Abstract: A method and system for reducing co-channel interference (CCI) in multiple access communication by providing complete or partial cancellation of a mixed CCI interfering signal in a system base station. An exemplary system includes first and second base stations communicating with users in first and second cells, respectively. The first base station transmits a downlink signal to a user in the first cell. The downlink signal is also a mixed CCI interfering signal in that it interferes with reception of an uplink signal in the second base station. A cancellation signal representative of the interfering signal is supplied along a transmission path from the first base station to the second base station. The second base station utilizes the cancellation signal to reduce the effect of the interfering signal on a received composite signal by, for example, combining the cancellation signal or a suitably processed version thereof with the received composite signal.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for analyzing and enhancing a received data signal representing one or more views of a captured scene. The received data signal includes a plurality of data points. Each view includes a plurality of image points. Ones of the plurality of data points are representative of ones of the plurality of image points. A plurality of data sets are identified wherein each one of the data sets includes ones of the plurality of data points. Ones of the identified data sets are compared with one or more standard values and, in response thereto, are enhanced selectively to generate an output signal representing a processed 3-D scene estimate.

Abstract: Magnetoresistive elements according to this invention comprise magnetically soft material in close proximity to the magnetoresistive material, exemplarily a perovskite manganite. The combination results in magnetic field "amplification", with large resistance changes attainable at relatively low applied fields. The invention exemplarily is embodied in magnetic sensors, e.g., magnetoresistive read/write heads.

Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a charge pump comprises: a plurality of transistors coupled in a transistor circuit configuration. The transistor circuit configuration is adapted to be coupled to an electronic circuit. The plurality of transistors are coupled so as to deliver electrical charge to the electronic circuit in response to applied signals as the difference of two substantially predetermined currents.

Abstract: Fueled by higher clock rates and superscalar technologies, growth in processor speed continues to outpace improvement in memory system performance. Reflecting this trend, architects are developing increasingly complex memory hierarchies to mask the speed gap, compiler writers are adding locality enhancing transformations to better utilize complex memory hierarchies, and applications programmers are re-coding their algorithms to exploit memory systems. All of these groups need empirical data on memory behavior to guide their optimizations. This paper describes how to combine simple hardware support and sampling techniques to obtain such data without appreciably perturbing system performance.

Abstract: A device with at least one noise-sensitive element, at least one noise-generating element, and a porous silicon barrier in the substrate is disclosed. The porous silicon barrier isolates the noise-sensitive element from the signals coupled into the substrate by the noise-generating element. A process for making this device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method is provided of trimming the optical coupling ratio of an optical coupler to a prescribed value. The optical coupler is formed from a plurality of waveguides which each include a core and cladding. In accordance with the method, an irradiation energy is selected that is absorbed by portions of the waveguides located in a coupling region. A dosage of radiation is applied to the waveguide portions at least sufficient to adjust the optical coupling ratio to the prescribed value. The radiation, which may be absorbed by the cladding and/or the core of the waveguides, causes a change in the refractive index difference between the core and cladding of the waveguides. This change in the refractive index difference will result in a change in the optical coupling ratio of the device.

Abstract: Techniques for integrating rules into imperative object-oriented languages such as C++. C++ is extended to permit definition of rules as members of classes. When a rule is defined as a member of a class, a preprocessor receives the declaration of the rule's class and of any other class involved in the rule and generates additional data members and member functions for the classes. The additional members of the classes permit a complete implementation of the rule. No additional rule interpreter or decision network is required. The rule definition defines collections of objects linked by interobject pointers to which the rule applies. A rule is evaluated only if there is a change in a value mentioned in the rule in an object belonging to a collection of objects for the rule. The rule's condition is a sequence of bindings and tests. The bindings define a path through a collections of objects to which the rule applies, and the path is followed during evaluation. The rules thus implement access-limited logic.

Abstract: An improved information retrieval system user interface for retrieving information from a plurality of sources and for storing information source descriptions in a knowledge base. The user interface includes a hypertext browser and a knowledge base browser/editor. The hypertext browser allows a user to browse an unstructured information space through the use of interactive hypertext links. The knowledge base browser/editor displays a directed graph representing a generalization taxonomy of the knowledge base, with the nodes representing concepts and edges representing relationships between concepts. The system allows users to store information source descriptions in the knowledge base via graphical pointing means. By dragging an iconic representation of an information source from the hypertext browser to a node in the directed graph, the system will store an information source description object in the knowledge base.

Abstract: A balanced focus system and method achieve optimal focus of different areas of an object that are concurrently imaged and then combined to form a combined image. The balanced focus method is particularly suited for, but not limited to, use with an automatic inspection system for contactlessly measuring at an endface of an optical fiber termination the eccentricity of an optical fiber core relative to a theoretical ideal center of an alignment surface of the termination. The inspection system has an imaging system with a feature imager and one or more boundary segment imagers but preferably four in number, a focus adjustment mechanism (FAM) for adjusting the position of the imagers relative to the imaged object along an optical axis, and a machine vision system for receiving image data from the foregoing imagers and configured to control the FAM. The feature imager is positioned to capture an image of the feature (e.g.

Abstract: Metal hydrides are activated by an electrochemical procedure. In this procedure, a bulk sample of the corresponding metal is immersed in an aqueous electrolyte and contacted by a cathode. Current passed through the aqueous electrolyte causes electrolysis of the water and a concomitant reaction with the formation of metal hydride. As a result, the metal hydride is fractured and smaller particles result. Additionally, the resulting metal hydride has a substantial amount of absorbed hydrogen. A novel plating method, taking advantage of the reducing power of hydrogen absorbed in a metal hydride, is useful to encapsulate such metal hydride with a variety of metals. Therefore, such hydrides are uniformly coated by using plating solutions without the standard reducing agent and stabilizer.

Abstract: A finite symbolic representation of the states of an unbounded FIFO queue. Because the representation is protocol verification tools of the type which explore the state space of a protocol may be used to verify protocols which involve unbounded FIFO queues and consequently have an infinite state space. In a preferred embodiment, the finite symbolic representation is used together with a finite state automaton whose states are the global states of the protocol. A symbolic representation of the queue states is associated with each of the global states. State space exploration continues until all new queue states reached are already contained in the states of the finite symbolic representation. Increased processing speed is achieved by employing meta-transitions in the finite state automaton and exploring the meta-transitions from a global state before exploring the ordinary transitions.

Abstract: A system and method for predicting the ratio of the strength of the carrier signal to the strength of nonlinear distortion (C/NLD) generated by a communications laser is disclosed. The method jointly evaluates the individual distortion components arising from laser clipping and from inherent laser P-I nonlinearity. According to the method, the laser P-I curve is measured with high precision to quantify the P-I nonlinearity. Various derivatives of the P-I curve are determined and then utilized to calculate C/NLD as a function of a communications network parameter such as the optical modulation index per channel or rms modulation index. Based on this information, the laser can be identified in terms of its sensitivity to RF drive variations in the field. Lasers can be tagged, etc., depending on their C/NLD sensitivity. In this manner, a laser having a C/NLD ratio appropriate for the requirements of a broadband transmission network, such as a SCM CATV system, can be selected and installed in such a system.

Abstract: Parallel processing is performed by determining sequential ordering of tasks for processing, assigning priorities to the tasks available on the basis of the sequential ordering, selecting a number of tasks greater than a total number of available parallel processing elements from all available tasks having the highest priorities, partitioning the selected tasks into a number of groups equal to the available number of parallel processing elements, and executing the tasks in the parallel processing elements.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring the misorientation of a polished surface of a single crystal wafer with respect to a set of low index crystal planes utilizes both an optical beam and an X-ray beam that are directed along the same axis at the wafer. The optical beam is reflected by the polished surface of the wafer, but the X-ray beam penetrates the surface and is diffracted by the low index crystal planes located below the surface. The separation between the diffracted and reflected beams is measured with a detection device. The separation between the reflected and diffracted beams is an indication of the magnitude and sense of the misorientation between the surface and the crystal planes.

Abstract: The bottom and side surfaces of an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit chip or a multichip assembly, are surrounded by a soft gel medium. The gel medium is laterally confined by a rigid plastic rim that is epoxy-bonded in place along its perimeter. A plate, made of plastic or metal, can be attached to the top surface of the rim, in order to provide a cover for the package.

Abstract: The problem that signal levels may change slowly over time, e.g., as a result of ranges in temperature, is overcome by employing an automatic gain control feedback loop using a comparator, hereinafter referred to as a feedback slicer, connected to the output of a programmable gain amplifier to determine whether the output of the programmable gain amplifier is higher or lower than the desired signal level to which it is known to correspond. In particular, the decision level for the feedback slicer is set so that it is equal to the desired amplitude of a correctly amplified symbol. The gain of the programmable gain amplifier is adjusted, e.g., slowly over time, so that the amplitude of the amplified symbol hovers about that level. More than one signal level may be tracked. If so, each level tracked employs its own feedback slicer.

Abstract: Handwriting recognition which is invariant with respect to translation, rotation and scale is achieved with a new feature signal, ratio of tangents, and a new application of the normalized curvature feature. Use of these features is optimized by augmenting the ratio of tangents with the sign of local curvature and weighing each feature signal with its relative discriminative power.

Abstract: In many assembly applications of optical arrays, a bridging member is bonded to the arrays to hold them securely. It has been found that a pad made of layers of glass and silicon provides an efficient heat transmitting structure for this purpose. Because glass is absorbent to laser radiation at 10.6 .mu.m, it absorbs all the incident laser radiation, and imparts the heat generated to the silicon, which transmits it uniformly over its entire surface. The heat can then be used to melt solder or to heat-cure an adhesive, thereby affecting a robust mechanical bond in an efficient and rapid manner.