Abstract: A method is provided for user speech performance evaluation with respect to a reference performance for which a phoneme mark-up is available. The method includes capturing input speech from the user and formatting it as frames. For a respective frame of the input speech, the method generates probability values for a plurality of phonemes, generates a probability value for a phoneme class based upon the generated probability values for a plurality of phonemes belonging to that phoneme class. For a plurality of frames of the input speech, the method further includes averaging the phoneme class probability values corresponding to the plurality of frames of the input speech. The method also includes calculating a user speech performance score based upon the average.

Abstract: A computational method is described which uses the process of cis-regulatory module evolution to identify conserved sequence patches which exhibit suppression of change by snp/indel occurrence, including determining sequence similarities significantly greater than random expectation on selected genome sequences from two or more species in sequences that lie outside of protein coding regions, sorting the similarities for conserved patches of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletions (indels). and selecting such patches to identify cis-regulatory modules. Further, the disclosed method is practiced in the absence of having to execute multiple interspecific sequence comparison analysis, where such identified cis-regulatory modules are used to produce libraries and arrays containing such cis-regulatory modules.

Abstract: A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides a 3-phase commit client-server protocol that allows the EIS server to detect the sick-but-not-dead situations, identify the resources involved, determine its degraded level, take the actions if needed, and send out a degraded status information message to the client. In a system and method in accordance with the present invention an internal availability monitor analyzes the resources that have not been externalized, such as storage pools, control blocks, etc, and are therefore not available to external monitors.

Abstract: A method of reducing peak width in flow-through analytical instrumentation measurements, comprising introducing a sample into an analytical instrument; recording the time required for a plurality of individual analytes within the sample to travel a known distance between a first point and a second point within the analytical instrument to produce a plurality of travel times; recording the time required for a plurality of individual analytes within a sample to travel a known distance between a first point and a second point to produce a plurality of travel times; dividing the travel times into a plurality of groups comprising a fixed number of travel times; assigning a ranking to the travel times within a group; selecting from each group at least one travel time to produce a set of selected travel times; and producing from the set of selected travel times an output signal in the form of a peak.

Abstract: A process for selectively metallizing a transparent or translucent non-conductive substrate including the steps of 1) masking at least a portion of the front surface of the non-conductive substrate with a peelable coversheet; 2) conditioning and activating the non-conductive substrate to accept metal plating thereon; 3) removing the peelable coversheet; and 4) plating the non-conductive substrate. Thus, the portion of the non-conductive substrate masked by the peelable coversheet remains unplated such that the metal plate can be viewed through the front surface of the substrate. The non-conductive substrate may be a three-dimensional molded substrate produced from a molded plastic film.

Abstract: A method of controlling total jet pressure from the head of a metallurgical lance for introducing gas into a volume of metal in a vessel. The lance head has at least one ejector, which has a nozzle located in a bore of the lance head and has an annular gas passage between at least one nozzle and the wall of the bore. The method proceeds by adjusting the annular gas velocity from a first Mach number to a second mach number to effect change of the total jet pressure.

Abstract: A method of refining a ferroalloy includes the step of blowing molecular oxygen or a gas mixture including molecular oxygen into a melt of the ferroalloy. A metallurgically acceptable particulate material is introduced from above into the melt. The particulate material is carried into the melt in a first supersonic gas jet which travels to the melt shrouded by a second gas jet.

Abstract: A metallurgical lance for injecting particulate material into a liquid comprises a main gas tube 6 defining an axial main gas passage terminating at its outlet and in a first Laval nozzle 38 downstream of the throat of said nozzle. A shrouding gas passage in the form of a combustion chamber 36 surrounds the main gas tube and terminates in a second Laval nozzle 42. A particulate material transport tube 4 defines a passage for the particulate material to be introduced into the first Laval nozzle 38 downstream of its throat. The first Laval nozzle 38 is provided with a passage 40 for the flow of coolant.

Abstract: A method of introducing a solid particulate reagent into a bath of metallurgical liquid comprises a step of introducing a solid particulate reagent into a main supersonic gas jet. The main supersonic gas jet is directed at the surface of the bath and is surrounded with a jet of shrouding gas, preferably of a burning hydrocarbon fluid fuel, provided at a supersonic velocity. The main supersonic gas jet is formed at a velocity which is in the range of minus 10% to plus 10% of the velocity at which the jet of shrouding gas is formed, preferably in the range of Mach 2 to 3.

Abstract: A method for determining material density variations and prediction of defects on a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB), in the X, Y, and Z axis, includes a virtual grid creation system and a set of rules for determining the material density in each grid element in the grid system.

Abstract: A battery protection system for a battery having a switching mechanism positioned intermediate to the positive terminal and an electrical load of the battery. A controller manipulates the switching mechanism between an open position and a closed position, the closed position connects the electrical load to the battery and the open position disconnects the electrical load from the battery. The battery protection system utilizes a battery state-of-charge detection system, which instructs the controller to open the switching mechanism when the detection system detects a battery state-of-charge that is lower than a threshold value. The battery protection system is also equipped with a vehicle status detection system, which instructs the controller to close the switching mechanism when a vehicle startup condition is detected by the vehicle status detection system.

Abstract: This disclosure describes systems and methods for processing voice data for secure transmission and secure receipt over a network, such as the Internet. The systems and methods include the processing of analog voice and digital information, including conversion of a voice signal into digital information (or of digital information into a voice signal) and transmission of digital information representing voice data over a network. The analog-to-digital conversion (and digital-to-analog conversion) includes coding and decoding digital information according to voice coding techniques and encrypting and decrypting digital information according to encryption techniques. The transmission of the digital information includes creation of a secure voice frame.