Abstract: Apparatus and a concomitant method for electrostatically depositing select doses of medicament powder at select locations on a substrate. Specifically, the apparatus contains a charged particle emitter for generating charged particles that charge a predefined region of a substrate and a charge accumulation control circuit for computing the amount of charge accumulated upon the substrate and deactivating the emitter when a selected quantity of charge has accumulated. Additionally, a triboelectric charging apparatus charges the medicament powder and forms a charged medicament cloud proximate the charged region of the substrate. The medicament particles within the medicament cloud electrostatically adhere to the charged region. The quantity of charge accumulated on the substrate at the predefined region and the charge-to-mass ratio of the medicament powder in the cloud control the amount (dose) of medicament deposited and retained by the substrate.

Abstract: A system and method for accomplishing a plurality of combinatorial processes in parallel comprising a microelectronic and fluidic array (device array) having micron-sized reservoirs, connecting microchannels and reaction cells etched into a substrate. The device array is supported by a station which serves to interface and perform electro-optic measurements of material in the reaction cells of the device array. The device array incorporates a modular configuration with three distinct layers or plates. The device array comprises a top feedthru plate, a center distribution plate and a bottom cell plate. The three plates are stacked vertically and coupled together to form a liquid-tight seal. Reservoirs, microchannels and reactions cells are controllably etched onto the plates using traditional semiconductor fabrication techniques. The top feedthru plate serves as a cover for the device array and contains apertures selectively positioned above the reservoirs located in the center distribution plate.

Abstract: An infrared imager includes an array of capacitance sensors that operate at room temperature. Each infrared capacitance sensor includes a deflectable first plate which expands due to absorbed thermal radiation relative to a non-deflectable second plate. In one embodiment each infrared capacitance sensor is composed of a bi-material strip which changes the position of one plate of a sensing capacitor in response to temperature changes due to absorbed incident thermal radiation. The bi-material strip is composed of two materials with a large difference in thermal expansion coefficients.

Abstract: The invention provides a plate having a plurality uniformly sized reaction cells formed in its upper surface, wherein the density of the reaction cells is at least about 10 cells per cm.sup.2. Preferably, the area of each of the openings of the reaction cells is no more than about 55% of the area defined by the multiplication product of (1) the pitch between reaction cells in separate rows and (2) the pitch between reaction cells in separate columns.

Abstract: A hinged hearing aid to allow for ease of inserting the hearing aid into the ear canal with a portion of the hearing aid extending around a bend in the ear canal. The hearing aid includes a boot of a flexible material having two hollow portions. A flexible circuit has mounted thereon a speaker, battery, microphone and electronic components. A portion of the flexible circuit having the speaker and battery thereon is mounted in one of the boot portions and the portion of the flexible circuit having the microphone and electronic components thereon is mounted in the other boot portion. The boot portions are hingedly connected together. A portion of the flexible circuit extends between the boot portions to form at least a portion of the hinge between the boot portions. The boot may have a portion which connects the two boot portions to also form a portion of the hinge.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser diode having increased efficiency and therefore increased power output. The laser diode includes a body of a semiconductor material having therein a waveguide region which is not intentionally doped so as to have a doping level of no greater than about 5.times.10.sup.16 /cm.sup.3. Within the waveguide region is means, such as at least one quantum well region, for generating an optical mode of photons. Clad regions of opposite conductivity type are on opposite sides of the waveguide region. The thickness of the waveguide region, a thickness of at least 500 nanometers, and the composition of the waveguide and the clad regions are such so as to provide confinement of the optical mode in the waveguide region to the extent that the optical mode generating does not overlap into the clad regions from the waveguide region more than about 5%.

Abstract: A signal processing system and method for accomplishing signal processing using a neural network that incorporates adaptive weight updating and adaptive pruning for tracking non-stationary signal is presented. The method updates the structural parameters of the neural network in principal component space (eigenspace) for every new available input sample. The non-stationary signal is recursively transformed into a matrix of eigenvectors with a corresponding matrix of eigenvalues. The method applies principal component pruning consisting of deleting the eigenmodes corresponding to the smallest saliencies, where a sum of the smallest saliencies is less than a predefined threshold level. Removing eigenmodes with low saliencies reduces the effective number of parameters and generally improves generalization. The output is then computed by using the remaining eigenmodes and the weights of the neural network are updated using adaptive filtering techniques.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser diode which emits radiation in the 2-5 micrometer wavelength range and operates at room temperature. The laser diode includes an active layer of an In.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As.sub.y Sb.sub.1-y alloy and a separate cladding layer on each side of the active layer. One of the cladding layers is of n-type conductivity and the other cladding layer is of p-type conductivity. At least the n-type cladding layer, and preferably both cladding layers, are of either an InAlPSb or an InGaPSb alloy.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating and using an encoded bitstream to evaluate a video decoder. The bitstream contains a sequence of pictures or frames such that when a video decoder decodes the bitstream correctly, a desired visible pattern is produced on a video display. Specifically, various display parameters or flags are varied in the bitstream to test the video decoder's ability to implement display features such as "3:2 pulldown". For example, the bitstream is capable of demonstrating incorrect decoding of the top.sub.-- field.sub.-- first and repeat.sub.-- first.sub.-- field flags by a MPEG compliant video decoder.

Abstract: A receiver for demodulating multiple digital modulation formats including vestigial sideband (VSB), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and offset QAM (OQAM). The receiver includes a timing recovery circuit that produces accurate timing information for each modulation format and a signal processor for adaptive equalization and quantization of each modulation format. The adaptive equalizer is a passband equalizer that performs blind equalization using a feed forward equalizer and a decision feedback equalizer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to chucks and methods for positioning multiple objects, optionally for transport onto a recipient substrate. Instead of using conventional clamps that employ mechanical force, the present invention is directed to the use of a non-mechanical force such as negative pressure in a vacuum chuck, or static electricity in an electrostatic chuck as the force applied to the objects held by the chuck. Further, the chuck has a layer for holding the objects which are optionally subsequently transferred to a recipient substrate, the layer having a configuration substantially corresponding to the configuration of the recipient substrate. In certain aspects, the present invention is directed to a chuck for positioning objects with an average width or diameter less than or equal to one millimeter, and a thickness preferably less than about 3 millimeters, such as beads used in the chemical industry.

Abstract: Apparatus and a concomitant method for estimating motion vectors having as an input a first image frame and a second image frame, each containing a plurality of pixels representing an image. The apparatus comprises: a pyramid processor for decimating a search area within the first image frame to produce a reduced resolution search area and for decimating a block of pixels in the second image frame to produce a reduced resolution pixel block; global search system for performing a global search within the reduced resolution search area using the reduced resolution pixel block until the reduced resolution pixel block substantially matches a matching block of pixels in the reduced resolution search area; and subsystem for computing an estimated motion vector representing a distance between a location of the reduced resolution pixel block within the second image frame and a location of the matching block of pixels within the first image frame.

Abstract: In a computer system containing at least one processor subsystems, an apparatus and a method for selective disabling processor subsystems using functional segmentation of the input/output circuitry. Each processor subsystem has a processor unit that is connected to an input/output unit. The input/output unit is partitioned into functional elements which are connected to other input/output units of other processor subsystems in the plurality of processor subsystems or to data sources and data sinks. The I/O unit further contains a functional element controller for selectively disabling and enabling the functional elements.

Abstract: The invention provides nuclease protection assay comprising: (A) attaching a nucleic acid probe comprising a first nucleotide sequence to a solid surface area; (B) contacting the nucleic acid probe with a nucleic acid template under conditions that promote hybridization between complementary polynucleotides, forming a probe-template complex if the template includes a segment that is complementary to the probe; (C) contacting the probe-template complex with a nuclease effective to selectively cleave the nucleotide bonds of (1) the first nucleotide sequence when the first nucleotide sequence is single stranded or (2) mismatched regions of the first nucleotide sequence when the first nucleotide sequence is in duplex nucleic acid; and (D) detecting the presence of duplex nucleic acids formed by the probe and template nucleic acids by detecting the presence of the first nucleotide sequence.

Abstract: A method for indexing video sequences relative to a reference model. A system implementing the method includes an (optional) image pre-processor that produces the reference model or is provided the reference model. The pre-processor is then provided input image data such as a video sequence containing a series of frames of a particular scene. The pre-processor performs a transformation to align the images within the video sequence with the reference model. The pre-processor then stores the transformation, the reference model and the image data within a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive. Subsequently, the system provides access to the information stored within the mass storage device through a user interface. The user may recall and position on a computer screen the reference model, select a particular point within the reference model, and request that the system produce all of the image data that contains that particular point within the reference model.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting the parameters of a PLL in a communication system. The method measures the rate of transmission of clock reference information by measuring the time of arrival of successive clock references or the difference of the clock reference values. The method applies the measured transmission rate to a plurality of predefined transmission rate ranges to acquire the proper gain factor values. These gain factor values are used to control the responsiveness of the PLL to new clock reference information.

Abstract: An apparatus and a concomitant method for encoding video frame sequences (input images) using overlapping block motion compensation in conjunction with zerotree wavelet coding. The method partitions each input image into a plurality of overlapping blocks and applies wavelet transform on the partitioned input image. Various optional quantization processes can be selectively applied to determine an optimal quantizer scale for each wavelet coefficient. Zerotree coding is then optionally applied to selectively prune the wavelet coefficients. Finally, the quantized coefficients are encoded into a bitstream.

Abstract: A system for processing a plurality of tests or syntheses in parallel comprising a sample channel for moving samples into a microlaboratory array of a plurality of wells connected by one or more channels for the testing or synthesis of samples, a station for housing the array and an optical system comprising at least one light source and at least one light detector for measuring the samples in the array, and a means of electrically connecting said array to an apparatus capable of monitoring and controlling the flow of fluids into the array.Samples are loaded from a common loading channel into the array, processed in the wells and measurements taken by the optical system. The array can process many samples, or synthesize many compounds in parallel, reducing the time required for such processes.

Abstract: A data detector is disclosed which includes a source of a data signal representing a sequence of symbols. A maximum likelihood sequence detector, is coupled to the data signal source, and produces a most likely survivor sequence, which includes a plurality of symbols. A decision feedback equalizer and a phase detector, controlling the timing of the sampling of the data signal, are made responsive to the most likely survivor sequence.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting electrical charge with a long integration time and in particular to a sampling method which reduces noise that affects the accuracy of the measurement of the total charge. The apparatus samples the charge on the capacitor at the start of the integration period to obtain a sample proportional to a first noise component. It then samples the charge on the capacitor at the end of an integration period and subtracts the noise component sample from the integrated charge sample to obtain a measure of integrated charge to the relative exclusion of the noise component. The circuit uses a folded cascode amplifier and at least one correlated double sampling circuit. The charge detector can be used with any apparatus which generates electrical charge in response to an input including for example, a photodetector, photomultiplier, ion detector, e beam detector and piezoelectric charge detector and arrays of such devices.