Abstract: An imaging EUV optical unit serves for imaging an object field into an image field. The imaging optical unit has a plurality of mirrors for guiding EUV imaging light at a wavelength of shorter than 30 nm along an imaging beam path. The imaging EUV optical unit has an image-side numerical aperture of at least 0.3. An overall transmission of the plurality of mirrors is greater than 10%. An overall mirror surface, which represents the sum of all used mirror surfaces of the plurality of mirrors, is less than 1.5 m2. This design can yield an imaging EUV optical unit with improved usability for an EUV projection exposure apparatus.

Abstract: A method comprises: receiving from media devices requests to record program content broadcast in a given time window on a given channel; determining a number of requests for recording the program content based at least on a total number of the requests and a likelihood that playback of a recordal will be requested by a media device; requesting a storage system to make the requests for recording; receiving from the storage system identifiers corresponding to the determined number, each identifier identifying a location in the storage system of a respective recording of the program content; responsive to receiving a request from a media device for playback of the program content, allocating an identifier from the identifiers to the media device and removing the identifier from the identifiers available for subsequent playback requests; and providing the identifier to the media device so that the media device can retrieve the recording.

Abstract: An imaging EUV optical unit serves for imaging an object field into an image field. The EUV optical unit has a plurality of mirrors for guiding EUV imaging light at a wavelength of less than 30 nanometers along an imaging beam path from the object field towards the image field. The EUV optical unit has four normal incidence (NI) mirrors. The overall transmission of the NI mirrors is greater than 10%. The mirrors lead to an overall polarization rotation of no more than 10° along the imaging beam path when linearly polarized EUV imaging light is used. This can yield an imaging EUV optical unit with an increased EUV throughput while observing exacting demands on the imaging quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detection, classification, and diagnosis of vocal anomalies in vocal streams are disclosed. Discussed are a method for generating a biometric voiceprint for analyzing user vocal streams to detect and classify vocal anomalies and a method for notifying the appropriate party, where the notification is based on the diagnosis reported by the system. Manual classification in the event of automatic classification failure is discussed, where the manual classification data can be used as training data to improve the functionality of the classification model.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detection, classification, and diagnosis of vocal anomalies in vocal streams are disclosed. Discussed are a method for generating a biometric voiceprint for analyzing user vocal streams to detect and classify vocal anomalies and a method for notifying the appropriate party, where the notification is based on the diagnosis reported by the system. Manual classification in the event of automatic classification failure is discussed, where the manual classification data can be used as training data to improve the functionality of the classification model.

Abstract: An audio interface device, comprising: an interface unit and a wireless unit, wherein the interface unit is configured to relay a first audio signal transmitted between a microphone and a communication device and a second audio signal transmitted between the communication device and a speaker, and to route first audio data related to the first audio signal and second audio data related to the second audio signal to the wireless unit; and wherein the wireless unit is configured to transmit the first audio data and the second audio data to a remote audio device.

Abstract: An audio interface device, comprising: an interface unit and a wireless unit, wherein the interface unit is configured to relay a first audio signal transmitted between a microphone and a communication device and a second audio signal transmitted between the communication device and a speaker, and to route first audio data related to the first audio signal and second audio data related to the second audio signal to the wireless unit; and wherein the wireless unit is configured to transmit the first audio data and the second audio data to a remote audio device.

Abstract: A method includes using a computing platform to apply a trained supervised machine learning model to a waveform representation of a person's voice data. The model has been trained to determine a probability of the waveform representation producing a desired outcome. The method further includes using the computing platform to modify a parameter of a phonetic characteristic of the waveform representation to produce a modified waveform representation, and apply the trained model to the modified waveform representation to determine whether the modified waveform representation has a higher probability of producing the desired outcome. The waveform representation having the higher probability is outputted.

Abstract: An optical assembly (1) includes an optical element (2), a mount (3) configured to hold the optical element (2), and a plurality of fastening elements (12) with fastening areas (14) configured to fasten the optical element (2) to the mount (3). The fastening elements (12) bridge an interstice (11) between the optical element (2) and the mount (3), and a purge device (15) produces at least one purge gas flow (16) in the region of the optical element (2) such that the purge gas flow flows around the fastening areas (14) of the fastening elements (12).

Abstract: An optical assembly (1) includes an optical element (2), a mount (3) configured to hold the optical element (2), and a plurality of fastening elements (12) with fastening areas (14) configured to fasten the optical element (2) to the mount (3). The fastening elements (12) bridge an interstice (11) between the optical element (2) and the mount (3), and a purge device (15) produces at least one purge gas flow (16) in the region of the optical element (2) such that the purge gas flow flows around the fastening areas (14) of the fastening elements (12).

Abstract: The invention is directed to a multispectral illumination device for a microscope or for a reader. According to the invention, the illumination device comprises at least three receptacle positions for lighting modules and at least one receptacle position for coupling modules, the mechanical devices for connecting the lighting modules or coupling modules at the receptacle positions to the illumination device being designed in such a way that the lighting modules or coupling modules can be easily changed. Further, the receptacle positions are arranged in such a way that, with suitable selection of the lighting modules and coupling modules, all individual spectra of the lighting modules in a total spectrum are available simultaneously at the output of the illumination device.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a controllable microscope illumination within a microscope system by which all essential contrasting methods in microscopy can be realized. The illumination device according to the invention comprises a plurality of individual light sources which can be regulated with respect to brightness, wherein these individual light sources are formed as unit cells and form a luminous surface by a periodic arrangement. In an advantageous arrangement, imaging optics are associated with each individual light source in order to magnify the image of the source surface of the individual light source so that the images of the source surfaces of adjacent individual light sources touch. Illumination variants for all of the essential contrasting methods in microscopy can be generated by way of the proposed solution. The proposed LED illumination is electronically switchable, can be regulated with respect to brightness, supplies all colors, is long-lasting and economical.

Abstract: A calibration device for managing a variety of performance tests and/or calibration tasks in a laser scanning microscope. The calibration device, which has focusing optics and a test structure arranged in the focal plane of the focusing optics, with structural elements detectable in reflected and/or transmitted light aligned to each other in a common mounting, can be switched into the microscope beam path in a laser scanning microscope, so that the pupil of the focusing optics coincides with the objective pupil of the laser scanning microscope or lies in a plane conjugated to it.

Abstract: An optical system for arranging between a light source and a field diaphragm in an illumination beam path of a microscope comprises n imaging optical elements with focal lengths fi and Abbe numbers ?i (i=1, . . . , n). The following relationship is met for the optical system: ? i = 1 n ? h i f i · v i ? 0.07 , where hi is one half of the bundle diameter of a bundle of light rays proceeding from a point of the light source at the entrance to the imaging optical element i.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a multispectral illumination device for a microscope or for a reader. According to the invention, the illumination device comprises at least three receptacle positions for lighting modules and at least one receptacle position for coupling modules, the mechanical devices for connecting the lighting modules or coupling modules at the receptacle positions to the illumination device being designed in such a way that the lighting modules or coupling modules can be easily changed. Further, the receptacle positions are arranged in such a way that, with suitable selection of the lighting modules and coupling modules, all individual spectra of the lighting modules in a total spectrum are available simultaneously at the output of the illumination device.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a controllable microscope illumination within a microscope system by which all essential contrasting methods in microscopy can be realized. The illumination device according to the invention comprises a plurality of individual light sources which can be regulated with respect to brightness, wherein these individual light sources are formed as unit cells and form a luminous surface by a periodic arrangement. In an advantageous arrangement, imaging optics are associated with each individual light source in order to magnify the image of the source surface of the individual light source so that the images of the source surfaces of adjacent individual light sources touch. Illumination variants for all of the essential contrasting methods in microscopy can be generated by means of the proposed solution. The proposed LED illumination is electronically switchable, can be regulated with respect to brightness, supplies all colors, is long-lasting and economical.

Abstract: An optical system for arranging between a light source and a field diaphragm in an illumination beam path of a microscope comprises n imaging optical elements with focal lengths fi and Abbe numbers ?i (i=1, . . . , n). The following relationship is met for the optical system: ? i = 1 n ? h i f i · v i ? 0.07 , where hi is one half of the bundle diameter of a bundle of light rays proceeding from a point of the light source at the entrance to the imaging optical element i.

Abstract: A calibration device for managing a variety of performance tests and/or calibration tasks in a laser scanning microscope. The calibration device, which has focusing optics and a test structure arranged in the focal plane of the focusing optics, with structural elements detectable in reflected and/or transmitted light aligned to each other in a common mounting, can be switched into the microscope beam path in a laser scanning microscope, so that the pupil of the focusing optics coincides with the objective pupil of the laser scanning microscope or lies in a plane conjugated to it.

Abstract: A condenser arrangement for brightfield illumination and/or darkfield illumination for optical microscopes comprises in a housing basic optics having at least one lens, at least one front optics which can be inserted into the illumination beam path in front of the basic optics, and means for inserting the front optics into the illumination beam path of the microscope. A first swiveling arm and a second swiveling arm are swivelably arranged at the housing of the condenser. The first swiveling arm carries first front optics with a high aperture for brightfield illumination and the second swiveling arm carries second front optics for darkfield illumination. The two swiveling arms are arranged at a defined distance from the shared basic optics of the condenser in direction of the optical axis of the illumination beam path. An aperture iris diaphragm is provided on the object side in front of the basic optics and is opened when the cardioid optics are inserted.

Abstract: The invention is directed to illumination optics for an optical device for observing a sample, particularly for TIRF microscopy (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy), wherein the sample is positioned on the side of a carrier glass remote of the illumination optics and the illumination light exiting from the illumination optics is shaped into an illumination beam bundle which encloses an angle not equal to 90° with the normal to the surface of the carrier glass. According to the invention, the illumination optics of the type mentioned above comprise at least two optically active elements which influence the shape and direction of the illumination beam bundle and which are arranged outside of the detection beam path that guides light coming from the sample to a detector. The optically active elements are preferably constructed as annular lenses and are arranged concentrically around the detection beam path.