Abstract: A device for the inspection of surfaces, notably for the inspection of a surface of a semiconductor (14), which device comprises at least one laser light source (1) and a detector for detecting the light (13) that is reflected from the surface (10) to be inspected; the device also includes at least one mode filter (15; 15.1) for filtering the reflected light.

Abstract: Steel cord includes a first group and a second group. The second group is helically twisted around the first group with a cord twisting step. The first group includes a first number of first steel filaments. The first number ranges between three and eight. The second group comprises a second number of second steel filaments. The second number is equal to or greater than the first number. The first filaments having a twist step greater than 300 mm. At least one of the second filaments is polygonally performed in order to allow rubber penetration.

Abstract: An RF coil system for a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus whereby a substantially computer-aided and hence automatically optimized image quality in respect of signal-to-noise ratio and resolution can be achieved in dependence on the type and size of the object to be imaged, without time-consuming replacement or manual positioning of the RF coil system being necessary. To this end, the coil system (A) includes a plurality of single RF coils (Sx) which are essentially decoupled from one another and have a different size and/or different position, as well as a control device with a plurality of transmission units which are associated with a respective RF coil and whereby one or more RF coils can be selected and supplied with an RF pulse having an independently adjustable amplitude and/or phase and/or pulse shape. The invention also relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus provided with such an RF coil system.

Abstract: A system and method are used to protect a mask from being contaminated by airborne particles. They include providing a reticle secured in a two-part cover. The two part cover includes a removable protection device used to protect the reticle from contaminants. The cover can be held inside a pod or box that can be used to transport the cover through a lithography system from an atmospheric section to a vacuum section. While in the vacuum section, the removable cover can be moved during an exposure process during which a pattern on the reticle can be formed on a wafer.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for controlling a reticle-masking blade in a photolithography system. A reticle-masking blade is supported with a reticle-masking blade carriage assembly. The reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is levitated at a position with respect to a reference frame and at an orientation with respect to the reference frame. Preferably, the reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is electromagnetically levitated. At least one of the position and the orientation of the reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is measured. At least one of the position and the orientation of the reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is controlled. Optionally, the reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is moved within a dimension within a range defined by the reference frame. The dimension can be two dimensions. The movement of the reticle-masking blade carriage assembly can be controlled.

Abstract: A storage management device (5, 12) is intended for managing data storage areas (DSB) of a mass storage, such as a hard disk (5), for example,. Associated data storage areas (ID1, ID2, ID3) of the mass storage are concatenated by concatenation data (VD). The storage management device (5, 12) contains backup means (12) in order to determine backup data (SD), before overwriting the concatenation data (VD) with modified concatenation data (GVD), the backup data (SD) identifying the modified concatenation data (GVD) to be stored on the mass storage. If the process of storing the modified concatenation (GVD) is unexpectedly interrupted, the storage management device (5, 12) is designed to determine valid concatenation data (VD, GVD).

Abstract: A method for selecting a formulation for one or more layers of a multi-layer coating for repair purposes, the multi-layer coating comprising a primer applied on a substrate, at least one base or top coat and, optionally, a clear coat, the method comprising the following steps: providing a database of colorimetric data relating to a set of formulations and/or relating to constituents for a primer and preferably for one or more base or top coat layers for a multi-layer coating; entering the colorimetric data of an object to be repaired into a computer having access to said database; determining the formulation of the primer and, optionally, of one or more base or top coat layers with the aid of the database, in such a way that the resulting color of the multi-layer coating to be applied matches the color of the object to be repaired using the lowest possible amount of coating material.

Abstract: The present invention describes a protocol with which it is possible to establish a connection suitable for voice communication in a network such as internet. In a first step, a PATH message is transmitted from an initiator (1) to a called station (2). In a second step, an RESV message is transmitted from the called station (2) back to the initiator (1), along the same route (23) followed by the PATH message. If either the initiator (1), or the called station (2), or both, contain information in the PATH message and/or the RESV message that indicates payment willingness, each router (22) along the route (23) will reserve a part of its capacity for a direct connection.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling the heat of an ultrasonic transducer is disclosed. In the presently preferred embodiments, the system and method controls the temperature of the transducer by changing operating system parameters based on feedback from temperature sensing elements placed in the transducer. The chosen mutable system parameters may be preset by the construction of the ultrasonic system, under the control of the ultrasonic system user, or a combination of the two. In several exemplary embodiments, the one or more mutable system parameters are altered by an amount proportionate to the difference between the current temperature and a preferred operating temperature. In another exemplary embodiment, the system switches to a lower power imaging mode when the temperature feedback indicates a threshold temperature has been reached.

Abstract: A computed tomography (CT) imaging apparatus (40) includes a CT imaging scanner (42) that acquires projection data. Data acquisition electronics (90) communicate with the CT scanner (42), and an acquisition computer (601) receives the projection data via the data acquisition electronics (90). A communication network (70) communicates with the acquisition computer (601) and with at least one additional computer (602, 603, 604). The at least one additional computer (602, 603, 604) cooperates with the data acquisition computer (601) and the communication network (70) to define a computational pipeline (104) that reconstructs selected projection data into a selected image representation.

Abstract: The invention relates to an encoding method for the compression of a video sequence. Said method, using a three-dimensional wavelet transform, is based on a hierarchical subband coding process in which the subbands to be encoded are scanned in an order that preserves the initial subband structure of the 3D wavelet transform. According to the invention, a temporal (resp. spatial) scalability is obtained by performing a motion estimation at each temporal resolution level (resp. at the highest spatial resolution level), and only the part of the estimated motion vectors necessary to reconstruct any given temporal (resp. spatial) resolution level is then encoded and put in the bitstream together with the bits encoding the wavelet coefficients at this given temporal (resp. spatial) level, said insertion in the bitstream being done before encoding texture coefficients at the same temporal (resp. spatial) level.

Abstract: The invention relates to an X-ray examination device which is designed to automatically process one or a series of X-ray examinations. The automatic processing in this device relates to all phases of the examination and includes the setting of the power of the X-ray equipment, the setting of the parameters of the X-ray table, the type of examination to be performed, and the reporting and archiving functions. The apparatus in accordance with the invention also takes into account data which is specific of the patient to be examined, for example, the identity, the weight of the body and the part of the body to be examined.

Abstract: The instantaneous power consumption of an appliance is used to determine the status of the appliance, from which further actions may be taken. This invention is premised on the observation that most appliances have a characteristic power consumption pattern that can be used to determine the state of operation of the appliance. An electric coffee pot, for example, consumes high power substantially continuously during the brewing state, then reduces its power level, or power duration, or both, while keeping the pot warm, then terminates its power consumption when it is turned off. In like manner, the power consumption patterns of other appliances, such as toasters, washing machines, dryers, and so on may also be used to determine the state of each appliance. The communicated state may be used by a home-automation system to effect a variety of actions, including notifying the user, terminating the available power to the appliance, initiating an action by another appliance, and so on.

Abstract: A process tool controller of a semiconductor processing tool is provided with software that enables collecting, monitoring and logging information regarding the tool's consumption. Data is collected from the devices used for control of process conditions via the analog and digital inputs and outputs of the process tool controller. Consequently, the devices for controlling the process conditions have the additional function of measuring the tool's consumption. In this way the information regarding the tool's consumption is completely collected on board of the process tool. The parameters to be monitored and reported can be configured by the user, with use of a configuration editor, resulting in optimum flexibility of the system. In the illustrated embodiment, the user interface of the consumption monitoring and logging software is integrated into the user interface of the process control and monitoring software.

Abstract: A radio communication system has a random access channel for the transmission of data (214) from a secondary station to a primary station. Such a channel is intended for use by secondary stations having data (214) to transmit to a primary station while not actually engaged in a call. A problem with known systems of this type is that a secondary station requesting access also specifies which of a plurality of resources it wishes to access. If that resource is busy access is denied, even if other suitable channels are available. In the present system allocation of a channel is performed by the primary station when acknowledging (206,210) a secondary station's access attempt (202,208), thereby eliminating wasted attempts. In one embodiment the primary station also periodically broadcasts a short message indicating the availability of channels for access attempts.

Abstract: A device for subfield coding a large-screen display generates a digital value for a picture element of the display, and determines a first number and a second number of subfields of a predetermined total number of subfields from the digital value, for which determined subfields the picture element emits radiation. In order to improve the dynamic range while maintaining the maximally obtainable brightness, the first number of subfields each have a different on-period during which the picture element emits radiation, and the second number of each have a same on-period during which the picture element emits radiation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of analyzing an object data set comprising points in a multi-dimensional space, in which dataset a tubular structure, such as blood vessels, occurs. The method comprises the following steps: a) choosing a screen position related to the tubular structure; b) determining the multi-dimensional co-ordinates of a starting position associated with said screen position; c) deriving a plane through said starting position having its normal directed to the tubular structure; d) determining a surface point of the tubular structure as a target position associated with the starting position; e) selecting a number of points forming part of the surface of the tubular structure in the vicinity of the target position; f) determining the surface point in the selection which is closest to the plane; and g) using the surface point determined in the step f) as a new starting position. This method allows accurate and reproducible selection of the starting position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to amino-terminally truncated MCP-2, lacking NH2-terminal amino acids corresponding to amino acid residues 1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4 or 1-5 of the naturally-occurring MCP-2 and having chemokine antagonistic activity, as well as cDNA sequences encoding them, their use in therapy and/or in diagnosis of the diseases, in which an antagonistic activity of the chemokine effects is required, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them.

Abstract: A method (200) for setting up and performing a medical imaging session of a subject using a gamma camera (12, 52) includes selecting (208) an imaging procedure on an input terminal (72). A procedure table (76) is electronically accessed to retrieve at least one of: (1) an identification (210) of a collimator (30) to be used with a detector head (14, 54) in the selected imaging procedure; and (2) an initial imaging position of the detector head (14, 54) for the selected imaging procedure. A currently mounted collimator that is currently attached to the detector head (14, 54) is electronically identified. At least one of: (1) loading (216) the identified collimator onto the detector head (14, 54); and (2) positioning (220) the detector head in the identified initial imaging position, is automatically controlled.