Abstract: A method of wireless medium access for establishing a decentralized wireless network, the method comprising broadcasting of beacon frames by each of a plurality of devices; listening, at each device, for beacon frames of other devices; identifying, at each device, other devices who's beacon frames have been heard; and forming the decentralised wireless network as at least two dynamic networks, each dynamic network being centered around one of the devices and having said other devices who's beacon frames have been heard by said one device as network members.

Abstract: The invention relates to a separator plate for use in a fuel cell and to a fuel cell. The separator plate has: a passage groove group including a plurality of gas passage grooves 35 formed so as to extend in serpentine form; and a communicating groove 33 configured to provide fluid communication between adjacent portions of the gas passage grooves. Various separator plates have heretofore been disclosed in public by many documents and the blockage of the gas passage grooves caused by condensed water droplets formed therein is deemed to be properly prevented. However, the inventors think that those separator plates have a critical oversight in the behavior of a gas-liquid two phase fluid including a reaction gas and condensed water. That is, the condensed water is likely to concentrate in the vicinity of the gas passage grooves located in the downstream side of such separator plates and therefore these separator plates are liable to blockage.

Abstract: A recording device executes unattended recording after suspending dubbing when a preset recording time draws near during the dubbing, and saves dubbing-status information showing the suspension position of the dubbing. The recording device reads the dubbing status information after the end of the unattended recording, and resumes the dubbing from the suspension position. If suspension/resumption during the dubbing of a single source content results in a plurality of duplicate contents, the recording device edits the duplicate contents into a single content or a single playback route.

Abstract: An induction heating cooker has a top plate, a heating coil, an inverter circuit, a pot type discriminator, a non-magnetic-metal buoyancy reducing plate having a high electrical conductivity, an infrared sensor, a temperature calculator, and a controller. The pot type discriminator judges whether a pot is made of a non-magnetic metal material having a high electrical conductivity, or a magnetic metal material or a non-magnetic metal lower in electrical conductivity than aluminum. The temperature calculator calculates the temperature of the pot from an output from the infrared sensor that detects infrared radiation from the pot. The controller controls an output from the inverter circuit according to a calculated temperature by the temperature calculator, and, when the pot is judged to be made of a non-magnetic metal material by the pot type discriminator, nullifies temperature detection made by the temperature calculator.

Abstract: A plasma display panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other to provide a discharge space between the first substrate and the second substrate, a scan electrode and a sustain electrode both provided on the first substrate, a dielectric layer for covering the scan electrode and the sustain electrode, and a protective layer provided on the dielectric layer. The protective layer includes MgO, at least one element of Si, Ge, C and Sn, and at least one element of fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh group elements of a periodic table. This plasma display panel performs stable discharge characteristics, such as a driving voltage, thereby displaying an image stably.

Abstract: An improved method is provided for constructing compact acoustic models for use in a speech recognizer. The method includes: partitioning speech data from a plurality of training speakers according to at least one speech related criteria (i.e., vocal tract length); grouping together the partitioned speech data from training speakers having a similar speech characteristic; and training an acoustic bubble model for each group using the speech data within the group.

Abstract: A wireless transmission apparatus that can accurately select an optimal modulation scheme on a per block basis in a multi-carrier communication system in which block division of subcarriers and adaptive modulation are performed. In this wireless transmission apparatus, a propagation path characteristics acquisition section (107) acquires the average SNR and SNR dispersion for each block, which are estimated by a wireless reception apparatus (200), using received signals inputted from a reception RF section (106) and outputs these to an assignment section (108), the assignment section (108) selects a modulation scheme for each block based on the average SNR and SNR dispersion of each block inputted from the propagation path characteristics acquisition section (107), and modulation sections (101-1, 101-2, . . . , 101-L) modulate multi-carrier signals included in each block, with the modulation scheme for each block selected by the assignment section (108).

Abstract: The interlayer dielectric film made of a three-dimensionally polymerized polymer is formed by polymerizing: first cross-linking molecules having three or more sets of functional groups in one molecule providing a three-dimensional structure; and a second cross-linking molecule having two sets of functional groups in one molecule providing a two-dimensional structure. In the three-dimensionally polymerized polymer, dispersed are a number of molecular level pores formed by the polymerization of the first and second cross-linking molecules.

Abstract: In order to solve the problem of a prior art biological attribute measuring device, i.e., measurement data is apt to vary because of unstable contact due to difficulty in controlling a thickness of a saliva layer and pain caused during the measurement, is provided a biological attribute measuring device including a contact device having a portion, at least part of which is a curved surface, for abutting against a measuring region to apply light to the measuring region, a light detecting means for detecting at least one selected from the group consisting of transmitted light, reflected light, scattered light and transmitted/reflected light from the measuring region and a measuring means for measuring a specific component in the measuring region based on the detection result.

Abstract: An embodiment of a slider in accordance with the present invention for use in a hard disk drive having a rotatable disk can include a plurality of rails arranged across a surface of the slider such that an air bearing is formed when the slider is positioned over the disk and the disk is rotated such that the slider traverse a servo wedge of the disk. The surface of the slider further includes a trailing pad arranged near a trailing edge of the surface of the slider such that when the slider traverses debris having a height higher than minimum height, the air bearing increases such that the slider is not in communicative proximity with the disk for a time at least as long as a time for the slider to traverse the servo wedge.

Abstract: A data-providing service system of the present invention provides a user with data of an apparatus having a navigation function which outputs current position information. The data-providing service system provides a content provider such as restaurant, amusement, tourism guidance, hotel, music service and the like with content information, receives the content information, provides the user with information requesting membership registration, receives personal information from the user and provides the user with the content information. The content information includes link information for linking with personal information, and link information for linking primary judging information such as time information, climate information, environment information other than position information, or for linking with secondary judging information concerning the user such as personal identification information, hobby/taste information, using state/frequency information and the like.

Abstract: In a battery having a structure that an electrode plate group, formed by winding a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator interposed therebetween, is housed in a battery case together with an electrolyte solution, the electrode plate group is rolled around a roll core, and both ends of the roll core are supported by the battery case.

Abstract: An embodiment of a slider in accordance with the present invention for use in a hard disk drive having a rotatable disk can include a plurality of rails arranged across a surface of the slider such that an air bearing is formed when the slider is positioned over the disk and the disk is rotated such that the slider traverse a servo wedge of the disk. The surface of thes lider further includes a trailing pad arranged near a trailing edge of the surface of the slider such that when the slider traverses debris having a height higher than a minimum height, the air bearing increases such that the slider is not in communicative proximity with the disk for a time at least as long as a time for the slider to traverse the servo wedge.

Abstract: A plasma display panel having an excellent image display quality and high reliability is provided by preventing deterioration of a phosphor due to hydrocarbon gas remaining in the plasma display panel. The plasma display panel includes front panel (50) and rear panel (60) disposed opposing each other, and front panel (50) is provided with a plurality of display electrodes composed of a pair of scan electrode (6) and sustain electrode (7), and rear panel (60) has barrier ribs (10) forming discharge cells (11). In the plasma display panel, rear panel (60) includes data electrodes (9) perpendicular to display electrodes composed of a pair of scan electrode (6) and sustain electrode (7) on substrate (2), dielectric layer (13) covering data electrodes (9), reflective layer (20) containing an oxidation catalyst and covering at least a part of dielectric layer (13), and phosphor layer (12) covering reflective layer (20).

Abstract: Methods in accordance with the present invention can include determining a plurality of sets of write pre-compensation parameters. At baseline conditions, the hard disk drive can apply a first current and write pre-compensation parameters can be tuned to generate a desired write current waveform that can be applied to the read/write head to generate a magnetic field to define magnetization on the magnetic media. The hard disk drive can then apply a second current and write pre-compensation parameters can be tuned to generate the desired write current waveforms. A plurality of write pre-compensation parameters can then be generated based on the results for a plurality of corresponding temperatures and/or temperature ranges.

Abstract: The data communication protocols between a host and a device, such as SDIO and MMC, have been extended to include devices using embedded/external/portable HDD in addition to SD Memory Card and Multimedia Card. Instead of allowing only the host to unilaterally decide the data transfer size, embodiments of the present invention offer improvements over various ways data can be transferred under SDIO and MMC by allowing the host and the device to negotiate a data transfer size that both sides agrees upon similar to a hand-shaking protocol. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: At the transmitter side, carrier waves are modulated according to an input signal for producing relevant signal points in a signal space diagram. The input signal is divided into, two, first and second, data streams. The signal points are divided into signal point groups to which data of the first data stream are assigned. Also, data of the second data stream are assigned to the signal points of each signal point group. A difference in the transmission error rate between first and second data streams is developed by shifting the signal points to other positions in the space diagram expressed at least in the polar coordinate system. At the receiver side, the first and/or second data streams can be reconstructed from a received signal. In TV broadcast service, a TV signal is divided by a transmitter into low and high frequency band components which are designated as first and second data streams respectively.