A cache memory replacement algorithm replaces cache lines based on the likelihood that cache lines will not be needed soon. A cache memory in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of cache lines that are accessed associatively, with a count entry associated with each cache line storing a count value that defines a replacement class. The count entry is typically loaded with a count value when the cache line is accessed, with the count value indicating the likelihood that the contents of cache lines will be needed soon. In other words, data which is likely to be needed soon is assigned a higher replacement class, while data that is more speculative and less likely to be needed soon is assigned a lower replacement class. When the cache memory becomes full, the replacement algorithm selects for replacement those cache lines having the lowest replacement class. Accordingly, the cache lines selected for replacement contain the most speculative data in the cache that is least likely to be needed soon.

The present invention relates to cache memories in computer systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cache memory replacement algorithm that determines which cache lines in a cache memory are eligible to be replaced when an associative set of the cache memory is full.
In the art of computing, cache memories are used to store a portion of the memory contents of a main memory that are likely to be used soon. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ccachexe2x80x9d will also be used to refer to a cache memory. Caches are typically smaller and faster than main memory, and are used to mask latencies involved in retrieving memory operands from main memory. In modern computer systems, cache access times are typically about 500% to 3000% faster than main memory access times.
An entry of a cache is known in the art as a cache line, and typically a cache line will store a small contiguous range of main memory contents, such as 32 or 64 bytes. While cache memories are not limited to CPUs, a primary application for cache memories is to store memory operands required by one or more central processing units (CPUs). Note that it is known in the art to provide multiple levels of caches. For example, a CPU may be provided with a level one (L1) cache on the same integrated circuit as the CPU, and a larger and slower level two (L2) cache in the same module as the CPU. In the discussion that follows, it will be assumed that memory operands are loaded into a cache from main memory. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that such operands may also be loaded from a higher level cache if the operands are present in the higher level cache.
Since cache memories are typically smaller than the main memories to which they are coupled, a strategy is required to determine which contents of the main memory are to be stored in the cache. This strategy usually comprises two components: a cache organization and a cache replacement algorithm. The replacement algorithm determines which cache line should be replaced when the cache (or an associative set of the cache, as described below) becomes full.
One of the simplest cache organizations is the direct-mapped cache organization. In a direct-mapped cache, a portion of the main memory address is used as an index, and the remainder of the main memory address (not including any bits of the main memory address that represent bytes within a cache line) is used as a tag. The number of bits used for the index corresponds to the size of the cache. For example, a direct-mapped cache having 64 cache lines will have a index comprising six bits. When a read operation occurs and the memory operand is not in the cache (i.e., the tag does not match), the memory operand is fetched from main memory and stored in the cache line corresponding to the index, and the tag is stored in a tag field associated with the cache line. Assuming the memory operand is still in the cache (i.e., the tags match) the next time a read operation occurs the memory operand will be retrieved from the cache. Incidently, the term xe2x80x9ccache hitxe2x80x9d is used in the art to refer to a memory access wherein the required memory operand is already in the cache, and the term xe2x80x9ccache missxe2x80x9d is used in the art to refer to a memory access wherein the memory operand is not in the cache and must be loaded from main memory or a higher level cache.
The replacement algorithm used with a direct-mapped cache is trivial. For any given byte in the main memory, there is only one cache line in which the byte can be stored. Therefore, if the cache line is in use, the old contents of the cache line are simply overwritten with the new contents. The act of altering the contents of a cache line after the cache line has been loaded from memory is known in the art as xe2x80x9cdirtyingxe2x80x9d the cache line. xe2x80x9cDirtyxe2x80x9d cache lines must be written back to main memory before the new contents can be stored in the cache line. If the old contents in the cache line are identical to the contents in main memory, the old contents may be overwritten without having to write back to main memory.
One problem associated with direct-mapped cache memories is that two often-used memory operands may need to be stored in the same cache line. Since the two memory operands will contend for the same cache line, much of the advantage provided by the cache will be lost as the two operands continuously replace each other.
Another cache organization is the associative cache organization. A fully-associative cache simply has a pool of cache lines, and a memory operand can be stored in any cache line. When a memory operand is stored in an associative cache, the address of the memory operand (excluding any bits representing the bytes stored within the cache line) is stored in a tag field associated with the cache line. Whenever a memory operation occurs, the tag fields associated with each cache line are searched to see if the memory operand is stored in the cache. One disadvantage of an associative cache is that all tag fields of all cache lines must be searched, and as the number of cache lines is increased, the time required to search all tag fields (and/or the complexity of the searching logic) also increases.
The set-associative cache organization is a hybrid of the direct-mapped and associative memory organizations. In a set-associative cache, an index portion of the memory address identifies a subset of the cache lines. As above, a tag field is associated with each cache line. However, only the tags of the subset of cache lines identified by the index need be associatively searched. For example, consider a cache having 256 entries organized into 64 subsets, with each subset having four cache lines. Such a memory will have an index comprising six bits. When a memory operation occurs, the index identifies one of the 64 subsets, and the tag fields associated with the four cache lines in the subset are searched to see if the memory operand is in the cache. The set-associative cache organization allows a cache to have many cache lines, while limiting the number of tag fields that must be searched. In addition, memory operands need not contend for the same cache line, as in a direct-mapped cache.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cassociative setxe2x80x9d will be used to refer to all cache lines of a purely associative cache, and to a set of a set-associative cache. When an associative set is full and a new cache line must be stored in the associative set, an algorithm is required to determine which cache line can be replaced. Several such algorithms are known in the art. A xe2x80x9crandomxe2x80x9d algorithm simply picks a cache line at random. While the implementation is simple, the random algorithm provides relatively poor results since there is no correspondence between the cache line contents selected for replacement and the probability that the selected contents will be needed soon.
A better algorithm is the first-in first-out (FIFO) algorithm. This algorithm treats the associative set as a circular queue wherein the cache line contents that have been in the associative set the longest are replaced. This algorithm provides better results than the random algorithm because the algorithm observes cache misses to create correspondence between the cache line selected for replacement and the probability that the cache line will be needed soon. The algorithm works well when all memory contents needed by the CPU are loaded into the cache and other cache misses do not cause the needed memory contents to be replaced. However, the algorithm does not recognize that if a cache line is repeatedly accessed by the CPU, it should not be replaced. The only factor considered is the length of time that the memory contents have been in the cache. The algorithm is slightly more complex to implement than the random algorithm. Typically a single counter associated with an associative set and is used to provide an index indicating which cache line is next in line for replacement, and the counter is incremented every time there is a cache miss and an operand is loaded from main memory.
One of the best prior art cache replacement algorithms is the least recently used (LRU) algorithm. As the name implies, this algorithm discards the cache line contents that were used least recently. This algorithm tends to be very effective because the algorithm observes both cache hits and cache misses to create correspondence between the cache line selected for replacement and the probability that the cache line will be needed soon. However, the algorithm is relatively complex to implement because a counter value is typically associated with each cache line.
To illustrate how the LRU algorithm functions, consider a full associative set having eight cache lines. A three-bit LRU counter value is associated with each of the cache lines and each counter value is unique, with a counter value of xe2x80x9c000xe2x80x9d representing the least recently used cache line and a counter value of xe2x80x9c111xe2x80x9d representing the most recently used cache line. When a cache miss occurs, the memory operand is loaded into the cache line having a counter value of xe2x80x9c000xe2x80x9d, the counter value of this cache line is set to xe2x80x9c111xe2x80x9d, and all the other counter values are decremented. When a cache hit occurs, the counter values of all cache lines having a counter value greater than the counter value of the cache line that contains the required memory operand are decremented, and the counter value of the cache line that contains the required operand is set to xe2x80x9c111xe2x80x9d. Clearly, the logic to implement the LRU algorithm is more complex than the logic required to implement the FIFO algorithm. Other algorithms are known in the art which approximate the LRU algorithm, but are less complex to implement. The LRU algorithm (and to a lesser extent the FIFO algorithm) work well with CPU access patterns because CPUs tend to use the same data and code several times due to loops and data manipulations.
As the art of computer design continues to advance, it is becoming apparent that cache memories may also be beneficially used to increase the performance of input/output (I/O) subsystems. In the prior art, it was typical to simply provide a few buffers between an I/O subsystem and a main memory, with the buffers holding no more than a few memory words. However, one problem associated with using caches in I/O subsystems is that the algorithms that work so well with CPU memory access patterns tend to work less well for I/O subsystem memory access patterns because cache lines may be replaced before they are used.
I/O memory access tend to be much more linear in nature, and reuse of data stored in the cache is much less likely. To hide the latency of main memory, I/O subsystems tend to xe2x80x9cpre-fetchxe2x80x9d many cache-lines of data. The term xe2x80x9cpre-fetchxe2x80x9d is known in the art and refers to the process of speculatively loading memory operands into a cache before the operands may be needed by a CPU or I/O subsystem. If a cache line required by an I/O stream of an I/O device is already in the cache (a cache hit), the I/O device will see a very small latency. However, if the cache line is not in the cache (a cache miss) the latency will be quite large. Note that an I/O device can have multiple active I/O streams, and pre-fetching is typically required for each stream.
Ideally, a cache associated with an I/O subsystem would be large enough so that the I/O subsystem could pre-fetch enough cache lines so that all I/O streams of all I/O devices would mostly encounter cache hits. Unfortunately, the number of cache lines required is the maximum number of I/O devices multiplied times the maximum number of I/O streams multiplied times the number of desired pre-fetches, and it is often not practical provide such a large cache.
Consider what would happen in a computer system that pre-fetches I/O data into a cache using the prior art LRU or FIFO replacement algorithms discussed above when a large number of open files are written to a disk write drive simultaneously. An I/O stream is associated with each file, and data required by each stream is pre-fetched into the cache. Further assume that the cache is filled before the I/O device is ready to accept any data. Both the LRU and FIFO algorithms will discard the contents of the cache lines that were loaded first, even though those cache lines are the ones which are most likely to be needed soon. In other words, using the LRU and FIFO algorithms, a later pre-fetch can cause replacement of cache lines just before an I/O device would have used these cache lines. Accordingly, the cache lines replaced were more important than at least some of the cache lines that were just pre-fetched. Of course, when this occurs the I/O subsystem generates a cache miss and the cache lines that are now needed must be reloaded.
The problem is made worse by the fact that I/O devices and subsystems often communicate by writing and reading from memory locations that are mapped to provide control functions. Once an operand is written to one of these memory locations, it is no longer needed. However, both the LRU and FIFO algorithms will retain the operand longer than necessary. What is needed in the art is a replacement algorithm for use with an I/O subsystem cache that does not replace cache lines just before the cache lines are about to be used, while allowing replacement of a cache lines as soon as the cache lines have been used and allowing replacement of cache lines that are not likely to be needed soon.
The present invention relates to a cache memory replacement algorithm that replaces cache lines based on the likelihood that cache lines will not be needed soon. A cache memory in accordance with the present invention is especially useful for buffering input/output (I/O) data as such data is transmitted between I/O devices and a main memory.
A cache memory in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of cache lines that are accessed associatively. A count entry associated with each cache line stores a count value that defines a replacement class. The count entry is typically loaded with a count value when the cache line is accessed.
In accordance with the present invention, when speculative pre-fetches are performed to load the cache with main memory contents that are expected to be written to an I/O device, a replacement class is associated with each cache line by loading a count value into the count entry of each cache line and several status bits are updated. Replacement classes are assigned to cache lines based on the likelihood that the contents of cache lines will be needed soon. In other words, data which is likely to be needed soon is assigned a higher replacement class, while data that is more speculative and less likely to be needed soon is assigned a lower replacement class.
When the cache memory becomes full, the replacement algorithm selects for replacement those cache lines having the lowest replacement class. Accordingly, the cache lines selected for replacement contain the most speculative data in the cache that is least likely to be needed soon.
Using prior art cache replacement algorithms, cache lines tend to be replaced based on how long data had been in the cache, how long it has been since data was accessed, or at random. In a cache memory used to buffer I/O data, these prior art replacement algorithms tend to replace cache lines just before they are about to be used, while retaining cache lines that tend to be speculative and will not be needed soon. In the present invention, the cache lines most likely to be needed soon are least likely to be replaced, thereby maximizing the probability of a cache hit.

Method and apparatus for replacing cache lines in a cache memory


The present invention discloses a method of encapsulating a wafer level microdevice, which includes: fabricating a microdevice on top side of a first silicon wafer; depositing a first capping carbon film on the top side of the first silicon wafer; implementing a backside fabricating process of wafer from bottom side of the first silicon wafer by carrying the top side of the first silicon wafer through the first capping carbon film; removing the first capping carbon film by selective gaseous reaction with carbon; and encapsulating an encapsulation wafer onto the top side of the first silicon wafer. The present invention deposits and removes the first capping carbon film by means of chemical technology, thereby protecting the microdevice on the top side of the first wafer during implementing the backside fabricating process of wafer. The top side does not need to be protected through the encapsulation wafer before implementing the backside fabricating process of wafer, which makes the wafer thinner and convenient to be handled.

Many advanced silicon-based microdevices incorporate alternative micro components, such as mechanical, optical, chemical, biological and other types of physical components, with basic microelectronic devices on one silicon substrate, and the silicon substrate could be described as a silicon wafer. And many of such alternative micro components need to be encapsulated in micro to nano scale cavities forming on top of the silicon substrate. Furthermore, such microdevices are preferably fabricated through a unified wafer level fabrication process on the same silicon substrate, from forming microelectronic devices and alternative micro components to forming and encapsulating the micro or nano cavities.
Meanwhile, electrical in-out pads in such microdevices for electrical signal and power transmission with such microdevices, produced on the one side of the silicon substrate, are preferably rerouted to the opposite side of the silicon substrate through so-called through-silicon via interconnects, for reducing the planar size of the microdevices while making ease for encapsulation and cavity formation and if necessary, enabling 3-dimensional packaging by bonding and stacking another silicon substrate. Due to substantial mechanical handling and potential damage issues on such a silicon wafer on the top side of which microelectronic and alternative micro components, containing micro to nano scale cavities, are readily formed, further fabricating through-silicon via interconnects to the bottom side and meanwhile encapsulating the top side of the silicon wafer is substantially difficult and still remains of substantial issues in the prior art.
Therefore robust and practical wafer level fabrication methods are desired for non-invasively forming through-silicon via from the backside of a silicon wafer and encapsulation of the microelectronic and alternative micro components previously fabricated on the top side of the silicon wafer. One typical class of such methods includes the following basic sequential steps: 1) first mechanically attaching a protective film, for example a resin film, onto the micro components upon fabrication on the top side of the silicon wafer; 2) processing the through-silicon via and interconnects from the back side of the silicon wafer; 3) mechanically detaching the protective film attaching on the top side; and 4) encapsulating the micro components on the top side of the silicon wafer. Such basic method of this class is widely used for backside grinding and thinning of conventional semiconductor wafers upon fabricating microelectronic devices on the top side. However the mechanical attachment and detachment of the protective film relative to the top side of the silicon wafer, containing alternative micro components to the conventional microelectronic devices, lead in many cases to inevitable mechanical damage and chemical contamination to those micro components. In particular, any MEMS components suspended above cavities are considerably vulnerable to such mechanical attachment and detachment of such protective film.
Another class of such methods in the prior art consists of the following sequential steps: 1) first encapsulating the micro components and the top side of the silicon wafer; and 2) producing the through-silicon via and interconnects from the backside of the silicon wafer. Although this would provide physical protection of the fabricated micro components on the top side from potential mechanical damage and chemical contamination during the backside thinning and fabrication of through-silicon via and interconnects, dramatic increase in the wafer stack thickness, typically 2 times the standard silicon wafer thickness, would lead to the wafer handling issue during the backside wafer processing for thinning and through-silicon via formation. If the top encapsulation is very delicate for particular optical consideration, such an extensive backside wafer processing remains as an issue at stake among others.

Method of encapsulating a wafer level microdevice

Shanghai Lexvu Opto Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A mailbox is provided with a rain intercepting structure which includes a groove in a shoulder formed on the laterally opposite sides and the top of the mailbox door and a ridge on the inside of the mailbox doorway in juxtaposed registration with the groove. Moisture impacting the ridge is diverted to the groove and drains out its bottom ends, thus protecting the mail against rain damage.

Rural mailboxes have at least a front door hinged at its bottom near the mailbox floor and many also have a rear door hinged in a similar manner at the rear of the mailbox. The fit of the door accessed by the mail carrier should not be so tight as to be difficult for the mail carrier to open and close, however a loose fit can result in moisture entering the mailbox during a wind driving rainstorm. A need exists for a mailbox door structure, which intercepts and prevents entry of moisture into a mailbox but is not difficult to open and close. Since the mailbox door is opened and closed almost daily, the rain intercepting structure should preferably not be subject to wear or other deterioration.

Mailbox door with rain intercepting structure


A modular framing assembly is provided. Each individual module comprises one or more retractable slats that may be extendable to connect with another individual module. The individual modules may be arranged in a plurality of angles and configurations to create frames of varying sizes, shapes and that are capable of bending around corners, where two wall meet.

Frame assemblies typically have a predefined size and shape. As such, a user that wishes to frame a plurality of pictures or paintings that have different dimensions may be required to purchase different frame assemblies, each of which accommodates a different sized picture or painting. Further, individual frame assemblies typically lie on a surface such a flat wall, and cannot accommodate corners or an edge where two walls meet.


A water treatment system includes a water inlet that intakes water to be treated, a high voltage (HV) electrode having a porous metal surface area in a range of between 0.1 cm2 and 5 cm2 in fluid communication with the water, such that the water flows through the porous metal surface area of the HV electrode, a ground electrode disposed across a gap from the HV electrode, in fluid communication with the water, a high voltage power supply electrically connected to the HV electrode for generating spark plasma or pulsed electric fields having a rise time equal to or less than 60 nanoseconds (ns) and an amplitude greater than or equal to 30 kV/cm across the gap, thereby producing treated water, and a water outlet that discharges the treated water.

A water filter is used to remove impurities in water using a fine physical barrier. One of the simplest barriers is a screen filter, a type of filter using a screen to separate/remove suspended particles such as sand out of water. It is often used for irrigation or industrial applications with relatively large pore sizes in the range of 10-1,000 microns. Typical screen materials include stainless steel mesh, polypropylene, nylon and polyester.
Another class of filter is a membrane filter, which includes microfiltration (with pore size of 0.1-10 microns), ultrafiltration (with pore size of 0.01-0.1 microns), nanofiltration (with pore size of 0.001-0.01 microns), and reverse osmosis (with pore size less than 0.001 microns). Microfiltration is generally used to remove particles greater than 50 nm; ultrafiltration is generally used to remove particles greater than 3 nm; nanofiltration is generally used to remove particles greater than 1 nm, and reverse osmosis is generally used to remove particles greater than 0.1 nm. Since a typical size of bacteria is in the range of 0.1-8 microns, whereas that of viruses is in the range of 0.01-0.1 microns, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis are often used to remove particles, colloids and macromolecules, so that wastewater can be disinfected. The cost of membrane filters is significantly larger than that of screen filters. Furthermore, the aforementioned membrane filters need a significantly higher head pressure due to smaller pore sizes than a screen filter.
Another disinfection approach that has been studied since the 1960's is the application of pulsed electric fields (PEF), with a magnitude typically greater than 20 kV/cm, for short durations (e.g., 500 ns to 4 μs) to liquids, thereby inducing severe electroporation (i.e., the formation of pores in cell membranes by the action of high voltage electric fields), cell membrane breakdown, and cell death. Plasma methods, such as pulsed spark discharges, which effectively combine the contributions of UV radiation, reactive chemical species (e.g., hydroxyl radical, ozone, hydrogen peroxide), and high electric fields can be considered as an alternative to conventional water treatment methods. For such applications, a non-thermal plasma system that can generate gas-phase plasmas in contact with liquids is often used, as such a system consumes less power and produces less liquid heating than a typical thermal plasma system. A non-thermal plasma is a low temperature plasma, having a temperature of about 3,000 K or less. Since the gas-phase plasma can only interact with the liquid through the gas-liquid interface, the interface area is typically maximized by injecting gas over the HV electrode. The injection of gas, however, typically requires the use of a compressor, which is expensive, noisy, and consumes a large amount of electric power.
Furthermore, in some applications, such as irrigation water management, the water flowrate is relatively small at dripping emitters (i.e., 1-3 l/hr/emitter). When the pipe diameter is relatively small (i.e., channel widths of 1-2 mm), and the liquid flowrate is also small, the presence of gas bubbles can create a resistive force to flow due to the surface tension at the interface between the liquid-gas-pipe wall, which can almost equal the hydrostatic force of the water pressure, thus stopping the liquid flow.
Therefore, there is a need for continuing improvement in water treatment with pulsed spark discharges and pulsed electric fields with a disinfecting capability for water, river water, seawater, industrial wastewater, and produced water from fracking operations.

System and method for water treatment with pulsed electric fields


Memory cells for reduced power consumption and methods for forming the same are provided. A memory cell has a layer of phase change material. A first portion of the phase change material layer includes the programmable volume of the memory cell and its crystalline state has a higher resistivity than that of the crystalline state of a second portion of the phase change material layer.

Non-volatile memories are desirable for integrated circuits due to their ability to maintain data absent a power supply. Phase change materials have been investigated for use in non-volatile memory cells. Phase change memory cells include phase change materials, such as chalcogenide alloys, which are capable of stably transitioning at least partially between amorphous and crystalline phases. Each phase exhibits a particular resistance state and the resistance states distinguish at least two logic values of the memory cell. Specifically, an amorphous state exhibits a relatively high resistance, and a crystalline state exhibits a relatively low resistance.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical phase change memory cell 10 has a layer 3 of phase change material between a first electrode 1, which is disposed within an insulating layer 5, and second electrode 2. As an example, the phase change material is a chalcogenide alloy, such as Ge2Sb2Te5 or SbTeAg.
A portion of the phase change material 3, the programmable volume 4, is set to a particular resistance state according to the amount of current applied via the electrodes 1, 2 and the duration of that application. To obtain an amorphous state, a relatively high write current pulse (a reset pulse) is applied through the phase change cell 10 to melt a portion of the material for a short period of time. The current is removed and the cell 10 cools rapidly to a temperature below the crystallization temperature, which results in the portion 4 of the material 3 covering bottom electrode having an amorphous phase exhibiting a high resistance. To obtain a crystalline state, a lower current write pulse (a set pulse) is applied to the phase change cell 10 for a longer period of time to heat the material to a temperature above its crystallization point and below its melting point. This causes the amorphous portion of the material to re-crystallize to a crystalline phase that is maintained once the current is removed and the cell 10 is rapidly cooled.
A sought after characteristic of non-volatile memory is low power consumption. Often, however, phase change memory cells 10 require large operating currents. It is therefore desirable to provide a phase change memory cell with reduced current requirements.
One approach to reducing power consumption has been to modify the material of the phase change memory cell to achieve maximum power transfer. For example, in a GeSbTe-based phase change memory cell, one approach is to dope the entire GeSbTe-material with nitrogen, increasing its resistance. As described in more detail herein, applicant, however, has found that this approach has disadvantages.
A phase change memory cell having reduced power consumption and methods for forming the same would be desirable.

Reduced power consumption phase change memory and methods for forming the same


An improved liquid infiltration adapting structure for preventing liquid infiltration around a gate valve box. The structure has an annular tube structure that is tapered to more easily receive a mating pipe. The tube structure may also comprise at least one bead for further securing the mating pipe. The adapting structure is also improved by providing a stepped inner flange for ease of installing the structure around the gate valve box.

The present invention is related to manhole and gate valve construction and, more specifically, to sealing structures for gate valves that prevent or substantially limit infiltration of liquids into the manhole or gate valve area.
Improvements have been made to gate valve sealing structures for added stability and improved sealing capabilities. Examples of such improvements can be seen in Gagas, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,226,929 and 6,044,590 and Warnes, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,325. While these improvements have advanced the art, there is further room for improvement within the art.
The gate valve boxes that these sealing structures cooperate with generally are cast iron devices. Consequently, individual boxes may have imperfections that the sealing structures need to adapt to when being placed on the boxes. Sealing structures have been made out of flexible materials, such as rubber.
One disadvantage of currently made and designed sealing structures is a loss of tight sealing ability when providing a flexible structure. Because sealing structures are used in rigorous environments that do not provide a worker with much space when installing the sealing structures, such flexible structures can lead to deficient sealing arrangements.
Sealing structures have been designed with internal fingers or extensions that are used to center the sealing structure on a gate valve box. While effective for centering the sealing structure, such structures also leave room for improvement for complete sealing around the gate valve. Also, such structures do not assist in fitting a pipe, or properly acting as a pipefitter, to the sealing structure and gate valve box.
These structures and other prior art structures have a straight cylindrical arrangement that conforms to the size of the pipe. While the sealing structures are designed to tightly fit around or over the pipes, such a design also makes it hard to secure the pipe properly in place. The pressure or force between the pipe and the sealing structure increases as the pipe is mated with the structure, which leads to a difficult process for the installer and increases potential injury for the installer. It would be advantageous to have a sealing structure that would provide a tight sealing structure that would ease the installation process as related to current sealing structures.


An air bag is folded in such a manner that a first fold-portion of the air bag is folded along a first fold-line approximately parallel to an expanding direction, and then, a second fold-portion thereof is folded along a second fold-line approximately perpendicular to the expanding direction. Accordingly, when the air bag expands, the second fold-portion is stretched out prior to the first fold-portion. As a result, the air bag can expand promptly to securely protect a passenger.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a side protecting type air bag apparatus for a vehicle, and a method of folding the air bag installed therein.
2. Related Arts
One example of a conventional side protecting type air bag apparatus is disclosed in JP-A-5-162598. In this air bag apparatus, an air bag is installed in a state where a vertically expanding portion thereof is folded in a form of bellows and is temporarily fixed to a horizontally expanding portion thereof by temporary fixing threads. Accordingly, the horizontally expanding portion of the air bag initially expands. After the horizontally expanding portion of the air bag is expanded to a certain degree, the temporary fixing threads are broken. As a result, the vertically expanding portion of the air bag is allowed to expand upward. However, because the vertically expanding portion expands after the temporary fixing threads are broken, the rapidity of the expansion of the air bag is not sufficient. In addition, a process for temporarily fixing the folded vertically expanding portion is needed, thereby giving rise to high cost.

Air bag apparatus, folded air bag, and method of folding the air bag


A method and apparatus for cache management in a data storage system is presented. A table with tags corresponding to cache slots in a cache memory is provided. A copy of the table is stored in a local buffer in response to a request for allocation of one of the cache slots. The locally buffered table is used to make the requested cache slot allocation. A set of control parameters associated with the locally buffered table is used to determine if the locally buffered table can be re-used for cache slot allocation in response to a subsequent request for cache slot allocation. User-selectable levels are provided to control the degree of locally buffered table re-use. The user-selectable levels determine which values of the control parameters are used.

The invention relates generally to caching management operations in data storage systems.
Mass storage systems typically employ a large number of storage devices, such as disk drives, that are accessible by one or more host processors or computers. Since reading and writing to disks is still a relatively slow operation, many data storage systems use a cache memory to speed up the transfer of information to/from the disks. In such systems, the host computers interact with the cache memory on all transfers to and from storage devices. For example, if data is modified by a host computer, the modified data is written to cache memory, and later written back to disk (the latter operation often being referred to "destaging"). In the case of new write data or read misses, a cache slot for storing the data must be selected.
Typically, one or more data structures are maintained to indicate a cache slot ordering preference according to a cache slot replacement algorithm, such as a "Least Recently Used" algorithm, as well as write pending information to protect cached data that has not been destaged yet.
Accessing and updating such data structures can be a time-consuming process, for example, it may require extensive pointer manipulations, causing data storage system performance to suffer.

Locally buffered cache extensions having associated control parameters to determine use for cache allocation on subsequent requests


A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for converting images to an arbitrary palette in a computer. A map table is created from the palette, wherein index entries referencing color values in the palette are stored at nodes in the table having coordinates derived from the referenced color values. For each pixel of an input datastream, the coordinates of the node in the map table representing a color value closest to the color value of the pixel are calculated from the color value for the pixel. An output datastream is created using the color value in the palette referenced by the index entry stored in the node.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention generally relates to computer software, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for converting color images to an arbitrary palette.
2. Description of Related Art.
Many computer programs use as many colors as are available from the computer's video subsystem to allow the programs to have as much visual impact as possible. This is fine when the computer program has full control over the palette used by the video subsystem, but special techniques need to be developed to allow the images to be displayed as faithfully as possible when the computer program does not have control over the palette.

Converting color images to an arbitrary palette


The stator core is configured into a cylindrical shape by abutting a laminated core that is obtained by bending and forming a rectangular parallelepiped lamination and integrating the stator core by welding. The lamination is configured by laminating a predetermined number of thin strip-shaped magnetic plates that are formed so as to have a flat rectangular shape, and in addition at least two thin sheet coupling weld portions that integrate the predetermined number of thin strip-shaped magnetic plates by welding are formed so as to extend from a first end to a second end in a direction of lamination on an outer wall surface of the lamination and so as to have a predetermined spacing in a longitudinal direction of the lamination. The stator core is formed such that an axial length A at the thin sheet coupling weld portions and a maximum axial length B between the thin sheet coupling weld portions satisfy an expression: 0.0 mm≦B·A≦0.2 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dynamoelectric machine such as an automotive alternator, etc., and particularly relates to a construction that improves cooling of a stator.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional automotive alternators, a rectangular parallelepiped lamination is prepared by laminating a predetermined number of thin strip-shaped magnetic plates such that teeth are superposed. Then, laser welding is applied to the lamination to form thin sheet coupling weld portions on outer wall surfaces of a core back at positions that divide a longitudinal direction of the lamination into four equal parts, for example, such that each extends from a first end portion to a second end portion in a direction of lamination. Next, a laminated core is prepared by bending the welded lamination into an arc shape, a fan shape, or a cylindrical shape with the teeth facing inward. Then, a cylindrical stator core is prepared by abutting end surfaces of a single laminated core or a plurality of laminated cores and welding the abutted portions thereof (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-291184 (Gazette)
A stator is mounted to a case such that a plurality of circumferential positions on two axial end surfaces of the stator core are pressed and held from two axial ends between opening edge portions of a front bracket and a rear bracket that are bowl-shaped, made of aluminum, and constitute the case. Thus, hill-shaped bulges between the thin sheet coupling weld portions of the stator core are not flattened completely, and the stator core is in a state in which circumferential portions of the end surfaces are in partial contact with the case with air interposed between the thin strip-shaped magnetic plates. Thus, one problem has been that thermal conduction from the stator core to the case deteriorates significantly, preventing effective cooling of the stator.
Moreover, it is conceivable that the number of thin sheet coupling weld portions could be increased or that thickness of the thin strip-shaped magnetic plates at the two axial ends, where the amount of deformation is greatest, could be increased as countermeasures to suppress the occurrence of gaps between adjacent thin strip-shaped magnetic plates between the thin sheet coupling weld portions. However, increasing the number of the thin sheet coupling weld portions increases costs. It is also not possible to increase the thickness of the thin magnetic plates very much if consideration is given to core loss.


A keyway plug that discretely provides a device for preventing a person from unlocking a tumbler lock even if the correct key is used. The present invention includes a plug member that is sized to fit entirely within a keyhole and is effective to block a key from being completely inserted into the keyhole. The plug may be removed from the keyhole through use of an extraction tool having a magnet which attracts the plug and magnetically couples the plug to the extraction tool when the tool comes into contact with the plug.

This keyway plug and extractor relates to safe deposit locks like that of U.S. Pat. No. 1,431,381, and more specifically to self serve safe deposit locks. Over the past few years financial institutions have been eliminating the Safe Deposit Attendant position. One of the functions of the attendant was to insert the "guard key" in one side of the safe deposit lock and the customer would insert their "customer key" in the other side of the lock. Turning both keys would retract a bolt allowing the lock to open. With the introduction of self serve safe deposit locks the guard side of the lock has been eliminated. The only key required to open this lock is the "customer key". The customer can now access their safe deposit lock by themselves.
There are occasions when the financial institution has to deny access to the safe deposit lock. Some examples of these denials include; the possibility of someone obtaining the safe deposit key fraudulently, possibly a court order to seal the safe deposit lock, or possibly the rent not being paid, just to name a few.
The safe deposit keyway plug which we invented will solve each of these scenarios by preventing the safe deposit key from fully entering the lock. A keyway plug is inserted into the keyway of the lock and then can be removed with the plug extractor by an employee when the situation has been rectified.
There is a device shown in FIGS. 9 & 10 that has been used to block the keyway. This device can be hard to insert into the lock and can be broken by twisting the padlock thus breaking the device. It also is not aesthetically pleasing and creates unnecessary questions to the management.


The invention provides compounds of the formula:

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,364,831, and 6,197,728, disclose herbicidal compounds of the formula:
wherein X represents a halogen atom; R includes —C(═O)R1 where R1 represents various substituted alkoxy radicals, —SR3 radicals, and —NHR4 radicals where R4 is a C1-4 alkoxycarbonylalkyl, hydroxy alkyl, phenyl, C1-4 alkoxy alkyl or di C1-4 alkyl amino groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,493, discloses herbicidal compounds of the formula:
wherein A is —CH— or —N—; X is a halogen; n is 0,1, or 2; R1 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl group; and R2 is —OH, —Oalkyl, —OM (inorganic or organic salt), —NR3R4 where R3 and R4 respectively represent a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group. One of these compounds is currently sold commercially for the control of annual and perennial grass weeds in broadleaf crops. This compound has the following formula:

Corbett et. al., Investigational New Drugs, 16, 129-139 (1998), evaluated a series of quinoxaline compounds for activity against solid tumors in mice. The following compound
(herein after referred to as XK469) was reported to have broad activity against transplantable mouse tumors. The compound was also reported to have a relatively low potency, and to produce several undesirable side effects, including in vivo toxicity, e.g., paralytic ileus, GI-epithelial damage, marrow toxicity, neuromuscular toxicity, and weight loss.
Hazeldine et al., J. Med. Chem., 2001, 44, 1758-1776, disclose anti-tumor compounds of the formula:
wherein, for example, W can be H or Cl; X can be H, Cl, F, or NO2; Y can be H, F, Cl, Br, I, methoxy or —N3; Z can be H, Cl, or methoxy; and R can be OH, alkoxy, or NR′R″, where R′ and R″ are H, methyl, NH2 or OH, see Table 5 therein.
Hazeldine et al., J. Med. Chem., 2002, 45, 3130, disclose bioisostere and cogener compounds of anti-tumor compound (XK469).
Copending provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/309,144, filed Jul. 7, 2001, now PCT application PCT/US02/24442, entitled "Anti-tumor Agents" discloses a compound of the formula:
wherein Y is F, Cl, Br, methyl, or methoxy; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
There is currently a need for additional anti-tumor agents.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Abstract: wherein X, Y, and Z are as defined in the specification. The compounds are effective anti-tumor agents. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of the above formula or a salt thereof, intermediates useful for preparing a compound of the above formula, and therapeutic methods comprising administering a compound of the above formula or a salt thereof to a mammal in need thereof.


The present invention relates to an lighting device capable of reducing UGR (Unified Glare Rating) characterized by comprising the frame portion formed at the peripheral area in which the printed circuit board mounted with a light source and the light source are arranged, and the inserting portion into which the diffusing plate and the optical plate are inserted at the inside of the frame portion simultaneously. Particularly, an air gap can be formed on the closed adhered surface of the optical plate and the diffusing plate.

Generally, lighting is an activity or function to light a certain place up using various light sources with a particular purpose. Lighting is mostly used to make an environment brighter in the night or in the dark.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat lighting device according to a prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, the lighting device according to a prior art includes a light source 10 and a louver or a reflecting shade 20. As for the light sources 10, incandescent light bulb, LED, CCFL, or the like may be used. Referring to FIG. 1, a light having an angle denoted with dotted line causes visually discomfort to a person when it is transferred to the person. Such a lighting device may reduce UGR mechanically, but cannot be a perfect flat lighting aesthetically.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat lighting device according to an embodiment of a prior art. Referring to FIG. 2, a lighting unit 30 includes a light source 10 and a diffusion plate 40 for diffusing a light emitted from the light source 10. The light emitted from the light source 10 is discharged outside through the diffusion plate 40. The diffusion plate 40 is used for reducing hot spot from the light source and emitting uniform light. Even if the diffusion plate 40 is used, as shown in FIG. 2, a light with the angle denoted with dots still render discomfort to eyes of a person. Namely, since the diffusion plate 40 scatters a beam up to the direction in which UGR is high enough causing fatigue of the eyes due to the glaring, so such a diffusion plate cannot conform with the standard of indoor flat lighting device. Accordingly, it is important to reduce the glaring to the eyes in indoor flat lighting. The extent of discomfort caused from the glaring to the eyes is represented using a constant called UGR (Unified Glare Rating). In other words, UGR is a value calculated by quantifying the extent of discomfort to the user of a lighting device.
UGR is calculated as a value of light flux emitting at the angle between 65 deg and 90 deg when a direction facing a bottom surface from a ceiling provided with a lighting device is set to 0 deg and a direction parallel to the ceiling is set to 90 deg. That is, the glaring to the eyes will reduce when the light flux at 65 deg-90 deg is reduced. In Europe and US, an indoor lighting device has to be below 19 of UGR.


The present disclosure disclose a polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens and a method for manufacturing the same, a display device and an electronic product. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens includes a first substrate with a first electrode, a liquid crystal layer and a second substrate with a second electrode. The liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode includes a plurality of electrode units. A periodic electric field which has voltages varying periodically is generated between the plurality of electrode units and the second electrode. The liquid crystal layer includes polymers and liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules are deflected under action of the periodic electric field before the polymers are stabilized, and are maintained at a deflecting angle after the polymers are stabilized.

With the development of the naked-eye three dimensions (3D) display, various 3D technologies emerge as the times require. Since a liquid crystal microlens has advantages of having an adjustable and controllable focal length, thus, the liquid crystal microlens is widely applied in the 3D display.
A 3D lens which provides different pretilt angles for individual subunits by using a photo alignment technology is disclosed in the prior art, and the 3D lends may display a 3D picture when no voltage is applied. However, this technology has a disadvantage that liquid crystals have a hybrid orientation and the liquid crystal molecules have a twisted structure and thus have a low light transmittance.

Polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens, method for manufacturing the same, display device and electronic product


A formwork for precast concrete panel comprises of a quadrangle panel with a base and four side panels. The formwork (10) comprises of a base (14), which is provided with an island region (20) and/or a mound region (22), a pair of parallel fixed spaced apart side panels (16) and a pair of parallel moveable side panels (18). The island region (20) and/or mound region (22) is positioned between the parallel moveable paced apart side panels (18) and wherein said parallel moveable spaced apart side panel (18) are removeably secured to the parallel fixed spaced apart side panels (16) in a tight manner in any desired distance from the center of the island (20) and/or mound (22) region.

In the prior art, there have been numerous methods of constructing precast concrete structures for the purpose of building engineering structures such as houses, office buildings or other concrete structures. Columns and beams are the most common precast concrete structures constructed in a factory and later transported to the site.
The site for constructing precast concrete panels are generally located far from the construction site and therefore transporting said precast concrete structures is very costly as it requires heavy transportation. Furthermore, the high cost of transportation is one of the reasons why precast concrete structures have not gained much popularity in the field of building industry.
Normally, each section in a building consists of different size of structural panels, which have different widths, heights and thickness. Where precast concrete panel are used, preparing different moulds for each type of panel in a building can be an expensive exercise and time consuming.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,473 teaches a method of casting a precast beam comprising of a formwork with at least two spatially oriented upper sleeves and two spatially oriented lower sleeves and there between provided a connecting member. The length and height of the precast beam is determined by the dimension of the connecting member, which preferably is wood. There is one drawback of this invention, each time a new beam is to be casted, a new connecting member is required. This method becomes inconvenient as storage space is required to store the connecting members.
The objective of the present invention is to reduce the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a portable and light weight formwork, which is easily transported to the construction site with minimal transportation cost.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal channel with sufficient thickness along the edges of the precast concrete panel but reducing the thickness of the central region of the precast concrete panel.
Another objective of the present invention is that to introduce an universal formwork, wherein the same formwork can be used to cast different size of concrete panel without adding any additional formwork.
Another objective of the present invention is to introduce a precast concrete panel with aesthetic opening for the installation of window and the like

Pre-cast concrete panels for construction of a building


A liquid chromatography system and method utilizes a mobile phase comprising liquified compressible gas and miscible organic solvents. The compressible fluid may be carbon dioxide (CO2). Liquid CO2 tapped from an existing source is depressurized through a flow control metering station before adding solvent. The mobile phase flows through a sample vessel containing analytes and chromatography column for sample separation. A back pressure regulator maintains a set elution pressure in the chromatography column. CO2 advantageously remains in liquid phase for elution in the column, thereby avoiding two-phase conditions adversely affecting analyte resolution. An equilibration bypass flow loop may be provided to separate normal sample elution from initial CO2 flow equilibration, thereby allowing rapid exchange of samples with minimal downtime. System CO2 pressures less than 100 bar and room temperature may be used during the process, thereby obviating the need for high pressure pumps and chillers of supercritical fluid chromatography.

The present disclosure generally relates to chromatography, and more particularly to a liquid chromatographic separation system and process for separating an analyte (chemical compound or substance of interest) from a sample using a liquified gas which remains as a single phase liquid for the chromatographic elution.
Chromatography has been widely used for the separation of mixtures containing an analyte substance or chemical constituent (hereafter "compound(s)" for brevity) of interest. Conventional liquid chromatography separations use both polar and non-polar organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, and hexane as a mobile phase in conjunction with a chromatographic stationary phase. Disposal of these used solvents as toxic wastes is expensive and this is not an environmentally friendly "green" technology.
One alternative chromatography method is to use SFC (Supercritical Fluid Chromatography) that eliminates much of the solvent by using compressible carbon dioxide ("CO2") to carry the solvent. SFC Chromatography is advantageous over conventional HPLC described below because the analysis times are decreased and better chromatographic separations can be achieved. But these systems are typically complex and expensive from a cost of ownership standpoint because of the high pressure CO2 pumps (needed to elevate the pressure of and pump supercritical fluids) and chillers. FIG. 1 depicts a conventional SFC system showing the chiller and high pressure CO2 pump. Such SFC systems also typically require operation by specially trained operating personnel due to their complexity.
Completely miscible organic solvent mobile phases are the norm for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and phase separation into a liquid and a separate gas phase which adversely affects chromatographic separation performance is not a problem. Such systems typically use incompressible miscible combinations of water with various organic solvents or solvents alone. This is not the case when a liquid organic solvent or combination of organic solvents is added to compressible CO2 to form a binary chromatographic mobile phase such as in SFC systems. The major problem is that under certain conditions of temperature, pressure, and solvent concentration, some of these binary mobile phases split into two phases (a gas and a separate liquid phase) when not wanted, such as in the chromatographic column. A mobile phase composed of separate gas and liquid phases changes the phase distribution equilibria of the sample compounds in the chromatographic column and affects the resolution of the compounds. These two phase gas/liquid binary systems are complicated and their phase behavior can demonstrate unusual interactions between the components of the mobile phase and common chromatographic stationary phases that are in the chromatography column. In fact it has been shown that some of the mobile phase becomes part of the stationary phase and the new stationary phase is in dynamic equilibrium with the mobile phase. Unfortunately, this means that the changing properties of a gradient in the mobile phase will lead to a changing stationary phase typically in a non linear fashion. This results in erratic, nonlinear and non-reproducible chromatography, and problems during chromatography scale-up from laboratory bench-type experimental setups to regular full scale chromatographic separation applications.
An improved chromatography process is desired.

Single phase high pressure liquefied gas chromatography system and method


A curable silicone composition comprising: (A) (A1) an organopolysiloxane having at least two alkenyl groups in a molecule and free of silicon-bonded hydroxyl groups or silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms, or a mixture of said component (A1) and (A2) a branched chain organopolysiloxane represented by an average unit formula; (B) an organopolysiloxane having at least two silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms in a molecule; (C) a diorganodialkoxysilane represented by a general formula; (D) a straight chain organosiloxane oligomer having at least one silicon-bonded hydroxyl group in a molecule and free of silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms; and (E) a hydrosilylation catalyst, can form a cured product which exhibits excellent initial adhesive properties and transparency and exhibits excellent adhesive durability and retention of transparency under conditions of high temperature and high humidity.

Hydrosilylation reaction curable silicone compositions form cured products having excellent properties such as weathering resistance and heat resistance, and are therefore used in a variety of applications. However, such compositions exhibit poor adhesive properties. As a result, curable silicone compositions containing adhesion-imparting agents have been proposed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-528788 proposes a curable silicone composition that contains an acryloxy functional alkoxysilane or a methacryloxy functional alkoxysilane, an alkenyl functional silanol terminated organopolysiloxane and an epoxy functional alkoxysilane; and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-248384 proposes a curable silicone composition that contains a silane coupling agent having two alkoxy groups directly bonded to a silicon atom in a molecule and at least one type of coupling agent selected from among a boron coupling agent, a titanium coupling agent, an aluminum coupling agent and a zirconium coupling agent.
The curable silicone composition proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-528788 relates to a coating composition for a synthetic fiber material, and does not indicate or suggest that it is possible to solve the problem of a cured product obtained from the composition exhibiting reduced adhesive properties and transparency over time under conditions of high temperature and high humidity by combining the specified alkoxysilane and alkenyl functional silanol terminated organopolysiloxane.
In addition, the curable silicone composition proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-248384 has the problem of a cured product obtained from the composition exhibiting reduced adhesive properties and transparency over time under conditions of high temperature and high humidity. As a result, using the present composition as a sealing agent or adhesive for an optical semiconductor element leads to the problem of significantly reduced optical semiconductor device reliability under conditions of high temperature and high humidity.
An object of the present invention is to provide a curable silicone composition that forms a cured product which exhibits excellent initial adhesive properties and transparency and exhibits excellent adhesive durability and retention of transparency under conditions of high temperature and high humidity. A further object of the present invention is to provide this type of cured product. A further object of the present invention is to provide an optical semiconductor device having excellent reliability that uses this type of cured product.

Curable silicone composition, cured product thereof, and optical semiconductor device


A thermoforming manufacturing process is provided for creating modular three dimensional objects, particularly golf bags (10). The process includes preparatory steps of preparing a corresponding female mold member (42) for each of the golf bag segments (74) to be included, and preparing a laminate sheet material (44) having a fabric surface (46) to give the bag (10) the look and feel of a fabric of bag. Thermoforming steps including edge securing the sheet (44), softening with heat, drawing into the female mold member (42), cooling and removing the formed segment (74) are then performed. Finally, the segments (74) are assembled together to form the golf bag (10). Closed cell foam is the preferred thermoformable and shape retentive material with a woven stretchable fabric providing a preferred surface.

Millions of golfers throughout the world use a golf bag to contain, display and transports their golf clubs. With a relatively few exceptions, clubs are always transported around a course, and from the home to the course, in a golf bag. The bags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but are ordinarily characterized as tubes having an open end to receive the shafts of the golf clubs, with the heads protruding outward for identification, selection and removal by the golfer, or the designated representative, such as a caddie.
Most golf bags are intended, at least nominally, to be carried on the shoulder of the golfer or caddie, at least part of the time. Even those bags which are specifically intended for use with a cart device, such as Applicant's own invention, the Anacart.RTM. bag described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,752, are also intended to be at least marginally comfortable when carried by the shoulder strap. Although some bags are constructed for almost no shoulder carrying, such as those which are integrally constructed with wheel members, most have at least some thought and purpose directed at the comfort of the carrier, as well as the structural integrity of the resulting bag.
Golf bags have been constructed of a wide variety of materials and in a plethora of configurations. Traditional top of the line bags have been made of leather or hide from exotic animals while low end bags have been constructed of canvas and, more recently, of waterproof materials such as vinyl and synthetic fabrics such as nylon. These materials have shared the characteristics of resistance to tearing and weather and at least some pliability to provide comfort. Recently, in some cases, rigid materials such as hard plastics have been used to construct golf bags. There are even some persons who use metal, wooden or plastic open frames to carry clubs, with no exterior shell at all.
If it is assumed that the golf bag is to have a shell portion and is to be carried on the shoulder at least a part of the time, it is imperative to consider the effect of the shape and the material of the bag as these factors affect the comfort of the person doing the carrying. For this reason a great deal of inventive effort has gone into the particular shapes utilized, especially in relation to the body shape of the human being. Further, substantial effort has gone into selecting appropriate degrees of pliability and surface characteristics of the selected exterior shell material to provide comfort as well as structural integrity. Of course, durability, appearance, manufacturing ease and economics are also important.
A technique which has been utilized to give comfortable and attractive surface characteristics while maintaining good structural integrity has been to use interior reinforcing rods (such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,752, discussed above, or to utilize a semi-rigid interior shell, as shown in the inventor's prior U.S. Pat. No. 33,203, and embodied in the Eclipse.RTM. golf Bag distributed by Sun Mountain Sports of Missoula, Montana. These methods have limitations in that they limit the bag shape somewhat to easily formed shapes and also can be less than ideally comfortable to the user, especially over protracted carrying conditions, or when the straps are not properly adjusted for the user's body shape.
There always remains room for innovations in the comfort, aesthetic appeal, structural integrity, volume to weight ratio, and durability of the golf bag. Golfers continually demand improvements and stylistic changes. The ability to construct functional golf bags with lessened limitations on specific shapes and materials is therefore a significant goal.
However, none of the prior art construction methods have successfully solved all the problems relating to flexibility of shape selection, semi-rigid structural integrity combined with comfortable pliability, exterior appearance and maintenance and ease and economy of manufacture.

Thermoforming manufacturing process for golf bags


An optical element (8) is provided on a substrate, for example a display screen (3) of a display device (1), which optical element comprises a light-transmitting layer whose transmission in the visible region varies in response to a change in ambient light. The optical element (8) is characterized in that it further comprises a colored coating which selectively absorbs light in the visible region. The colored coating has such an absorption characteristic that the color coordinates (x;y) of the combination of the light-transmitting layer and the colored coating vary in such a way, as a result of a variation in ambient light, that a line, which interconnects the color coordinates, is partly situated in an elliptical area with achromatic point (0.333;0.333) in the color triangle, which ellipse comprises a major axis and a minor axis, which major axis terminates in (0.30;0.28) and (0.36;0.38) and the eccentricity of which ranges between 2 and 3. Preferably, the line is situated predominantly in the elliptical area. The invention is important, in particular, for optical elements which serve to reduce the transmission of light, and which comprise an electrochromic element or a photochromic element.

The invention relates to an optical element which is provided on a substrate and which comprises a light-transmitting layer, the transmission of said light-transmitting layer in the visible region varying in response to a change in ambient light.
The invention further relates to a display device which is provided with an optical element.
Optical elements for varying the transmission of light are used to influence the transmission and/or reflection of (visible) light, for example, of lamps, of rear view mirrors and of sunroofs for cars, or of windows for buildings ("smart windows"). They are also used, for example, in (flat-panel) display devices, such as cathode ray tubes (CRT) and liquid-crystal display devices (LCD, LC-TV and plasma-addressed LCD) to improve the contrast of the image reproduced.
Such layers reduce the intensity of reflected ambient light and the intensity of light originating from an (internal) light source, such as the phosphors in a CRT. Incident ambient light passes through the light-transmitting layer and is reflected at the display screen (for example at the phosphors), whereafter the reflected light passes through the light-transmitting layer again. If the transmission of the light-transmitting layer amounts to T, the intensity of the reflected ambient light decreases by a factor of T.sup.2. Light originating from the internal light source(s), however, passes through the light-transmitting layer only once, so that the intensity of this light decreases only by a factor of T. The combination of these effects leads to an increase of the contrast by a factor of T.sup.-1.
Examples of optical elements for varying the transmission of light include electrochromic elements and photochromic elements.
Oxides of specific transition metals are capable of accepting guest atoms such as hydrogen and alkali-metal atoms. If the oxide forms part of an electrochemical cell, the guest atoms can be accepted and released again in a reversible manner. In general, an electrochromic element comprises a first (transparent, conductive) electrode which is connected to the electrochromic layer, the so-called work electrode, and a second (transparent, conductive) electrode, the so-called counter electrode, which contains a material which serves as a source and as an acceptor for the guest atoms, and an ion-conducting (liquid, polymeric or solid) material, the so-called electrolyte, being present between said two electrodes. The transmission properties of the electrochromic element in the visible region undergo a change when a voltage difference is applied across the electrochromic element.
Such an electrochromic element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,075 (PHA 40,577), in which the contrast of a luminescent image is increased by providing a front plate of an CRT display device with an electrochromic element, which reduces the reflection of ambient light if the brightness of said ambient light increases. A light sensor, which is provided in the vicinity of the front plate, detects variations in ambient light, and a control circuit, which is electrically connected to the light sensor and the panel, produces, while the display device is in operation, such a control signal that the degree to which the panel passes light decreases as a function of the increase of the intensity of ambient light.
A photochromic element comprises a layer which contains a material whose transmission varies (automatically) as a result of electromagnetic radiation, such as light, which is incident on the layer. A large number of photochromic materials, which can be placed in various categories (for example spiro-pyranes, spiro-oxazines or fulgides) are known from the relevant literature. Such a photochromic element enables, for example, the contrast of a (luminescent) image to be increased by providing a photochromic layer on the display screen of a display device, the local transmission of the layer in the visible region being governed by the radiation which is (locally) incident on the layer. The transmission of the photochromic element depends (preferably) on radiation which impinges on the layer and the wavelength of which is outside the range in which the display device emits light (for example in the so-called UV-A range) and said transmission decreases automatically as the intensity of the incident radiation increases.
Such optical elements often have the disadvantage that their transmission spectrum is not color neutral. As a result, ambient light is reflected in color, which is undesirable.

Optical element and display device provided with said optical element


The present invention concerns defective recombinant adenoviruses containing an inserted gene encoding apolipoproteins, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the adenovirus, and their use for the treatment or prevention of pathologies linked to dyslipoproteinemias.

1. Field of the Invention
"This 371 application claims the benefit of PCT/FR94/00422, filed Nov. 10, 1994, which claims the benefit of French application FR93/05125, filed Apr. 30, 1993."
The present invention relates to new recombinant viruses, to their preparation and to their use in gene therapy, for the transfer and expression in vivo of desired genes. More specifically, it relates to new recombinant viruses comprising an inserted gene whose expression in vivo makes it possible to regulate the plasma levels of apolipoproteins. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the said recombinant viruses. More particularly, the present invention relates to defective recombinant viruses and to their use for the prevention or treatment of pathologies linked to dyslipoproteinemias which are known for their serious consequences at the cardiovascular and neurological level.
2. Description of Related Art
Dyslipoproteinemias are disorders of the metabolism of the lipoproteins responsible for the transport, in the blood and peripheral fluids, of lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides. They result in major pathologies, linked respectively to hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia, such as especially atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a polygenic complex disease which is defined from the histological point of view by deposits (lipid or fibrolipid plaques) of lipids and of other blood derivatives in the wall of the large arteries (aorta, coronary arteries, carotid). These plaques, which are calcified to a greater or lesser extent according to the progression of their process, can be associated with lesions and are linked to the accumulation, in the arteries, of fatty deposits consisting essentially of cholesterol esters. These plaques are accompanied by a thickening of the arterial wall, with hypertrophy of the smooth muscle, the appearance of spumous cells and the accumulation of fibrous tissue. The atheromatous plaque is very clearly in relief on the wall, which confers on it a stenosing character responsible for vascular occlusions by atheroma, thrombosis or embolism which occur in the patients most affected. Hypercholosterolemias can therefore result in very serious cardiovascular pathologies such as infarct, sudden death, cardiac decompensation, cerebral vascular accidents and the like.
It is therefore particularly important to be able to have available treatments which make it possible to reduce, in certain pathological situations, the plasma cholesterol levels or even to stimulate the efflux of cholesterol (reverse transport of the cholesterol) in the peripheral tissues in order to discharge the cells having accumulated cholesterol within the context of the formation of an atheroma plaque. The cholesterol is carried in the blood by various lipoproteins including the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and the high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The LDLs are synthesized in the liver and make it possible to supply the peripheral tissues with cholesterol. In contrast, the HDLs capture cholesterol in the peripheral tissues and transport it to the liver where it is stored and/or degraded.
At present, dyslipemias and in particular hypercholesterolemias are treated essentially by means of compounds which act either on the biosynthesis of cholesterol (inhibitors of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzymeA reductase, statins), or on the capture and elimination of bile cholesterol (sequestrants or resins), or alternatively on lipolysis by a mode of action which remains to be elucidated from the molecular point of view (fibrates). Consequently, all the major categories of drugs which have been used in this indication (sequestrants, fibrates or statins), are designed only for the preventive aspect of the formation of the atheroma plaque and not in fact for the treatment of the atheroma. The current treatment for atheroma, following a coronary accident, are only palliative since they do not act on cholesterol homeostasis and they are surgical acts (coronary by-pass, angioplasty).
The present invention constitutes a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of pathologies linked to dyslipoproteinemias. It proposes an advantageous solution to the disadvantages of the prior art, by demonstrating the possibility of treating pathologies linked to dyslipoproteinemias by gene therapy, by the transfer and expression in vivo of genes capable of regulating the plasma levels of apolipoproteins. The invention thus offers a simple means permitting a specific and effective treatment of these pathologies.
Gene therapy consists in correcting a deficiency or an abnormality (mutation, aberrant expression and the like) by introduction of a genetic information into the cell or affected organ. This genetic information can be introduced either in vitro into a cell extracted from the organ, the modified cell then being reintroduced into the body, or directly in vivo into the appropriate tissue. In this second case, various techniques exist, of which various techniques of transfection involving complexes of DNA and DEAE-dextran (Pagano et al., J. Virol. 1 (1967) 891), of DNA and nuclear proteins (Kaneda et al., Science 243 (1989) 375), of DNA and lipids (Felgner et al., PNAS 84 (1987) 7413), the use of liposomes (Fraley et al., J. Biol. Chem. 255 (1980) 10431), and the like. More recently, the use of viruses as vectors for the transfer of genes appeared as a promising alternative to these physical techniques of transfection. In this respect, various viruses were tested for their capacity to infect certain cellular populations, in particular the retroviruses (RSV, KMS, MKS, and the like), the HSV viruses, the adeno-associated viruses and the adenoviruses.

Recombinant adero viruses comprising an inserted gene encoding apolipoprotein and their use in gene therapy for dyslipoproteinemias


The procedure comprises the following steps:                a) joining a foam layer (1) and a plastic fibre mat (2);        b) joining a plurality of additional layers (3, 4, 5, 6) to the central core (1, 2), joining at least one of said additional layers (3, 4, 5, 6) to the central core by a second thermostable adhesive (8, 9);        c) applying pressure and heat to the product to give it a predetermined configuration and to polymerize the adhesive.

Vehicle roof liners are generally made of a laminar structure comprising a plurality of layers conformed to the shape of the corresponding vehicle roof. For example, a typical roof liner can comprise one layer (for example of fabric) on the exposed surface (i.e. the surface facing the interior of the vehicle), at least one intermediate reinforcement layer (normally made of fibreglass) and one structural layer (normally of semi-rigid, low density polyurethane foam or polyester). Generally, a paper layer is disposed on the hidden surface, made of a non-fabric polythene or the like, or nothing at all is disposed. Some or all of the intermediate layers (this is, those between the layer corresponding to the exposed surface and that corresponding to the hidden surface) can be duplicated, their order may be changed and additional layers may be added according to the specific properties desired for the liner. In addition, between the layers (or between some of the layers) an adhesive can be present to keep the layers joined to each other. For example, it is common to use two reinforcement layers of fibreglass, one on either side of the structural layer.
The laminate layers can be joined by an adhesive (such as by a thermosetting resin) applied on the structural layer. Document ES-A1-2157725 describes an example of a liner of this type. Another example of the state of the art is EP-A-0832787.
It has been found that in certain areas of this type of liners (such as in areas of low thickness and embeddings) it may be necessary to use a greater amount of fibreglass, at specific places, to reinforce the liner. These reinforced layers also tend to have poor acoustic properties (in the sense that they do not conform to the acoustic requirements for internal auto parts; the liners should be good noise absorbers). Therefore, it is considered desirable to obtain liners with good acoustic properties and a high, reasonably homogenous stiffness, while having a reasonable cost of production. That is, a good ratio between acoustic properties, stiffness and cost is searched for.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,832 describes a roof liner with a central core made of a mat of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) fibres on which a small foam layer is placed (optionally) to improve the appearance of the liner (as it corrects the small irregularities that can appear in the fibre mat), to improve the acoustic properties and provide a soft feel to the user.
In this case, the foam layer employed has no structural function, as its function is strictly aesthetic, so that it could consist of the foam layer integrated in certain trilaminate exposed surface liners formed by the fabric (polyester), the foam layer (polyurethane) and a thermoplastic film. The function of the foam is mainly to provide a soft feel to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,585 describes a laminate useful as a roof liner for vehicles. The laminate comprises a central core formed by a fibrous mat and a foam layer that can be joined by an adhesive layer activated by heat. In addition, the laminate has a fibrous reinforcement layer (polyester fibres and, optionally, fibreglass) and a coating layer (which in turn can consist of a foam layer and another fabric layer). Moreover, the laminate can comprise a polyethylene layer with orifices for improving the absorption of low frequency sounds.
The laminate has been designed considering its acoustic properties: the central core absorbs the high-frequency sounds and the polyethylene layer absorbs the low-frequency sounds.
To manufacture the laminate, the various layers comprising it are joined, the set is passed through an oven before pressing and it is then cold-formed. This is, it is a thermoplastic process: the adhesive used is a thermoplastic film, which allows heating before forming (to activate the adhesive) and then forming in a cold mould, which can be convenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,556 also describes an acoustic laminate for automobile liners.

Roof liner and procedure for obtaining a roof liner for vehicles

Abstract: The invention also relates to a roof liner.


Based on a capnometry signal, one or more breathing parameters of a subject are determined that require valid breaths by the subject to be distinguished from anatomical events that cause the CO2 content of gas at or near the airway of the subject to fluctuate. To improve the accuracy of one or more of these determinations, gas at or near the airway of the subject is diluted.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to distinguishing between anatomical events that cause the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of gas at or near the airway of a subject to fluctuate and valid breaths by the subject from a capnometry signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Capnometry systems that generate output signals conveying information related to the CO2 content of gas at or near the airway of a subject are known. Generally, these signals can be used to detect breathing by the subject. However, conventional systems can confuse anatomical events that cause the CO2 content of gas at or near the airway of a subject to fluctuate with valid breathing by the subject.

System and method for detecting valid breaths from a capnometry signal


The present invention provides a golf club head which satisfies the following three conditions in a moment M of inertia around a center line of a shaft axis (g·cm2) and a depth L of center of gravity (mm):4000≦M≦7000;  (1)30≦L≦50; and  (2)M≦200×L−2000.  (3)

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head which is excellent in directionality of a hit ball.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with an increase of a head volume in recent years, a moment of inertia around a center line of a shaft axis is increased in a golf club. The moment of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis has a close relation to a return of the head during a swing. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-299968 teaches that when the moment of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis becomes great, it becomes easy to hit the ball in a state where a face is open at a time of swinging. As a result, a miss shot called a "slice" tends to occur.
Further, the large size of the head volume has an inclination to make a depth of center of gravity of the head large. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-33145 (1999), there is suggested that the larger the depth of center of gravity of the head is, the better the directionality of the hit ball is.
Further, the large-sized head has an inclination to make a moment of inertia around a vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the head, in addition to the moment of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis. In the swing process, if the hitting face of the head can be positioned in an address state, such a head can hit the ball with a small displacement with respect to the intended direction even when the head hits the ball by a portion of the hitting face close to a toe or a heel. Accordingly, conventionally, it is sufficient that the large-sized head has a magnitude of the depth of center of gravity which is consequently defined on the basis of the head shape, so that there is no idea for further improving the depth of center of gravity.
The present inventors have measured the depth of center of gravity of the various heads and the moment of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis. The result of measurement is shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the conventional head is plotted by black dots. It is known from this graph that the head having the great moment M of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis has a great depth L of center of gravity.
However, taking a view of swing of golfers, most of the golfers belong to the following two types:
(a) a type that a head speed is high in a swing initial stage and is low in a swing later stage; and
(b) a type that a head speed is increased from a swing initial state to a swing later stage.
Further, taking a view of a certain golfer, there is a case where the type (a) and the type (b) alternately appear per swing. In particular, since a beginner golfer has no stable head speed, the beginner golfer develops a strong tendency to the above. As a result, the beginner golfer has an inclination that the direction of the hit ball is not stable. Further, the greater the moment of inertia around the center line of the shaft axis in the head is, the more the above inclination is occurred.


Provided is a managing technology of an on-line game which increases a usability of users and diversifies the service. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a sports game character information managing method, including: receiving event information on at least one of a team and a player included in an on-line game from at least one of an organization and a medium related with a sports game corresponding to the on-line game; selecting at least one of players related with the event information; selecting a game character which matches identification information of the selected player; setting an improved capability point which is added to a capability point of the selected game character in accordance with the event information; and adding the improved capability point to the capability point of the game character which is stored in a game server.

An on-line game is a field which becomes more popular in an on-line cultural industry in recent years by the development of a network and computer technology. Users access a game server using terminals of the users and select a specific character to manipulate the character on-line and enjoy the game.
Types of on-line games are diversified due to the development of game contents and development of a network technology. Particularly, an on-line game for a field in which users may encounter in real life becomes very popular because the user may feel as if the user directly manipulates the user's favorite real life to enjoy the game.
An example of a field where the user may encounter in real life is an on-line sports game. Popular sports such as baseball, basketball, or soccer are licensed with an international organization of each sport and a game in which sport star players who actually play the game are characterized is serviced so that the users may enjoy the on-line sports game because the users may directly manipulate the user's favorite sport star player on the game.
For example, in the case of a soccer game, the users select a foreign famous soccer player and a team and become a director of the soccer team to execute the game so that fantasy of the user for the sport is satisfied, which the game has become very popular. In the position of a game service provider, users may frequently use the game in order to obtain game characters corresponding to popular star players and thus payment for an additional service such as an item or a character card may be increased so that profitability is high.
Due to the characteristic of the sports game, as mentioned above, an actual sport star player is used as a game character, so that most users may enjoy the game while comparing the sports game on the game with the actual sports game. Accordingly, in the sports game, the users may have a habit of comparing a performance of the players in the actual sports game with a characteristic of the players on an on-line sports game, which needs to be applied to the game.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Method and device for managing character information of sports game


A method for use in a wireless cellular access system, according to which users in a cell in the system receive one or more transmission power control commands on a control channel, where the transmission power control commands comprise an identifier for the intended user or users, said identifier being either an identifier for a specific user or for a group of users. A user disregards one or more predefined control commands if the identifier of the control command is for a group of users in which said user is included.

The present invention discloses a method and a device for use in a wireless cellular access system in which users in a cell in the system receive transmission power control commands on a control channel.
In some cellular access systems, such as, for example, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, data in both uplink and downlink (i.e., from and to users, respectively) is transmitted on channels which are shared in both frequency and time between multiple users. Examples of shared so called physical channels in the LTE system are the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).
Due to the principle of shared channels, control signaling is necessary, at least in the downlink, i.e., to the users in the cells of an LTE system. One of the downlink control channels in the LTE system is the PDCCH channel, the Physical Downlink Control Channel. The PDCCH is used to carry Downlink Control Information, DCI, such as, for example, scheduling decisions, transmission power control commands, and other specific control signaling. In more detail, the downlink control information possible to send on the PDCCH includes:                Downlink scheduling assignments, including resource indications for the PDSCH transport format, hybrid-ARQ information, transport block size, MIMO-related control information if applicable, and Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) transmission power control commands.        Uplink scheduling grants, including resource indications for the PUSCH, the Physical Uplink Shared Channel, transport format, hybrid-ARQ related information, and PUSCH transmission power control commands.        Transmission power control commands of groups of user terminals as a complement to the transmission power control commands which are "piggy-backed" with the scheduling decisions.
The PDCCH can use various formats for the DCI. However, regardless of the DCI format, the PDCCH will comprise a so called RNTI, Radio-Network Temporary Identifier, which is an identity for the user terminal for which the PDCCH and the associated DCI is intended. In order to enable the use of RNTI, each user terminal in a cell is assigned its own RNTI, the so called C-RNTI, which may be used when making downlink transmissions to that user terminal.
In each so called subframe, a user terminal monitors the PDCCHs in the cell. Upon detecting its own identity, the C-RNTI, in one of the PDCCHs, the user terminal declares the PDCCH contents valid, and follows the contents of the PDCCH. In the case of the PDCCH contents being downlink scheduling, the user terminal attempts to decode the associated data transmission on PDSCH resources pointed out by the PDCCH. The result of the decoding attempts, e.g., positive acknowledgement, ACK, or negative acknowledgement, NACK, is transmitted in uplink by the user terminal.
Based upon the ACK or NACK, a decision can be made on whether or not to transmit new data, i.e., when the ACK is received, or to retransmit the previous data, i.e., when the NACK is received, indicating that the user terminal's reception was in error. The ACK/NACK is usually transmitted on an uplink control channel known as the PUCCH, Physical Uplink Control Channel. As the reception of ACK/NACK is important for correct operation of the system, it is crucial to adjust the transmission output power of the PUCCH so that the received power is sufficiently high to correctly receive the ACK/NACK, but not so high that unnecessary interference is created in the system.
In order to control the PUCCH output power of user terminals in a cell, the PDCCH comprises two bits which signify the allowed transmission power of the PUCCH for a user terminal. The terminal uses the information given in these two bits to increase or decrease the PUCCH transmission power. In this way, the network can ensure that a proper level of transmission power is used by a terminal for the PUCCH.
The C-RNTI is, as mentioned above, the unique user terminal identity of the terminal for downlink addressing purposes. However, in addition to having a C-RNTI for the purposes of downlink "unicast" data, each terminal can also be allocated one or several so called "group RNTIs". A group RNTI is an identity which is common to a plurality of terminals in a cell, and is consequently used to transmit downlink information which is relevant to more than one terminal.
One example of such information is system parameters which are necessary for all the terminals in a cell in order to be able to access the system. Obviously this type of information should be transmitted using an RNTI known by all terminals in the cell. Another example of "multicast" information is paging, which uses the paging channel, the PCH, in which so called paging groups are defined, with each paging group having a common group paging RNTI assigned. A third example of downlink multicast information is the so called random access response, which uses a random access RNTI. In this case as well, multiple terminals can be addressed by a group RNTI.
Thus, as explained above, a user terminal is required to simultaneously be able to receive unicast data, addressed by the terminal-specific C-RNTI, as well as common data such as system information, addressed by a different and common (non-terminal-specific) RNTI. When several terminals are addressed simultaneously, as a group, they should not transmit any ACK/NACK on the PUCCH, since the network may not be able to tell from which terminal each of the ACK/NACKs originated. For this reason, in the LTE system, the current specification states that no ACK/NACK response should be sent in such a situation. Since no ACK/NACK is transmitted, there is no need for the terminals to adjust the PUCCH transmission power in such a situation.