Abstract: A non-contact, extractive sampling system and method is provided for measuring the exhaust gas composition and fine particle composition of exhaust emissions of various types of vehicles under actual operating conditions. A portion (or sample) of an exhaust plume of a vehicle is pulled or extracted through an extraction sampling tube, via a vacuum pump, to a remote trace gas detection system where the concentration of one or more constituents present in the sample of exhaust plume may be measured. In this regard, the invention enables vehicle emissions measurements to be made at a location remote from roadway, rather than using known, “cross-path” remote emissions sensing systems.

Abstract: A system and method provide for transferring remote media from a remote media source to a communication or other end device at a time prior to a hold period, which media is usable as local MOH media during a hold period. A system and method further provide for responding to an initiated hold time by replacing remote MOH media with the local MOH media if remote MOH media is received in conjunction with the hold period.

Abstract: A computer-implemented process of developing a person-level cost model for forecasting future costs attributable to claims from members of a book of business, where person-level data are available for a substantial portion of the members of the book of business for an actual underwriting period, and the forecast of interest is for a policy period is disclosed. The process uses development universe data comprising person-level enrollment data, historical base period health care claims data and historical next period claim amount data for a statistically meaningful number of individuals. The process also provides at least one claim-based risk factor for each historical base period claim based on the claim code associated with the health care claim and provides at least one enrollment-based risk factor based on the enrollment data.

Abstract: A receiver in an audio coding system receives a signal conveying frequency subband signals representing an audio signal. The subband signals are examined to assess one or more characteristics of the audio signal. Spectral components are synthesized having the assessed characteristics. The synthesized spectral components are integrated with the subband signals and passed through a synthesis filterbank to generate an output signal. In one implementation, the assessed characteristic is temporal shape and noise-like spectral components are synthesized having the temporal shape of the audio signal.

Abstract: Blocks of audio information are arranged in groups that share encoding control parameters to reduce the amount of side information needed to convey the control parameters in an encoded signal. The configuration of groups that reduces the distortion of the encoded audio information may be determined by any of several techniques that search for an optimal or near optimal solution. The techniques include an exhaustive search, a fast optimal search and a greed merge, which allow the search technique to tradeoff the reduction in distortion against the bit rate of the encoded signal and/or the computational complexity of the search technique.

Abstract: Each of N audio signals are filtered with a unique decorrelating filter (38) characteristic, the characteristic being a causal linear time-invariant characteristic in the time domain or the equivalent thereof in the frequency domain, and, for each decorrelating filter characteristic, combining (40, 44, 46), in a time and frequency varying manner, its input (Zi) and output (Z-i) signals to provide a set of N processed signals (X i). The set of decorrelation filter characteristics are designed so that all of the input and output signals are approximately mutually decorrelated. The set of N audio signals may be synthesized from M audio signals by upmixing (36), where M is one or more and N is greater than M.

Abstract: A transmitter device of the content distribution system transmits content portions of a content message to a receiver device using respective multicast channels within a network. In such an arrangement, by using multiple multicast channels for transmission of the content portions forming the content message, the transmitter device limits the ability for an unauthorized user, monitoring a particular multicast channel, to distinguishing the content portions from noise or to retrieve the complete content message from the transmitter device, thereby providing security to the content message. Furthermore, the content distribution system utilizes multicast channels within a network to deliver the content portions to all receiver devices in communication with the network, thereby minimizing the power requirements needed by the transmitter device to deliver the content portions to a receiver device farthest from the transmitter device.

Abstract: A receiver in an audio coding system receives a signal conveying frequency subband signals representing an audio signal. The subband signals are examined to assess one or more characteristics of the audio signal. Spectral components are synthesized having the assessed characteristics. The synthesized spectral components are integrated with the subband signals and passed through a synthesis filterbank to generate an output signal. In one implementation, the assessed characteristic is temporal shape and noise-like spectral components are synthesized having the temporal shape of the audio signal.

Abstract: Presently disclosed are apparatus and methods for coordinating the delivery of messages and/or message notifications among multiple messaging media and message services so that the successful delivery of one copy of a message results in the deletion of other, redundant message copies still in transit to the recipient and the cancellation of any other message waiting notifications still pending. The system may be implemented with a network-connected device (such as but not limited to a server, switch, or router) containing or having connected to it a user interface, a coordination server, and a plurality of message services. Embodiments of the invention thus provide message delivery management that is more user-friendly, computationally- and resource-efficient and more adaptable to changing user preferences and user locations/addresses.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for performing time interval processing and annotation in presence systems includes obtaining presence information attributes relating to a presentity. The presence information for the presentity is modified with presence information attributes to provide annotated presence information for the presentity. The annotated presence information is then forwarded to at least one subscriber.

Abstract: A data processing device, such as a television set top box, receives user-selected content data from a remote source over a network in response to user initiated content selection information. The data processing device stores the user-selected content data (e.g., readable or playable content data such as movies, text, audio, etc.) in an appropriate storage location of the data processing device. The data processing device enables a user to access only a portion of the user-selected content data stored therein. If the user forgoes a right to selectively retrieve certain content data, the data processing device enables user access to other user-selected content data in the storage location. Thus, if a user experiences a “change in heart,” the user may forgo a right to play back certain content data for a right to selectively retrieve different portions of user-selected content data in the data processing device.

Abstract: A non-contact, extractive sampling system and method is provided for measuring the exhaust gas composition and fine particle composition of exhaust emissions of various types of vehicles under actual operating conditions. A portion (or sample) of an exhaust plume of a vehicle is pulled or extracted through an extraction sampling tube, via a vacuum pump, to a remote trace gas detection system where the concentration of one or more constituents present in the sample of exhaust plume may be measured. In this regard, the invention enables vehicle emissions measurements to be made at a location remote from roadway, rather than using known, “cross-path” remote emissions sensing systems.

Abstract: The compounds of formula I: inhibit gamma secretase and hence are of utility in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.

Abstract: A perceptual encoder divides an audio signal into successive time blocks, each time block is divided into frequency bands, and a scale factor is assigned to each of ones of the frequency bands. Bits per block increase with scale factor values and band-to-band variations in scale factor values. A preliminary scale factor for each of ones of the frequency bands is determined, and the scale factors for the each of ones of the frequency bands is optimized, the optimizing including increasing the scale factor to a value greater than the preliminary scale factor value for one or more of the frequency bands such that the increase in bit cost of the increasing is the same or less than the reduction in bit cost resulting from the decrease in band-to-band variations in scale factor values resulting from increasing the scale factor for one or more of the frequency bands.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for identifying teleconference participants. More particularly, the invention relates to a conference system that includes an initialization means for initializing a call between participants located in at least two remote stations and an identification means for identifying one of the participants in one remote station responsive to a request from another of the participants in another remote station. The initialization means comprises table means for creating a table associating each of the participants to a position in a particular remote station and including a recorded voice segment of each of the participants. The identification means uses the table to identify the participant last to speak by looking up the position of the last speaker on the table and playing back the recorded voice segment of the participant associated with that position.

Abstract: A system transmits a plurality of media programs in a network. In one embodiment of the invention, a media program distribution system determines a first resource attribute of a first media program and a second resource attribute of a second media program. The distribution system compares the first resource attribute with the second resource attribute to determine a relative value. In turn, the media server assigns a first distribution resource to the first media program and a second distribution resource to the second media program in response to the relative value and applies one of a plurality of transmission modes to each media program in response to the resource attribute and distribution resource type. Examples of distribution resources include unicast, multicast and broadcast channels. Examples of transmission modes include various protocols such as error checking protocols and encoding mechanisms such as codecs.

Abstract: The invention is directed to techniques, in a first content distribution node, for maintaining a first catalog of a first content distribution node. The first content distribution node detects a modification condition associated with the first catalog of the first content distribution node. The modification condition identifies a potential requirement to modify the first catalog. In response to detecting the modification condition, the first content distribution node performs a version-based comparison technique on the first catalog. The version-based comparison technique compares at least one of gap version information and entry version information associated with the modification condition to gap version information and entry version information associated with the first catalog to identify a catalog change condition.

Abstract: A method of underwriting group disability insurance for a policy period includes collecting medical claims data for the group to be underwritten, where each medical claim being related to a particular employee of the group. Morbidity categories are provided that categorize the medical claims in the medical claims data. A conditional probability model is developed and applied to the morbidity categories for each employee in the group using his medical claims, thereby calculating the expected conditional probability for each employee of incurring a disability during the policy period. A further statistical model of the estimated cost of the disability is developed and applied based on the employees' morbidity categories from the medical claims data. For each employee, an estimate of the expected cost of incurring a disability given their morbidity categories is derived from his medical claims data.

Abstract: Smokable rods of cigarettes are manufactured using wrapping materials that incorporate at least one fibrous material (e.g., flax fibers, hardwood pulp fibers and/or softwood pulp fibers) at least one filler material (e.g., calcium carbonate in particulate form). The wrapping materials possess multi-layer coatings. The wrapping materials possess coatings in the form of series of spaced apart bands, each band possessing a series of layers. At least one of the coating layers can have a filler material dispersed or suspended within a film-forming material of that layer. For a representative wrapping material, a pattern of applied to the wire side major surface of the wrapping material substrate as a plurality of layers, and at least one of the layers includes ethylcellulose and calcium carbonate. For that layer, the calcium carbonate is present in an amount greater than the ethylcellulose, on a weight basis.

Abstract: A power source is configured to notify an external monitoring device of a condition such as a low power condition of the power source. The power source has an associated controller that monitors the condition of the power source. The power source receives a first threshold condition for a power source, establishes a communications channel with an external monitoring device, transmits a notification related to the first threshold condition of the power source to the external monitoring device through the communications channel and discontinues the established communications channel based on a reception condition of the external monitoring device. The controller terminates notification after reception of an acknowledgment sent by the external monitoring device or after an elapsed time. The communications channel can be a wireless communications channels or can be a network such as the Internet.