Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for receiving speech and non-speech communications of natural language questions and/or commands, transcribing the speech and non-speech communications to textual messages, and executing the questions and/or commands. The invention applies context, prior information, domain knowledge, and user specific profile data to achieve a natural environment for one or more users presenting questions or commands across multiple domains. The systems and methods creates, stores and uses extensive personal profile information for each user, thereby improving the reliability of determining the context of the speech and non-speech communications and presenting the expected results for a particular question or command.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a tradable (e.g., exchange-listed) instrument by securitizing a commodity using a commodity trust or other special-purpose vehicle that is established to hold one or more physical commodities and to issue commodity trust shares and/or receipts corresponding to the value of the physical commodity held by the Trust. The commodity trust shares may represent a proportional interest in the Trust and/or the physical commodity held by the trust, e.g., precious metals such as gold, or base metals such as copper. The Trust may include one or more Trust accounts to receive and store the physical commodity deposited with the Trust. The shares or receipts of the trust can be listed, quoted, and traded on a trading system, e.g., an Electronics Communication Network (ECN), and may be traded as Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) shares on a securities exchange.

Abstract: A method and a system are provided for forming planar absorber layers or structures by planarizing and reacting precursor layers in a reactor. A precursor structure is first formed over the front surface of a foil substrate and then planarized through application of pressure by a smooth surface while heated to a first temperature range to obtain a planar layer. The planar layer may be only partially reacted. The planar layer is further reacted at a second temperature range to form a fully or completely reacted planar absorber layer. The planar absorber layer may include at least one Group IB material, at least one Group IIIA material and at least one Group VIA material. The planar absorber layer may be a Group IBIIIAVIA compound layer.

Abstract: A chuck apparatus for holding a substrate is the disclosed. The chuck apparatus includes a first surface portion on which the substrate is to be held and a second surface portion adjacent to the first surface portion and extending at least partially around an edge of the first surface portion and which, in use, is arranged to deflect gas over the first surface portion and thus the substrate that is to be held on the first surface portion.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein may automate insurance underwriting by integrating information from multiple online databases and creating decision making advice useful to insurance underwriters. One system includes a client, database, and server. The client allows an underwriter to enter applicant information, enter customized risk modifiers, and receive an underwriting decision. The database provides additional applicant information. This information can include one or more of prescription drug history, credit history, motor vehicle records, and geocentric mortality risk. The server obtains the applicant information, calculates the applicant's risk, and makes an underwriting decision. Another system calculates a prescription drug risk for an applicant from pharmacy benefits management data, drug risk category data, and application data. Another system calculates a geocentric mortality risk for an applicant from census data, mortality data, credit information, and application data.

Abstract: A knife package includes a card having a front side and a back side. The knife package further comprises a utility knife having a body and a plurality of blade holders movable within the body, and a plurality of slides on the body. Each slide is operatively connected with one of the blade holders, and the slides are arranged to move associated blade holders in the body. The knife package further comprises a securement structure that secures the utility knife to the card, wherein said utility knife is secured on the front side of said card by the securement structure such that the plurality of slides of the utility knife are visible when viewing the front side of the card from an angle normal to the front side of the card.

Abstract: Online games embedded in webpages of websites may be created and/or served through a system and/or method. The games may be embedded in websites that are hosted separately from the games. The games may be designed by the website operators and/or other entities associated with the websites, and may include content from the websites to drive engagement with the websites and their content. An interface may be provided to the website operators to facilitate efficient and intuitive configuration of games that use website content. Such games may be served separately from the websites. As such, the games may provide a convenient, efficient, and/or effective mechanism for enhancing engagement of users with the website and/or its content.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a video display device has a connection unit configured to connect to a plurality of external instruments via a network, a receiving unit configured to receive, from the plurality of external instrument connected to the video display device via the connection unit, standard compatibility information indicating that the external instrument meets the mutual controllability standards, a display unit configured to display video information output by one of the plurality of external instruments and a selection unit configured to select one of the plurality of external instruments, corresponded to information based on the standard compatibility information, connected to the connection unit as an output source of video information to be displayed on the display unit.

Abstract: An optical element includes a top layer which is transmissive for EUV radiation with wavelength ? in the range of 5-20 nm, and a structure of the top layer is a structure having an rms roughness value equal to or larger than ?/10 for spatial periods equal to or smaller than ?/2. The structure promotes transmission through the top layer to the optical element.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a user in a user living area in a system including a system controller having control parameters for controlling the operations of said system and a remote monitoring site, comprising; monitoring a user activity of said user; activating a control circuit in response to an occurrence of said user activity to provide user activity information to said system controller representative of said user activity; performing a statistical operation upon said user activity information to provide a statistical determination; and adjusting at least one of said control parameters in accordance with said statistical determination.

Abstract: The present invention overcomes limitations of conventional synchronous signal transmission systems. The present invention provides apparent low latency synchronous signal transmission between devices, even if the transmission channel has impairments, and, allows for asynchronous transmission of signals between a transmitters and receivers that are located between the devices. Compression is preferably used for reducing the bandwidth of the transmitted data which results in asynchronous transmission of signals between a transmitter and a receiver.

Abstract: The present inventions relate to methods and apparatus for detecting and mechanically removing defects and a surrounding portion of the photovoltaic layer and the substrate in a thin film solar cell such as a Group IBIIIAVIA compound thin film solar cell to improve its efficiency.

Abstract: A process for integrated utilization of the energy and material contents of hydrolysates and solids obtained in the enzymatic hydrolysis of renewable raw materials, in which the resulting hydrolysis solution is used as a carbon source in fermentations and the unhydrolysed solids are sent to biogas production.

Abstract: A system for assisting the linear movement of a pull-out component relative to a housing includes a first bracket coupled to a slide member of the housing, a second bracket coupled to the pull-out component, and a strut that is pivotally coupled to the first and second brackets at its respective ends. The strut includes an outer hollow member that houses a primary spring, a cylindrical piston that translates through one end of the outer hollow member, and a reverse damping mechanism. A free end of the primary spring is held inside the outer hollow member by a clevis for the first bracket, and its opposite end rests on the piston. The piston's free end includes a clevis for the second bracket. An inner hollow member houses a second spring which regulates movement of a damper shaft such that damping occurs when the shaft is pulled out of the damper.

Abstract: A sheet processing machine transmits information indicating a degree of contamination or damage for each sheet detected by a discrimination unit to a teller PC as a discrimination result. The teller PC saves the discrimination result received from the sheet processing machine in a data storage unit. A CPU of the teller PC decides reference levels that can attain good bill ratio designated by the user for respective items required to discriminate good/bad states of a sheet based on the previous discrimination results saved in the data storage unit. The CPU of the teller PC sets the reference levels that can attain the good bill ratio designated by the user in the discrimination unit of the sheet processing machine. The discrimination unit set with such reference levels discriminates good/bad states of sheets based on the reference levels set by the teller PC.

Abstract: A method of making an imprint lithography template includes applying a curable material to a patterned surface of a master imprint template, allowing the curable material to cure and thereby forming a second imprint template having a patterned surface which is the inverse of the patterned surface of the master imprint template; removing the second imprint template from the master imprint template; applying inorganic sol-gel to a substrate; imprinting the inorganic sol-gel with the second imprint template; allowing the inorganic sol-gel to cure; and removing the second imprint template from the cured inorganic sol-gel, such that the inorganic sol-gel forms a third imprint template having a patterned surface which corresponds with the patterned surface of the master imprint template.

Abstract: A composition includes at least, in % expressed by mass relative to the total mass of the composition, from 0.01 to 3% of polycarboxylic acid or salts thereof, the polycarboxylic acid including 2 to 4 carboxyl groups per molecule; and from 97 to 99.99% of a Belite-Calcium-Sulphoaluminate-Ferrite clinker (BCSAF clinker).

Abstract: An electronic watermarking embedding-processing section acquires layout information which specifies an embedding area of first sub information and an embedding area of second sub information in main image information. The electronic watermarking embedding-processing section performs overlapping processing for invisibly embedding the first sub information in the embedding area of the first sub information in the main image information which is specified by the layout information. The electronic watermarking embedding-processing section performs overlapping processing for invisibly embedding the second sub information in the embedding area of the second sub information in the main image information which is specified by the layout information.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for performing color registration on template media having template markings thereon.

Abstract: A method for identifying process window signature patterns in a device area of a mask is disclosed. The signature patterns collectively provide a unique response to changes in a set of process condition parameters to the lithography process. The signature patterns enable monitoring of associated process condition parameters for signs of process drift, analyzing of the process condition parameters to determine which are limiting and affecting the chip yields, analyzing the changes in the process condition parameters to determine the corrections that should be fed back into the lithography process or forwarded to an etch process, identifying specific masks that do not transfer the intended pattern to wafers as intended, and identifying groups of masks that share common characteristics and behave in a similar manner with respect to changes in process condition parameters when transferring the pattern to the wafer.