Almost all physiological processes are based on molecular recognition of peptides or proteins and other biologically active components and the like. A lot of peptides having important biological functions such as hormones, enzymes, inhibitors, enzyme substrates, neurotransmitters, immunomodulators and the like have been found to date. There are resultantly many studies conducted to develop therapeutic means with a peptide, with understanding physiological effects of active substances composed of these peptides.
In development of a peptide as a medicinal product, there are new methods established for treatments and therapies of diseases correlated with peptides, however, in use of a peptide as a medicinal product, problems as described below are generated. That is, a) under physiological conditions, most peptides are decomposed by specific and nonspecific peptidases, to give low metabolic stability, b) due to relatively large molecular weight thereof, absorption after ingestion is poor, c) excretion through liver and kidney is fast, and d) since a peptide is structurally flexible and receptors for a peptide can be distributed widely in an organism, undesired side effects occur in non-targeted tissues and organs.
Except for some examples, relatively small natural peptides (peptide composed of 30 to less than 50 amino acids) are present under disorderly conditions due to a lot of conformations in dynamic equilibrium in a diluted aqueous solution, as a result, the peptides lack in selectivity for a receptor and become liable to undergo metabolism, thus, determination of a biologically active conformation is difficult. When a peptide itself has a biologically active conformation, namely, when having the same conformation as that under condition linked to a receptor, a reduction in entropy in linking to a receptor is smaller as compared with a flexible peptide, consequently, an increase in affinity to a receptor is expected. Therefore, there is a need for a biologically active peptide having a uniformly controlled conformation, and development thereof is important.
There are recently many efforts conducted to develop a peptide mimic or a peptide analog (hereinafter, referred to as “peptide mimic” together) showing a more preferable pharmacological property than that of a natural peptide as the original form thereof. “Peptide mimic” used in the present specification is a compound which is capable of mimicking (agonistic substance) or blocking (antagonistic substance) at receptor level, the biological effect of a peptide, as a ligand of a receptor. For obtaining a peptide mimic as the most possible agonistic substance, factors such as a) metabolic stability, b) excellent bioavailability, c) high receptor affinity and receptor selectivity, d) minimum side effects, and the like should be taken into consideration. From the pharmacological and medical standpoint, it is often desirable not only to mimic the effect of a peptide at receptor level (agonistic action) but also, if necessary, to block a receptor (antagonistic action). The same items as the pharmacological items which should be considered for designing a peptide mimic as the above-described agonistic substance can be applied also to designing of a peptide antagonistic substance.
One example of peptide mimics is development of a peptide having a controlled conformation. This mimics, as correctly as possible, a conformation linked to a receptor of an endogenic peptide ligand. When analogs of these types are investigated, resistance to a protease increases, and resultantly, metabolic stability rises and selectivity rises, thereby lowering side effects.
Overall control in the conformation of a peptide is possible by restricting flexibility of a peptide chain by cyclization. Cyclization of a biologically active peptide not only improves its metabolic stability and selectivity for a receptor but also gives a uniform conformation, thereby enabling analysis of the conformation of a peptide. The cyclization form is the same as that observed in natural cyclic peptides. Examples thereof include side chain-side chain cyclization, or side chain-end group cyclization. For cyclization, side chains of amino acids not correlated with receptor recognition can be mutually linked, or can be linked to the peptide main chain. As another embodiment, there is head to tail cyclization, and in this case, a completely cyclic peptide is obtained.
For these cyclization operations, a cross-linking technology is imperative. Typical examples of cyclization include cross-linkages via a disulfide bond (SS bond), an amide bond, a thioether bond and an olefin bond. More specific examples thereof include cyclization by connecting two penicillamine residues via a disulfide cross-linkage (Mosberg et al., P.N.A.S. US, 80:5871, 1983), cyclization by forming an amide bond between lysine and aspartic acid (Flora et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 15 (2005) 1065-1068), a procedure in which an amino acid derivative containing a cross-linked portion having a thioether bond introduced previously is introduced into a peptide bond and cyclization thereof is performed in the last condensation reaction (Melin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,722), and cyclization by mutually cross-linking (S)-α-2′-pentenylalanines introduced into the main chain using an olefin metathesis reaction (Schafmeister et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122, 5891-5892, 2000).
A cross-linkage via a disulfide bond, however, will be cleaved by a reductase generally present in an organism. Also, a cross-linkage via an amide bond will be cleaved by an enzyme cutting an amide structure present in an organism. A thioether bond and an olefin bond need substitution of side chains of an amino acid in a peptide elongation process, for attaining cyclization thereof.
Also known is a cross-linked structure originating from nitrogen constituting an amide in the peptide main chain skeleton, as a method needing no modification of a side chain of a peptide (Gilon et al., Biopolymers 31:745, 1991). However, this peptide will be cleaved by an enzyme cutting an amide structure, because of inclusion of an amide bond in this peptide.
Further, known as a cross-linked peptide having a molecular structure capable of linking to other substituent is a cross-linked peptide utilizing 2,4,6-trichloro[1,3,5]-triazine (Scharn et al., J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 507-513). In this method, however, the reaction in forming a cross-linked portion is an aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction, thereby limiting applicable peptides.
As the analogous peptide, a cross-linked peptide in which a side chain and a carboxy terminus are linked is known (Goodman et al., J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 8820-8826). This peptide, however, will be cleaved by an enzyme cutting an amide structure, because of inclusion of an amide bond in this peptide.
A peptide having a controlled conformation is expected to provide a lot of pharmacological use applications. For example, somatostatin is a cyclic tetradecapeptide present in both the central nerve system and surrounding tissues and has been identified as an important inhibitor against secretion of a grow hormone from pituitary gland, and additionally, has functions such as suppression of secretion of glucagon and insulin from spleen, regulation of most gastrointestinal hormones, regulation of release of other neurotransmitters correlated with motor activity and a recognition process all over the central nerve system, and the like. A cross-linked peptide composed of nine amino acids called a WP9QY (W9) peptide mimicking the steric structure of a contact site between TNF and a TNF receptor suppresses the inflammation activity of TNFa, and additionally, is known to suppress bone resorption (Aoki et al., J. Clin. Invest. 2006; 116(6):1525-1534).
There is a study conducted to obtain a peptide mimic having metabolic stability improved by adding to the peptide a structure not present in natural peptides, as the peptide mimic showing a more preferable pharmacological property than that of a natural peptide as the original form thereof, in addition to a cross-linked peptide having a conformation controlled as described above. For example, resistance to an enzyme is improved by using cross-linkages (a cross-linkage via a thioether bond, a cross-linkage via an olefin, and the like) other than the above-described natural cross-linking (disulfide cross-linkage). Further, resistance to metabolism in an organism is improved by adding, for example, PEG and the like, to the terminus or the side chain of a peptide.
JP-A No. 2004-59509, compounds described in PCT international publication WO2007/034812, compounds described in PCT international publication WO2007/122847, compounds described in PCT international publication WO2010/104169 and compounds described in PCT international publication WO2010/113939


The present invention relates to a network system in which a plurality of internetwork apparatuses such as routers each connecting networks at the network layer level are used to connect a plurality of networks to one another, and more particularly to a network system having the redundant configuration in which a current internetwork apparatus is changed to a standby internetwork apparatus upon failure of the current internetwork apparatus.
In the system in which a plurality of networks are connected by a single router, when a failure occurs in the router, operation of the whole of the system is stopped, so that the whole of the system fails to be operated normally. On the other hand, there is a system having the redundant configuration using two routers one serving as a current router and the other serving as a standby router and in which in the normal state of the current router the system is operated by the current router and when a failure occurs in the current router the system is operated by the standby router instead of the current router to thereby attain a high reliability system.
Such a system having the redundant configuration is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-131208. In this system, when a failure occurs in a current network apparatus, operation of the whole of the current network apparatus is stopped and the current network apparatus is changed to a standby network apparatus to thereby realize the system having the redundant configuration.
Further, in a network system, various management information such as statistical information, set information and the like is exchanged among nodes in the network and is managed as a management information base (MIB).
In the system having the redundant configuration in the prior art, when a failure occurs in a port of the current network apparatus or in a connection portion between the port and the network, operation of the whole of the current apparatus is stopped. That is, operation of not only the port in which the failure occurs but also other all normal ports in the current network apparatus is stopped and operation is changed from the current network apparatus to the standby network apparatus. Accordingly, even in communication between the networks connected to the normal ports of the current network apparatus, it is necessary to disconnect the normal ports and to change the communication routes to the standby network apparatus.
Further, in this case, when data is transmitted from a terminal of the network, the relay port of the data is changed and accordingly an address thereof must be also changed.
In addition, even in transmission and reception of management information managed by using management information base (MIB), it is necessary to transmit and receive the management information in consideration of the physical configuration of the network apparatus in response to change of the route.
More particularly, in the system for managing networks on the basis of MIB information, that is, information based on the management information base (MIB) for each network, when a failure occurs in a certain port of a current apparatus, operation of the current apparatus is stopped completely and is changed from the current apparatus to the standby apparatus. Accordingly, MIB information of all ports (that is, all networks) of the current apparatus cannot be obtained. Thus, management of the networks cannot be performed on the basis of the MIB information available before occurrence of the failure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a network system and a failure restoration method of the network system which is adapted to be solve the drawbacks in the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a network system and a failure restoration method of the network system in which when a failure occurs in a port of a current apparatus, data communication can be made without change of other normal ports of the current apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a network system and a failure restoration method of the network system in which even a terminal having no dynamic routing function and address resolution protocol (ARP) function for conversion of address, that is, having only the routing function can make communication without considering change of a route due to occurrence of a failure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a network system capable of collecting management information base (MIB) information without considering change of a route due to occurrence of a failure.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network system which includes a plurality of networks, a first internetwork apparatus including a plurality of first ports each connected to the plurality of networks, a second internetwork apparatus including a plurality of second ports each connected to the plurality of networks, and a data transmission unit connected to the first and second internetwork apparatuses to transmit data mutually between the first and second internetwork apparatuses, wherein the first internetwork apparatus includes a first transmitting and receiving unit connected to the plurality of first ports and the data transmission to transmit and receive data mutually among the plurality of first ports and the data transmission unit, a failure detection unit for detecting whether a failure occurs in any of one of the plurality of first ports and a route between one of the plurality of first ports and one of the plurality of networks connected thereto and, when occurrence of a failure is detected, issuing notification indicating a failure occurrence portion to transmit the notification through the first transmitting and receiving unit to the data transmission unit, and a first port control unit for causing each of the plurality of first ports to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the one of the plurality of networks in a normal state and causing the one of the plurality of first ports not to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the one of the plurality of networks in response to detection of occurrence of failure by the failure detection unit, and the second internetwork apparatus includes a second transmitting and receiving unit connected to the plurality of second ports and the data transmission unit for transmitting and receiving data mutually among the plurality of second ports and the data transmission unit and for receiving the notification transmitted through the data transmission unit to produce the notification, and a second port control unit for causing the plurality of second ports not to be able to receive data from the plurality of networks and to be able to transmit data to the plurality of networks in the normal state and responsive to the notification from the second transmitting and receiving unit to cause one of the plurality of second ports connected through the one of the plurality of networks to the one of the plurality of first ports to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the one of the plurality of networks.
According to one example of the present invention, the first port control unit sets an address of each of the plurality of first ports to a common address common to the port and a corresponding one of the plurality of second ports connected through a corresponding one of the plurality of networks in the normal state, the common address being different for each of the plurality of first ports, and the second port control unit sets an address of each of the plurality of second ports to an address inherent to the port in the normal state.
According to one example of the present invention, the first port control unit includes a unit for disconnecting the one of the plurality of first ports from the one of the plurality of networks in response to detection of occurrent of failure by the failure detection unit, and the second port control unit changes an address of the one of the plurality of second ports from the inherent address to the common address set in the one of the plurality of first ports in response to the notification from the second transmitting and receiving unit.
As described above, even if a failure occurs in any portion of a port in the current internetwork apparatus (router), the routing module including the port and a route between the port and the pertinent networks, only the port corresponding to the portion where the failure occurs is stopped or electrically disconnected from the pertinent network and the normal port in the current system is operated as it is. Further, the address of a port of the standby system corresponding to the failed port where the failure occurs is changed to an address of the failed port, that is, the port of the standby system is caused to be able to perform transmission and reception. Thus, change of the transmission route of packet data can be minimized and communication between the networks can be continued. In other words, even if a failure occurs in a portion of the current router, it is not necessary to change the whole current system to the standby system as in the prior art, the route corresponding to only the failed portion is changed and the routes in the normal portions of the current system are not required to be changed.
Further, the relay address of the packet data from a terminal is not required to be changed and the route is automatically changed so that the packet data is transmitted to the terminal of the destination.
In other words, since the relay address of the packet data from the terminal is not required to be changed and the packet data from the terminal is automatically transmitted to the destination terminal, the terminal can perform communication without considering change of the route for the communication.
As described above, according to the present invention, the reliable and inexpensive LAN system can be constructed by realization of duplication at a unit of port. Further, the terminal having neither dynamic routing function nor ARP function can communicate without considering change of a route. In addition, management of the network such as collection of statistical information and the like can be made without considering the redundant configuration.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network system further comprising a management terminal connected to the one of the plurality of networks for managing management information base (MIB) information of each of the plurality of first and second ports, wherein the first internetwork apparatus further comprises a first MIB information memory unit for storing the management information base information for each of the plurality of first ports, and a first MIB information control unit connected to the first MIB information memory unit and the first transmitting and receiving unit, and the second internetwork apparatus further comprises a second MIB information memory unit for storing management information base (MIB) information for each of the plurality of second ports, and a second MIB information control unit connected to the second MIB information memory unit and the second transmitting and receiving unit, the management terminal sending a collection request of management information base information of the one of the plurality of first ports through the one of the plurality of networks, the one of the plurality of second ports and the second transmitting and receiving unit to the second MIB information control unit after the one of the plurality of second ports has been caused to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the one of the plurality of networks, the second MIB information control unit being responsive to the collection request of the management information base information from the management terminal to read out management information base information from the second MIB information memory unit after the one of the plurality of second ports has been caused to be able to transmit and receive data, and sending a collection request of management information base information available before occurrence of failure of the one of the plurality of first ports through the second transmitting and receiving unit, the data transmission unit and the first transmitting and receiving unit to the first MIB information control unit, the first MIB information control unit being responsive to the collection request of the management information base information from the second MIB information control unit to read out management information base information available before occurrence of failure of the one of the plurality of first ports from the first MIB information memory unit and transmitting the management information base information through the first transmitting and receiving unit, the data transmission unit and the second transmitting and receiving unit to the second MIB information control unit, the second MIB information control unit calculating a sum total of management information base information read out from the first and second MIB information memory units to send the sum total through the second transmitting and receiving unit, the one of the plurality of second ports and the one of the plurality of networks to the management terminal.
As described above, when the collection request of the statistical information (MIB) is issued from the management terminal of the network to the system having the redundant configuration, the internetwork apparatus operating as the current system reads out the statistical information of the internetwork apparatus serving as the standby system and the statistical information of the whole redundant configuration system is collectively returned to the management terminal. Thus, the management terminal can manage the networks without considering the physical redundant configuration.
As described above, even if a failure occurs in a port of the current system, operation of only the failed port (or all ports included in the routing module of the failed port) is stopped and other normal ports of the current system are continued to be operated, so that the port of the standby system corresponding to the failed port (or the stopped port) is operated. Accordingly, the past management information base (MIB) concerning the stopped port of the current system can be obtained. Hence, the networks can be managed on the basis of the management information base (MIB) information available before occurrence of the failure.
Further, since the address of the port where the failure occurs is used as the address of the port of the standby system operated instead, the management terminal can obtain the management information base (MIB) information of the port of the current system of which operation is automatically stopped without changing the address of the source requiring the MIB information regardless of change of the route.


Ethernet provides high speed data communications between two nodes that operate according to the IEEE 802 Ethernet Standard. The communications medium between the two nodes can be twisted pair wires for Ethernet, or other types of communications mediums that are appropriate. PoE systems provide power and data over a common communications link. More specifically, a power source device (PSE) coupled to the physical layer of a first node of the communications link provides direct current (DC) power (for example, 48 volts DC) to a powered device (PD) at a second node of the communications link. The DC power is transmitted simultaneously over the same communications medium with the high speed data from one node to the other node.
Example PDs that utilize PoE include Internet Protocol (IP) phones, and wireless access points, etc. The PSE typically includes a serializer/deserializer (i.e. SERDES) coupled to a transceiver, and/or a physical-layer (PHY) device, to support high speed serial data transport. Herein, data ports and their corresponding links can be interchangeably referred to as data channels, communication links, data links, etc, for ease of discussion.
PoE integrated circuits are sensitive to harmful surge events, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) and cable discharge events (CDE). The PHY of a PoE system is particularly susceptible to damage due to ESD and CDE. During these surge events, currents can be extremely high (e.g., 100 amps) and it becomes vital to ensure that voltages do not exceed critical breakdown and spark gap limits of PoE systems and their respective circuits.
An ESD event typically occurs when a device becomes charged as a result of mishandling or improper packaging and then discharged by a sudden connection to ground. CDE, on the other hand, can occur when a charge accumulates on a cable, such as a twisted pair cable used in Ethernet networks, and is connected to an Ethernet port of lower potential. The resulting high-energy discharge may damage the device to which the cable is connected. Coupling of external events, like a lightning strike, is yet another example source of CDE.
Some PoE integrated circuits have a conventional protection circuit to combat detrimental ESD and CDE. These conventional protection circuits discharge electrostatic or harmful surge energy using a capacitor and/or a transient-voltage-suppression (TVS) diode. Unfortunately, when managing ESD and CDE events on multiple ports, conventional PoE protection circuits require at least one capacitor per port to provide a low impedance path to ground, and/or at least one TVS diode per port to supply protection from differential and common mode transients. These capacitors are commonly referred to as bulk capacitors and are typically large and consume a significant amount of circuit board space, as well as contribute to additional cost. Similarly, the need for multiple TVS diodes contributes to circuit board space requirements and cost.
Thus, what is needed is a protection circuit for PoE devices that overcomes the shortcomings described above.


This invention relates to a novel calixarene derivative which is soluble in organic solvents, films of the novel compound and a method of forming a pattern in a film formed by applying a solution of the novel compound to a substrate.
Calixarenes are cyclic oligomers formed by condensation of phenols and formaldehyde, and some calixarene derivatives can be obtained by substitution reactions after the condensation reaction.
Recent studies have revealed that calixarenes and their derivatives, like cyclodextrine and crown ethers, have the ability to form inclusion compounds. Synthesis of water soluble calixarenes has achieved a limited success, and it is under study to use calixarene derivatives as adsorbents for the recovery of, for example, uranyl ion from seawater or heavy metal ions from waste water.
There is good expectation that calixarenes and their derivatives will serve as advantageous functional materials. From a practical point of view, functional materials are generally required to be soluble in ordinary organic solvents and capable of providing films from solutions. However, known calixarenes and their derivatives are very low in solubilities in organic solvent, viz. below 1 wt %, and hence it is hardly conceivable to practically use these compounds in the form of films as functional materials. J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 111 (1989), 8192-8200 shows to form very thin, monolayer-like films of some calixarene derivatives by using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, but practical applications of such films will be quite limited.


1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a baling apparatus, and more particularly to a square baler with plunger providing increased impact force.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional square hay balers include a bale forming chamber and a reciprocating plunger that slides into and out of the chamber. As the chamber receives loose hay material, the plunger slides into the chamber during a compaction stroke to compress the loose hay material into the form of a bale. Such balers typically include a drive train that transmits power to the reciprocating plunger.
However, prior art square hay balers have certain deficiencies. For instance, conventional hay balers apply very high forces to the plunger in order to complete the compaction stroke. Because these forces are transmitted by the drive train and by connecting rods that connect the drive train to the plunger, the connecting rods and drive train components must be designed to accommodate this loading.


It is well known that water supplied to households from some wells and community water supplies often tastes unpleasant or is dangerous to drink because of minerals, chemicals, organisms and organic materials that are dissolved or suspended in the water. Widespread recognition of this information accounts for the variety of domestic water purification devices that have been developed and patented. However, use of water purifiers in homes is not as widespread as one would expect in view of the scope of the problem.
Most water distillers developed for home use have an electric heating element immersed in raw (that is, undistilled) water that is supplied to a boiler-evaporator from the water mains of a dwelling. The mass of water in the boiler is raised to boiling temperature. The resulting steam is conducted through a fin-type condenser coil from which the distillate emerges. In some designs a motor driven fan forces ambient air over the condenser fins for cooling and condensing the steam. In other designs the condenser coil is water cooled by locating it in a chamber into which the raw, comparatively cool water is fed before the raw water is conducted to the boiler, resulting in waste water. Most distillers on the market distill on a batch-by-batch basis rather than continually according to demand, as should be the case.
Among the reasons that installations of previously existing distiller designs have been small in number, although there is such a great need for them, is that the distillers are configured in a way that makes them difficult to install in a concealed and inconspicuous manner near the kitchen sink, where water is usually consumed in the home. Since an existing type of distiller would ordinarily be installed near the kitchen sink, one possibility is to stand the prior art types of distillers on a counter top next to the sink. Yet, most householders object to dedicating to a distiller precious counter top area, which is usually felt to be insufficient in most residences in the first place. Installation inconvenience becomes a factor in deciding not to buy any distiller presently on the market. Besides, most, if not all known prior art distillers can be characterized as lacking any redeeming aesthetic characteristics.
Another place in which a prior art distiller might be installed is in a cabinet near the kitchen sink. The problem with this is that prior art distillers are vertically oriented, that is, they have one component stacked on another so they have a tall profile or an inordinately great height dimension. As a practical matter, this means that they require dedication of a lot of below-the-counter top cabinet space, and it becomes impossible to use any of the space in the cabinet, above, below or on the sides of the distiller.
Besides deficiencies in aesthetic characteristics and excessive space utilization, prior art distillers are difficult to maintain in good operating condition, particularly, because of the difficulty of cleaning sediment and scale from the internal parts of the distiller. Most prior distillers require a substantial amount of disassembly and handling or working on multiple parts to fully clean the boiler of scale. This may be an aggravating factor that the user realizes only when the distiller fails to produce distilled water up to rated capacity. Facilitating easy and simple descaling and cleaning are problems that have frequently been attacked but have not been completely solved in prior distiller designs.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a growth factor which interacts with the human oncogene erbB-2, and which stimulates as well as inhibits the growth of cells overexpressing this oncogene. A ligand is described which is capable of binding to the expression product of the erbB-2 oncogene. The present invention additionally relates to anti-ligand molecules capable of recognizing and binding to the erbB-2 ligand molecule and to screening assays for such ligands. The present invention further relates to uses for the erbB-2 ligand, the anti-ligand molecules and the screening assay. Furthermore, the invention relates to a cloned gene capable of expressing the erbB-2 ligand of the present invention.
2. Description of the Related Art
Carcinogenesis is believed to be a multi-step process of alteration of genes which are involved in the growth control of cells. A variety of proto-oncogenes and oncogenes have been implicated in the activation of tumor cells as regulating factors. For example, oncogenic protein kinases are believed to induce cellular transformation through either inappropriate or excessive protein phosphorylation, resulting in the uncontrolled growth of malignant neoplasms. See Wrba, F., et al., Histopathology, 15:71-76 (1989).
One group of proto-oncogenes encodes cellular growth factors or their receptors. The c-erbB-1 gene encodes the epidermal growth factor or its receptors. The c-sis gene encodes the B-chain of the platelet-derived growth factor. The c-fms gene encodes a related or identical molecule for the receptor of the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. A fourth member of this group of proto-oncogenes, called neu was identified in ethylnitrosourea-induced rat neuroblastomas.
The human counterpart of neu, called HER-2/neu or c-erbB-2, has been sequenced and mapped to the chromosomal locus 17q21. See Schneider, P. M., et al., Cancer Research, 49:4968-4971 (Sep. 15, 1989). The HER-2/neu or c-erbB-2 oncogene belongs to the erbB-like oncogene group, and is related to, but distinct from the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The c-erbB-2 oncogene is known to express a 185 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein (p185.sup.erbB-2). The expressed protein has been suggested to be a growth factor receptor due to its structural homology with EGFR. However, known EGFR ligands, such as EGF or TGF.alpha., do not bind to p185.sup.erbB-2.
The oncogene has been demonstrated to be implicated in a number of human adenocarcinomas leading to elevated levels of expression of the p185 protein product. For example, the oncogene has been found to be amplified in breast, ovarian, gastric and even lung adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, the amplification of the c-erbB-2 oncogene has been found in many cases to be a significant, if not the most significant, predictor of both overall survival time and time to relapse in patients suffering from such forms of cancer. Carcinoma of the breast and ovary account for approximately one-third of all cancers occurring in women and together are responsible for approximately one-fourth of cancer-related deaths in females. Significantly, the c-erbB-2 oncogene has been found to be amplified in 25 to 30% of human primary breast cancers. See Slamon, D., et al., Science, 244, 707-712 (May 12, 1989).
Although ligands for EGFR are known, namely EGF and TGF.alpha., few ligands for the oncogene-encoding transmembrane proteins such as erbB-2, ros, etc., have been characterized. Transforming growth factor ligands belong to a family of heat and acid-stable polypeptides which allow cells to assume a transformed morphology and form progressively growing colonies in anchorage-independent growth assays (DeLarco, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 75:4001-4005 (1978); Moses, et al., Cancer Res., 41:2842-2848 (1981); Ozanne, et al., J. Cell. Physiol., 105:163-180 (1980); Roberts, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 77:3494-3498 (1980)). The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its physiologic ligands, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor .alpha. (TGF.alpha.), play a prominent role in the growth regulation of many normal and malignant cell types (Carpenter, G., Annu. Rev., Biochem., 56:881-914 (1987)).
One role the EGF receptor system may play in the oncogenic growth of cells is through autocrine-stimulated growth. If cells express the EGFR and secrete EGF and/or TGF.alpha., then such cells could stimulate their own growth. Since some human breast cancer cell lines and tumors express EGFR (Osborne, et al., J. Clin. Endo. Metab., 55:86-93 (1982); Fitzpatrick, et al., Cancer Res., 44:3442-3447 (1984); Filmus, et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 128:898-905 (1985); Davidson, et al., Mol. Endocrinol, 1:216-223 (1987); Sainsbury, et al., Lancet, 1:1398-1402 (1987); Perez, et al., Cancer Res. Treat., 4:189-193 (1984)) and secrete TGF.alpha. (Bates, et al., Cancer Res., 46:1707-1713 (1986); Bates, et al., Mol. Endocrinol, 2:543-555 (1988)), an autocrine growth stimulatory pathway has been proposed in breast cancer (Lippman, et al., Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 7:59-70 (1986)).
The erbB-2 proto-oncogene amplification has been found in breast, ovarian, gastric, salivary gland, and in non-small cell carcinomas of the lung (King, et al., Science, 229:974 (1985); Slamon, et al., Science, 244:707 (1989); Yokota, et al., Lancet, 1:765 (1986); Fukushige, et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 6:955 (1986); Semba, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 82:6497 (1985); Weiner, et al., Cancer Res., 50:421 (1990)). Amplification and/or overexpression of the erbB-2 proto-oncogene has been found to correlate with poor prognosis in breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung carcinomas (Slamon, et al., Science, 235:177 (1986); Slamon, et al., Science, 244:707 (1989); Guerin, et al., Oncogene Research, 3:21 (1988); Wright, et al., Cancer Res., 49:2087 (1989); Kern, et al., Cancer Res., 50:5184 (1990); DiFiore, et al., Science, 237:178 (1987)). In addition to these clinical studies, in vitro studies strongly suggest that overexpression of the erbB-2 transmembrane receptor (p185.sup.erbB-2) may have an important role in tumor progression (DiFiore, et al., Science, 237:178 (1987); Hudziak, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 84:7159 (1987)).
An autocrine growth stimulatory pathway analogous with that proposed for epidermal growth factor receptor and its ligands may also be employed by a growing list of oncogene encoded transmembrane proteins that have structure reminiscent of growth factor receptors. This list includes the protooncogenes neu and its human equivalent erbB-2 or HER2 (Bargmann, et al., Nature, 319:226-229 (1986); Coussens, et al., Science, 230:1131-1139 (1985); Yamamoto, et al., Nature, 319:230-234 (1986); c-kit (Yarden, et al., EMBO, 6:341-3351 (1987); ros (Neckameyer, et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:1478-1486 (1986); met (Park, et al., PNAS, 84:6379-6383 (1987); trk (Martin-Zanca, et al., Nature, 319:743-748 (1986); and ret (Takahashi, et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 7:1378-1385 (1987)). The erbB-2 and c-kit protooncogenes encode factors that display remarkable structural homology with EGFR (Yarden, et al., Annu. Rev. Biochem., 57:443-478 (1988). Although erbB-2 and its related oncogene neu are related to EGFR, these proteins are distinct. For example, known EGFR ligands such as EGF and TGF.alpha. do not bind to erbB-2 receptor. (King, et al., EMBO, 7:1647 (1988); and Stern, et al., EMBO, 7:995 (1988).
If, according to the autocrine growth stimulatory pathway, malignant cells are capable of secreting a potent tumor growth factor in vivo, it is plausible that the growth factor ligand might be detected in body fluids, much like human chorionic gonadotropin or .alpha.-fetoprotein, and could be used as a tumor marker and a prognostic variable. Studies suggest that TGF.alpha. activity can be detected in body fluids of cancer patients and that its presence may provide important information concerning the biology of a patient's tumor (Stromberg, et al., J. Cell. Biochem., 32:247-259 (1986); Twardzick, et al., J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 69:793-798 (1982); Sherwin, et al., Cancer Res., 43:403-407 (1983)).
Prior to the present invention, no ligand was known which binds to p185.sup.erbB- 2 protein. Thus, a need continues to exist for a ligand for p185.sup.erbB-2. Such a ligand might be used to counteract the effects of c-erbB-2 oncogene overexpression in facilitating carcinogenesis.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereo slide viewer, and more specifically, relates to a stereo slide viewer in which the shape of a slide mount holder section has been improved, for better loading of the stereo slide mount and better positioning.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present applicant has filed an application for this type of stereo slide mount and stereo slide viewer (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-273315), and this prior application will be first described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 9.
In FIG. 4, reference symbol 1 denotes a stereo slide viewer, and this stereo slide viewer 1 is provided with a pair of left and right ocular lenses 3L and 3R at the rear of a slide mount holder section 2 of a channel shape, and provided with an illumination lamp 4 and a circular reflector 5 in front of the slide mount holder section 2, so that by lighting the illumination lamp 4, light is irradiated onto the backside of the slide mount holder section 2 by the circular reflector 5. Ocular lens holders 6L and 6R for the left and right ocular lenses 3L and 3R have a construction capable of adjusting the distance between optical axes and focus in the direction of the optical axis.
A stereo slide mount 7 shown in FIG. 5 is freely loadable into the slide mount holder section 2. For positioning of the stereo slide mount 7 in the back and forth direction, a flat spring 8 is provided on the front wall surface 2a of the slide mount holder section 2, and the stereo slide mount 7 is pressed against the rear wall surface 2b of the slide mount holder section 2.
Moreover, a film pitch adjusting apparatus 9 is arranged in the middle of the left and right ocular lenses 3L and 3R, and outside of the visual field of the ocular lenses 3L and 3R. This film pitch adjusting apparatus 9 is for adjusting the interval between left and right film holders 11L and 11R of the stereo slide mount 7 loaded into the slide mount holder section 2, by rotating helical cams 10L and 10R of the film pitch adjusting apparatus 9. These helical cams 10L and 10R are formed substantially in a semicircular shape as seen from the side, and constructed such that in the initial position, the helical cams 10L and 10R do not come into the slide mount holder section 2.
The film pitch adjusting operation and film mounting procedure will be described next. Two left and right film holders 11L and 11R are mounted on a base frame 12 of the stereo slide mount 7, and the left and right film holders 11L and 11R are brought closest to each other, to thereby mount films 13L and 13R on the film holders 11L and 11R. The base frame 12 has left and right windows 14L and 14R, and the left and right film holders 11L and 11R have windows 15L and 15R, respectively, so that the light of the illumination lamp 4 reaches the films 13L and 13R.
Then, a collimation pattern mask 16 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the base frame 12 having the films 13L and 13R mounted thereon. The collimation pattern mask 16 is provided with a square window 17 so that the helical cams 10L and 10R can freely enter into and come out, as well as left and right transparent windows 18L and 18R. The same collimation pattern CP mainly composed of a plurality of vertical lines is respectively printed on the backside of the transparent windows 18L and 18R.
Subsequently, the base frame 12 attached with the collimation pattern mask 16 is loaded into the slide mount holder section 2 of the stereo slide viewer 1 shown in FIG. 4.
Then, sense of intimacy of images in the films 13L and 13R with respect to the collimation pattern CP of the collimation pattern mask 16 is observed, in a stereoscopic vision through the ocular lenses 3L and 3R of the stereo slide viewer 1. If the stereoscopic images are seen in the same plane as the collimation patterns CP or beyond the collimation patterns CP, the film pitch of the stereo slide mount 7 is appropriate, and adjustment of the film pitch is not necessary.
If the film pitch is not appropriate, a knob 19 of the stereo slide viewer 1 is rotated to adjust the film pitch. That is to say, if the knob 19 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the helical cams 10L and 10R rotate from the initial position to enter into the slide mount holder section 2, so that the points of the cam surfaces 10aL and 10aR enter into the two film holders 11L and 11R to push the film holders 11L and 11R outwards. As a result, the interval between the film holders 11L and 11R increases.
At this time, the area where the outside edges of the screen of the films 13L and 13R are masked by the edges of the transparent windows 18L and 18R of the collimation pattern mask 16 increases, and the distance of the stereoscopic image moves backwards with respect to the collimation patterns CP. Then, at the time when the stereoscopic image is seen in the same plane as the collimation patterns CP or beyond the collimation patterns CP, it is the optimum film pitch. At this time, the knob 19 is reversely rotated to thereby return the helical cams 11L and 10R to the initial position. During this time, the film holders 11L and 11R are held in the optimum film pitch position.
Subsequently, the stereo slide mount 7 is taken out from the slide mount holder section 2, to remove the collimation pattern mask 16 from the base frame 12, and instead thereof, a cover frame 21 comprising two windows 20L and 20R shown in FIG. 7 is loaded. As a result, the stereo slide mount 7 having the optimum film pitch is completed.
The completed stereo slide mount 7 can be loaded into the slide mount holder section 2 of the stereo slide viewer 1 and used for appreciating the films. Even if the knob 19 is rotated at the time of appreciation, since the film holders 11L and 11R are covered with the cover frame 21, the helical cams 10L and 10R are not brought into contact with the film holders 11L and 11R, and hence the film pitch does not change.
Moreover, at the time of adjusting the film pitch, in the case where the film pitch exceeds the optimum pitch and become excessive, and hence the stereoscopic image is seen far away from the collimation patterns CP, CP the film pitch is readjusted. At this time, the knob 19 is reversely rotated to return the helical cams 10L and 10R to the initial position. The stereo slide mount 7 is taken out from the slide mount holder section 2, and the left and right film holders 11L and 11R are made to slide to the position where the film holders 11L and 11R are in the closest position. Then, the stereo slide mount 7 is reloaded, so as to readjust the film pitch by rotating the knob 26.
The stereo slide viewer 1 is a stereo slide viewer equipped with the film pitch adjusting apparatus 9, but other than the stereo slide viewer 1, a relatively cheap stereo slide viewer (not shown) used mainly for appreciation, without having the film pitch adjusting apparatus, is also widely known.
FIG. 8(a) shows the stereo slide mount 7, which can be loaded into either a stereo slide viewer 1 having the film pitch adjusting apparatus 9, or a stereo slide viewer not having the film pitch adjusting apparatus and used mainly for appreciation. In more detail, the left and right opposite ends are formed in a circular arc. If the vertical dimension of the stereo slide mount 7 is designated as H, the lateral minimum dimension is designated as Wa, the lateral maximum dimension is designated as wd, and the radius of the circular arc of the left and right opposite ends is designated as r, then, the stereo slide mount 7 is formed in such a relation that:
Wd={(Wa)2+(H)2}1/2
r=[{(Wa)2+(H)2}1/2/2.
On the other hand, FIG. 8(b) shows another rectangular stereo slide mount 7xe2x80x2, which is mainly loaded into a stereo slide viewer used for appreciation, without having the film pitch adjusting apparatus. It is formed in a rectangular shape, with the vertical dimension being H, and the lateral dimension being Wb, which is the same size as the lateral minimum dimension Wa of the stereo slide mount 7.
The slide mount holder section 2 shown in FIG. 9 is provided in both of the stereo slide viewer 1 having the film pitch adjusting apparatus 9, and the stereo slide viewer not having the film pitch adjusting apparatus and used mainly for appreciation, and both of the stereo slide mounts 7 and 7xe2x80x2 can be loaded therein. The slide mount holder section 2 is formed such that the left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section 2 are in parallel with each other, and the dimension Wg between the left and right internal walls is substantially the same as the lateral maximum dimension Wd of the stereo slide mount 7 having a large lateral dimension.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the circular-arc stereo slide mount 7 can be smoothly loaded into the slide mount holder section 2, and positioning is easily performed in such a manner that the portion of the stereo slide mount 7 having the lateral maximum dimension comes in contact with the left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section 2.
However, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the rectangular stereo slide mount 7xe2x80x2 has a lateral dimension Wb shorter than the dimension Wg between the left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section 2. Hence, an adapter 22 for positioning is required in the slide mount holder section 2. Accordingly, when the stereo slide mount 7xe2x80x2 is used, the cost for the adapter 22 is required additionally, and there is another problem in that when the stereo slide mount 7 is used by replacing the stereo slide mount 7xe2x80x2, the adapter 22 must be removed, and the adapter 22 must be stored.
Therefore, there is a technical problem to be solved in the stereo slide viewer, so that a rectangular stereo slide mount and a stereo slide mount having circular-arc left and right opposite ends can be smoothly loaded and positioned in the slide mount holder section, without using any adapter. It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve this problem.
The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above-described object, and provides:
a stereo slide viewer comprising left and right ocular lenses, and a grooved slide mount holder section for selectively loading a rectangular stereo slide mount and a stereo slide mount having the left and right opposite ends in a circular-arc shape, in front of the left and right ocular lenses, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed slantwise such that the distance between the internal walls is narrowed in the loading direction of the stereo slide mount, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section;
a stereo slide viewer comprising left and right ocular lenses, and a grooved slide mount holder section for selectively loading a rectangular stereo slide mount and a stereo slide mount having the left and right opposite ends in a circular-arc shape, in front of the left and right ocular lenses, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed such that the left and right internal walls are provided in parallel over a predetermined length in the loading direction from a loading port of the stereo slide mount or formed slantwise so as to be narrowed in the loading direction of the stereo slide mount, as well as being formed slantwise so as to be further narrowed in the loading direction from the position of the predetermined length, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the rectangular stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section, and the opposite ends of the circular-arc stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the predetermined length; and
a stereo slide viewer comprising left and right ocular lenses, and a grooved slide mount holder section for selectively loading a rectangular stereo slide mount and a stereo slide mount having the left and right opposite ends in a circular-arc shape, in front of the left and right ocular lenses, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed in a curved shape protruding inwards over a predetermined length in the loading direction from a loading port of the stereo slide mount, and formed slantwise so as to be narrowed in the loading direction from the position of the predetermined length, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the rectangular stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section, and the opposite ends of the circular-arc stereo slide mount is positioned with the curved left and right internal walls in the predetermined length.
As will be described in detail in a first embodiment, the invention according to a first aspect is a stereo slide viewer, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed slantwise such that the distance between the internal walls is narrowed in the loading direction of the stereo slide mount, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section. As a result, the stereo slide mount can be smoothly loaded into the slide mount holder section, and positioning thereof can be easily performed, without using an adapter in the conventional case.
Moreover, the invention according to a second aspect is a stereo slide viewer, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed such that the left and right internal walls are provided in parallel over a predetermined length in the loading direction from a loading port of the stereo slide mount or formed slantwise so as to be narrowed in the loading direction of the stereo slide mount, as well as being formed slantwise so as to be further narrowed in the loading direction from the position of the predetermined length, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the rectangular stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section, and the opposite ends of the circular-arc stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the predetermined length. As a result, the same effects as those of the invention according to the first aspect can be expected. Further, since the left and right internal walls and the stereo slide mount are brought into contact with each other in the predetermined length, more accurate positioning can be performed, and the positioning condition is maintained. Hence, it can be prevented that the stereo slide mount comes up from the slide mount holder section.
Furthermore, the invention according to a third aspect is a stereo slide viewer, wherein left and right internal walls of the slide mount holder section are formed in a curved shape protruding inwards over a predetermined length in the loading direction from a loading port of the stereo slide mount, and formed slantwise so as to be narrowed in the loading direction from the position of the predetermined length, and the distance between the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section is formed so as to become substantially the same size as the left-right length of the loading point of the stereo slide mount, so that the loading point of the rectangular stereo slide mount is positioned with the left and right internal walls in the internal bottom portion of the slide mount holder section, and the opposite ends of the circular-arc stereo slide mount is positioned with the curved left and right internal walls in the predetermined length. As a result, the same effects as those of the invention according to the second aspect can be expected, and hence this invention exhibits enormous effects.


The present invention relates to wireless communication systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to the control of contention-based wireless access in communication systems.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified wireless spread spectrum code division multiple access (CDMA) or time division duplex (TDD) or frequency division duplex (FDD) communication system 18. The system 18 comprises a plurality of Node Bs 26, 32, 34, a plurality of radio network controllers (RNCs) 36, 38, 40, a plurality of UEs 20, 22, 24 and a core network 46. The plurality of Node Bs are connected to the plurality of RNCs 36, 38, 40, which are, in turn, connected to the core network 46. Each Node B 26, 32, 34 communicates with its associated user equipment (UE) 20, 22, 24. Data signals are communicated between UEs and the Node B over the same spread spectrum. Each data signal in the shared spectrum is spread with a unique chip code sequence. Upon reception, using a replica of the chip code sequence, a particular data signal is recovered.
In the context of a CDMA system, signals are distinguished by their chip code sequences (codes) and separate communication channels are created using different codes. Signals from the Node B to the UEs are sent on downlink channels and signals from the UEs to the Node B are sent on uplink channels.
In many CDMA systems, a random access channel (RACH) is used for some uplink communications. A RACH is capable of carrying packets of data from multiple UEs. Each packet is distinguishable by a combination of time slot and code. For detection by the Node B, the packets have a sequence which also distinguishes it from other packets. The RACH is a contention-based uplink transport channel which may carry control information from the UE to set up an initial connection with the Node B, for example, to register the UE after power-on to the network or to perform location updates or to initiate a call. Transmissions are sent using repeating frames, each having a plurality of time slots, such as fifteen time slots with only one or two time slots per frame typically dedicated to RACH. When a packet is transmitted over the RACH, it may last for multiple frames. Those frames however, are not necessarily consecutive because a back-off process must be performed between each transmission to control the rate at which UEs access the RACH.
A UE may attempt a RACH transmission and select a time slot using one of N code identifiers, for example in a TDD CDMA system, one of eight midambles. If no other UE transmits in the same slot with the same midamble and if there is sufficient transmission power, then the UE's RACH transmission succeeds. If another UE transmits in the same slot with the same midamble, then they both fail. This transmission error is known as a collision error. Generally, whenever two or more UEs transmit using the same channel in a wireless system, a collision occurs. Another type of transmission error results when there is insufficient transmission power. The necessary power is generally a function of the channel, the interference, and other PRACH transmissions in the same slot.
In some communication systems, such as with a 3GPP system, there is a relatively long delay, on the order of seconds, before which a UE realizes a transmission error has occurred and decides to retransmit the failed packet. The recommended operating condition for the RACH is therefore preferably biased toward having very few collisions or insufficient transmission power errors. The failed packet may be retransmitted on data link layer 2 (L2) or data link layer 3 (L3) depending on the mode of operation.
The radio access network has no prior information regarding which RACH codes, or more generally which channels were transmitted. The detection of transmitted transport block sets (TBS) or bursts is performed at the receiver, where the number of UEs that transmitted using the detected code is unknown. In the event of a RACH transmission error, the cause remains unidentified. The error might be the result of a code collision or insufficient transmission power.
A parameter of dynamic persistence (DP) is defined which is set by the RNC to avoid saturation of the RACH. The DP level (DPL) is broadcast from the Node B to the UEs and the UEs adjust their rate of access to the RACH time slots as a function of DP. A RACH constant value (CV) parameter is defined which is managed at the RNC and is used by the UEs to determine the power of RACH transmissions.
In current systems, the DP parameter, RACH CV parameter, and other parameters are set and adjusted in order to avoid collisions and insufficient transmission power errors or, in the alternative, to maintain a predetermined target collision error and target insufficient transmission power error probability. The DP parameter is generated at the Node B and the RACH CV is generated at the RNC.
A prior art method of controlling these parameters utilizes the number of successful and failed UE transmissions in a time slot for individual system frames. Another prior art method broadcasts these parameters to the UEs, which then adjust their uplink transmission accordingly. It is difficult, however, to appropriately control these parameters because they are separately generated at the Node B and RNC and because the cause of the transmission error remains unknown.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method of controlling parameters in a contention-based channel wherein the cause of transmission errors is identified and the rate at which such errors occur is identified and controlled by adjusting parameters at the Node B.


Increased interest in the global environmental issues has led to a demand for superior fuel consumption performance in pneumatic tires, along with high wet performance and superior safety performance. As a result, by compounding silica in rubber compositions that form tread portions, heat build-up has been suppressed, rolling resistance reduced, and fuel consumption performance improved and, also, dynamic visco-elasticity characteristics of the tread rubber has been improved which has led to enhancements in wet performance. Efforts have also been made to use silica having a small particulate diameter for the purpose of further increasing the effects associated with the compounding of silica. However, silica has poor affinity with diene rubber and dispersibility tends to be insufficient. Particularly, when the particle diameter of the silica is small, dispersibility worsens and, as a result, the effects of improving low rolling resistance and wet performance by modifying dynamic visco-elasticity characteristics such as the loss tangent (tan δ) of the rubber composition and the like have not been achievable. Additionally, reinforcing effects tend to be lower when compounding silica in a rubber component than when compounding carbon black. As a result, there is a problem in that when dispersibility is poor, wear resistance is insufficient.
To resolve this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-091498 as well as patent applications WO/2005/021637 and WO/2003/102053 propose improving the dispersibility of silica by compounding silica in a rubber composition with a terminal-modified solution polymerization styrene butadiene rubber where the terminals are modified by a polyorganosiloxane or the like, thereby reducing heat build-up (tan δ at 60° C.) and enhancing wet grip performance (tan δ at 0° C.). However, the low rolling resistance and wet performance obtained by the technology proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is below that demanded by users and there is a need for further improvement in low rolling resistance and wet performance.


(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic conference assistance method and an information terminal device employed in an electronic conference system.
(ii) Related Art
Conventionally, there is available an electronic conference system which has a large-scale readable and writable touch panel display device. Generally, such a touch panel display device is placed so as to be viewed by all participants of the conference and written thereon. Use of the electronic conference system enables a conference of a style, for example, where the participants gather around the touch panel display device, rather than remain seated, to discuss an idea conceived during the conference while writing the idea and so forth on the touch panel display device. The content written on the panel display can be stored intact as a screen image. Also in view of enhancement of conference efficiency, an increasing number of companies are introducing such electronic conference systems.
Moreover, when such a system is employed, presence of all participants in the conference room where the touch panel display device is installed is not mandatory. That is, when another touch panel display device is installed in a conference room in another location and connected via a network to the electronic conference system in the main location, a remote conference can be realized. This allows a person in a remote location to participate in the conference.
Further, when a person who is supposed to participate in the conference but is away from the place where the conference is held as, for example, they are on a business trip connects their own personal computer (PC) to the electronic conference system, they can participate in the electronic conference from any desired place. Still further, when a portable phone is connected to the electronic conference system via a connection line, that person can participate in the conference through audio.
As described above, use of an electronic conference system can realize a conference of a style where participants can participate in a variety of manners, not limited to a conventional general conference style in which participants are kept seated and discuss ideas.
Here, when a remote conference is taking place by connecting the device in the main location to the device used by a conference participant in another location to via a network, basically, data of images captured using a camera or the like in the conference room, in particular data of an image of a person who speaks, is transmitted to other locations. With this arrangement, a participant in the remote location can talk to the person speaking while looking at their image being shown.
Moreover, a moderator who presides over the conference can check a participant in a conference by looking at the images captured in the respective locations when discussion is carried out between distant locations, and ask the checked participant to present their opinion or encourage them to speak.


Movement of aqueous fluid (e.g., water) within a subterranean formation containing one or more clays (e.g., kaolinite, smectite, illite, chlorite, etc.) often results in reduced permeability (also referred to as “formation damage”) that is adverse to hydrocarbon material (e.g., oil, natural gas, etc.) extraction processes. Such movement can, for example, occur as a result of the introduction of one or more aqueous fluids (e.g., aqueous flooding fluids, other aqueous treatment fluids, etc.) during downhole operations (e.g., drilling operations, acidizing operations, completion operations, flooding operations, hydraulic fracturing operations, squeeze treatment operations, etc.). Particles of various clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite, illite, etc.) may detach from the subterranean formation during the movement of the aqueous fluid and may migrate to and become detained in pore throats of the subterranean formation to impede fluid flow therethrough. Such clay detachment and fluid flow impairment can be exacerbated by higher pH (e.g., lower salinity) aqueous fluids, making switches from lower (e.g., higher salinity) pH fluids to higher pH fluids problematic during downhole operations. Moreover, various other clay minerals (e.g., montmorillonite) may become swelled by the aqueous fluid and hinder fluid flow through adjacent pores. Frequently, movement of aqueous fluid within a subterranean formation containing clay minerals results in both clay-migration-based permeability losses and clay-swelling-based permeability losses.
Various conventional clay stabilizers have been used to mitigate subterranean formation permeability losses due to clay migration and/or clay swelling by controlling the charge and electrolytic properties of treatment fluids. Examples of such conventional clay stabilizers include potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium hydroxide (CaOH), hydroxylated aluminum (Al(OH)3), aluminum salts, zirconium salts, quaternary ammonium salts, and cationic organic polymers. Unfortunately, many such conventional clay stabilizers can be inadequate for prolonged clay stabilization (e.g., being readily removed by acids), can be too large for smaller pores (e.g., contributing to reduced permeability through such pores), can be difficult to handle and/or dispose of, can be environmentally toxic, and/or can be too expensive for practical usage on a commercial scale.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have new methods and treatment fluids for stabilizing clay contained within subterranean formations.


Large networks of computers, particularly those which share common hardware components and software applications, are typically administered centrally. As these networks grow in size and complexity, it becomes increasingly difficult for system users (including system administrators) to determine whether and how additions of new software or hardware will affect the existing hardware and software used by the system. Additionally, it becomes more difficult to determine when upgraded versions of existing software arc available and compatible with the existing system. Lastly, the increasing complexity of networked systems makes it more difficult to investigate defects, software dependencies or conflicts, or information critical to the operation of existing software and hardware. In such complex systems, software dependencies are particularly problematic, as many different software applications may scan the same system files for data or software code to enable basic or enhanced functionality or write (and overwrite) data to the same system files. As a result, system users typically treat system files as unalterable xe2x80x9cblack boxes,xe2x80x9d limiting system flexibility.
Existing system monitoring and management tools, such as the Hewlett-Packard Company""s Openview system or the Computer Associates International, Inc.""s Unicenter systems, employ agents running on target computer systems. These systems rely on an agent or a software process which monitors target computer systems for configuration, diagnostic, frequency of use, and other information which run on the target computer systems to collect configuration and diagnostic information about the target computer systems and relay it to a centralized station. From this station, a system administrator can review the information and take appropriate actions.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,646 to Hendrickson et al., target computer systems commonly have numerous installed software packages which can be enabled, disabled, installed or removed. A configuration database stores information associated with each of these software packages, including information indicating whether the software package is enabled, the location of the software package within a hierarchical filing structure and a dependency listing (showing the interdependencies between the software package and other software packages on the target computer systems or system files) for each software package. A software manager server supports a software manager graphical user interface (GUI) which permits a system administrator to view the contents of the configuration database. The software manager also carries out administrator-specified changes to the system and amends the configuration database to reflect the changes.
xe2x80x9cInside TCP/IP,xe2x80x9d by Matthew Flint Arnett et al. (New Riders Publishing, Indianapolis, Ind. 1994) further describes management of networked computer systems. Specifically, it describes the use of simple network management protocol (SNMP) agents to monitor target computer systems. The SNMP agents send error trap messages to a SNMP manager when measured system parameters exceed a threshold value. The SNMP manager may present the error trap signals to a system administrator. The system administrator may set the threshold values at which SNMP traps are triggered.
The network of target computer systems may be a local area network (LAN) arranged in a star, bus or ring topology. Network communication priority may be handled according to either the Ethernet or token ring protocols. In an Ethernet LAN, a transmitting station monitors the network transmission channel to determine if it is busy and transmits only after the transmission channel is not busy. In a token ring LAN, communication priority is passed from one station to the next and a station must have priority before it can transmit a message. Network communications can follow the TCP/IP protocol in which messages are divided into discrete xe2x80x9cpacketsxe2x80x9d of information which are addressed to particular receiving addresses.
The configurations of target computers in a customer network are typically monitored by a single dedicated system administrator. As changes to the existing software packages are made, old software packages are removed from the target computers or new software packages are added to the target computers, the system administrator must typically change its configuration database in response. Such a process of updating a configuration database incurs significant cost to operating and maintaining the network.
Generally, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method and system for managing a network of target computers. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to agents for collecting configuration, diagnostic, frequency of use or other information from the target computer system and transmitting the collected information to a central control server. The control server receives the information and accesses relevant information from a database of software information. The control server then formats and transmits this information to the agent. The agent may act on the information directly or may display the information to a user through a management tool GUI.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of providing system management services to a network of target computers including the steps of enrolling customers to receive computer system management services for a fee, receiving information about the customer network from agents associated with target computer systems, comparing the target computer system information with software and hardware information stored in a database and transmitting that information to the customer.


In an unassisted GPS-type position determination system, subscriber stations determine their own positions from satellite transmissions originating from the GPS-type position determination system, without requesting significant acquisition or calculation assistance from other network entities, for example, dedicated servers. That places significant processing demands on the subscriber stations because of the uncertainty in the timing, position, and frequency of these transmissions, requiring the subscriber stations to expend significant processing resources in searching for and locating these transmissions by, for example, testing large numbers of hypotheses varying the assumed timing, position and frequency of the transmissions. Since the number of hypotheses that must be tested is often staggering, the time required to search for the transmissions can be inordinately long and consume an excessive amount of processing resources, even for subscriber stations with dedicated receiver chains.
The uncertainty experienced by the subscriber stations stems from several sources. Assuming GPS positioning, there is first the uncertainty in knowing which of the 32 GPS satellites are visible to the subscriber station. That uncertainty is present because a subscriber station, upon power up or before a position fix is available, has no basis for identifying which signals of these 32 satellites can be usefully received. The useful reception of satellite signals is referred to as an ability of the subscriber station to “see” the satellite emitting the signal, or, in other contexts, as the satellite being “visible” to the subscriber station.
This leads to inefficient searching because the subscriber station may waste considerable resources in searching for transmissions from satellites that are not visible to it, and which are therefore not useful for position determination purposes. For example, referring to FIG. 1, while satellites 54a, 54b, and 54c are visible to subscriber station 50 located at position 51 on the earth's surface 52, satellites 56a, 56b, and 56c are invisible to subscriber station 50, as they are located on the other side of the earth. Therefore, it would be wasteful for subscriber station 50 to search for the transmissions from satellites 56a, 56b, and 56c during a position fix attempt.
In addition, there is an uncertainty in knowing the timing or phase of the 32 chip PN “gold” codes that are embedded within the individual satellite transmissions. As these codes are circularly shifted versions of one another, the phase of a code uniquely identifies which of the satellites originated the transmission. The phase also reflects the propagation delay caused from transmission from the satellite to the subscriber station. To account for the possible variations in phase, the subscriber station must expend resources in searching over the full range of possible PN codes within a code phase searching window that is large enough to encompass the possible variations.
Moreover, there is an uncertainty in knowing the relative movement between the subscriber station and the GPS satellites, which typically introduces a Doppler shift of approximately ±4 kHz in the frequency of transmission. To account for the possible variation of frequency introduced by the Doppler shift, the subscriber station must expend resources is searching over the full range of possible transmission frequencies within a frequency searching window that is large enough to encompass the possible variations caused by the Doppler shift.
Finally, there is the uncertainty in knowing the degree to which the local oscillator (LO) of the subscriber station is out of tune with the GPS carrier frequency. Upon power-up, for example, it is not uncommon for the LO frequency to differ from the GPS carrier frequency by as much as ±5 ppm. Until synchronization between the LO frequency and GPS carrier frequency is achieved, the subscriber station must account for this uncertainty by increasing the size of the frequency search window that is employed.
Even if the host wireless communications system or GPS-type position determination system eliminating some of this uncertainty by providing timing, positional information, or synchronization to the subscriber station, the processing demands on the subscriber station are often still substantial. For example, a synchronous system, such as a CDMA system, provides the subscriber station with time, and also synchronizes the LO frequency of the subscriber station to the GPS carrier frequency. Although the synchronization substantially reduces the LO frequency uncertainty, for example, from ±5 ppm to ±0.2 ppm, and the timing information allows the subscriber station to determine the position of the GPS satellites (using the GPS almanac or ephemeris data provided by the satellites), the subscriber station is still unable to determine which of the GPS satellites are visible to it, and it is still subject to the frequency uncertainty caused by Doppler shift.


Microprocessors include one or more execution units that perform the actual execution of instructions. Superscalar processors include the ability to issue multiple instructions per clock cycle to the various execution units to improve the throughput, or average instructions per clock cycle, of the processor. However, the instruction fetch and decoding functions at the top of the microprocessor pipeline must provide an instruction stream to the execution units at a sufficient rate in order to utilize the additional execution units and actually improve the throughput. The x86 architecture makes this task more difficult because the instructions of the instruction set are not fixed length; rather, the length of each instruction may vary, as discussed in more detail below. Thus, an x86 microprocessor must include an extensive amount of logic to process the incoming stream of instruction bytes to determine where each instruction starts and ends. Therefore, ways are needed to improve the rate at which an x86 microprocessor can parse a stream of indistinct instruction bytes into distinct instructions.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching power supply apparatus in which at least two output voltages are produced by means of one transformer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a switching power supply apparatus having the configuration in which two output voltages are obtained by means of one transformer, only one output voltage is detected to control a first switching element connected to the primary of the transformer. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional switching power supply apparatus configured as described above.
A transformer T is provided with a primary winding T1, secondary windings T2 and T3, and a drive winding T4. A switching element Q1 (hereinafter, referred to as a first switching element) is connected in series with the primary winding T1. A control circuit CT controls the on-time of the first switching element Q1. Output from the secondary winding T2 is rectified by a rectification diode Ds1 and smoothed by a capacitor to be output as a first output Vo1. Moreover, output from the other secondary winding T3 is rectified by a rectification diode Ds2 and smoothed by a capacitor to be output as an output Vo2. In this example, the control circuit containing the drive winding T4 of the transformer T controls the on-time of the first switching element Q1, and moreover, causes the first switching element Q1 to oscillate autonomously. With this configuration employed, when the first switching element Q1 is on, an input voltage Vin is applied to the primary winding T1, making input current flow so that energy is stored in the transformer T. Furthermore, when the first switching element Q1 is off, the energy stored in the transformer T is released as output current via the secondary windings T2 and T3. Thus, the device is configured as an energy storage type switching power supply apparatus .
In the control circuit CT, output voltage from the drive winding T4 is delayed to some degree by a resistor R4 and a capacitor C3 to be applied to the control terminal of the first switching element Q1, and moreover, is applied to a time constant circuit comprising a resistor R1 and a capacitor C1, so that a transistor Tr1 is turned on after a constant time-period, causing the first switching element Q1 to turn off. When the first switching element Q1 turns off, energy stored in the transformer T is released as electric current. When the release of the energy is completed, reverse voltages are applied to the rectification diodes Ds1 and Ds2, respectively. The capacitive impedance, equivalent from the standpoint of these rectification diodes, and the winding inductor of the transformer T resonate, and with voltage generated in the drive winding T4 of the first switching element Q1, voltage is applied to the control terminal of the first switching element Q1, so that the first switching element Q1 turns on again.
Moreover, an output voltage detection circuit DT is provided on the output side of the rectification circuit comprising the rectification diodes Ds1 and Ds2, and capacitors. The output voltage detection circuit DT detects only output voltage with respect to the first output Vo1. That is, the voltage of the first output Vo1 is detected by resistors R2 and R3. The voltage divided by the resistors R2 and R3 is input to a voltage comparison terminal Vr as a comparison voltage. A series circuit comprising a photodiode PD1, a shunt regulator ZD1, and a resistor 5 is connected between Vo1 and GND. The above detection voltage is input to the voltage comparison terminal (reference terminal) Vr of the shunt regulator ZD1. A phototransistor PTr1 arranged in opposition to the photodiode PD1 is connected between the base and collector of the transistor Tr1 in the above-described control circuit CT.
With the above arrangement, when the first output Vo1 is increased, the input voltage to the shunt regulator ZD1 is increased. Then, since the inflow current to the photodiode PD1 is increased, the transistor Tr1 is turned on earlier via the operation of the phototransistor PTr1 in the control circuit CT. As a result, the on-time of the first switching element Q1 becomes shortened, and thereby, the first output voltage Vo1 is reduced. In this way, the output voltage of the first output Vo1 is monitored by the output voltage detection circuit DT, and a control signal corresponding to the detection voltage is formed and fed back to the control circuit CT, whereby the first output voltage Vo1 can be stabilized. Moreover, since the first output Vo1 is stabilized, the second output voltage Vo2 is stabilized to some degree.
However, the above-described conventional switching power supply apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has the problem that, though the output voltage of the first output voltage Vo1 to which the output voltage detection circuit is directly connected can be stabilized with high accuracy, a sufficiently high voltage accuracy can not be obtained for the output voltage Vo2 other than the output voltage Vo1.
To solve this problem, in some cases, a voltage stabilization circuit such as a series regulator circuit or the like is inserted in the second output voltage Vo2 circuit, or a dummy resistor is used. With such circuits, problems are caused such as an increase in number of parts, reduction of circuit efficiency, temperature rise of the power supply apparatus, and so forth.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a switching power supply apparatus in which, when at least two output voltages are provided, each of the output voltage accuracies can be stabilized at a predetermined control ratio by detecting the respective output voltages.
The switching power supply apparatus of the invention comprises a transformer having a primary winding and at least two secondary windings, a first switching element connected in series with the primary winding, a control circuit for controlling the output from the first switching element by control of the on-time thereof, a rectification circuit for rectifying at least two outputs from the secondary windings, and an output detection circuit for detecting the output voltages, and feeding back the output voltages as a control signal for the on-time to the control circuit, wherein the output voltage detection circuit comprises a control signal formation section in which the control signal for the on-time is formed, corresponding to voltage at a voltage comparison terminal, and plural voltage detectors connected between the at least two outputs of the secondary windings and the voltage comparison terminal, respectively.
In this switching power supply apparatus, output voltages from the respective outputs, generated by at least two secondary windings, are detected by the voltage detectors connected to the outputs, respectively, and are input together to the voltage comparison terminal. The extents of the influences of the variations in the respective outputs onto the voltage comparison terminal will be considered below. The extents of the influences, if resistors are used for the detection, are varied, depending on the resistances. Accordingly, the plural output voltages can be controlled at an optional ratio by designing the resistances of the voltage detection resistors corresponding to their specifications.
In this way, the plural voltage detectors are connected between at least two outputs of the secondary windings and the voltage comparison terminal, and the control signal for the on-time of the first switching element connected to the primary winding is formed, corresponding to voltage at the voltage comparison terminal. Therefore, the respective output voltages can be stabilized at a desired control ratio.
According to an aspect, for the plural voltage detectors, at least one Zener diode is used.
By appropriate selection of the Zener diode, the respective output voltages from the circuit can be stabilized at the above-described desired control ratio only when the output voltage from the circuit connected to the Zener diode exceeds a predetermined voltage. Thus, the output voltages can be suppressed from increasing. Moreover, when the output voltage from the circuit connected to the Zener diode is less than the predetermined voltage, only the output voltage from the circuit not connected to the Zener diode is controlled for stabilization.
According to another aspect, the secondary winding comprises at least two secondary windings, the rectification output terminal of a predetermined secondary winding is connected to one end of the other secondary winding, and current through the other end of the other secondary winding is rectified, and is output.
In this embodiment, no influences are exerted due to of variations in voltage, caused by variations in current flowing in the rectification diode for the predetermined secondary winding. For this reason, correspondingly, the voltage accuracy of the other secondary winding is improved.
According to still another aspect, when the first switching element is on, input voltage is applied to the primary winding, causing current to flow so that energy is stored in the transformer, and when the first switching element is turned off, the energy stored in the transformer is released from the secondary windings.
In this embodiment, the switching power supply apparatus comprises a flyback type. Thus, it is not necessary to provide a choke coil or the like on the secondary side. Accordingly, a switching power supply apparatus having a small size, a high accuracy, and a high stability can be provided.
According to still another aspect, the switching power supply apparatus further comprises an inductor connected in series with the primary winding, and a series circuit comprising a capacitor and a second switching element, connected in parallel to the series circuit comprising the inductor and the primary winding, wherein the control circuit turns the first and second switching elements on and off, alternately, so as to sandwich a time-period when both of the switching elements are off, and controls the on-time of the switching elements, whereby the outputs therefrom are controlled.
Such a switching power supply apparatus in which the primary of the transformer is configured as described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,252 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-187664, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In this switching power supply apparatus, when the first switching element turns off, energy stored in the inductor connected in series with the primary winding is released as charging current into the capacitor. Then, directly after this, the second switching element turns on, and discharging is carried out based on the charge potential of the capacitor. With the discharging current, energy is stored in the primary winding of the transformer and the inductor. When the second switching element turns off after a predetermined time-period, the energy stored again in the inductor L flows via the primary winding and the input power source. In this operation, the inductor connected in series with the primary winding includes the leakage inductance of the transformer. Accordingly, generation of surge, caused by the leakage inductance at switching, can be prevented. Moreover, the discharging current, generated when the second switching element Q2 is on, becomes an resonant current. This is reflected by the secondary. That is, the secondary winding current output takes a part of the sinusoidal waveform starting from a zero voltage (mountainous waveform), so that surge in a leading edge can be practically neglected.
Since the current surge or the like is suppressed as described above, the output voltages can be prevented from increasing due to the surge current or the like. As a result, the voltage accuracy of an output produced at a small control ratio or a non-controlled output can be improved. Especially, when said load having a large control ratio is heavy, and the load having a small control ratio is light, conventionally surge current causes the output having a small control ratio to rise in voltage. However, this is considerably improved by this arrangement.
According to still another aspect, the switching power supply apparatus further comprises an inductor connected in series with the primary winding, and a series circuit comprising a capacitor and a second switching element, connected in parallel to the first switching element, wherein the control circuit turns the first and second switching elements on and off, alternately, so as to sandwich a time-period when both of the switching elements are off, and controls the on-time of the switching elements, whereby the outputs therefrom are controlled.
With this structure, the switching power supply apparatus carries out the same operation as expalained above.
According to still another aspect, the leakage inductance of the transformer is used.
In this embodiment, the inductor consists of a leakage inductance itself. This can reduce the number of parts, since it is not necessary to provide the inductor as a separate part.
According to still another aspect, the control circuit comprises a drive winding provided in the transformer to drive the first and second switching elements, respectively, and a control section provided with a time constant circuit for providing on-off signals to the control terminals of the first and second switching elements at a predetermined timing by use of a voltage substantially proportional to the voltage of the primary winding and generated in the drive winding, whereby the first and second switching elements oscillate autonomously.
In this embodiment, the first switching element and the second switching element are autonomously operated. Thus, oscillation IC""s or the like are not needed. The number of parts can be significantly reduced. Moreover, the first and second switching elements can be easily turned on and off alternately so as to sandwich a time-period when both of them are off, and the on-time of these switching elements can be simply controlled. The loss and breaking of elements, caused by the short-circuit current which flows when the two switching elements are simultaneously turned on, can be prevented.
According to still another aspect, the control circuit includes a rectification diode, and a capacitive impedance connected in parallel to the rectification diode.
Since the first switching element in the primary operates as a switch, surge-voltage and surge-current are produced in the output of the secondary. The capacitive impedance is connected in parallel to the rectification diode, which enables the voltage surge to be absorbed. Moreover, charges are supplied to the output via the capacitive impedance, so that the affects of the voltage-drop of the rectification diode can be reduced.
According to still another aspect, the rectification circuit includes an inductive impedance connected in series with the rectification diode.
In this embodiment, the inductive impedance is connected in series with the rectification diode, Thus, especially, current surge can be prevented.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings several forms which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.