Abstract: An exemplary system includes a sound processor associated with a patient and a microphone (102). The microphone is configured to detect an audio signal presented to the patient and output an output signal (302) representative of the audio signal. The sound processor is configured to 1) receive the output signal, 2) identify at least one temporal portion of the output signal that has a classification attribute associated with a reference signal, 3) determine (304) a signal characteristic value (306) associated with the at least one temporal portion, 4) determine (308) that a difference (312) between the signal characteristic value associated with the at least one temporal portion and a reference signal characteristic value (310) associated with the reference signal meets a threshold condition, the meeting of the threshold condition indicating that a quality level of the microphone is below an acceptable level and 5) perform a predetermined action associated with the quality level of the microphone.

Abstract: An electrical plug connector includes an insulated housing, a metallic shell, two terminal sets, and a circuit board. The insulated housing includes a front portion and a rear portion. The front portion extends forwardly from the rear portion, and an inside of the front portion forms a receiving cavity. The metallic shell covers the insulated housing. Each terminal set is composed with a plurality of terminals. Each terminal includes a contact portion, a retaining portion, and a soldering portion. The retaining portion is retained in the insulated housing. The soldering portion extends backwardly from the retaining portion. The soldering portions are arranged as an upper row and a lower row in symmetry, and the soldering portion is of the spring arm type. The circuit board is inserted between the upper row and the lower row of the soldering portions. The upper row and the lower row of the soldering portions clip elastically the circuit board.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compounds, compositions and methods of their use to treat HIV/AIDS disease in a subject in need thereof, wherein the compositions comprise small molecule inhibitors that inhibit viral preparation or viral recruitment of human tRNA3Lys.

Abstract: On a typical motherboard the processor and memory are separated by a printed circuit data bus that traverses the motherboard. Throughput, or data transfer rate, on the data bus is much lower than the rate at which a modern processor can operate. The difference between the data bus throughput and the processor speed significantly limits the effective processing speed of the computer when the processor is required to process large amounts of data stored in the memory. The processor is forced to wait for data to be transferred to or from the memory, leaving the processor under-utilized. The delays are compounded in a distributed computing system including a number of computers operating in parallel. The present disclosure describes systems, method and apparatus that tend to alleviate delays so that memory access bottlenecks are not compounded within distributed computing systems.

Abstract: Provided is a fault self-repairing circuit sequentially converting an N-bit output value according to a pre-determined schedule and outputting the converted result. The fault self-repairing circuit includes different N logic modules configured to output each bit of the N bits. Here, each of the logic modules includes an internal logic. When the N-bit output value is identical to a pre-determined value, an output value of each of the logic modules is provided by the internal logic, and, when the N-bit output value is not identical to the pre-determined value, the output value of each of the logic modules is provided with a correct value provided outside each of the logic modules.

Abstract: A register file includes a substrate, a plurality of entries, and a plurality of read ports. Each entry includes a corresponding subset of a plurality of memory cells defined on the substrate. Each read port includes a plurality of access elements defined on the substrate. Each access element is associated with a particular common bit position of each of the entries. A plurality of entry access groups are disposed in adjacent columns on the substrate. Each entry access group is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of entries and includes the access elements for all of the read ports for the corresponding entry.

Abstract: Various apparatus and methods are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing a thermal interface material on a semiconductor chip is provided. The method includes placing a preform of a combination of a first metal and a second metal on one of the semiconductor chip or a lid. The preform is liquid phase sintered to cause the combination to evolve to an equilibrium composition and bond to the semiconductor chip.

Abstract: To provide a carbon fiber precursor fiber that can efficiently produce a carbon fiber excellent in mechanical strength without an infusibilization treatment; a carbon fiber; and a method for producing the carbon fiber.

Abstract: An electrical circuit for providing electrical power for use in powering electronic devices, such as monitors, televisions, white goods, data centers, and telecom circuit boards, is described herein. The electrical circuit includes a voltage reduction circuit cell that includes a first capacitor, a second capacitor, a switching circuit, and a hold capacitor. The switching circuit includes a plurality of switching devices that are coupled to the first and the second capacitors for delivering power from an input terminal to an output terminal. The plurality of switching devices includes at least two switching devices that are coupled to ground. The voltage reduction circuit cell also includes a controller for operating the switching circuit in a plurality of operational modes to deliver an output power signal at a desired voltage level.

Abstract: A content transmission system includes: a central control device to receive a content packet to be provided to a client device from a content server, store chunks divided from the received content packet together with corresponding chunk identifiers, check duplication of the divided chunks, and transmit the chunk identifier and flow information of a duplicate chunk to a local caching device instead of transmitting the content packet corresponding to the duplicate chunk; and the local caching device to: receive the chunk identifier and the flow information of the duplicate chunk from the central control device, and transmit the content packet corresponding to the received chunk identifier and previously stored to the client device.

Abstract: Provide a converging mirror-based furnace for heating a target by way of reflecting from a reflecting mirror unit the light emitted from a light source and then irradiating a target with the reflected light, wherein said target-heating converging-light furnace is such that: the reflecting mirror unit comprises a primary reflecting mirror and secondary reflecting mirror; the light emitted from the light source is reflected sequentially by the primary reflecting mirror and secondary reflecting mirror and then irradiated onto the target; and the light reflected by the secondary reflecting mirror and irradiated onto the target surface is not perpendicular to the target surface. Based on the above, a system that uses converged infrared light to provide heating can be made smaller while keeping its heating performance intact, even when the system uses a revolving ellipsoid.

Abstract: There is provided a system comprising a first device for neural stimulation of a cochlea of a patient's ipsilateral ear; a second hearing stimulation device selected from the group consisting of a device for neural stimulation of the cochlea of the patient's contralateral ear, a device for acoustic stimulation of the patient's ipsilateral ear and a device for acoustic stimulation of the patient's contralateral ear and comprising means for stimulation of the respective ear; and a fitting device for adjusting at least one of the first stimulation device and the second stimulation device according to a response of the patient to combined stimulation by the first stimulation device and the second stimulation device.

Abstract: Provided is a ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) which has a wide memory window even if the ferroelectric film thickness is 200 nm or less, and which has excellent data retention characteristics, pulse rewriting endurance and the like. An FeFET which has a structure wherein an insulating body (11) and a gate electrode conductor (4) are sequentially laminated in this order on a semiconductor base (10) that has a source region (12) and a drain region (13). The insulating body (11) is configured by laminating a first insulating body (1) and a second insulating body (2) in this order on the base (10), and the second insulating body (2) is mainly composed of an oxide of strontium, calcium, bismuth and tantalum.

Abstract: An electrical receptacle connector includes an insulated housing, conductive terminals, and a fixing base. The insulated housing defines a connecting space therein. The insulated housing includes a tongue portion extending into the connecting space and a base portion arranged at the rear part of the tongue portion. The base portion has a rear wall, two lateral walls extended backward from the rear wall, and an assembling space defined by the rear wall and the two lateral walls. The fixing base is received in the assembling space and defines first through holes and second through holes. The pins of the conductive terminals are passing through the first through holes and the second through holes. The fixing base has a rear wall surface defining grooves communicating with the respective first through holes. The width of the groove is less than the width of the corresponding first through hole.

Abstract: An exemplary system includes 1) a programming device configured to be located external to a cochlear implant patient and communicatively coupled to a cochlear implant system associated with the patient, 2) a programming interface device communicatively coupled to the programming device and configured to be located external to the patient, and 3) a receiver communicatively coupled directly to the programming interface device. The programming device directs at least one of the cochlear implant system and the receiver to apply stimulation to the patient, records an evoked response that occurs in response to the stimulation, and performs a predetermined action in accordance with the evoked response. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus and an MRI method are provided. The MRI apparatus includes a data acquisition unit configured to acquire a first image by performing an MRI scan on an object. The MRI apparatus further includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a second image by performing de-noising filtering on the first image in a spatial domain, acquire a third image based on the first image and the second image, acquire a fourth image by performing low-pass filtering on the third image in a frequency domain, and acquire a final image based on the second image and the fourth image.

Abstract: According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided one or more remote display viewing units functionally associated with one or more computational devices. A remote display viewing unit (RDVU) may include a screen and/or other form of displaying component (e.g. retinal projection mechanism) adapted to present to a user a portion and/or complete display of an associated computing device display/screen, Graphic User Interface (GUI), and/or any other graphically rendered data relating to the device. According to further embodiments, a RDVU may include shading components adapted to prevent and/or mitigate exterior lighting/sunshine interference with viewing the remote screen and/or displaying component. For example, the RDVU may include a visor type component.

Abstract: An electrical circuit for providing electrical power for use in powering electronic devices is described herein. The electrical circuit includes a primary power circuit and a secondary power circuit. The primary power circuit receives an alternating current (AC) input power signal from an electrical power source and generates an intermediate direct current (DC) power signal. The intermediate DC power signal is generated at a first voltage level that is less than a voltage level of the AC input power signal. The secondary power circuit receives the intermediate DC power signal from the primary power circuit and delivers an output DC power signal to an electronic device. The output DC power signal is delivered at an output voltage level that is less than the first voltage level of the intermediate DC power signal.

Abstract: An orthogonal coupling mechanism includes a threaded rod, a pair of travelers engaging the threaded rod, and an actuator. The actuator is disposed on the threaded rod, such that the actuator translates a first axial force along the axis of the threaded rod into a rotational movement of the threaded rod about its axis. The rotational movement created by the actuator causes the pair of travelers to travel along the axis of the threaded rod, moving a sliding board into engagement with a first connector in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the first axial force.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polypeptide (repebody) selectively bound to an immunoglobulin G, a polynucleotide which encodes the repebody, a vector containing the polynucleotide, a recombinant microorganism in which the polynucleotide is introduced, a method for producing the repebody using the recombinant microorganism, and a method for immobilizing or purifying an immunoglobulin G using the repebody. The repebody according to the present invention is useful as utilized for immobilization of an immunoglobulin G, purification of an immunoglobulin G, and production of an immunosensor, since the repebody selectively bound to an immunoglobulin G.