An improved method of forming substantially disperse and homogeneous polynucleotide-carrier complexes is disclosed. The polynucleotide-carrier complexes can be administered in vivo to obtain significant levels and duration of gene expression.

A broad variety of therapeutic polynucleotides have been delivered to cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis. When linked to a target cell-specific ligand, the polynucleotide is cointernalized by the target cell along with the ligand. Once inside the cell, the polynucleotide is released in functional form, for example, as an expressible gene or as an antisense construct which inhibits expression of an endogenous gene. In the case of plasmid DNA, the plasmid is maintained in the target cell as a non-replicating episome without integrating into the cell's genome (Wilson et al. (1992) J. Biol. Chem 267(16):11483-11489).
The first report of receptor-mediated gene transfer resulting in detectable expression of the gene was by Wu et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262: 4429-4432. Wu et al. developed a novel system for delivering polynucleotides to cells based on their work involving the introduction of genes into hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor (see also, Wu et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263: 14621-14624; Wu et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264: 16985-16987; Wu et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266: 14338-14342; U.S Pat. No. 5,166,320).
The system developed by Wu et al. employs a soluble polynucleotide-carrier complex made up of a gene or other polynucleotide electrostatically linked to a bifunctional carrier molecule. The carrier molecule, comprised of a polycation-ligand conjugate, serves the dual function of linking the gene (via the polycation moiety, e.g., polylysine) and binding to the target cell (via the ligand, e.g., an asialoglycoprotein), resulting in internalization of the carrier molecule by the cell.
To form the molecular complex, Wu et al. linked the gene to the carrier in a step-down dialysis from a high salt solution of approximately 2.0-3.0 M NaCl down to approximately 0.15 M, thereby slowly complexing the negatively charged DNA and the positively charged polycation-ligand carrier. Wu et al. recognized that the method used to form the complex must result in a structure which (a) is soluble in solution so that it can easily pass through physiological barriers when administered in vivo to reach target cells or tissues, (b) is stable extracellularly so that the polynucleotide remains linked to the carrier, and (c) releases the polynucleotide in functional form under intracellular conditions.
The polynucleotide delivery system developed by Wu et al. has since been used by several others to deliver a broad variety of genes to selected cells (see e.g., Chen et al. (1994) Human Gene Therapy 5:429-435; Ferkol et al. (1993) FASEB 7: 1081-1091; Midoux et al. (1993) Nucleic Acids Research 21(4):871-878; Martinez-Fong (1994) Hepatology 20(6):1602-1608; Plank et al. (1992) Bioconjugate Chem. 3:533-539; Wagner et al. (1990) PNAS 87:3410-3414; Chen et al. (1994) FEBS Letters 338:167-169; Ferkol et al. (1993) J. Clin. Invest. 92:2394-2400; Rojanasakul et al. (1994) Pharmaceutical Res. 11(12):1731-1736; and Ross et al. (1995) Human Gene Therapy 6:31-40). However, during this time, some variations on the method of forming the DNA complex have been made in an effort to increase the level and duration of expression obtained from the targeted gene.
For example, Cotten et al. (1990) PNAS 87: 4033-4037 and Wagner et al. (1991) PNAS 88: 4255-4259 formed polynucleotide-carrier complexes containing plasmid DNA linked to a transferrin-polycation carrier molecule. In contrast to the step-down dialysis method employed by Wu et al., Cotten et al. and Wagner et al. directly mixed the transferrinpolycation conjugate and the plasmid DNA, with and without additional free polycation, at a concentration of 0.15 M NaCl. Wagner et al. recognized that the polycation not only served to link the DNA, but also functioned to condense the DNA into small toroid structures of approximately 80-100 nanometers in diameter, facilitating its uptake by cells.
Perales et al. (1994) PNAS 91: 4086-4090 also modified Wu's system for forming polynucleotide-carrier complexes, with the goal of condensing the DNA to form highly compacted complexes which are easily taken into endosomes. Specifically, Perales et al. linked a plasmid encoding human factor IX to galactosylated polylysine by titration with increasing concentrations of NaCl, resulting in complexes of approximately 10-12 nanometers in diameter as measured by electron microscopy (see also, WO 95/25809).
In contrast to the step-down dialysis method of Wu et al. and the direct mixing method of Wagner et al., Perales et al. slowly added the carrier dropwise to a solution of the plasmid, both at 0.7 M NaCl, over the course of 30 minutes to one hour. This step resulted in a turbid, aggregated solution which was then slowly titrated with 3 .mu.l aliquots (allowing at least 30 seconds between the addition of each new aliquot) of 5 M NaCl until a clear, unaggregated solution was obtained at a "critical" concentration of NaCl, somewhere between 0.97 M NaCl and 1.03 M NaCl. Further 2 .mu.l aliquots of 5 M NaCl were then gradually added if a precipitate formed. The authors observed that when increasing the ionic strength of the mixture above the critical salt concentration, the DNA complexes assumed a non-functional rod-like conformation of increased diameter. They therefore conclude that the concentration of NaCl must be kept at or near the critical range, generally between 0.5 M and 1.5 M (roughly 3.5 to 10 times physiological levels) (see WO 95/25809 at page 35, lines 10-11).
There remains a need for a more practical method of forming high performance polynucleotide-carrier complexes which produce persistent and high levels of gene expression when delivered to cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Method of preparing polynucleotide-carrier complexes for delivery to cells


An auger mining machine (10) including a cutter head (11) from which there extends an auger train (12) consisting of a plurality of axially aligned auger modules (13). The cutting head (11) includes a cutting assembly (21) driven by electric motors (38). The cutting assembly (21) is supported on a housing (22) for movement relative thereto to move the cutting assembly (21) into material being mined. There is further provided a launch vehicle (120) from which the auger train (12) extends. Said launch vehicle (120) is provided with a motor (113) to drive the auger train. The launch vehicle (120) has cylinders (123) which engage a mine face to retain the launch vehicle (120) in a desired position.

Auger mining machines employed in the coal industry use a cutting head at the end of an auger string. The rotational cutting force as well as the axial thrust force is generated at the launch vehicle and transmitted via the auger string. Due to friction losses along the length of the auger string hole depths are limited. More particularly, available cutting and conveying power decreases as the hole depth increases. Furthermore, the effectiveness of augering has been limited by the lack of both lateral and vertical "in seam" guidance systems.
Highwall mining systems generate a reaction force against a high wall face when the combined retractive forces exerted by traction jacks exceed the frictional drag imposed by the launch vehicles mass and the prevailing coefficient of friction between the ground engaging underside of the launch vehicle and the supporting ground surface.
Previous highwall and auger mining systems (including cascading continuous miner types of systems) have limited ability to impose substantial reaction forces due to the limitations in respect of these friction forces generated by the launch vehicle. This inherent weakness has the effect of limiting the mass of conveyors which may be employed in the highwall or auger mining assembly. This directly limits the maximum whole depth which can be mined. To address this shortcoming it is not uncommon for vehicles to provide "pull-out" assistance. Typically the vehicles are cat track bulldozers and similar type wheeled vehicles.

Auger mining machine and mine launch device


A novel and stable attenuated poliovirus, which replicates in neuroblastoma cells, is produced by engineering an indigenous replication element (cre), into the 5′ non-translated genomic region and inactivating the native cre element located in the coding region of 2C (mono-crePV). The stably attenuated poliovirus replicates in a neuroblastoma model (Neuro-2aCD155 tumors) expressing CD155, the poliovirus receptor, and is effective for oncolytic treatment and cure of solid tumors, such as neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors in children (Katzenstein, 1998). Available treatment is of limited utility for high-risk neuroblastoma and prognosis is therefore poor (Weinstein, 2003). Currently, children with high-risk neuroblastoma are treated with radiotherapy, dose-intensive cycles of multi-drug chemotherapy or, if patients responded poorly, with myeloablative dose of chemotherapy supported by stem cell rescue. Despite an aggressive treatment strategy, disease relapse occurs frequently and both short- and long-term toxicities, including treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia, occur in a significant percentage of disease survivors (Kushner, 1998) (Matthay, 1999). The high incidence of resistance of advanced stage neuroblastoma to conventional therapies has prompted investigators to search for novel therapeutic approaches.
Replication-competent viruses that replicate in tumor cells and lyticly kill them with limited side effects have been reported to have great potential in anti-tumor therapy (Ring, 2002; Thorne, 2005; Young, 2006; Parato, 2005). It has been suggested that antigen-presenting cells might internalize antigen released from virus infected tumor cells, leading to specific peptide presentation and generation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), which, in turn, may facilitate tumor killing (Porosnicu, 2003; Berwin, 2001).
Poliovirus has recently been added to the list of viruses that hold promise as possible agents in tumor therapy (Gromeier, 2000; Ochiai, 2006). A non-enveloped, plus-stranded enterovirus of the Picornaviridae family, poliovirus replicates in the gastrointestinal tract causing little, if any, clinical symptoms. Rarely (at a rate of 10−2 to 10−3), the virus invades the central nervous system (CNS) where it targets predominantly motor neurons, thereby causing paralysis and even death (poliomyelitis). Poliovirus occurs in three serotypes all of which are defined in their amino acid sequences that specify the antigenic properties. That is, poliovirus type 1 has a capsid specifying serotype 1 antigenic sites.
Generally, poliovirus replicates efficiently in nearly all tumor cell lines tested, which has led to the suggestion that it may be suitable for the treatment of different cancers. However, the possibility that poliovirus can cause poliomyelitis calls for significant neuro-attenuation to avoid collateral neurological complications in cancer treatment. Additionally, there has been concern that the high coverage of anti-polio vaccination in early childhood in the U.S. and other countries may interfere with the application of poliovirus in tumor therapy.
Pathogenesis of poliovirus and of other neurotropic viruses can be controlled by translation (Gromeier, 1996; Gromeier, 2000; Mohr, 2005). In poliovirus, an exchange of the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) within the 5′-NTR with its counterpart from human rhinovirus type 2 (HRV2), another picornavirus, yielded viruses (called PV1(RIPO)) that are highly attenuated in CD155 tg mice (Gromeier, 1996; Gromeier, 1999) yet replicate efficiently and lytically in cell lines derived from solid glioma and breast cancer (Gromeier, 1996; Gromeier, 2000; Ochiai, 2004; Ochiai, 2006). However, PV1(RIPO) and PVS(RIPO), a derivative of PV1(RIPO), grow poorly in neuroblastoma cells (Gromeier, 1996; Gromeier, 2000).
With the exception of Raji cells, a Burkett's lymphoma cell line harboring a transcriptionally inactive CD155 gene (Solecki, 1997), wild type poliovirus kills all human tumor cells tested including neuroblastoma cell lines established from patients (Toyoda, 2004). Using the nude mice model, tumors of human origin can be successfully treated with neuroattenuated poliovirus strains, that is with PV(RIPO) derivatives (Gromeier, 2000), or with the Sabin vaccine strains (Toyoda, 2004). However, the lack of a possible immune response to the oncolytic agents mitigates the importance of the results. PVS(RIPO) is, in fact, under consideration for brain tumor therapy (Gromeier, 2000; Ochiai, 2006; Cello, 2008). However, as noted above, PVS(RIPO) replicates very poorly in human neuroblastoma cells, which disqualifies it from consideration in neuroblastoma therapy.
The whole genome synthesis of poliovirus (Cello, 2002) has produced, as by-product, the surprising observation that a point mutation (A103G) in a region between the cloverleaf and IRES, henceforth called "spacer region", in the 5′-NTR (FIG. 1A) attenuated poliovirus neurovirulence 10,000 fold in CD155 tg mice (De Jesus, 2005). The A103G variant of poliovirus, named GG PV1(M), expresses a good replication phenotype in and kills human neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-MC) at 37° C. (De Jesus, 2005). This growth property of GG PV1 (M) is different from that of PV(RIPO). However, GG PV1 (M) is not useful in tumor therapy because the attenuating mutation A103G in the spacer region was unstable upon replication, and direct revertant variants rapidly emerge whose neurovirulence matches that of wt PV1(M) (De Jesus, 2005).
Novel therapeutic strategies are essential to improve the prognosis of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma therapy with a poliovirus derivative may produce less toxicity often associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy and complications such as second solid neoplasm, cardiopulmonary sequelae, renal dysfunction and endocrine consequences may not occur. The invention of a novel attenuated and stable poliovirus that will be effective in oncolytic treatment and cure of neuroblastoma is highly desirable.

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


There is provided a smart release potash fertilizer granule comprising a potash core; an extended release layer covering the potash core, wherein the extended release layer comprises water-swellable copolymeric nanoparticles and at least one water-soluble organic acid or water-soluble organic carboxylate salt; a controlled release layer covering the extended release layer, wherein the controlled release layer comprises water-swellable copolymeric nanoparticles; and an anticaking layer covering the controlled release layer, wherein the anticaking layer comprises water-insoluble copolymeric nanoparticles.

Potassium (K) is second only to nitrogen in terms of plant nutrient requirements. It plays a critical role in the control and regulation of various minerals, promotion of meristematic tissue, water retention and rooting. In addition, potassium also activates plant enzymes to enhance respiration and photosynthesis. Potassium is known as the "health element" because it reduces susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses, such as cold, heat, drought and disease to keep plants healthy.
Muriate of Potash (MOP), also called potassium chloride (KCl), is a naturally occurring mineral created by the evaporation of ancient seabeds. It is the most common potassium source used in agriculture fertilizers, accounting for about 95% of all potash fertilizers used worldwide. Conventionally, potash fertilizers contain mainly potassium chloride often together with other potassium salts. Of note, no matter which potassium salts a potash fertilizer contains, it is customary to report its potassium content as K2O equivalent (that is, how much K2O would be present in the fertilizer if all the potassium salts were in K2O form) to ease comparison between different fertilizers using different types of potash.
Fertilizers are commonly identified using the NPK rating system. This system describes the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a given fertilizer. NPK ratings consist of three numbers separated by dashes (e.g., 10-10-10 or 16-4-8) describing the chemical content of fertilizers. The first number represents the weight percentage of nitrogen in the product. The second number represents the weight percentage of phosphorus, expressed as P2O5 in the product. Lastly, the third number represents the weight percentage of potassium, expressed as K2O in the product. For example, a 50-kilogram bag of fertilizer labeled 16-4-8 contains:                8 kg of nitrogen (16% of the 50 kg),        an amount of phosphorus equivalent to that in 2 kg of P2O5 (4% of the 50 kg), and        an amount of potassium equivalent to that in 4 kg of K2O (8% of the 50 kg).A pure KCl fertilizer would be labeled 0-0-63. A typically potash fertilizer may have a NPK rating of 0-0-35 to 0-0-63 for example.
Potash fertilizers are commonly manufactured using compaction granulation that produce irregularly shaped granules with sharp edges. Different grades of potassium fertilizers are commercially available on the market with a granular size range of 0.8 mm to 5.0 mm.
Potash fertilizers are very soluble in water and the potassium cation is unfortunately poorly retained in soil with low cation exchange capacity due to the lack of electrostatic attraction necessary for potassium retention. A large amount of potassium is thus lost in farming, mainly due to leaching and water runoff. The loss of potassium is typically more important in sandy sods.
The use of polymer coated potash fertilizers for reducing the loss of potassium in farming is known in the prior arts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,041 taught to encapsulate potassium containing fertilizers with poly(vinylidene chloride) latex by spray coating in a fluidized bed system with an air flow rate between 1 and 6 cubic meters per hour per gram of water to be removed from said coating at a temperature between 35 and 60° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,707 taught to encapsulate potassium containing fertilizers with polyurethane by reacting polyether polyol and reactive compounds containing isocyanato functional group by using a rotational drum coating system.
Controlled release fertilizers, which were coated with water based emulsion copolymers, are also known in the prior arts. Chinese patent CN101875584 taught to prepare water based emulsion copolymers comprising methyl acrylate as a hard monomer, n-butyl acrylate as a soft monomer, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid or acrylamide as functional monomers, and trimethoxy vinyl silane as an unsaturated siloxane compound coating agent. The copolymers with different molar ratios of the mentioned monomers were synthesized by using sodium dodecyl sulfonate as surfactant, potassium persulfate as polymerization initiator, baking soda as pH buffering agent, propylene glycol-aziridine and aziridine-zinc oxide as a crosslinking agent. However, the presence of unsaturated siloxane compound, such as trimethoxy vinyl silane caused precipitation of large amounts of particles during polymerization.
Chinese patent CN104355874 from the same inventors taught to overcome this precipitation problem by using saturated siloxane compounds, such as hexamethyl cyclotrisiloxane, octamethyl cyclotetrasiloxane, dimethyl cyclic siloxane, and the mixture thereof. The preferred saturated siloxane compound was octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. The purpose for using siloxane compounds in these two patents was mainly to prevent the controlled release fertilizer granules from sticking together.
The production of polymer coated potash fertilizers from commonly manufactured potash fertilizer granules, that have an irregular shape, conventionally requires thick polymeric layers to achieve encapsulation, i.e. to avoid incomplete surface coverage and to prolong the release of the potassium cation to the soil. Such practice raises the production costs and requires long time for decomposition of the leftover polymeric shell after harvest.
Various plants have growth periods of various lengths during which their potassium need may vary. For example, okra plants require potassium in the first 5 weeks, 100-days rice varieties need potassium in the first two months, while sugarcanes uptake large amount of potassium four months after ratoons are placed in the soil. Some plants may need more potassium earlier during their growth periods, or later during their growth periods, or their potassium need may remain the same all along. For conventional fertilizers, with which potassium is quickly released and then quickly lost to leaching and water runoff, this means that potash fertilizers may need to be applied several times and in different quantities during the growth periods of the plants.

Smart release potash fertilizer granules


A conductive sheet in a socket comprises a conductive sheet body having a conductive terminal on the rear end and two parallel conductive pins on the front end with an inserting slot formed therebetween. One of the conductive pins is provided with a recess, ring or projection. When the conductive sheet of the plug is inserted to the inserting slot of the conductive sheet in the socket, the recess, ring or projection provided on one conductive pin in the conductive sheet body corresponds to the hole of the conductive sheet of the socket, such the hole of the conductive sheet is uncovered. A latching means within the socket can enter the hole of the conductive sheet through the recess, ring or projection to lock the conductive sheet of the plug. In this way, the plug cannot be drawn from the socket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved structure of a conductive sheet in a socket, and particularly to a conductive sheet body, in which the front edge of one pin is provided with a recess, ring or a projection so that a latching means within the socket can lock the conductive sheet of a plug by the recess, ring or projection.
2. Description of the Related Art
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional conductive sheet 5 in a socket 7 is shown. The conventional conductive sheet 5 in the socket 7 mainly comprises two parallel conductive pins 51, such that an inserting slot 52 is formed between the two conductive pins 51 for the insertion of a conductive sheet 61 of a plug 6. Then, the electric power can be conducted to electric appliances through the conductive pins 51 of the conductive sheet 5 and the conductive sheet 61 of the plug 6. However, the conventional conductive sheet 5 has a function of conducting the electric power, both sides of a hole 611 provided on the front end of the conductive sheet 61 will be covered by the pins 51 of the conductive sheet 5 when the conductive sheet 61 of the plug 6 is inserted into the inserting slot 52 of the conductive sheet 5. As a result, the hole 622 provided on the conductive sheet 61 of the plug 6 cannot be locked. Therefore, since the conventional conductive sheet 5 in the socket 7 is not provided with a latching means, the plug 6 cannot be locked in the socket 7.
In view of the above, the conventional conductive sheet in the socket has many drawbacks, and really needs to be improved.
In view of the above problems in the conventional conductive sheet in the socket, the inventor of the present invention thus employs his expert experiences in this field to propose an improved structure of the conductive sheet in the socket.


A set of virtual machine configurations is loaded in memory. A set of software instructions that, as a result of being executed, performs a data operation is received from a client device associated with a customer of a service provider. A request to execute the set of software instructions is received. The set of software instructions is executed in a virtual machine derived from a member of the set of virtual machine configurations, and results of the data operation are provided in response to the request.

It has become increasingly common for data management systems of computing resource service providers to store and retrieve data on behalf of multiple tenants. Such data management systems, sometimes referred to as a multi-tenant databases, face a variety of challenges related to servicing the requests of many customers of the computing resource service providers. One challenge is to minimize the impact to network bandwidth by the amount of data being transmitted across the network. Another challenge is to securely maintain and isolate the data of one customer from other customers. Still another challenge is to be quickly responsive to each of the many customers' requests.

Reducing request latency in a multi-tenant web service host


A portable electronic device provided with interface means which include an LCD and function keys (7, 8). The device is provided with a left-hand mode and a right-hand mode to facilitate operation of the interface whether the device is held in the right hand or the left hand. A control means is provided for selectively transferring from one mode to the other mode.

There are a wide range of portable electronic devices on the market. For example, handheld computers, radios, and compact disc players. The devices normally include an interface incorporating an information display panel and function keys for operating the device. For example, a portable radio may include an interface comprising a display panel which shows the frequency of the current radio station being played, and function keys for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the frequency when the user wishes to search for an alternative radio station.
Most of the interfaces of these prior art portable electronic devices are designed for the right-handed person. When a left-handed person holds some of these prior art devices in the left hand it can be difficult to see the display panel or difficult to operate the function keys.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a portable electronic device which is a useful alternative to known portable electronic devices and/or which is more user friendly to the left handed person.


Reducing jet noise by weakening Mach cones in a jet exhaust gas streamtube. The Mach cones are weakened by modifying exhaust gas flow in a longitudinal axial core of the exhaust gas streamtube.

Field
This application relates generally to a method and device for reducing noise generated by supersonic jet exhaust.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
A supersonic jet exhaust nozzle generally includes an upstream converging section and a downstream diverging section. The converging section expands and accelerates subsonic exhaust gas flow such that the exhaust gas flow reaches the speed of sound at a location of minimum cross-sectional area known as the geometric throat of the nozzle. The diverging section of the nozzle, which begins downstream from the throat, further expands and accelerates the exhaust gas flow to supersonic speeds.
A difference in pressure between an ambient air mass and supersonic exhaust gases departing the nozzle at a nozzle exit, causes cone-shaped waves of compression and expansion, or "Mach cones," to form in an exhaust plume formed downstream from the nozzle exit. The Mach cones are formed as the plume undergoes pressure equalization with the ambient air. Mach cones created in the jet exhaust are propagated downstream along the jet exhaust plume. The Mach cones include shock waves, which generate a significant amount of noise as they impinge upon the shear layer between the exhaust plume and the ambient air.
The amount of noise generated by a jet engine's exhaust plume may, therefore, vary according to (among other factors) an expansion state of an engine's exhaust nozzle, which governs the exhaust plume's pressure relative to that of the ambient air mass. A jet engine exhaust nozzle may have an ideally expanded, under-expanded, or over-expanded state. An under-expanded nozzle is a nozzle shaped such that jet engine exhaust gas pressure at a nozzle exit plane is higher than ambient atmospheric pressure. In contrast, an over-expanded nozzle is a nozzle shaped such that jet engine exhaust gas pressure at the nozzle exit plane is lower than ambient atmospheric pressure. A perfectly or ideally expanded nozzle is a nozzle shaped in such a way that jet engine exhaust gas pressure at the nozzle exit plane equals ambient atmospheric pressure, thereby precluding the formation of Mach cones.


A method of creating a structured access list template, which includes dividing an access list template into a plurality of sections, creating an inbound local rule group for the bubble, creating an outbound local rule group for the bubble, creating an inbound remote rule group for the bubble, and creating an outbound remote rule group for the bubble. A method of creating an access list for each of the plurality of bubble boundary devices, which includes creating an address table that includes a plurality of addresses corresponding to devices in a bubble partition, creating a protocol table that includes a list of network services and whether each of the network services are granted or denied access to the bubble partition, creating an access list template using the address table and the protocol table, generating an access list from the access list template, and providing the access list to one of the plurality of bubble boundary devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates particularly to systems and methods for providing host and network security and, more particularly to systems and methods for implementing a bubble policy to achieve host and network security.
2. Description of the Related Art
Company networks are vulnerable to numerous network attacks. Network firewalls or similar approaches are typically utilized by companies to mitigate the risk of such attacks. Several types of devices have been developed that perform network firewall functions. One commonly known device is a router, which is a device that determines the next network point to which a packet of information is to be delivered. Before the packet is forwarded to another device, the router may use an access list that provides conditions or rules to determine whether the packet has access to the particular destination. For most network firewalls, the rules typically consist of a test criteria and an action. The network firewall determines whether the test criteria matches and then the corresponding action is performed, whether it is a permit or a deny. In addition, these devices may provide functions such as user authentication. Also, application proxies, e.g., socks and caching web proxies, allow specific applications to be executed for network security and might also employ user authentication.
Constructing an access list is a complex task. There are specific access control rules that are associated with an address range and other protocol fields and session states. It is also common for the rules to follow an order of precedence. A common order of precedence is that the action performed will be the one specified by the first rule that matches the packet. Therefore, the ordering of access list rules must be performed carefully.
Companies typically have a network security policy that describes the type of access that should be permitted through firewall devices. This policy is achieved through the application of a combination of the network firewall devices described above. One common network security model implemented by many companies is the concept of dividing the networks into three categories: internal, external, and De-Militarized Zone (DMZ). This type of network security policy is defined by the access permitted between these network categories. That is, the network firewall is made up of devices that provide the interconnections between these network categories. The network firewall is located at a network control point, which is located between the internal network and the external network, e.g., the public Internet, and at any direct links to other companies. End-user hosts and internal servers are part of the internal network. The public Internet and other company networks are part of the external network. Web servers, email servers and other application servers that require general connectivity with the external network are part of the DMZ.
A common network security policy may be that internal systems are permitted to create connections to the external networks, but connections from the external network to the internal network are not permitted, unless they are accompanied by user authentication. In addition, the DMZ hosts are permitted to have connectivity to the external networks and the internal networks independently, but are not permitted to have "pass-through" connectivity from the external networks to the internal networks. An exception to the common network security policy might be configured into the network firewall when, for example, a DMZ or external network may have a particular user or host that must be permitted access to a particular host in the internal network.
Protecting information resources involves a complex array of technologies such as application security, host security, network security, physical security, data network transport path security, data confidentiality rating and user classification groups. In large companies, the effort to protect information resources is uncoordinated resulting in many employees independently working on different security technologies. For example, there are two categories of hosts that are most aware of network security. First, a bastion host has one interface facing the external networks and one interface facing the internal networks. A bastion host does not require any network protection on the external interface so it does not rely on the company network firewall. Second, a DMZ host, which resides in the DMZ, has a greater risk of attacks and therefore also does not rely on the company network firewall. For example, a DMZ host may have insufficient host security and may allow attacks to other hosts in the same network. These attacks may be allowed because the enterprise network firewall assumes that a stronger level of host security exists on all DMZ hosts.
Another drawback of trying to balance host security and network security is that it is an all or nothing approach. This is because hosts are either internal or external to the network. If the hosts are external to the network, the cost of providing external servers increases because host administration must be maintained. In addition, the security risks increase because the external hosts are often not well managed. If the hosts are internal to the network, the internal hosts assume that they are protected by the network firewall even though they are still susceptible to internal attacks. Some internal hosts, on the other hand, have rigorous administrative processes but are commonly restricted by the network firewall, despite having strong host security.
Configuring information security policies is also difficult using these systems. For example, if a security policy is changed, all the design and implementations that were made for the previous applications and hosts of the enterprise network are invalidated and must be reconfigured. Also, if a new company is acquired by the enterprise, significant security policy changes must be implemented before the new applications and hosts can be brought into the internal network.
The internal, external, and DMZ architecture has many additional drawbacks. For example, if the company network has multiple external connections to the public Internet that are in different geographic locations, wide-area asymmetric routing to the public Internet is likely. That is, inbound and outbound data for a given connection will not pass through the same firewall device and therefore firewall policies that rely on inspection of the protocol state will fail, because the protocol state will reside in two different firewall devices. In Internet Protocol (IP) networks, technologies such as Network Address Translation (NAT) may be used to work around this problem, but these technologies do not address the underlying issue and often introduce problems in large or complex networks. Currently, no technology is generally available for synchronizing the protocol state between firewall devices in separate geographic locations.
In addition, this architecture is limited to having only one internal network, which exposes the company to great risks if an unauthorized user gains access to the internal network. This architecture also does not allow the company the option of segmenting risk. Hence, a risk taken by one host in the internal network is a risk taken indirectly by all the other hosts in the internal network. This becomes apparent when considering the above exception to the common network security policy. The risk to all the internal hosts is greatly increased for every host in the external network that is permitted access to the internal network via the network firewall or DMZ.
This architecture is further limited due to its difficulty in maintaining a uniform firewall policy for firewall devices that are across geographic locations and company units. Each firewall device has a combination of a number of diverse and complex rules that reflect the overall security policy and the specific exception cases required at that specific network control point. Each of these network control points represents a risk to the entire company. If there is a simple misconfiguration on any firewall device, the entire internal network is exposed to an unintended security breach or unwanted behavior. As the number of network control points increase, the likelihood of security exposure increases dramatically.
These limitations described above for the various network security architectures apply to networks of any size, but become more severe when considering large or highly distributed networks. A Network Service Provider (NSP), Internet Service Provider (ISP), Application Service Provider (ASP), E-Service Provider (ESP), or a large enterprise may have over 100 network control points around the world where a network security policy must be administered. Using the network architectures described above, it is almost impossible to ensure that the policies are consistent and error-free at each of the network control points.
Another drawback for large enterprises or service providers with firewalls at the network control points is that the network security policy governing any given hosts must be configured consistently at all the O(n) firewalls, where n is the number of network control points for the enterprise. This creates a lot of redundant work and greatly increases the likelihood of error in configuration. Also, this can lead to a lack of direct accountability for the network security policy. To determine the network security policy for any given host, the network security policy must be examined at every network control point across the enterprise. The network security policy implemented at network control points that are topologically distant from the host have an equal role in determining the enterprise network security policy for that host.
Therefore, it should be appreciated that there is a need for systems and methods that overcome the above drawbacks and limitations. The present invention fulfills this need as well as others.

System and method for implementing a bubble policy to achieve host and network security

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A medical device includes an antenna external to a case, package, or encapsulant for the electronic systems of the medical device. In one embodiment, a diabetes infusion pump is enclosed within a metal case, the pump including a processor and a communication module for wireless communications. An antenna is disposed in the delivery tubing of the pump outside the case with an antenna feed interconnecting the external antenna with the internal communication module. In another aspect, a thin film antenna is formed on the outer surface of the case in which a physiological parameter sensor, such as a glucose sensor, is enclosed. Multiple antennas may be used for communications on different frequencies.

The invention relates generally to wireless data transmission and more particularly, to antenna systems that are integrated into medical equipment.
Medical devices often include wireless communication features requiring an antenna associated with each device that transmits or receives wireless communications. Existing medical devices sometimes include antenna elements that are located in medical device packages or cases. However, such antennas generally occupy significant areas of the relevant package or the embedded electronics, and may offer sub-optimal performance due to interference and attenuation associated with the components and packaging within which or with which they are located. As such, they are unable to provide reliable wireless communications yet they significantly increase the overall size of the medical devices.
It is also desirable to make medical devices that must be worn or carried by a user as small and as light as possible for user convenience. This has the added benefit of making the medical devices less intrusive and therefore more likely to be used by the patients. Spreading features among the components can achieve the goal of not making any one component large and heavy. Additionally some medical devices may be inherently unfriendly to wireless communications due to their nature. For example, some diabetes medication pumps have metal cases for durability and to make them water tight. The metal case can significantly interfere with wireless communications where the antenna is inside the case. It would be desirable to locate an antenna or antennas for wireless communications outside the metal case yet be sure that the antenna is capable of efficiently functioning with the internal communications module and circuitry.
In sum, there is a need for an antenna and related systems that may adequately enable wireless communications between medical devices by, for example, utilizing an external antenna constructed for optimal implementation with medical device packages.
Hence those skilled in the art have recognized a need for an improved antenna system that will enable more reliable wireless communication between a medical device and another device. A need has also been recognized for antennas that provide a larger radiation pattern with an omni-directional pattern being very desirable. A further need has been recognized for maintaining medical devices small while at the same time allowing them to have reliable wireless communications with other devices through the use of efficient antenna structures. The invention fulfills these needs and others.

Medical device antenna systems having external antenna configurations


A purge solenoid valve is opened to introduce an atmospheric pressure into a fuel tank, the purge solenoid valve is closed to operate a negative pressure pump, and set an internal pressure of the tank to a reference pressure Pb. Then, a changeover valve is closed, and the purge solenoid valve is opened to cause a canister to communicate with an intake passage. Further, the changeover valve is opened, and the purge solenoid valve is closed. Then, a first tank internal pressure Po is detected and subtracted from the reference pressure Pb. If a calculated first pressure deviation ΔPo is larger than a first threshold ΔP1, it is determined that there is no open sticking in a sealing valve.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission, and more particularly to control for detecting an abnormality of the apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to prevent emission of a fuel evaporative gas evaporated in a fuel tank into the atmosphere, an apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission is provided including: a canister mounted in a purge passage that provides communication between a fuel tank and an intake passage of an internal combustion engine; a changeover valve that opens or closes the canister to or from the atmosphere; a sealing valve that provides communication or closes between the fuel tank and the canister; and a purge solenoid valve that provides communication of and interrupts the purge passage. The apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission opens the changeover valve and the sealing valve and closes the purge solenoid in fueling so that the fuel evaporative gas flows toward the canister, and the fuel evaporative gas is adsorbed to activated carbon provided in the canister. The apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission opens the changeover valve and the purge solenoid valve in operation of the internal combustion engine, and discharges the fuel evaporative gas adsorbed to the activated carbon in the canister to the intake passage of the internal combustion engine to treat the fuel evaporative gas. The apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission also detects a leak from the apparatus in order to prevent the fuel evaporative gas from leaking outside the apparatus.
For leak detection, in a conventional vehicle that travels with a drive force of an internal combustion engine, opening/closing of a changeover valve, a sealing valve, and a purge solenoid valve is controlled in operation of the internal combustion engine, a negative pressure is generated in a purge passage and a fuel tank by a negative pressure generated in an intake passage of the internal combustion engine, and a leak is determined by whether the negative pressure is held or not to detect presence or absence of a leak.
However, in a vehicle such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine and also an electric motor, and travels mainly with a drive force of the electric motor, the internal combustion engine is rarely operated in order to improve fuel efficiency, and if a leak in the apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission is to be detected in operation of the internal combustion engine, there are few opportunities for leak detection.
Thus, an apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission provided in a vehicle with limited operation of an internal combustion engine includes a negative pressure pump that can reduce a pressure in the apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission, and controls operation of the negative pressure pump, and opening/closing of a changeover valve, a sealing valve, and a purge solenoid valve during key-off of the vehicle to detect a leak in the apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission.
In such an apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission, if failures occur such as open sticking that is sticking of the changeover valve, the sealing valve, and the purge solenoid valve in an opened state, or closed sticking that is sticking thereof in a closed state, a fuel evaporative gas cannot be adsorbed to activated carbon in a canister, or cannot be discharged to an intake passage of the internal combustion engine.
Thus, for example, as failure detection of a sealing valve, there is a technique of closing a closing valve (sealing valve), and detecting open sticking of the sealing valve from presence or absence of a differential pressure between front and rear of the sealing valve when a differential pressure generation condition is satisfied such as a lapse of time, a change in temperature, a change in fuel temperature, or a change in atmospheric pressure (Japanese Patent No. 4151382).
In the apparatus for treating evaporated fuel of an internal combustion engine in Japanese Patent No. 4151382, it is determined that the sealing valve is normally operated to a closed side if the differential pressure between front and rear of the sealing valve exceeds a determination value when a differential pressure generation condition is satisfied such as a lapse of time, a change in temperature, a change in fuel temperature, or a change in atmospheric pressure, and it is determined that the sealing valve sticks to an open side, that is, the sealing valve is in open sticking if the differential pressure between front and rear of the sealing valve does not exceed the determination value.
However, since open sticking of the sealing valve is determined when a differential pressure generation condition is satisfied such as a lapse of time, a change in temperature, a change in fuel temperature, or a change in atmospheric pressure, unpreferably, open sticking of the sealing valve cannot be determined, for example, when the differential pressure generation condition is not satisfied.

Apparatus for suppressing fuel evaporative gas emission

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


The present invention relates to greetings cards generally and to Christmas cards and novelty cards in particular. Greetings cards, usually packaged with an envelope, come in a variety of styles. There are both mass-produced as well as handmade versions that are distributed by hundreds of companies large and small. There is a belief that greetings cards are becoming bland; the sending of Christmas cards is often seen as a chore. Equally, there is an increasing number of cards which are sent to surprise the recipients, or joke cards, which may be sent to communicate emotions to a recipient. The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the problems addressed above. The present invention seeks to provide a novelty card which is simple to manufacture and can provide a novelty noise to be created when first used.

A greetings card generally comprises an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greetings cards are usually given on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feelings. Greetings cards, usually packaged with an envelope, come in a variety of styles. There are both mass-produced as well as handmade versions that are distributed by hundreds of companies large and small. Whilst typically inexpensive, more elaborate cards with die-cuts or glued-on decorations may cost GB £5 each, or more.
In western societies and increasingly in other societies, many people traditionally mail seasonally themed cards to their friends and relatives in December at or around Christmas time. Many service businesses also send cards to their customers in this season, usually with a Christmas message or what is deemed by some to be a universally acceptable non-religious message such as "happy holidays" or "seasons' greetings". There is a belief that greetings cards are becoming bland; the sending of Christmas cards is often seen as a chore. Equally, there is an increasing number of cards which are sent to surprise the recipients, or joke cards, which may be sent to communicate emotions to a recipient.
JP 2003039860 provides a card such as a Christmas card, greeting cards or the like and comprises a card body and a cracker comprising a powder body encased in a cracker body case having a firing opening at the forward end, and a pull string passed through the powder body and being led out to the rear of the cracker body case is fixed onto the paper plane of a card body.

Greetings card and a blank for forming it


A charging system used for supplying compressed air to a destination includes a compressor for generating the compressed air and a reservoir capable of being alternately discharged and recharged with the compressed air. A supply line fluidly connects the compressor, the reservoir, and the destination. A control valve positioned along the supply line is used in controlling flow of the compressed air from the charging system to the destination. A first branch line and a second branch line are positioned between the reservoir and the supply line. A check valve is positioned along the first branch line that when opened allows the compressed air to flow out of the reservoir into the supply line and when closed prohibits the compressed air from flowing into or out of the reservoir. A pressure protection valve is positioned along the second branch that opens to allow the compressed air to flow into the reservoir when the pressure in the supply line is above a threshold pressure.

Vehicles such as buses and trucks require supplies of compressed air. For example, equipment such as central tire inflation systems used on buses and trucks requires compressed air to inflate and deflate the tires of these vehicles. Previously, compressed air has been supplied to the central tire inflation systems solely from air compressors. However, because of the large demands of the central tire inflations systems, the compressors are often incapable of meeting these demands within an acceptable time period.
As an alternative to solely using compressors, air reservoirs have been used to supply compressed air directly to the central tire inflation system. However, to satisfy the demands of the central tire inflation systems, the air reservoirs must have large sizes. The large sizes of the air reservoirs have drawbacks because of the space limitations of buses and trucks. As such, there is a need for charging system to overcome the above-discussed limitations.


A multi-component container has a non-rigid, durable, flexible design constructed with a tough outer bag having specifically located fastenings. The outer bag when assembled with the fastenings constrains an inner bladder that is a durable, flexible, sealable leakproof bag having dimensions selected relative to the outer bag. The combination of the inner and outer components enable the container to meet or exceed national and international testing criteria applicable to the transport of many hazardous items in accordance with applicable regulations. A related method of transporting is also disclosed.

This invention relates generally to hand-portable, durable, non-rigid shipping containers and related methods of transporting, particularly containers and methods suitable for transporting relatively small sizes or quantities of hazardous items such as medical diagnostic specimens, biological materials, and infectious substances by conventional private or public carriers.
Something removed from a human or other animal may need to be transferred from the place of extraction to a place where it can be analyzed. For example, a surgically removed hip prosthesis may need to be returned to the manufacturer for analysis or it may need to be sent to a laboratory where human tissue on the prosthesis is to be analyzed. When the sending and receiving places are distant, the substance may need to be shipped via a private or public carrier. Such transportation can be via land (road or rail), sea or air (passenger or cargo craft).
It will be readily appreciated that shipping such a specimen poses a significant health risk if the specimen contains an infectious or potentially infectious substance and it is not adequately packaged. There are many regulations, from local governmental to international regulations, seeking to define safe shipping standards. Pertinent federal regulations in the United States include those set forth in titles 29, 39, 42 and 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Examples of particular agencies concerned with safe packaging and shipping standards are the International Civil Aviation Organization/International Air Transport Association (ICAO/IATA), United States Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Center of Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), United Nations (UN), and World Health Organization (WHO). Specific pertinent standards include:
1. Dangerous Goods Regulations International Air Transport Association 38th Edition, Jan. 1, 1997 PA1 2. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49--Transportation Subtitle B--Other Regulations Relating to Transportation U.S. Dept. of Transportation Parts 172, 173, 176 and 178 Oct. 1, 1996 PA1 3. Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Public Health Service (CDC and NIH) 3rd Edition May, 1993 PA1 4. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 42--Public Health U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Part 72 Interstate Shipment of Etiologic Agents Mar. 2, 1995 PA1 5. Hazardous Material Regulations Transportation Safety Act of 1974 Consolidation of 1976 Pocket Guide, 1991 PA1 6. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generic Standard Operating Procedure "Handling, Packaging, Transportation, Storage and Sterilization of Medical Devices". PA1 7. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Section 3--Final Rules on Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens PA1 8. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Proposed Documents for ISO/TC 150/WG5 "Retrieval and Analysis of Implantable Medical Devices" PA1 9. United Nations Documents Requirements for Transportation of Hazardous Goods
October, 1994
In trying to transport hazardous items in compliance with the foregoing, problems can arise with existing containers with regard to durability, rigidity, size, weight, cost, reusability, and cost of refurbishment. These issues are especially significant when the containers are required to be leakproof and pressure resistant. Durability problems exist with rigid containers due to the inevitable bangs, scrapes, dents and other permanent distortions that can occur in containers during handling and transport. Durability can also be adversely affected by external environmental conditions. These potential problems can bring about a loss of integrity in the container. In some cases, a container cannot be reused due to its lack of durability or because it was designed for one use only. If the container is reusable, it may have to undergo an expensive process to refurbish the container for reuse in order to meet original specifications, performance criteria and regulations. Another problem that exists is that performance certified containers can be very large in comparison to the material or specimens to be transported, thereby creating unnecessary cost of the container and increased cost of transportation. Also, the lack of ability to match a performance oriented container size to the size of the materials/specimen can cause the transport to be unwieldy, heavier than necessary, difficult to store and too large for its intended purpose. Furthermore, there are containers which do not even meet the criteria of performance testing for hazardous materials.
In view of the foregoing, there is a particular need for a shipping container and related method which can transport hazardous items that are in the solid or solid plus liquid forms and that have irregular shapes, odd size dimensions or are cumbersome. Such a container and method preferably should meet both general and specific requirements and testing protocols of national and international regulations for modes of transportation to include air, sea, rail and highway. Such a container should be durable, lightweight, flexible and reusable. The foregoing especially includes the capability of transporting hazardous items in a leakproof, pressure resistant, vibration resistant container that meets all applicable criteria. Types of substances which such a container and method should accommodate include, but are not limited to, pathogens, bacteria, blood, modified organisms, contaminants, infectious substances, compounds, chemicals, toxins and vaccines.


Efficient methods for encoding and decoding Half-Weight codes are disclosed and similar high density codes are disclosed. The efficient methods require at most 3·(k−1)+h/2+1 XORs of symbols to calculate h Half-Weight symbols from k source symbols, where h is of the order of log(k).

The present invention relates to systems and methods for encoding and/or decoding data, and more particularly to systems and methods for encoding and/or decoding using multi-stage fountain codes, herein referred to collectively as "MS Codes."
Fountain codes have been described previously such as in Luby I, Shokrollahi I and Luby05. As described therein, sometimes referred to "chain reaction codes" in view of some of the decoding techniques, fountain codes provide a form of forward error-correction that enables data reconstruction from a received data set of a given size, without regard to the particular data packets received and provide for sequences of encoded that does not need to repeat over normal use, such that a set of data can be encoded with a fountain code to generate as much output sequence data as needed. Unlike many coding techniques that generate a fixed amount of output for a given input and thus have a predetermined "code rate", fountain codes can be "rateless" codes. Fountain codes are often considered information additive codes in that randomly selected output symbols are likely to contribute (add) information to other randomly selected output symbols, whereas random selections of among fixed rate code symbols are more likely to be duplicative of selections already received.
As a result, communication systems employing fountain codes are able to communicate information much more efficiently compared to traditional FEC codes transmitted via data carousel or acknowledgement-based protocols, as described in Luby I, or Shokrollahi I or Luby05.
Transmission of data between a sender and a recipient over a communications channel has been the subject of much literature. Preferably, but not exclusively, a recipient desires to receive an exact copy of data transmitted over a channel by a sender with some level of certainty. Where the channel does not have perfect fidelity (which covers most of all physically realizable systems), one concern is how to deal with data lost or garbled in transmission. Lost data (erasures) are often easier to deal with than corrupted data (errors) because the recipient cannot always tell when corrupted data is data received in error. Many error-correcting codes have been developed to correct for erasures and/or for errors. Typically, the particular code used is chosen based on some information about the infidelities of the channel through which the data is being transmitted and the nature of the data being transmitted. For example, where the channel is known to have long periods of infidelity, a burst error code might be best suited for that application. Where only short, infrequent errors are expected, a simple parity code might be best.
Data transmission between multiple senders and/or multiple receivers over a communications channel has also been the subject of much literature. Typically, data transmission from multiple senders requires coordination among the multiple senders to allow the senders to minimize duplication of efforts. In a typical multiple sender system sending data to a receiver, if the senders do not coordinate which data they will transmit and when, but instead just send segments of the file, it is likely that a receiver will receive many useless duplicate segments. Similarly, where different receivers join a transmission from a sender at different points in time, a concern is how to ensure that all data the receivers receive from the sender is useful. For example, suppose the sender is wishes to transmit a file, and is continuously transmitting data about the same file. If the sender just sends segments of the original file and some segments are lost, it is likely that a receiver will receive many useless duplicate segments before receiving one copy of each segment in the file. Similarly, if a segment is received in error multiple times, then the amount of information conveyed to the receiver is much less than the cumulative information of the received garbled data. Often this leads to undesirable inefficiencies of the transmission system, or may require transmitter and/or receiver coordination.
Often data to be transmitted over a communications channel is partitioned into equal size input symbols. The "size" of an input symbol can be measured in bits, whether or not the input symbol is actually broken into a bit stream, where an input symbol has a size of M bits when the input symbol is selected from an alphabet of 2M symbols.
A coding system may produce output symbols from the input symbols. Output symbols are elements from an output symbol alphabet. The output symbol alphabet may or may not have the same characteristics as the alphabet for the input symbols. Once the output symbols are created, they are transmitted to the receivers.
The task of transmission may include post-processing of the output symbols so as to produce symbols suitable for the particular type of transmission. For example, where transmission constitutes sending the data from a wireless provider to a wireless receiver, several output symbols may be lumped together to form a frame, and each frame may be converted into a wave signal in which the amplitude or the phase is related to the frame. The operation of converting a frame into a wave is often called modulation, and the modulation is further referred to as phase or amplitude modulation depending on whether the information of the wave signal is stored in its phase or in its amplitude. Nowadays this type of modulated transmission is used in many applications, such as satellite transmission, cable modems, Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), and many others.
A transmission is called reliable if it allows the intended recipient to recover an exact copy of the original data even in the face of errors and/or erasures during the transmission. Recovery of erased information has been the subject of much literature and very efficient coding methods have been devised in this case. Fountain codes, as described in Luby I or Shokrollahi I or Luby05, are efficient coding methods for recovery of erasures in a wide variety of settings.
One solution that has been proposed to increase reliability of transmission is to use Forward Error-Correction (FEC) codes, such as Reed-Solomon codes, Tornado codes, or, more generally, LDPC ("low density parity codes"). With such codes, one sends output symbols generated from the content instead of just sending the input symbols that constitute the content. Traditional error correcting codes, such as Reed-Solomon or other LDPC codes, generate a fixed number of output symbols for a fixed length content. For example, for K input symbols, N output symbols might be generated. These N output symbols may comprise the K original input symbols and N-K redundant symbols. If storage permits, then the sender can compute the set of output symbols for each piece of data only once and transmit the output symbols using a carousel protocol.
One problem with some FEC codes is that they require excessive computing power or memory to operate. Another problem is that the number of output symbols must be determined in advance of the coding process. This can lead to inefficiencies if the error rate of the symbols is overestimated, and can lead to failure if the error rate is underestimated. Moreover, traditional FEC schemes often require a mechanism to estimate the reliability of the communications channel on which they operate. For example, in wireless transmission the sender and the receiver are in need of probing the communications channel so as to obtain an estimate of the noise and hence of the reliability of the channel. In such a case, this probing has to be repeated quite often, since the actual noise is a moving target due to rapid and transient changes in the quality of the communications channel.
For traditional FEC codes, the number of valid output symbols that can be generated is of the same order of magnitude as the number of input symbols the content is partitioned into and is often a fixed ratio called the "code rate." Typically, but not exclusively, most or all of these output symbols are generated in a preprocessing step before the sending step. These output symbols often have the property that all the input symbols can be regenerated from any subset of the output symbols equal in length to the original content or slightly longer in length than the original content. Typically, a code rate is selected to match an expected error rate.
Fountain decoding is a form of forward error-correction that addresses the above issues in cases where a transmission error constitutes an erasure. For fountain codes, the pool of possible output symbols that can be generated is orders of magnitude larger than the number of the input symbols typically limited only by a resolution of a counter on the encoder rather than by a code rate, and a random output symbol from the pool of possibilities can be generated very quickly. For fountain codes, the output symbols can be generated on the fly on an as needed basis concurrent with the sending step. Fountain codes have a property that all input symbols of the content can be regenerated from any subset of a set of randomly generated and/or selected output symbols slightly longer in length than the original content.
Other descriptions of various fountain coding systems can be found in documents such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,486,803, entitled "On Demand Encoding with a Window" and U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,223 entitled "Generating High Weight Output Symbols using a Basis," assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Some embodiments of a fountain coding system comprise an encoder and a decoder. Data may be presented to the encoder in the form of a block, or a stream, and the encoder may generate output symbols from the block or the stream on the fly. In some embodiments, for example those described in Shokrollahi I and Luby05, data may be pre-encoded off-line, or concurrently with the process of transmission, using a static encoder, and the output symbols may be generated from the static input symbols, defined as the plurality of the original data symbols, and the output symbols of the static encoder.
In general, the block or stream of symbols from which the dynamic output symbols are generated is referred to herein as "source symbols." Thus, in the case of the codes described in Shokrollahi I and Luby05, the source symbols are the static input symbols, while for codes described in Luby I, the source symbols are the input symbols. The term "input symbols" herein refers to the original symbols presented to the encoder for encoding. Thus, for chain reaction codes described in Luby I, the source symbols are identical with input symbols. Sometimes, to distinguish between an MS code, as for example one of the codes described in Shokrollahi I or Luby05, and the codes described in Luby I, we will refer herein to the output symbols generated by a coding system employing an MS code as the "dynamic output symbols."
In certain applications, it may be preferable to transmit the input symbols first, and then continue transmission by sending generated output symbols. Such a coding system is called a systematic coding system and systematic coding systems for codes such as those described in Luby I and Shokrollahi I are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,909,383 entitled, "Systematic Encoding and Decoding of Chain Reaction Codes," assigned to the assignee of the present application (hereinafter "Systematic MS"), whereas Luby05 is itself a systematic MS code that is designed using the elements described in "Systematic MS".
Various methods for generating source symbols from the input symbols are described in Shokrollahi I and Luby05. Generally, but not exclusively, the source symbols are preferably generated efficiently on a data processing device, and, at the same time, a good erasure correcting capability is required of the multi-stage code. One of the teachings in Shokrollahi I and Luby05 is to use a combination of codes to produce the source symbols. In one particular embodiment described in Luby05, this combination comprises using an LDPC code to produce a second set of source symbols from the input symbols (the input symbols are the first set of source symbols) and then using a Half-Weight encoder to produce a third set of source symbols from the first two sets of source symbols, and then the dynamic output symbols are calculated based on all three sets of source symbols.
Other methods and processes for both the generation of source symbols and dynamic output symbols, and the decoding of these output symbols, have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,263 entitled "Systems and Processes for Decoding a Chain Reaction Code Through Inactivation," assigned to the assignee of the present application (hereinafter "Inactivation Decoding"). One advantage of a decoder according teachings Inactivation Decoding over a multi-stage chain reaction decoder described in Shokrollahi I is that an inactivation decoding decoder has typically a lower probability of error.
The encoding for an MS encoder in some embodiments can be partitioned into two stages. The first stage computes redundant symbols from the original input symbols, and the second stage generates output symbols from combinations of the original input symbols and redundant symbols. In some embodiments of an MS encoder, the first stage can be further partitioned into two or more steps, where some of these steps compute redundant symbols based on Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes or other codes, and where other steps compute redundant symbols based on other codes. To lower the probability of error of the decoder, both multi-stage fountain decoding and some embodiments of decoding described in Inactivation Decoding may make use of a Half-Weight code in these other steps, and thus a Half-Weight code is used in these embodiments in one of the primary stages of static encoding.
The techniques of multi-stage encoding, multi-stage fountain decoding and Inactivation Decoding may also be applied to other forward error correction codes including LDPC ("low density parity check") codes, IRA ("Irregular Repeat Accumulate") code, AIRA ("Accumulate Irregular Repeat Accumulate") codes, and LDGM ("low density generator matrix") codes, and many other classes of codes based on graphs, and thus the techniques described herein for Half-Weight code generation may also be applied in those settings.
As described in Luby05, a Half-Weight code generates, for a given number k of first source symbols, a number h of redundant symbols (referred to as the "Half-Weight symbols" hereinafter). The number h is the smallest integer with the property illustrated in Equation 1, where for positive integers i and j with i>j, the function choose(i, j) is equal to i!/((i−j)!·j!) and n!=1·2· . . . ·(n−1)·n, and where for real-valued x the function ceil(x) is the smallest integer greater than or equal to x.choose(h, ceil(h/2))≧k  (Equ. 1)
As described in Luby05, Half-Weight symbols can be calculated in a specific way from the k source symbols. Using the straightforward method for the computation of these symbols, each Half-Weight symbol requires, on average, around k/2 XORs of source symbols, and thus, in total, the h Half-Weight symbols require around (k/2)·h XORs of source symbols. Since h is of the order log(k), this amounts to roughly k·log(k)/2 XORs of input symbols for the calculation of the Half-Weight symbols. Taking into account that other redundant symbols calculated via, for example LDPC encoding, require much less computational time, the calculation of the Half-Weight symbols using the straightforward approach would constitute a computational bottleneck for the design of some embodiments of reliable multi-stage encoders.
What is therefore needed is an apparatus or process for calculating the Half-Weight symbols that is much more efficient than the straightforward one, and can be implemented easily on various computing devices.

Method and apparatus for fast encoding of data symbols according to half-weight codes


An electrosurgical system comprising: a plurality of electrosurgical connection units, each electrosurgical connection unit comprising an input port connectable to an electrosurgical channel and an output port connectable to an electrosurgical instrument, the electrosurgical connection unit configured to connect the input port to the output port; an electrosurgical network comprising a plurality of electrosurgical links that connect the input ports of the electrosurgical connection units to an electrosurgical channel; and a control unit configured to: receive information from a device indicating that the device has detected an electrosurgical generator connected to the electrosurgical channel, the device being one of the electrosurgical connection units and an electrosurgical output device connected to the electrosurgical channel; determine a location of the electrosurgical generator in the electrosurgical network based on the received information; and transmit one or more control signals to the electrosurgical connection units and/or one or more electrosurgical output devices connected to the electrosurgical channel to cause the output port of a selected combination of electrosurgical connection units to be connected to the electrosurgical channel based on the determined location of the electrosurgical generator.

It is known to use robots for assisting and performing surgery. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical surgical robot 100 which comprises a base 108, an arm 102, and an instrument 105. The base supports the robot, and is itself attached rigidly to, for example, the operating theatre floor, the operating theatre ceiling or a trolley. The arm extends between the base and the instrument. The arm is articulated by means of multiple flexible joints 103 along its length, which are used to locate the surgical instrument in a desired location relative to the patient. The surgical instrument is attached to the distal end 104 of the robot arm. The surgical instrument penetrates the body of the patient 101 at a port 107 so as to access the surgical site. At its distal end, the instrument comprises an end effector 106 for engaging in a medical procedure.
A variety of surgical instruments are known, each adapted to perform a particular surgical function. FIG. 2 illustrates an example surgical instrument 200. The surgical instrument comprises a base 201 by means of which the surgical instrument connects to the robot arm. A shaft 202 extends between the base 201 and an articulation 203. The articulation 203 terminates in an end effector 204. The articulation 203 permits the end effector 204 to move relative to the shaft 202. It is desirable for at least two degrees of freedom to be provided to the motion of the electrosurgery end effector 204 by means of the articulation.
An electrosurgical instrument is a surgical instrument adapted to perform electrosurgery. As is known to those of skill in the art, electrosurgery is the passing of a high frequency (i.e. radio frequency) current through tissue to cause a desired effect (e.g. cutting the tissue or coagulating the tissue). In contrast to electrocautery which uses heat conduction from a probe heated by a direct current, electrosurgery uses radio frequency (RF) alternating current to heat the tissue by RF induced intracellular oscillation of ionized molecules that result in an intracellular temperature. Electrosurgical instruments typically receive the desired current from an electrosurgical generator (which may also be referred to as an electrosurgical end unit or ESU) via a cable.
Many surgical robot systems comprise multiple robot arms each of which can have an instrument attached thereto. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an example surgical robot system 300 with three robot arms 302, 304, 306 each of which can have an instrument 308, 310, 312 attached thereto. To allow an electrosurgical instrument to be dynamically attached to any of the arms a surgical robot system may comprise a single electrosurgical generator which can be manually connected to one of the arms as appropriate. However, this makes the initial set-up of the system, and any dynamic shifting of an electrosurgical instrument from one arm to another, time consuming and prone to human error. Alternatively, a surgical robot system may comprise a plurality of electrosurgical generators wherein each generator is dedicated to an electrosurgical instrument connected to one of the arms. While such systems may resolve many of the problems with a system with a single electrosurgical generator, having multiple generators significantly increases the cost and complexity of the system.
Accordingly, there is a need for an alternative way of dynamically connecting an electrosurgical generator to an electrosurgical instrument attached to an arm of a multi-arm surgical robot.
The embodiments described below are provided by way of example only and are not limiting of implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of surgical robots with multiple arms to which an electrosurgical instrument can be attached.


Amines and amine derivatives that improve the buffering range, and/or reduce the chelation and other negative interactions of the buffer and the system to be buffered. The reaction of amines or polyamines with various molecules to form polyamines with differing pKa's will extend the buffering range, derivatives that result in polyamines that have the same pKa yields a greater buffering capacity. Derivatives that result in zwitterionic buffers improve yield by allowing a greater range of stability.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of amines and more particularly to a classes of amino zwitterions.
Description of the Problem Solved by the Invention
Amines are extremely useful compounds in the buffering of biological systems. Each class of amine has various limitations which require choosing an amine based on multiple factors to select the best amine. For example, pH buffering range is typically most important, but issues of chelation, pH range stability, and solubility also come into play. Typically, a suboptimal buffer will result in yields that are well below the potential yield. The present invention improves the yields in fermentation and purification, and improves shelf stability of proteins and amino acids.


Scan channel slicing methods and systems for testing of scan chains in an integrated circuit (IC) reduce the number of test cycles needed to effectively test all the scan chains in the IC, reducing the time and cost of testing. In scan channel slicing, rather than loading and unloading into scan chains high-power patterns having numerous switching transitions over the length of each scan chain, loading and unloading the entirety of the scan chain scan while observing it, chain load data is sliced, apportioning between the different scan chains independently observable sections (slices) of transition data in which all four bit-to-bit transitions (“0” to “0”, “0” to “1”, “1” to 0”, “1” to “1”) are ensured to exist. The remainder of the scan chain load data, which is not observed in the test procedure, can be low-transition data that consumes low dynamic power, such as mostly zeroes or mostly ones.

During the process known as "bring-up" for semiconductor devices, automated test equipment (ATE) can be used for post-fabrication testing for integrated circuits (ICs) to quickly determine whether an IC is functioning correctly, without any physical defects. Transition fault testing of an IC containing a large number of logic devices can require the ATE inputting a large number of test patterns into scan chains of the IC. As the chip size and the ratio of logic to be tested per input/output test pin increases, the amount of data needed to be supplied by techniques such as automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) has become voluminous. Design for test (DFT) designers are faced with the challenge of inputting, for each of these large chips, a large volume of scan test sequences via a minimal number of test pins. ATPG increases the required test time and the required amount of tester memory, both of which increase costs associated with DFT.
Test compression reduces test data volume and test application time (TAT) while retaining test coverage by loading highly compressed test data onto the scan chains from low pin-count ATE. An on-board decompressor on the IC decompresses the compressed test data before loading it onto a large number of scan chains on the IC. After applying the scan chain data to the IC, response data is then compressed by an on-board compressor on the IC and is output for measurement and comparison. Test compression recognizes that only a small percentage of scan cells in a scan chain ("care bits") generated by ATPG are necessary for testing. Test compression modifies the testing design to apply the care bits in shorter scan chains. The compression ratio generated by test compression methods is capable of greatly reducing the test data volume and TAT. For example, original data having a volume of 6 Gb and TAT of 20 seconds is, at a 100× compression ratio, reduced by 99% to 60 Mb and TAT of 0.2 seconds.
Test compression can use two structures on the IC, a decompressor and a compressor (or compactor). The decompressor drives the compressed test stimuli onto the IC from the small number of scan-in pins on the ATE to the large number of internal scan channels which feed the logic under test. The decompressor is designed to allow a continuous flow of stimuli so that it is possible to load the scan chain data for a given test onto the IC and to unload from the IC the previous test response data to the compressor, all in a single clock cycle. Compression and decompression logic generally are built using discrete logic gates such as XOR gates, multiplexers, and flip-flops, and are placed inside a logic module called a codec. Wires transfer test stimuli from the decompressor inside the codec to the heads of the scan channels, which may be distributed across the area of the IC. Similarly, wires from the tails of the scan channels transfer the test stimuli to the compressor inside the codec.

Scan channel slicing for compression-mode testing of scan chains


Feedback and frame synchronization between media encoders and decoders is described. More particularly, the encoder can encode frames that are based on source content to be sent to the decoder. The encoder can determine whether the frame should be cached by the encoder and the decoder. If the frame is to be cached, the encoder can so indicate by encoding the frame with one or more cache control bits. The decoder can receive the frame from the decoder, and can examine the cache control bits to determine whether to cache the frame. The decoder can also decode the frame.

Various forms of media coders and decoders enable media to be transmitted from point to point within networks. Cooperating sets of coders and decoders are referred to as "codecs" herein. Additionally, the terms "coder" and "encoder" are used herein synonymously.
Typically, the encoder may interact or cooperate with a number of decoders. All of these decoders may or may not be configured alike, or have the same processing capabilities. Additionally, the decoders are typically not configured to provide the encoder with information such as the properties, features, or capabilities of particular ones of the decoders. In this environment, the encoders may send data to the decoders as if all of the decoders are homogenous entities, when the decoders may not be.
Networks typically represent lossy channels, such that some amount of data transmitted via such networks is expected to be corrupted, damaged, or lost altogether. Various schemes for recovering from such data loss or corruption have been proposed. Some of these recovery schemes may involve resending entire duplicates of the lost or damaged data. Accordingly, these recovery schemes may unnecessarily consume network bandwidth.


One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device, an indication to resume a media stream; determining, using a processor, a stoppage period associated with the media stream; identifying, based at least in part on the stoppage period, a resume point in the media stream; and resuming, based on the identifying, the media stream from the resume point. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Individuals frequently consume media content on their information handling devices ("devices"), for example, smart phones, tablet devices, televisions, laptop and/or personal computers, and the like. For instance, many individuals are subscribed to one or more media-streaming services ("services") that contain hundreds of available movies and/or television shows that they may watch. Through their devices, these individuals may choose an available media option from the service and watch it at their preferred rate and/or time.


An optical communication module includes a first light-receiving element with a receiving surface in which a light flux with a wavelength λ1 emitted from an end surface of an optical fiber enters; a light-emitting element for emitting a light flux with a wavelength λ2; and a first optical element arranged between the first light-receiving element and the light-emitting element, and the end surface of the optical fiber. The first optical element includes a first optical surface with a positive refractive power and a second optical surface having a diffractive structure. One of the first optical surface and the second optical surface is divided into at least a first optical functional surface and a second optical functional surface through a step difference.

In an optical communication system by means of the bidirectional transmission using the light beams whose wavelength are different, an optical communication module including an optical system having a light-receiving element, light-emitting element and lens is provided to the terminal which transmits and receives optical signal through an optical fiber. In most of the conventional optical communication modules, glass-made lenses are used as an optical element constructing the optical system. However, it is considered that the glass-made lens is replaced with resin-made lens because the glass-made lens is comparatively high in cost. However, an non-negligible refractive index change is generated by the temperature change in a general resin-made lens. For example, it makes difficulty of appropriately forming an image on the end surface of the optical fiber using the light flux emitted from the light-emitting element. Thereby, there is a possibility that the coupling efficiency of the optical fiber is lowered.
On the other hand, diffractive ring-shaped zones are formed on an optical surface of the resin-made light converging lens in the semiconductor laser module written in Patent Document 1. Using the fact that an oscillation wavelength of a light beam from the semiconductor laser changes when a refractive index of the light converging lens changes by a temperature change, the semiconductor laser module conducts a temperature compensation by canceling out a focal point movement following the movement of the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser oscillator to the temperature change and a focal point movement following the refractive index change and thermal expansion or thermal contraction by the temperature change of the resin-made lens.
[Patent Document 1] Tokkaihei No. 11-142696
However, in the semiconductor laser module written in Patent Document 1, the temperature compensation becomes available only when a light beam projected from the light-emitting element is sent to the optical fiber. Herein, an oscillation wavelength of a light beam sent by travering through the optical fiber does not change due to the temperature change occurring at the semiconductor laser module side when the light beam sent from the optical fiber is received by the light-receiving element. Therefore, there is a problem that when the refractive index of the light converging lens changes due to the temperature change, its focal point movement is hard to be suppressed.
Further, it is not preferable that a large number of diffractive ring-shaped zones are formed in the light converging lens as shown in the semiconductor laser module written in Patent Document 1, because the structure is not gotten free from the the coupling efficiency lowering and the light amount lowering affects a large influence on a communication. It is also a problem. A technology in which the diffractive ring-shaped zones are used is widely known conventionally. For example, it is adopted for the spherical aberration correction in the field of the optical pickup apparatus, and its purpose includes achieving compatibility between optical disks with different formats (whose substrate thicknesses are different), the chromatic aberration correction, and the chromatic spherical aberration correction. A focus is finely adjusted by auto-focusing the objective lens, and it is difficult in the design work that the focal point movement by the oscillation shift of the semiconductor laser and the focal point movement by the refractive index change by the temperature change of the resin-made lens and the thermal expansion or thermal contraction are balanced accurately.

Optical communication module and optical element for optical communication module


A method for producing a tire filled with a (meth)acrylic hydrogel, the method comprises a) providing a mixture comprising at least one water-soluble (meth)acrylic compound, water and an initiator, and b) filling the mixture in a tire in which the mixture polymerizes to form the (meth)acrylic hydrogel. The tire filling material is suitable for producing flat proof tires, enables fast and controlled cure and is insensitive towards dosage errors. Moreover, the tire filling material is environmental friendly and cost effective.

Tire fillings are known for a long time. They are used in demanding applications such as underground mining, farming or scrap yards, where flat proofing is important, but customers do not want to switch to solid tires. Solid tires are relatively expensive and are only available in limited sizes. With a tire filling, any tire of any size on any vehicle can be transformed into a flat proof tire.
Up to now, these tire fillings have been realized by polyurethanes, since polyurethane allow for a combination of softness, elasticity and cure speed. Softness is required to provide a reasonably comfortable ride, and is typically represented by a hardness between 5 and 20 Shore A. For some applications, e.g. higher speeds, higher hardness up to 50 Shore A are available on the market.
These tire filling systems are typically delivered as a ready-to-use kit to the customer. In order to get a reasonably short cure time, a 2 component polyurethane and a static mixer with a pressure pump are provided. The customer put the tire in an upright position (valve down), drills a hole into the top, connects the pressure unit to the valve, and fills the tire until material leaks out of the top hole. After the filling, the hole is closed by a screw or any other suitable method.
For instance, WO 00/61655 describes a method for producing a deflation-proof tire by filling a tire with a composition comprising a polyisocyanate, a high molecular weight polyol, a polar plasticizing extender oil, a polyamine which is then cured in the presence of a catalyst to form a polyurethane elastomer having a Shore A hardness in the range of about 5 to 60.
Polyurethane is used as the standard material for tire filling up to now, because it combines suitable hardness with fast cure and a reasonable price. However, this approach has some serious drawbacks.
Thus, the polyurethane filling is usually prepared by polymerization of a polyisocyanate component and a polyol component and the ratio of these two components has to be controlled precisely, in order to achieve an acceptable curing of the system. Any deviation will lead to a material that does not fulfill the basic requirements for a tire filling. In particular, any liquid contents of the tire has to be avoided, since it will leach out, which then leads to excessive heat generation during use, and finally destruction of the tire.
Moreover, the polyurethane fillings are usually based on two component compositions which are of some concern regarding environment, health and safety (EHS). There is a risk that the customer gets in direct contact with isocyanate. In order to reach the desired softness, the components are heavily plasticized with e.g. aromatic oils which are also of strong concern.
A further disadvantage of polyurethane tire fillings is that the costs are still relatively high because all starting materials are organic compounds.