Abstract: An interactive wagering system is provided that promotes wagering to users at user equipment. The user equipment may be based on a set-top box and television, a personal computer, a cellular telephone with a display, or other such devices. Wagering may be promoted by notifying the user of an opportunity to place a wager on a given race. Wagering may also be promoted by providing the user with an on-screen opportunity to sign up for a wagering television channel or interactive wagering service. The on-screen promotions that are displayed to the user may be targeted based on the television programming that is being displayed or the user's interests. The user's activities may be monitored to collect information on the user's interests. If a particular race or the like is being discussed during a television program, the user may be provided with an opportunity to wager on that race.

Abstract: A system and method for utilizing data stored in an EPG database for modifying advertisement information. In this way, a service provider and/or an advertiser can transmit a single advertisement to all the television stations regardless of their geographic location and other user specific information, and need not re-transmit the advertisement even if there is a change in the show's program description. When the advertisement is displayed, the correct updated information is retrieved from the EPG database and inserted into the advertisement. In one aspect, the present invention describes a method for modifying an advertisement in an EPG comprising the steps of: storing television schedule information in a first database; storing advertisement information in a second database; incorporating a portion of the television schedule information into a portion of the advertisement information to form a modified advertisement; and displaying the modified advertisement on a screen.

Abstract: The present invention makes available a method for inducing neuronal differentiation and preventing the death or degeneration of neuronal cells both in vitro and in vivo. The subject method stems from the unexpected finding that, contrary to traditional understanding of neural induction, the default fate of ectodermal tissue is neuronal rather than mesodermal and/or epidermal. In particular, it has been discovered that preventing or antagonizing a signaling pathway in a cell for a growth factor of the TGF-? family can result in neuronal differentiation of that cell.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining and addressing color-vision impairment by allowing a patient to compare multiple images of a scene wherein the color content of selected ones of the images has been manipulated by altering a portion of the color space that is less detectable to a person having a particular type of color vision impairment.

Abstract: A dielectric layer (e.g., an interpoly dielectric layer) is deposited over low and high voltage devices of a peripheral memory device. The dielectric behaves as an oxidation and wet oxide etch barrier. The dielectric prevents the devices from being stripped by a wet oxide etch that can result in the exposure of the silicon corners. The exposure of a silicon corner may increase thinning of a gate oxide at the field edge. This causes variability and unreliability in the device. The dielectric is not removed from a device until the device is ready for processing. That is, the dielectric remains on a device until the growing of a gate oxide on that device has begun. This reduces the exposure of the silicon corner. Hedges that result may be removed by exposing a trench in the field oxide at the hedge.

Abstract: Energy conversion systems utilizing nanometer scale assemblies are provided that convert the kinetic energy (equivalently, the thermal energy) of working substance molecules into another form of energy that can be used to perform useful work at a macroscopic level. These systems may be used to, for example, produce useful quantities of electric or mechanical energy, heat or cool an external substance or propel an object in a controllable direction. In particular, the present invention includes nanometer scale impact masses that reduce the velocity of working substance molecules that collide with this impact mass by converting some of the kinetic energy of a colliding molecule into kinetic energy of the impact mass. Various devices including, piezoelectric, electromagnetic and electromotive force generators, are used to convert the kinetic energy of the impact mass into electromagnetic, electric or thermal energy.

Abstract: A lockable storage case includes a top cover pivotably coupled to a bottom cover through a spine. The top cover includes loops or an upper lock receiving member and a lower lock receiving member defining a top cover lock insertion path. The bottom cover includes loops or an upper lock receiving member and a lower lock receiving member defining a bottom cover lock insertion path. The lower lock receiving members of both the top and bottom covers include hooks for receiving and maintaining a latch. When the top cover is closed on the bottom cover, the top and bottom cover insertion paths combine to form a combined lock insertion path. A lock for the storage case includes first and second catch mechanisms with first and second catches. To lock the storage case, the lock is inserted into the combined lock insertion path so that the catches on the lock mate with and are retained with the hooks in the top and bottom covers.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for acquiring information about communication among nodes [110, 210] in a network [100, 200] by intercepting chunks of data in the network by a tap [120, 220] located among the nodes [110, 210]. A file [740] of data, including characteristics [400] of the intercepted chunks may be produced. The data may be converted into at least one time series and processed to produce prosody information. The prosody information may be used by prosody analysis.

Abstract: A programmable logic device has many regions of programmable logic, together with relatively general-purpose, programmable, interconnection resources that can be used to make interconnections between virtually any of the logic regions. In addition, various types of more local interconnection resources are associated with each logic region for facilitating the making of interconnections between adjacent or nearby logic regions without the need to use the general-purpose interconnection resources for those interconnections. The local interconnection resources support flexible clustering of logic regions via relatively direct and therefore high-speed interconnections, preferably in both horizontal and vertical directions in the typically two-dimensional array of logic regions. The logic region clustering options provided by the local interconnection resources are preferably boundary-less or substantially boundary-less within the array of logic regions.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to ion mobility based systems, methods and devices for analyzing samples and, more particularly, in some embodiments to compact GC-DMS systems, methods, and devices employing enhanced GC column temperature control and configurations to identify various sample constituents.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein include, among other things, a technique for calibrating the outputs of multiple sensors, such as CCD devices, that have overlapping fields of view and mapping the pixels of those outputs to the pixels of a display screen by means of a lookup table so that a user can see a selected field of view within the larger fields of view that are seen by the sensors.

Abstract: A lockable storage case includes a top cover pivotably coupled to a bottom cover through a spine. The top cover includes loops or an upper lock receiving member and a lower lock receiving member defining a top cover lock insertion path. The bottom cover includes loops or an upper lock receiving member and a lower lock receiving member defining a bottom cover lock insertion path. The lower lock receiving members of both the top and bottom covers include hooks for receiving and maintaining a latch. When the top cover is closed on the bottom cover, the top and bottom cover insertion paths combine to form a combined lock insertion path. A lock for the storage case includes first and second catch mechanisms with first and second catches: To lock the storage case, the lock is inserted into the combined lock insertion path so that the catches on the lock mate with and are retained with the hooks in the top and bottom covers.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for actively auditing a software system to determine the status. The software system includes a plurality of processes executed in an active processor domain. An active message is generated for processing in the active processor domain. Each process receiving the message modifies it by adding an active time indicator to it; thereby creating a modified active message. The status of the active processor domain is determined in response to the modified active message.

Abstract: A transition metal substituted, amorphous mesoporous silica framework with a high degree of structural order and a narrow pore diameter distribution (±0.15 nm FWHM) was synthesized and used for the templated growth of GaN nanostructures, such as single wall nanotubes, nanopipes and nanowires. The physical properties of the GaN nanostructures (diameter, diameter distribution, electronic characteristic) can be controlled by the template pore diameter and the pore wall chemistry. GaN nanostructures can find applications, for example, in nanoscale electronic devices, such as field-emitters, and in chemical sensors.

Abstract: An integrated circuit like a programmable logic device (“PLD”) includes a communication channel employing 8B/10B coding. Disparity information determined by 8B/10B decoder circuitry in the communication channel is supplied to other circuitry of the PLD so that any requirement for disparity to have a particular value in conjunction with certain received codes can be checked. On the transmitter side, circuitry is provided for selectively forcing the 8B/10B encoder to use a commanded disparity (which can be either positive or negative) under particular circumstances.

Abstract: Slipcovers are provided for covering a variety of seating structures. The slipcovers can include a fabric sheet, multi-layered components, extensions, anchors, relaxation mechanisms, and holders, and can be configured to cover all or a portion of a seating structure. The multi-layered components can be removably secured to the fabric sheet by decouplable fasteners or by friction or interaction with a friction enhancing material, non-removably secured to the fabric sheet by sewing, quilting, tufting, gluing, and/or applying an adhesive or bonding agent, or secured to the fabric sheet by extensions inserted into a crevice. The internal layers of a multi-layered component can also be removable, or a multi-layered component can be configured to allow additional layers to be inserted.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions comprising a plurality of yeast cells, wherein said plurality of yeast cells are characterized by their ability to increase secretion of male hormones or alleviate or prevent sexual disorders, e.g., impotence, in a mammal, said ability resulting from their having been cultured in the presence of an alternating electric field having a specific frequency and a specific field strength. Also provided are methods of making and using these compositions.

Abstract: An ultra-wide band (UWB) radio frequency (RF) receiving device (205) includes a first receiver (305) that receives UWB RF signals, a second receiver (315) that receives an external cue, and a processing unit (330). The second receiver (315) receives an external cue that includes one of a television blanking signal, a zero-crossing of a FM radio transmission, a paging system signal, a zero-crossing of an analog voice transmission, a zero-crossing of an analog video transmission, a cellular telephony control channel signal, a cellular telephony traffic channel signal, a digital sub-band for an AM or FM radio station signal, a digital or analog signal in a short-wave-radio transmission, a digital television signal, a digital or analog signal in a land mobile radio transmission, a radio-navigation signal, a radar signal, a satellite signal, an acoustic event or signal, a magnetic event or signal, or an optical event or signal.

Abstract: Integrated circuit devices having fixed and programmable logic portions are made by combining a hardware description language representation of the fixed logic and a hardware description language representation of the programmable logic to create a single hardware description language representation of a device. This allows multiple portions of programmable logic, distributed where needed in whatever size needed, to be interspersed among the fixed logic. Because the behavior of the programmable logic, rather than of the user programming, is being represented, a programmable logic architecture is provided that lacks behaviors, such as combinational loops, that would cause compilation of the hardware description language to generate errors.

Abstract: A hardware-to-software compiler is provided that runs an optimization on a circuit implemented in programmable logic. The optimization allows portions of the program implemented by the circuit to be executed via software. A communication interface between the hardware and software is provided that allows for efficient data flow. A communication channel is provided that can be effected as bidirectional using a unidirectional transport medium (e.g., PCI bus). Communication between devices is done through pop interface buffers and push interface buffers on either side of the communication channel.