Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining, between an initiating device and at least one responding device, a reference time for the execution of at least one task on one of the devices. The method includes the initiating device prompting at least one responding device to provide a respective desired reference time. The method further includes at least one responding device providing a respective desired reference time, in response to the prompting. An actual reference time is determined based on any desired reference times provided. In one embodiment, the actual reference time is the latest of all desired reference times. A system including the initiating device and a responding device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A surface plasmon measurement instrument measures a change in a property (e.g., refractive index) of a material layer. The method includes providing a prism with a rear surface having a metal layer disposed thereon; providing the material layer on the metal layer on the rear surface of the prism; directing a source beam through the prism toward the rear surface in a vicinity of the material layer; performing at least two sampled measurements to detect light reflected from the rear surface and to produce two corresponding data sets; transforming the data sets to a transform domain; processing the transformed data sets to estimate a sample shift between the two data sets; and determining a change in a property of the material layer using the estimated sample shift.

Abstract: A surface plasmon measurement instrument measures a change in a property (e.g., refractive index) of a material layer. The method includes providing a prism with a rear surface having a metal layer disposed thereon; providing the material layer on the metal layer on the rear surface of the prism; directing a source beam through the prism toward the rear surface in a vicinity of the material layer; performing at least two sampled measurements to detect light reflected from the rear surface and to produce two corresponding data sets; transforming the data sets to a transform domain; processing the transformed data sets to estimate a sample shift between the two data sets; and determining a change in a property of the material layer using the estimated sample shift.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining, between an initiating device and at least one responding device, a reference time for the execution of at least one task on one of the devices. The method includes the initiating device prompting at least one responding device to provide a respective desired reference time. The method further includes at least one responding device providing a respective desired reference time, in response to the prompting. An actual reference time is determined based on any desired reference times provided. In one embodiment, the actual reference time is the latest of all desired reference times. A system including the initiating device and a responding device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of specifying the coordination of activities and correlation of data in a distributed system is described. A computer readable medium and a system are also described.

Abstract: A development environment includes a graphical design tool and a build agent. The graphical design tool allows a designer to design a primary logic component of a circuit. The graphical design tool generates modules using a hardware description language to represent the primary logic component of the circuit. The modules include abstract references to infrastructure for the circuit. The build agent synthesizes the modules into netlists and merges the netlists with a description of the infrastructure for the circuit. The infrastructure is generated in a development environment separate from the graphical design tool. The build agent includes an adjuster that adjusts the modules. The adjustment to the modules includes replacing the abstract references to the infrastructure with actual references utilized within the infrastructure.