Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for creating a coherent optical comb comprising a plurality of lasers, each laser providing an optical output channel; means for combining each optical channel output; a modulator for modulating the combined optical channel outputs, to provide a modulated signal; means for feeding back said modulated signal to said plurality of lasers, such that each laser output channel is phase and/or frequency locked with respect to at least one other of said plurality of lasers. A discrete optical comb is obtained without the need for excessively high power laser outputs and only employs a single (optional) wavelength locker for all channels.

Abstract: The invention provides a system for use in an optical communication network to reduce noise comprising means for tapping a low noise signal from said network and a phase sensitive amplifier (PSA) for conditioning said tapped signal by means for removing modulation of the tapped signal to allow for phase locking of the tapped signal. A laser source provides phase locked reference signals to generate at least one pump signal, wherein the at least one pump signal provides correct phase alignment for optimum PSA operation. The invention makes use of injection locked and/or phase locked laser sources in conjunction with low power input tap couplers, or post/mid amplification taps to provide the required phase locked reference signals without degrading the input loss or noise. The use of injection/phase locked local lasers suppresses the detrimental impact of the low tapped power or added noise in the generation of the required pump signals.

Abstract: A magnifying method is provided in which a mobile communication device is configured to: decrease an active resolution of an imaging module of the mobile communication device while imaging an item; process the decreased active resolution being output by the imaging module to produce a magnified image of the portion of the item; increase a scaling factor of the magnified image to further magnify the magnified image; and output frames for displaying a magnified version of the portion of the item.

Abstract: An electronic device has two oscillators, for example a first highly accurate crystal oscillator and a second less accurate low power oscillator. In a normal mode of operation, time is counted based on an output from the crystal oscillator, but in a low power mode of operation, time is counted based on an output from the less accurate oscillator. During the low power mode of operation, a calibration process is performed repeatedly. During a first calibration time period the second oscillator is calibrated against the first oscillator to obtain a first calibration result, and a recalibration is performed during a second calibration time period to obtain a second calibration result. A correction factor is determined from the first and second calibration results, and the correction factor is applied when subsequently counting time based on the output from the second oscillator.

Abstract: A battery powered device is able to maintain a clock value when the battery is removed for a short period. During a first time period, while the battery is in the device, clock pulses derived from a first oscillator are counted at a first rate in a first counter that represents the clock value. During a second time period following the first time period, while the battery is removed, the value of the first counter is maintained independent of any clock pulses derived from the first oscillator, clock pulses derived from a second low power oscillator are counted in a second counter. During a recovery time period following the second time period, clock pulses derived from the second oscillator are again counted in the second counter, while clock pulses derived from the first oscillator are counted in the first counter at a second rate higher than the first rate, the duration of the recovery time period being determined based on the number of pulses counted in the second counter during the second time period.

Abstract: A method for generating an optimized transition probability matrix (OTPM) is provided. The method is performed using a computer system coupled to a database. The method includes storing in the database financial data including obligor credit ratings, generating multi-period empirical transition probability matrices (ETPMs) for a selected time horizon using the financial data stored within the database, generating a mathematical expression to minimize a difference between target ETPM values and candidate OTPM values, and calculating the OTPM from the generated mathematical expression and the financial data stored within the database, wherein the calculated OTPM includes a first set of optimized transition probability values for predicting a likelihood that a credit rating of an obligor will migrate from one credit state to another credit state during a first time interval in the future.

Abstract: A method for generating an optimized transition probability matrix (OTPM) is provided. The method is performed using a computer system coupled to a database. The method includes storing in the database financial data including obligor credit ratings, generating multi-period empirical transition probability matrices (ETPMs) for a selected time horizon using the financial data stored within the database, generating a mathematical expression to minimize a difference between target ETPM values and candidate OTPM values, and calculating the OTPM from the generated mathematical expression and the financial data stored within the database, wherein the calculated OTPM includes a first set of optimized transition probability values for predicting a likelihood that a credit rating of an obligor will migrate from one credit state to another credit state during a first time interval in the future.

Abstract: A visual interactive multi-criteria decision-making method and computer-based apparatus for portfolio management. The method/apparatus supports partitioning of a portfolio of physical or other assets into two mutually exclusive categories, such as assets recommended for sale and assets recommended for retention. The method/apparatus utilizes one or more coupled 2-D projections of the portfolio in criteria space. The user interacts with the projections to express and record preferences.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling demand events in a utility network with multiple customer sites. The value of a demand response parameter threshold for invoking a demand response event is calculated based on the number of available demand response events and the number of opportunities remaining to issue the available demand response events. This parameter represents the utility objectives for using the demand response program (e.g., cost savings, reliability, avoided costs). A current value of the demand response parameter is compared to the threshold value, and a determination is made whether or not to call a demand response event for the current opportunity, or to save the event for a future opportunity based upon this comparison.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention is a homodyne coherent receiver, suitable for high speed phase shift keying (PSK), the receiver comprising a receiver for receiving an incoming signal having a carrier-less modulation format, a signal conditioning sub-system that generates a carrier component from the incoming signal, and an optical injection phase locked loop (OIPLL) that phase locks the generated carrier component of the incoming signal. Embodiments of the invention may enable DSP free detection of optical PSK signals, which may be required in next generation fiber transmission systems and in optical constellation analyzer systems. In addition, embodiments of the invention may provide improved receiver sensitivity performance comparing to prior art systems using direct detection schemes. Also, embodiments of the invention may be advantageous in terms of cost and energy efficiency.

Abstract: A post-distortion method for cascading amplifier stages in a two-stage microwave power amplifier and a dynamic biasing method using back-end processing for correcting nonlinearity in the power amplifier output. A first or driver stage biased in a near-A region with low distortion is cascaded with a second or power stage biased in a near-C region with high efficiency. The amplitude and phase responses of the two stages compensate another to yield a more linear overall gain for the overall power amplifier. The dynamic biasing scheme modulates the source to drain voltages of the transistors used in the amplifier stages based on the harmonics in amplifier output in order to minimize the harmonics and correct non-linearity in the output.

Abstract: A method of operating a computer system includes storing, in the computer system, a database containing performance measure data regarding performance measures of a plurality of items. The method further includes inputting into the computer system a plurality of performance measure constraints. The method also includes modeling the performance measure constraints with a set of equations. The equations include a plurality of variables. Each of the variables corresponds to a respective one of the items. Each variable is, for example, to be assigned either the value “1” or the value “0”. The value “1” may represent a recommendation to take an action relative to the corresponding item in the portfolio and the value “0” may represent a recommendation to take another action. The computer system is used to solve the set of equations to generate one or more solutions that satisfy the performance measure constraints.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automatically and transparently managing addresses in an arbitrated loop network. An arbitrated loop network switch is programmed with an address map and configured with the necessary modules to monitor an address assignment process and associate soft assigned addresses claimed during the address arbitration process with physical slot addresses. In one embodiment, the address fields of packets addressing a specific physical slot are changed (in route) to the soft address assigned during the address arbitration process. The entire process may be transparent to the rest of the network and to users. The present invention facilitates maintaining a physically ordered addressing scheme despite any soft addressing that occurs during loop initialization.

Abstract: A method for generating an optimized transition probability matrix (OTPM) is provided. The method is performed using a computer system coupled to a database. The method includes storing in the database financial data including obligor credit ratings, generating multi-period empirical transition probability matrices (ETPMs) for a selected time horizon using the financial data stored within the database, generating a mathematical expression to minimize a difference between target ETPM values and candidate OTPM values, and calculating the OTPM from the generated mathematical expression and the financial data stored within the database, wherein the calculated OTPM includes a first set of optimized transition probability values for predicting a likelihood that a credit rating of an obligor will migrate from one credit state to another credit state during a first time interval in the future.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for creating a coherent optical comb comprising a plurality of lasers, each laser providing an optical output channel; means for combining each optical channel output; a modulator for modulating the combined optical channel outputs, to provide a modulated signal; means for feeding back said modulated signal to said plurality of lasers, such that each laser output channel is phase and/or frequency locked with respect to at least one other of said plurality of lasers. A discrete optical comb is obtained without the need for excessively high power laser outputs and only employs a single (optional) wavelength locker for all channels.

Abstract: An optical transmitter is of the reflective modulation type and has a means of generating reflection, a mixer for mixing a data stream and a sub-carrier, and an optical modulator for modulating an optical carrier with the output from the mixer in order to avoid optical beat-interference noise arising from, for example, Rayleigh backscattering. The modulator is in one embodiment of the interferometric type such as a Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM) operated to suppress the optical carrier at the transmitter output in order to reduce optical beat interference noise. The modulator preferably implements CSS-AMPSK modulation, which suppresses optical beat noise and achieves strong dispersion tolerance, enabling, for example, 10 Gb/s data transmission over 100 km distance without dispersion compensation. The transmitter may have a duobinary encoder, which encodes the data prior to mixing with the sub-carrier.

Abstract: A computing device comprising a plurality of devices and a plurality of visual indicators is disclosed. Each of the plurality of visual indicators is interconnected with a power source and is associated with a different one of the plurality of devices. None of the plurality of visual indicators comprises a capacitor.

Abstract: A radio frequency identifier (RFID) active/passive tag is provided to identify failed sub-CRU and location within a higher level CRU. When an error occurs on the base blade or within one of the sub-CRUs, the embedded processor writes failure information to the RFID. RFID tags may also contain data identifying the locations, of the sub-CRUs of the blade. Thus, when there is a failure, the RFID may report the failed component as well as the location of a failed sub-CRU. Sub-CRUs may also include an embedded processor and RFID tag. When a service action is initiated to repair or replace a blade, the RFID tag may be read by a RFID reader. The RFID reader device may then present failure information, including the identification of the failed sub-CRU and other associated information to the operator. The RFID reader device may also request associated information from a server computer.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for detecting and reporting network mis-cabling. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a detection module, a comparison module, and a cabling connection module. The detection module is configured to detect a new connection at a network switch. The new connection is formed by physically connecting a network cable to the network switch, at one termination, and to another network device, at another termination. The comparison module is configured to compare the new connection to a connection rule, where the connection rule defines either a legal cabling connection or an illegal cabling connection. The cabling connection module is configured to control whether or not the new connection is inserted into the data network or maintained isolated from the data network.

Abstract: A dispersion compensation system comprises a detector for receiving an optical input signal and a compensator for processing the detector outputs and re-constituting the original signal. The detector generates at least two signals which depend on the instantaneous amplitude and frequency of the distorted signal in different ways, and the compensator electrically processes the detector outputs. The detector comprises a wavelength selective device (such as an asymmetric MZI) and two or more opto electronic detectors providing the electrical signals. The detector subtracts outputs of the MZI to provide frequency information and sums MZI outputs to provide amplitude information. The detector may have a dedicated amplitude detector. The compensator may have a local oscillator which is modulated by amplitude and phase or frequency information of the detector output signals, and the local oscillator may operate in the range of 11 to 100 GHz.