The teachings of all the references cited in the present specification are incorporated in their entirety by reference.
Obesity and its associated disorders are common and very serious public health problems in the United States and throughout the world. Upper body obesity is the strongest risk factor known for type-2 diabetes mellitus, and is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a recognized risk factor for hypertension, arteriosclerosis, congestive heart failure, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, reproductive disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon, and increased incidence of complications of general anesthesia. It reduces life-span and carries a serious risk of co-morbidities above, as well disorders such as infections, varicose veins, acanthosis nigricans, eczema, exercise intolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension hypercholesterolemia, cholelithiasis, orthopedic injury, and thromboembolic disease. Obesity is also a risk factor for the group of conditions called insulin resistance syndrome, or “Syndrome X.”
It has been shown that certain peptides that bind to the Y2 receptor when administered peripherally to a mammal induce weight loss. The Y2 receptor-binding peptides are neuropeptides that bind to the Y2 receptor. Neuropeptides are small peptides originating from large precursor proteins synthesized by peptidergic neurons and endocrine/paracrine cells. Often the precursors contain multiple biologically active peptides. There is great diversity of neuropeptides in the brain caused by alternative splicing of primary gene transcripts and differential precursor processing. The neuropeptide receptors serve to discriminate between ligands and to activate the appropriate signals. These Y2 receptor-binding peptides belong to a family of peptides including peptide YY (PYY), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pancreatic peptide (PP).
NPY is a 36-amino acid peptide and is the most abundant neuropeptide to be identified in mammalian brain. NPY is an important regulator in both the central and peripheral nervous systems and influences a diverse range of physiological parameters, including effects on psychomotor activity, food intake, central endocrine secretion, and vasoactivity in the cardiovascular system. High concentrations of NPY are found in the sympathetic nerves supplying the coronary, cerebral, and renal vasculature and have contributed to vasoconstriction. NPY binding sites have been identified in a variety of tissues, including spleen, intestinal membranes, brain, aortic smooth muscle, kidney, testis, and placenta.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor pharmacology is currently defined by structure activity relationships within the pancreatic polypeptide family. This family includes NPY, which is synthesized primarily in neurons; PYY, which is synthesized primarily by endocrine cells in the gut; and PP, which is synthesized primarily by endocrine cells in the pancreas. These approximately 36 amino acid peptides have a compact helical structure involving a “PP-fold” in the middle of the peptide. Specific features include a polyproline helix in residues 1 through 8, a β-turn in residues 9 through 14, an α-helix in residues 15 through 30, an outward-projecting C-terminus in residues 30 through 36, and a carboxyl terminal amide, which appears to be critical for biological activity. The peptides have been used to define at least five receptor subtypes known as Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4 and Y5. Y1 receptor recognition by NPY involves both N- and C-terminal regions of the peptide; exchange of Gln34 with Pro34 is fairly well tolerated. Y2 receptor recognition by NPY depends primarily upon the four C-terminal residues of the peptide (Arg33-Gln34-Arg35-Tyr36-NH2) preceded by an amphipathic an α-helix; exchange of Gln34 with Pro34 is not well tolerated. One of the key pharmacological features which distinguish Y1 and Y2 is the fact that the Y2 receptor (and not the Y1 receptor) has high affinity for the NPY peptide carboxyl-terminal fragment NPY-(13–36) and the PYY fragment PYY(22–36).
It has been shown that a 36 amino acid peptide called Peptide YY(1–36)[PYY(1–36)] [YPIKPEAPGEDASPEELNRYYASLRHYLNLVTRQRY, SEQ ID NO.: 1]. when administered peripherally by injection to an individual produces weight loss and thus can be used as a drug to treat obesity and related diseases, Morley, J. Neuropsychobiology 21:22–30 (1989). It was later found that to produce this effect PYY bound to a Y2 receptor, and the binding of a Y2 agonist to the Y2 receptor caused a decrease in the ingestion of carbohydrate, protein and meal size, Leibowitz, S. F. et al. Peptides, 12:1251–1260 (1991). An alternate molecular form of PYY is PYY(3–36) IKPEAPGEDASPEELNRYYASLRHYLNLVTRQRY [SEQ ID NO.: 2], Eberlein, Eysselein et al. Peptides 10: 797–803, 1989). This fragment constitutes approximately 40% of total PYY-like immunoreactivity in human and canine intestinal extracts and about 36% of total plasma PYY immunoreactivity in a fasting state to slightly over 50% following a meal. It is apparently a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP4) cleavage product of PYY. PYY3–36 is reportedly a selective ligand at the Y2 and Y5 receptors, which appear pharmacologically unique in preferring N-terminally truncated (i.e. C-terminal fragments of) NPY analogs. It has also been shown that a PYY fragment having only residues 22–36 will still bind to the Y2 receptor. However, if any of the carboxyl terminus of the peptide is cleaved, the peptide looses its ability to bind to the Y2 receptor. Hence a PYY agonist is a peptide, which has a partial sequence of full-length PYY and is able to bind to a Y2 receptor in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Hereinafter the term PYY refers to full-length PYY and any fragment of PYY that binds to a Y2 receptor.
It is known that PYY and PYY3–36 can be administered by intravenous infusion or injection to treat life-threatening hypotension as encountered in shock, especially that caused by endotoxins (U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,343), to inhibit proliferation of pancreatic tumors in mammals by perfusion, parenteral, intravenous, or subcutaneous administration, and by implantation (U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,010) and to treat obesity (Morley, J. Neuropsychobiology 21:22–30 (1989) and U.S. Patent Application No. 20020141985). It is also claimed that PYY can be administered by parenteral, oral, nasal, rectal and topical routes to domesticated animals or humans in an amount effective to increase weight gain of said subject by enhancing gastrointestinal absorption of a sodium-dependent cotransported nutrient (U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,227). However, for the treatment of obesity and related diseases, including diabetes, the mode of administration has been limited to intravenous IV infusion with no effective formulations optimized for alternative administration of PYY3–36. None of these prior art teachings provide formulations that contain PYY or PYY(3–36) combined with excipients designed to enhance mucosal (i.e., nasal, buccal, oral) delivery nor do they teach the value of endotoxin-free Y2-receptor binding peptide formulations for non-infused administration. Thus, there is a need to develop formulations and methods for administering PYY3–36.


The present invention relates to a tool with a fastener engaging member, and in particular, to a fastener engaging member that is adapted to form an interface with at least one surface on the fastener such that the fastener can be releasably retained to the driving portion of the tool.
The prior art has long sought to develop a satisfactory holding attachment for tools that assist the user in holding, piloting and starting a fastener, as well as with the removal of the fastener. One approach is to magnetize the tool. A magnetized tool is only suitable for retaining ferrous fasteners. Magnetized tools also collect ferrous debris, such as metal shavings and chips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,001 (Karle) discloses a hex-shaped tool head with a circumferential recess to receive as spring washer. The spring washer secures the hex-shaped tool head to the internal surfaces of the screw head. The circumferential recess weakens the tool head.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,698,521 (Wood); U.S. Pat. No. 1,712,196 (Burger et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,446 (Morifuji) disclose a pair of inwardly biased members that grasp the head of the fastener. These devices can typically be used only on fastener with heads within a certain size range. If the fastener head is larger or smaller than that certain size range, the device does not operate as intended. For some of these devices, the shape of the head is also critical to proper operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,913 (Anderson) discloses a pair of springs extending between a pair of arms attached to the tool that are adapted to grip the shank or threaded portion of the fastener. The usefulness of the device of Anderson is also limited by the size of the fastener. For large diameter fasteners, longer springs are required. The longer springs, however, are less effective at holding smaller diameter fasteners. Consequently, multiple devices are required to accommodate fasteners with largely varying diameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,886 (MacDonald) discloses a fastener holding nosepiece for a driving tool. The nosepiece is removable from the adapter by a quick disconnect feature that permits different nosepieces to be substituted to accommodate fasteners having heads of larger or smaller diameters.
The present invention is directed to a tool adapted to releasably retain a fastener. The tool includes a driving portion comprising a plurality of tool surfaces adapted to form an interface with a fastener. At least one polymeric fastener engaging member is located in a recess in the driving portion that extends above one or more of the tool surfaces. The fastener engaging member is adapted to form an interface with at least one surface on the fastener such that the fastener can be releasably retained to the driving portion.
In one embodiment, the recess and the fastener engaging member are located in a center region of the tool surface. The size of the center region can vary and may have a surface area larger than the recess and fastener engaging member. In one embodiment, the center region comprises about the middle 70% between the transition edges of adjacent tool surfaces, and more preferably about the middle 50% between the transition edges of adjacent tool surfaces, and most preferably about the middle 30% between the transition edges of adjacent tool surfaces.
The present invention is also directed to a driving portion comprising a plurality of tool surfaces adapted to be positioned in the tool receiving recess in a fastener. The fastener engaging member is adapted to form an interface with at least one surface in the tool receiving recess in the fastener such that the fastener can be releasably retained to the driving portion. The present invention is also directed to a tool with a fastener engaging member that is adapted to be positioned around a portion of the fastener.
In one embodiment, a single fastener engaging member is attached to the driving portion at only one of the tool surfaces. In another embodiment, a single fastener engaging member is attached to the driving portion along an edge between two adjacent tool surfaces. The fastener engaging member may also extend along the distal end of the tool.
The fastener engaging member is located in a recess formed in the driving portion. The recess can be located in one of the tool surfaces or along an edge between two adjacent tool surfaces. Discrete recesses can be located on a plurality of the tool surfaces. In one embodiment, the recess extends through the driving portion such that the fastener engaging member is located in the recess and extends above two non-adjacent tool surfaces on the driving portion. The two non-adjacent tool surfaces are preferably opposing surfaces such that the compressive forces on the fastener engaging member are generally opposing and co-linear.
In one embodiment, a reinforcing member is located in the polymeric material. The reinforcing member can be a resilient member that deforms elastically, such as spring member or a wire, or a substantially rigid member. The reinforcing member typically extends above one or more of the tool surfaces of the driving portion. In one embodiment, the reinforcing member extends above the polymeric material. The reinforcing member can also be rigid. In this embodiment, the rigid reinforcing member would be displaced (typically rotated) during compression of the polymeric material.
The polymeric material is selected from a group comprising nylon, polypropylene, PVC, ABS, cellulose, acetyl, polyethylene, fluoropolymers, polycarbonate, natural or synthetic rubber, and the like. In one embodiment, the polymeric material comprises an adhesive. The polymeric material typically extends above the tool surface about 0.001 inches to about 0.2 inches, although this distance will vary considerably with the application, such as the type of tool, the type of fastener, the material from which the fastener is constructed, and the like. The tool can be one of a ballpoint tool, a torx(copyright) driver, square drivers, a hex wrench, socket wrench, a flat-head screw driver, a phillips screw driver, an open-ended wrench, a box wrench, or any other tool adapted to releasably engage with a fastener.
The present invention is also directed to a tool adapted for use with a fastener having a tool receiving recess. The tool includes a driving portion comprising a plurality of tool surfaces adapted to be positioned in the tool receiving recess. At least one elongated fastener engaging member is located in the recess in the driving portion and extends above one or more of the tool surfaces. The fastener engaging member forms an interface with at least one surface in the tool receiving recess such that the fastener is releasably retained to the driving portion.
The fastener engaging member can be a polymeric material, metal, ceramic, or a combination thereof. The fastener engaging member can be configured as a coil spring, a wire, a ribbon, and the like. The fastener engaging member preferably comprises a spring member shaped to generate a biasing force against inside surfaces of the recess where the biasing force retains the elongated fastener engaging member in the recess. A polymeric material, such as an adhesive, can optionally be deposited in the recess with the elongated fastener engaging member.
The present method is also directed to a method of forming a tool adapted to releasably retain a fastener. The method includes forming one or more recesses in one or more tool surfaces of a driving portion of the tool. At least one polymeric fastener engaging member is located in each recess such that the fastener engaging member extends above one or more of the tool surfaces.
The fastener engaging member can be a polymeric material molded or inserted in the recess. In one embodiment, the driving portion engages with a tool receiving recess on the fastener.


As a bearer network technology for the Next Generation Network (NGN), the Ethernet technology is characterized by low cost, easy operation, and convenient upgrade. The Ethernet technology develops from single networks to a hierarchical and connection-oriented trend, and the current hierarchical Ethernet technology shapes up gradually. In the development process, a Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB TE) technology, namely, a Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) technology, is generated.
The PBB TE technology implements the connection-oriented feature of the Ethernet, and is a derivative technology of the Ethernet standard. It disables the spanning tree and disables the flood mechanism and the broadcast mechanism of traditional Ethernet, and provides various services by setting up tunnels on the backbone network. The PBB TE technology is developed on the basis of the Media Access Control (MAC)-in-MAC technology. The MAC-in-MAC technology uses the MAC address of an operator to encapsulate a user's MAC address, thus reducing and isolating user MAC addresses in the data transmission process. The MAC-in-MAC technology enables a network to be hierarchical, for example, divides a network into three layers, namely, a user network layer, a provider network layer, and a backbone network layer connected to each provider network. FIG. 1 schematically shows MAC-in-MAC network connections in the prior art. The network connections include a user network layer, a provider network layer, and a backbone network layer. Specifically, the user network layer is composed of a Customer Bridged Network (CBN) X and a CBN Y; the backbone network layer is a Provider Backbone Bridged Network (PBBN) layer; and the provider network layer is composed of Provider Bridged Network (PBN) X and PBN Y, where the PBN X connects the CBN X and the PBBN, and the PBN Y connects the CBN Y and the PBBN.
The PBB TE technology sets up a tunnel on the PBBN network to forward the two-layer MAC data frames. The tunnel is identified by a Backbone Destination Address (B-DA) and a Backbone Virtual Local Area Network ID (B-VID) in a B-tag. In the PBB TE tunnel, only the B-tag needs to be identified, and the user information is transparent. The PBB TE technology provides connection-oriented services for data frames, and sets up a working tunnel and a standby tunnel through an outer tag (B-tag)+B-DA (“+” means “plus”). The number of the standby tunnels to be set up depends on the actual network configuration. Each B-VID identifies the working tunnel and the standby tunnel between a Backbone Source Address (B-SA) and a Backbone Destination Address (B-DA). FIG. 2 schematically shows PBB TE tunnel connections in the prior art. The data frames are forwarded between the B-SA and the B-DA1 through the working tunnel identified by B-VID1, and the data frames are forwarded between the B-SA and the B-DA2 through the working tunnel identified by B-VID1, and a standby tunnel is configured for the working tunnel and is identified by B-VID2. The standby tunnel provides end-to-end protection for the working tunnel between the B-SA and the B-DA2. The data frames are forwarded between the B-SA and the B-DA3 through the working channel identified by B-VID1. On a PBBN network, the working tunnel between the B-SA and the B-DA1 is identified by B-DA1+B-VID1; the working tunnel between the B-SA and the B-DA2 is identified by B-DA2+B-VID1, and the standby tunnel is identified by B-DA2+B-VID2; and the tunnel between the B-SA and the B-DA3 is identified by B-DA3+B-VID1. In the PBB TE tunnel, the B-VID is reusable for different B-DAs, but it is necessary to ensure the combination of B-DA and B-VID, that is, the B-DA+B-VID to be unique throughout the PBBN. The PBB TE technology provides a good foundation for network expansion.
Normally, the data traffic (namely, data frames) sent from the B-SA runs along the working tunnel to the B-DA. When the working tunnel fails, the preconfigured standby tunnel becomes active and takes over the data traffic sent from the B-SA. The data traffic is sent to the B-DA through the standby tunnel to implement protection switching. The protection switching provides carrier grade end-to-end protection between the B-SA and the B-DA. FIG. 3 schematically shows PBB TE end-to-end protection in a prior art. When the working tunnel identified by B-VID1 between the B-SA and the B-DA2 fails, the B-SA switches the data frames over to the preconfigured standby tunnel identified by B-VID2. On the PBBN, the standby tunnel is identified by B-DA2+B-VID2, and the data frames are sent to the B-DA2 through the standby tunnel, thus implementing protection switching and PBB TE end-to-end protection.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and method for disinfecting a surface, such as a keyboard or display screen.
2. Background of the Related Art
The ordinary use of computer keyboards and touchscreens can lead to an accumulation of pathogens growing on these surfaces. These pathogens may then increase in number or be spread between individuals that share use of the keyboards and touchscreens. A “pathogen” may be any infectious agent that can cause disease, such as a virus, bacterium, prion, fungus, viroid or parasite.
Although it is desirable to periodically clean the surfaces of a keyboard and touchscreen, doing so can be difficult and tedious, while posing a threat of damage to the devices. In particular, a keyboard includes a large number of individual surfaces and mechanical connections that can become displaced or damaged due to physical forces, and electrical components that can be damaged by corrosive fluids or excessive amounts of fluids.
Current disinfection methods involve either wiping the keyboard with a cloth carrying some type of disinfectant chemical or manually moving a UV light-emitting wand over the keyboard. The wiping method leaves many areas untouched and some users are uncomfortable wiping their keyboards with a liquid (or gel). The UV light method is rarely used and requires purchase and care of a separate device. Still, neither of these cleaning methods will prevent the spread of pathogens if a user will not take the time to use them properly.


In recent years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been drawing attention. The OCT creates an image representing the exterior or interior structure of an object to be measured using light beams from a laser light source or the like. Unlike X-ray computed tomography (CT), the OCT is not invasive on the human body, and therefore is expected to be applied to the medical field and the biological field, in particular. For example, in the opthalmological field, apparatuses for forming images of the fundus oculi or the cornea have been in practical use.
Patent Document 1 discloses a device using Fourier-domain OCT or frequency-domain OCT. This device irradiates an object to be measured with a beam of low-coherence light, and superimposes the light reflected from the object on reference light to generate interference light. The device then obtains the spectral intensity distribution of the interference light, and applies Fourier transform thereto to acquire an image of the morphology of the object to be measured in the depth direction (z direction). The device includes a galvanometer mirror configured to scan a light beam (measurement light) in a direction (x direction) perpendicular to the z direction, thereby forming an image of a desired area of the object to be measured. The image formed by the device is a two-dimensional cross-sectional image in the depth direction (z direction), taken along the scanning direction (x direction) of the light beam. Such technique using a spectrometer is called “spectral-domain”.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technology, in which measurement light is scanned in the horizontal direction (x direction) and the vertical direction (y-direction) to thereby form a plurality of two-dimensional cross-sectional images in the horizontal direction. Based on the cross-sectional images, three-dimensional cross-section information is obtained for a measurement range. As the three-dimensional imaging, for example, there are a method of arranging a plurality of cross-sectional images in the vertical direction (referred to as “stack data”, etc.), a method of performing rendering on volume data (voxel data) based on the stack data to thereby form a three-dimensional image, and the like.
Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose OCT devices of other types. Patent Document 3 discloses an OCT device, which scans (sweeps) the wavelengths of light irradiated to the object to be measured, and sequentially detects interference light obtained by superimposing reflected light of each wavelength on reference light to acquire spectral intensity distribution. The device applies Fourier transform to the spectral intensity distribution to form an image of the morphology of the object to be measured. Such an OCT device is called swept-source OCT. The swept-source OCT is a type of Fourier-domain OCT.
Patent Document 4 discloses an OCT device, which irradiates light beams having a predetermined diameter to an object to be measured, and analyzes the components of interference light obtained by superimposing the reflected light on reference light. Thereby, the device captures an image of the object to be measured in a cross-section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the light. Such an OCT device is called full-field OCT or en-face OCT.
Patent Document 5 discloses a configuration in which OCT is applied to the ophthalmologic field. Incidentally, before the application of OCT, a fundus camera, a slit lamp, a scanning laser opthalmoscope (SLO), or the like has been used as a device for observing the subject's eye (see, for example, Patent Documents 6, 7, and 8). The fundus camera is a device that irradiates the subject's eye with illumination light and receives the light reflected from the fundus to thereby capture an image of the fundus. The slit lamp is a device that cuts out an optical section of the cornea using a slit light to thereby acquire an image of the cross-section of the cornea. The SLO is a device that scans the fundus with a laser beam, and detects its reflected light with a high-sensitivity element such as a photomultiplier tube for imaging the morphology of the fundus surface.
The devices using OCT offer advantages with respect to the fundus camera in that they can acquire high-resolution images, and also that they can obtain cross-sectional images as well as three-dimensional images.
As described above, the devices using OCT can be used for the observation of different parts of the eye, and are capable of acquiring high-resolution images. Therefore, the OCT devices have been applied to a variety of ophthalmic diseases. For example, there has been a known device, which is made of a combination of an OCT device and a subjective visual acuity test device, and provides materials for the diagnosis of maculopathy and glaucoma (see Patent Document 9).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-325849
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-139421
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-24677
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-153838
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-73099
[Patent Document 6] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 9-276232
[Patent Document 7] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-259544
[Patent Document 8] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-11381
[Patent Document 9] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2011-515194


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus, and more particularly, relates to a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus provided with a mechanism for moving a sub-chassis relative to a main chassis.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2627465. Referring to FIGS. 36 to 38, a conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus 300 will be described.
FIG. 36 is a plan view of a slide chassis 301. A spring hook 341 having a groove 356 is mounted on the slide chassis 301.
FIG. 37 is a plan view of a main chassis 351. A slide chassis driving lever 359 is swingably mounted on the main chassis 351 via a swing shaft 361. A cam pin 363 extends from the slide chassis driving lever 359 and engages with a slide chassis driving groove 357 of the main cam 353.
Referring to FIG. 38, the spring hook 341 has two holes 341A and 341B for fastening the spring hook 341 to the slide chassis 301. The holes 341A and 341B are elongate in the direction of sliding of the slide chassis 301 (direction indicated by arrow B3). Using these elongate holes 341A and 341B, the position of the spring hook 341 can be adjusted in the direction B3 so that the position of the slide chassis 301 and the position of a slide chassis driving pin 365 of the slide chassis driving lever 359 correspond to each other in the loading state. After the adjustment, the spring hook 341 is fastened to the slide chassis 301 with screws or the like. Such a construction is normal for a conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus having a slide chassis.
The driving mechanism for the slide chassis 301 as described above has at least the following problems.
In the above mechanism, the position of the slide chassis 301 at the completion of the loading operation is adjusted by moving the slide chassis 301 in the direction B3 as described above. The spring hook 341 is fastened to the slide chassis 301 via the holes elongate in the direction B3. Accordingly, if an abnormal load is applied to the spring hook 341 in a direction blocking the loading/unloading operations during the loading/unloading operations, the spring hook 341 may move in the direction B3 against the fastening force, resulting in a change in the position of the slide chassis 301 with respect to the main chassis 351. Such an application of an abnormal load is likely to occur since the slide chassis is the portion of the magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus which is exposed to direct contact with a user.
Moreover, a reel base for driving a tape reel in a cassette is located at a position in the direction B3 from the spring hook 341. Accordingly, an attempt to secure a moving space for the spring hook 341 will block realization of a small-sized mechanism.
The object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus provided with a small-sized mechanism capable of achieving high reliability.


In Canada, cigarettes are packaged and sold in packets of 20 and 25 cigarettes per package, generally in two distinctly-different types of package, with each cigarette usually having a length of 85 mm or 100 mm. For the 20 cigarette-size package, a hard-box hinge-lid package encloses the cigarettes and a cover hinged to a lower cigarette-retaining portion is used for opening the package to allow access to the cigarettes and for reclosing the package. The cigarettes are arranged in a single bundle or group in three parallel rows, the outer rows containing seven cigarettes and the middle row containing six cigarettes, with each of the cigarettes in the middle row engaging two of the cigarettes in each of the outer rows.
For the 25 cigarette-size package, however, the cigarettes are supported in an inner tray which is slidably-mounted in an outer sleeve so that access to the cigarettes is obtained by sliding of the inner tray part way out of the sleeve. The cigarettes are separated into two distinct bundles or groups, one group containing 12 cigarettes arranged in two parallel rows and the outer group containing 13 cigarettes arranged in two blocks of two parallel rows of three cigarettes each, separated by the odd cigarette, the respective parallel rows of the groups being in straight line alignment.
In some instances, 20 cigarette-size packages of the same type as the 25 cigarette-size package mentioned above are used, and in this instance, the two bundles of cigarettes have 10 cigarettes each arranged in two parallel rows.
One of the drawbacks to the current 25-cigarette packages is their bulkiness due to the two row arrangement of the cigarettes in the package, leading to the necessity of shirt-pocket storage and transportation with the package on its side. This storage arrangement, however, is possible only with 85 mm or shorter cigarettes since shirt pockets do not have a width dimention to accommodate longer cigarettes. Further when the package contains 85 mm cigarettes, and is stored in this way, their is usually insufficient residual room to allow storage of writing implements or matches as well in the shirt pocket.
Furthermore, storage and transportation of cigarettes on their side in this way leads to tobacco which has fallen out of the cigarettes being distributed over the cigarettes, leading commonly to tobacco particles on the outer surface of the cigarette filters, so that tobacco particles may enter the smoker's mouth unless the particles on the filter surface are carefully removed before the cigarette is placed in the smoker's mouth. Removal of these tobacco particles is a tedious chore for the smoker and entry of tobacco particles into the mouth is considered undesirable by many smokers.
Despite these drawbacks, a considerable number of smokers prefer to purchase cigarettes in units of 25 rather than 20, even though the 20-cigarette package may be stored and transported upright in a shirt pocket, so that any tobacco particles falling out of the cigarettes remain in the bottom of the package, and hence the filter-fouling problem does not arise.
Attempts to package 25 cigarettes in a hinge lid pack to take advantage of its unitary construction, compact form and lack of filter fouling by tobacco particles have not been successful since the increased width of package required to accommodate three rows of cigarettes in a single-bundle 25-cigarette array leads to the falling out of sight of cigarettes into the lower cigarette-retaining portion when only a few remain, giving the impression of an empty package and presenting difficulties in access to the cigarettes for removal from the package. This problem is more acute with the more-common 85 mm-length cigarettes as compared with the less-common 100 mm-length cigarettes. Where the tray-and-sleeve 25-cigarette package mentioned above is used, the accessibility problem does not arise, since simple sliding of the tray relative to the sleeve allows any remaining cigarette to be readily detected and removed. This package, however, has dimensional and other defects, as mentioned above.
Even in the case of the 20-cigarette package, when one or a few cigarettes remain, typically of 85 mm or less length, there is a falling out of sight of the cigarettes. Although access to these cigarettes is a minor problem as compared with the more severe problem of a 25-cigarette package, it nevertheless exists but has been tolerated by the art.
A further difficulty in packaging cigarettes in a three-row array in a hinge-lid pack arises from the need to have a cigarette located at each corner of the bundle for ease of wrapping of the bundle in foil paper to provide a cubic shape to the bundle. Thus, the outer rows of cigarettes must contain one more cigarette than the centre row and each cigarette in the centre row now must engage two cigarettes in each of the outer rows. These requirements allow only certain numbers of cigarettes to be provided in a single bundle, the number increasing by three for each increased size of bundle. The minimum number is five and the possible numbers of cigarettes include 20, 23 and 26, but not 25.
Thus, heretofore, there has never been provided a cigarette package of the hinge-lid type containing total numbers of cigarettes of 20 or more arranged in three rows and which allows all the cigarettes in the package to be visible and accessible irrespective of the number of cigarettes remaining in the package.


The present invention relates to an aqueous, preferably clear, composition, article of manufacture, and method for use as a freshening composition. Preferably, the composition is sprayed onto fabrics, particularly clothes, to restore their freshness by reducing malodor impression, without washing or dry cleaning. Fabrics treated with the composition of the present invention also release extra fragrance upon rewetting, such as when the wearer perspires. The freshening composition of the present invention is designed to extend the wear of fabrics between washing or dry cleaning. Fabrics treated with the freshening composition of the present invention will stay fresher longer, and receive extra freshening effect via perfume release when it is most needed, that is upon fabric rewetting.
A wide variety of deodorizing compositions are known in the art, the most common of which only contain a perfume to mask the malodor. Odor masking is the intentional concealment of one odor by the addition of another. The preference to the masking perfume is varied greatly, depending on the application, e.g., underarm odor masking, fabric odor masking, bathroom odor masking, etc. Appropriate perfume ingredients need to be selected to connote freshness.
Odor modification, in which the odor is changed, e.g., by chemical modification, has also been used. Current malodor modification methods known in the art which do not simply mask odors are oxidative degradation, which uses oxidizing agents such as oxygen bleaches, chlorine, chlorinated materials such as sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, etc., and potassium permanganate to reduce malodor, and reductive degradation which uses reducing agents such as sodium bisulfite to reduce malodor. Both of these methods are unacceptable for use on fabrics because they can damage colored fabrics, specifically, they can bleach and discolor colored fabrics.
Other methods of odor control contain actives that are targeted to react with malodors having specific chemical functional groups. Examples of such actives are: biguanide polymers, which complex with organic compounds containing organically bound N and/or S atoms and fatty alcohol esters of methyl methacrylic acid which react with thiols, amines, and aldehydes. A more detailed description of these methods can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,544,093, 3,074,891, and U.K. Pat. App. No. 941,105, all of said patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference. Fatty alcohol esters of methyl methacrylic acid are not preferred in the composition of this invention because they are not water soluble.
Other types of deodorizing compositions known in the art contain antibacterial and antifungal agents which regulate the malodor-producing microorganisms found on the surface to which the deodorizing composition is directed. Many skin deodorant products use this technology. These compositions are not effective on malodors that do not come from bacterial sources, such as tobacco or food odors.
Fabric malodor is most commonly caused by environmental odors such as tobacco odor, cooking and/or food odors, or body odor. The unpleasant odors are mainly organic molecules which have different structures and functional groups. One type of malodor that is very noticeable, and is commonly found on worn fabrics is low molecular weight, straight-chain, branched, and unsaturated C.sub.6 -C.sub.11 fatty acids that cause axillary odor. See "Analysis of Characteristic Odor from Human Male Axillae", X. Zeng, et al., J. Chem. Ecol., pp. 1469-1492, 1991, incorporated herein by reference. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,909, Marschner et al., issued May 12, 1987, BE 830,098, published Oct. 1, 1975, and CA 1,088,428, published Oct. 28, 1980, DE 2,803,176, published Aug. 3, 1978, all of said patents and applications incorporated herein by reference.
Cyclodextrin molecules are known for their ability to form complexes with perfume ingredients and have typically been taught as a perfume carrier. The prior art teaches the use of drier-added fabric softener sheets containing high levels of cyclodextrin/perfume complexes wherein the fabrics treated with this solid cyclodextrin complex release perfume when the fabrics are rewetted. The art also teaches that cyclodextrin/perfume complexes used in aqueous rinse-added fabric softener compositions must be protected, e.g., with a hydrophobic wax coating so the cyclodextrin/perfume complexes will not decompose due to the presence of water. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,564 Gardlik et al., issued Apr. 7, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,610, Gardlik et al., issued Aug. 10, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,611 Trinh, et al., issued Aug. 10, 1993, all of said patents incorporated herein by reference. It is therefore highly surprising and unexpected to find that fabrics treated with the aqueous compositions of the present invention, which contain low levels of cyclodextrin, also exhibit perfume release upon rewetting. This phenomenon creates a benefit in that fabrics treated with the composition of the present invention will thus remain fresh longer, via a perfume release, when said fabrics are rewetted, such as when the wearer perspires.


In the recent significant development of smaller-size and lighter-weight optical equipment, aspherical lenses have been used increasingly. The aspherical lens is advantageous in that aberration of light can readily be corrected and that the number of lenses can be decreased so as to allow reduction in size of the equipment.
For fabricating an aspherical lens or the like, a glass preform is softened by heating, which is then formed into a desired shape by precision-mold press molding. There are generally two ways of obtaining the preform: one is to cut a piece of glass out of a glass block or bar and process it into a preform, and the other is to drop a molten glass from a distal end of a nozzle so as to obtain a glass preform in the spherical form.
In order to obtain a molded product of glass by way of precision molding, it is necessary to press-mold the preform under the temperature condition near the deformation point (At). Therefore, when the preform has a higher deformation point (At), the mold coming into contact with the preform will be exposed to a higher temperature, causing the surface of the mold to suffer oxidization and corrosion. This gives rise to the need of maintenance of the mold, hindering mass production at a low cost. Accordingly, it is desired that the optical glass constituting the preform can be molded at a relatively low temperature, or, that it has a low glass transition point (Tg) and/or a low deformation point (At).
As to the glass used for a molded lens, a glass having various optical characteristics suitable for its specific use is demanded. In particular, there is an increasing demand for a glass having a high refractive index, low dispersion, and a low deformation point.
The conventional glasses satisfying the above-described optical characteristics include a barium flint glass. This not only contains PbO (lead oxide) hazardous to humans, but also poses other unfavorable problems. For example, metallic lead would be deposited on a surface of the product upon precision press molding, and a glass surface would be likely to become rough due to fusion with the mold.
In a digital camera, it is necessary to reduce the lens surface reflection as much as possible, and anti-reflection coating is used for that purpose. In order to restrict the reflectance as well as incident angle dependence and also to broaden the wavelength band, however, a considerable number of layers of coating films are required, resulting in complicated and expensive process steps.
As a way of achieving low reflectance without the coating films, it is known to form, on the surface of a lens or the like, a fine structure that is smaller in size than the wavelength of light. This may be done, for example, by nanoimprinting using a resin. A material having a low softening temperature such as a resin is relatively easy to form and shape using a microfabricated mold. However, temperature dependence of refractive index of the resin is about −1×10−4 (K), which is greater than that of the glass by two orders of magnitude. This means that for a part intended for higher image quality, the change in refractive index will affect the image quality more severely. In view of the foregoing, a glass for use in transferring a fine structure has been studied in order to achieve higher functionality of an optical part. A fine structure-transferred glass is an ultra-precision-mold press-molded product having a glass surface onto which the mold's concavo-convex pattern on the order of μm to nm has been transferred. For example, a conventional optical part may be replaced with a lens provided with such a fine structure so as to advantageously achieve a compact device with higher functionality at a reduced cost. A mold made up of Ni and P, which has conventionally been used primarily for molding a resin lens, may be used as well. As the characteristics required for the glass, it is crucially important that the deformation point is 500° C. or lower in order to restrict deterioration of the mold. Furthermore, in order to eliminate the need of a coating film on a lens, climate resistance of the glass itself is required as well.
As a glass free of PbO and having the above-described optical characteristics, a P2O5—R12O—R2O-(rare earth oxide or the like) type glass (where R1: alkali metal oxide, and R2: divalent metal oxide) has been disclosed. This optical glass has a refractive index (nd) of 1.63 to 1.67, an Abbe number (υd) of 47 to 59, and a deformation point (At) of 500° C. or lower (Patent Document 1).
There is also disclosed a P2O5—R12O—BaO—ZnO-(high-valent oxide) type optical glass. This optical glass has a refractive index (nd) of 1.52 to 1.7, and an Abbe number (υd) of 42 to 70 (Patent Document 2).
Also disclosed are a P2O5—R12O—R2O—Nb2O5 type glass, a P2O5—R12O—Nb2O5—WO3 type glass, and a P2O5—R12O—Bi2O3 type glass. These optical glasses each have a refractive index (nd) of 1.57 or greater, and a deformation point (At) of 570° C. or lower (Patent Documents 3 to 7).
There are also disclosed a P2O5—B2O3—R12O—R2O—Gd2O3 type glass and a P2O5—B2O3—R12O—BaO—ZnO type glass. These optical glasses each have a refractive index (nd) of L54 or greater, and an Abbe number (υd) of 57 or greater (Patent Documents 8 and 9).
Further disclosed is a P2O5—R12O—R2O—ZnO—Al2O3 type glass. This optical glass has a refractive index (nd) of 1.55 to 1.65, an Abbe number (υd) of 55 to 65, and a deformation point of 500° C. or lower (Patent Documents 10 to 12).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-139845
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-217513
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-293572
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-247659
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-335549
Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-2153
Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-238197
Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-52119
Patent Document 9: WO 2003/072518
Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-168593
Patent Document 11: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-262703
Patent Document 12: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-53749


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic electronic flash, and particularly concerns the automatic electronic flash capable of automatic adjustment of amount of flashed light when photographic scenery is of rear light.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic electronic flash, which has a function of automatically controlling amount of flashed light in response to the light reflected from a scene, is very useful to make good picture for an amateur photographer.
In an automatic electronic flash photographing for a rear light scene for instance in outdoor scene with portrait in a bright sky, namely in a fill-in flash photographing, there are the following problems.
When the automatic electronic photographing for the rear light scene is executed on trial, most probable operation sequence is: firstly, brightness of scene is measured by exposure measuring system of a camera for the photographic scene angle for a shutter speed appropriate for strobe synchronization, thereby to obtain suitable F-stop value for the scene, and secondly, F-stop number of the automatic electronic flash and the stop of the camera are adjusted to the above-mentioned suitable stop value.
When a rear light scene is considered, in most cases the back scene of the object is a vacant space, or even when not the vacant space, something to reflect light is at a very far distance. Accordingly, unlike the ordinary indoor flash photographing with automatic electronic flash, amount of light incident to light sensor of the automatic electronic flash during the photographic flash is very small. In other word, unlike the indoor photographing where lights are reflected from various matters surrounding the photographic object, in case of a rear light photographing, for instance in outdoor scene, there is substantially no reflection of light of the flash, since there are no surrounding matters in not far distance other than the photographic object. As a result, in the rear light photographing, the amount of light incident to light sensor of the automatic electronic flash becomes considerably smaller than that in the case of indoor flash phographing with the same automatic electronic flash.
Accordingly, when the automatic photographing of outdoor is carried out in the above-mentioned operation sequence, the photographing naturally results in an overexposuring, thereby making the resultant photograph whitish.
According to the experimental study of the inventors, it has been found that, for fill-in flash photographing for such scenes with mountain or sea as backgound, the photograph becomes overexposured by a degree of 1-2 F-stops as converted into the stop value, irrespective of the stop value used within the usually used stop value range of F1.4-F22.
Accordingly, it has been believed that the fill-in flash photographing is not satisfactorily made with automatic electronic flashing, and instead a manual flash apparatus has been used as follows: firstly shutter speed of the camera is set usually to 1/60 sec. and the brightness of the photographic scene is measured by appropriately setting film sensitivity in the camera or in an exposure meter, thereby to measure suitable stop value. And secondly, distance between the camera and the photographic object is measured and a product of the distance and the above-mentioned stop value is calculated and a guide number dial of the manual flash apparatus is adjusted to the value of the product.
The above-mentioned conventional manual setting of the flash apparatus, however, is troublesome for amature photographer of small experience, and the above-mentioned sequence of manual setting is not well understood, or setting of the guide number by the product is difficult for him or been forgot by him. Accordingly there are many liability of failure of the flash photography in backlight. And therefore, the rear light photography is considered difficult to produce good picture.
Furthermore in some case, even when the user can understand and operates the above-mentioned sequence of the manual flash photographing, it is necessary that the calculated guide number is always available on the flash apparatus, and in such case there is a necessity to change distance between the camera and the object or in some time the photographing of the object becomes impossible.
On the other hand, in order to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, there has been many proposals for automatic electronic flashes easily usable for amateur photographer, but these modern devices are limited in a parmanent combination with camera. In view of the above-mentioned problem, there is a strong demand for a satisfactory automatic electronic flash capable of photographing even for rear light scenery without troublesome manual operation and calculation.


The detection and characterization of specific nucleic acid sequences and sequence changes have been utilized to detect the presence of viral or bacterial nucleic acid sequences indicative of an infection, the presence of variants or alleles of mammalian genes associated with disease and cancers, and the identification of the source of nucleic acids found in forensic samples, as well as in paternity determinations.
Various methods are known in the art which may be used to detect and characterize specific nucleic acid sequences and sequence changes. Nonetheless, as nucleic acid sequence data of the human genome, as well as the genomes of pathogenic organisms accumulates, the demand for fast, reliable, cost-effective and user-friendly tests for specific sequences continues to grow. Importantly, these tests must be able to create a detectable signal from a very low copy number of the sequence of interest. The following discussion examines three levels of nucleic acid detection currently in use: I. Signal Amplification Technology for detection of rare sequences; II. Direct Detection Technology for detection of higher copy number sequences; and III. Detection of Unknown Sequence Changes for rapid screening of sequence changes anywhere within a defined DNA fragment.
I. Signal Amplification Technology Methods For Amplification
The "Polymerase Chain Reaction" (PCR) comprises the first generation of methods for nucleic acid amplification. However, several other methods have been developed that employ the same basis of specificity, but create signal by different amplification mechanisms. These methods include the "Ligase Chain Reaction" (LCR), "Self-Sustained Synthetic Reaction" (3SR/NASBA), and "Q.beta.-Replicase" (Q.beta.).
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202 to Mullis and Mullis et al., describe a method for increasing the concentration of a segment of target sequence in a mixture of genomic DNA without cloning or purification. This technology provides one approach to the problems of low target sequence concentration. PCR can be used to directly increase the concentration of the target to an easily detectable level. This process for amplifying the target sequence involves introducing a molar excess of two oligonucleotide primers which are complementary to their respective strands of the double-stranded target sequence to the DNA mixture containing the desired target sequence. The mixture is denatured and then allowed to hybridize. Following hybridization, the primers are extended with polymerase so as to form complementary strands. The steps of denaturation, hybridization, and polymerase extension can be repeated as often as needed, in order to obtain relatively high concentrations of a segment of the desired target sequence.
The length of the segment of the desired target sequence is determined by the relative positions of the primers with respect to each other, and, therefore, this length is a controllable parameter. Because the desired segments of the target sequence become the dominant sequences (in terms of concentration) in the mixture, they are said to be "PCR-amplified."
Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR or LAR)
The ligase chain reaction (LCR; sometimes referred to as "Ligase Amplification Reaction" (LAR) described by Barany, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 88:189 (1991); Barany, PCR Methods and Applic., 1:5 (1991); and Wu and Wallace, Genomics 4:560 (1989) has developed into a well-recognized alternative method for amplifying nucleic acids. In LCR, four oligonucleotides, two adjacent oligonucleotides which uniquely hybridize to one strand of target DNA, and a complementary set of adjacent oligonucleotides, which hybridize to the opposite strand are mixed and DNA ligase is added to the mixture. Provided that there is complete complementarity at the junction, ligase will covalently link each set of hybridized molecules. Importantly, in LCR, two probes are ligated together only when they base-pair with sequences in the target sample, without gaps or mismatches. Repeated cycles of denaturation, hybridization and ligation amplify a short segment of DNA. LCR has also been used in combination with PCR to achieve enhanced detection of single-base changes. Segev, PCT Public. No. W09001069 A1 (1990). However, because the four oligonucleotides used in this assay can pair to form two short ligatable fragments, there is the potential for the generation of target-independent background signal. The use of LCR for mutant screening is limited to the examination of specific nucleic acid positions.
Self-Sustained Synthetic Reaction (3SR/NASBA)
The self-sustained sequence replication reaction (3SR) (Guatelli et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 87:1874-1878 1990!, with an erratum at Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 87:7797 1990!) is a transcription-based in vitro amplification system (Kwok et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 86:1173-1177 1989!) that can exponentially amplify RNA sequences at a uniform temperature. The amplified RNA can then be utilized for mutation detection (Fahy et al., PCR Meth. Appl., 1:25-33 1991!). In this method, an oligonucleotide primer is used to add a phage RNA polymerase promoter to the 5' end of the sequence of interest. In a cocktail of enzymes and substrates that includes a second primer, reverse transcriptase, RNase H, RNA polymerase and ribo-and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, the target sequence undergoes repeated rounds of transcription, cDNA synthesis and second-strand synthesis to amplify the area of interest. The use of 3SR to detect mutations is kinetically limited to screening small segments of DNA (e.g., 200-300 base pairs).
Q-Beta (Q.beta.) Replicase
In this method, a probe which recognizes the sequence of interest is attached to the replicatable RNA template for Q.beta. replicase. A previously identified major problem with false positives resulting from the replication of unhybridized probes has been addressed through use of a sequence-specific ligation step. However, available thermostable DNA ligases are not effective on this RNA substrate, so the ligation must be performed by T4 DNA ligase at low temperatures (37.degree. C.). This prevents the use of high temperature as a means of achieving specificity as in the LCR, the ligation event can be used to detect a mutation at the junction site, but not elsewhere.
Table 1 below, lists some of the features desirable for systems useful in sensitive nucleic acid diagnostics, and summarizes the abilities of each of the major amplification methods (See also, Landgren, Trends in Genetics 9:199 1993!).
A successful diagnostic method must be very specific. A straight-forward method of controlling the specificity of nucleic acid hybridization is by controlling the temperature of the reaction. While the 3SR/NASBA, and Q.beta. systems are all able to generate a large quantity of signal, one or more of the enzymes involved in each cannot be used at high temperature (i.e., >55.degree. C.). Therefore the reaction temperatures cannot be raised to prevent non-specific hybridization of the probes. If probes are shortened in order to make them melt more easily at low temperatures, the likelihood of having more than one perfect match in a complex genome increases. For these reasons, PCR and LCR currently dominate the research field in detection technologies.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ METHOD: PCR & 3SR FEATURE PCR LCR LCR NASBA Q.beta. ______________________________________ Amplifies Target + + + + Recognition of Independent + + + + + Sequences Required Performed at High Temp. + + Operates at Fixed Temp. + + Exponential Amplification + + + + + Generic Signal Generation + Easily Automatable ______________________________________
The basis of the amplification procedure in the PCR and LCR is the fact that the products of one cycle become usable templates in all subsequent cycles, consequently doubling the population with each cycle. The final yield of any such doubling system can be expressed as: (1+X).sup.n =y, where "X" is the mean efficiency (percent copied in each cycle), "n" is the number of cycles, and "y" is the overall efficiency, or yield of the reaction (Mullis, PCR Methods Applic., 1:1 1991!). If every copy of a target DNA is utilized as a template in every cycle of a polymerase chain reaction, then the mean efficiency is 100%. If 20 cycles of PCR are performed, then the yield will be 2.sup.20, or 1,048,576 copies of the starting material. If the reaction conditions reduce the mean efficiency to 85%, then the yield in those 20 cycles will be only 1.85.sup.20, or 220,513 copies of the starting material. In other words, a PCR running at 85% efficiency will yield only 21% as much final product, compared to a reaction running at 100% efficiency. A reaction that is reduced to 50% mean efficiency will yield less than 1% of the possible product.
In practice, routine polymerase chain reactions rarely achieve the theoretical maximum yield, and PCRs are usually run for more than 20 cycles to compensate for the lower yield. At 50% mean efficiency, it would take 34 cycles to achieve the million-fold amplification theoretically possible in 20, and at lower efficiencies, the number of cycles required becomes prohibitive. In addition, any background products that amplify with a better mean efficiency than the intended target will become the dominant products.
Also, many variables can influence the mean efficiency of PCR, including target DNA length and secondary structure, primer length and design, primer and dNTP concentrations, and buffer composition, to name but a few. Contamination of the reaction with exogenous DNA (e.g., DNA spilled onto lab surfaces) or cross-contamination is also a major consideration. Reaction conditions must be carefully optimized for each different primer pair and target sequence, and the process can take days, even for an experienced investigator. The laboriousness of this process, including numerous technical considerations and other factors, presents a significant drawback to using PCR in the clinical setting. Indeed, PCR has yet to penetrate the clinical market in a significant way. The same concerns arise with LCR, as LCR must also be optimized to use different oligonucleotide sequences for each target sequence. In addition, both methods require expensive equipment, capable of precise temperature cycling.
Many applications of nucleic acid detection technologies, such as in studies of allelic variation, involve not only detection of a specific sequence in a complex background, but also the discrimination between sequences with few, or single, nucleotide differences. One method for the detection of allele-specific variants by PCR is based upon the fact that it is difficult for Taq polymerase to synthesize a DNA strand when there is a mismatch between the template strand and the 3' end of the primer. An allele-specific variant may be detected by the use of a primer that is perfectly matched with only one of the possible alleles; the mismatch to the other allele acts to prevent the extension of the primer, thereby preventing the amplification of that sequence. This method has a substantial limitation in that the base composition of the mismatch influences the ability to prevent extension across the mismatch, and certain mismatches do not prevent extension or have only a minimal effect (Kwok et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 18:999 1990!).)
A similar 3'-mismatch strategy is used with greater effect to prevent ligation in the LCR (Barany, PCR Meth. Applic., 1:5 1991!). Any mismatch effectively blocks the action of the thermostable ligase, but LCR still has the drawback of target-independent background ligation products initiating the amplification. Moreover, the combination of PCR with subsequent LCR to identify the nucleotides at individual positions is also a clearly cumbersome proposition for the clinical laboratory.
II. Direct Detection Technology
When a sufficient amount of a nucleic acid to be detected is available, there are advantages to detecting that sequence directly, instead of making more copies of that target, (e.g., as in PCR and LCR). Most notably, a method that does not amplify the signal exponentially is more amenable to quantitative analysis. Even if the signal is enhanced by attaching multiple dyes to a single oligonucleotide, the correlation between the final signal intensity and amount of target is direct. Such a system has an additional advantage that the products of the reaction will not themselves promote further reaction, so contamination of lab surfaces by the products is not as much of a concern. Traditional methods of direct detection including Northern and Southern blotting and RNase protection assays usually require the use of radioactivity and are not amenable to automation. Recently devised techniques have sought to eliminate the use of radioactivity and/or improve the sensitivity in automatable formats. Two examples are the "Cycling Probe Reaction" (CPR), and "Branched DNA" (bDNA)
The cycling probe reaction (CPR) (Duck et al., BioTech., 9:142 1990!), uses a long chimeric oligonucleotide in which a central portion is made of RNA while the two termini are made of DNA. Hybridization of the probe to a target DNA and exposure to a thermostable RNase H causes the RNA portion to be digested. This destabilizes the remaining DNA portions of the duplex, releasing the remainder of the probe from the target DNA and allowing another probe molecule to repeat the process. The signal, in the form of cleaved probe molecules, accumulates at a linear rate. While the repeating process increases the signal, the RNA portion of the oligonucleotide is vulnerable to RNases that may carried through sample preparation.
Branched DNA (bDNA), described by Urdea et al., Gene 61:253-264 (1987), involves oligonucleotides with branched structures that allow each individual oligonucleotide to carry 35 to 40 labels (e.g., alkaline phosphatase enzymes). While this enhances the signal from a hybridization event, signal from non-specific binding is similarly increased.
III. Detection Of Unknown Sequence Changes
The demand for tests which allow the detection of specific nucleic acid sequences and sequence changes is growing rapidly in clinical diagnostics. As nucleic acid sequence data for genes from humans and pathogenic organisms accumulates, the demand for fast, cost-effective, and easy-to-use tests for as yet unknown mutations within specific sequences is rapidly increasing.
A handful of methods have been devised to scan nucleic acid segments for mutations. One option is to determine the entire gene sequence of each test sample (e.g., a bacterial isolate). For sequences under approximately 600 nucleotides, this may be accomplished using amplified material (e.g., PCR reaction products). This avoids the time and expense associated with cloning the segment of interest. However, specialized equipment and highly trained personnel are required, and the method is too labor-intense and expensive to be practical and effective in the clinical setting.
In view of the difficulties associated with sequencing, a given segment of nucleic acid may be characterized on several other levels. At the lowest resolution, the size of the molecule can be determined by electrophoresis by comparison to a known standard run on the same gel. A more detailed picture of the molecule may be achieved by cleavage with combinations of restriction enzymes prior to electrophoresis, to allow construction of an ordered map. The presence of specific sequences within the fragment can be detected by hybridization of a labeled probe, or the precise nucleotide sequence can be determined by partial chemical degradation or by primer extension in the presence of chain-terminating nucleotide analogs.
For detection of single-base differences between like sequences, the requirements of the analysis are often at the highest level of resolution. For cases in which the position of the nucleotide in question is known in advance, several methods have been developed for examining single base changes without direct sequencing. For example, if a mutation of interest happens to fall within a restriction recognition sequence, a change in the pattern of digestion can be used as a diagnostic tool (e.g., restriction fragment length polymorphism RFLP! analysis).
Single point mutations have been also detected by the creation or destruction of RFLPs. Mutations are detected and localized by the presence and size of the RNA fragments generated by cleavage at the mismatches. Single nucleotide mismatches in DNA heteroduplexes are also recognized and cleaved by some chemicals, providing an alternative strategy to detect single base substitutions, generically named the "Mismatch Chemical Cleavage" (MCC) (Gogos et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 18:6807-6817 1990!). However, this method requires the use of osmium tetroxide and piperidine, two highly noxious chemicals which are not suited for use in a clinical laboratory.
RFLP analysis suffers from low sensitivity and requires a large amount of sample. When RFLP analysis is used for the detection of point mutations, it is, by its nature, limited to the detection of only those single base changes which fall within a restriction sequence of a known restriction endonuclease. Moreover, the majority of the available enzymes have 4 to 6 base-pair recognition sequences, and cleave too frequently for many large-scale DNA manipulations (Eckstein and Lilley (eds.), Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology, vol. 2, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg 1988!). Thus, it is applicable only in a small fraction of cases, as most mutations do not fall within such sites.
A handful of rare-cutting restriction enzymes with 8 base-pair specificities have been isolated and these are widely used in genetic mapping, but these enzymes are few in number, are limited to the recognition of G+C-rich sequences, and cleave at sites that tend to be highly clustered (Barlow and Lehrach, Trends Genet., 3:167 1987!). Recently, endonucleases encoded by group I introns have been discovered that might have greater than 12 base-pair specificity (Perlman and Butow, Science 246:1106 1989!), but again, these are few in number.
If the change is not in a recognition sequence, then allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASOs), can be designed to hybridize in proximity to the unknown nucleotide, such that a primer extension or ligation event can be used as the indicator of a match or a mis-match. Hybridization with radioactively labeled allelic specific oligonucleotides (ASO) also has been applied to the detection of specific point mutations (Conner et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 80:278-282 1983!). The method is based on the differences in the melting temperature of short DNA fragments differing by a single nucleotide. Stringent hybridization and washing conditions can differentiate between mutant and wild-type alleles. The ASO approach applied to PCR products also has been extensively utilized by various researchers to detect and characterize point mutations in ras genes (Vogelstein et al., N. Eng. J. Med., 319:525-532 1988!; and Farr et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 85:1629-1633 1988!), and gsp/gip oncogenes (Lyons et al., Science 249:655-659 1990!). Because of the presence of various nucleotide changes in multiple positions, the ASO method requires the use of many oligonucleotides to cover all possible oncogenic mutations.
With either of the techniques described above (i.e., RFLP and ASO), the precise location of the suspected mutation must be known in advance of the test. That is to say, they are inapplicable when one needs to detect the presence of a mutation of an unknown character and position within a gene or sequence of interest.
Two other methods rely on detecting changes in electrophoretic mobility in response to minor sequence changes. One of these methods, termed "Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis" (DGGE) is based on the observation that slightly different sequences will display different patterns of local melting when electrophoretically resolved on a gradient gel. In this manner, variants can be distinguished, as differences in melting properties of homoduplexes versus heteroduplexes differing in a single nucleotide can detect the presence of mutations in the target sequences because of the corresponding changes in their electrophoretic mobilities. The fragments to be analyzed, usually PCR products, are "clamped" at one end by a long stretch of G-C base pairs (30-80) to allow complete denaturation of the sequence of interest without complete dissociation of the strands. The attachment of a GC "clamp" to the DNA fragments increases the fraction of mutations that can be recognized by DGGE (Abrams et al., Genomics 7:463-475 1990!). Attaching a GC clamp to one primer is critical to ensure that the amplified sequence has a low dissociation temperature (Sheffield et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 86:232-236 1989!; and Lerman and Silverstein, Meth. Enzymol., 155:482-501 1987!). Modifications of the technique have been developed, using temperature gradients (Wartell et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 18:2699-2701 1990!), and the method can be also applied to RNA:RNA duplexes (Smith et al., Genomics 3:217-223 1988!).
Limitations on the utility of DGGE include the requirement that the denaturing conditions must be optimized for each type of DNA to be tested. Furthermore, the method requires specialized equipment to prepare the gels and maintain the needed high temperatures during electrophoresis. The expense associated with the synthesis of the clamping tail on one oligonucleotide for each sequence to be tested is also a major consideration.
Another common method, called "Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism" (SSCP) was developed by Hayashi, Sekya and colleagues (reviewed by Hayashi, PCR Meth. Appl., 1:34-38, 1991!) and is based on the observation that single strands of nucleic acid can take on characteristic conformations in non-denaturing conditions, and these conformations influence electrophoretic mobility. The complementary strands assume sufficiently different structures that one strand may be resolved from the other. Changes in sequences within the fragment will also change the conformation, consequently altering the mobility and allowing this to be used as an assay for sequence variations (Orita, et al., Genomics 5:874-879, 1989!).
The SSCP process involves denaturing a DNA segment (e.g., a PCR product) that is labelled on both strands, followed by slow electrophoretic separation on a non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel, so that intra-molecular interactions can form and not be disturbed during the run. This technique is extremely sensitive to variations in gel composition and temperature. A serious limitation of this method is the relative difficulty encountered in comparing data generated in different laboratories, under apparently similar conditions.
In addition to the above limitations, all of these methods are limited as to the size of the nucleic acid fragment that can be analyzed. For the direct sequencing approach, sequences of greater than 600 base pairs require cloning, with the consequent delays and expense of either deletion sub-cloning or primer walking, in order to cover the entire fragment. SSCP and DGGE have even more severe size limitations. Because of reduced sensitivity to sequence changes, these methods are not considered suitable for larger fragments. Although SSCP is reportedly able to detect 90% of single-base substitutions within a 200 base-pair fragment, the detection drops to less than 50% for 400 base pair fragments. Similarly, the sensitivity of DGGE decreases as the length of the fragment reaches 500 base-pairs.
Clearly, there remains a need for a method that is less sensitive to size so that entire genes, rather than gene fragments, may be analyzed. Such a tool must also be robust, so that data from different labs, generated by researchers of diverse backgrounds and skills will be comparable. Ideally, such a method would be compatible with "multiplexing," (i.e., the simultaneous analysis of several molecules or genes in a single reaction or gel lane, usually resolved from each other by differential labelling or probing). Such an analytical procedure would facilitate the use of internal standards for subsequent analysis and data comparison, and increase the productivity of personnel and equipment. The ideal method would also be easily automatable.


The class of polymers of carbon monoxide and olefin(s) is well known in the art. Brubaker, U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,286 produced such polymers of relatively low carbon monoxide content in the presence of free radical initiators, e.g., peroxy compounds. G.B. 1,081,304 produced similar polymers of higher carbon monoxide content in the presence of alkylphosphine complexes of palladium compounds as catalyst. Nozaki extended the reaction to produce linear alternating polymers in the presence of arylphosphine complexes of palladium moieties and certain inert solvents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,412. More recently, the production of the linear alternating polymers has become of greater interest because of the availability and the desirable properties of such polymers, now becoming known as polyketones or polyketone polymers. The more recent processes for the production of polyketone polymers are illustrated by a number of published European patent applications including 121,965, 181,014, 213,671 and 257,663. The processes generally involve the use of a catalyst composition formed from a compound of palladium, cobalt or nickel, the anion of a strong non-hydrohalogenic acid and a bidentate ligand of phosphorus, arsenic or antimony. The scope of the polymerization is extensive but, without wishing to be limited, many preferred catalyst compositions are produced from a compound of palladium, the anion of a non-hydrohalogenic acid having a pKa below 2 and a bidentate aromatic ligand of phosphorus.
The rate at which polymerization takes place will be determined in part by the ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons undergoing polymerization. In general, ethylene will polymerize at a rate considerably faster than ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons of three or more carbon atoms. Copolymers of ethylene and a second ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon of three or more carbon atoms are also formed at an acceptable rate in the presence of the above-described catalyst composition. When all the ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons are of three or more carbon atoms the rate of polymerization decreases.
It is known that the rate of production of linear alternating polymers containing at least a portion of ethylene can be improved or promoted by the presence of organic oxidizing agents including hydroquinones. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,774 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,935, it is disclosed that oxygen-containing generally acyclic aliphatic compounds such as ethers, ketones and esters will serve to promote catalytic activity in the polymerization or copolymerization of ethylene to form linear alternating polymers. It would be of advantage to provide a process for the production of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide and ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon of at least 3 carbon atoms wherein the catalytic activity of a palladium-containing polyketone polymerization catalyst has been promoted.


According to the completion of the genome project for both human and various target animals and plants and the development of bioinformatics, mRNA has been proved to act as a messenger transmitting genetic information of DNA to a protein and at the same time to regulate the gene expression.
Since the beginning of year 2000, micro-RNA (miRNA) or its precursor pre-miRNA has been proved to regulate 10-20% of gene functions. In prokaryotes, some parts of mRNA are directly bound with a metabolite, suggesting that it has ribo-switch that regulates the functions of metabolite related protein. It has been also confirmed that the secondary structure of untranslating region of mRNA of higher animals regulates mRNA stability and translation efficiency.
The numbers of such RNA that has regulatory function are considerable. The structure of the RNA is composed of a series of hairpin structures in which stems and loops (basic motif) are arranged serially. It is also presumed that pharmacophore of natural miRNA or biologically significant mRNA might be the specific stem-loop (hairpin) structure, which is less than 30 nt, considering the size of binding region of ribo-switch to a compound.
Although every mRNA has been proved to have secondary structure, the confirmed mRNA hairpin structures are very few, which are only exemplified by Rev Response Element (RRE) of HIV-1, trans-activation response element (TAR) of HIV-1, Thymidylate Synthase mRNA of various tumor cells and Ion Responsive Element (IRE) involved in homeostasis of iron ion and dementia, which is attributed to the lack of biological methods, the lack of information on RNA-binding protein and insufficient information on hairpin structure, etc. However, RNA targets having the hairpin structure are highly expected to be major biological targets and so great effort has to be made to find out ligands against such pouring RNA targets.
Polyamines having several amine groups have been produced by imitating the conventional RNA pro-binding aminoglycoside compound, which have also been confirmed to be bound with RNA targets very well (Lawton et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126: 12762-12763, 2004). Successively, morphology of a protein was observed according to the methylation of an amino acid containing amine group existing in natural RNA binding protein (Das and Frankel, Biopolymers, 70: 80-85, 2003). From the investigation of natural RNA binding proteins and binding peptides was confirmed that lysine or arginine which contains a large number of amine groups was included in the peptides and such proteins or peptides were already methylated considerably (Tan and Fankel, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 92, 5282-5286, 1995). It was additionally confirmed that RNA binding capacity was increased as methylation of arginine of RNA binding protein proceeded (Liu and Dreyfuss, Mol Cell Biol. 15, 2800-2808, 1995).
There have been a great numbers of reports on RNA binding capacity of a peptide containing amine group or RNA binding capacity depending on the methylation of amine group and natural RNA binding peptides and methylation of them. However, there was no report yet on synthesized RNA binding peptide or specific RNA binding capacity of a methylated peptide. Therefore, to obtain a peptide specifically binding to RNA, the present inventors prepared a peptide composed of 15 amino acids containing 7 alpha-helical lysines. In the meantime, to ensure the diversity of such peptides, a library was constructed by using the combination of methylated lysines. Then, the present inventors completed this invention by selecting peptides showing the strongest binding capacity to RRE-RNA of HIV-1 from those synthesized from the library. The peptide of the present invention thus has not only strong but also specific RRE RNA binding capacity, so that it can be used as a therapeutic agent for AIDS.


1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and a method of controlling a temperature of a matching material, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method of maintaining a property of a matching material associated with an electromagnetic wave loss by controlling a temperature of the matching material used in an apparatus for generating a tomographic image. “This invention was funded by the MISP (Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning), Korea in the ICT R&D Program 2013 into an information and communication technology (ICT) research development program in 2013”
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, research into microwave tomography (MT) using an electromagnetic wave is being conducted to develop a new technology for diagnosing breast cancer.
An apparatus for generating a tomographic image may immerse a breast in a predetermined matching material that allows an electromagnetic wave to readily penetrate the breast, and reconfigure a tomographic image of the breast based on wave scattering data that penetrates the breast.
The apparatus for generating the tomographic image may use amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast as key information to be used to reconfigure the tomographic image of the breast.
However, the matching material has a property of causing a loss in the electromagnetic wave that passes through the matching material, and the property may vary based on a temperature of the matching material.
When the property of the matching material is maintained, the amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast may be measured precisely based on the property of the matching material. However, when the property of the matching material changes, a time may needed to reconfigure the tomographic image or an error may occur in the reconfiguring.
Furthermore, the property of the matching material may vary in response to the temperature of the matching material decreasing based on a period of time elapsing because the temperature of the matching material is higher than a general room temperature.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and a method of preventing the amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast from being deteriorated due to the change in the property of the matching material based on a period of time elapsing.


Generally, a fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect. Fistulae can develop in various parts of the body. For example, types of fistulae, named for the areas of the body in which they occur, include anorectal fistula or fistula-in-ano or fecal fistula (between the rectum or other anorectal area and the skin surface), arteriovenous fistula or A-V fistula (between an artery and vein), biliary fistula (between the bile ducts to the skin surface, often caused by gallbladder surgery), cervical fistula (abnormal opening in the cervix), craniosinus fistula (between the intracranial space and a paranasal sinus), enteroenteral fistula (between two parts of the intestine), enterocutaneous fistula (between the intestine and the skin surface, namely from the duodenum or the jejunum or the ileum), enterovaginal fistula (between the intestine and the vagina), gastric fistula (between the stomach to the skin surface), metroperitoneal fistula (between the uterus and peritoneal cavity), perilymph fistula (a tear between the membranes between the middle and inner ears), pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (between an artery and vein of the lungs, resulting in shunting of blood), rectovaginal fistula (between the rectum and the vagina), umbilical fistula (between the umbilicus and gut), tracheoesophageal fistula (between the breathing and the feeding tubes) and vesicovaginal fistula (between the bladder and the vagina). Causes of fistulae include trauma, complications from medical treatment and disease.
Treatment for fistulae varies depending on the cause and extent of the fistula, but generally involves surgical intervention. Various surgical procedures are commonly used, most commonly fistulotomy, placement of a seton (a cord that is passed through the path of the fistula to keep it open for draining), or an endorectal flap procedure (where healthy tissue is pulled over the internal side of the fistula to keep feces or other material from reinfecting the channel). Surgery for anorectal fistulae is not without side effects, including recurrence, reinfection, and incontinence.
Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are the leading causes of anorectal, enteroenteral, and enterocutaneous fistulae. The reported incidence of fistula in Crohn's disease ranges from 17% to 50%. Management of fistulae in patients with Crohn's disease continues to present an extremely challenging problem since many such fistulae do not respond to available treatments. Such fistulae and their recurrence are a very distressing complication that significantly reduces the quality of life of affected patients. Recent improvements in medical treatment (e.g., treatment with Infliximab) and expert surgical management have decreased the need for complicated surgery. However, many patients are not cured. Failure of fistulae to heal is probably due to the suboptimal quality of tissues that have been affected by Crohn's disease. Indeed, Crohn's fistulae provide a model system for wound healing under some of the worst possible conditions.
Another leading cause of fistulae is trauma, e.g. by rape, or by injuries sustained during childbirth, to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder and/or rectum leading to rectovaginal fistula and vesicovaginal fistula. Every year approximately 100,000 women across the developing world sustain such fistulae (also known as obstetric fistulae) during obstructed labor. During obstructed labor, the pressure of the baby's head against the mother's pelvis cuts off blood supply to delicate tissues in the region. The dead tissue falls away and the woman is left with a vesicovaginal fistula and sometimes a rectovaginal fistula. This hole results in permanent incontinence of urine and/or feces. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates the world's population of obstetric fistula sufferers at more than two million. This calculation could be a significant underestimate. Success rates for primary surgical repair range from 88 to 93 percent but decrease with successive attempts. Thus, a significant percentage of women have obstetrical fistulae that cannot be repaired surgically.
New therapies for fistulae are needed.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for a multiclient-support client-server type document management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a document management system that is used by a plurality of client Personal Computers (PC) in a network, a document management server stores therein data to be displayed in the form of a list or the like on the display screen of each client PC. Some of the client PCs may refer to a list containing the same data in the document management server. In this case, a user of a client PC is not informed in real-time of changes in attributes or status of the-data caused by another user, and is not able to carry out optimal operation on the data in the list.
For example, suppose that the document management server includes multiple storages. If a user A transfers any data stored in a storage 1 to another storage 2, a user B who is referring to a list containing the data is not aware that the data has been transferred by the user A to the storage 2 because the list referred to by the user B indicates that the data is still stored in the storage 1. Due to this, the user B performs operation on the data as it is in the storage 1.
In a technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No 2003-337813, a client-server type document management system includes a client PC and a document management server that are connected via a network. The document management server includes a notifying unit that allows, when management contents at a server side are changed by a client PC, a document manager to easily learn the change of the management contents. In a technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No 2003-85024, a document management program and method are applied to a server connectable to a network for updatably managing a document file in the server on a World Wide Web (WWW) system.
As described above, in a document management system that is used by multiple client PCs on a network, a document management server stores therein data to be displayed in the form of a list or the like on the display screen of each client PC. Some of the client PCs may refer to a list containing the same data in the document management server. In this case, a user of a client PC is not informed in real-time of changes in attributes or status of the data caused by another user, and is not able to carry out optimal operation on the data in the list.
One approach to the problem is to send a message, from the document management server to each client PC, informing that a client PC has transferred data in the document management server. With the message, each client PC can update the list. However, there are document management systems in which the document management server does not issue such a message or the client PC is not able to process the message issued from the document management server. Thus, there is a need of a technology for allowing each client PC to voluntarily confirm status of data in the document management server.


The Kiosk was designed and developed to accommodate a need for a “stand alone unit” that houses an interactive computer monitor/touch screen display, for commercial trade shows and traveling exhibit applications. The requirements were to be lightweight, collapsible and shippable (UPS, FEDEX etc.) and yet maintain a “corporate” look. It was also required to have shelving for a CPU and CD/DVD player, keyboard, speakers for the audio aspect and a storage area for miscellaneous accessories. The kiosk also required that an operator be able to gain access to the equipment without completely disassembling the unit, so a locking door feature was incorporated into the present invention.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need in the art to develop a sturdy lightweight foldable monitor stand with foldable shelves for easy portability and storage. The present invention is directed to overcoming one, or more, of the problem set forth above.


FEC (Forward Error Correction, forward error correction) is an error control technology in data transmission, and is widely used in communications field such as optical communication. The FEC has strong error correction capacity, and while a bit error rate before correction of long distance data transmission is greater than 2E-2 (representing that at most 1 bit error occurs when transmitting 2×102 bits), the bit error after FEC error correction can be kept below 1E-15.
In an optical communication system, a burst noise existing in a channel may lead to a burst bit error. The FEC has certain capacity of correcting the burst bit error; however, when the burst bit error caused by the burst noise in the channel exceeds the capacity of correcting the burst bit error of the FEC, the bit error may be spread, and a serious bit error rate after correction is generated.
To deal with the burst bit error, a channel interleaving solution is usually adopted in this field, that is, a continuous burst bit error is “scattered” to different FEC code words, so that the volume of the burst bit error in each code word is smaller than the capacity of correcting the burst bit error of the FEC. The specific method is: interleaving data after FEC coding at a transmitting end, correspondingly de-interleaving the interleaved data after being transmitted through a channel at a receiving end, and performing FEC decoding on the de-interleaved data. Three channel interleaving solutions exist in the prior art, namely, block interleaving, bit interleaved interleaving, and helical interleaving.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a block interleaving solution. The block interleaving specifically adopts a “row-in and column-out” manner, that is, an information flow is buffered with an order of the row in a storage and then output in the column direction.
FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a bit interleaving solution. The bit interleaved interleaving specifically mixes two information flows in a bit interleaved manner.
FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a helical interleaving solution. The helical interleaving specifically adopts a “row-in and twill-out” manner, that is, an information flow is buffered with an order of the row in a storage and then output in the twill direction.
However, when the foregoing three interleaving solutions match with a block convolutional decoder to correct the burst bit error, with increase of the interleave depth, the capacity of correcting the burst bit error of the foregoing three interleaving solutions may meet a bottleneck, and the implementation complexity of the three interleaving solutions is high.


Security is an important issue within the development of integrated circuits. Components and information within these integrated circuits require some way to provide access protection to protect the integrity of these systems. A security system of some form is usually implemented to prevent unauthorized access to particular locations of integrated circuits such as components (e.g. memory) of a data processing system. Trusted software developers are authorized users responsible for all applications on an integrated circuit such as a data processing system. They know of the existence, location, and use of every component and feature within the data processing system. In general, when a data processing system is released to the public, full disclosure of all the features is not given to the general public. They are only informed of those elements that apply to their needs and uses of the integrated circuit. Therefore, these authorized software developers, by having full access to the system, are responsible for all applications within the data processor while only limited information is given to the general users.
A problem arises when unauthorized users access portions of the system that are not available to the general public. These unauthorized users can therefore achieve access to important components and violate the security of the system. This violation gives the unauthorized users important information concerning data or functions within the system, and this information can be detrimental to an integrated circuit such as a data processing system. A technique used to secure portions of a data processing system is to generate an exception fault anytime an access fault is detected. This exception fault is then handled by a software exception handler in a prior art manner. A large problem with a software exception handler arises when unauthorized users detect this software security feature and possibly trace the software in the handler. Unauthorized users can achieve unlimited access and can even override the handler in order to access protected components of the data processor or other integrated circuit. The software exception handler is very susceptible to penetration; therefore, a need exists for a more secure method to prevent unauthorized access to information stored in an integrated circuit.