Abstract: A graphical programming system allows a user to place geometric shapes onto a scaled image, the shape having associated behavior that operates on the image or on the object of which the image is formed. In a preferred embodiment, the shapes are objects in the Visio program by Microsoft Corporation. The shapes are dragged from a stencil onto an image provided by ion beam or electron microscope image. The shape invokes software or hardware to locate and measure features on the image or to perform operations, such as ion beam milling, on the object that is imaged.

Abstract: A search key having a first length is presented to a universal hashing process. The search key is hashed using a universal hash function to generate a bucket ID having a second length, smaller than the first length. The bucket ID is used to address a table stored in a computer readable medium and a pointer is retrieved from an associated storage location. The pointer is used to index a hash bucket containing one or more entries, each of which can be compared to the search key to determine whether any of the entries match the search key. For the case where the method is used in a Ethernet switch, the search key may comprise a virtual LAN identification and media access control address. The table is made up of number of hash buckets, each of which may have one or more entries. New entries are stored in one of the hash buckets according to the universal hash function so long as no overflows of any hash bucket would be created.

Abstract: A shrouded pin electrode structure including an elongated pin that extends into the volume of a gas containment structure of an RF excited gas discharge light source and is physically isolated from the discharge gas contained in the volume of the gas containment structure by a shroud structure made for example of a gas impermeable dielectric coating or closed end tube.

Abstract: A fluorescent lighting structure having an inner glass envelope and an outer glass envelope surrounding the inner glass envelope, an ionizable gas contained within the volume between the inner and outer glass envelopes, an electrode structure disposed on the inside surface of the inner glass envelope, a phosphor coating disposed on the outside surface of the inner glass envelope, and an ultraviolet reflective coating on the inside surface of the outer glass envelope. Excitation of the electrode structure causes discharge of the ionizable gas that produces ultraviolet radiation, which in turn excites the phosphor coating to emit visible light.