Abstract: A light source for a color display apparatus (1) for displaying light at optical wavelengths corresponding a plurality of different colors sequentially, comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes (3, 4, 5) each respectively operable to emit light to display a respective one of the plurality of different colors, a power source (26) connected to the plurality of LEDs for supplying power thereto a plurality of capacitor units (7, 8, 9) connected to the power source to be provided thereby with charge for generating a respective one of a plurality of different respective forward bias voltages for application to the LEDs to operate the LED. A control unit (10) is operable to selectively connect a capacitor unit to an LED for applying a desired one of the different said forward bias voltages thereto according to the color of light which the LED is operable to display.

Abstract: Techniques for managing data in a non-volatile memory system (e.g., Flash Memory) are disclosed. A controller can use information relating to a host's file system, which is stored by the host on non-volatile memory, to determine if one or more clusters (or sectors with clusters) are currently allocated. The controller can use the information relating to the host's file system to identify when the host is sending data to the next free cluster and to store such data in a sequential format by copying data from other locations in the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the production of a substance or composition for the treatment, by therapy or prophylaxis, of parasitic infections, in particular malarial infections such as Plasmodium falciparum infections, of the human or animal body. The process comprises extracting the substance or composition from roots of the plant species Dicoma anomala, by an extraction using an organic solvent to obtain a liquid extract containing the substance or composition and removing the solvent from the liquid extract to leave a dried extract containing the substance or composition. The invention extends also to the use of the substance or composition in the manufacture of a medicament or preparation for such treatment of infections; to a substance or composition for use in such treatment of said infections; to compounds for use in such treatment of said infections; and to a method of treating said infections using such compounds.

Abstract: In a memory that is programmable page by page and each page having multiple sectors that are once-programmable, even if successive writes are sequential, the data recorded to an update block may be fragmented and non-sequential. Instead of recording update data to an update block, the data is being recorded in at least two interleaving streams. When a full page of data is available, it is recorded to the update block. Otherwise, it is temporarily recorded to the scratch pad block until a full page of data becomes available to be transferred to the update block. Preferably, a pipeline operation allows the recording to the update block to be set up as soon as the host write command indicates a full page could be written. If the actual write data is incomplete due to interruptions, the setup will be canceled and recording is made to the scratch pad block instead.

Abstract: In a nonvolatile memory with block management system that supports update blocks with non-sequential logical units, an index of the logical units in a non-sequential update block is buffered in RAM and stored periodically into the nonvolatile memory. In one embodiment, the index is stored in a block dedicated for storing indices. In another embodiment, the index is stored in the update block itself. In yet another embodiment, the index is stored in the header of each logical unit. In another aspect, the logical units written after the last index update but before the next have their indexing information stored in the header of each logical unit. In this way, after a power outage, the location of recently written logical units can be determined without having to perform a scanning during initialization. In yet another aspect, a block is managed as partially sequential and partially non-sequential, directed to more than one logical subgroup.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory is constituted from a set of memory planes, each having its own set of read/write circuits so that the memory planes can operate in parallel. The memory is further organized into erasable blocks, each for storing a logical group of logical units of data. In updating a logical unit, all versions of a logical unit are maintained in the same plane as the original. Preferably, all versions of a logical unit are aligned within a plane so that they are all serviced by the same set of sensing circuits. In a subsequent garbage collection operation, the latest version of the logical unit need not be retrieved from a different plane or a different set of sensing circuits, otherwise resulting in reduced performance. In one embodiment, any gaps left after alignment are padded by copying latest versions of logical units in sequential order thereto.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the production of a substance or composition for the treatment, by therapy or prophylaxis, of parasitic infections, in particular malarial infections such as Plasmodium falciparum infections, of the human or animal body. The process comprises extracting the substance or composition from roots of the plant species Dicoma anomala, by an extraction using an organic solvent to obtain a liquid extract containing the substance or composition and removing the solvent from the liquid extract to leave a dried extract containing the substance or composition. The invention extends also to the use of the substance or composition in the manufacture of a medicament or preparation for such treatment of infections; to a substance or composition for use in such treatment of said infections; to compounds for use in such treatment of said infections; and to a method of treating said infections using such compounds.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory is constituted from a set of memory planes, each having its own set of read/write circuits so that the memory planes can operate in parallel. The memory is further organized into erasable blocks, each for storing a logical group of logical units of data. In updating a logical unit, all versions of a logical unit are maintained in the same plane as the original. Preferably, all versions of a logical unit are aligned within a plane so that they are all serviced by the same set of sensing circuits. In a subsequent garbage collection operation, the latest version of the logical unit need not be retrieved from a different plane or a different set of sensing circuits, otherwise resulting in reduced performance. In one embodiment, any gaps left after alignment are padded by copying latest versions of logical units in sequential order thereto.

Abstract: In a nonvolatile memory with block management system that supports update blocks with non-sequential logical units, an index of the logical units in a non-sequential update block is buffered in RAM and stored periodically into the nonvolatile memory. In one embodiment, the index is stored in a block dedicated for storing indices. In another embodiment, the index is stored in the update block itself. In yet another embodiment, the index is stored in the header of each logical unit. In another aspect, the logical units written after the last index update but before the next have their indexing information stored in the header of each logical unit. In this way, after a power outage, the location of recently written logical units can be determined without having to perform a scanning during initialization. In yet another aspect, a block is managed as partially sequential and partially non-sequential, directed to more than one logical subgroup.

Abstract: In a memory that is programmable page by page and each page having multiple sectors that are once-programmable, even if successive writes are sequential, the data recorded to an update block may be fragmented and non-sequential. Instead of recording update data to an update block, the data is being recorded in at least two interleaving streams. When a full page of data is available, it is recorded to the update block. Otherwise, it is temporarily recorded to the scratch pad block until a full page of data becomes available to be transferred to the update block. Preferably, a pipeline operation allows the recording to the update block to be set up as soon as the host write command indicates a full page could be written. If the actual write data is incomplete due to interruptions, the setup will be canceled and recording is made to the scratch pad block instead.

Abstract: In a memory that is programmable page by page and each page having multiple sectors that are once-programmable, even if successive writes are sequential, the data recorded to an update block may be fragmented and non-sequential. Instead of recording update data to an update block, the data is being recorded in at least two interleaving streams. When a full page of data is available, it is recorded to the update block. Otherwise, it is temporarily recorded to the scratch pad block until a full page of data becomes available to be transferred to the update block. Preferably, a pipeline operation allows the recording to the update block to be set up as soon as the host write command indicates a full page could be written. If the actual write data is incomplete due to interruptions, the setup will be canceled and recording is made to the scratch pad block instead.

Abstract: The on-chip copy process is extended so that the data may be copied between two blocks that may be on different chips, different planes on the same chip, or the same plane of the same chip. More specifically, the methods described here provide a single data copying mechanism that allows data to be copied between any two locations in a memory system. An exemplary embodiment uses an EDO-type timing. According to another aspect, selected portions of the relocated data, such as chosen words in a transferred page, can be updated in the controller on the fly. In addition to transferring a data set directly from a read buffer of a source array to a write buffer of a destination array, the data set can concurrently be copied, if desired, into the controller where an error detection and correction operation can be performed on it.

Abstract: Techniques for managing data in a non-volatile memory system (e.g., Flash Memory) are disclosed. A controller can use information relating to a host's filing system, which is stored by the host on non-volatile memory, to determine if one or more clusters (or sectors with clusters) are currently allocated. The controller can use the information relating to the host's filing system to ensure that one or more clusters (or one or more sectors within a cluster) are not copied from one location to another location in the memory during a garbage collection cycle. As a result, some unnecessary operations (e.g., copying data) which are conventionally performed can be avoided and system performance can be enhanced.

Abstract: Update data to a non-volatile memory may be recorded in at least two interleaving streams such as either into an update block or a scratch pad block depending on a predetermined condition. The scratch pad block is used to buffered update data that are ultimately destined for the update block. In a preferred embodiment, an index of the data stored in the scratch pad block as well that stored in the update block is saved in an unused portion of the scratch pad block every time the scratch pad block is written to.

Abstract: Update data to a non-volatile memory may be recorded in at least two interleaving streams such as either into an update block or a scratch pad block depending on a predetermined condition. The scratch pad block is used to buffered update data that are ultimately destined for the update block. Synchronization information about the order recording of updates among the streams is saved with at least one of the streams. This will allow the most recently written version of data that may exist on multiple memory blocks to be identified. In one embodiment, the synchronization information is saved in a first block and is a write pointer that points to the next recording location in a second block. In another embodiment, the synchronization information is a time stamp.

Abstract: A method of detecting a predetermined alarm condition in a combustion emission gas. The method comprises exposing to the gas a semiconductor gas sensor having a p-type mixed metal oxide semiconducting material of the first, second and/or third order transition metal series, the semiconducting material being responsive both to a change in concentration of a reducing gas in the surrounding atmosphere and to a change in concentration of oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere to exhibit a change in its electrical resistance. The resistance is monitored and an alarm signal is output if the resistance exceeds a predetermined value corresponding to the alarm condition.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory system is organized in physical groups of physical memory locations. Each physical group (metablock) is erasable as a unit and can be used to store a logical group of data. A memory management system allows for update of a logical group of data by allocating a metablock dedicated to recording the update data of the logical group. The update metablock records update data in the order received and has no restriction on whether the recording is in the correct logical order as originally stored (sequential) or not (chaotic). Eventually the update metablock is closed to further recording. One of several processes will take place, but will ultimately end up with a fully filled metablock in the correct order which replaces the original metablock. In the chaotic case, directory data is maintained in the non-volatile memory in a manner that is conducive to frequent updates. The system supports multiple logical groups being updated concurrently.

Abstract: Semiconductor gas-sensitive materials of the formula Cr2-xTixO3 where 0.05>x?0.0001, and gas sensors formed therefrom.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed, a method of handling data which is being written to and stored in flash memory, wherein input data, comprising information data and overhead data, undergoes a reversible transformation before being written to flash memory whereupon each bit stored in flash memory, as flash data, is a function of both information data and header data.

Abstract: Semiconductor gas sensors with improved selectivity to target gases are provided by having a semiconductor gas-sensing layer and a layer thereon of microporous ceramic oxide having catalytic activity.