Abstract: A composition for use in an electrochemical cell is disclosed wherein the composition includes a clean metal substantially free of impurities and a layer of protective material in contact with the clean metal. Further disclosed is an electrochemical cell including a metal film comprising a clean metal substantially free of impurities. The electrochemical cell may further include an electrolyte and a layer of protective material disposed between the electrolyte and the metal film. A process for manufacturing an electrode is further disclosed including preparing a metal film comprising a clean metal substantially free of impurities and depositing a layer of protective material on to the metal film.

Abstract: A packaging component comprises a first block including a first support member having a first protective layer disposed on an external surface thereof and a second block opposite the first block and including a second support member having a second protective layer disposed on an external surface thereof. A spacer is coupled between the first block and the second block, and defines a longitudinal axis therebetween. The spacer is adjustable in length along the longitudinal axis so that the packaging component can be adjusted to a desired size within a range provided by the spacer to enable the packaging component to provide an interference fit within a product.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes an anode having a metal material having an oxygen containing layer. The electrochemical cell also includes a cathode and an electrolyte. The anode includes a protective layer formed by reacting a D or P block precursor with the oxygen containing layer.

Abstract: A system for excision of abnormal tissue includes a sealant material having an uncured configuration which allows the sealant material to be readily injected between target tissue and underlying tissue and a cured configuration wherein the sealant material acts as a substantially solid barrier between the target tissue and underlying tissue. The sealant material acts to initially separate or lift the target tissue relative to the underlying tissue to facilitate excision of the target tissue via a snare, wire loop, forceps, knife, scissors and/or combinations thereof. After excision of the target tissue, the sealant acts to seal the underlying tissue from the surrounding environment.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes an anode having a metal material having an oxygen containing layer. The electrochemical cell also includes a cathode and an electrolyte. The anode includes a chemically bonded protective layer formed by reacting a D or P block precursor with the oxygen containing layer.

Abstract: A communication system (10) receives a communication signal comprising first and second data with different compression levels, such as highly compressed and weakly compressed levels. A mode detector (15) detects the level of compression. One or more signal decoders (20, 22) decode the highly compressed data. An analyzer (30) determines the type of enhancement required. One or more processors (48, 50, 80) enhance the data as required. An encoder (60) reencodes the enhanced decoded data. Metrics (90) may aid the operation of the analyzer (30). The communication system may include telephones (120, 122, 124, 126). Processors (103, 104) enhance signals in opposite first and second directions between pairs of the telephones. A path (106) connects the processors in tandem. One or more switches (101, 102) disable signal enhancement for one of the processors depending on the compression level of the signals to avoid degrading call quality.

Abstract: In order to enhance the quality of a communication signal derived from speech and noise, a filter divides the communication signal into a plurality of frequency band signals. A calculator generates a plurality of power band signals each having a power band value and corresponding to one of the frequency band signals. The power band values are based on estimating, over a time period, the power of one of the frequency band signals. The time period is different for different ones of the frequency band signals. The power band values are used to calculate weighting factors which are used to alter the frequency band signals that are combined to generate an improved communication signal.

Abstract: An echo canceller circuit for use in an echo canceller system is set forth that provides sensitive double-talk detection. The echo canceller circuit comprises a second digital filter having adaptive tap coefficients to stimulate an echo response occurring during the call. The adaptive tap coefficients of the second digital filter are updated over the duration of the call using a Least Mean Squares process having an adaptive gain a. A channel condition detector is used to detect channel conditions during the call. The channel condition detector is responsive to detected channel conditions for changing the adaptive gain a during the call. For example, the channel condition detector may detect the presence of a double-talk condition and set the adaptive gain a to zero. Similarly, the channel condition detector may detect the occurrence of a high background noise condition and set the adaptive gain a to a level less than 1 that is dependent on the detected level of the background noise.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are silica glass sensors comprising more than one active biological material in a single sol-gel layer. The silica glass sensors may be used to assay complex biological mechanisms in cells and tissues cultivated thereon. Also disclosed are silica glass sensors having GABA-T, SSADH, or both, for detecting GAD, GABA, or SSA.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for suppressing noise is presented. The apparatus may utilize a filter bank of bandpass filters to split the input noisy speech-containing signal into separate frequency bands. To determine whether the input signal contains speech, DTMF tones or silence, a joint voice activity & DTMF activity detector (JVADAD) may be used. The overall average noise-to-signal ratio (NSR) of the input signal is estimated in the overall NSR estimator, which estimates the average noisy signal power in the input signal during speech activity and the average noise power during silence. Two indirect power measures are performed for each band, measuring a short-term power and a long-term power. The power estimation processes are adapted based on the signal activity indicated by the JVADAD. A NSR adapter adapts the NSR for each frequency band based on the long-term and short-term power measures, the overall NSR and the signal activity indicated by the JVADAD. The NSR adaptation may then be performed.

Abstract: A self-service terminal (10) comprising a dispenser (20) having a pick unit (44) for picking media items (64) is described. The dispenser (20) includes a drive wheel (72) for engaging with one surface of a media item and mounted on a drive wheel shaft (78), and a retard wheel (74) for engaging with an opposite surface of the media item and mounted on a retard wheel rotatable shaft (80) for rotating in the same direction as the first rotatable shaft. The drive and retard wheel shafts (78, 80) are coupled to a common drive component (98). The drive wheel (72) and the retard wheel (74) are resiliently biased together, and at least one of the shafts (78 or 80) is pivotally coupled to the common drive component (98) whereby the distance between the at least one shaft (78 or 80) and the drive component (98) remains constant as the at least one shaft (78 or 80) is displaced by a media item passing between the wheels (72, 74).

Abstract: A self-service terminal (10) comprising a dispenser (20) having a pick unit (44) for picking media items (64) is described. The dispenser (20) includes a drive wheel (72) for engaging with one surface of a media item and mounted on a drive wheel shaft (78), and a retard wheel (74) for engaging with an opposite surface of the media item and mounted on a retard wheel rotatable shaft (80) for rotating in the same direction as the first rotatable shaft. The drive and retard wheel shafts (78, 80) are coupled to a common drive component (98). The drive wheel (72) and the retard wheel (74) are resiliently biased together, and at least one of the shafts (78 or 80) is pivotally coupled to the common drive component (98) whereby the distance between the at least one shaft (78 or 80) and the drive component (98) remains constant as the at least one shaft (78 or 80) is displaced by a media item passing between the wheels (72, 74).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a switching node for use in a synchronous optical network ring, where the ring is transporting data divided into first size blocks, for example OC-192 optical signals, characterized by data blocks of size 192. The switching node includes several primary receive and send connections, for receiving and transmitting inter-ring optical signals divided into second size blocks, for example OC-48 optical signals, characterized by data blocks of size 48. The switching node further includes a secondary receive and send connection for receiving and transmitting intra-ring optical signals divided into first size blocks. A critical component of the switching node is the main controller, responsible for routing incoming intra-ring first size blocks towards a primary send connection.

Abstract: A method of developing a set of colorant signals representing substantially exact amounts of colorants required to reproduce a color in a medium includes the steps of using a scanner to develop a first set of scanner signals, processing the set of scanner signals in an iterative conversion loop and selecting a set of colorant estimates developed by the iterative conversion loop that meets a solution criterion as the set of colorant signals. The colorant signals may thereafter be converted to colorimetric data by a converter.