Abstract: A mandrel for forming a stent with a tapered profile and one or more anti-migration features includes a first stent shaping segment having a first diameter, a second stent shaping segment having a second diameter less than the first diameter and a tapered segment disposed therebetween. A third stent shaping segment is releasably securable to the second stent shaping segment and has a third diameter greater than the second diameter. One or more movable pins are outwardly extendable from corresponding apertures formed within the tapered segment. An actuation element is engagable with the first stent shaping segment and includes a tapered surface configured to engage the one or more movable pins and support the one or more movable pins extended from the corresponding apertures.

Abstract: One or more structural equations modeling a physical process over time may be sampled using simulated parameter values to generate input data signal values. A noise generator may be applied to the input data signal values to generate noise values. The noise values and the input data signal values may be combined to determined noisy data signal values. These noisy data signal values may in turn be used in combination with one or more states to train a prediction model.

Abstract: A system is configured to bring about anastomosis between two lumens in a patient or between two sections of a single lumen in a patient. The anastomosis system includes a first tissue-compressing element, a second tissue-compressing element, and an energy source. The energy source can be a thermal energy source or laser energy source. Tissue is interposed between the elements. Magnetic material incorporated into the tissue-compressing elements facilitates the alignment of the elements as well as compression of the interposed tissue. The energy source can deliver energy to tissue. This delivery of energy can cause local changes to the tissue that can help maintain positional stability of the implants, can bring about immediate patency of the anastomosis and can otherwise facilitate achieving desired outcomes for the patient.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and systems for determining a surgical plan for an arthroplasty procedure using constraint modeling are disclosed. For example, a method for determining a surgical plan may include determining a constraint model associated with an anatomical model the constraint model configured to indicate at least one valid configuration of an implant model in association with the anatomical model, receiving placement input indicating placement of the implant in association with the anatomical model, and performing, based on the placement input, a violation process based on a violation event responsive to the placement input violating the constraint model, or a placement process positioning the implant according to the placement input. Other embodiments are described.

Abstract: Disclosed is the electronic architecture, including component arrangement and use of switches, and power saving method for use in a dual mode USTA instrumentation. In an embodiment, the instrument architecture includes US and TA analog components, including a transducer, TA preamplifier, pulser, switches, and AFE (or ADC with programmable amplifier) arranged in a way which allows efficient usage of the same transducer elements, electronic components, wiring, and AFE channels in both US and TA modalities. The operation with fast power control over the TA preamplifier is described, which allows turning off the TA preamplifier power between TA measurements cycles with or without US measurement between TA measurements. TA preamplifier energy saving allows such designs to reduce TA preamplifier power consumption many times, which enables TA preamplifier integration inside transducer housing or probe housing, and/or the use of the TA preamplifier in portable battery-operated or hand-held devices.

Abstract: The present specification relates to a plasma and VHP combined sterilizer comprising a housing. More particularly, the plasma and VHP combined sterilizer comprises: a discharge unit, which is provided at the upper end of a housing and discharges predetermined amount of vaporized hydrogen peroxide; a suction fan, which is provided at one side of the housing and suctions the outer air and discharged hydrogen peroxide; a plasma generation unit including a plurality of plasma modules for generating the outer air and hydrogen peroxide, which are suctioned through the suction fan, as plasma ions through plasma discharge; and a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the plasma and VHP combined sterilizer.

Abstract: A dynamic interactive network system provides an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness. The system includes a processor and memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to provide the online service. The instructions further configure the processor to provide tracks including activities, provide an initial happiness level and a track to a user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up, monitor progress of the user based on self-assessments periodically completed by the user, modify the tack based on the self-assessments, suggest followers to the user from the users whose profiles match the profile of the user in terms of demographics, psychographics, and rating of the users on the online service, and generate a happiness graph for the user that correlates the activities and the followers with their impact on happiness level of the user.

Abstract: The present teaching relates to impression count determination. A forecasting time series (TS) model is established based on measured impression counts (MI-counts). Metrics are calculated from MI-counts from a sub-range of a profile. Different types of data characteristics are detected based on the metrics. Hybrid correction applied to the profile is determined based on the detected data characteristics. Corrected impression counts (I-counts) for the profile are generated via the hybrid correction operation based on the MI-counts and I-counts estimated from the forecasting TS models and provided for determining a level of viewership of the content at the site.

Abstract: A suitcase structure includes a case portion having a case opening and provided with a case-side recess; a cover portion pivotally connected to the case portion to selectively close or open the case opening and provided on a cover-side transitional edge portion and a cover sidewall thereof with a cover-side recess located corresponding to the case-side recess; a latch pivotally connected to the case portion and having an end receivable in the case-side recess and another end receivable in the cover-side recess; and a retainer for retaining the other end of the latch thereto. Therefore, the latch can be located in the case-side and the cover-side recess at the same time to be flush with outer surfaces of the case portion and cover-side transitional edge portion. Therefore, the latch is avoided from colliding with external object and separating from the suitcase structure when the latter is pulled to move around.

Abstract: An article of footwear having a heel region including a posterior end, a mid-foot region, and a forefoot region including an anterior end. The article of footwear having an upper extending from the heel region to the forefoot region and a sole structure coupled to the upper. The sole structure further has a first cushioning element having a first tube, a second tube, a third tube, and a fourth tube, and an outsole layer extending from the posterior end to the anterior end. The outsole layer is configured to directly receive a portion of the first cushioning element, and the outsole layer forms a ground-contacting surface of the article of footwear.

Abstract: Photovoltaic devices having contact layers are described herein. Devices, intermediate structures, and methods for making multilayer contacts for perovskite photovoltaic devices are provided. Embodiments include back contacts for N-I-P structures.

Abstract: An electromagnetic induction heating apparatus for heating an aerosol-forming article of an electronic cigarette includes: a power supply unit configured to supply DC power; a power amplifier including a switch unit comprising a pair of transistor switches having a differential structure and receiving DC power from the power supply unit, and a parallel-structured LC resonant network including a resonant inductor connected to an output terminal of the switch unit and electromagnetically inductively coupled with an inductor component of a heat-generating body for heating the aerosol-forming article of the electronic cigarette, and a resonant capacitor connected in parallel to the resonant inductor; and a driving unit configured to adjust a temperature of the heat-generating body by adjusting an operating frequency of the switch unit of the power amplifier to control an amount of current of the resonant inductor electromagnetically inductively coupled with the inductor component of the heat-generating body.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for training a machine-learning model for predicting emotions from received media data. Methods according to the present disclosure include displaying a user interface. The user interface includes a predefined media content, a plurality of predefined emotion tags, and a user interface control for controlling a recording of the user imitating the predefined media content. Methods can further include receiving, from a user, a selection of one or more emotion tags from the plurality of predefined emotion tags, receiving the recording of the user imitating the predefined media content, storing the recording in association with the selected one or more emotion tags, and training, based on the recording, the machine-learning model configured to receive input media data and predict an emotion based on the input media data.

Abstract: A plowing system is removably mountable onto a vehicle in order to provide the vehicle with lateral plowing capability along a given lateral range of the vehicle. The plowing system includes a mounting assembly, a plowing assembly and corresponding plowing component. The plowing system also has associated first and second actuating assemblies cooperable with one another so as to selectively operate the plowing component between retracted and deployed configurations, and so as to provide the plowing system and associated plowing assembly and corresponding plowing component with an increased plowing resistivity within the lateral range of the vehicle, due to a combined effect of the first and second actuating assemblies. A corresponding vehicle is provided with such a plowing system.

Abstract: Embodiments include a fully non-interactive publicly-verifiable delegation scheme for committed programs, specifically, a setting where Alice is a trusted author who delegates to an untrusted worker the task of hosting a program P, represented as a Boolean circuit. Alice also commits to a succinct value based on P. Disclosed methods allow an arbitrary user/verifier without knowledge of P to be convinced that they are receiving from the worker an actual computation of Alice's program on a given input x.

Abstract: Provided are a moving image reception device, a control method, and a program which can reduce a sense of discomfort felt by a user in a situation in which a moving image generated by a moving image transmission device in response to an operation on the moving image reception device is displayed on the moving image reception device. An operation data transmission unit transmits operation data corresponding to an input operation of the user to a cloud server. An image data reception unit receives, from the cloud server, interval data representing a time from reception of the operation data to a start of generation of the frame image based on this operation data in the cloud server. A transmission timing control unit controls a timing of the transmission of the next operation data, on the basis of the interval data.

Abstract: A method for decoding a 360-degree image includes: receiving a bitstream obtained by encoding a 360-degree image; generating a prediction image by making reference to syntax information obtained from the received bitstream; combining the generated prediction image with a residual image obtained by dequantizing and inverse-transforming the bitstream, so as to obtain a decoded image; and reconstructing the decoded image into a 360-degree image according to a projection format. Here, generating the prediction image includes: checking, from the syntax information, prediction mode accuracy for a current block to be decoded; determining whether the checked prediction mode accuracy corresponds to most probable mode (MPM) information obtained from the syntax information; and when the checked prediction mode accuracy does not correspond to the MPM information, reconfiguring the MPM information according to the prediction mode accuracy for the current block.

Abstract: A TOE-based network interface device, a method of operating the same, and a server device including the same are provided. The network interface device includes an event scheduler configured to generate connection information on a requested event and to perform scheduling on the connection information to output a first control signal, a first TCP controller and a second TCP controller, each configured to receive the connection information from the event scheduler and to control an arithmetic operation on the connection information, and a memory control logic configured to transmit the connection information to a first memory or to store the connection information in a second memory in response to the first control signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a controller that allows a display device to display a settings screen for setting of a function by a user and executes a job based on a user setting made through the settings screen; and a backup device that backs up as backup data the user setting on a storage device each time the user setting is made. When execution of the job based on the user setting is completed, the controller deletes the user setting from the storage device. When, in newly displaying a settings screen on the display device for another job, the user setting for a function configurable on the settings screen is saved on the storage device, the controller determines the content of the user setting as a content of a setting for the job and allows the display device to display the settings screen showing the content of the setting.

Abstract: A laser device for providing light to a LiDAR system comprises a plurality of seed lasers configured to provide multiple seed light beams, at least two of the seed light beams having different wavelengths. An amplifier is optically coupled to the plurality of seed lasers to receive the multiple seed light beams. A power pump is configured to provide pump power to the amplifier, where the amplifier amplifies the multiple seed light beams using the pump power to obtain amplified light beams. A second light coupling unit is configured to demultiplex the amplified light beams to obtain a plurality of output light beams, at least two of the output light beams having wavelengths corresponding to the wavelengths of the at least two seed light beams.