Abstract: In one or more embodiments, a cloud operation reservation system is provided through which cloud operations may be scheduled and managed. The cloud operation reservation system includes logic for defining a set of time windows that are available to perform one or more cloud operations on cloud targets and presenting the set of time windows to one or more tenants of a cloud service. Tenants may browse the presented set of time windows and submit reservation requests to update and/or perform other operations on cloud targets. In response to receiving, a request to reserve one or more slots in a particular time window, the cloud operation reservation system schedules one or more cloud operations to be performed on a cloud target that is available to at least one tenant.

Abstract: It is desired to provide a technology that suppresses the possibility of unauthorized use of an electronic device. Provided is a communication device that includes a communication unit configured to transmit/receive data, and a storage unit that includes a first area and a second area different from the first area, and in the communication device, the first area is an area in which reading and writing from a program in the second area is prohibited, and the first area stores both of a communication program configured to control the transmission/reception and destination information of the data.

Abstract: In a vehicle drive system using a motor for cruising, the connection node of serially-connected first and second batteries is grounded. The operation of an inverter is controlled so that the motor drive voltage is higher than the output voltage of each of the first and second batteries. The vehicle drive system is configured so that electric power can be supplied, from each of the first and second batteries, to an electric apparatus mounted in a vehicle other than the inverter.

Abstract: An electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement device for a vehicle is provided. The ECG measurement device includes an impedance compensator that corresponds to an electrode in contact with a body of a driver and configured to compensate an impedance of each of electrode signals received from the electrode. An electrode selector sequentially selects the electrode signals in response to receiving the electrode signals from the electrode. A differential amplifier differentially amplifies the electrode signals. In particular, each electrode signal has the compensated impedance. Additionally, a signal quality evaluator evaluates quality of an ECG signal output from the differential amplifier and a compensation controller then adjusts an impedance compensation value of each of the impedance compensators as a result of evaluating the quality of the ECG signal.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a pixel section having a plurality of pixels, and a signal processor configured to apply control signals to the pixel section according to a Gray code coding scheme to generate a first pixel signal, a second pixel signal, and a third pixel signal based on light reflected from an object. The signal processor is configured to calculate a distance to the object based on the first pixel signal, the second pixel signal, and the third pixel signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a signal equalization apparatus. A channel length estimation circuit determines a transmission channel length of the input signal such that a processing circuit retrieves predetermined feed-forward equalizer coefficients. A feed-forward equalizer equalizes the input signal according to operation feed-forward equalizer coefficients. An auto gain circuit amplifies the input signal according to an offset signal. A signal adding circuit adds the amplified input signal and a feedback adjusting signal to generate an added input signal. A data slicer generates a data-slicing result and the offset signal according to reference thresholds based on the added input signal. A feedback equalizer equalizes the data-slicing result to generate the feedback adjusting signal according to operation feedback equalizer coefficients.

Abstract: Techniques for integrating an embedded MRAM device with a BEOL interconnect structure are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming an embedded MRAM device includes: depositing a cap layer onto a substrate; forming a metal line and metal pad on the cap layer; patterning the metal line to form first top vias, and the metal pad to form a second top via; depositing a dielectric material onto the substrate surrounding the first/second top vias; recessing the second top via to form a bottom contact via self-aligned to the metal pad which serves as a bottom contact; forming an MRAM cell over the bottom contact via; and forming first/second top contacts in contact with the first top vias/the MRAM cell. An embedded MRAM device is also provided.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a cell stack including a plurality of stacked unit cells and a heating unit configured to apply heat to the cell stack. The heating unit includes a heat-generating part and a heat-generating-part support part disposed on an end side of the cell stack. The heat-generating-part support part allows the heat-generating part to be fitted thereinto or to be drawn out therefrom.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel ficolin-associated polypeptides, and polypeptides derived from these ficolin-associated polypeptides for the use in the treatment of conditions associated with inflammation, apoptosis, autoimmunity, coagulation, thrombotic or coagulopathic related diseases, as well as the use as biomarkers. The present invention further relates to antibodies recognising such novel ficolin-associated polypeptides, and polypeptides derived thereof, nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides, vectors and host cells used in the production of the polypeptides.

Abstract: A novel RF switch circuit and method for switching RF signals is described. The RF switch circuit is fabricated in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. The RF switch includes pairs of switching and shunting transistor groupings used to alternatively couple RF input signals to a common RF node. The switching and shunting transistor grouping pairs are controlled by a switching control voltage (SW) and its inverse (SW_). The switching and shunting transistor groupings comprise one or more MOSFET transistors connected together in a “stacked” or serial configuration. The stacking of transistor grouping devices, and associated gate resistors, increase the breakdown voltage across the series connected switch transistors and operate to improve RF switch compression. A fully integrated RF switch is described including digital control logic and a negative voltage generator integrated together with the RF switch elements.

Abstract: An encoder and decoder using LDPC-CC which avoid lowering the transmission efficiency of information while not deteriorating error correction performance, even at termination; and an encoding method of the same. A termination sequence length determining unit determines the sequence length of a termination sequence transmitted added to the end of an information sequence, according to the information length (information size) and encoding rate of the information sequence. A parity calculation unit carries out LDPC-CC coding on the information sequence and the known-information sequence necessary for generating a termination sequence of the determined termination sequence length, and calculates a parity sequence.

Abstract: A movable body monitoring apparatus is configured to be mounted on a movable body and to receive movement data related to movements of other movable bodies. The apparatus includes an acquiring unit, a generator, and a monitoring unit. The acquiring unit is configured to acquire the movement data on the other movable bodies. The generator is configured to generate, for low-speed movable bodies that are determined based on an actual speed or a type of the other movable bodies, a monitoring curve that curves along positions of a plurality of low-speed movable bodies. The monitoring unit is configured to monitor movements of the plurality of low-speed movable bodies based on a movement of the generated monitoring curve.

Abstract: Memory bit cells having internal node jumpers are described. In an example, an integrated circuit structure includes a memory bit cell on a substrate. The memory bit cell includes first and second gate lines parallel along a second direction of the substrate. The first and second gate lines have a first pitch along a first direction of the substrate, the first direction perpendicular to the second direction. First, second and third interconnect lines are over the first and second gate lines. The first, second and third interconnect lines are parallel along the second direction of the substrate. The first, second and third interconnect lines have a second pitch along the first direction, where the second pitch is less than the first pitch. One of the first, second and third interconnect lines is an internal node jumper for the memory bit cell.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed a computer-implemented method for assessing data quality. A non-limiting example of the computer-implemented method includes using a processor to receive a plurality of updates to data points in a data stream. The processor is further used to compute instances of a data quality metric (DQM) from the data points in the data stream. The instances of the DQM are configured to differentiate the data points in the data stream by time and assign a higher weight to the instances of the DQM computed from more recent data points in the data stream. The instances of the DQM are continuously updated as more of the data points are received by the processor while limiting cycles of the processor consumed by updating the instances of the DQM to a threshold.

Abstract: A projectile launching apparatus for cleaning the inner surface of a tube by forcing a projectile through the tube, comprising: a main body containing a breech chamber terminating in an exit port, wherein the breech chamber is provided with a loading port in a side thereof for radially loading a projectile into the breech chamber; a slide disposed on an exterior surface of the main body, the slide being axially movable between a first position wherein the loading port is exposed for loading of a projectile into the breech chamber and a second position wherein the loading port and the breech chamber are sealed; a gas gun operatively connected to the main body in pneumatic communication with the breech chamber; and an exit nozzle connected to the exit port and being connectable to a first end of the tube to be cleaned.

Abstract: A printer includes: a transport belt; a print head that has a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a carriage that mounts the print head thereon, a sensor that detects a non-printable area of the print medium where the print medium placed on the transport belt and the print head are capable of coming into contact with each other; and a control section that performs printing by the print head by dividing the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of nozzle groups in the transport direction, and the control section prints an image indicated by image data assigned to one nozzle group by the other nozzle group different from the one nozzle group, in printing with respect to an adjacent area which is an area of which a length in the transport direction corresponds to a length of a nozzle row in the transport direction of the print head.

Abstract: A fastener device adapted for attaching at least one tag (or other identifier) to an object. The fastener device comprises a T-bar component, a paddle component, and a filament component flexibly attached to both the T-bar component on one end and the paddle component on the other end. In some embodiments, the fastener device is deployable via a fastener dispensing device comprising a needle designed to puncture a hole in at least one tag and the object while also inserting the T-bar component through the hole. Once inserted, the paddle component exerts a cantilever spring force against at least one tag holding the tag(s) securely against the object.

Abstract: A management device is connected to an apparatus and configured to manage the apparatus. The management device includes a multi-language display processing unit configured to, when an input unit receives a change request to change a language of messages to be displayed on a display unit, transmit standard language data to a translation device, and a translated data reception unit configured to acquire translated data translated into a language corresponding to a language environment of a mobile terminal on the translation device with reference to the standard language data. The multi-language display processing unit is configured to change a language of messages to be displayed on the display unit from a default language to a language corresponding to the language environment of the mobile terminal by using the translated data.