Abstract: During self-servowriting, burst information is written within slots defined on tracks of a recording medium. In writing the burst information, write to read interference, caused by large offsets in separate read and write elements of a recording transducer, is to be avoided. In order to avoid the write to read interference, the slots are carefully chosen. The choice of a particular slot can be independent of any predefined order, such as a successive order. Further, the order in which slots are chosen may be altered during the propagation process.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for managing a workload distributed across multiple data processing systems to enhance shared resource access to meet a common performance standard. The technique includes on at least one system, measuring performance of the work units on the system to create local performance data, and on at least some of the systems sending the local performance data to at least one other system of the multiple data processing systems. The method further includes on at least one of the systems, receiving the performance data from the sending systems to create remote performance data, and adjusting at least one control parameter for accessing shared resources in response to the local and remote performance data to modify the performance of the work units distributed across the data processing systems to achieve the common performance standard. A dynamic resource clustering process is also employed to enhance the shared resource management.

Abstract: A system for a message processing system in which messages are transmitted from source nodes to destination nodes. A transmission flow control technique is disclosed in which the source node optimistically sends control information and a data portion of a message, and wherein a destination node discards the data portion of the message if it is unable to accommodate it. The destination node, however, retains enough of the control information to identify the message to the source node, and when the destination node is subsequently able to accommodate the data portion, the destination node issues a request to the source node to retransmit the data portion of the message. Discarding of one message is followed by discards of sequential messages, until the destination node is able to accommodate the data portions of messages.

Abstract: A device and method are provided for merging one or more secondary audio channels, received from either a streaming application or from memory, with a primary stream of audio data output from a main audio decoder. In addition to the audio decoder, the device/method employs a controller for processing received secondary audio data in a streaming application, and retrieving from system memory audio PCM data once stored. An audio playback device is provided for formatting the PCM data for mixing with the primary stream of audio data output from the audio decoder. Multiple digital-to-analog converters convert the multiple streams of audio data into analog signals which are then mixed into a single merged audio signal for presentation.

Abstract: Method, system and computer program product are provided for dynamically determining group of picture (GOP) size as a function of picture change activity within a sequence of video frames. Image statistics on one or more intraframe characteristics of the sequence of video frames is compared to a preset threshold for deciding whether to continue within an existing GOP or to begin a new GOP. A frame of the sequence of video frames is intra-coded, and each of a variable number of subsequent frames is bi-directionally predictive-coded (B). Each B frame subsequent to the I frame is encoded employing forward prediction motion estimation only from the I frame. When a predefined picture degradation occurs, a new GOP is initiated. One example of an intraframe characteristic to be monitored is the number of intra-coded macroblocks within each B coded frame. This number is compared against a threshold number, which may be a percentage of the total number of macroblocks within the frame.

Abstract: Apparatus for cooling an electronic device, and a resultant fluid-cooled electronic apparatus are provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a heat sink member with a surface for making thermal contact with the electronic device. The heat sink member has a plurality of channels for carrying coolant fluid. The plurality of channels are positioned in a first group and a second group such that coolant flow alternates across the member. At least one cross-flow opening is provided between at least some adjacent channels of the plurality of channels so that coolant flow can flow within the member between the first group of channels and the second group of channels.

Abstract: Methods and systems for self-servowriting a data storage medium are disclosed, including servoing to propagation bursts of a propagation pattern located in tracks other than an immediately preceding track. Reference levels used to position a recording head are accordingly kept in a usable dynamic range necessary to keep servo track spacing constant across the medium. The methods and systems are disclosed in connection with a rotary actuator having spaced read and write heads. Similar methods are disclosed for writing trigger or timing bursts of the propagation pattern.

Abstract: An unreliable training set is modified to provide for a reliable training set to be used in supervised classification. The training set is modified by determining which data of the set are incorrect and reconstructing those incorrect data. The reconstruction includes modifying the labels associated with the data to provide for correct labels. The modification can be performed iteratively.

Abstract: A process for preparing &bgr;-carotene, represented by Formula 3 staring from a sulfone compound of Formula B

Abstract: The invention pertains to the field of Augmentative Communication Technology. The invention addresses the problem of providing a communication device for producing message output reflecting a user's intended message which minimizes the amount of user input required to produce a message. The invention pertains to an augmentative communication system in which user input may specify attributes of a predefined subject of desired communication. Responsive to such input, a system in accordance with the invention may provide to the user a set of predefined messages which are pertinent to the specified subject. From this set of messages the user may specify a message to be produced as output for purposes of communication. Alternatively, the user may alter the specified attributes and receive a different set of predefined messages based on the revised specifications.

Abstract: Segments of storage of a computer system are shared among any number of users at varying virtual addresses. The virtual addresses can be in the same address space or different address spaces. The sharing of a segment of storage is provided by storing the real address of a page table corresponding to the segment of storage to be shared at different virtual addresses. This allows users of the same or different address spaces to share the same segment of storage by referencing the same page table.

Abstract: Managing processor resources in a non-dedicated computer system. An amount of a processor resource is allocated to a real-time application of the computer system. The amount does not exceed a limit chosen for a group of real-time applications, wherein the group includes the real-time application being allocated the resource. A selected amount of the processor resource remains available to execute other types of applications and work on the system. During processing of the real-time application, use of the processor resource does not exceed a chosen maximum value, thereby ensuring the processor resource is not monopolized by the real-time application and allowing other types of work to be processed on the system.

Abstract: A technique for statically linking an application process to a wrapper library employed in intercepting one or more calls invoked by the application process. The intercepted calls may comprise system calls or library calls. In a first link step, the application process is statically linked with at least the intercept library, and in one embodiment, all libraries associated with the application process except for the wrapper library. This first statically linking step creates a first module. Thereafter, at least one call invoked by the application process, and to be intercepted by the intercept library, is renamed. The renaming of the intercepted call is from its original name to a temporary name in the standard program library, the intercept library and the application program. This renaming step creates a second module that no longer contains the original name of the at least one intercepted call.

Abstract: A real-time single pass variable bit rate control strategy is provided to achieve variable bit rate (VBR) MPEG-2 encoding in a video compression system. For a sequence of frames, the level of encoding difficulty of a video interval (i.e., a group of pictures (GOP)) is determined by a perceptual rate-quantization ({overscore (C)}-{overscore (Q)}) model. This model assigns a composite ({overscore (C)}-{overscore (Q)}) curve to each video interval from which the number of bits for the video interval is estimated. The estimation relies on a causal predictive model using the parameters obtained from previously encoded video intervals. The R-Q relationship of each picture type is updated and picture bits are assigned, based on the total rate of the video interval under analysis. Robustness of the variable bit rate control strategy is ensured throughout scene transitions and instabilities by applying, for example, a non-linear median filter, and a low pass filter, respectively.

Abstract: Object-code instruction traces are employed to analyze selected instructions of an application program for possible failure when confronted by a year-2000 date. The analysis includes directly identifying one or more instructions of the application program that may fail, as well as identifying whether the one or more instructions have a characteristic of a predefined false-positive failure pattern. A failure-pattern descriptor is assigned to each examined instruction which is indicative of whether the instruction may fail when confronted by a date in the year-2000 range, and whether the instruction is a possible false-positive failing instruction. The analysis employs user-specifiable run-control values, as well as predetermined filter-specification values in comparing traces of each selected object-code instruction to predefined instruction failure patterns.