Abstract: A method for the nondestructive testing of a test object by ultrasound is provided, the method including generating a pulsed ultrasonic field in the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the test object. The ultrasonic transmitting transducers are each driven with a specific analog transient excitation signal, wherein each analog transient excitation signal is generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function. The method further includes receiving resulting echo signals from the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic receiving transducers, with each ultrasonic receiving transducer providing an analog time-resolved echo signal, temporarily storing the time-resolved, transducer-specific, digitized echo signals in the form of an echo signal set, and applying a plurality of different reception processing rules to the echo signal set.

Abstract: A method of preparing an orthodontic bracket. Such an orthodontic bracket has a bracket bonding pad and a bracket body with a bracket slot. The method has steps of providing a precursor of an orthodontic bracket into a machine for modifying the shape of the orthodontic bracket precursor. The orthodontic bracket precursor has an alignment structure of a pre-determined geometry. Further the alignment structure and the bracket slot are spatially arranged relative to each other at a pre-determined distance and orientation. The method further has the steps of aligning the orthodontic bracket precursor based on the alignment structure and embedding the orthodontic bracket precursor at least partially in a liquid. The liquid is cause to solidify and thereby the orthodontic bracket precursor is retained in position. The so retained orthodontic bracket precursor is changed in shape.

Abstract: An ultrasonic matrix phased array inspection system can include a plurality of curved matrix phased array probes surrounding a test chamber through which a longitudinal test object passes. Fluid injectors can provide a rotating fluid jacket around the longitudinal test object to ultrasonically couple the plurality of curved matrix phased array probes to the longitudinal test object. The plurality of curved matrix phased array probes can remain in a fixed position during inspection and can inspect the longitudinal test object by transmitting ultrasonic sound waves at various angles to identify flaws of any orientation.

Abstract: An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to the nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced.

Abstract: A customized orthodontic bracket system is provided. The system can include a bracket having a customized bracket bonding pad for bonding the bracket to a tooth of a patient and a bracket slot adapted to receive a customized archwire. The customized archwire is adapted to be positioned in the bracket slot to form a precise bracket slot-archwire interface. The bracket slot and the archwire when positioned in the bracket slot can be positioned substantially adjacent the tooth surface to reduce induced vertical error in tooth positioning. The bracket slot can be configured to have a bracket slot width substantially matching a cross-section of the archwire to reduce torque rotation around an axis of the archwire when positioned therein to further enhance end-of-treatment tooth positioning and reduce overall treatment time.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives a specification for a streaming application and converts the specification into a logical plan that includes a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with operators as nodes and streams as edges. The software translates the logical plan into a physical plan using any stream modes as specified and with one or more instances of the operators per any static partitioning. Then the software obtains a plurality of containers running on a networked cluster of servers. One slave executes in each container. The software assigns the instances to the slaves for execution according to an execution plan that depends at least in part on the physical plan and number of containers obtained. Each slave monitors throughput of the streaming windows through the instances in the container and other statistics related to service level and reports the results of the monitoring, which are used for dynamic adjustment.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives a specification for a streaming application and converts the specification into a logical plan that includes a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with operators as nodes and streams as edges. The software translates the logical plan into a physical plan using any stream modes as specified and with one or more instances of the operators per any static partitioning. Then the software obtains a plurality of containers running on a networked cluster of servers. One slave executes in each container. The software assigns the instances to the slaves for execution according to an execution plan that depends at least in part on the physical plan and number of containers obtained. Each slave monitors throughput of the streaming windows through the instances in the container and other statistics related to service level and reports the results of the monitoring, which are used for dynamic adjustment.

Abstract: An ultrasonic matrix phased array inspection system can include a plurality of curved matrix phased array probes surrounding a test chamber through which a longitudinal test object passes. Fluid injectors can provide a rotating fluid jacket around the longitudinal test object to ultrasonically couple the plurality of curved matrix phased array probes to the longitudinal test object. The plurality of curved matrix phased array probes can remain in a fixed position during inspection and can inspect the longitudinal test object by transmitting ultrasonic sound waves at various angles to identify flaws of any orientation.

Abstract: Software receives a data stream for an application running on a distributed streaming platform over a networked cluster of servers. The software converts the data into a plurality of data tuples structured according to a schema. The software repeatedly emits a plurality of the data tuples as a streaming window, which is separated from other streaming windows by a leading control tuple associated with an ordinal identifier for the streaming window. The streaming window is a sequential sequence of tuples that is associated with a recovery policy. Then the software emits a checkpointing tuple after a plurality of streaming windows. The checkpointing tuple causes checkpointing of an instance of an operator for the application when the checkpointing tuple is received by the instance. Each of the operations is executed by one or more processors in real time or near real time rather than offline.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives an application. The application is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with instances of operators as nodes and streams as edges between nodes. Multiple instances of an operator access a shared database. The software receives a pre-defined hint associated with the application. The pre-defined hint sets a maximum period of time for local caching of a result from a query of the database by each of the multiple instances. The software launches the application by assigning the instances of operators to one or more containers provided by the streaming platform and initiating the streams. Each container is associated with a local cache. The software then receives a request from the application to make a dynamic adjustment that increases the maximum period of time for local caching of a result from a query of the database by each of the multiple instances.

Abstract: A method for the nondestructive testing of a test object by ultrasound is provided, the method including generating a pulsed ultrasonic field in the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the test object. The ultrasonic transmitting transducers are each driven with a specific analog transient excitation signal, wherein each analog transient excitation signal is generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function. The method further includes receiving resulting echo signals from the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic receiving transducers, with each ultrasonic receiving transducer providing an analog time-resolved echo signal, temporarily storing the time-resolved, transducer-specific, digitized echo signals in the form of an echo signal set, and applying a plurality of different reception processing rules to the echo signal set.

Abstract: A method of preparing an orthodontic bracket. Such an orthodontic bracket has a bracket bonding pad and a bracket body with a bracket slot. The method has steps of providing a precursor of an orthodontic bracket into a machine for modifying the shape of the orthodontic bracket precursor. The orthodontic bracket precursor has an alignment structure of a pre-determined geometry. Further the alignment structure and the bracket slot are spatially arranged relative to each other at a pre-determined distance and orientation. The method further has the steps of aligning the orthodontic bracket precursor based on the alignment structure and embedding the orthodontic bracket precursor at least partially in a liquid. The liquid is cause to solidify and thereby the orthodontic bracket precursor is retained in position. The so retained orthodontic bracket precursor is changed in shape.

Abstract: An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to the nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced.

Abstract: Software receives a data stream for an application running on a distributed streaming platform over a networked cluster of servers. The software converts the data into a plurality of data tuples structured according to a schema. The software repeatedly emits a plurality of the data tuples as a streaming window, which is separated from other streaming windows by a leading control tuple associated with an ordinal identifier for the streaming window. The streaming window is a sequential sequence of tuples that is associated with a recovery policy. Then the software emits a checkpointing tuple after a plurality of streaming windows. The checkpointing tuple causes checkpointing of an instance of an operator for the application when the checkpointing tuple is received by the instance. Each of the operations is executed by one or more processors in real time or near real time rather than offline.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives a specification for a streaming application and converts the specification into a logical plan that includes a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with operators as nodes and streams as edges. The software translates the logical plan into a physical plan using any stream modes as specified and with one or more instances of the operators per any static partitioning. Then the software obtains a plurality of containers running on a networked cluster of servers. One slave executes in each container. The software assigns the instances to the slaves for execution according to an execution plan that depends at least in part on the physical plan and number of containers obtained. Each slave monitors throughput of the streaming windows through the instances in the container and other statistics related to service level and reports the results of the monitoring, which are used for dynamic adjustment.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives an application. The application is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with instances of operators as nodes and streams as edges between nodes. Multiple instances of an operator access a shared database. The software receives a pre-defined hint associated with the application. The pre-defined hint sets a maximum period of time for local caching of a result from a query of the database by each of the multiple instances. The software launches the application by assigning the instances of operators to one or more containers provided by the streaming platform and initiating the streams. Each container is associated with a local cache. The software then receives a request from the application to make a dynamic adjustment that increases the maximum period of time for local caching of a result from a query of the database by each of the multiple instances.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform monitors a first operator instance in a container for an application running on a distributed streaming platform over a networked cluster of servers. The first operator instance includes an input port that receives streaming windows from an upstream instance and an output port that emits streaming windows to a downstream instance. And the monitoring includes determining a window identifier for a streaming window which the first operator instance is processing. The software reports results of the monitoring to a master and receives a dynamic adjustment from the master. The dynamic adjustment includes launching a second operator instance of the same operator in the container. The software resumes a flow of streaming windows into the input port and the output port according to first recovery policy for the first operator instance and a second recovery policy for the second operator instance.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform receives an application that runs on a streaming platform. The application is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with operators as nodes and streams as edges between nodes. The application includes an operator that receives a plurality of values, counts the values that are unique, and emits the unique values in a stream. The software partitions the operator into at least two partitioned instances. Then the software assigns a unique value emitting from a partitioned instance to one of a plurality of unifiers according to a pre-defined scheme. Each unifier creates a count of the unique values received by the unifier. Then the software transmits the counts from each of the unifiers to a downstream instance of an operator that aggregates the counts into a sum. And the software displays the sum in a graphical user interface (GUI).

Abstract: An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced.

Abstract: Software for a distributed streaming platform launches an application that runs on a streaming platform, in real time or near real time rather than offline. The application is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) with instances of operators as nodes and streams as edges between nodes. The software receives an indication that a first instance of an operator is I/O bound. A stream connects the first instance of an operator to a second instance of another operator in a single container provided by the streaming platform. The software then transmits the indication to the application and receives a request to combine the first instance with the second instance into a single third instance of an operator. The software creates the third instance and re-initiates the stream using a recovery policy.