Abstract: Systems and methods include high throughput and/or parallelized ray/geometric shape intersection testing using intersection testing resources accepting and operating with block floating point data. Block floating point data sacrifices precision of scene location in ways that maintain precision where more beneficial, and allow reduced precision where beneficial. In particular, rays, acceleration structures, and primitives can be represented in a variety of block floating point formats, such that storage requirements for storing such data can be reduced. Hardware accelerated intersection testing can be provided with reduced sized math units, with reduced routing requirements. A driver for hardware accelerators can maintain full-precision versions of rays and primitives to allow reduced communication requirements for high throughput intersection testing in loosely coupled systems. Embodiments also can include using BFP formatted data in programmable test cells or more general purpose processing elements.

Abstract: An entry sheet comprising polymer material for drilling printed circuit boards is provided. The entry sheet is suitable for use with a broad range of diameters, including commonly available drill diameters. The entry sheet comprises an adhesive epoxy configured to, among others, resist drill deflection, resist mechanical damage, and reduce to dust such that the entry sheet may increase drilling accuracy, protect printed circuit board from damage, minimize entry burrs, and may addresses other issues such as fliers, bird nesting, and the like.

Abstract: A hybrid surge protector for a network interface device (NID) is disclosed. The hybrid surge protector includes a fail-safe spring connected to the ground electrode of a three-electrode gas tube. Tabs on the fail-safe spring are held away from the gas-tube end electrodes by a fusible element. The hybrid surge protector also includes metal-oxide varistor elements (“MOVs”) in contact with the gas-tube end electrodes and with the ground electrode via an MOV spring. This arrangement provides for two initial paths to ground-one path from the gas-tube end electrodes to the ground electrode through the gas tube, and another from the gas-tube end electrodes to the ground electrode through the MOVs and the MOV spring. The dominant path to ground starts as the MOV ground path but switches to the gas-tube path as the gas tube becomes activated. Another path to ground via the fail-safe spring is also available should the gas tube overheat.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for: applying an inorganic barrier layer to at least a portion of a flexible substrate, the barrier layer being formed from a low liquidus temperature (LLT) material; and sintering the inorganic barrier layer while maintaining the flexible substrate below a critical temperature.

Abstract: A sintered electrolyte sheet comprising: a body of no more than 45 ?m thick and laser machined features with at least one edge surface having at least 10% ablation. A method of micromachining the electrolyte sheet includes the steps of: (i) supporting a sintered electrolyte sheet; (ii) micromachining said sheet with a laser, wherein said laser has a wavelength of less than 2 ?m, fluence of less than 200 Joules/cm2, repetition rate (RR) of between 30 Hz and 1 MHz, and cutting speed of preferably over 30 mm/sec.

Abstract: A system which utilizes the processing capabilities of the graphics processing unit (GPU) in the graphics controller. Each frame of each video stream is decoded. After decoding the compressed image is separated into an image representing the luminance and an image representing the chroma. The chroma image is resampled as appropriate using the GPU to provide chroma values corresponding to each luminance value at the proper locations. The resampled chroma image and the luminance image are properly combined to produce a 4:4:4 image, preferably in the RGB color space, and provided to the frame buffer for final display. Each of these operations is done in real time for each frame of the video.

Abstract: A flexible substrate are disclosed comprising an amorphous inorganic composition, wherein the substrate has a thickness of less than about 250 ?m and has at least one of: a) a brittleness ratio less than about 9.5 (?m)?1/2, or b) a fracture toughness of at least about 0.75 MPa·(m)1/2. Electronic devices comprising such flexible devices are also disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for making a flexible substrate comprising selecting an amorphous inorganic material capable of forming a substrate having a thickness of less than about 250 ?m and having at least one of: a) a brittleness ratio of less than about 9.5 (?m)?1/2, or b) a fracture toughness of at least about 0.75 MPa·(m)1/2; and then forming a substrate from the selected inorganic material.

Abstract: The present invention provides products and methods of reducing dye artifacts from chain extension reactions.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device comprising a glass, glass ceramic, or ceramic sheet having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm and wherein a minimum strength of the inorganic substrate is greater than about 500 MPa. Also disclosed is a method of making an electronic device including drawing a viscous inorganic material to form an inorganic ribbon having opposing as-formed edges along a length of the ribbon, separating the ribbon to form a substrate sheet of inorganic material comprising two as-formed edges and forming a device element on the inorganic substrate.

Abstract: An electrolyte sheet comprising two major surfaces, the electrolyte sheet including regions of differing compositions, so that (i) at least one of these regions has at least 1.5 times higher ionic conductivity than at least one other region; (ii) wherein the at least one other region has 20% more tetragonal phase zirconia per volume than the least one region with higher ionic conductivity; and (iii) when viewed in cross-section taken through said major surfaces at least one of the regions exhibits a non-uniform thickness.

Abstract: A method of separating a sheet of coated brittle material comprises the steps of providing a sheet of layered brittle material comprising a brittle layer and a coating material adhered to a surface of the brittle layer and applying a laser along a separation line in the sheet, thereby cutting the coating material and separating the brittle layer by inducing a stress fracture therein.

Abstract: A flexible substrate is described herein which is made from a freestanding inorganic material (e.g., mica paper, carbon paper, glass fiber paper) with pores/interstices that have been impregnated with a special impregnating material (e.g., silsesquioxane, alkali silicate glass with weight ratio of SiO2/X2O (X is alkali Na, K etc.) between 1.6-3.5). In one embodiment, the flexible substrate is made by: (1) providing a freestanding inorganic material; (2) providing an impregnating material; (3) impregnating the pores/interstices within the freestanding inorganic material with the impregnating material; and (4) curing the freestanding inorganic material with the impregnated pores/interstices to form the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is typically used to make a flexible display or a flexible electronic.

Abstract: A system which utilizes the processing capabilities of the graphics processing unit (GPU) in the graphics controller. Each frame of each video stream or track is decoded into a buffer and a color profile indicating parameters of the color space of the video source is associated with the buffer. The compositor uses the color profile to convert each buffer to a defined working color space from the source color space. This conversion and rendering of the buffer is performed using the fragment processing capabilities of the GPU. The compositor then instructs the GPU to convert the buffer to the final color space of the display device and the frame is rendered to the frame buffer for final display. Each of these operations is done in real time for each frame of the video.

Abstract: Techniques are described for creating and storing data describing a pixel aspect ratio and specifications of the clean aperture of video data. This data may be used to determine parameters of one or more modes of display which may be selected for an individual track based upon the rendering intent, and the parameters may be stored with the video data.

Abstract: A sample handling system in a multi-channel capillary electrophoresis apparatus is disclosed. The sample handling system includes a work surface for supporting a plurality of samples located at a plurality of work surface coordinates and a sample loading assembly comprising a plurality of loading wells. At least one of the loading wells includes a capillary fixedly positioned therein. The system further includes a programmable sample transfer device for automatically transferring a sample from a work surface coordinate to a loading well. The invention further includes methods for using the sample handling system.

Abstract: Data storage techniques particularly well-suited for use in archival data storage are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, a data block is processed to generate an address as a function of the contents of the data block, and the data block is then stored in the system in a memory location identified by the address. The processing operation is configured to provide write-once archival storage of the data block, in that the contents of the data block are not modifiable without also altering the address of the data block determinable in the processing operation. In an illustrative embodiment, the processing of the data block involves determining a substantially unique identifier of the data block by applying a collision-resistant hash function to the contents of the data block, and the address is subsequently determined from the substantially unique identifier by utilizing the identifier to perform a lookup of the address in an index.

Abstract: A method of scheduling items of information is disclosed, where each item of information has an associated priority that is a function of time. The method comprises scheduling (240, 250, 260) items of information in accordance with the values of said priorities, and activating (200) a user interrupt in response to user input. The method then schedules (280, 240, 250, 260) items of information in accordance with the values of said priorities at a time after termination of the user interrupt.

Abstract: A sample handling system in a multi-channel capillary electrophoresis apparatus is disclosed. The sample handling system includes a work surface for supporting a plurality of samples located at a plurality of work surface coordinates and a sample loading assembly comprising a plurality of loading wells. At least one of the loading wells includes a capillary fixedly positioned therein. The system further includes a programmable sample transfer device for automatically transferring a sample from a work surface coordinate to a loading well. The invention further includes methods for using the sample handling system.

Abstract: Data storage techniques particularly well-suited for use in archival data storage are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, a data block is processed to generate an address as a function of the contents of the data block, and the data block is then stored in the system in a memory location identified by the address. The processing operation is configured to provide write-once archival storage of the data block, in that the contents of the data block are not modifiable without also altering the address of the data block determinable in the processing operation. In an illustrative embodiment, the processing of the data block involves determining a substantially unique identifier of the data block by applying a collision-resistant hash function to the contents of the data block, and the address is subsequently determined from the substantially unique identifier by utilizing the identifier to perform a lookup of the address in an index.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing packets that enables inter-packet compression thereby achieving greater robustness and increased compression ratios without the deleterious effects, e.g., the effect of packet loss multiplying, of prior compression schemes. More particularly, a so-called acknowledgment scheme is employed in conjunction with the specific compression algorithm such that the transmitter, i.e., sender, can limit the history used by the compression algorithm to those packets that are correctly received. In particular, a vector identifying the packets used as the history is included in the compressed packet thereby enabling the receiver to reconstruct the packet history state necessary to decompress the packet. Advantageously, increased robustness and greater compression ratios are achieved independent of any particular one compression scheme.