Abstract: A method of estimating an echo return loss of a communication link measures the peak power value of a signal received from a far end of a communication link and the corresponding peak power value of a signal received from the near end of the communication link. When the near end signal is free from near end voice and excessive noise, the near end corresponding peak will be the echo of the far end power. The far end power is monitored and when a peak is detected, a period, which can be equal to a filter length period, is initiated. When the period has run, the delay line attached to the near end is polled to determine the peak power in the delay line. This peak power will correspond to the far end peak. If a peak, exceeding the first peak is detected before the period has run, the period is reinitiated. The echo return loss estimate is calculated as a ratio of the far-end peak power value to the near-end peak power value.

Abstract: A method of converging a step size control for an adaptive filter of a communication channel is disclosed. This method has the steps of: (1) initializing a nominal step size value and a penalty point value; (2) combining the nominal step size value and the penalty point value to generate a step size value; and (3) dynamically changing the step size value in response to a characteristic measure of a quality of the communication channel. With this method, the step size value is changed by adjusting the nominal step size value, the penalty point value, or both the nominal step size value and the penalty point value.

Abstract: A method for entity name and jargon term recognition and extraction. An embodiment of the present invention uses a suffix tree data structure to determine frequently occurring phrases. In one embodiment text to be analyzed is preprocessed. The text is then separated into clauses and a suffix tree is created for the text. The suffix tree is used to determine repetitious segments. Unrecognized text fragment, occurring with a high frequency, have a comparably high probability of being a name entity or jargon term. The set of repetitious segments is then filtered to obtain a set of possible entity names and jargon terms.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for equalizing a radio frequency (RF) signal includes a modified constant modulus algorithm (M-CMA) that performs blind equalization on the input channel. The M-CMA uses both amplitude and phase information present in the output signal to minimize a cost function and adjust the tap weights of an equalizer using a gradient recursion equation. Use of both amplitude and phase information results in quicker convergence and faster tracking of dynamic distortions in the input channel in severe multipath environments.

Abstract: An installation for positioning and welding body parts of different types of motor vehicles. The installation includes a mounting frame (5) which is guided on a conveyor line and which has receiving elements for at least some vehicle body parts. Positioning devices (8) are provided for the vehicle body parts (6) and at least one robot is provided for carrying out welding work. The invention is very flexible in terms of product modifications. The mounting frame (5) has positioning devices for at least some vehicle body parts (6) and clamping devices for the vehicle body parts. An additional (lower) conveyor line (10) is located under the first conveyor (2). One of several auxiliary mounting frames (12) is guided on the additional conveyor line. Parking positions (13) for the auxiliary mounting frames (12) are provided next to the lower conveyor line (10).

Abstract: Disclosed is the use of biosurfactants as biological control products. In particular, rhamnolipid biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas spp. were demonstrated to rapidly kill zoospores by rupturing the plasma membrane of three representative zoosporic plant pathogenic microorganisms: Pythium aphanidernatum, Plasmopara lactucae-radicis, and Phytophthora capsici.