Abstract: Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Tie Dye’ is a new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy herbaceous Rose Mallow with an upright, strong well-branched stems producing many flat-faced flowers with deeply-ruffled, dark pink perimeter ring becoming white toward center and a lustrous cherry-red eye in a bull's eye pattern. The foliage is mostly tri-lobed, medium to dark green with limited purple tinting.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘My Valentine’ is winter-hardy with naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy branching. The foliage is fine textured tri-lobed and of dark green with purple tinting and veining. The flowers are large and numerous with red-velvet overlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Midnight Marvel’ comprising a naturally-short, compact, heavy-branching habit. The foliage has strong dark purple overtones, and the plant flowers with a multitude of deep scarlet-red flowers with a darker red eye over at least 12 weeks during the summer until frost.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for computing a rounded floating point number. A floating point unit (FPU) receives an instruction to round a floating point number to a nearest integral value and retrieves a binary source operand having an exponent of a fixed first number of bits and a mantissa of a fixed second number of bits. If the unbiased exponent value is greater than or equal to zero and less than the fixed second number, the FPU generates a mask having N consecutive ‘1’ bits beginning with the least significant bit and whose remaining bits have a value of ‘0’, where N is equal to the fixed second number minus the unbiased exponent value. The FPU computes a bitwise OR of the source operand with the mask, increments the result if the instruction is to round up, and computes a bitwise AND of the result with the inverse of the mask.

Abstract: Sum and carry signals are formed representing a product of a first and a second operand. A bias signal is formed having a value determined by a sign of a product of the first and the second operand. An output signal is provided based on an addition of the sum signal, the carry signal, a sign-extended addend, and the bias signal. A portion of the output signal, a saturated minimum value, or a saturated maximum value, is selected as a final result based on the sign of the product and a sign of the output signal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for implementing the advanced encryption standard. The apparatus comprises a first multiplexer receiving during a first cycle a data word, a substitution transformation of the data word and inverse substitution transformation of the data word to provide a first output. During the next cycle, a second multiplexer receives the first output, a mixed column transformation of the first output and an inverse mixed column transformation of the first output to provide a second output. Also in the next cycle, the second output is added to a round key to provide one round of an encoded or decoded digital word compliant with the advanced encryption standard with cycle-by-cycle throughput. The method comprises shifting a received data word and processing the shifted data word using a substitution transformation (encoding) or an inverse substitution transformation (decoding) during a first cycle in an advanced encryption standard unit of a processor.

Abstract: A microprocessor is provided that has a datapath that is split into upper and lower portions. The microprocessor includes a centralized crossbar switch module having a single data movement module. The data movement module is capable of processing instructions that require operands to be exchanged between upper and lower 64-bit halves of the split architecture. The data movement module can access and process all instructions that require simultaneous access to the entire register contents of the upper and lower portions. The data movement module is configured to execute any one of a number of different instructions to perform data manipulation with respect to one or more “split-operands” (also referred to simply as “operands” herein). The data movement module can exchange data (bytes and/or bits) of operands for the upper and lower 64-bit halves so that bytes and/or bits of operands can be moved or rearranged to other positions during execution of a particular instruction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for increased efficiency in a processor via early instruction completion. An apparatus is provided for increased efficiency in a processor via early instruction completion. The apparatus comprises an execution unit for processing instructions and determining whether a later issued instruction is ready for completion or an earlier issued instruction is ready for completion and a retire unit for retiring the later issued instruction when the later instruction is ready for completion or to retire the earlier instruction when later instruction is not ready for completion and the earlier issued instruction has a known good completion status. A method is provided for increased efficiency in a processor via early instruction completion. The method comprises completing an earlier issued instruction having a known good completion status ahead of a later issued instruction when the later issued instruction is not ready for completion.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for controlling power consumption in a processor (or computational unit thereof). The method comprises monitoring power consumption in a processor (or computational unit) and determining that the power consumption of the processor (or computational unit) exceeds a threshold. Thereafter, instruction issuance if modified (such as by slowing or ceasing instruction issuance) within the processor (or computational unit) until the power consumption is below the threshold. The apparatus comprises a power consumption monitor for determining when power consumption within the processor exceeds a threshold. Upon that determination, a scheduler begins modify instruction issuance to one or more execution units until the power consumption is below the threshold. The modification of instruction issuance can be to slow instruction issuance or cease instruction issuance for a time period or until the power consumption is below the threshold.

Abstract: The new and distinct plant cultivar of hardy Hibiscus named ‘Sultry Kiss’ comprising heavily branched purple tinted stems containing three-lobed maple-like foliage with burgundy tinting, and flowers with heavily overlapped magenta red petals and crimson red eye, over at least 12 weeks during the summer and early fall until frost.

Abstract: The new Shasta Daisy plant, Leucanthemum ‘Banana Cream’, is a sturdy plant with dark green serrated foliage, strong heavily-branched stems, and flowering with large terminal heads and numerous axillary heads having ray petals starting off light lemon yellow and brightening to near white. The new plant is useful for long-flowering attractive landscaping in borders, in mass, as accent plants, containerized for patio or indoor use, or as a cut flower.

Abstract: The new and distinct plant cultivar of perennial Carnation or Pinks, Dianthus plant named ‘Very Cherry’ with long-blooming, fragrant, single flowers, having petals that begin black-red with irregular bright red streaks that mature to bright red with burgundy center having a streaked outer margin. Dianthus ‘Very Cherry’ is tolerant of high temperatures and resists center die-out.

Abstract: A new and unique cultivar of perennial plant Carnation or Pinks, Dianthus plant named ‘Fire and Ice’ with long-blooming, fragrant, single flowers, with overlapping petals of deep raspberry with irregular fine flecks of pink and up to two larger pink spots. The petals have a margin of light pink becoming nearly white. Dianthus ‘Fire and Ice’ is tolerant of high temperatures and resists center die-out.

Abstract: The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Spiked Speedwell plant Veronica ‘Sweet Lullaby’ with erect compact spikes of numerous light pink flowers above low mats of foliage and suitable as a potted plant, the garden, attracting hummingbirds, and for cut flower arrangements.

Abstract: The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Spiked Speedwell Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ with compact habit with stiff upright to slightly-curved branched spikes producing vivid violet-purple flowers over a long period and suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, and for cut flower arrangements.

Abstract: Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Tie Dye’ is a new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy herbaceous Rose Mallow with an upright, strong well-branched stems producing many flat-faced flowers with deeply-ruffled, dark pink perimeter ring becoming white toward center and a lustrous cherry-red eye in a bull's eye pattern. The foliage is mostly tri-lobed, medium to dark green with limited purple tinting.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Midnight Marvel’ comprising a naturally-short, compact, heavy-branching habit. The foliage has strong dark purple overtones, and the plant flowers with a multitude of deep scarlet-red flowers with a darker red eye over at least 12 weeks during the summer until frost.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘My Valentine’ is winter-hardy with naturally short, mounded habit with dense heavy branching. The foliage is fine textured tri-lobed and of dark green with purple tinting and veining. The flowers are large and numerous with red-velvet overlapping, slightly-recurved petals over a long blooming period.

Abstract: The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental cultivar of ornamental Bee Balm named Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Pink’ has very short, compact, branching stems, medium to dark green foliage, numerous medium fuchsia-pink flowers and resistance to powdery mildew.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Salvia plant named ‘Sweet 16’ characterized by its large deep fuchsia-pink flowers densely arranged in whorls, with compact habit and branched scapes and strong vigorous growth rate.