Abstract: A preferred frequency is identified, being usable to stimulate a neurological target within a mammalian body using at least one microelectrode positioned at or near the target. To establish efficient and effective stimulation, an impedance analyzer is provided for measuring electrical impedance values indicative of a microelectrode-tissue interface across a range of different frequencies. A preferred one of the measured electrical impedance values is identified as being closest to a pure resistance. The neurological target can then be stimulated at or near the frequency associated with the preferred impedance value (peak resistance frequency), thereby promoting desirable traits, such as optimum charge transfer, minimum signal distortion, increased stimulation efficiency, and prevention of microelectrode corrosion. The peak resistance frequency can be used to determine an preferred pulse shape.

Abstract: Integrated receiving circuit for radiofrequency signals an amplifying element using the multiplication zone of a reverse biased semiconductor junction operating in Geiger mode for amplifying an input radiofrequency signal (Vin) and converting it into a digital signal. And a digital part for digitally processing the digital signal.

Abstract: A frequency-drift amplification device for a pulsed laser, including: a stretcher for time-stretching an incident laser pulse; at least one amplifying medium for amplifying the laser pulse; a main compressor for time-compressing the laser pulse to a desired duration for an output pulse of the amplification device; and at least one adjustment compressor between the stretcher and the main compressor, and in which the laser pulse undergoes four diffractions on diffraction gratings to time-compress the stretched laser pulse to a duration that is greater than the desired duration for the output pulse of the amplification device.

Abstract: A system and method for in-vivo multi-path analysis and testing of binary software including binary device drivers is disclosed. The system and method may be used to test a binary software system and may comprise a virtual machine, a symbolic execution engine and a modular plugin architecture. In addition, a device driver testing system is also disclosed wherein symbolic execution may be used to explore the device driver's execution paths and check for device driver behavior.

Abstract: Described herein are microelectrode array devices, and methods of fabrication and use of the same, to provide highly localized and efficient electrical stimulation of a neurological target. The device includes multiple microelectrode elements arranged along an supportive backing layer. The microelectrode elements are dimensioned and shaped so as to target individual neurons, groups of neurons, and neural tissue as may be located in an animal nervous system, such as along a region of a cortex of a human brain. Beneficially, the neurological probe can be used to facilitate location of the neurological target and remain implanted for long-term monitoring and/or stimulation.

Abstract: A method for determining the geometry and/or the localisation of an object comprising the steps of: sending one or more signals by using one transmitter; receiving by one or more receivers the transmitted signals and the echoes of the transmitted signals as reflected by one or more reflective surfaces building by a computing module a first Euclidean Distance Matrix (EDM) comprising the mutual positions of the receivers; adding to the EDM matrix a new row and a new column, the new row and a new column comprising time of arrivals of said echoes and computing its rank or distance to an EDM matrix determining the geometry and/or the position of the object based on said rank or distance.

Abstract: In bus communications methods and apparatus, a first set of physical signals representing the information to be conveyed over the bus is provided, and mapped to a codeword of a sparse signaling code, wherein a codeword is representable as a vector of a plurality of components, some of which are quiescent components and some of which are non-quiescent components, wherein the number of quiescent components and non-quiescent components meet a sparseness requirement.

Abstract: A method and computing system are proposed for producing an authenticable security device with two sides. The verso side is covered with an adjustable luminescent emissive layer formed by invisible luminescent ink halftones and possibly a UV absorbing printed layer. The recto side is covered with transmissive non-luminescent ink halftones. The backlit colors resulting from the emissions of the luminescent layer or resulting from illumination by normal white light through the transmissive non-luminescent ink halftones are predicted by a backlighting model. This model enables computing the surface coverages of the luminescent and/or non-luminescent ink halftones in order to obtain a desired color either under excitation light (UV light) or under normal white light. This enable creating authenticable backlit images substantially similar to pre-stored reference images, either under normal white light, under excitation light, or under both the normal white light and the excitation light.

Abstract: A method for automatic localization of objects in a mask. The method includes building a dictionary of atoms, wherein each atom models the presence of one object at one location and iteratively determining the atom of said dictionary which is best correlated with said mask, until ending criteria are met. The invention system concerns also automatically detects objects in a mask. At least one fixed camera is provided for acquiring video frames. A computation device is used for calibrating at least one fixed camera for extracting foreground silhouettes in each acquired video frames for discretizing said ground plane into a non-regular grid of potential location points for constructing a dictionary of atoms, and, for finding objects location points with the previous method. And a propagating device is provided to propagate the result in at least one fixed camera view.

Abstract: A method and a system for increasing the lifespan of a plasma obtained in the atmosphere. The method includes the following steps: emitting a femtosecond laser pulse, referred to as a first pulse, generating a column of plasma by the filamentation phenomenon, and emitting a second YAG laser pulse, focused by way of an axicon on a line in the plasma column, the energy of the photons of the second laser pulse being greater than the attachment energy of the electrons in the plasma to neutral molecules such as oxygen molecules. The duration of the second pulse is greater than the duration of the first pulse, and the delay between the two pulses is greater than one microsecond.

Abstract: A microchannel plate (1) having an array of channels (5),includes a substrate (2) and, deposited on the substrate, a hydrogenated amorphous silicon film (3) having a thickness ranging between 50 ?m and 200 ?m, preferably between 80 ?m and 120 ?m, the film including the array of channels (5). Preferably, the substrate (2) is an integrated circuit having an internal electronic readout circuit and pixilated collection electrodes (8), and the film (3) is integrated on the substrate (2). The channels (5) may be formed by a Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) process.

Abstract: A growing amount of data is produced daily resulting in a growing demand for storage solutions. While cloud storage providers offer a virtually infinite storage capacity, data owners seek geographical and provider diversity in data placement, in order to avoid vendor lock-in and to increase availability and durability. Moreover, depending on the customer data access pattern, a certain cloud provider may be cheaper than another. In this respect is provided a method and a system that facilitates allocation of data objects in a distributed data storage environment. The system continuously adapts the placement of data based on its access patterns and subject to optimization objectives, such as storage costs. The system efficiently considers repositioning of only selected objects that may significantly lower the storage cost.

Abstract: A database system maintains a feature set of a modern database system while operating directly on raw data files. Systems may use an adaptive indexing mechanism that maintains positional information to provide efficient access to raw data files, a flexible caching structure, and techniques for selective parsing and selective tokenizing. In doing so, possible performance bottlenecks associated with repeated parsing, tokenizing, and expensive data type conversion costs can be overcome.

Abstract: A device for supplying power to a load, requiring both a pre-determined supply of electrical power and high power for short durations of the operating cycle of the load, where the operating cycle is repeated. The power supply device includes a connection to an electrical grid, an AC voltage transformation circuit, a voltage rectification means and a plurality of DC/DC converters mounted in series to terminals of the load. Each of the DC/DC converters has a storage capacitor mounted in parallel to it and at least one of the DC/DC converters is supplied directly by the voltage rectification means. At least another one of the DC/DC converters is not supplied directly by the voltage rectification means. The power supply device may compensate for losses in the power supply device and load, and may substantially continually and uniformly balance voltages at terminals of the storage capacitors.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method, apparatus and computer program product for locating a source of diffusion in a network, the method comprising providing a model of at least a portion of the network, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, a plurality of edges, and at least one source of diffusion, providing a model of a diffusion process initiated by the at least one source during a time period of interest, and employing a source estimator to determine a location of a source of diffusion in at least a portion of the network based on a plurality of network model parameters characteristic for the at least a portion of the network, and a plurality of diffusion process model parameters characteristic for the provided model of a diffusion process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for placing screws in the spine using a robot attached to a passive structure. The present invention also related to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for removing volumes in the body of a patient using a robot attached to a passive structure and to a device to carry out said methods. The present invention further concerns a device suitable to carry out the methods according to the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention refers to using the principal of a room temperature molten ionic liquid, to an electrolyte, to devices comprising the ionic liquid co-melting, and to the preparation of a room temperature ionic liquid via various physical and chemical methods. The room temperature molten ionic liquid comprises at least two component salts, at least one of which is not molten at room temperature, but, if combined with another salt, is in the molten state at room temperature.

Abstract: The present invention refers to using the principal of a room temperature molten ionic liquid, to an electrolyte, to devices comprising the ionic liquid co-melting, and to the preparation of a room temperature ionic liquid via various physical and chemical methods. The room temperature molten ionic liquid comprises at least two component salts, at least one of which is not molten at room temperature, but, if combined with another salt, is in the molten state at room temperature.

Abstract: A method for the recognition of objects in at least one digital image includes: a) simulating from the digital image a plurality of digital rotations and at least two digital tilts different from 1 in order to develop a simulated image for each rotation-tilt pair; and b) applying an algorithm generating values that are invariant in translation, rotation and zoom onto the simulated images in order to determine so-called SIF (scale invariant features) local characteristics used for recognizing objects. The SIFT method can be used in step b.

Abstract: In a view, e.g. of scenery, of a shopping or museum display, or of a meeting or conference, automated processing can be used to annotate objects which are visible from a viewer position. Annotation can be of objects selected by the viewer, and can be displayed visually, for example, with or without an image of the view.