Abstract: In an inventive photonic analog-to-digital signal converter (ADC), multiple opto-electric sampling devices are employed to successively sample an analog signal input. Optical clock signals having the same frequency but different clock phases are used, which are associated with the opto-electric sampling devices, respectively. Each sampling device takes samples of the analog signal input in response to the optical clock signal associated therewith. The resulting samples are processed to produce quantized samples. The inventive ADC outputs a digital signal representing the quantized samples.

Abstract: In a communication arrangement including a multiplicity of intranets, objects available on the Internet are requested. A requested object in an intranet is attended by a proxy server therein, which attempts to locate a copy of the requested object in a proxy cache. The latter stores copies of objects previously obtained by web browsers in the intranet, and affords priority to copies of those objects from selected Internet sites. If the proxy server does not manage to locate a copy of the requested object or determines that a located copy is outdated, the proxy server seeks cooperation from other proxy servers to further search for the object. These cooperating proxy servers are dynamically identified by a manager processor in accordance with the invention. In addition, the manager processor prefetches selected objects from the Internet in anticipation of the object request. The manager processor also helps search the prefetched objects for the requested object.

Abstract: In a communications arrangement, a first pulse code modulation (PCM) modem communicates data in the form of PCM words with a second PCM modem through a public switched telephone network (PSTN). The transmitted data may be affected by robbed bit signaling imposed by the PSTN such that the least significant bits (LSBs) of certain PCM words are "robbed" and substituted with signaling bits. In accordance with the invention, any imposed robbed bit signaling is detected during training of the second PCM modem. The would-be PCM words affected by such robbed bit signaling are identified to the first PCM modem. The latter then avoids transmitting data using the LSBs of those PCM words. In addition, through the training, a decision feed-back equalizer in the second PCM modem is properly adjusted, taking into account any robbed bit signaling affecting the transmitted training data.

Abstract: In an operational amplifier (op amp) for use in an integrated circuit (IC) device, a first field effect transistor (FET) in a current-mirror circuit is connected, and provides a bias current, to at least a second FET in a differential amplifier. As the voltage of the power supply to the op amp decreases in response to the advance of IC technology, the first FET operates in a non-saturation region of its output characteristics. As a result, the current provided by the first FET to the differential amplifier varies substantially with a common-mode signal, whose signal level equals the average of those of non-inverting and inverting input signals to the differential amplifier. Consequently, the op amp imparts a significant gain, referred to as a common-mode gain, to the common-mode signal, which is undesirable. To reduce such a common-mode gain, in accordance with the invention, the bias current provided by the first FET is measured to adjust a second current which affects the output of the op amp.

Abstract: In a communications system, an image to be transmitted is holographically represented in accordance with the invention. Relying on a portion of the holographic representation selected from any part thereof, a receiver can provide an overall version of the transmitted image. This overall version is successively refined as the size of the aggregate portion of the representation received by the receiver increases.