Abstract: For synchronizing a master device and a slave device connected by a data transfer link, the master device measures a phase offset in a signal received from the slave device with respect to the master's clock signal. The master determines a control symbol based on the phase offset. The master encodes the control symbol in a transmit signal for the slave. The slave decodes the control symbol from the signal received from the master. The slave uses the control symbol to adjust the phase shift to compensate for the phase offset of a signal to be transmitted to the master device. When the phase compensated signal is received at the master, its phase offset is smaller than the original phase offset. This procedure can be performed iteratively until the phase offset is within a desired tolerance.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for identifying wedge time shift zones on a magnetic disk of a disk drive. The disk drive further includes a spindle motor for rotating the disk at an operating speed in response to a spindle control current generated by a spindle control system, and a head that is actuated over the disk. During operation, the control systems causes a seek of the head across the disk and measures wedge-to-wedge times between servo wedges. The control system then calculates a wedge-to-wedge time shift value using the wedge-to-wedge times and determines whether the wedge-to-wedge time shift time value exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the wedge-to-wedge time shift value exceeds the predetermined threshold, then the control system identifies a wedge time shift zone, and stores information for compensating for the identified wedge time shift zone during disk operations.

Abstract: A method for quantifying infectious particles of a virus in a sample comprises providing a layer of host cells of the virus, contacting the layer of host cells with a preparation of the sample, and culturing the cells under conditions wherein the cells are submerged in a thin layer of liquid culture medium, and wherein the virus infects host cells and releases its progeny from said infected host cells, imposing a flow of the liquid medium, wherein the spread of the viral progeny to uninfected host cells is enhanced, culturing the cells under conditions to allow further virus infection and viral gene expression, wherein infected host cells develop an observable indication of viral gene expression, and determining the number of infected host cells, whereby the number of infectious particles of the virus in the sample is quantified. The method may be used for measuring viral growth rate or for screening for antiviral compounds. Also provided are microfluidic devices suitable for the inventive method.

Abstract: A method for reducing an estimation period for repeatable runout (RRO) errors in a disk drive comprising a head, a disk surface having a track partitioned by servo-wedges, and a servo control system for controlling the movement of the head relative to a track during revolutions of the disk. The method includes estimating the RRO errors of the track based on a) a series of position error signal values obtained during a current revolution of the disk surface, and b) a previous estimation of the RRO errors of the track obtained during a previous revolution of the disk surface and determining a differential value between a first measure of the estimated RRO errors and a second measure of the previous estimation of RRO errors, and repeating the estimating and determining for subsequent revolutions of the disk surface until the determined differential value is smaller than a pre-selected threshold value.

Abstract: A method and system and computer readable medium for: (1) the creation and representation of business rule definitions, (2) the creation and representation of enforcing rule handlers, (3) the creation and representation of a framework to check the existence of rules then, apply the appropriate handler, (4) and the distribution of the rule definitions and handlers to clients. The present invention defines a rule language and provides a framework that separates the definition of the rules, the enforcing handler, the system at which rules are generated and the system at which rules are enforced. Further, in one embodiment, the present invention uses standard XML notations to define rules and standard XSL and XSLT processing instructions to enforce rules. Using standard XML, XSL and SXLT allows clients to use off-the-shelf XML parser and XSL processors in lieu of developed code or rule based engines.

Abstract: A method and system for reconciling contracts in a multilateral environment. The multilateral environment includes two or more trading partners trading goods and services. The system is based on a hub and spoke architecture. The hub presents to each of the partners using a partner system a user interface for receiving a contract. The contract when received is parsed into requested tags. Each requested tag represents a predefined field in a contract such as price, quantity, delivery date and other contractual terms. These requested tags are placed into a database schema using a naming structure that is identical to the naming structure used for the requested tag values so that elements in the database schema can be populated directly from the requested tag values. Each partner in the value chain, which supplies a good and service for the contract, forms a hierarchical contractual relationship. Contract tag values are retrieved for each trading partner in the hierarchical contractual relationship.

Abstract: A method and system for monitoring contracts in a multilateral environment. The multilateral environment includes two or more trading partners trading goods and services. The system is based on hub and spoke architecture. The hub presents to each of the partners using a partner system a user interface for receiving one or more contract clauses, and defining and extracting its own version of metadata based on and from the contract clauses. A graphical user interface presented on the partner system permits one or more customizable rules to be defined, wherein each rule includes at least one condition and one or more actions to perform in response to the condition. The system monitors the one or more contract clauses with the rules. The system performs one or more predefined actions when a contract clause satisfies the requirement of the customizable rules.

Abstract: A method and system for managing and correlating orders in a multilateral environment. The multilateral environment includes two or more trading partners trading goods and services. The system is based on a hub and spoke architecture. The hub presents to each of the partners using a partner system a user interface for receiving an order. The order when received is parsed into tags. Each tag represents a predefined field in an order such as price, quantity, delivery date and other contractual terms. These tags are placed into a database schema using a naming structure that is identical to the naming structure used for the tag values so that elements in the database schema can be populated directly from the tag values. Each partner in the value chain, which supplies a good and service for the order, forms one or more hierarchical contractual relationships. Contract tag values are retrieved for each trading partner in the hierarchical contractual relationship.

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 data security system and method for providing a cryptographic process such as the Data Encryption Standard comprises a microprocessor having a programmable hardware element such as a field programmable gate array interfaced to the processor bus. The predetermined ordered sequence of operations which form the cryptographic process are parsed into hardware-centric operations such as bit manipulations, table look-ups and logic operations which are efficiently performed in hardware, and into software-centric operations such as data processing and state machine control. Hardware-centric operations are performed in the programmable hardware device, and overall control of the system is performed under microprocessor control.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an adsorbent polymer having improved selectivity for cadmium ion, comprising a water-insoluble polymeric material having available surface pendant chelating groups having a multiplicity of thiol (--SH) groups, wherein pairs of thiol groups are connected by a chain R having between about 10 and 16 atoms of the structure: ##STR1## which thiol terminated chains are capable of chelating cadmium ion in rings of between about 11 and 17 atoms, andA is selected from alkylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene, aryl or arylalkylene. Preferably the adsorbent polymer having improved selectivity for cadmium of claim 1, wherein the pendant chelating groups having a thiol structure: ##STR2##BACKGROUND OF INVENTION1. Origin of the InventionPortions of the research leading to this invention were funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Cooperative Agreement No. CR 811984-01-0) and the University of California (Berkeley) Chancellor's Patent Fund (No. 401220-09520).