Abstract: Various systems and methods for converting a signal from the analog domain to the digital domain are disclosed herein. As one example, an analog-to-digital converter is disclosed that includes two pipelined analog-to-digital converter stages. The first analog-to-digital converter stage provides an encoded word output and the second analog-to-digital converter stage provides an unencoded word output. A summation device is provided to aggregate the encoded word output with the unencoded word output.

Abstract: Interposing a programmable path length of one or more materials into a particle beam modulates scattering angle and beam range in a predetermined manner to create a predetermined spread out Bragg peak at a predetermined range. Materials can be “low Z” and “high Z” materials that include fluids. A charged particle beam scatterer/range modulator can comprise a fluid reservoir having opposing walls in a particle beam path and a drive to adjust the distance between the walls of the fluid reservoir under control by a programmable controller. A “high Z” and, independently, a “low Z” reservoir, arranged in series, can be used. When used for radiation treatment, the beam can be monitored by measuring beam intensity, and the programmable controller can adjust the distance between the opposing walls of the “high Z” reservoir and, independently, the distance between the opposing walls of the “low Z” reservoir according to a predetermined relationship to integral beam intensity.

Abstract: The present invention introduces methods and circuits to provide a soft start for a switching regulator. A feedback voltage from output terminal is monitored and used to regulate the bias current of the regulator's error amplifier. The present invention also enables a smooth transition from the soft start to normal operation.

Abstract: A turbo decoder employs max* term or max term maximum a priori (MAP) decoding of received, encoded data. Initially, MAP decoding is iterative and employs max* term computation of log-likelihood values at each iteration. Max* term computation includes computation of a max term and a logarithmic correction term. A bypass algorithm switches from max* term computation to only max term computation in later iterations with little or no degradation in decoder performance. The iteration selected for switching may be based on increasing intrinsic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the iterative MAP decoding. Since, in general, fewer computations are required for max term computation than for max* term computation, switching between max* and max allows for reduced power consumption of a particular decoder implementation.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a process in a process plant and detecting an abnormal condition includes collecting data representative of the operation of the process, performing a multivariate statistical analysis to represent the operation of the process in a known state based on a set of collected reference data, where the reference data includes a statistical measure of the operation of the process in the known state. The system and method may further include representing the operation of the process in an unknown state based on a set of monitored data, where the monitored data includes a statistical measure of the operation of the process in an unknown state, and using the output of the multivariate statistical analysis as an input, and comparing the process in the unknown state to the multivariate statistical representation of the operation of the process in the known state to determine the operational state of the process.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a DC/AC converter in the backlight power supply system using cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). The DC/AC converter comprises a front end DC/DC converter, a full-bridge or half bridge inverter, and a piezoelectric transformer. Even with a wide range of input voltages, the front end DC/DC converter produces a predetermined DC voltage or a DC voltage with a predetermined small range and the cascaded inverter operates with a switching frequency close to the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric transformer, which helps the backlight power supply system achieve high efficiency.

Abstract: A distal protection device comprising a filter cartridge having a frame and filter material and a proximal region having a ridge adapted for interface with a retrieval device, wherein the retrieval device includes a distally located expandable cuff. The distal protection device is able to be deployed remotely in a body vessel lumen optionally using a guidewire and sheath and later retrieved using the retrieval device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for converting DC power to AC and for driving multiple discharge lamps and, more particularly, Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFLs), External Electrode Fluorescent Lamps (EEFLs), and Flat Fluorescent Lamps (FFLs). Disclosed methods, among other advantages, allow accurate current sharing among the lamps, minimization of the total number of power switches, and, in general, simplification of the complexity of the control system.

Abstract: Content is selected for display at a client computer communicating over a computer network by determining a relevance score for content of a document at a server computer for delivery to a requesting client computer, determining at least one valuation for the content from each of two or more supplemental content sources, generating a productivity score for each of the supplemental content sources in accordance with the corresponding content valuation for the supplemental content source, selecting the supplemental content source having the greatest productivity score, and serving the document and supplemental content from the selected supplemental content source for delivery to the requesting client computer.

Abstract: Signatures indicating potential problems can be used by a predictive support component. The predictive support component can check to see if a signature matches data for a data source associated with the software.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for sharing sessions between web-based applications. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to provide sharing sessions between web-based applications. A method embodiment includes receiving a request to access a second web application from a user currently accessing a first web application. Session information from a first session between the user and the first web application is provided to a second session established between the user and the second web application. Access to the second web application is provided responsive to the user's request, using session information from the first session.

Abstract: Class D amplifiers are used for their high efficiency, but they have some undesirable characteristics, one of these being the residual switching frequency ripple. Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and apparatuses for reducing the switching frequency ripple using a technique known herein as ripple steering. A secondary output is added to the amplifier for the purpose of steering the switching ripple away from the main output thus substantially relieving the main output from a major artifact of prior art Class D amplifiers.

Abstract: A Node Manager monitors the status of multiple servers. The Node Manager detects server failures, periodically monitors server health status, and performs server maintenance. When the Node Manager detects a server failure, it determines whether or not the server should be restarted. While periodically monitoring servers, the Node Manager may determine how often to trigger a health check, how long to wait for a response, and how to proceed if the server is deemed failed. The Node Manager may be controlled by an Administrative Server directly or by an external administrative agent. An administrative agent may control the Node Manager by interfacing with the Administrative Server. The Node Manager and AS may authenticate each other and encode their communications to each other for increased security.

Abstract: Included are embodiments for protecting a Media Access Control (MAC) layer. At least one embodiment of a method includes receiving first data from a communications device, the first data being received via a wireless transmission, the first data including a first duration and associating a second duration with response data, the response data being configured to acknowledge receipt of the first data.

Abstract: The JDBC data sources configuration can be stored in a JDBC configuration XML. This configuration XML can be converted into Java beans to configure data sources such as basic data sources, connection pools or multipool. Migration can be done by using a administration console tool to update the configuration XML with the new binding variables for the production environment.

Abstract: For ensuring that a vending machine motor will continue to operate until a product has descended through a vending space or an established time interval has elapsed, an optical beam is established across the vend space through which a product must drop. A change in beam intensity is detected. By preference infra red light is emitted at one focal point of an elliptical reflector, and detected at the other focal point. The light is emitted in pulses in the preferred embodiment, and the optical sensing system has automated calibration and error detecting functions.

Abstract: An electronic mail (email) server may include a pending email job queue manager for storing a plurality of email jobs for a plurality of users, and a processing email job queue manager. The processing email job queue manager may be for processing a plurality of email jobs from the pending email job queue manager for a given user, if available, and otherwise processing at least one email job from the pending email job queue manager for a different user.

Abstract: A modular wind deflector is constructed from a plurality of wind deflecting panels. The panels include edge flanges for attaching adjacent panels together, which also form ribs on the inside of the wind deflector creating a substructure for resisting wind forces.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for efficient switching regulators that adapt automatically to, and operate with, input voltages that are above, below, or equal to the output voltage. The disclosed switching regulators demonstrate advantages of both buck and boost converters at high efficiency.