A plurality of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), high performance transceivers, and memory devices provide a verification module for timing and state debugging of electronic circuit designs. Signal value compression circuits and gigabit transceivers embedded in each FPGA increase the fanout of each FPGA. Ethernet communication ports enable remote software debugging of processor instructions.

Methods are provided to facilitate automated creation and management of design rule checking or DRC waiver descriptions. Embodiments include receiving a plurality of first checksums corresponding to respective first geometric element violations waived in association with a block of an integrated circuit design, the first checksums being based on a first version of at least one design verification rule and/or of the block, receiving a second checksum corresponding to a second geometric element violation associated with the block, the second checksum being based on a second version of the design verification rule and/or of the block, determining whether the second checksum corresponds to at least one of the first checksums, and, if the second checksum does not correspond to at least one first checksum, generating a waiver request for the second geometric element error.

This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for simulating physical active semiconductor components using in silico active semiconductor components. To simulate charge degradation effect(s) in a circuit simulation, a simulated defect signal level is produced. More specifically, the simulated defect signal level simulates at least one charge degradation effect in the in silico active semiconductor component as a function of simulation time and a simulated input signal level of a simulated input signal. As such, the charge degradation effect(s) are simulated externally with respect to the in silico active semiconductor component. In this manner, the in silico active semiconductor component does not need to be reprogrammed in order to simulate charge degradation effects.

A relationship between distance from a back bias control section which outputs a control signal for controlling a back bias of a transistor and an amount of noise in the control signal outputted from the back bias control section is found. An increase of jitter corresponding to the amount of the noise in a clock transmitted on a clock path connected to a circuit section (IP macro) is found on the basis of the relationship between the distance from the back bias control section and the amount of the noise. The circuit section and the clock path are placed on the basis of the increase of the jitter and an allowable jitter value for the circuit section.

In a method for fracturing or mask data preparation or mask process correction for charged particle beam lithography, a plurality of shots are determined that will form a pattern on a surface, where shots are determined so as to reduce sensitivity of the resulting pattern to changes in beam blur (βf). In some embodiments, the sensitivity to changes in βf is reduced by varying the charged particle surface dosage for a portion of the pattern. Methods for forming patterns on a surface, and for manufacturing an integrated circuit are also disclosed, in which pattern sensitivity to changes in βf is reduced.

A method and apparatus for partitioning of the input design into repeating patterns called template cores for the application of reticle enhancement methods, design verification for manufacturability and design corrections for optical and process effects is accomplished by hierarchy analysis to extract cell overlap information. Also hierarchy analysis is performed to extract hierarchy statistics. Finally template core candidates are identified. This allows to the design to be made amenable for design corrections or other analyses or modifications that are able to leverage the hierarchy of the design since the cell hierarchy could otherwise be very deep or cells could have significant overlap with each other.

A method for mask data preparation or mask process correction is disclosed in which a set of charged particle beam shots is determined which is capable of forming a pattern on a surface, wherein critical dimension uniformity (CDU) of the pattern is optimized. In some embodiments the CDU is optimized by varying at least two factors. In other embodiments, model-based techniques are used. In yet other embodiments, the surface is a reticle to be used in an optical lithographic process to form a pattern on a wafer, and CDU on the wafer is optimized.

A mechanism for generating gate-level activity data for use in clock gating efficiency analysis of an integrated circuit (IC) design is provided. Generating the gate-level activity data includes generating a signal behaviour description for inter-register signals, generating a gate-level netlist for the IC design, generating gate-level stimuli based at least partly on the generated signal behaviour description, and performing gate-level simulation using the generated gate-level stimuli to generate gate-level activity data for the IC design. In one embodiment, generating the signal behaviour description includes performing Register Transfer Level (RTL) simulation of the IC design, and generating the gate-level netlist includes performing RTL synthesis. The RTL simulation and RTL synthesis are performed on RTL data for the IC design.

Some example embodiments include a computer-implemented method for designing an integrated circuit. The computer-implemented method includes receiving a hierarchical network design for the integrated circuit, wherein the hierarchical design comprises a number of components that are coupled together. The computer-implemented method includes detecting that a component of the number of components has at least one of failed timing and incomplete timing based on a problem that comprises at least one of a missing assertion, one or more missing latches, a source driver having an input source slew that is greater than a source slew limit threshold, and a sink having an input sink slew that is greater than a sink slew limit threshold. The computer-implemented method includes replacing the component with a different component that is independent of the problem and testing others components of the number of components based on the different component.

A method and system for optical proximity correction (OPC) is disclosed in which a set of shaped beam shots is determined which, when used in a shaped beam charged particle beam writer, will form a pattern on a reticle, where some of the shots overlap, where the pattern on the reticle is an OPC-corrected version of an input pattern, and where the sensitivity of the pattern on the reticle to manufacturing variation is reduced. A method for fracturing or mask data preparation is also disclosed.

In one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit (IC) design tool is provided for synthesizing logic, including one or more software modules to synthesize a gate-level netlist of a squarer functional block. The software modules include a bitvector generator, a bitvector reducer, and a hybrid multibit adder generator. The bitvector generator multiplies bits of a vector together to generate partial products for a plurality of bitvectors and then optimizes a plurality of least significant bitvectors. The bitvector reducer reduces the partial products in the bitvectors of the squarer functional block down to a pair of final vectors. The hybrid multibit adder generator generates a hybrid multibit adder including a first adder and a second adder coupled together by a carry bit with bit widths being responsive to a dividerbit. The hybrid multibit adder adds the pair of final vectors together to generate a final result for the squarer functional block.

A circuit-design support method includes obtaining information for a circuit having a logic circuit in which signal lines are connected to input terminals, signals of the signal lines being output via the logic circuit; obtaining information concerning a control circuit that has a first flip-flop for scanning and that can control a value of a given signal line by a value set by the first flip-flop; selecting, based on the circuit information, a second flip-flop at an output destination of a signal from the logic circuit, among second flip-flops of the circuit; and generating, based on the control circuit information, information indicating a serial connection of the control circuit between an output source of the signal of the given signal line and the given signal line and a connection of a data input terminal of the first flip-flop and an output terminal of the selected second flip-flop.

A datapath extraction tool uses machine-learning models to selectively classify clusters of cells in an integrated circuit design as either datapath logic or non-datapath logic based on cluster features. A support vector machine and a neural network can be used to build compact and run-time efficient models. A cluster is classified as datapath if both the support vector machine and the neural network indicate that it is datapath-like. The cluster features may include automorphism generators for the cell clusters, or physical information based on the cell locations from a previous (e.g., global) placement, such as a ratio of a total cell area for a given cluster to a half-perimeter of a bounding box for the given cluster.

Methods and systems are described for placing arithmetic operators on a programmable integrated circuit device (e.g., a PLD). Placement of arithmetic operators of a data flow graph in one of multiple regions (e.g., a region of DSP circuitry blocks or a region of logic fabric circuitry) on the programmable integrated circuitry device may be determined (e.g., randomly). A score related to the performance of the graph (e.g., a score related to data flow graph routing delays or area consumed by the data flow graph) may be determined and this process may be repeated after one of the arithmetic operators of the data flow graph is moved. The placement of arithmetic operators that corresponds to the best value for the score related to the performance of the data flow graph may be stored. Accordingly, more arithmetic operators may be included on a programmable integrated device than in conventional devices.

Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufactures for implementing physical designs by using multiple force models to iteratively morph a layout decomposition. In addition to attractive force model(s) or repulsive force model(s), the physical implementation also uses a containment force model for grouping multiple design blocks or for confining a node of a cell within the boundary of a container. Another aspect is directed at deriving a first force model at the first hierarchical level from a second force model at the second hierarchical level by directly modifying the second model based at least in part on characteristic(s) of the first hierarchical level and of the second hierarchical level. In a design with multiple hierarchies, a cell-based force model is also used to ensure child nodes of a parent cell stay within a close proximity of the parent node of the parent cell.

Routing methods for an integrated circuit design layout are disclosed. The layout can include design netlists and library cells. A multiple-level global routing can generate topological wire for each net. An area oriented graph-based detail routing on the design can be performed. A post route optimization after the detail routing can be performed to further improve the routing quality. Some methods can be single threaded all or some of the time, and/or multi-threaded some or all of the time.

The present invention provides personal care compositions comprising a carrier and a mixture of essential oil components having specific levels of eucalyptol, terpene materials and auxiliary fragrance materials. The compositions herein gentle to skin and have a fragrance and activity similar if the composition were made using the pure extracted essential oil.

Surfactants (e.g., fluorosurfactants) for stabilizing aqueous or hydrocarbon droplets in a fluorophilic continuous phase are presented. In some embodiments, fluorosurfactants include a fluorophilic tail soluble in a fluorophilic (e.g., fluorocarbon) continuous phase, and a headgroup soluble in either an aqueous phase or a lipophilic (e.g., hydrocarbon) phase. The combination of a fluorophilic tail and a headgroup may be chosen so as to create a surfactant with a suitable geometry for forming stabilized reverse emulsion droplets having a disperse aqueous or lipophilic phase in a continuous, fluorophilic phase. In some embodiments, the headgroup is preferably non-ionic and can prevent or limit the adsorption of molecules at the interface between the surfactant and the discontinuous phase. This configuration can allow the droplet to serve, for example, as a reaction site for certain chemical and/or biological reactions. In another embodiment, aqueous droplets are stabilized in a fluorocarbon phase at least in part by the electrostatic attraction of two oppositely charged or polar components, one of which is at least partially soluble in the dispersed phase, the other at least partially soluble in the continuous phase. One component may provide collodial stability of the emulsion, and the other may prevent the adsorption of biomolecules at the interface between a component and the discontinous phase. Advantageously, surfactants and surfactant combinations of the invention may provide sufficient stabilization against coalescence of droplets, without interfering with processes that can be carried out inside the droplets.

A method for softening laundry employs a softening composition, which includes at least one thickener containing a cationic polymer obtained by polymerization: of a cationic monomer;of a monomer with a hydrophobic nature, of formula (I): wherein R1=H or CH3 R2=alkyl chain having at least 16 carbon atomsX═O, m≧5, y=z=0, orX═NH, m≧z≧5, y=0, orX═NH, m≧y≧5, z=0, of a nonionic monomer.

Disclosed are topical skin compositions and corresponding methods of their use that include an extract from Artabotrys hexapetalus, an extract from Sassafras tzumu, and an extract from Prunus salicina.

A rinse-off composition, such as a shampoo, hair conditioner or shower gel, comprising a rinse-off composition base, lactoyl ethanolamine and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of N-(4-cyanomethylphenyl) p-menthanecarboxamide and N-(2-pyridin-2-ylethyl) p-menthanecarboxamide. The compositions provide a pleasant, long-lasting cooling sensation.

An elongated segmented soap bar is segmented longitudinally into a plurality of soap bodies separate and discrete from one another. Adjacent soap bodies are movable with respect to one another between at least two different configurations including at least an arc configuration with the plurality of soap bodies disposed in an arc. At least one coupler couples the plurality of soap bodies together to allow the adjacent soap bodies to move with respect to one another between the at least two different configurations.

The use of ferric hydroxycarboxylate as a chelator and builder for cleaning compositions is disclosed. The cleaning composition may be formulated for warewashing, laundering, and for other means of removing soils and includes a ferric hydroxycarboxylate, an alkalinity source and a surfactant system. The cleaning composition has a pH of between about 9 and about 12.

A process for preparing a particle defoamer. The particle defoamer of 55%-75% of a carrier, 15%-35% of a silicone emulsion, 3%-10% of a texturing agent and 2%-10% of a solvent, based on the total weight of the particle defoamer; the process for preparing the particle defoamer is: (1)first adding a carrier A1 into a mixer, and then adding thereto a silicone emulsion B1, and stirring uniformly; (2)adding a carrier component A2 to the mixture obtained in (1), and stirring uniformly; (3)adding a silicone emulsion B2 to the mixture obtained in (2), and, after uniformly stirring, adding the solvent thereto and stirring uniformly; and (4)pelleting and drying by baking the mixture obtained in(3), so as to produce the product.

Methods employing detergent compositions effective for reducing soil redeposition and accumulation on hard surfaces are disclosed. The detergent compositions employ phosphinosuccinic acid adducts in combination with an alkalinity source and gluconic acid or salts thereof, copolymers of acrylic acid and maleic acids or salts thereof, sodium hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate or combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to an enzyme composition comprising enzyme containing polymer particles, which is useful for detergent compositions, in particular for liquid detergent compositions. In these enzyme containing particles, the particles comprise i) at least one enzyme, and ii) at least one polymer P, which is selected from homo- and copolymers having a C—C-backbone, wherein the C—C-backbone carries carboxylgroups, which may be present in the acidic form or in the neutralized form, and wherein the C—C-backbone comprises hydrophobic repeating units.

This invention relates to extend the benefits of using hypochlorite compounds such as sodium hypochlorite to clean and disinfect articles while reducing or eliminating the side effects of treating an article with a strong oxidant material. The invention relates to a single step process involving mixing of precursor compositions of a suitable hypohalite or hypohalous acid with a solution of a reducing agent. Optionally a buffer may be present in either or both precursor compositions, such that at time of use such active hypohalous acid concentration in the resulting aqueous mixture remains at a sufficient activity level to effect one or more desired benefits against a target substrate for a desired period of time. The oxidant is substantially consumed by reaction with the reducing agent after the time needed for achieving the desired benefit has passed.

An apparatus and method for moving a wire along its own axis against a high resistance to its motion causing a substantial uniaxial compression stress in the wire without allowing it to buckle. The apparatus consists of a wire gripping and moving drive wheel and guide rollers for transporting the moving wire away from the drive wheel. Wire is pressed into a peripheral groove in a relatively large diameter, rotating drive wheel by a set of small diameter rollers arranged along part of the periphery causing the wire to be gripped by the groove.

A superconductive electromagnet apparatus and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including the superconductive electromagnet apparatus are provided. The superconductive electromagnet apparatus includes a thermal anchor, a cryogenic cooling device which cools the thermal anchor, and at least one connecting ring into which the thermal anchor is inserted and a plurality of wires which are connected to the connecting ring.

A superconducting memory cell includes a magnetic Josephson junction (MJJ) with a ferromagnetic material, having at least two switchable states of magnetization. The binary state of the MJJ manifests itself as a pulse appearing, or not appearing, on the output. A superconducting memory includes an array of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a comparator with at least one MJJ. Selected X and Y-directional write lines in their combination are capable of switching the magnetization of the MJJ. A superconducting device includes a first and a second junction in a stacked configuration. The first junction has an insulating layer barrier, and the second junction has an insulating layer sandwiched in-between two ferromagnetic layers as barrier. An electrical signal inputted across the first junction is amplified across the second junction.

An inductive fault current limiter (1), has a normally conducting primary coil assembly (2) with a multiplicity of turns (3), and a superconducting, short-circuited secondary coil assembly (4). The primary coil assembly (2) and the secondary coil assembly (4) are disposed at least substantially coaxially with respect to each other and at least partially interleaved in each other. The secondary coil assembly (4) has a first coil section (4a) disposed radially inside the turns (3) of the primary coil assembly (2) and a second coil section (4b) disposed radially outside the turns (3) of the primary coil assembly (2). The fault current limiter has an increased inductance ratio.

A superconducting magnet apparatus includes: a bobbin around which a superconducting coil is wound, the bobbin serving as a protective resistor; a persistent current switch for supplying a persistent current to the superconducting coil; a first closed circuit with the superconducting coil and the persistent current switch connected in series to the coil; and a second closed circuit with the superconducting coil and the bobbin connected in series to the coil.

Disclosed is a splicing method of two second-generation ReBCO high temperature superconductor coated conductors (2G ReBCO HTS CCs), in which, with stabilizing layers removed from the two strands of 2G ReBCO HTS CCs through chemical wet etching or plasma dry etching, surfaces of the two high temperature superconducting layers are brought into direct contact with each other and heated in a splicing furnace in a vacuum for micro-melting portions of the surfaces of the high temperature superconducting layers to permit inter-diffusion of ReBCO atoms such that the surfaces of the two superconducting layers can be spliced to each other and oxygenation annealing for recovery of superconductivity which was lost during splicing.

A superconducting structure (1) has a plurality of coated conductor tapes (2; 2a-2o), each with a substrate (3) which is one-sided coated with a superconducting film (4), in particular an YBCO film, wherein the superconducting structure (1) provides a superconducting current path along an extension direction (z) of the superconducting structure (1), wherein the coated conductor tapes (2; 2a-2o) provide electrically parallel partial superconducting current paths in the extension direction (z) of the superconducting structure (1), is characterized in that the coated conductor tapes (2; 2a-2o) are superconductively connected among themselves along the extension direction (z) continuously or intermittently. A more stable superconducting structure with which high electric current strengths may be transported is thereby provided.

A cryocooler system and a superconducting magnet apparatus having the cryocooler system include a cryocooler having a cool stage that cools a heat shielding unit and a thermal inertia that thermally contacts the cool stage of the cryocooler and has a high heat capacity. The cryocooler system reduces a temperature-increasing rate in a current lead by using the thermal inertia member when the temperature in the current lead is increased due to heat generated when an electrical current applied to a superconducting coil is ramped-up or ramped-down.

Quantum annealing may include applying and gradually removing disorder terms to qubits of a quantum processor, for example superconducting flux qubits of a superconducting quantum processor. A problem Hamiltonian may be established by applying control signals to the qubits, an evolution Hamiltonian established by applying disorder terms, and annealing by gradually removing the disorder terms. Change in persistent current in the qubits may be compensated. Multipliers may mediate coupling between various qubits and a global signal line, for example by applying respective scaling factors. Two global signal lines may be arranged in an interdigitated pattern to couple to respective qubits of a communicatively coupled pair of qubits. Pairs of qubits may be communicatively isolated and used to measure a response of one another to defined signals.

An additive manufacturing method for forming nearly monolithic SRF niobium cavities and end group components of arbitrary shape with features such as optimized wall thickness and integral stiffeners, greatly reducing the cost and technical variability of conventional cavity construction. The additive manufacturing method for forming an SRF cavity, includes atomizing niobium to form a niobium powder, feeding the niobium powder into an electron beam melter under a vacuum, melting the niobium powder under a vacuum in the electron beam melter to form an SRF cavity; and polishing the inside surface of the SRF cavity.

A composite barrier-type Nb3Al superconducting multifilament wire material comprises Nb barrier filaments, Ta barrier filaments, Nb bulk dummy filaments, and a Nb or Ta covering. In the composite barrier-type Nb3Al superconducting multifilament wire material, the Nb barrier filaments and Ta barrier filaments are disposed in the wire material so that the Nb barrier filaments are concentrated in a filament region near a core formed from the Nb bulk dummy filaments and only the Ta barrier filaments are disposed or the Nb barrier filaments are dispersed in the Ta barrier filaments in an outer layer portion formed from a region outside the Nb barrier filaments, excluding the Nb or Ta covering.

An image processing apparatus including: image processor which processes broadcasting signal, to display image based on processed broadcasting signal; communication unit which is connected to a server; a voice input unit which receives a user's speech; a voice processor which processes a performance of a preset corresponding operation according to a voice command corresponding to the speech; and a controller which processes the voice command corresponding to the speech through one of the voice processor and the server if the speech is input through the voice input unit. If the voice command includes a keyword relating to a call sign of a broadcasting channel, the controller controls one of the voice processor and the server to select a recommended call sign corresponding to the keyword according to a predetermined selection condition, and performs a corresponding operation under the voice command with respect to the broadcasting channel of the recommended call sign.

A computer-readable, non-transitory medium storing a character string comparison program is provided. The program causes, when executed by a computer, the computer to perform a process including splitting a first character string and a second character string into words; acquiring information including a semantic attribute that represents a semantic nature of each of the words and a conceptual code that semantically identifies said each of the words, from a storage device; identifying a pair of the words having a common semantic attribute between the first character string and the second character string; comparing the conceptual codes of the specified pair of the words between the first character string and the second character string; and generating a comparison result between the first character string and the second character string based upon a comparison result of the conceptual codes.

An apparatus and an article of manufacture for controlling a voice site using a haptic input modality include validating a haptic input from an instrument capable of accessing a voice site, processing the haptic input on a server to determine a voice site command corresponding to the haptic input, and processing the voice site command at the server to control an interaction with the voice site.

A decoding apparatus (10) is disclosed which includes: a storing means (11) for storing encoded audio signals including multi-channel audio signals; a transforming means (40) for transforming the encoded audio signals to generate transform block-based audio signals in a time domain; a window processing means (41) for multiplying the transform block-based audio signals by a product of a mixture ratio of the audio signals and a first window function, the product being a second window function; a synthesizing means (43) for overlapping the multiplied transform block-based audio signals to synthesize audio signals of respective channels; and a mixing means (14) for mixing audio signals of the respective channels between the channels to generate a downmixed audio signal. Furthermore, an encoding apparatus is also disclosed which downmixes the multi-channel audio signals, encodes the downmixed audio signals, and generates the encoded, downmixed audio signals.

An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes receiving a downmix signal and side information; extracting control restriction information from the side information; receiving control information for controlling gain or panning at least one object signal; generating at least one of first multi-channel information and first downmix processing information based on the control information and object information, without using the control restriction information; and, generating an output signal by applying the at least one of the first multichannel information and the first downmix processing information to the downmix signal, wherein the control restriction information relates to a parameter indicating limiting degree of the control information.

A method comprising: sampling received audio at a first rate to produce a first audio signal; transforming the first audio signal into a sparse domain to produce a sparse audio signal; re-sampling of the sparse audio signal to produce a re-sampled sparse audio signal; and providing the re-sampled sparse audio signal, wherein bandwidth required for accurate audio reproduction is removed but bandwidth required for spatial audio encoding is retained AND/OR a method comprising: receiving a first sparse audio signal for a first channel; receiving a second sparse audio signal for a second channel; and processing the first sparse audio signal and the second sparse audio signal to produce one or more inter-channel spatial audio parameters.

According to one embodiment, an audio controlling apparatus includes a first receiver configured to receive audio signal, a second receiver configured to receive environmental sound, a temporary gain calculator configured to calculate temporary gain based on environmental sound received by second receiver, a sound type determination module configured to determine sound type of main component of audio signal received by first receiver, and a gain controller configured to stabilize temporary gain that is calculated by temporary gain calculator and set gain, when it is determined that sound type of main component of audio signal received by first receiver is music.

Methods and apparatus to generate and use content-aware watermarks are disclosed herein. In a disclosed example method, media composition data is received and at least one word present in an audio track of the media composition data is selected. The word is then located in a watermark.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating search results. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a transcription of a voice query, and data that identifies an accent of the voice query, submitting the transcription and the data that identifies the accent of the voice query to a search engine to generate one or more accent-influenced results of the voice query, and providing the accent-influenced results to a client device for display.

The present invention is based on the finding that parameters including: a first set of parameters of a representation of a first portion of an original signal and a second set of parameters of a representation of a second portion of the original signal can be efficiently encoded when the parameters are arranged in a first sequence of tuples and a second sequence of tuples. The first sequence of tuples includes tuples of parameters having two parameters from a single portion of the original signal and the second sequence of tuples includes tuples of parameters having one parameter from the first portion and one parameter from the second portion of the original signal. A bit estimator estimates the number of necessary bits to encode the first and the second sequence of tuples. Only the sequence of tuples, which results in the lower number of bits, is encoded.

A method (700, 800) and apparatus (100, 200) processes audio frames to transition between different codecs. The method can include producing (720), using a first coding method, a first frame of coded output audio samples by coding a first audio frame in a sequence of frames. The method can include forming (730) an overlap-add portion of the first frame using the first coding method. The method can include generating (740) a combination first frame of coded audio samples based on combining the first frame of coded output audio samples with the overlap-add portion of the first frame. The method can include initializing (760) a state of a second coding method based on the combination first frame of coded audio samples. The method can include constructing (770) an output signal based on the initialized state of the second coding method.

A system and methods for matching at least one word of an utterance against a set of template hierarchies to select the best matching template or set of templates corresponding to the utterance. Certain embodiments of the system and methods determines at least one exact, inexact, and partial match between the at least one word of the utterance and at least one term within the template hierarchy to select and populate a template or set of templates corresponding to the utterance. The populated template or set of templates may then be used to generate a narrative template or a report template.