Abstract: A robotic system for steering a flexible needle during insertion into soft-tissue using imaging to determine the needle position. The control system calculates a needle tip trajectory that hits the desired target while avoiding potentially dangerous obstacles en route. Using an inverse kinematics algorithm, the maneuvers required of the needle base to cause the tip to follow this trajectory are calculated, such that the robot can perform controlled needle insertion. The insertion of a flexible needle into a deformable tissue is modeled as a linear beam supported by virtual springs, where the stiffness coefficients of the springs varies along the needle. The forward and inverse kinematics of the needle are solved analytically, enabling both path planning and correction in real-time. The needle shape is detected by image processing performed on fluoroscopic images. The stiffness properties of the tissue are calculated from the measured shape of the needle.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing techniques for training an attentional cascade. An attentional cascade is an ordered sequence of detector functions, where the detector functions are functions that examine a target image and return a positive result if the target image resembles an object of interest and a negative result if the target image does not resemble the object of interest. A positive result from one detector function leads to consideration of the target image by the next detector function, and a negative result from any detector function leads to rejection of the target image. The techniques include training each detector function in the attentional cascade in sequence starting with the first detector function. Training a detector function includes selecting a counter-example set. Selecting a counter-example set includes selecting only images that are at least a minimum difference from an example set.

Abstract: A server system stores media library associated with a user. The media library includes at least one media file. The server system determines whether the media file is stored on a second computing device that is able to send the media file to the first computing device across a local network connecting the first computing device and the second computing device. If the determination indicates that the media file is stored on a second computing device that is able to send the stored media file to the first computing device across a local network connecting the first computing device and the second computing device, the server system sends causes the second computing device to send the media file to the first computing device across the local network such that the first computing device is able to output the media file to the user.

Abstract: A method and a system for collecting information in a network. A wiretap tunnel interface is initialized between a wire-tapping device and a network device. The wire-tapping device receives information related to routing protocol traffic from the network device through the wiretap tunnel interface. The wire-tapping device collates the received information about the routing protocol traffic. This collated information is used by the network administrator to manage the network.

Abstract: In a particular embodiment, interworking between an H.323 protocol and SIP protocol for a call forward/redirection is provided. A first user may call a second user. The second user may have set preferences that cause a call redirection/forward to another end device. The end device may be associated with the second user or another user. Different preferences for the call forward/redirection may be provided. For example, a call may be forwarded all the time, when the second end device is busy, when there is no answer, etc. The redirection may then be performed using a gateway. When end devices communicate using SIP and H.323, the gateway provides interworking to provide the call forward/redirection. For example, the gateway maps a 3xx message in SIP to an H.450.3 message in the H.323 protocol, and vice versa, to provide the call forward/redirection.

Abstract: A plasma display panel is disclosed. The plasma display panel includes a front substrate, a rear substrate positioned to be opposite to the front substrate, a barrier rib positioned between the front substrate and the rear substrate to partition a discharge cell, and a phosphor layer positioned in the discharge cell. The phosphor layer includes a phosphor material and an additive material. The phosphor layer includes a red phosphor layer emitting red light, a green phosphor layer emitting green light, and a blue phosphor layer emitting blue light. A thickness of the blue phosphor layer is larger than a thickness of the red phosphor layer.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for adjusting language models. In one aspect, a method includes accessing audio data. Information that indicates a first context is accessed, the first context being associated with the audio data. At least one term is accessed. Information that indicates a second context is accessed, the second context being associated with the term. A similarity score is determined that indicates a degree of similarity between the second context and the first context. A language model is adjusted based on the accessed term and the determined similarity score to generate an adjusted language model. Speech recognition is performed on the audio data using the adjusted language model to select one or more candidate transcriptions for a portion of the audio data.

Abstract: A system making use of video games and data communications external to video games is used to provide advertisements, prizes and other benefits to gamers. The prizes relate to either of real world products and services as well as content for use within the video game environment. During a video game session an advertisement is provided to the gamer. When the gamer interacts with the advertisement the video game software acts to facilitate a transaction between the gamer and the advertiser.

Abstract: An electric machine system includes an electric machine and a companion device. The electric machine has a stationary member and a movable member that, by interaction of magnetic fields, at least one of moves relative to the stationary member or generates electricity when moved relative to the stationary member. One of the stationary member and the movable member includes a permanent magnet. The companion device is coupled to the electric machine to communicate mechanical movement with the movable member. In certain instances, the electric machine system has adaptations for operation of the electric machine system subsea and/or in a corrosive environment.

Abstract: Technologies for object tracking can include accessing a video feed that captures an object in at least a portion of the video feed; operating a generative tracker to capture appearance variations of the object operating a discriminative tracker to discriminate the object from the object's background, where operating the discriminative tracker can include using a sliding window to process data from the video feed, and advancing the sliding window to focus the discriminative tracker on recent appearance variations of the object; training the generative tracker and the discriminative tracker based on the video feed, where the training can include updating the generative tracker based on an output of the discriminative tracker, and updating the discriminative tracker based on an output of the generative tracker; and tracking the object with information based on an output from the generative tracker and an output from the discriminative tracker.

Abstract: An optical element module is provided. The optical module includes an optical element unit that includes an optical element and a support structure that supports the optical element unit. The support structure includes a support device and a contact device mounted to the support device. The contact device exerts a force on the optical element unit in a first direction via a first contact surface of the contact device. The first contact surface contacts a second contact surface of the optical element unit. The contact device includes a first linking section and a second linking section extending along a second direction running transverse to the first direction and arranged kinematically in series between the first contact surface and the support device. The first linking section and the second linking section are elastically deformed in response to a bending moment resulting from the force. The first linking section and the second linking section are arranged on opposite sides of a reference plane.

Abstract: When a light emitting element is actuated to allow the light emission, the generation of Joule heat occurs, leading to the decomposition or crystallization of an organic compound to cause the degradation of the light emitting device. Therefore, a light emitting element of the present invention is provided for effecting removing or decreasing the generation of heat. In the present invention, between two electrodes, layers having organic compounds and carbon-based thin films are alternatively laminated one after another for stepping down the driving voltage in the light emitting element using the tunnel effect. In addition, a carbon-based thin film is placed on a film containing an organic compound, so that it prevents the electric field from being locally concentrated and also prevents the generation of short-circuit between the anode and the cathode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to An electronic osmotic dehydrator of electrophoresis style with a phase control using three-phase current, and more specifically, to An electronic osmotic dehydrator of electrophoresis style with a phase control using three-phase current, which can minimize an unnecessary loss of power consumed in the rotating drum itself by emboding the applying structure of the DC power supplied to the dehydrating domain of the electro-osmotic dehydrator so that a strength of the electric field generated between the rotating drum and the caterpillar may be variably controlled depending upon a sludge volume, and improving a structure of the rotating drum to which the DC power is applied, when forming an electronic osmotic dehydrator comprising a rotating drum in the cylindrical form, a caterpillar running on an endless track at a certain space from the rotating drum and two filter cloth belts for transferring and dehydrating the sludge as wound between the drum and the caterpillar, which is a

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a media signal and method thereof are disclosed, by which the media signal can be converted to a surround signal by using spatial information of the media signal. The present invention provides a method of processing a signal, the method comprising of extracting a downmix signal from a bitstream; generating a decorrelated downmix signal by applying a decorrelator to the downmix signal; and generating a surround signal by applying rendering information for generating a surround signal to the downmix signal and the decorrelated downmix signal.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for distributed nearest-neighbor search for image retrieval are disclosed. An example distributed image retrieval system includes a root server and a plurality of leaf servers. The root server controls the clustering of images in the image corpus, and determines the assignment of image clusters to a collection of leaf servers. Each leaf server is independently configured to perform a two-stage nearest-neighbor search in a locality-sensitive hash space for a received query image within the leaf server's assigned images clusters. Thus, the distributed image retrieval system is modular and amendable to tuning, modifications, duplication, and replacement on a per-server basis. In addition, the design of the image retrieval system allows flexible load balancing among the leaf servers.

Abstract: Illumination devices of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, include a deflection device with which at least two light beams impinging on the deflection device can be variably deflected independently of one another by variation of the deflection angle in each case in such a way that each of the light beams can be directed onto at least one location in a pupil plane of the illumination device via at least two different beam paths; wherein, on the beam paths, at least one optical property of the respective light beam is influenced differently.

Abstract: One or more data items of one or more types are received, wherein each data item is associated with one or more attributes, and wherein each attribute is associated with an attribute name and an attribute value. A key is calculated for each attribute, and a determination as to whether the key is located in a dictionary is made. The key is added to the dictionary based on the determination along with an attribute description, and a determination of a number of occurrences of one of the one or more items to the number of all the one or more items in a set is made. Based on this number of occurrences attributes are classified as either mandatory, expected or optional in the generated template for the corresponding info item type.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing time recording. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include a Project Processing process component that supports the management of projects, a Time and Labor Management process component that supports the management of employees timekeeping and work planning, an Accounting process component that records relevant business transactions, a payroll processing process component that supports the execution and monitoring of payroll processes, and a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component that receives a confirmation from an employee of goods received or services rendered.

Abstract: The invention relates to compounds and composition for the treatment and prevention of cancer. The invention also covers all diseases that may be treated by selective modulation of levels of reactive oxygen species in diseased cells versus normal cells. Methods for the preparation and administration of such compositions are also disclosed.

Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot includes a chassis having forward and rearward portions and a drive system carried by the chassis. The forward portion of the chassis defines a substantially rectangular shape. The robot includes a cleaning assembly mounted on the forward portion of the chassis and a bin disposed adjacent the cleaning assembly and configured to receive debris agitated by the cleaning assembly. A bin cover is pivotally attached to a lower portion of the chassis and configured to rotate between a first, closed position providing closure of an opening defined by the bin and a second, open position providing access to the bin opening. The robot includes a body attached to the chassis and a handle disposed on an upper portion of the body. A bin cover release is actuatable from substantially near the handle.