is closed. As shown in FIG. 8, a hook 53 is rotatably supported on the carriage 51, and a pin 54 fixed to the cassette storage box 52 engages the hook 53, so that the cassette storage box 52 is locked (locked state) in a state that the gateway is closed. Also, the hook 53 is always urged downwardly with a spring 55 provided on the carriage 51.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the gateway of the cassette storage box 52 is opened, a handle 52A of the cassette storage box 52 is pulled with one hand while the hook 53 is lifted up with the other hand. Accordingly, the cassette storage box 52 rotatably supported on a rotational axis 56 is pulled and tilted, and the gateway of the cassette is opened.
After the radiography is completed, the exposed cassette is returned to the cassette storage box 52, and the gateway of the cassette storage box 52 is closed. When the gateway of the cassette storage box 52 is closed, the handle 52A of the cassette storage box 52 is pushed with one hand while the hook 53 is lifted with the other hand. Then, the cassette storage box 52 supported on the rotational axis 56 is returned, so that the gateway is closed. After the gateway of the cassette storage box 52 is closed as described above, the carriage 51 travels to move the X-ray equipment to another place.
In the conventional X-ray equipment described above, it is not easy for an operator to take the cassette in and out of the cassette storage box 52. That is, when the gateway of the cassette storage box 52 is opened or closed, the operator has to pull and tilt the cassette storage box 52 or push back the cassette storage box 52 with one hand while the operator needs to lift up the hook 53 with the other hand in order to keep releasing the hook 53 from the locked state. Therefore, when the gateway is opened or closed, the operator has to use both hands at the same time.
In view of the problem described above, the present invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray equipment in which a cassette can be easily taken in and out of the cassette storage box.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

X-ray equipment with cassette storage box locking means


A poultry processing apparatus for removing legs from a saddle obtained from a poultry carcass. A suspension conveyor moves the saddle suspended by the legs. A surface conveyor for engages with and conveys the back portion of the saddle. One or more upper guide rails substantially following at least a part of the surface conveyor's outer circumference away from the suspension conveyor, therewith defining a gap between the surface conveyor and the upper guide rail or rails equipped to receive the saddles back portion. Adjacent to the surface conveyor a support guide or guides provide support to the back portion of the saddle while it is being conveyed by the surface conveyor.

A poultry processing apparatus and method is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,438 ('438 patent). The '438 patent mentions that a surface conveyor moves at a higher speed than a suspension conveyor in which the legs are received.
One of the problems of the known poultry processing apparatus and method is that the position maintenance of the back portion of the saddle in the gap between the surface conveyor and the upper guide rail or rails is not reliably secured. This may cause different results regarding the removal of the left and right legs from the back portion of the poultry. In particular, parts of the back portion of the poultry may remain attached with the legs, which are to be separated from the poultry back. When this happens, such may necessitate that the legs receive a manual follow-up treatment, which is costly. It is also detrimental to the visual appearance of the removed legs.


A method of imaging a blood vessel in a body using X-rays and an injectable contrast medium is described. The contrast medium is injected into the body, and signals constituted by an X-ray image sequence depicting X-ray attenuation values is recorded. The X-ray attenuated values in each spaced-time neighborhood are combined in a way that is dependent on the processed image sequence and separately established for each neighborhood, and separating, from background and vessel signals, flow signals having energy contributions mainly in an area of frequency domain bounded by surfaces corresponding to threshold velocities separately established for each neighborhood, which surfaces are shifted a specified amount along a temporal frequency axis.

In clinical examinations of blood vessels using X-ray technique (angiography) a contrast media is injected into the selected blood vessel to increase the contrast and the resolution of the blood vessels relative to the surrounding tissue. It is well known that a further increase of the image quality is achieved by un-mashing the contributions in the resulting image that is unaffected by the the contrast media e.g. bones. This method is commonly referred to as `Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)` and require a series (or sequence) of at least two images recorded during the contrast injection. In the first image no contrast media is present (pre contrast) while in the following images the blood vessels which are injected by contrast media will appear with increased visibility while bone and tissue not being affected by the contrast media will give a constant contribution throughout the sequence. If two consecutive images from such an angiography sequence are subtracted, this operation will in an ideal case remove the static structures while rendering the blood vessels which are subject to contrast media without masking effects from surrounding body parts. Digital subtraction angiography is a well known and frequently used method which exists in a number of varieties. One of the most frequently used algorithms computes the absolute value of the difference between every consecutive image pair in the sequence. The result is then computed by seeking the maximal value for each individual image element (pixel) in the subtracted sequence. Successful use of subtraction angiography is dependent on the fact that all changes or rather motions, that occur in the image sequence are induced by the injection of the contrast medium. All external motions not induced by the contrast medium injection generate what is termed `motion artifacts` when using traditional subtraction angiography algorithms. Disturbing artifacts will occur in the following cases
1. Noise Noise is present in the X-ray equipment and in the recording process where the registered intensity is digitized (quanfization noise). PA1 2. Pure translation The patient fails to be immobile and translates the part of the body which is subject for the investigation during the recording. PA1 3. Body motion The patient fails to be immobile and rotation is involved in the motion of the part of the body which is subject for the investigation during the recording. PA1 4. Internal motion Motion of inner organs such as e.g. intestinal motions, movements of the lungs and the chest during breathing and the movements generated by the beating heart.
A rather small motion artifact is able to cause a substantial degradation in image quality. To avoid the costs as well as the risks and the suffering involved in a new recording it is of major importance that the effects of motion artifacts are reduced in the post processing of the angiography sequence. In case 2 above it is quite simple to restore the recording since the motion is uniform for all pixels belonging to the same image in the sequence. The sequence can consequently be restored by performing an equally large shift in the `opposite direction` in the post processing for the images that where affected by the motion. This method is termed `pixel shift`. Pixel shift is widely used and works satisfactory for such simple motion artifacts. The magnitude of the shift, however, needs to be defined by an human operator. The implementation of the pixel shift with sub-pixel accuracy is straight forward using fundamental signal processing methods [Bracewell, chapter 10].
Since the description of the new invention will be made in terms of spatio-temporal filters it may at this point be illuminating to express the above standard methods in filter terms to clarify the differences. The fundamental operation using DSA is to subtract two images. The recorded image sequence can be interpreted as a three dimensional space time signal with two spatial and one temporal dimension. In filter terminology a spatio-temporal filter performing subtraction consists of only two coefficients, plus and minus one, positioned on the temporal axis. The pixel shift operation, on the other hand, is performed separately for each single image in the sequence and the corresponding spatio-temporal filter has no temporal extent. To reduce artifacts induced by noise (case one above) it is known that a temporal filter tuned to the spectral content of the contrast injection envelope can be used, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,980). By this approach only the fractional part of the noise that `varies` in the same pace as the contrast pulse will contribute to artifacts. A conventional DSA algorithm is applied after this preprocessing step. Common for the above operations is that the shape of these filters are global, i.e. constant for a whole image or for the entire sequence. Using established methods there is consequently no possibility to adapt the filters to motions that only occur locally in a small environment of the spatio-temporal signal e.g. the type of motions that are described in point three and four above. Consider for example a recording of a heart where the coronary arteries are subject to the motions of the heart beats as well as the motions induced by the contrast medium.
The velocity and direction of the movements of the heart vary locally over the image and over time. There is no possibility that the above described methods could be expected to restore such complex angiography sequences with satisfactory result. The support for this invention rests on the advanced image processing tools which have been developed for local image sequence structure analysis


A software program extension for a dynamic multi-streaming processor is disclosed. The extension comprising an instruction set enabling coordinated interaction between a packet management component and a core processing component of the processor. The software program comprises, a portion thereof for managing packet uploads and downloads into and out of memory, a portion thereof for managing specific memory allocations and de-allocations associated with enqueueing and dequeuing data packets, a portion thereof for managing the use of multiple contexts dedicated to the processing of a single data packet; and a portion thereof for managing selection and utilization of arithmetic and other context memory functions associated with data packet processing. The extension complements standard data packet processing program architecture for specific use for processors having a packet management unit that functions independently from a streaming processor unit.

The well-known Internet network is a notoriously well-known publicly-accessible communication network at the time of filing the present patent application, and arguably the most robust information and communication source ever made available. The Internet is used as a prime example in the present application of a data-packet-network which will benefit from the apparatus and methods taught in the present patent application, but is just one such network, following a particular standardized protocol. As is also very well known, the Internet (and related networks) are always a work in progress. That is, many researchers and developers are competing at all times to provide new and better apparatus and methods, including software, for enhancing the operation of such networks.
In general the most sought-after improvements in data packet networks are those that provide higher speed in routing (more packets per unit time) and better reliability and fidelity in messaging. What is generally needed are router apparatus and methods increasing the rates at which packets may be processed in a router.
As is well-known in the art, packet routers are computerized machines wherein data packets are received at any one or more of typically multiple ports, processed in some fashion, and sent out at the same or other ports of the router to continue on to downstream destinations. As an example of such computerized operations, keeping in mind that the Internet is a vast interconnected network of individual routers, individual routers have to keep track of which external routers to which they are connected by communication ports, and of which of alternate routes through the network are the best routes for incoming packets. Individual routers must also accomplish flow accounting, with a flow generally meaning a stream of packets with a common source and end destination. A general desire is that individual flows follow a common path. The skilled artisan will be aware of many such requirements for computerized processing.
Typically a router in the Internet network will have one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) as dedicated microprocessors for accomplishing the many computing tasks required. In the current art at the time of the present application, these are single-streaming processors; that is, each processor is capable of processing a single stream of instructions. In some cases developers are applying multiprocessor technology to such routing operations. The present inventors have been involved for some time in development of dynamic multistreaming (DMS) processors, which processors are capable of simultaneously processing multiple instruction streams. One preferred application for such processors is in the processing of packets in packet networks like the Internet.
A dynamic multi-streaming (DMS) processor known to the inventor is capable of utilizing special hardware and a unique queuing system in order to alleviate the packet processing software of the system from certain packet management responsibilities, such as uploading into and downloading packets from memory. The special hardware is described with reference to Ser. No. 09/737,375 listed in the cross-reference section of this specification above. Using acronyms from the cross-referenced specification, the PMU is responsible for front-end packet management and the SPU is responsible for processing the packet information.
Many prior art processors in the technology area of this patent application use an architecture based on a microprocessor architecture developed by MIPS Technologies. Inc., (referred to herein as a "MIPS compatible processor architecture"), and support commands and instructions compatible with that architecture. However, there are no prior art instruction sets that enable separated functions and coordination between an independently functioning PMU and the processing component described as an SPU.
Also, there are no extended instructions for certain software operations made possible by a unique relationship between components of a DMS system as described in priority document Ser. No. 09/737,375. Therefore a goal of the present invention is to provided an extended set of instructions, which are compatible with a MIPS compatible architecture and also can be used for special capabilities of a DMS processor engaged in the routing of data through a data packet network like the Internet network, for example.

Extended instruction set for packet processing applications


A lightning protection system having a sensor for detecting a polarity of atmospheric charges, a direct current power supply, a controller interactively connected to the power supply and to the sensor so as to select a polarity of the direct current in relation to polarity of atmospheric charges, a first lead connected to one location on the structure, and a second lead connected to another location on the structure such that direct current passes from the first lead to the second lead. The controller selects a polarity of the direct current that is opposite to the polarity of the atmospheric charges sensed by the sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for protecting towers and other structures from lightning strikes. More particularly, the present invention relates to preventive devices for avoiding the damaging effects of lightning strikes.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
Lightning conceivably may have provided humankind with a first source of fire, but lightning has otherwise been a destructive force throughout human history. Strategies and apparatus for reducing the likelihood of damage by lightning are fairly old, including, for instance, lightning rods that have been use for approximately 200 years. While the use of such rods and other precautionary steps and safety devices reduce the damage and injury that would otherwise result from lightning today, it remains an enormously dangerous natural phenomenon that claims hundreds of lives worldwide every year and destroys a substantial amount of property. Somewhat paradoxically, advances in other areas of technology have increased, rather than diminished, the damage caused by lightning. This is because relatively low voltage and current levels can damage integrated circuits and other modern electronic components, with the result that many electronic devices are more susceptible to lightning damage today than ever before. Many devices to which microprocessor technology has been added are more susceptible to lightning damage as a result of such improvements. Additionally, lightning is capable of inducing substantial currents not only in electrical circuits directly struck by it but also in circuits located within the magnetic field induced by a nearby lightning strikes, giving each strike enormous destructive potential.
One of the most common areas of lightning strikes are large telecommunications and camera towers that extend upwardly from the earth. Typically, such towers include an electronic device at the top which serves to transmit or receive information. Since lightning will follow a path of least resistance on its way to the earth, the towers are very attractive to lightning.
Whenever lightning strikes a tower, an enormous amount of damage is created. Typically, the electronic device at the top of the tower is completely destroyed by the lightning. Furthermore, the structure of the tower and other associated electronics at the top of the tower can become damaged. Repair efforts on the tower are often time consuming and expensive. Typically, complete replacement of the electronic device at the top of the tower is required. As such, it is very important to develop a device which resists or prevents lightning strikes.
It is known that as a storm approaches, it will be highly charged with either positive or negative ions. In certain circumstances, the front side of a storm can be charged with positive ions and the back side of the storm can be charged with negative ions. As the storm would move through a particular region, the earth will be oppositely charged to that of the storm front. For example, if the storm is highly charged with positive ions, then the earth will be highly charged with negative ions. When metal structures are positioned on the earth (or in the water, as in the case of oil rigs) the strong charge of ions in the earth will flow through the metallic structure and upwardly above the earth. As such, a charged metal structure will present an attractive strike location for any lightning that may occur from the storm.
There exist devices known as differential field mills or field meters which can sense the polarity of an approaching storm and the intensity of such electrical field. Heretofore, these devices have not found use in preventing lightning strikes affecting metallic structures extending above the earth.
The present inventors were also the inventors of U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,286, issuing on Dec. 2, 1997. This patent was for a lightning protection device which relies on negative ion production at the top of the tower. The negative ion production device serves to produce solely negative ions around and over any electronic devices positioned on the towers. A special type of grounding rod, commonly known as an AUGERROD™, engages the earth so as to be conductively connected to the earth. An electrical line connects the grounding rod to the tower. A shield member is connected to the tower and extends over the electronic device on the tower. The negative ion production device is connected to the shield member so as to pass negative ions through the shield member. The negative ion production device can be one or more batteries that are connected together and have a negative terminal connected to the tower and a positive terminal connected to the electronic device.
Although, this device has been proven to be generally effective against the damaging effects of lightning strikes, it was found that a certain number of storms were negatively charged. Under such circumstances, the mere production of negative ions at the top of the tower would be attractive to the positive ions following the storm in the earth. Additionally, it was found that the use of batteries for the production of the negative ions was a less efficient approach than the use of a readily available alternating current power supply. It was further found that although the device was very effective at preventing lightning strikes to the electronic equipment located at the top of the tower, a large proportion of the tower would be available to a lightning strike below the upper portion of the tower. As such, a need developed so as to protect the entire tower from the possibility of the lightning strike, especially where the storm front was negatively charged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightning protection device that effectively "masks" the metallic structure from lightning strikes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightning protection system and method that serves to avoid damage caused by lightning strikes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lightning protection system and method that is easy to use, easy to install and relatively inexpensive.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lightning protection system and method that can be retrofitted to existing towers and metallic structures.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lightning protection system and method which will be adjustable to the polarity of a storm or the magnitude of the storm.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading from the attached specification and appended claims.

System and method of protecting metallic structures from lightning strikes