Abstract: A storage-controller-managed outboard incremental backup/restore of data. An indicator is assigned to an associated portion of data stored in a data storage device, wherein the indicator resides in a memory of a storage controller coupled to the data storage device. A value of the indicator residing within the memory of the storage controller is set when the associated portion of the data has changed. The associated portion of the data stored in the data storage device is backed using the storage controller when the value of the indicator residing within the memory of the storage controller is set. The value of the indicator residing within the memory of the storage controller is cleared when the associated portion of the data has been backed up.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for updating and destaging data in a storage system. To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention disclose a system for updating a data block in a storage device. A first processing unit receives an update to a data block in a storage device. The first processing unit sends a first message including the update and information indicating data blocks that were recently updated to a second processing unit. The second processing unit stores the update in a second storage area and sends a second message to the first processing unit after receiving the first message. The first processing unit stores the update in a first storage area and transfers the update from the first storage area to the data block in the storage device. The first processing unit transfers the update from the first storage area to the data block in the storage device.

Abstract: A process for the continuous production of substantially purified lactide and lactide polymers from lactic acid or an ester of lactic acid including the steps of forming crude polylactic acid, preferably in the presence of a catalyst means in the case of the ester of lactic acid, to form a condensation reaction by-product and polylactic acid, and depolymerizing the polylactic acid in a lactide reactor to form crude lactide, followed by subsequent purification of the crude lactide in a distillation system. A purified lactide is then polymerized to form lactide polymers.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for altering the structure of parity groups, e.g., altering the RAID level or number of storage devices included in the RAID array. A parity group consists of a set of data blocks and parity data for the data blocks. The data and parity data are stored in at least two storage devices. The first processing unit alters the parity structure of an Nth set of parity groups, wherein N is an integer value greater than or equal to zero. A set of parity groups includes at least one parity group. The second processing unit determines an Nth range of parity groups including the Nth set of parity groups. After detecting the failure of the first processing unit while altering the parity structure of the parity groups in the Nth set, the second processing unit processes the parity groups in the determined Nth range to determine a parity group whose parity structure was being altered when the first processing unit failed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for performing an operation, such as a read or write operation, on a data block in a shared disk system. A first adaptor receives a request to perform an operation on a data block maintained in a data storage location. The first adaptor then determines whether the first adaptor controls access to the data block. The first adaptor performs the requested operation on the data block after determining that the first adaptor controls access to the data block. If the first adaptor does not control access to the data block, then the first adaptor transmits a first message to a second adaptor that controls access to the data block and requests control of access to the data block. After receiving the first message, the second adaptor transfers control of access to the data block to the first adaptor. The second adaptor then transmits a second message to the first adaptor that the first adaptor controls access to the data block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for solving grid point layouts using massively parallel computers to solve each wiring connection or grid point independently. By leaving the solution in a global perspective, and solving the problem using fine grain parallelism, wiring solutions and optimized layouts are achieved in a shorter amount of time.

Abstract: A digital library is comprised of a library server and at least one object server. The library server stores tables describing the digital library. An object server stores objects referenced by the tables describing the digital library. An application is coupled to the library server and the object server(s). It accesses objects via a file system or other native storage manager API under the control of the library server.

Abstract: An emitter material for a CRT comprises mixed crystal or solid solution of at least two kinds of alkaline earth metal carbonate, wherein at least one alkaline earth metal carbonate is dispersed or separated in the mixed crystal or solid solution. The alkaline earth metal carbonate, which is an emitter material for the CRT, is coated onto the base metal and thermally decomposed in a vacuum to from an emitter of an alkaline earth metal. This emitter, which is proper for a larger screen size, high brightness and high resolution CRT, can be provided with enough life characteristics even under the operating condition of the emission current density of 2A/cm2.

Abstract: A mouth mounted pointing device for use with an element to be moved on a computer. A control element having a surface for tongue interaction causes the control element to interact with a transducer responsive element to operate an electronic circuit, which moves the computer element. A second control element operates a switch for the circuit.

Abstract: A multimedia direct access storage device and a method for transferring source program signals representative of a compressed digital multimedia program to and from the direct access storage device are disclosed. A multimedia program is transmitted from a multimedia server as a custom ordered series of discrete program segments and received by the multimedia direct access storage device, which buffers the compressed program segments for subsequent presentation on a local display monitor. The multimedia direct access storage device is preferably incorporated as a component of a local set-top control system for buffering a predetermined number of compressed program segments received from the multimedia server, some of which may be non-sequentially ordered and others of which may be sequentially ordered. A novel formatting methodology provides for the sequential presentation of the program segments asynchronously distributed on one or more data storage disks disposed in the direct access storage device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for determining qualitatively or quantitatively the presence of toxic congeners of polychlorinated biphenyl in a test sample. The method includes the steps of: providing a known quantity of antibodies to the toxic polychlorinated biphenyl congener; providing a competitor that will bind to said antibodies in competition with the toxic polychlorinated biphenyl congener and having a lower affinity to said antibodies than said antibodies have to the toxic polychlorinated biphenyl congener; incubating said antibodies and said competitor in the presence of a test sample; and detecting the presence of the toxic polychlorinated biphenyl toxic congener in the test sample.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method to overcome the unwanted effects of parasitic bipolar discharge in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) field effect transistors (FET) by eliminating the effects the sneak current discharging path by applying a contention free arrangement methodology to realize the dynamic logic circuit. The SOI MOS devices are arranged so as to eliminate the effects of electrical connections between certain intermediate nodes of the dynamic logic circuit. Accordingly, eliminating any parasitic bipolar current leakage paths associated with such electrical connections between certain intermediate nodes of said stacked SOI MOS devices of said dynamic circuit.

Abstract: A multi-stage login procedure and system involves a first stage in which a login ID and a public key (encrypted) is transmitted from a client computer to a server computer and a key-exchange key (encrypted) is provided from the server computer to the client computer. In a second stage, a first split symmetric key and a server authentication string is generated and encrypted by the client computer and then transmitted to the server computer. In addition, the server computer generates a second split symmetric key and combines the same with the first split symmetric key to obtain a complete symmetric key for encrypting further communications from the server to the client computer. The server also generates a client authentication string, encrypts the same and transmits the encrypted string, the server authentication string (encrypted and incremented) and the second split symmetric key (encrypted) to the client computer.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a support surface and a moving mechanism for automatically varying the orientation of the support surface in a predetermined manner over time to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of repetitive stress injury as a result of performing repetitive tasks on or otherwise using the support surface. By varying the orientation of the support surface, e.g., by moving and/or rotating the support surface over time, repetitive tasks performed on the support surface are modified at least subtly to reduce the repetitiveness of the individual motions performed by an operator.

Abstract: A plate joiner including a fence support, a drive, and a fence system. The fence support includes a cutter and a contact surface, which defines a cutter slot. The cutter is arranged and configured to protrude from fence support through cutter slot to make a plunge cut into a surface of a workpiece when the contact surface is pressed against the surface and the cutter is plunged into the workpiece by pushing on a rearward handle portion of the tool. The drive is arranged and configured to rotatably drive the cutter through a motor.A preferred plate joiner includes a cutter plunge system arranged and configured to provide a plurality of release positions that reduce the distance traveled in making a plunge cut for a smaller blade and to prevent a blade from protruding from the tool in a release position.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing health care transactions through a common interface in a distributed computing environment using specialized remote procedure calls. The distributed computing environment includes a user interface tier for collecting user inputs and presenting transaction outputs, a data access tier for data storage and retrieval of health care transaction information, a transaction logic tier for applying a predetermined set of transaction procedures to user inputs and health care transaction information resulting in transaction output, an electronic network connecting the user interface tier, data access tier and transaction logic tier to each other and a communication interface for exchanging health care transaction information among the tiers. The communication interface includes an interface definition language generating transaction-specific communication codes whereby data is exchanged through a common interface structure regardless of the origin of the data.

Abstract: A method of producing glutamic acid by culturing an amino acid auxotroph of a biologically pure strain of Bacillus methanolicus which exhibits sustained growth at 50.degree. C. using methanol as a carbon and energy source and requiring vitamin B.sub.12 and biotin is provided.

Abstract: Metal binding polypeptides which include an amino acid sequence coding for a light chain variable region of a monoclonal antibody capable of immunoreacting with a lead cation and nucleotides which include a nucleic acid sequence coding for the variable region are provided. The invention is also directed to fusion proteins and Fab fragments which include the light chain variable region.

Abstract: A prediction information system for use between a user and an electronic rating broker is provided. The prediction information system includes a user interface for presenting items as information to the user. An input mechanism receives data input by the user. A processor in cooperation with the user interface and the input mechanism performs an algorithm for: obtaining a particular implicit measure, generating an implicit rating as a function of the particular implicit measure, submitting the implicit rating to the rating broker, receiving prediction results for other items from the rating broker, and presenting the prediction results to the user through the user interface. In addition, a method for operating an electronic rating broker on a computer system in order to provide prediction information to a user based on implicit ratings is provided. Also, a storage device readable by a computer system for implementing this method is provided.