Abstract: A method for reducing whisker formation and preserving solderability in tin coatings over metal features of electronic components. The tin coating has internal tensile stress and is between about 0.5 m and about 4.0 m in thickness. There is a nickel-based layer under the tin coating.

Abstract: A method for generating hierarchical keys of digital assets, the digital assets are arranged as at least one tree structure for management, a root node of the tree structure represents the complete set of the digital assets, other group nodes represents sub-sets in each level of the digital assets respectively, and the nodes in the lowest level are leaf nodes, said method includes: generating the key of the root node; and starting with the key of the root node, using the key of a father node to compute level by level the keys of its child nodes according to a predetermined function, through to leaf nodes.

Abstract: A method for determining coefficients of a family of cascaded second order Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) parametric filters used for equalizing a room response. The method includes determining parameters of each IIR parametric filter from poles or roots of a reasonably high-order Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) model. The LPC model is able to accurately model the low-frequency room response modes providing better equalization of loudspeaker and room acoustics, particularly at the low frequencies. Advantages of the method include fast and efficient computation of the LPC model using a Levinson-Durbin recursion to solve the normal equations that arise from the least squares formulation. Due to possible band interactions between the cascaded IIR parametric filters, the method further includes optimizing the Q value of each filter to better equalize the room response.

Abstract: A low-capacitance multilayer chip varistor has capacitance lower than 0.5 pF at 1 MHz and has a characteristic of resisting more than thousands of times of 8 KV electrostatic shock, which comprises a ceramic main body, outer electrodes disposed at two ends of the ceramic main body and inner electrodes disposed therein; the ceramic main body comprises inorganic glass of 3˜50 wt % and semi-conductive or conductive particles of 50˜97 wt % with particle size of more than 0.1 ?m, and a layer of inorganic glass film covers the surface of semi-conductive or conductive particles, wherein the inorganic glass film contains semi-conductive or conductive particles of submicron or nanometer which is smaller than 1 micron, and the quantity contained of semi-conductive or conductive particles is less than 20 wt % of that of inorganic glass.

Abstract: The present invention features antibodies and antibody fragments that specifically bind a CD4-inducible HIV gp120 epitope that is enhanced by binding a co-receptor for HIV, such as CCR5 or CXCR4, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies or antibody fragments. The invention also features nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, vectors comprising the nucleic acids, and cells comprising the vectors. The invention further features methods of identifying antibodies or antibody fragments with broadly neutralizing activity against HIV. The invention also features methods of inhibiting HIV entry into cells and methods of inhibiting replication of HIV in mammals, using the antibodies and nucleic acids of the invention.

Abstract: A simple and effective method is disclosed in the present invention to adjust the near natural colour of a satellite color composite to a visually more pleasing natural colour. This method includes two steps: (1) extracting vegetation “greenness” from available multispectral bands, and (2) adding (injecting) the “greenness” into the vegetation areas of the green band being displayed.

Abstract: A channel merging method for a VOD system, said method comprises the steps of: in response to requests from a plurality of clients for a video program, establishing a root channel (S1) and at least one sub-channel (S11), said root channel (S1) being established according to a request from a client that makes the earliest request, each of said sub-channels (S11) being established in response to a request from a client that makes a later request; and monitoring variation of the number of the clients that are using each of said established channels, and maintaining the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel is not zero, and closing the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel becomes zero.

Abstract: A method for determining polynomials to model circuit delay includes the step of determining one or more error areas in a characteristic map that exceed an error margin. Next, a current domain count is set to zero and selecting one error area of the one or more error areas is selected. A patch region that will contain the error area determined the patch region is then curve fitted and the current domain count is increased by one. The steps of repeating steps of selecting an error area, determine a patch, curve fitting within the patch, and increasing the domain count by one are repeated until there are no error area within the patch region.

Abstract: A method of fusing a low resolution multispectral image with a high resolution panchromatic image comprising the step of generating a new synthetic pan image using multispectral bands from the multispectral image.

Abstract: The invention provides a fusion protein, which comprises an antigen binding portion of an A32 human antibody, or variant thereof, and one of the following: (a) an antigen-binding portion of a second antibody or variant thereof, wherein the second antibody binds to an epitope of an envelope protein of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that is exposed upon the HIV binding to a CD4 receptor, (b) an immunogenic portion of an envelope protein of a HIV, or a variant thereof, or (c) a soluble CD4 (sCD4) polypeptide capable of binding to HIV, or a or variant thereof.

Abstract: A quantum switch teleportation system contains one pair of two-mode squeezed light source devices that generate a pair of two-mode squeezed lights, and two receiving devices. The user can switch or select the receiving device to which information will be provided based on a difference in entanglement conditions of the pair of two-mode squeezed lights.

Abstract: The invention provides polypeptides that bind with an epitope of the gp41 subunit of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein, as well as polypeptides comprising the aforementioned epitopes. The invention also provides methods of inhibiting an HIV infection in a mammal using the polypeptides of the invention, as well as compositions comprising the polypeptides, nucleic acid molecules encoding the polypeptides, and host cells and vectors comprising the nucleic acid molecules. A method of isolating antibodies that bind with an epitope of the gp41 subunit of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein using competitive antigen panning (CAP) is also provided. The invention also features the use of the polypeptides to detect the presence of HIV in a mammal, and epitopes that can be used as vaccine immunogens.

Abstract: A multilayer zinc oxide varistor without bismuth oxide system ingredients, and having variable breakdown voltages by controlling the thickness of the ceramic material; the varistor is bismuth-free and composed of zinc oxide as the primary constituent with alkaline earth element (Ba) as first additive, at least one of transition elements of Mn, Co, Cr, or Ni as second additives, at least one of rare earth elements of Pr, La, Ce, Nd or Tb as third additives and at least one of B, Si, Se, Al, Ti, W, Sn, Sb, Na, or K as rest additives, and the bismuth-free and zinc oxide based varistor exhibits an excellent ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) withstanding characteristic.

Abstract: The present invention features antibodies and antibody fragments that specifically bind a CD4-inducible HIV gp120 epitope that is enhanced by binding a co-receptor for HIV, such as CCR5 or CXCR4, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies or antibody fragments. The invention also features nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, vectors comprising the nucleic acids, and cells comprising the vectors. The invention further features methods of identifying antibodies or antibody fragments with broadly neutralizing activity against HIV. The invention also features methods of inhibiting HIV entry into cells and methods of inhibiting replication of HIV in mammals, using the antibodies and nucleic acids of the invention.

Abstract: A (poly)peptide-Fc fusion molecule, such as an scFv-Fc fusion molecule comprising an scFv fragment and an Fc region from an antibody, related nucleic acids, vectors, and host cells, and a method of inhibiting a viral infection in a mammal, which method comprises administering to a mammal in need thereof the fusion molecule, wherein the fusion molecule binds to an epitope of a viral envelope protein that is inaccessible to whole immunoglobulin molecules due to molecular steric hindrance, or a nucleic acid, optionally in the form of a vector, encoding same, wherein the nucleic acid or vector is optionally contained within a host cell.

Abstract: A method characterizes a customer line for data transmission. The method includes measuring electrical properties of the customer line from a central location, identifying a line model from the measurements, and identifying a modem model for a modem selected for use with the customer line. The modem model gives performance data for the selected modem. The method also predicts performance data for the customer line when operated with the selected modem by combining the line and modem models.

Abstract: The present invention features antibodies and antibody fragments that specifically bind a CD4-inducible HIV gp120 epitope that is enhanced by binding a co-receptor for HIV, such as CCR5 or CXCR4, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies or antibody fragments. The invention also features nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the nucleic acids encoding the antibodies or antibody fragments, vectors comprising the nucleic acids, and cells comprising the vectors. The invention further features methods of identifying antibodies or antibody fragments with broadly neutralizing activity against HIV. The invention also features methods of inhibiting HIV entry into cells and methods of inhibiting replication of HIV in mammals, using the antibodies and nucleic acids of the invention.

Abstract: A printed circuit board (PCB) includes a signal layer and a power layer. The signal layer includes a crystal oscillator pad, a clock generator pad, and two capacitor pads. The crystal oscillator pad is connected to the clock generator pad and the capacitor pads via two signal lines. The power layer is divided into two areas by a cut-off line, the two areas respectively having different voltages. The cut-off line is located at one side of the crystal oscillator pad and the clock generator pad.

Abstract: A method for determining polynomials to model circuit delay includes the step of determining one or more error areas in a characteristic map that exceed an error margin. Next, a current domain count is set to zero and selecting one error area of the one or more error areas is selected. A patch region that will contain the error area determined the patch region is then curve fitted and the current domain count is increased by one. The steps of repeating steps of selecting an error area, determine a patch, curve fitting within the patch, and increasing the domain count by one are repeated until there are no error area within the patch region.

Abstract: A process for forming a solder bump on an under bump metal structure in the manufacture of a microelectronic device comprising exposing the under bump metal structure to an electrolytic bath comprising a source of Sn2+ ions, a source of Ag+ ions, a thiourea compound and/or a quaternary ammonium surfactant; and supplying an external source of electrons to the electrolytic bath to deposit a Sn—Ag alloy onto the under bump metal structure.