Abstract: A business process involves manually entering data from an invoice into a first database by a first person. The database includes a status indicator having various states. The invoice entry is audited by a second person who manually enters a subset of the data into the database. The subset is matched with the data entered by the first person and unmatched entries highlighted. The auditor may re-enter only data which he has entered. The invoice is then returned to the first person who may re-enter only data which he has entered or cancel the invoice. After there are no unmatched entries, the first person posts the data to a second database.

Abstract: An improved total-reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) apparatus using a doubly-curved optic is presented for use in detecting foreign matter on surfaces, for example, semiconductor wafers. The apparatus includes an x-ray source, a doubly-curved x-ray optic for diffracting and focusing the x-rays, a surface onto which at least some of the diffracted x-rays are directed, and an x-ray detector for detecting resultant x-ray fluorescence emitted by any foreign matter present on the surface One or more apertures may be provided for limiting the dispersion angle of the x-rays. The crystal or multi-layer doubly-curved optic typically adheres to Bragg's law of x-ray diffraction may be curved to a toroidal, ellipsoidal, spherical, parabolic, hyperbolic, or other doubly-curved shape. An apparatus for diffracting x-rays is also presented.

Abstract: A cooling system and method, and a cooled electronics assembly are provided employing a thermal spreader having an inner chamber evacuated and partially filled with a liquid. A phase separator is disposed within the thermal spreader to at least partially divide the inner chamber into a boiling section and a condensing section, while allowing vapor and liquid to circulate between the sections. A heat extraction assembly is disposed at least partially within the inner chamber to extract heat therefrom. When the thermal spreader is coupled to a heat generating component with the boiling section disposed adjacent thereto, liquid within the thermal spreader boils in the boiling section, producing vapor which flows upward from the boiling section and causes liquid to flow into the boiling section from the condensing section, thereby providing circulatory flow between the sections and facilitating removal of heat from the heat generating component.

Abstract: A technique is provided for encoding macroblocks of a frame of a sequence of video frames initially employing luminance data only to analyze temporal redundancy of the macroblocks within the frame. Upon deciding to code at least one macroblock as a non-intra macroblock, the technique includes considering whether to switch the coding decision for the at least one macroblock from non-intra to intra by evaluating chrominance data of the at least one macroblock. The evaluating of the chrominance data can include determining whether chrominance difference data, obtained by comparing chrominance values of a current macroblock with a reference macroblock, is greater than a user set chrominance difference threshold, and if so then the technique includes switching the macroblock coding decision. As a further qualification, the switching might occur only if the chrominance difference data is also greater than the corresponding luminance difference data.

Abstract: A computer display system, method and article of manufacture are presented allowing a user to interactively arrange two-dimensional windows for display in three dimensions on a two-dimensional display screen of the computer system. A window manager associated with the display screen is configured to respond to a user's selection of a frame edge of a window, e.g., using a third mouse button, by rotating the window from a two-dimensional depiction to a three-dimensional depiction. Rotation of the window occurs on an edge frame opposite to the selected edge frame and the rotation angle is related to the magnitude that the user drags the pointing device after selection of one edge frame of the window to be swung. In a similar manner, multiple windows can be swung for three-dimensional viewing and simultaneous display within the display screen.

Abstract: The management and use of replicated distributed transactions is facilitated. A distributed synchronous transaction system protocol is provided to manage the replication of distributed transactions for client application instances. The distributed synchronous transaction system allows transactions to be replicated without having the client application instances be aware of other instances to receive the transaction. Further, if a failure occurs during processing of a distributed replicated transaction, the distributed synchronous transaction system manages the recovery of the failure.

Abstract: An interposer, interposer package and device assembly employing the same are provided. The interposer has a substrate formed of a semiconductor material, with first input/output contacts disposed over a first main surface thereof and second input/output contacts disposed over a second main surface thereof. The second input/output contacts are electrically connected to the first input/output contacts. The first input/output contacts disposed over the first main surface of the interposer substrate are for attachment to input/output pads of a device to which the interposer is to be attached. The second input/output contacts disposed over the second main surface of the interposer substrate facilitate electrical coupling to a component to which the interposer is also to be attached.

Abstract: Structures and methods are provided for electrically interconnecting and absorbing stress between a first electrical structure and a second electrical structure. In one embodiment, non-conductive compliant bumps are disposed on at least one of the structures and a metal layer is provided over a surface of the non-conductive compliant bumps. The metal layer facilitates electrical coupling of the metal on the surfaces of the compliant bumps with multiple contact pads of the structure supporting the bumps. The non-conductive compliant bumps can be fabricated of a low modulus material which has a high ultimate elongation property (LMHE dielectric). The LMHE dielectric can have a Young's modulus of less than 50,000 psi and an ultimate elongation property of at least twenty percent. In an alternate embodiment, at least one mushroom-shaped conductive bump is disposed above a compliant dielectric layer on one of the first electrical structure or the second electrical structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is presented which includes a self-aligned, planarized thin-film transistor which can be used in various integrated circuit devices, such as static random access memory (SRAM) cells. The semiconductor device has a first field-effect transistor and a second field-effect transistor. The second field-effect transistor overlies the first field-effect transistor, and the first field-effect transistor and the second field-effect transistor share a common gate. The second field-effect transistor includes a source and a drain which are self-aligned to the shared gate in a layer of planarized semiconductor material above the first field-effect transistor. In one embodiment, the second field-effect transistor is a thin-film transistor, and the shared gate has a U-shape wrap-around configuration at a body of the thin-film transistor.

Abstract: Assignment of a unique address identifier to a partition of a computing environment is provided by extending the applicability of hunt groups. A single-member hunt group is initiated to provide an alias address (e.g., hunt group ID) which is associated with the partition of the computing environment. A token (or token and password) facilitates the association between the alias address and the partition. Subsequent communication between the partition and a fabric switch of the computing environment will use the alias address as a source or destination address identifier, thereby uniquely identifying the partition.

Abstract: A thermoelectric assembly is provided for an electronic device, having a surface with a non-uniform thermal distribution between at least one first region and at least one second region, with the at least one first region having a higher heat flux than the at least one second region. The assembly includes at least one first area of thermoelectric elements and at least one second area of thermoelectric elements, which are configured to align over the at least one first region of higher heat flux, and the at least one second region, respectively, when the assembly is coupled to the device. The at least one first area of thermoelectric elements includes a greater density of thermoelectric elements than the at least one second area of thermoelectric elements for handling the higher heat flux.

Abstract: A technique is provided for aligning and formatting multi-operand pixel data, for example, within a pixel formatter of a graphics engine for a set-top box system. The technique includes, in one embodiment, obtaining pixel data of a first alignment and a first format for conversion to a second alignment and a second format. The pixel data undergoes pre-alignment where the first alignment of the pixel data is changed to a bit zero alignment, after which the pixel data is reformatted from the first format to the second format. The reformatted pixel data is post-aligned to change from bit zero alignment to the second alignment. In one embodiment, the pixel data is source pixel data or pattern pixel data, while the second alignment and the second format are alignment and format of destination pixel data.

Abstract: Various components are provided to manage a clustered environment. These components include a System Registry that provides a global data storage; a Configuration manager that stores data locally on nodes of the clustered environment and globally within the System Registry; a Liveness component to provide status of communications paths of the cluster; a Group Services component that provides services to one or more other components of the clustered environment; and a Resource Management component that communicates with one or more resource controllers of the clustered environment. Each of the components of the clustered environment has one or more data and/or functional dependencies on one or more other components of the environment. However, relationships between the components are created such that the data and functional dependencies form an acyclic graph (i.e., a cycle of dependency relationships is avoided).

Abstract: Techniques for establishing contact between a first node and a second node in a communication system having a plurality of nodes. Upon a failure of an attempt by the first node to contact the second node, the first node contacts a 3rd party node, which in turn attempts to contact the second node on behalf of the first node. The first node's initial attempt to contact the second node can be verified by the 3rd party node, thereby avoiding an unjust detriment to the first node. Multiple retries or 3rd party nodes can be used to attempt contact on behalf of the first node. Responsiveness of nodes can be measured, and subsequent penalties can be assessed, as a result of their unresponsiveness.

Abstract: An electrical connector for a cable, a sleeve for a cable, and a method for fabricating an electrical connection. The connector, sleeve, and the method can all used for high-voltage electrical devices, for example, x-ray generating devices. In particular, the invention may be used for high-voltage electrical devices fabricated with an encapsulant, for example, a silicone potting material. In one aspect of the invention, the connector provides a high-voltage electrical connection having an integral bond between the high-voltage cable and the encapsulant with little or no air gaps. The connector includes a high-voltage cable having a sheath made from a first material, for example, polyethylene, and a sleeve made from a second material, for example, a silicone-based material, that is compatible with the encapsulant. Other aspects of the invention include a method for fabricating the connector and the sleeve used in the connector.

Abstract: A video decoder for decoding data at a high rate uses a plurality of slower slice decoders. A common memory is shared by all slice decoders drastically reducing storage requirements of individual decoders. Slices are allocated to decoders optimally in response to busy signals providing improved performance over known methods. HDTV signals are decoded using a plurality of ordinary television resolution decoders. Multiple data streams are also decoded.

Abstract: An electronic module and method of fabrication are provided employing an integrated thermal dissipation assembly. The thermal dissipation assembly includes a thermoelectric assembly configured to couple to an electronic device within the module for removing heat generated thereby, and a programmable power control circuit integrated with the thermoelectric assembly. The programmable power control circuit allows cooling capacity of the thermoelectric assembly to be tailored to anticipated heat dissipation of the electronic device by adjusting, for a given power source, voltage level to the thermoelectric elements of the thermoelectric assembly. Power to the thermoelectric assembly can be provided through conductive power planes disposed within a supporting substrate. The power control circuit includes one or more voltage boost circuits connected in series between the given power source and the thermoelectric elements of the associated thermoelectric assembly.

Abstract: A facility is provided for managing a service connection between a client process having a single threaded library and a server process. The facility includes monitoring activity of a client code of the client process by the client library, and commensurate therewith monitoring activity of the client library across a service connection to the server process, wherein activity of the client library on the service connection is indicative of activity of the client code. The service connection between the client process and the server process is terminated if a message is not received at the server process from the single threaded client library within a defined tolerance interval. Upon termination of the service connection, any locked client resource is recovered at the server 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 technique for reliably multicasting a message within a router network in a sequenced order with other messages is provided. At least one special router in the network has associated persistent storage for sequencing a message being routed to one or more clients. When a message is received at this sequencer node, the sequencer places a sequence number for the message in persistent storage and sends a sequencing acknowledgment back to those routers to which the message was originally routed, as well as back towards the source of the message. The sequencer acknowledgment includes the message id, and the sequencing number. When the sequencer acknowledgment is received by a router, it looks up the routing information from the original message, and sends the acknowledgment to those neighboring routers to which the original message was sent, excluding the link from which the sequencer acknowledgment was received.