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: A method of printing a print pattern onto a substrate with a print head comprises a plurality of nozzles, where the print head has a rectangular active print head area which includes all of the nozzles. The active print head area is delimited by four sides defining a primary and a secondary direction. The method comprises i) decomposing the print pattern into a plurality of print pattern segments that have dimensions along the primary and secondary direction which are smaller than the dimensions of the active print head area along the primary and secondary direction; ii) assigning each print pattern segment to exactly one nozzle; iii) causing each nozzle to print the print pattern segment assigned to said nozzle. The print head is moved during printing of each print pattern segment within an area that is smaller than said active print head area.

Abstract: The invention relates to a chimeric antigen-receptor polypeptide heterodimer comprising two polypeptides, wherein the first contains an extracellular part of the major histocompatibility complex I alpha chain and the second contains a 32-microglobulin domain, or the first contains an extracellular part of the major histocompatibility complex II alpha chain and the second contains a major histocompatibility complex II beta chain. One of the polypeptides further contains a transmembrane domain, a hinge region and an intracellular domain of the T cell receptor alpha chain and the other one contains a transmembrane domain, a hinge region and an intracellular domain of the T cell receptor beta chain, and additionally an antigen-peptide covalently linked to said extracellular MHC domain. The invention further relates to a method for the identification of a TCR recognizable peptide sequence making use of the heterodimer of the invention.

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: A soft wearable muscle assisting device has at least a wearable body interface and attached thereon elements of active and passive components, adapted to together assist a user in changing or maintaining a position of a first body part articulated to a second body part. The wearable body interface comprises at least two gar-ment portions. The active and passive components comprise at least one actively powered element. The passive components comprise at least a first passive component and a second passive component that both extend between the at least two garment components and comprise elastic material for storing energy provided by the user and/or by the at least one actively powered element. The first and a second passive components are arranged on opposite sides of a joint of the body.

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: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for unloading a user's body weight during a physical activity of said user, particularly for gait training of said user, comprising: a plurality of ropes, wherein each rope extends from an associated drive unit, is deflected by a passively displaceable deflection device, e.g. a device that is displaceable by means of the forces in the deflected ropes, and then runs to a first free end of the respective rope, and a node being coupled to said first free ends and being designed to be coupled to said user, wherein the drive units are designed to retract and release the respective rope so as to adjust a current rope force along the respective rope, which current rope forces add up to a current resulting force exerted on said user via said node in order to unload the user upon said physical activity.

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: According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a volitant vehicle comprising, a body (112), a control unit being configured to compute an estimate of the orientation of a primary axis (130) of said body with respect to a predefined reference frame, wherein said primary axis is an axis about which said vehicle rotates when flying; and at least one propeller (104) attacked to the body, wherein each of said at least one propeller has an axis of rotation (110) which is fixed with respect to said body, is configured to simultaneously produce a thrust force and a torque, said thrust force having a component along the primary axis, said torque having a component along the primary axis constructively contributing to the vehicle rotating about said primary axis, said torque having a component perpendicular to the primary axis, and all of said at least one propeller rotate with the same handedness about their respective thrust forces.

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 vectors and mammalian cells in a system useful for switching on or switching off gene expression in response to fatty acids, and a method of treating diet-induced obesity. In particular, a synthetic intracellular lipid-sensing receptor was constructed that constantly monitors blood fatty acid levels, processes diet-associated hyperlipidemia and coordinates reversible and adjustable expression of the anorectic peptide hormone pramlintide to reduce dietary intake, blood fat levels and body weight.

Abstract: Embodiments herein describe deformable controllers that rely on piezoelectric material embedded in the controllers to detect when the input device is being manipulated into a particular deformation or gesture. The computing system may perform different actions depending on which deformation is detected. The embodiments herein describe design techniques for optimizing the placement of the piezoelectric material in the controller to improve the accuracy of a mapping function that maps sensor responses of the material to different controller deformations. In one embodiment, the user specifies the different deformations of the controller she wishes to be recognized by the computing system (e.g., raising a leg, twisting a torso, squeezing a hand, etc.). The design optimizer uses the locations of the desired deformations to move the location of the piezoelectric material such that the sensor response of the material can be uniquely mapped to these locations.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for physical face cloning to generate a synthetic skin. Rather than attempt to reproduce the mechanical properties of biological tissue, an output-oriented approach is utilized that models the synthetic skin as an elastic material with isotropic and homogeneous properties (e.g., silicone rubber). The method includes capturing a plurality of expressive poses from a human subject and generating a computational model based on one or more material parameters of a material. In one embodiment, the computational model is a compressible neo-Hookean material model configured to simulate deformation behavior of the synthetic skin. The method further includes optimizing a shape geometry of the synthetic skin based on the computational model and the captured expressive poses. An optimization process is provided that varies the thickness of the synthetic skin based on a minimization of an elastic energy with respect to rest state positions of the synthetic skin.

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 method for using at least one compound as a scavenger, in particular as a scavenger in the hydrolytic treatment of lignocellulosic biomass is provided. The compound includes at least one aromatic ring substituted with at least two moieties each having a free electron pair, wherein the at least two moieties are arranged in meta-position to each other, and at least two alkyl or alkenyl moieties.

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 method for the manufacturing of electrodes with at least one porous surfacial layer comprising anisotropic electrochemically active particles. It also relates to electrodes made using such a method. The method comprises the following steps: (a) coupling of paramagnetic nanoparticles to said active particles for the generation of composites; (b) preparation of a slurry of said composites, including a solvent mixed with a binder able to release a volatile component; (c) application of said slurry to a substrate to form a film; (d) application of a magnetic field to the film and orienting said active particles leading to a substrate in which said active particles are arranged with their shortest axes aligned along a preferred axis parallel to said substrate; (e) during or after application of said magnetic field evaporation of said solvent with solidification of the binder and release of said volatile component under formation of said surfacial layer.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprises magnet means for generating a main magnetic field in a sample region, encoding means for generating encoding magnetic fields superimposed to the main magnetic field, RF transmitter means for generating MR radiofrequency fields, driver means for operating said encoding means and RF transmitter means to generate superimposed time dependent encoding fields and radiofrequency fields according to an MR sequence for forming images or spectra; and acquisition means for acquiring an MR signal from said object. The magnet means comprise a primary magnetic field source providing a static magnetic field B0 and at least one secondary magnetic field source providing an adjustable magnetic field B?.