Abstract: Provided herein are methods for preventing the formation and accumulation of surface-associated charges, and deleterious effects associated therewith, during the manufacture of a MEMS device. In some embodiments, methods provided herein comprise etching a sacrificial material in the presence of an ionized gas, wherein the ionized gas neutralizes charged species produced during the etching process and allows for their removal along with other etching byproducts. Also disclosed are microelectromechanical devices formed by methods of the invention, and visual display devices incorporating such devices.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect devices participating in a conference; monitor the devices for an attribute corresponding to an attention level of each of the devices; and determine whether each device is active based on the attention level.

Abstract: A method and system to predict future performance of a database management system (DBMS) is disclosed. The invention uses a time series of historical data of operating parameters to predict future values of the operating parameters. The predicted future values of the operating are used to predict the future performance of the DBMS.

Abstract: A magnetic stripline scanner for reading lines of magnetic data on a media including a portable housing having a scanning side. A linear array of magnetic field sensors, such as spin valve magnetic memory cells, is at least partially disposed within the housing, proximate to the scanning side. The magnetic field sensors are capable of detecting external magnetic fields of a threshold intensity. A controller mounted within the housing and coupled to the magnetic field sensors determines the orientation of the sensed magnetic field and thereby infers the binary value represented by the magnetic field. A magnetic stripline scanning system incorporating the scanner with non traditional media such as paper providing lines of magnetic material is also provided. A method of use is also provided.

Abstract: The load of a coverage area in a wireless wide area network can be used as a basis to determine which vocoder to use in establishing a call between a wireless device in that coverage area and a wireless device in a different coverage area. If the load of the coverage area is above a threshold, then a higher-compression vocoder may be used during the call for communications between the wireless device and an access point serving the wireless device in that coverage area. However, if the load of the coverage area is below the threshold, then a lower-compression vocoder may be used during the call for communications between the wireless device and the access point.

Abstract: Methods of manufacturing a fluid ejection device comprise, in one embodiment, forming filler structures on a substrate and laminating a dry film onto the substrate over the filler structures. The dry film defines a barrier layer around the filler structures and an orifice layer above the filler structures. The filler structures are removed to form voids within the barrier layer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating bids for bidding agents in an auction. Bids are sorted by decreasing bid amount for regular bids and upper limit for order bids to form a sorted set of bids, wherein each bid includes a quantity and wherein the bids include order bids. A first bid is identified requesting a quantity in which an unallocatable portion is present. A number of order bids is selected from the bids, wherein the number of order bids are higher in the sorted set of bids than the first bid and have an allocation requirement less than the unallocatable portion of the of the first bid. A price is set for the order bids higher than the first bid and not in the aforementioned selected bids.

Abstract: A chewable pharmaceutical composition comprising phenylephrine, artificial sweetener, and a substantially aldehyde-free matrix is provided. The composition has phenylephrine stability suitable for a typical commercial product with a two year shelf life. A method of manufacture of the composition and a method of use are also provided.

Abstract: A frame for determining the position and orientation of an x-ray source relative to an x-ray cassette during x-radiography. In one embodiment the frame includes an x-ray transparent or translucent plate having a first surface and a second surface; and a partially radio-opaque protrusion positioned on the first surface of the plate. In another embodiment, a method for determining the position and orientation of an x-ray source relative to an x-ray cassette is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a frame, including an x-ray transparent plate having a first surface and a second surface; and a protrusion having a radio-opaque portion positioned on the first surface of the plate, and placing the plate on the x-ray cassette such that the second surface is in contact with the x-ray cassette. The method further includes placing the appendage on the plate in close juxtaposition to the protrusion, exposing the appendage and plate to an x-ray beam, and examining the image formed.

Abstract: A technique for stylus-based syllabic input that is fast and easy and does not require any additional hardware and can be deployed on a handheld device is described. In one example embodiment, this is accomplished by writing a base syllabic character consisting of a vowels or consonant in a writing area. One or more modifiers that are displayed as icons substantially around the writing area of a syllabic level user interface are then selected to form a desired syllabic character. The one or more modifiers are arranged at familiar/natural positions around the base character's writing area to facilitate entry/selection of modifiers and to reduce eye movement/cognitive load on the user. The syllabic characters are then accumulated locally until a desired word is formed, to reduce visual disconnect between the input interface and the end application, and to provide context for formation of the desired word.

Abstract: A mover assembly (16) that moves or positions an object (12) along a first axis includes a motor (20) and a coupling assembly (22). The motor (20) includes a motor output (332) that is moved along the first axis and about the first axis. The coupling assembly (22) includes a stage (344) that couples the motor output (332) to the object (12) and a stage guide (346) that guides the motion of the stage (344) along the first axis. In one embodiment, the stage guide (346) is a linear bearing that allows for motion of the stage (344) along the first axis and inhibits motion of the stage (344) about the first axis, along a second axis and along a third axis. Additionally, the coupling assembly (22) can include a measurement system (28) that monitors the movement of the stage (344).

Abstract: The method and apparatus for analysis of integrated circuits using static timing analysis. For a circuit being analyzed, the value of the state net for the case of an undriven sensitization is resolved to a Hi/Lo logic on the output net and the sensitization is added to the appropriate pull-up/pull-down function on the output net. Furthermore, in the sensitization generation, the “present” state logic function at the output net is determined by the “previous” state variable of the sequential state net and the “present” state variables of the rest of the inputs to the sequential circuit. The “next” state logic function at the output net is determined by the “present” state variable of the sequential state net and the “next” state variables of the rest of the inputs to the sequential circuit. This variable is resolved as a function of “previous” state net variable and “present” state input net variables.

Abstract: Provided is a pressure sensitive input device for data processing systems. In a particular embodiment, the device includes a transferable overlay for placement over a display screen of the system. Rows and columns of parallel conductors, which may be manufactured as ridges, are positioned to cross within the overlay, and are separated by a deformable isolation layer. A current is flowed across the rows and columns. Any change in the distance between the rows and columns, induced by the pressure of a user input, produces a disruption in the current flow. A proportional analog response signal is transmitted to a processor, wherein the signal is used to calculate a location of the user input, and a differential in the input pressure. The device may receive and process multiple, simultaneous inputs at various locations on the overlay. An appropriate method of use for the pressure-sensitive input device is also provided.

Abstract: A branch metric duplication method substantially reduces interconnection delays. The branch metric duplication method is particularly useful to implement a high speed radix-4 Viterbi decoder targeted for FPGA applications. The decoder includes a plurality of branch metric computation units (BMCUs), at least one add-compare-select unit (ACSU) having a plurality of cells, and a survivor path memory unit (SMU). The plurality of BMCUs, the at least one ACSU, and the SMU are configured to implement the decoder.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for error monitoring partitions in a computer system. A global supervisor mapping (GSM) associates each supervised partition with a supervisor partition that monitors the supervised partition. A partition status buffer (PSB) denotes a status (GOOD, BAD, NOCARE) of the partition. The BAD status denotes that the partition has encountered at least one error that is currently unrepaired. The supervisor partition determines its supervised partition from the GSM and ascertains the status of its supervised partition from the PSB. If the status of the supervised partition is BAD then a recovery procedure is performed by the supervisor partition. The recovery procedure: obtains a grant of access to physical and logical resources of the supervised partition which contains error data of the supervised partition; gathers the error data; and sets the status of the supervised partition to the NOCARE status.

Abstract: This invention is a high-level language to specify electronic system design patterns for functional verification. This invention includes automatic translation of the high-level language specification into assertion code from these patterns and temporal properties for design verification. This eliminates the need to code extra RTL to handle features such as pipelines and bus priorities. Such common features are specified only in high-level patterns and temporal properties to be verified. This is advantageous because less verification code to be written, automated synthesis of assertions enforces monitor-style of writing assertions rather than generator-style, and the high-level code can be seamlessly migrated to another verification tool by producing another code generator for the new assertion language.

Abstract: A scattered light point spread function is measured for use in fabricating microelectronic and micromechanical devices using photolithography. In one example, a photosensitive layer of a microelectronic substrate is exposed through a test mask, the test mask having a series of differently sized patterns, each pattern surrounding a central monitor feature, the differently sized patterns each being evenly distributed about its respective central monitor feature. An indication of the exposure of the photosensitive layer is measured for a plurality of the series of differently sized patterns. The exposure indication is compared to the pattern size. The comparison is fitted to a function and the function is applied in correcting photolithography mask layouts.

Abstract: A method for providing a medical service in a therapeutic area requested by a client. In one embodiment, the method includes the step of defining a plurality of offerings associated with the medical service in the therapeutic area. At least one service category is associated with each of the offerings. At least one activity is associated with each of the service categories. At least one tool is associated with each of the activities. The method further includes the step of associating the offerings, the activities, the service categories and the tools with a respective plane of a hypercube. In response to the medical service, at least one location in the hypercube, which represents the offering, service category, activity and tool required to provide the medical service, is identified.

Abstract: A Hybrid IMMSE-LMMSE receiver processing technique predicts performance of and selects between iterative and non-iterative decoding of symbols based on an intelligent metric. Based on a pre-specified criterion, the receiver determines if a correct first-stage decision is made or not. If a correct decision is made, then it follows iterative processing like in BLAST. Alternatively, if a wrong decision is found to have occurred, the receiver resorts to LMMSE estimation processing.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for error monitoring partitions in a computer system. Provided to each partition is a partition status indicator (PSI) denoting a RUNNING or FAIL status of the partition, and an error log area (ELA) for storing partition error entries. The ELA includes a partition identifier, an entry status indicator (ESI) indicating READ/UNREAD status for the error entry, and an error identifier. An error procedure performed for each first partition whose partition status indicator indicates the FAIL status includes: copying each error entry in the ELA of the first partition whose ESI indicates the UNREAD status into the ELA of a second (running) partition; setting the ESI to the READ status for each copied error entry in the ELA of the first partition; and having the ESI set to the UNREAD status for each copied error entry in the ELA of the second partition.