Abstract: Distributed system simulation is enhanced by extending the simulation window. In a described implementation, the simulation window extension is facilitated with a slow message relaxation scheme. For example, especially when the simulation window is extended, slow unscheduled events can arrive at a logical process with a timestamp that is prior to (e.g., less than) the local time of a receiving logical process that is participating in a simulation. To ameliorate issues created by a slow unscheduled message and its corresponding slow unscheduled event, a current logical time of the receiving logical process is substituted for the original timestamp of the slow unscheduled event to transform it into a punctual unscheduled event.

Abstract: The traversal of runtime spanning trees is facilitated in a distributed operational environment. Distributed traversal of runtime spanning trees may be implemented in different scenarios. However, by way of example only, distributed traversal of runtime spanning trees is described herein primarily in the context of a distributed system simulation scenario. Ensuring that each unscheduled event is processed within a simulation round (i.e., within a quantum barrier) in which it is created is especially challenging when executing an operation (e.g., performing a simulation) with a distributed apparatus. To address this challenge, unscheduled events are set to correspond to event nodes in a tree. Parent events that beget child events are assigned token values. The token value of a parent event is split and assigned to its child events such that a runtime spanning tree may be distributively traversed by summing the token values of leaf nodes of the spanning tree.

Abstract: Hybrid programming combines certain aspects of the synchronous calling nature of a thread-oriented programming model with certain aspects of the asynchronous calling nature of an event-oriented programming model by creating parallelized calls. In a described implementation, multiple synchronous calls are transformed into multiple asynchronous calls and encapsulated within a barrier time period. A hybrid programming model or protocol may be employed, for example, in conjunction with communication exchanges in a multiple-phase and multiple-party distributed programming environment.

Abstract: One embodiment is a method of calibrating current offsets from a direct current bus current circuit adapted to control a motor including the steps of initializing the direct current bus current circuit, disengaging pulse width modulated signals to the motor, sampling current values at a predetermined sampling rate, averaging the current values over a predetermined number of samples to establish an offset value, and calculating a calibration value that will nullify the offset value in any subsequent processing of current samples. Another embodiment, a method of filtering inaccurate data from a sequential calculation of power values based on repeatedly sampled voltage and current including the steps of establishing a moving window of a predetermined number of power values, calculating an average power over a sequence comprising the predetermined number of power values, calculating an error value for each time, and comparing each error value to a preset value.

Abstract: System events preceding occurrence of a problem are likely to be similar to events preceding occurrence of the same problem at other times or on other systems. Thus, the cause of a problem may be identified by comparing a trace of events preceding occurrence of the problem with previously diagnosed traces. Traces of events preceding occurrences of a problem arising from a known cause are reduced to a series of descriptive elements. These elements are aligned to correlate differently timed but otherwise similar traces of events, converted into symbolic representations, and archived. A trace of events leading to an undiagnosed a problem similarly is converted to a symbolic representation. The representation of the undiagnosed trace is then compared to the archived representations to identify a similar archived representation. The cause of the similar archived representation is presented as a diagnosis of the problem.

Abstract: Described is the differentiation of replicas in a large distributed object store as either being smoothing replicas based on an amount of load on storage nodes (bricks), or as spreading replicas based on a substantially random distribution among the system's bricks. The smoothing replicas are placed among the lowest usage bricks, while the spreading replicas are placed randomly throughout other bricks in the system independent of load. As a result, fast, primarily parallel data repair is facilitated by selecting a spreading replica when repair is needed, while load balancing is facilitated by placing a smoothing replica on a low-usage brick when a new replica is checked in, and selecting a smoothing replica when load balancing is triggered by overloading of a brick and/or addition of a new brick. Check-in, data repair and load balancing policies specify how to use smoothing replicas and spreading replicas.

Abstract: System events preceding occurrence of a problem are likely to be similar to events preceding occurrence of the same problem at other times or on other systems. Thus, the cause of a problem may be identified by comparing a trace of events preceding occurrence of the problem with previously diagnosed traces. Traces of events preceding occurrences of a problem arising from a known cause are reduced to a series of descriptive elements. These elements are aligned to correlate differently timed but otherwise similar traces of events, converted into symbolic representations, and archived. A trace of events leading to an undiagnosed a problem similarly is converted to a symbolic representation. The representation of the undiagnosed trace is then compared to the archived representations to identify a similar archived representation. The cause of the similar archived representation is presented as a diagnosis of the problem.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for extending a standard-based remote file access protocol and maintaining compatibility with the standard protocol stack. Network file system (NFS) remote procedure calls (RPCs) that are submitted by an NFS client application are intercepted in a manner that is transparent to the client operating system. The intercepted NFS-RPCs are sent to a file interface card. The file interface card includes a processor that executes code that implements the standard NFS-RPC protocol, along with extensions to the standard NFS-RPC protocol. Non-NFS RPCs are sent to a conventional network interface card for processing.

Abstract: An electronic display apparatus comprises a lighting unit, a displacement detecting unit, a storage unit and a data processing unit. The lighting unit includes a plurality of light emitting elements aligned in a first direction. The displacement detecting unit is used for detecting displacement data of the electronic display apparatus in a second direction, where the second direction crosses to the first direction and an array area is defined between the first direction and the second direction. The storage unit is used to store a plurality of array image data. The data processing unit is used for receiving the displacement data forwarded from the displacement detecting unit and obtaining one of the array image data from the storage unit, which power of the light emitted by the light emitting elements is controlled according to the displacement data so as to display the array image data on the array area.

Abstract: A system for automatically adjusting illumination of a screen according to the ambient brightness includes a detecting module and a central processing module. After the detecting module detects the ambient brightness, a set of data are generated by the central processing module of the system, then the central processing module will compare the set data with a predetermined data stored in a storage device module of the system. In the storage device module, the predetermined data represent a plurality of different brightness levels, and the set of data is also compared with the previously sampled data, and the result is used to determine whether or not to adjust the current backlight display illumination of a screen display module of the system. Adjusting the backlight display illumination of a keypad display module of the system can save the power of a battery installed in the system.

Abstract: System events preceding occurrence of a problem are likely to be similar to events preceding occurrence of the same problem at other times or on other systems. Thus, the cause of a problem may be identified by comparing a trace of events preceding occurrence of the problem with previously diagnosed traces. Traces of events preceding occurrences of a problem arising from a known cause are reduced to a series of descriptive elements. These elements are aligned to correlate differently timed but otherwise similar traces of events, converted into symbolic representations, and archived. A trace of events leading to an undiagnosed a problem similarly is converted to a symbolic representation. The representation of the undiagnosed trace is then compared to the archived representations to identify a similar archived representation. The cause of the similar archived representation is presented as a diagnosis of the problem.

Abstract: Cluster storage collection-based data management is described. In one aspect, and in a distributed system for storing data across a network to multiple data storage nodes, a bounded bandwidth available for data repair in the distributed system is determined. A specific number of stripes are then created on each data storage node of the multiple data storage nodes. The stripes are for placement and replication of data objects across respective ones of the data storage nodes. The specific number of stripes created on each data storage node is a function of the determined bounded data repair bandwidth.

Abstract: A method is provided for merging assertions in one input file with hardware description language (HDL) code in another input file to produce an HDL output file. One embodiment, among others, comprises the steps of: copying an assertion identified by an assertion identifier from the first input file; locating a matching assertion identifier within a section of the second input file; and merging the assertion with the section of the second input file to produce a section in the HDL output file.

Abstract: A direction control device and method for game software on handheld electronic devices is provided. The main structure comprises a displacement vector detection module, a central process module and a storage module.

Abstract: A method of determining static and dynamic imbalance conditions in a horizontal axis washing machine is disclosed. The method utilizes a number of algorithms to automatically determine the total load size, the magnitude of any static load imbalance, and the magnitude of any dynamic load imbalance for any given load in a given washing machine based on power measurements from the washing machine motor. Methods of obtaining the algorithms for the given washing machine are disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a Hardware Design Language (HDL) assertion from a waveform diagram are disclosed. One method comprises: identifying a timing relationship between first and second signals in the diagram; and generating an HDL assertion corresponding to the relationship. The relationship comprises a portion of the first signal, a portion of the second signal, and an interval between the portions. Another method comprises: identifying a combinatorial relationship between two input signals and an output signal in the diagram; and generating an HDL assertion corresponding to the relationship. One system comprises logic for performing the steps of: receiving a plurality of signal descriptions, each describing one of a plurality of signals; receiving a description of a timing or combinatorial relationship between at least two of the plurality of signals; generating a waveform diagram including a representation of the relationship; and generating an HDL assertion corresponding to the relationship.

Abstract: An improved system and method for flexible object placement and soft-state indexing of objects in a distributed object store is provided. A distributed object store may be provided by a large number of system nodes operably coupled to a network. A system node provided may include an access module for communicating with a client, an index module for building an index of a replicated data object, a data module for storing a data object on a computer readable medium, and a membership and routing module for detecting the configuration of operable nodes in the distributed system. Upon failure of an index node, the failure may be detected at other nodes, including those nodes that store the replicas of the object. These nodes may then send new index rebuilding requests to a different node that may rebuild the index for servicing any access request to the object.

Abstract: Partially biodegradable hydrogel that changes its volume and shape in response to change in pH and/or temperature is prepared by UV irradiation of composition comprising dextran-maleic acid monoester and N-isopropylacrylamide.

Abstract: Injectable hydrogel microspheres are prepared by forming an emulsion where hydrogel precursors are in a disperse aqueous phase and polymerizing the hydrogel precursors. In a preferred case, the hydrogel precursors are poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and N-isopropylacrylamide and the continuous phase of the emulsion is an aqueous solution of dextran and a dextran solubility reducer. The microspheres will load protein, e.g., cytokines, from aqueous solution.

Abstract: The present invention provides the multifunctional biological and biochemical sensor technology based on ZnO nanostructures. The ZnO nanotips serve as strong DNA or protein molecule binding sites to enhance the immobilization. Patterned ZnO nanotips are used to provide conductivity-based biosensors. Patterned ZnO nanotips are also used as the gate for field-effect transistor (FET) type sensors. Patterned ZnO nanotips are integrated with SAW or BAW based biosensors. These ZnO nanotip based devices operate in multimodal operation combining electrical, acoustic and optical sensing mechanisms. The multifunctional biosensors can be arrayed and combined into one biochip, which will enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of biological and biochemical detection due to strong immobilization and multimodal operation capability. Such biological and biochemical sensor technology are useful in detection of RNA-DNA, DNA-DNA, protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-small molecules interaction.