Abstract: A highly distributed, scalable, and efficient voice browser system provides the ability to seamlessly integrate a variety of audio into the system in a unified manner. The audio rendered to the user comes from various sources, such as, for example, audio advertisements recorded by sponsors, audio data collected by broadcast groups, and text to speech generated audio. In an embodiment, voice browser architecture integrates a variety of components including: various telephony platforms (e.g. PSTN, VOIP), scalable architecture, rapid context switching, and backend web content integration and provides access to information audibly.

Abstract: A composition comprises a copolymer comprising repeating units derived from at least one co-reactant comprising two or more acrylate groups and repeating units derived from a fluoroacrylate comprising the reaction product of: (a) at least one fluorochemical alcohol represented by the formula: C4F9—X—OH wherein: R=hydrogen or an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, m=2 to 8, Rf=CnF2+1, n=1 to 5, y=0 to 6, and q=1 to 8; (b) at least one unbranched symmetric diisocyanate; and (c) at least one hydroxy-terminated alkyl (meth)acrylate or 2-fluoroacrylate monomer having 2 to about 30 carbon atoms in its alkylene portion; wherein the composition is coatable.

Abstract: Methods of treating a tar sands formation are described herein. Methods for treating a tar sands may include providing heat to at least part of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from one or more heaters located in the formation. The heat may be allowed to transfer from the heaters to at least a portion of the formation such that a drive fluid is produced in situ in the formation. The drive fluid may move at least some mobilized, visbroken, and/or pyrolyzed hydrocarbons from a first portion of the formation to a second portion of the formation. At least some of the mobilized, visbroken, and/or pyrolyzed hydrocarbons may be produced from the formation.

Abstract: A multi-display system and method supporting differing accessibility feature selection provides a suitable display for a user with limited visual acuity, while providing a second display having a different accessibility feature set to a second user. An application or operating system checks selected accessibility features and display settings corresponding to each graphical display device and generates multiple graphical outputs in conformity with program output and the corresponding accessibility features and display settings for each device. One graphical display may be a personal computer display and the other a projector, so that an accessible desktop can be presented to the presenter, while the presentation can be shown with a desired set of attributes. The operating system may support the above-described operation by generating the multiple display outputs from the accessibility settings and a single program output.

Abstract: A benchmark response time is determined for a browser application request sent to a network server over a network. The response time is determined by performance monitoring code that is loaded into and monitors the browser application from the client. The performance monitoring code automatically sends a request to a network server; the request is not sent in response to user input. The network server receives the request, generates a response and provides the response to the browser application. The response includes a fixed amount of randomly generated data. The browser application receives and processes the response, but does not display the bytes or change the content displayed in the browser application as a result of the response. The browser application sends the times at which the browser application sends the request and the browser application completes processing the response data to the network server for further processing.

Abstract: A method for dynamic scene modeling and change detection applicable to motion analysis utilizes optical flow for capturing and modeling the dynamics of the scene. Uncertainties in the measurements are evaluated and utilized in order to develop a robust representation of the scene in a higher dimensional space. In another embodiment, a dynamical model of the scene is developed that utilizes multiple past frames to predict the next frame. Incremental methods for updating the model are developed and, towards detection of events, a new measure is introduced that is based on a state-driven comparison between the prediction and the actual observation.

Abstract: A biocompatible material may be configured into any number of implantable medical devices including intraluminal stents. Polymeric materials may be utilized to fabricate any of these devices, including stents. The stents may be balloon expandable or self-expanding. The polymeric materials may include additives such as drugs or other bioactive agents as well as radiopaque agents. By preferential mechanical deformation of the polymer, the polymer chains may be oriented to achieve certain desirable performance characteristics. The stent has a plurality of hoop components interconnected by a plurality of flexible connectors. The hoop components are formed as a continuous series of substantially longitudinally or axially oriented radial strut members and alternating substantially circumferentially oriented radial arc members. The geometry of the struts and arcs is such that when the stent is expanded, it has very high strains within a relatively small region.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC) system (450) capable of self-healing has a substrate (420), a metal-based advanced bond coat (435) overlying the substrate and a ceramic top coat (440) overlying the bond coat. The bond coat (435) comprises ceramic oxide precursor materials capable of forming a non-alumina ceramic oxide composition when exposed to a thermally conditioning oxidizing environment. Embodiments of such bond coat (435) comprise rare earth elements in a range of 1-20 weight percent, and Hf in a range of about 5 to 30 weight percent or Zr in a range of about 2 to 20 weight percent. Examples of self-healing TBC systems (400, 402, 404) are provided using such bond coat (435) or its advanced bond coat chemistries in combination with conventional bond coats (433, 437) or conventional bond coat chemistries.

Abstract: A method of 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR) correlation spectroscopy, comprises a pulse sequence with the following steps: excitation of double quantum coherence; immediate reconversion to single transition single quantum coherence; evolution of the set of single transitions; mixing with zero quantum mixing Hamiltonian; and signal detection. The method can achieve an improved sensitivity, has a transition selectivity and suppresses diagonal peaks.

Abstract: A local RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) network adapter that comprises a simplex switchless connection with a counterpart QP on a remote RDMA network adapter in an example is selected for a Queue Pair (QP). An apparatus in an example comprises a requester RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) session fail-over coordinator on a coherency domain that adds a session fail-over header to a front of a data payload sent by an RDMA computer program from the coherency domain. Upon termination, of an RDMA adapter not coherent with the coherency domain and in a communication path of the data payload, before delivery to the RDMA computer program of a receive completion notification for the data payload, the session fail-over header is employable by a responder RDMA session fail-over coordinator to reconstruct the receive completion notification.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is a hybrid boost regulator that includes a conventional boost regulator chip that operates when its input voltage is above 2.5 volts and a pre-boost circuit that operates when its input voltage is above 1 volt. A single 1.5 volt battery may be used to power the hybrid boost regulator. The pre-boost circuit is connected to the voltage input terminal of the boost regulator chip. The pre-boost circuit boosts the battery voltage (e.g., 1.5 v) at an output terminal of the hybrid boost regulator to approximately the minimum operating voltage (e.g., 2.5 v) of the boost regulator chip. Since this pre-boosted voltage is applied to the voltage input terminal of the boost regulator chip, the boost regulator chip will become operational when the ramping output voltage of the hybrid boost regulator exceeds about 2.5 volts. Once the boost regulator chip is operational, the pre-boost circuit is then turned off, and the boost regulator chip runs off the 1.

Abstract: Vehicle operator performance history recording and reporting systems include devices and methods of automatically collecting and processing vehicle crash or event data over time to form a driver history report. A driver history report may include many factors to express performance or quality of driver service, and these may be reduced to a single value normalized expression in view of a collection of many drivers. Vehicle event recorders are arranged to capture data relating to a particular event. These vehicle event recorders are further coupled to systems which form an association between collected data and the vehicle operator in command of the vehicle at the event moment. Systems provide means for long-term storage of data particularly data in a structure which preserves the association between a driver and event records attributed to him/her.

Abstract: Video event recorders are coupled to a vehicle power source via an on-board diagnostic system including its power bus, data bus, and scanner port connector. Video event recorders are provided with a power input arranged in conjunction with a standard ODBII type “D” connector. Systems further include an extension cable between the connector and the vehicle event record to accommodate mounting needs associated with each. In advanced versions, both OBD power and data networks are coupled to the vehicle event recorded such that data relating to vehicle diagnostic systems can be captured in a triggered event along with video data. In addition, some versions are provided with special detection mechanism to determine the use state of a vehicle and adjust application of power accordingly. Thus an “in-use” detector is coupled to the vehicle and/or OBD systems to provide feedback which helps to conserve power and regulate the power connections.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products for invoking remote process calls and facilitating inter-process communications in a protected memory system employ a kernel that supports remote invocation of objects by a system call. The system call may include an object identifier and a set of pointers to input and output buffers. The kernel locates the specified object in a separate server process domain and awakens a server thread within the server domain to invoke the object. Using provided memory pointers, the kernel can copy input and output data across the protection domains in a single step without the need for copying data into an intermediate buffer. This eliminates the overhead of multiple data copy steps that are required in conventional protected memory systems.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and system, the method including, in some embodiments, providing a differential clock ganging structure to receive complementary differential clock signals, the differential clock ganging structure outputting clock ganging output signals, providing a source termination structure for each of the clock ganging output signals, and providing an inductance and capacitance compensation structure to receive an output of the source termination structure and to connect to a terminal interconnect for at least one of the clock ganging output signals.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for treating allergic rhinitis without causing an adverse effect of bitter taste. The method comprises administering to a patient an aqueous pharmaceutical formulation comprising 0.1-0.15% (w/v) of epinastine or an acid addition salt thereof, 0.05-0.5% (w/v) of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose to maintain the viscosity between 1.5-10 centipoise, 1-2% (w/v) of propylene glycol, and a buffer to maintain the pH between 5-8, said aqueous epinastine formulation has a tonicity between 200-400 mOsm/kG; the formulation does not contain a sweetening agent. The present invention provides a method for effectively treating allergic rhinitis by delivering a small volume of the epinastine formulation to the nose of a patient using a small volume metered-dose nasal spray pump. The present method does not cause an adverse effect of bitter taste without including sweetening agents in the formulation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel system, method and apparatus for allocating power between at least two communication services that share a common power output limit. Two communication services particularly suited for the present invention are voice services and data services transmitted on the downlink of a wireless network. An embodiment of the method includes determining the actual consumption of power on the voice channels of the wireless network during a given time period, and allocating substantially the same amount of power to the voice channels for the next time period, thus allowing for the allocation of the remaining amount of power to the data services, and thereby allowing, for example, increased modulation of the data services and thereby improve overall rates of data transfer and/or reliability of data transmission.

Abstract: This invention provides certain compounds, methods of their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds, and their use in treating human or animal disorders. The compounds of the invention are useful as modulators of the interaction between the receptor for advanced glycated end products (RAGE) and its ligands, such as advanced glycated end products (AGEs), S100/calgranulin/EN-RAGE, ?-amyloid and amphoterin, and for the management, treatment, control, or as an adjunct treatment for diseases in humans caused by RAGE. Such diseases or disease states include acute and chronic inflammation, the development of diabetic late complications such as increased vascular permeability, nephropathy, atherosclerosis, and retinopathy, the development of Alzheimer's disease, erectile dysfunction, and tumor invasion and metastasis.

Abstract: A naturally occurring zeolite is coated with a special nanophase Fe oxide, thereby forming a nanophase Fe oxide coated zeolite. The composition thus formed can be used for a variety of horticultural and floricultural end applications. When the nanophase Fe oxide coated zeolite is dosed with plant nutrients and is then mixed with a suitable potting compound, the result is a Complete Plant Growth Medium (CPGM). Blending 5% to 25% CPGM by weight with sand, peat, compost, vegetable and flower beds, and native and manufactured soils, provides a number of beneficial properties. Also, CPGM alone can be used for growing indoor plants to avoid plant pests and compost odor.

Abstract: A method, computer program, and system for optimizing the execution of a SQL request on a database system are disclosed. The database system has a state. The request has characteristics and the state has characteristics. The SQL request is parsed to create a logical plan. The logical plan is enumerated into a plurality of physical plans. The plurality of physical plans are costed using current environmental and data demographics of the database system to produce cost information. One of the plurality of physical plans is selected using the cost information and workload profile information to execute the request. Workload profile information includes one or more characteristics of the request and the state of the database system. The request is executed using the selected physical plan to produce results.