Abstract: A toaster includes a housing having a slot for receiving a food item, a heating element associated with the slot for toasting the food item, a carriage assembly having a supporting rack movably mounted in the slot for supporting the food item within the slot, a first slider member connected to the supporting rack, and a second slider member operatively connected to the first slider member, a motor, and a driving member having a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end received in a slot in the second slider member such that when the motor is driven to rotate the driving member, the driving member drives the supporting rack, via the first slider member and the second slider member, to slidably move within the slot.

Abstract: Provided herein are recombinant proteins comprising sets of polypeptides that may be used for measurement of protein levels.

Abstract: A toaster includes a housing having a slot for receiving a food item, a heating element associated with the slot for toasting the food item, a carriage assembly having a supporting rack movably mounted in the slot for supporting the food item within the slot, a first slider member connected to the supporting rack, and a second slider member operatively connected to the first slider member, a motor, and a driving member having a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end received in a slot in the second slider member such that when the motor is driven to rotate the driving member, the driving member drives the supporting rack, via the first slider member and the second slider member, to slidably move within the slot.

Abstract: A toaster includes a housing having a slot for receiving a food item, a heating element associated with the slot for toasting the food item, a carriage assembly having a supporting rack movably mounted in the slot for supporting the food item within the slot, a first slider member connected to the supporting rack, and a second slider member operatively connected to the first slider member, a motor, and a driving member having a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end received in a slot in the second slider member such that when the motor is driven to rotate the driving member, the driving member drives the supporting rack, via the first slider member and the second slider member, to slidably move within the slot.

Abstract: A toaster includes a housing having a slot for receiving a food item, a heating element associated with the slot for toasting the food item, a carriage assembly having a supporting rack movably mounted in the slot for supporting the food item within the slot, a first slider member connected to the supporting rack, and a second slider member operatively connected to the first slider member, a motor, and a driving member having a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end received in a slot in the second slider member such that when the motor is driven to rotate the driving member, the driving member drives the supporting rack, via the first slider member and the second slider member, to slidably move within the slot.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for image patch selection for training a neural network for image quality assessment. The method includes receiving an input image and extracting one or more image patches from the input image. The moment of the extracted image patches is measured. There is a decision to accept or decline the extracted image patches according to the measured moment. Additional image patches are extracted until a minimum number, Nmin, of extracted image patches are accepted. Alternatively, selection criteria are adjusted until the minimum number of extracted image patches are accepted. The selected image patches are input into a neural network with a corresponding image quality value of the input image, and the neural network is trained with the image patches and image quality value. Also provided is a method for image quality assessment using a neural network trained as set forth above.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for image patch selection for training a neural network for image quality assessment. The method includes receiving an input image and extracting one or more image patches from the input image. The moment of the extracted image patches is measured. There is a decision to accept or decline the extracted image patches according to the measured moment. Additional image patches are extracted until a minimum number, Nmin, of extracted image patches are accepted. Alternatively, selection criteria are adjusted until the minimum number of extracted image patches are accepted. The selected image patches are input into a neural network with a corresponding image quality value of the input image, and the neural network is trained with the image patches and image quality value. Also provided is a method for image quality assessment using a neural network trained as set forth above.

Abstract: A 3D printer includes a frame, a printing head connected to the frame and movable with respective to the frame, and a table assembly connected to the frame. The table assembly includes an object table adapted to support an object to be printed during a printing operation. The table assembly is adapted to move relative to the frame at least between a storage position and an operational position. Method of changing the 3D printer from the storage position to the operational position is also shown. Since the state of the printer can be changed on a flexible basis for the purposes of storage and printing, the printer according to the present invention can be carried away easily by the user using a single hand, like a suitcase. On the other hand, the full functionality provided by the 3D printer is still preserved.

Abstract: Driving game seat apparatus (100) for use with a screen (20) and a video game console (10) running a driving game, has a base structure (200), a seat (300) provided on the base structure for a player, and a drive control mechanism (400) provided on the base structure at a forward position relative to the seat. The drive control mechanism has a steering module (410), an accelerating module (420) and a braking module (430) for steering, accelerating and braking operations respectively. There are three actuating devices (500) connected at spaced-apart positions to the base structure and supporting the base structure for movement. Also included is a control circuit (600) for use with the game console and associated with the drive control mechanism for, in response to the operation of the steering, accelerating and braking modules, controlling the actuating devices to move and set the base structure in motion.

Abstract: To reduce the complexity of rate-distortion cost computation in AVC (MPEG4 Part2/H.264), a bit rate estimation method is used to avoid entropy coding during Intra and Inter mode decision. The bit rate estimation method predicts the number of entropy coded bits based on the quantized transform coefficients, thus avoiding the need to entropy code the quantized transform coefficients at each decision iteration.

Abstract: The present embodiments include methods, systems, and apparatuses for foreground biased depth map refinement in which horizontal gradient of the texture edge in color image is used to guide the shifting of the foreground depth pixels around the large depth discontinuities in order to make the whole texture edge pixels assigned with foreground depth values. In such an embodiment, only background information may be used in hole-filling process. Such embodiments may significantly improve the quality of the synthesized view by avoiding incorrect use of foreground texture information in hole-filling. Additionally, the depth map quality may not be significantly degraded when such methods are used for hole-filling.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method and apparatus for multiview video coding. In particular, the present invention describes a disparity compensated prediction to exploit the inter-view correlation in multiview video coding by providing stretching, compression, and shearing (SCSH) disparity compensation to approximate the actual disparity effects in addition to the translational disparity. A sub-sampled block-matching disparity estimation technique is provided to implement the SCSH disparity compensation which makes use of the interpolated reference frames for subpixel motion and disparity estimation in conventional hybrid video coding structure.

Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides method and apparatus for motion compensated prediction. Apart from translational motion, zoom motion is taken into account by sampling an interpolated frame with one or more selected sampling rates to generate one or more zoom reference frames; matching a frame with the zoom reference frames; and determining one or more motion data.

Abstract: A motion estimation method uses a search start point and a plurality of search paths extending from the start point. The method finds an image point along the plurality of search paths that has a minimum comparison value with a reference image block. This image point with a minimum comparison value becomes the new search start point, with a plurality of new search paths extending from the new start point. The method then finds the image point along the plurality of new search paths that has a minimum comparison value with the reference image block. The cycle repeats until points on the search paths have comparison values higher than the start point.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for calculating the Sum of Squared Differences (SSD) between a source block and a reconstructed block of image or video data encoding according to an encoding scheme such as H.264/AVC. In a preferred embodiment, the method computes the SSD by finding the SSD between coefficients of an integer transformed residual block and the corresponding inverse-quantized coefficients. Preferably the inverse quantized coefficients are found with the aid of a look up table. This method may save computing time and processing power compared to calculating the SSD directly from the source and reconstructed blocks. The SSD is related to the distortion caused by encoding and the method may be used in calculating the rate-distortion of a particular encoding mode. One embodiment of the invention encodes a block of data by selecting the encoding mode with the least rate-distortion.

Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides method and apparatus for motion compensated prediction. Apart from translational motion, zoom motion is taken into account by sampling an interpolated frame with one or more selected sampling rates to generate one or more zoom reference frames; matching a frame with the zoom reference frames; and determining one or more motion data.

Abstract: A heat-dissipating reflector for a lighting device having a reflecting surface for reflecting light from a light emitting source of the lighting device, and a plurality of ventilation openings formed through the reflecting surface for dissipating heat generated by the light emitting source.

Abstract: A method of sensing movement or proximity of objects by optical reflection is provided. The method includes the steps of transmitting a train of optical pulses towards a destination, sensing optical pulses reflected from the destination, and sensing and evaluating movement or proximity characteristics of objects at the destination with reference to variation in pulse width between transmitted and reflected optical pulses.

Abstract: A heat-dissipating reflector for a lighting device having a reflecting surface for reflecting light from a light emitting source of the lighting device, and a plurality of ventilation openings formed through the reflecting surface for dissipating heat generated by the light emitting source.