Abstract: Removable catheter cap, and applications thereof, for delivering medical tubes in bodily passages. Removable catheter cap covers flexible medical tube (e.g., catheter) distal tip during delivery in a body lumen. Catheter cap includes: cap body removably connectable to, for capping, catheter distal tip, and transformable into a predefined constituent part freely passable through catheter lumen; and cap releasing member extending through catheter proximal end when catheter cap is connected to the catheter, and manipulatable for transforming cap body into constituent part or/and for withdrawing constituent part from catheter distal tip through catheter lumen.

Abstract: Disclosed herein include methods, compositions, and kits suitable for use in detecting the activation level of a signal transducer. In some embodiments, there are provided synthetic protein circuits wherein recruitment of synthetic protein circuit components to an association location upon activation of a signal transducer generates an active effector protein. The effector protein can be configured to carry out a variety of functions when in an active state, such as, for example, inducing cell death. Methods of treating a disease or disorder characterized by aberrant signaling are provided in some embodiments.

Abstract: A usage frequency attribute is determined for each biometric feature in a biometric feature database. The usage frequency attribute indicates a matching success frequency of matching the biometric feature to a user having the biometric feature. The biometric features of the user are sorted in descending order of the usage frequency attribute. The sorting is based on a descending order of the usage frequency attributes for a given user. The biometric features in the biometric feature database are stored in descending order. The storing includes providing prioritized access to the biometric feature having a highest value of the usage frequency attribute so that the biometric feature is selected first in response to a request for the biometric feature of the user.

Abstract: An antenna device with high component-density but enhanced means of dissipating working heat includes a metal substrate of a wireless device, a coupler, a filter, a conductive layer, and an antenna element. The coupler is disposed on one side of the metal substrate, the metal substrate serving as a heat sink. The filter is disposed on the coupler. The conductive layer covers the coupler and is electrically connected to the filter and ground. The antenna element is disposed on the other side of the metal substrate relative to the coupler, passes through the metal substrate and is electrically connected to the coupler and the filter. A method for manufacturing the antenna device is also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for an all-laser hybrid additive manufacturing. After a matrix is obtained by means of selective laser melting forming, a subtractive forming is carried out on the matrix by means of a pulse laser to form a cavity, and the cavity is then packaged to obtain a forming material with an internal cavity structure. A laser precision packaging method is used in the method based on the melting of the laser selective region. Also disclosed is the apparatus, comprising a laser unit (2), a control unit (4) and a forming unit (6). The laser unit is in light path connection with the forming unit, and the control unit is electrically connected with the laser unit and the forming unit respectively. The laser unit comprises a first laser light source to and a second laser light source. The forming unit comprises a welding unit (68), and the welding unit is controlled by the control unit and is matched with the laser unit for the additive manufacturing.

Abstract: Described are cementitious reagent materials produced from globally abundant inorganic feedstocks. Also described are methods for the manufacture of such cementitious reagent materials and forming the reagent materials as microspheroidal glassy particles. Also described are apparatuses, systems and methods for the thermochemical production of glassy cementitious reagents with spheroidal morphology. The apparatuses, systems and methods make use of an in-flight melting/quenching technology such that solid particles are flown in suspension, melted in suspension, and then quenched in suspension. The cementitious reagents can be used in concrete to substantially reduce the CO2 emission associated with cement production.

Abstract: A driving method, a driving circuit and a touch-display apparatus are provided. The driving method includes providing a gate driving signal to a gate line, providing a pixel voltage to a data line, and providing a common electrode driving signal to a common electrode, wherein a pixel display operation is performed based on the gate driving signal, the pixel voltage, and the common electrode driving signal, and simultaneously, a touch detection operation is performed based on the common electrode driving signal. The driving method realizes the effect of simultaneously performing a pixel display operation and a touch detection operation, and solves the problem that the pixel display operation of the touch-display apparatus is affected in the touch detection stage.

Abstract: A method includes configuring a first plurality of beamsplitters in a network of interconnected beamsplitters of an optical circuit into a transmissive state. The optical circuit is configured to perform a linear transformation of N input optical modes, where N is a positive integer. The first plurality of beamsplitters is located along a beam path within the optical circuit and traversing a target location. The method also includes configuring a second plurality of beamsplitters in the network of interconnected beamsplitters of the optical circuit into a reflective state to reconfigure the optical circuit into a reconfigured optical circuit. The reconfigured optical circuit is configured to perform a linear transformation on M input optical modes, where M is a positive integer less than N. The second plurality of beamsplitters is located along at least one edge of the optical circuit.

Abstract: Presented are multilayer composite panels for motor vehicles, methods for making/using such panels, and motor vehicles with transparent composite roof panels having localized reinforcement features. A sandwich-type multilayer composite panel contains one or more exterior layers each including a transparent rigid material, one or more bonding layers each including a transparent adhesive material, and one or more structural reinforcement layers each including a fiber-reinforced polymer material. Each structural reinforcement layer may be attached directly to a bonding layer and/or exterior layer. The composite panel may also include one or more IR-reflective layers, one or more light-absorbing sunshade layers, and one or more insulating low-k layers. The fibers of each structural reinforcement layer are localized to a discrete region within the composite panel's plan-view profile.

Abstract: An assembly for use in a bearing compartment having an axis includes a bearing outer race configured to be located in the bearing compartment. The assembly further includes at least one annular spring positioned in the bearing outer race and being asymmetric in at least one of the axial direction or the circumferential direction relative to the axis to reduce the likelihood of amplification of vibration experienced by the at least one annular spring.

Abstract: A wave energy converter is provided which includes a central body including a nacelle, the nacelle housing at least one power take off. The wave energy converter also includes a first float and a first float arm coupled to the nacelle on a first side, and a second float and a second float arm coupled to the nacelle on a second side. The first float is rotatably coupled to the nacelle, the first float and the first float arm forming a first body configured to rotate, where the first body is operatively coupled to the at least one power take off such that relative motion between the first body and the central body generates energy in the at least one power take off. In one embodiment, the central body has a low reserve buoyancy, where the reserve buoyancy of the central body is lower than the reserve buoyancy of either of the first float and the second float, to minimize a heave response of the central body relative to the first float to increase output of the wave energy converter.

Abstract: A power-factor corrected AC/DC converter has three half-bridge legs, electrically coupled with each other in parallel, each leg having a pair of switches. Each switch of the pair is electrically coupled to the other in series via a respective node that is electrically coupled through an inductor to an AC line. The converter has a fourth half-bridge leg electrically coupled with the other legs to form an electrically parallel circuit. The fourth leg has a pair of switches electrically coupled to each other in series via a fourth node, which is selectively electrically coupleable to a neutral or a second AC line. The converter has a controller that operates the three legs as a 3-channel interleaved AC/DC boost converter and couples the fourth node to the neutral or second AC line if the input is single-phase, and as a 3-phase AC/DC boost converter if the input is three-phase.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods related to memory tracing in an emulated computing system are described. Static tracepoints can be inserted into a particular function as part of operating the emulated computing system. By executing the function including the static tracepoints as part of a memory access request, the emulated computing system can receive information corresponding to both a virtual address and a physical address in a real computing system in which data corresponding to the memory access request is stored.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards a framework that is configured to allow different background-foreground segmentation modalities to contribute towards segmentation. In one aspect, pixels are processed based upon RGB background separation, chroma keying, IR background separation, current depth versus background depth and current depth versus threshold background depth modalities. Each modality may contribute as a factor that the framework combines to determine a probability as to whether a pixel is foreground or background. The probabilities are fed into a global segmentation framework to obtain a segmented image.

Abstract: A vehicle includes an electric machine, a traction battery pack, and a battery controller. The traction battery pack includes a plurality of cell modules electrically connected with the electric machine. Each of the cell modules includes a housing having a battery cell, a passive circuit element isolated from the battery cell, and a module controller contained therein. The passive circuit elements are electrically connected in series or parallel. The battery controller is in communication with each of the module controllers and is electrically connected with the passive circuit elements. Responsive to signals from the module controllers indicative of a total number of the cell modules and a measured parameter associated with the passive circuit elements being indicative of a same total number of the cell modules, the battery controller operates the battery cells according to power limits defined by the total number.

Abstract: In a method for configuring documents for circulation, a document template and a plurality of field templates are created. The document template and the field templates are integrated to obtain an integrated document template. A workflow template is generated according to the integrated document template. A document entity is generated according to the integrated document template in response to a first user operation. The document entity is operated by a second user operation. A workflow entity derives from to the workflow template, the workflow entity including a plurality of node entities, and the node entities include a start node entity and an end node entity. The document entity is transferred from the start node entity to the end node entity according to the workflow entity. The method meets the requirements for general circulation of documents generated by a business with ever-increasing complexity.

Abstract: Storage devices may be configured to desirably reduce the time required to perform a physical secure erase operation. The storage device includes a controller that is configured to direct the storage device to receive a physical secure erase command. The storage device can then identify the one or more blocks within the memory array for secure erasure based on the received physical secure erase command. For each block identified for erasure, the storage device further evaluates the block to determine the level type of cells within the block. In response to the cell level type being single-level, a single-cell erase command is issued to perform a single-level cell erase on the block. Conversely, in response to the cell level type being a higher-dimensional cell, a modified single-cell erase command to perform a modified single-level cell erase on the block is issued.

Abstract: An additive manufactured heat exchanger includes a monolithic housing defining an outer surface, a plurality of first fluid passageways extending between a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet, and a plurality of second fluid passageways extending between a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet. A cross section of the outer surface defines an irregular shape, the plurality of first fluid passageways and the plurality of second fluid passageways define a convoluted flow matrix within the monolithic housing, and the outer surface of the monolithic housing is complimentary to a space between at least two components of a vehicle. The monolithic housing can also include a plurality of third fluid passageways extending between a third fluid inlet and a third fluid outlet.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a start/stop feature. In one example, a method includes adjusting start/stop conditions in response to a vehicle operator customizing start/stop conditions. The vehicle operator customizes start/stop conditions for a plurality of different driving conditions.