Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes forming a silicon layer by epitaxial growth over a semiconductor substrate having a first area and a second area; forming a first gate oxide film by oxidizing the silicon layer; removing the first gate oxide film from the second area, while maintaining the first gate oxide film in the first area; thereafter, increasing a thickness of the first gate oxide film in the first area and simultaneously forming a second gate oxide film by oxidizing the silicon layer in the second area; and forming a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode over the first gate oxide film and the second gate oxide film, respectively, wherein after the formation of the first and second gate electrodes, the silicon layer in the first area is thicker than the silicon layer in the second area.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for quantum point contacts. In an arrangement, a quantum point contact device includes at least one well region in a portion of a semiconductor substrate and doped to a first conductivity type; a gate structure disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate; the gate structure further comprising a quantum point contact formed in a constricted area, the constricted area having a width and a length arranged so that a maximum dimension is less than a predetermined distance equal to about 35 nanometers; a drain/source region in the well region doped to a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type; a source/drain region in the well region doped to the second conductivity type; a first and second lightly doped drain region in the at least one well region. Additional methods and apparatus are disclosed.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and computer program product build a data-bound user interface. An instruction from a graphical designer is received for creating the presentation field within the presentation user interface. When the presentation field is created, a corresponding data element is created within a reserved data model, and the presentation field is automatically bound to the data element. Instructions from a data modeler are received for relocating the data element from within the reserved data model to within a custom data model. The data element is relocated to the custom model, and the binding from the presentation field to the data element is maintained. The data bound user interface is then built, including the presentation field and the data element.

Abstract: Methods and systems to compile a code module to permit a caller routine to pass a parameter to a callee routine of a separately compiled code module, and to permit a callee routine to receive a parameter from a caller routine of the separately compiled code module, through multiple interfaces. Interfaces may include an interface by convention and an alternate interface. A caller routine may be configured to pass a parameter through an alternate interface and call to an alternate entry point of a callee routine. An associated stub routine may be configured to pass the parameter through an interface by convention and to call to a conventional entry point of the callee routine. If the callee routine includes a corresponding alternate entry point, the caller routine may be linked to the alternate entry point. Otherwise, the callee routine may be linked to the callee routine through the stub routine.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture improving data locality and parallelism by code replication and array contraction. Source code including an array of elements referenced using at least two indices is processed. The array is nested within multiple loops, wherein at least two of the loops perform iterations with respect to the indices of the array, wherein the index incremented in at least one innermost loop of the loops does not comprise a leftmost index in the array. The source code is transformed to object code by performing operations including fusing at least two innermost loops of the loops in object code generated by compiling the source code by replicating statements from at least one of the innermost loops into a fused innermost loop and performing loop interchange in the object code to have the fused innermost loop provide iterations with respect to the leftmost index in the array.

Abstract: A system and method capable of finding relaxed memory-model vulnerabilities in a computer program caused by running on a machine having a relaxed memory model. A relaxed memory model vulnerability in a computer program includes the presence of program executions that are not sequentially consistent. In one embodiment, non-sequentially consistent executions are detected by exploring sequentially consistent executions.

Abstract: A method for executing a computer program involving obtaining a statement of the source code, where the statement comprises a method call, and where the source code is composed in a statically-typed programming language. The method also involves, upon entry into a loop included in the computer program: incrementing an entry counter by one; and, for each iteration of the loop, incrementing an iteration counter by one, incrementing a local counter by one to obtain an incremented value of the local counter, incrementing a summation variable by the incremented value of the local counter, and executing the iteration of the loop.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for identifying root causes of problems in a software factory. Each work packet being executed within the software factory is assigned meta-data, which describes a relationship between that work packet and other work packets, as well as a relationship between that work packet and resources within the software factory. These metrics provides means for identifying any problems within the software factory.

Abstract: A method for generating random numbers mimics by software the principle of coin flipping by combining different sources of randomness. The random number to be generated is assembled bit by bit from the subsequent results of this “coin flipping simulation”. The method for generating a random number with nRND bits BRi, wherein 0?i?nRND?1, comprises the steps of • providing a random bit table BFT with mBFT addressable bits BTj, wherein 0?j?mBFT?1, said random bit table containing an equal number of “0” bits and “1” bits in a random distribution, and • for a bit BRi of said random number with 0?i?nRND?1, generating an address FA in the range between 0 and mBFT?1, selecting the bit BTFA having the address FA from said random bit table, and setting said bit BRi of said random number to equal said bit BTFA from said random bit table (BRi=BTFA).

Abstract: Provided is a random number generator including: a clock generator outputting first and second control signals; a ring oscillator (RO) block receiving a meta stable voltage and performing an oscillation operation using the meta stable voltage in response to the first control signal; and a sampling unit sampling an output signal according to the oscillation operation in response to the second control signal.

Abstract: A method for detecting problems caused by access to incompletely initialized data storage in assembler programs includes generating an internal representation of control flow of the source code of the assembler program including nodes for every statement found in the source code and a directed edge for every possible flow of control between the nodes. The method also includes: attributing data attributes to the nodes and/or the edges, wherein the data attributes are used to store the information how many bits within the data storage can be guaranteed to be initialized; applying a data-flow analysis method to the internal representation of the control flow of the source code for determining how many bits of the data storage can be guaranteed to be initialized; checking for each node whether the instruction reads more bits than are guaranteed to be initialized; and generating one or more error messages responsive to the problem.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for detecting problems caused by access to incompletely initialized data storage in assembler and high-level language programs. An internal representation of the control flow of the source code of the assembler program is generated and a data-flow analysis method is applied to the internal representation.

Abstract: A system, method, and program product is provided that has a virtualized environment provided by a hypervisor. In the virtualized environment, one or more guest operating systems operate simultaneously with a privileged operating system. One of the guest operating systems identifies a device software update, such as a device driver or firmware update, corresponding to a hardware device that is attached to the computer system. The hypervisor is used to notify the privileged operating system of the device software update. When the privileged operating system is notified of the update, the privileged operating system uses one or more techniques to deny the guest operating systems access to the device. The privileged operating system then updates the device software update. After the device software update has been applied, the privileged operating system resumes access between the guest operating systems and the hardware device.

Abstract: A system and method for valuating weather-based financial instruments including weather futures, options, swaps, and the like. The system includes weather forecast, weather history, and financial databases. Also included in the system is a central processing trading server that is accessible via a plurality of internal and external workstations. The workstations provide a graphical user interface for users to enter a series of inputs and receive information (i.e., output) concerning a financial instrument. The method involves collecting the series of inputs—start date, maturity date, geographic location(s), risk-free rate, and base weather condition—affecting the value of the financial instrument and applying a pricing model modified to account for weather.

Abstract: An insurance or warranty method protects financial interests of producers, such as farmers planting transgenic varieties of seed as a primary asset, who use proper refuges of similar but non-transgenic, secondary assets for maintaining a non-resistant pest population. Refuge acre methods, now sometimes called “refugia”, as such are recently known in crop pest management, but producers have had no effective incentive and much risk in using them. That is, losses in the refuge from pests, as to corn from European Corn Borers and others, are immediate and could be severe, whereas build-up of resistance to the related control technique is a long-term problem. Providing insurance as part of the cost of the primary production input, or as an add-on “technology fee” or the like, for protecting a set amount of the similar, secondary asset, removes the risks from the pest in producing secondary assets in the refuge.

Abstract: A method on a data processing server for creating customizable electronic documents in a client-server computer network having one or more data processing servers electronically connected to a plurality of data processing clients. In one embodiment, the method provides the sender with the ability of defining, via one or more interface controls, which portions of an electronic bill are changeable and modifiable by one or more recipients. This permits the subsequent users the authority to only modify the fields as controlled by the sender. In another embodiment, the system permits tracking of changes made by each subsequent recipient of the bill compared with the original billing data. In another embodiment, the method provides the recipient a user preference file which controls how the bill is laid-out by the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented two-tiered electronic market system includes a data repository storing information corresponding to an inventory of one or more available items and a first-tier electronic market (e.g., a retail tier) that provides a first participant (e.g., a retail consumer) access to the inventory of one or more items in the data repository. The inventory is offered to the first participant under a first (e.g., retail) pricing scheme. The two-tiered electronic market system also includes a second-tier electronic market (e.g., a wholesale tier) that provides a second participant (e.g., a wholesale dealer), different from the first participant, access to the inventory of one or more items in the data repository. The inventory is offered to the second participant under a second (e.g., wholesale) pricing scheme different from the first pricing scheme.

Abstract: A knee prosthesis including a tibial plateau for anchoring to an upper end of a tibia. The tibial plateau includes an orifice and a projection. An insert is moveably disposed on the tibial plateau and is adapted to cooperate with a femoral component anchored to a lower end of a femur. The insert includes a boss and an indentation and moveably engages the tibial plateau such that the boss extends at least partially into the orifice and the projection shoulder extends at least partially into the indentation.

Abstract: A sleeve component for engagement with a prosthetic component, such as a revision femoral component, compensates for bone loss and/or anatomical anomalies. In one embodiment, the sleeve includes a compensating region which provides an eccentric outer surface for offsetting proximal, posterior bone loss in the patient's femur. The sleeve has a bore through which the stem of a femoral component is insertable. The inner walls of the bore taper so as to complement a proximal outer surface of the stem when the sleeve abuts a shoulder portion of the femoral component. In one embodiment, the compensating region is defined by a radius which is offset from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve. In another embodiment, the compensating region is defined by a radius extending from the longitudinal axis and having an increased length.

Abstract: In a biofeedback device adapted for sensing position of the Transverse Abdominis Muscle (TAM) on small excursions of the abdominal wall including a sensor which changes resistance on a change in dimension thereof in any direction. The sensor element includes a plurality of interlaced electrodes in juxtaposition with a resilient antistatic device. A particular implementation is in the form of a two pole sensor incorporated into a bio-feedback monitor. The sensor is physically attached to the monitor which can be worn on the belt or at or near the waist line. A lever on the back of the monitor rests against the body and engages the sensor comprising a variable resistance foam component. Pressure exerted against the lever, when the TAM is relaxed causes a change in the resistance which energizes the electrical circuit above a given threshold and causes a variable pitch sound to be generated or alternatively drives an electrical vibrator motor at a variable speed.