Abstract: Informations about design specifications, components, design items, the correlations between the design specifications and the components, and the correlations between the design items and the design specifications or between the design items and the component, which are required for designing a product, are registered in a database while giving given definitions to the informations on a computer. A computer is used to prompt a design engineer to determine the content of the design specification with respect to a specific version of the product, and to extract components for the specific version from the database in accordance with the correlations between the design specifications and the components and present the extracted components to an engineer so as to prompt the engineer to determine components required for the specific version.

Abstract: System for monitoring an electrical system of a facility includes one or more local sensing devices, each of which is adapted to be connected to the electrical system of the facility in proximity to a respective load that receives power from the electrical system so as to make local measurements of a voltage across the load continuity measurements of electrical-power presence at one or more points in the electrical system of said facility. A processing unit is adapted to receive and compare the local measurements to reference measurements of the voltage supplied to the facility, in order to detect a fault in the electrical system.

Abstract: An electronic circuit (CE) is provided with an oscillator (OSC—1) outputting a signal (S1) with a frequency (F1) varying as a function of the temperature (Tc) of this circuit, and receiving or outputting a signal (S2) with a fixed and known frequency (F2). This circuit includes a measurement module (MSR) outputting a measurement signal (?1) representative of the variable frequency (F1) evaluated using the fixed frequency signal (S2) used as a reference or standard, and a conversion module (CVRS) applying a transfer function (u?1, v?1, or w?1) that is the inverse of the function for the variation of the frequency of the first signal (S1) as a function of the temperature, to the measurement signal (?1), in order to output a signal (?c) representative of the circuit temperature (Tc).

Abstract: A method for orientation-directed construction of a construct including at least two nucleic acid segments of interest. Products are provided having phosphorylated blunt ends derived from the nucleic acid segments of interest. Separate ligation reactions are performed wherein in each reaction the phosphorylated blunt-ended products of two different segments obtained in the previous step are ligated to create a combined ligated sequence. PCR amplification reaction is performed using the combined ligated sequence obtained in the previous step as a template and specific enrichment primers direct the PCR amplification towards the desired orientation. Each combined ligated sequence is amplified in a separate reaction creating a combined product having phosphorylated blunt ends. The combined product is isolated and purified to have the enriched desired orientation.

Abstract: A topic segmenting system segments a topic into chatter and subtopics. The system decomposes a conversation into topics, producing a time-based structure for topics and subtopics in the conversation. The system extracts a large number of topics at all levels of granularity. Some of the topics extracted correspond to broad topics and some correspond to “spiky” topics or subtopics. The system comprises a process for automatically detecting spiky regions of a topic. For each possible broad topic, the present system finds regions where coverage of the broad topic overlaps significantly with the spiky region of another topic. The system then removes the spiky subtopic from the conversation. Processing is repeated until all discernable topics have been identified and removed from the conversation, yielding random topics of little duration or intensity.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a resistive circuit with reduced mismatch that includes a primary resistive network with several main resistances (Rp) each having the same theoretical main value. It also includes an auxiliary resistance (Rau) having an auxiliary theoretical resistive value equal to the product or to the quotient of the theoretical main resistive value by ?{square root over (2)}. All these resistances are connected together so as to attribute a theoretical overall resistive value to the primary resistive network equal to the theoretical auxiliary resistive value.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a strained layer of silicon or of a silicon/germanium alloy, includes: a) the formation of a layer (2) of silicon or of a silicon/germanium alloy on a layer (1) of a material having a modifiable lattice parameter; and b) the modification of the lattice parameter.

Abstract: A memory cell comprises a first inverter (IA) and a second inverter (IB) coupled upside down to each other between a first node (A) and a second node (B), and a first access transistor (TA) having a drain coupled to the first node (A), a gate coupled to a word line (WL) and a source coupled to a bit line (BLREAD). The memory cell also comprises a reference transistor (TC) having a drain coupled to the first node (A) and a source coupled to a reference line (BLREF), a cut-off potential (GND) being applied to a gate of the reference transistor (TC). Moreover, an SRAM cell comprising a reference transistor for neutralizing leakage current and associated read and write method is described.

Abstract: A method and device are provided for synchronizing the presentation of audio frames and/or of video frames comprises the detection of presentation time stamps in a stream of frames. The presentation instant indicated by a time stamp is compared with a time delivered by a local reference clock. Depending on a variance and on an average of values of deviation between presentation instants and corresponding times indicated by the clock, the clock can be initialized according to the presentation instant indicated by a time stamp or the presentation of the frames can be adjusted.

Abstract: A device is provided for the correction of the power factor in forced switching power supplies. The device includes a converter, and a first control circuit coupled with the converter so as to obtain a regulated voltage on the output terminal from an alternating network input voltage. The converter includes a power transistor, and the first control circuit is suitable for driving the power transistor in every switching cycle comprising the turn-on time and the turn-off time of the power transistor. The device for the correction of the power factor further includes a second control circuit coupled to the first control circuit and capable of modulating the turn-off time of the power transistor.

Abstract: A method is provided for decoding a turbo-code encoded signal in a receiver. According to the method, the signal is received from a transmission channel, and the signal is digitally turbo-code decoded. Additionally, a quality information representative of conditions of the channel state estimation is dynamically determined, and the quality information is dynamically compared with a predetermined criteria for defining good or bad estimation conditions. A Maximum-A-Posteriori algorithm in the logarithmic domain is dynamically selected for good estimation conditions, or an approximation of the Maximum-A-Posteriori algorithm in the logarithmic domain is dynamically selected for bad estimation conditions. Also provided is a receiver that implements such a decoding method.

Abstract: A method of securely receiving data on a user's system from a web broadcast infrastructure with a plurality of channels. The method comprising receiving promotional metadata from a first web broadcast channel, the promotional metadata related to data available for reception; assembling at least part of the promotional metadata into a promotional offering for review by a user; selecting by a user, data to be received related to the promotional metadata; receiving data from a second web broadcast channel, the data selected from the promotional metadata, and wherein the data has been previously encrypted using a first encrypting key; and receiving the first decrypting key via a computer readable medium, the first decrypting key for decrypting at least some of the data received via the second web broadcast channel. In another embodiment, a method and system to transmit data securely from a web broadcast center is disclosed.

Abstract: A nozzle for continuous casting of clean steel is capable of preventing adhesion of Al2O3-based inclusions to a wall surface of the inner hole of the nozzle while fully achieving an effect of a swirl vane. The swirl vane prevents drift in molten steel passing through the inner hole. The swirl vane is disposed in the inner hole. A wall surface is at least partly formed as a tubular-shaped refractory layer and is prepared by controlling a weight ratio of CaO/MgO and an apparent porosity to have a thickness of 3 to 20 mm, so as to prevent adhesion of Al2O3-based inclusions to the wall surface and the swirl vane while effectively maintaining the anti-drift effect for long hours. Further, inert gas is injected into a molten steel flow between an upper nozzle and the swirl vane to facilitate surfacing of Al2O3-based inclusions in a mold and reduce Al2O3-based inclusions in molten steel so as to achieve stable casting operation and high-quality steel with high cleanness.

Abstract: A metal alloy powder containing at least two alloying elements selected from the group of Ni, Cu, Cr, Sn, Mn, Co and W containing 1 to 99% by weight Ni, 1 to 99% by weight Cu, 6 to 60% by weight Cr, 6 to 15% by weight Sn, 6 to 15% by weight Mn, 6 to 15% by weight Co, and/or 6 to 15% by weight W for use in laminated ceramic capacitors with an internal electrode wherein said electrode comprises a sintered body of said alloy powder. A metal alloy powder containing at least two alloying elements selected from the group of Ni, Cu, Cr, Sn, Mn, Co and W wherein the onset of oxidation of the alloy powder occurs above about 250° C.

Abstract: A method of joining two panels during the manufacturing of a LCD display employing the ODF (One Drop Fill) assembly technique. Using this method, the liquid crystal is deposited on one of the substrate's interior to the glue seal. The glue seal is pre-deposited near the peripheral edge of the substrates. The two substrates are then brought in contact with one another. The glue seal must be cured rapidly in order to seal the entire periphery while avoiding contamination between the glue seal, in the liquid state and the liquid crystal. The present invention teaches the use of a non-epoxy glue sealant, which is cured using photoinitiators. Experimental research has discovered the use of photons that are derived from laser beams and the control thereof. This allows for a faster, lower temperature cure.

Abstract: A ramp generator is provided that includes an amplifier, first and second transistors, a variable resistive load having a control electrode, and a capacitor. The amplifier has an inverting input that receives a first reference voltage, and an output connected to the gate of the first transistor. The first transistor has a source connected to a second reference voltage, and a drain connected to the non-inverting input of the amplifier and also to the variable resistive load. The second transistor mirrors the current of the first transistor so as to charge the capacitor, which is periodically discharged by a discharging circuit. In one embodiment, the generator further comprises a comparator, a filter, and an integrator that control the variable resistive load so as to generate a slope having characteristics that are noticeably independent from dispersion, from manufacturing methods, and temperature.

Abstract: A memory circuit with an error correcting system comprising an address bus (102), an input data bus (108), and an output data bus (115), the circuit comprising a memory having an address bus (113), a data bus (114) and an error correcting circuit comprising an encoder (107). A first address register (104) is connected to the input address bus of the circuit for successively storing addresses corresponding to memory write operations only. A second data register (105) is connected to the input data bus of the circuit (108) for storing data transmitted to the encoder (107). Circuits make it possible to introduce a one-cycle shift into the memory writes, without modifying reads, giving the encoder more time to compute error correcting codes.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for treating a sample to acquire multidimensional spectra within a single scan that partitions a sample into a set of independent subensembles endowed with different resonance frequencies. A polychromatic irradiation of the sample is implemented whereby the various subensembles are selectively manipulated by a time-incremented series of excitation or refocusing sequences. Thereafter, a homogeneous sequence capable of generating an observable spectral signal from each of the subensembles is applied with simultaneous monitoring of the observable signals arising from the various subensembles in a resolved fashion. The observable signals acquired in this manner are processed into a complete multidimensional spectral data set.