Abstract: Methods of forming a semiconductor device structure at advanced technology nodes and respective semiconductor device structures are provided at advanced technology nodes, i.e., smaller than 100 nm. In some illustrative embodiments, a fluorine implantation process for implanting fluorine at least into a polysilicon layer formed over a dielectric layer structure is performed prior to patterning the gate dielectric layer structure and the polysilicon layer for forming a gate structure and implanting source and drain regions at opposing sides of the gate structure.

Abstract: A virtualized storage system comprises at least one host, at least one virtual array, a backend array and a management server. The host requests storage operations to the virtual array, and the virtual array executes storage operations for the host. The backend array, coupled to the virtual array, comprises physical storage for the virtual array. The management server determines the efficiency for the virtual array. The management server determines an input throughput data rate between the host and the virtual array based on storage operations between host and virtual array. The management server also determines an output throughput data rate, from the virtual array to the backend array. The output throughput data rate is based on the storage operations that require access to the backend array. The management server determines the efficiency of the virtual array using the input throughput data rate and the output throughput data rate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a wireless charging apparatus for a cable-type secondary battery. The wireless charging apparatus for the cable-type secondary battery according to the present disclosure includes a socket having a space formed inside for mounting the cable-type secondary battery, a first terminal that is electrically connected to an outer current collector of the cable-type secondary battery mounted in the socket, a second terminal that is electrically connected to an inner current collector of the cable-type secondary battery mounted in the socket, and a secondary coil for wireless charging having one end connected with the first terminal and the other end connected with the second terminal, and wound along an outer circumferential surface of the socket. According to the present disclosure, even if a secondary coil for wireless power reception is absent from a cable-type secondary battery, charging may be performed by a method for wireless power transmission and reception.

Abstract: According to one example there is provided apparatus for curing ink on a substrate. The apparatus comprises a substrate support, a curing sheet positionable above the substrate support to create a gap between a substrate on the substrate support and the curing sheet. The apparatus further comprises an oxygen-depletion mechanism for reducing the oxygen level in the gap and an ultra-violet, UV, radiation source to apply UV radiation through the curing sheet to a substrate on the substrate support.

Abstract: The invention provides, in one aspect, peptides and a complex comprising one of the peptides and a cargo molecule, wherein the peptide and the cargo molecule are coupled by non-covalently. The peptides of the invention were found to facilitate the delivery of siRNA molecules into cells and to function in siRNA mediated silencing of cellular targets.

Abstract: Disclosed are thienopyrimidinone derivatives as antagonists that act on metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1. The thienopyrimidinone derivatives show pharmacological activity against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the thienopyrimidinone derivatives, and pharmaceutical compositions containing the thienopyrimidinone derivatives as active ingredients.

Abstract: During a financial transaction, a customer provides an identifier to a peripheral device (which may be a barcode scanner, a wireless receiver or a keyboard) coupled to the point-of-sale terminal. This identifier corresponds to a one-time payment credential token that includes financial information of the customer. Then, a service object executing on the point-of-sale terminal, which acts as a driver for the peripheral device, performs one or more operations based on at least the identifier to obtain the financial information. After providing the financial information and transaction information associated with the financial transaction to a financial institution specified in the financial information, the point-of-sale terminal receives a confirmation from the financial institution that the financial transaction has been completed.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for measuring signal transition times for a four-level pulse modulated amplitude (PAM4) transmitter. During a test procedure, a PAM4 transmitter is configured to repetitively transmit a PAM4 symbol test pattern, which is captured as a signal waveform. The test pattern includes at least one rising signal sequence having a PAM4 symbol pattern of at least three ?1 PAM4 symbols followed by at least three +1 PAM4 symbols and at least one falling signal sequence having a PAM4 symbol pattern of at least three +1 PAM4 symbols followed by at least three ?1 PAM4 symbols. A voltage modulation amplitude (VMA) level for each of a ?1 and +1 PAM4 signal level is measured for at least one rising signal sequence and falling signal sequence to derive 20% and 80% VMA levels.

Abstract: Technologies for transmitter equalization in a communication system include reading local transmitter equalization settings from a transmitter equalization register of a first communication device and writing the local transmitter equalization settings to a transmitter equalization register of a second communication device communicatively coupled with the first communication device via a chip-to-chip communication link. Additionally, requested transmitter equalization settings may be read from the transmitter equalization register of the second communication device and written to the transmitter equalization register of the first communication device. The reading and writing process may be repeated for the opposite communication direction and for other communication lane interfaces of the first and second communication devices.

Abstract: A stereoscopic image display device includes a substrate; a plurality of black matrices formed parallel to one another on a first surface of the substrate; a plurality of black stripes formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface, each of the plurality of black stripes corresponding to one of the plurality of black matrices, each of the plurality of black stripes having a width equal to or greater than a width of the corresponding one of the plurality of black matrices; and a patterned retarder film formed on the plurality of black stripes, the patterned retarder film including a plurality of first retarder patterns and a plurality of second retarder patterns, wherein a first retarder pattern is disposed over a region between a first pair of black stripes, and a second retarder pattern is disposed over a region between a second pair of black stripes that is adjacent to the first pair of black stripes, and wherein the width of each of the plurality of black stripes is less than or equ

Abstract: The invention relates to a method that low complexity suppression of PAPR in FRFT-OFDM system, which belongs to the field of broadband wireless digital communications technology and can be used to reduce the PAPR in FRFT-OFDM system. The method is based on fractional random phase sequence and fractional circular convolution theorem, which can effectively reduce the PAPR of system. The method of the invention has the advantages of simple system implementation and low computational complexity. In this method, the PAPR of the system can be effectively reduced while keeping the system reliability. When the number of candidate signals is the same, the PAPR performance of the proposed method was found to be almost the same as that of SLM and better than that of PTS. More importantly, the proposed method has lower computational complexity than that of SLM and PTS.

Abstract: A medical implement particularly useful in arthroscopic surgery, includes: a handle having a proximal end configured for manual gripping by a user, a distal end for manipulation during the surgery, an internal passageway extending through the handle from the proximal end to the distal end thereof, and a longitudinally-extending slot extending longitudinally through the handle from its outer surface to the passageway for side-loading the handle with a manipulatable member to be manipulated during surgery. A shield is located within the passageway in the handle. The shield is secured along one edge to the inner surface of handle defining the passageway, and includes an elastic section normally covering the longitudinally-extending slot. The elastic section of the shield is yieldable to permit side-loading of the manipulatable member into the passageway, but to prevent a side-loaded manipulatable member from passing outwardly from the passageway.

Abstract: Example apparatus and methods transform a non-metric latent space produced by a matrix factorization process to a higher dimension metric space by applying an order preserving transformation to the latent space. The transformation preserves the order of the results of an inner product operation defined for the latent space. The higher dimension metric space may be queried for the results to different requests. Example apparatus and methods may assign every user i a vector ui in a latent space, and may assign every item j a vector vj in the latent space. The dot product ui·vj represents the score between the user i and the item j. The score represents the strength of the relationship between the user i and the item j. Example apparatus and methods may then apply ranking methodologies (e.g., LSH, K-D trees) to problems including recommendation, targeting, matchmaking, or item to item.

Abstract: The LC combined transformer is a combination of capacitors, inductors and an electrically-isolated mutual inductor, i.e. conventional transformer; which in principle is a unity-coupled mutual capacitor or a cascade connection of an ideal transformer and unity-coupled mutual capacitor(s). To improve the imperfections of widely-used transformers, by employing the simplest passive-circuit design to attain a perfectly-functional match between mutual capacitors and the mutual inductor, this invention achieves optimal features of current or/and voltage transformation, and introduces a new function of waveform conversion from square to quasi-sine. The ideal current transformer herein is suitable for sinusoidal current measurements, the ideal voltage transformer herein suitable for sinusoidal voltage measurements, and they also could be upgraded to ideal transformers for both current and voltage transformations.

Abstract: During an update technique, an update for the software application is received from a provider of the software application. Then, update information is either received from the provider or is generated. This update information specifies an update relationship between the update and at least a previous version of the software application. Next, inventory information associated with a portable electronic device is accessed (such as whether the previous version of the software application is currently installed on the portable electronic device). In response to the accessed inventory information, an identifier associated with the update is dynamically generated, and the update and the dynamically generated identifier are provided to the portable electronic device. Using the dynamically generated identifier, an application management system or the operating system installed on the portable electronic device determines whether an update workflow is executed.

Abstract: A method for accelerating execution of read operations in a distributed interconnect peripheral bus is provided. The method comprises generating a first number of speculative read requests addressed to an address space related to a last read request served on the bus; sending the speculative read requests to a root component connected to the bus; receiving a second number of read completion messages from the root component of the bus; and sending a read completion message out of the received read completion messages component to the endpoint component only if the read completion message is respective of a real read request or a valid speculative read request out of the speculative read requests, wherein a real read request is issued by the endpoint component.

Abstract: A direct current (DC) conversion circuit suitable for driving a load comprises a buck-boost converter, a resonant stage circuit and an output stage circuit. The buck-boost converter has two input ends receiving a first DC signal, and two output ends outputting a second DC signal. The resonant stage circuit has two input ends receiving the second DC signal. The resonant stage circuit converts the second DC signal to energy and further converts the energy to a negative voltage by a resonance effect. The resonant stage circuit has two input ends outputting the energy. The output stage circuit has two input ends receiving the energy to store the energy, and two output ends outputting energy to the load.

Abstract: A thoroughfare lighting device may include a housing configured to be attached to a thoroughfare surface, having a top surface, a proximal face, a distal face, and first and second opposing sidewalls, a driver circuit, a plurality of light-emitting diodes electrically coupled to the driver circuit comprising a first set of LEDs configured to emit a generally white light, and a second set of LEDs configured to emit colored light that is observable by an observer. The lighting device may also include an optic carried by the housing and positioned in optical communication with the plurality of LEDs. The color of light emitted by the second set of LEDs may be selectable to indicate a condition of the thoroughfare in a direction of travel of the observer. Additionally, the first sidewall may taper in a direction of the distal face.