Author: claimsbot

1. A method of determining a leader’s strategy for a security domain by solving a Stackelberg game, the method comprising:
fixing the policy of a leader to a k-uniform policy according to a Stackelberg game for a security domain;
formulating using a processor an optimization problem the follower solves to find its optimal response to the leader’s policy;
maximizing the payoff of the leader, given that the follower uses an optimal response that is function of the leader’s policy, and formulating the problem as a mixed integer quadratic program (MIQP);
performing a decomposition of the MIQP to produce a decomposed MIQP, wherein the decomposition addresses the size of the MIQP;
reformulating the leader payoff problem by linearizing the MIQP to form a decomposed mixed-integer linear program (MILP);
solving using the processor the decomposed MILP; and
directing a patrolling strategy of an agent within the security domain based on the solved decomposed MILP.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization problem the follower solves is of the form,
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij

\u2062

x
i

\u2062

q
j
,
wherein the leader is the row player and the follower the column player, the vector of strategies of the leader are denoted by x, q denotes the vector of strategies of the follower, X and Q denote the index sets of the leader and follower’s pure strategies, respectively, k is the size of the multiset, and the payoff matrix C correspond to Cij that is the reward of the follower when the leader takes pure strategy i and the follower takes pure strategy j.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the optimization problem is subject to constraints,
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
=
1
and q\u22670.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the MIQP is of the form,
max
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

R
ij

\u2062
q
\u2061

(
x
)
j

\u2062

x
i
,
and wherein the payoff matrix R corresponds to Rij, the reward of the leader.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062

x
i
=
k
and xi\u2208{0, 1, . . . , k}.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the MIQP is of the form,
max
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

R
ij

\u2062

x
i

\u2062

q
j
,
and wherein the payoff matrix R corresponds to Rij, the reward of the leader.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211
i

\u2062

x

i
\u2062
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(

a
–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij

\u2062

x
i
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
x
i

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
q
i

\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein for the k-uniform policy x, the value xi is the number of times pure strategy i is used in the k-uniform policy, and wherein the k-uniform policy is selected with probability xik.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a decomposition for multiple adversaries.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a decomposition comprises constructing a decomposed MIQP of the form,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

l
\u2208
L
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
p
l

k

\u2062

R
ij
l

\u2062

x
i

\u2062
q
j
l

.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211
i

\u2062

x

i
\u2062
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
l
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(
a
l

–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij
l

\u2062

x
i
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
l
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
x
i

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
q
j
l

\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a decomposition comprises constructing a decomposed MILP of the form,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

l
\u2208
L
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
p
l

k

\u2062

R
ij
l

\u2062
z
ij
j

.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the MILP is subject to constraints,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
\u2264
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
l
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(
a
l

–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij
l

\u2062
x
i

\u2061

(
\u2211

h
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ih
l
)
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
l
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
=
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
,
\u2062
z
ij
l

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
\u2062
\u2062

q
j
l
\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent comprises a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the security domain comprises infrastructure to be protected.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the security domain comprises one or more airport terminals to be protected.
17. A computer-executable program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium with resident computer-readable instructions, the computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:
fixing the policy of a leader to a k-uniform policy according to a Stackelberg game for a security domain;
formulating an optimization problem the follower solves to find its optimal response to the leader’s policy;
maximizing the payoff of the leader, given that the follower uses an optimal response that is function of the leader’s policy, and formulating the problem as a mixed integer quadratic program (MIQP);
performing a decomposition of the MIQP to produce a decomposed MIQP, wherein the decomposition addresses the size of the MIQP;
reformulating the leader payoff problem by linearizing the decomposed MIQP to form a decomposed mixed-integer linear program (MILP);
solving the decomposed MILP, wherein the leader’s strategy for a security domain can be determined; and
directing a patrolling strategy of an agent within the security domain based on the solved decomposed MILP.
18. The computer-executable program product of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable instructions comprise an optimization problem the follower solves of the form,
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij

\u2062

x
i

\u2062

q
j
,
wherein the leader is the row player and the follower the column player, the vector of strategies of the leader are denoted by x, q denotes the vector of strategies of the follower, X and Q denote the index sets of the leader and follower’s pure strategies, respectively, k is the size of the multiset, and the payoff matrix C correspond to Cij that is the reward of the follower when the leader takes pure strategy i and the follower takes pure strategy j.
19. The computer-executable program product of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable instructions including the optimization problem include constraints,
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
=
1
and q\u22670.
20. The computer-executable program product of claim 18, wherein for the k-uniform policy x, the value xi is the number of times pure strategy i is used in the k-uniform policy, and wherein the k-uniform policy is selected with probability xik.
21. The computer-executable program product of claim 18, wherein the MIQP is of the form,
max
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

R
ij

\u2062
q
\u2061

(
x
)
j

\u2062

x
i
,
and wherein the payoff matrix R corresponds to Rij, the reward of the leader.
22. The computer-executable program product of claim 21, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062

x
i
=
k
and xi\u2208{0, 1, . . . , k}.
23. The computer-executable program product of claim 18, wherein the MIQP is of the form,
max
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

R
ij

\u2062

x
i

\u2062

q
j
,
and wherein the payoff matrix R corresponds to Rij, the reward of the leader.
24. The computer-executable program product of claim 23, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211
i

\u2062

x
i
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(

a
–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij

\u2062

x
i
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
x
i

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
q
i

\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
25. The computer-executable program product of claim 17, further comprising instructions for performing a decomposition for multiple adversaries.
26. The computer-executable program product of claim 25, wherein performing a decomposition comprises constructing a decomposed MIQP of the form,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

l
\u2208
L
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
p
l

k

\u2062

R
ij
l

\u2062

x
i

\u2062
q
j
l

.
27. The computer-executable program product of claim 26, wherein the MIQP is subject to constraints,
\u2211
i

\u2062

x
i
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
l
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(
a
l

–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij
l

\u2062

x
i
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
l
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
x
i

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
q
j
l

\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
28. The computer-executable program product of claim 25, wherein performing a decomposition comprises constructing a decomposed MILP of the form,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2062
\u2211

l
\u2208
L
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062
p
l

k

\u2062

R
ij
l

\u2062
z
ij
j

.
29. The computer-executable program product of claim 28, wherein the MILP is subject to constraints,
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
=
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
\u2264
k

,
\u2062
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

q
j
l
=
1

,
\u2062

0
\u2264

(
a
l

–
\u2211

i
\u2208
\u2135
\u2062
1
k

\u2062

C
ij
l

\u2062
x
i

\u2061

(
\u2211

h
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ih
l
)
)

\u2264
(

1
–

q
j
l
)

\u2062
M
,
\u2062
\u2211

i
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
=
\u2211

j
\u2208
Q
\u2062

z
ij
l
,
\u2062
z
ij
l

\u2208

{

0
,
1
,
\u2026
\u2062
,
k

}
,
\u2062
and
q
j
l

\u2208
{

0
,
1

}

.
wherein a is the follower’s maximum reward value, and M is a large constant.
30. The computer-executable program product of claim 17, further comprising instructions for directing the patrolling of a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on the solved MILP.
31. The computer-executable program product of claim 30, wherein the patrolling domain comprises infrastructure to be protected.
32. The computer-executable program product of claim 30, wherein the patrolling domain comprises one or more airport terminals to be protected.
33. A computer system comprising:
a processor configured to:
determine a leader’s strategy for a security domain by solving a Stackelberg game;
formulate a leader’s a k-uniform policy according to the Stackelberg game;
formulate an optimization problem the follower solves to find its optimal response to the leader’s policy;
maximize the payoff of the leader, given that the follower uses an optimal response that is function of the leader’s policy, and formulating the problem as mixed integer quadratic program (MIQP);
perform a decomposition of the MIQP to produce a decomposed MIQP, wherein the decomposition addresses the size of the MIQP;
reformulate the leader payoff problem by linearizing the decomposed MIQP to form a decomposed mixed-integer linear program (MILP);
solve the decomposed MILP; and
direct a patrolling strategy of an agent within the security domain based on the solved decomposed MILP.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein the processor is configured and arranged to direct a patrolling route of a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A patient support apparatus comprising
an air supply,
an air fluidization therapy bed including a fluidization space and a fluidizable medium positioned in the fluidization space, the air fluidization therapy bed receiving a flow of pressurized air from the air supply, the flow of pressurized air operable to fluidize the fluidizable medium, and
a pulsator coupled to the air fluidization therapy bed and positioned to transmit air pulses through the fluidized fluidizable medium to impart a percussive force to a body supported on air fluidization therapy bed.
2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pulsator is in fluid communication with the air supply and operable to form air pulses from at least a portion of the flow from the air supply.
3. The patient support apparatus of claim 2, wherein the frequency and magnitude of the air pulses are variable.
4. The patient support apparatus of claim 3, wherein the patient support apparatus further comprises a percussionvibration controller operable to control the operation of the pulsator.
5. The patient support apparatus of claim 4, wherein the patient support apparatus further comprises a controller and a user interface, the user interface operable to receive inputs from a user indicative of at least one desired operating parameter of the percussionvibration controller, the controller operable to modify the operation of the percussionvibration controller to achieve the desired operating parameter.
6. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient support apparatus comprises a first conduit, a tap coupled to the first conduit, a second conduit coupled to the tap and the pulsator, a third conduit coupled to the tap and the air fluidization therapy bed, the third conduit smaller than the first conduit and the second conduit.
7. The patient support apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pulsator comprises a valve that is openable to allow air to flow through the second conduit and the valve of the pulsator.
8. The patient support apparatus of claim 7, wherein the valve of the pulsator is in communication with the space of the air fluidization therapy bed such that when the valve opens, air flows through the valve into the space.
9. The patient support apparatus of claim 8, wherein the valve opens and closes to create air pulses in the space of the air fluidization therapy bed.
10. The patient support apparatus of claim 7, wherein the air supply has a variable output, the output being modified to compensate for the flow of air used to provide the percussive forces.
11. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air supply has a variable output, the output being modified to compensate for the flow of air used to provide the percussive forces.
12. A patient support apparatus comprising
an air supply,
a first patient support zone comprising an air fluidization therapy bed including a fluidization space and a fluidizable medium positioned in the fluidization space, the air fluidization therapy bed receiving a flow of pressurized air from the air supply, the flow of pressurized air operable to fluidize the fluidizable medium,
a second patient support zone comprising a plurality of inflatable support bladders, and
a sonic emitter coupled to the second portion and positioned to transmit sonic waves through the bladers to impart a percussive force to a body supported on the second portion.
13. The patient support apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sonic emitter has a variable frequency and amplitude.
14. The patient support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the patient support apparatus further comprises a sonic controller operable to control the frequency and amplitude of the sonic emitter.
15. The patient support apparatus of claim 14, wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a controller operable to control the fluid supply and the sonic controller.
16. The patient support apparatus of claim 15, wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a user interface, the user interface operable to accept a user input indicative of a desired operating parameter of the sonic emitter.
17. The patient support apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller modifies operation of the sonic controller to achieve the desired operating parameter of the sonic emitter.
18. The patient support apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second patient support zone is movable relative to the first patient support zone.
19. The patient support apparatus of claim 18, wherein the patient support apparatus further comprises a sonic controller operable to control the frequency and amplitude of the sonic emitter.
20. The patient support apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sonic emitter is coupled to the second patient support zone to move therewith.

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
an insulating substrate;
a variable capacitor including a pair of electrodes and a dielectric, which is formed over the insulating substrate; and
a display device over the insulating substrate,
wherein a capacitance of the variable capacitor is changed corresponding to a distance between the pair of the electrodes, and
wherein the semiconductor device includes a means for converting change of capacitance of the variable capacitor into an electrical signal.
2. A semiconductor device comprising:
an insulating substrate;
a plurality of variable capacitors each including a pair of electrodes and a dielectric, which are formed over the insulating substrate; and
a display device over the insulating substrate,
wherein a capacitance of the variable capacitor is changed corresponding to a distance between the pair of the electrodes, and
wherein the semiconductor device includes a means for converting change of capacitance of each variable capacitor into an electrical signal.
3. A semiconductor device comprising:
an insulating substrate;
a variable capacitor including a pair of electrodes and a dielectric interposed therebetween, wherein a capacitance of the variable capacitor is changed corresponding to a distance between the pair of the electrodes;
a read-out circuit that detects change of capacitance of the variable capacitor; and
a display device,
wherein the variable capacitor, the read-out circuit, and the display device are provided over the insulating substrate.
4. A semiconductor device comprising:
an insulating substrate;
a plurality of variable capacitors each including a pair of electrodes and a dielectric interposed therebetween, wherein a capacitance of the variable capacitor is changed corresponding to a distance between the pair of the electrodes;
a read-out circuit that detects change of capacitance of each variable capacitor; and
a display device,
wherein the variable capacitors, the read-out circuit, and the display device are provided over the insulating substrate.
5. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric is transformed under external pressure.
6. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the dielectric is transformed under external pressure.
7. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the dielectric is transformed under external pressure.
8. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric is transformed under external pressure.
9. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the display device and the read-out circuit comprises a thin film transistor formed over the insulating substrate.
10. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the display device and the read-out circuit comprises a thin film transistor formed over the insulating substrate.
11. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the display device and the read-out circuit comprises a thin film transistor formed over the insulating substrate.
12. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the display device and the read-out circuit comprises a thin film transistor formed over the insulating substrate.
13. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric is surrounded by the pair of electrodes and a sealant.
14. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the dielectric is surrounded by the pair of electrodes and a sealant.
15. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the dielectric is surrounded by the pair of electrodes and a sealant.
16. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric is surrounded by the pair of electrodes and a sealant.
17. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric is liquid crystal that is used in the display device.
18. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the dielectric is liquid crystal that is used in the display device.
19. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the dielectric is liquid crystal that is used in the display device.
20. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric is liquid crystal that is used in the display device.
21. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating substrate comprises glass.
22. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the insulating substrate comprises glass.
23. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the insulating substrate comprises glass.
24. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating substrate comprises glass.
25. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating substrate comprises plastic.
26. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the insulating substrate comprises plastic.
27. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the insulating substrate comprises plastic.
28. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating substrate comprises plastic.
29. A semiconductor device according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising glass.
30. A semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising glass.
31. A semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising glass.
32. A semiconductor device according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising glass.
33. A semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising plastic.
34. A semiconductor device according to claim 26, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising plastic.
35. A semiconductor device according to claim 27, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising plastic.
36. A semiconductor device according to claim 28, wherein at least one of the pair of the electrodes is formed over the insulating substrate comprising plastic.
37. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a line.
38. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a line.
39. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a line.
40. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a line.
41. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a grid.
42. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a grid.
43. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a grid.
44. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a grid.
45. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a random order.
46. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a random order.
47. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a random order.
48. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the variable capacitor is arranged in a random order.
49. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by applying physical force.
50. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by applying physical force.
51. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by applying physical force.
52. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by applying physical force.
53. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by using an electrical signal.
54. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by using an electrical signal.
55. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by using an electrical signal.
56. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein change of capacitance of the variable capacitor is generated by using an electrical signal.
57. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from a group consisting of a game machine, a video camera, a head-mounted display, a DVD player, a personal computer, a cellular phone, a car audio, and a card viewer.
58. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from a group consisting of a game machine, a video camera, a head-mounted display, a DVD player, a personal computer, a cellular phone, a car audio, and a card viewer.
59. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from a group consisting of a game machine, a video camera, a head-mounted display, a DVD player, a personal computer, a cellular phone, a car audio, and a card viewer.
60. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from a group consisting of a game machine, a video camera, a head-mounted display, a DVD player, a personal computer, a cellular phone, a car audio, and a card viewer.
61. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of electrodes is a transparent electrode.
62. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein one of the pair of electrodes is a transparent electrode.
63. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein one of the pair of electrodes is a transparent electrode.
64. A semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein one of the pair of electrodes is a transparent electrode.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. A system for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the system comprising:
a central management server;
one or more remote nodes connected to the central management server;
a distributed task facility, running on the central management server, that assigns and monitors system management tasks on the remote nodes; and
an agent, running on each remote node, that executes system management tasks and initiates contact with the central management server to report the properties of the remote node on which it is running.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent further comprises:
a task module that executes tasks assigned to the agent by the distributed task facility;
a properties module that gathers information describing properties of a remote node on which the agent is running; and
a reporting module that initiates and executes reporting of the status of the agent to the distributed task facility.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the reporting module reports the properties of the remote node to the distributed task facility by passing a properties object to the distributed task facility.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the properties of the remote node includes the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is running.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the properties object comprises a Java object.
6. A method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
executing an agent on a remote node;
creating a properties object containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;
an agent initiating contact with a central management server; and
the agent passing the properties object from the agent to the central management server, whereby the agent reports the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the creating step comprises specifying the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising creating a properties file on the remote node containing data describing the certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing, wherein the properties object is created using the values of the data contained in the properties file.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the initiating contact step comprises the agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on the central management server.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the passing step comprises passing the properties object from the agent to the distributed task facility.
11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:
writing the contents of the properties object to a central properties file on the central management server;
making the central properties file available to a node manager module executing on the central management server;
logging the transaction between the distributed task facility and the agent to a log manager module; and
checking for any outstanding tasks previously assigned to the agent for which the distributed task facility is still awaiting a response from the agent.
12. The method of claim 7, further comprising initiating the executing step upon restarting operation of the remote node upon which it resides.
13. The method of claim 7, further comprising initiating the executing step following a hardware system upgrade to the remote node upon which it resides.
14. The method of claim 7, further comprising initiating the executing step following an upgrade or patch to the operating system software on the remote node upon which it resides.
15. A computer readable medium on which is embedded a program, the program comprising modules that execute a method for managing a multiple server computer system on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
executing an agent on a remote node;
creating a properties object containing values for certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing;
an agent initiating contact with a central management server; and
the agent passing the properties object from the agent to the central management server, whereby the agent reports the properties of the remote node on which it is executing to the central management server.
16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the properties of the remote node includes the status of the agent and of the remote node on which it is executing.
17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising creating a properties file on the remote node containing data describing the certain properties of the remote node on which the agent is executing, wherein the properties object is created using the values of the data contained in the properties file.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the initiating contact step comprises the agent initiating contact with a distributed task facility on the central management server.
19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising passing the properties object from the agent to the distributed task facility.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:
writing the contents of the properties object to a central properties file on the central management server;
making the central properties file available to a node manager module executing on the central management server;
logging the transaction between the distributed task facility and the agent to a log manager module; and
checking for any outstanding tasks previously assigned to the agent for which the distributed task facility is still awaiting a response from the agent.