Abstract: An omnidirectional camera apparatus configured to facilitate omnidirectional stereo imaging is described. The apparatus may include a first convex mirror, a first camera disposed at the first convex mirror, a second convex mirror, and a second camera disposed at the second convex mirror. The first convex mirror and the second convex mirror may be arranged such that a first mirrored surface of the first convex mirror and a second mirrored surface of the second convex mirror may face each other. The first camera may capture imagery reflected off the second convex mirror. The second camera may capture imagery reflected off the first convex mirror. A method of calibrating an omnidirectional camera apparatus is also described.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to cell-protective, in particular, cardio- and renal-protective organic compounds, preferably to organic compounds that inhibit substrate phosphorylation by the G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2, ADRBK1). Preferably, the organic compounds inhibit the GRK2-mediated phosphorylation of serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1, ASF-1, SF2) and/or phosducin for treating hypertension, heart diseases, heart dysfunction or failure and heart disease-associated pathologies, e.g. cardiomyocyte necrosis, ischemic cardiac disease and/or ischemic heart damage or ageing. Furthermore, the present invention is directed to a method for the identification of inhibitors of the (GRK2)-mediated phosphorylation of (SRSF1) and/or phosducin.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating electromagnetic radiation by a laser-produced plasma, wherein a target comprising a target material is provided, at least one pulse sequence is directed to said target, wherein the pulse sequence comprises at least three conditioning laser pulses, wherein time intervals between subsequent conditioning laser pulses are 200 ns or less, and a main laser pulse is directed to said target along a first axis, such that a radiation-emitting plasma is formed from at least a part of said target material. The invention further relates to a device for generating electromagnetic radiation by means of a laser-produced plasma comprising a dispensing device and at least one laser source, wherein the device is configured such that at least one pulse sequence comprising at least three conditioning laser pulses and a main laser pulse can be generated by the at least one laser source.

Abstract: Supervised machine learning using convolutional neural network (CNN) is applied to denoising images rendered by MC path tracing. The input image data may include pixel color and its variance, as well as a set of auxiliary buffers that encode scene information (e.g., surface normal, albedo, depth, and their corresponding variances). In some embodiments, a CNN directly predicts the final denoised pixel value as a highly non-linear combination of the input features. In some other embodiments, a kernel-prediction neural network uses a CNN to estimate the local weighting kernels, which are used to compute each denoised pixel from its neighbors. In some embodiments, the input image can be decomposed into diffuse and specular components. The diffuse and specular components are then independently preprocessed, filtered, and postprocessed, before recombining them to obtain a final denoised image.

Abstract: A vehicles configured for navigating surface transitions. Navigation of surface transitions is controlled by information obtained by sensors carried by the vehicle. The vehicle may be propelled forward using force generated by tiltable propellers carried by the vehicle.

Abstract: Systems and methods for distortion removal at multiple quality levels are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method may include receiving training content. The training content may include original content, reconstructed content, and training distortion quality levels corresponding to the reconstructed content. The reconstructed content may be derived from distorted original content. The method may also include training distortion quality levels corresponding to the reconstructed content. The method may further include receiving an initial distortion removal model. The method may include generating a conditioned distortion removal model by training the initial distortion removal model using the training content. The method may further include storing the conditioned distortion removal model.

Abstract: A simulation engine models interactions between a simulated character and real-world objects to produce a physically realistic augmented reality (AR) simulation. The simulation engine recognizes a given real-world object and then identifies, within a library of object models, an object model corresponding to that object. The simulation engine projects the object model onto the real-world object such that the object model is geometrically aligned with the real-world object. When the simulated character encounters the real-world object, the simulation engine models interactions between the simulated character and the real-world object by adjusting the kinematics of the simulated character relative to the object model associated with the real-world object.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for making a ceramic body that comprises providing particles of a metal salt precursor material wetted by a liquid medium. The particles are characterized by a grain size of below 600 nm, and the precursor material has a solubility in the liquid medium of at least 10?5 mol/L. A pressure of ?100 MPa is applied at a temperature of below 100° C., rendering a material of high theoretical density values previously unattainable at low temperatures. The invention further relates to a calcium carbonate ceramic material of the vaterite isomorph having a density of the material ?1.76 g/cm3 and a Modulus of rupture ?30 MPa, and to a calcium phosphate ceramic material consisting of the monetite isomorph with ?2.5 g/cm3 density and a Modulus of rupture ?18 MPa.

Abstract: A recommender engine is configured to access memory and surface transmedia content items; and/or linked transmedia content subsets; and/or one or more identifications of identified users; and/or content items of the plurality of transmedia content items associated with at least one identified user. The surfaced items are presented for selection by the given user via the transmedia content linking engine as one or more user-selected transmedia content items.

Abstract: A device includes a control unit that includes an oscillator circuit. The control unit is configured to generate, based on the oscillator circuit, at least one switching signal. The device also includes a direct current (DC)-to-DC conversion circuit comprising at least one electronic switch that is operatively coupled to the control unit. The DC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to convert, based on the at least one switching signal, a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage, and the control unit is further configured to input, to the oscillator circuit, a current signal that is generated based on a measured output current of the DC-to-DC conversion circuit.

Abstract: Enhanced removing of noise and outliers from one or more point sets generated by image-based 3D reconstruction techniques is provided. In accordance with the disclosure, input images and corresponding depth maps can be used to remove pixels that are geometrically and/or photometrically inconsistent with the colored surface implied by the input images. This allows standard surface reconstruction methods (such as Poisson surface reconstruction) to perform less smoothing and thus achieve higher quality surfaces with more features. In some implementations, the enhanced point-cloud noise removal in accordance with the disclosure can include computing per-view depth maps, and detecting and removing noisy points and outliers from each per-view point cloud by checking if points are consistent with the surface implied by the other input views.

Abstract: A laser ablation cell (1) comprises a flow channel (11) having an essentially constant cross-sectional area so as to ensure a strictly laminar flow in the flow channel. A sample chamber (21) is provided adjacent to a lateral opening (14) of the flow channel. A laser beam (41) enters the sample chamber (21) through a lateral window (16) and impinges on a surface (24) of a sample (23) to ablate material from the sample. The sample may be positioned in such a distance from the flow channel that the laser-generated aerosol mass distribution has its center within the flow channel. This leads to short aerosol washout times. The laser ablation cell is particularly well suited for aerosol generation in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), including imaging applications.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for forming a hyaluronan hydrogel, comprising the steps of a. providing a hyaluronan donor peptide conjugate and a hyaluronan acceptor peptide conjugate each represented by a general formula I, wherein 10% of R1 moieties are represented by a general formula II, wherein L is a 2 to 6 atom linker moiety and Pep is a transglutaminase donor or acceptor peptide, and the rest of R1 moieties are represented by —COOH. b. adding a factor XIII polypeptide and a thrombin polypeptide, or a factor XIIIa polypeptide. The invention further relates to compositions and hydrogels characterized by the depicted chemistry.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable memory are provided for determining time-varying anatomical and physiological tissue characteristics of an animation rig. For example, shape and material properties are defined for a plurality of sample configurations of the animation rig. The shape and material properties are associated with the plurality of sample configurations. An animation of the animation rig is obtained, and one or more configurations of the animation rig are determined for one or more frames of the animation. The determined one or more configurations include shape and material properties, and are determined using one or more sample configurations of the animation rig. A simulation of the animation rig is performed using the determined one or more configurations. Performing the simulation includes computing physical effects for addition to the animation of the animation rig.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the preparation of mono- and bisacylphosphanes based on formula (I): as well as for their corresponding oxides or sulfides. The present invention further relates to photoinitiators obtainable by said process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for manipulating non-linearly connected transmedia content, in particular for creating, processing and managing non-linearly connected transmedia content. The disclosure includes content creation modes and version control systems for non-linearly connected transmedia content data, in which individual transmedia content data items are connected to either other via directional linking data.

Abstract: The invention relates to systems and methods for manipulating non-linearly connected transmedia content, in particular for creating, processing and/or managing non-linearly connected transmedia content and for tracking content creation and attributing transmedia content to one or more creators. Specifically, the invention involves creating a transmedia content data item by a first user and storing the transmedia content data item in a data store, along with a record indicating an association between the first user and the transmedia content data item; creating an ordered group of transmedia content data items by a second user, the ordered group comprising a pointer to the transmedia content data item of the first user; and storing the ordered group and a record associating both the first user and the second user with the ordered group in the data store.

Abstract: The invention relates to systems and methods for navigating, outputting and displaying non-linearly connected groups of transmedia content. Specifically, the invention involves retrieving, from a database, an ordered group of transmedia content data objects comprising a plurality of transmedia content data objects and linking data, whereby each element of the linking data defines a directional link from one of the transmedia content data objects to another of the transmedia content data objects; generating a two-dimensional graph structure representing the ordered group of transmedia content data objects whereby each graph node corresponds to a transmedia content data object and each graph edge corresponds to an element of the linking data; and outputting the graph structure on a display screen.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system and method for processing transmedia content data. More specifically, the disclosure provides for identifying and inserting one item of media content within another item of media content, e.g. inserting a video within a video, such that the first item of media content appears as part of the second item. The invention involves analysing a first visual media item to identify one or more spatial locations to insert the second visual media item within the image data of the first visual media item, detecting characteristics of the one or more identified spatial locations, transforming the second visual media item according to the detected characteristics and combining the first visual media item and second visual media item by inserting the transformed second visual media item into the first visual media item at the one or more identified spatial locations.

Abstract: A mobile manufacturing device and a method for producing three-dimensional lattice or mesh structures, wherein the mobile manufacturing device is a mobile device adapted to move along a three-dimensional structure to be produced, in particular while performing both translation and rotation movements in three-dimensional space, and wherein the mobile manufacturing device includes a means for detection of its position relative to the dimensional structure to be produced, so that the mobile manufacturing device is able to produce the three-dimensional structure as an autonomous robot.