Abstract: A tympanostomy tube insertion system includes a guide tube including a hollow passageway, the guide tube extending between a proximal end and a distal end. A first cutting member is located at the distal end of the guide tube. A plunger member has a forward end which extends into the hollow passageway at a proximal end of the guide tube. A tympanostomy tube is disposed within the hollow passageway toward the distal end of the guide tube.

Abstract: A cartridge loader is provided. The cartridge loader can include a loader body, a top loader bay slidingly engaged to the loader body, and a bottom loader bay slidingly engaged to the loader body. The cartridge loader can further include a cleaning assembly coupled to the loader body. The cartridge loader can be manipulated from a first configuration to a second configuration, such that when in the first configuration, the cartridge loader can receive a cartridge shield containing a cartridge therein, and when in the second configuration, if no cartridge shield is received, the cleaning assembly is configured to disinfect the cartridge loader.

Abstract: Embodiments relate generally to methods, systems and apparatuses for growing plants. For example, a plant growing system (e.g., a hydroponic plant growing system) is provided. The system includes, for example, one or more configurable wells operable to hold a nutrient solution for fertilizing and hydrating one or more plants. In various embodiments, the wells can detach from the unit bottom. The wells allow the roots of various plants to grow downward instead of laterally and obstructing water flow to other plants. The system includes an inlet element, outlet element, a control component, among other such elements and/or components. Water and nutrient solutions flow through the system via the inlet element and outlet element. Outlet element includes an adjustment device configured to control the flowrate and height of water and/or solution in the system. Control component can control one or more devices to ensure optimal plant growth and/or plant growth environment.

Abstract: An event detection system is for a vehicle. The system includes a processor, a sensor suite electrically connected to the processor, and a memory. The memory has instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operations including receive an ON command, and receive data from the sensor suite. The data is indicative of the event, and the event includes the planting of unknown cargo on the vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention describes a computer-based system and method for training machine-learning models for delivering personalized query results. The method starts by collecting user behaviors, then categorizing each behavior and refining these categories based on additional data. The refined categories are used to create sequential, dynamic inputs that serve as both ground truth and training data for the machine-learning model. This process helps to strengthen the connections between the training data and the desired output, resulting in more accurate personalized query results. The system and method may be directed towards providing recommendations to the user, such as in the form of vehicle recommendations.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating electronic signatures are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes: storing pixel features of a signing device; capturing, via an imaging device, a plurality of image frames including the pixel features of the signing device; identifying in the plurality of image frames, by a processor, first pixels matching the stored pixel features of the signing device; generating, by the processor, a first image including the identified pixels; and connecting, by the processor, the identified pixels to form at least one line drawing representing a signature.

Abstract: An implantable blood pump system is disclosed herein. The implantable blood pump system includes an implantable blood pump, a controller coupled to the blood pump, a connector receptacle, and a connector insert. The connector receptacle can include a plurality of contacts, and a following surface. The connector insert can be received within the connector receptacle to couple a plurality of insert contacts with the plurality of contacts of the connector receptacle. The connector insert can include walls defining a follower receptacle that can receive a portion of the following surface when the connector insert is in a desired alignment with respect to the connector receptacle, and a cam surface that can engage with the following surface to bias the connector insert to the desired alignment with respect to the connector receptacle when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle.

Abstract: Reducing total harmonic distortion of power-factor correction switching converters. At least one example is a method of operating a power-factor-correction (PFC) converter, the method comprising: charging an inductance of the PFC converter, thereby creating a charge mode; asserting, during the charge mode, an initial-reset signal by a reset circuit implementing voltage-mode control; ending the charge mode a compensated time after assertion of the initial-reset signal, the compensated time inversely proportional to a magnitude of an input voltage of the PFC converter; and then discharging the inductance of the PFC converter.

Abstract: Innovations in encoding or decoding when switching color spaces are presented. For example, some of the innovations relate to signaling of control information for adaptive color space transformation (“ACT”). Other innovations relate to ACT operations. These innovations can improve coding efficiency when switching between color spaces during encoding and decoding.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclose provide methods and an apparatus for video and/or image coding. The apparatus includes processing circuitry that receive a bitstream including a frame. Coding information for a block in the frame indicates that the block is coded with a joint motion vector difference (JMVD) coding mode and a compound weighted prediction mode. The coding information includes scaling factor information of the JMVD coding mode. If the scaling factor information indicates that each of scaling factors of components of at least one MVD associated with at least one respective reference frame of the block is a pre-defined scaling factor, a weighting factor of the compound weighted prediction mode is determined based on a list of weighting factors. Otherwise, the weighting factor of the compound weighted prediction mode is determined based on a subset of the list of weighting factors.

Abstract: A patient positioning system includes an inflatable patient support device having a width, and a positioning apparatus. The positioning apparatus including a wedge-shaped body, the wedge-shaped body configured to be placed under the inflatable patient support device to support a patient in a desired position, and a tail comprising an elongated piece of material extending from a front end of the wedge-shaped body, wherein a length of the tail is greater than the width of the inflatable patient support device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are aspects related to a device that can include a wireless communication interface and one or more processors. The wireless communication interface can transmit, using a wireless connection with a remote device, one or more data elements to the remote device. The one or more processors can identify a condition of the wireless connection, determine a rate, for transmission of the one or more data elements, based at least on the condition, retrieve a signal from the remote device indicative of at least one criterion for use of the one or more data elements, update the rate based at least on the at least one criterion to determine an updated rate for transmission of the one or more data elements to the remote device, and cause the wireless communication interface to transmit, at the updated rate, the one or more data elements to the remote device.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to video coding and particularly to methods and systems for boundary padding for motion compensation. For example, a motion vector for a motion compensation padded block in a motion compensation padding area of a picture in a video may be determined from scanning a set of neighboring boundary blocks of the picture and/or a set of co-located temporal blocks of the boundary blocks. The motion compensation padded block may be padded according to the motion vector and used for motion compensation of other pictures in the video.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for, at a host computing device, a method of interacting with a target computing device. The method includes receiving one or more sonic waveforms from the target computing device at a microphone subsystem of the host computing device. The host computing device determines an identity of the target computing device via processing of the one or more sonic waveforms. In response to said identity determination, the method includes (1) initializing a wireless data link for communication between the host computing device and the target computing device, and (2) entering a mode of host-target interactivity in which the host computing device and the target computing device interact via the wireless data link.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving measured linescan information describing a pattern structure of a feature, applying the received measured linescan information to an inverse linescan model that relates measured linescan information to feature geometry information, and identifying, based at least in part on the applying the received measured linescan model to the inverse linescan model, feature geometry information that describes a feature that would produce a linescan corresponding to the received measured linescan information. The method also includes determining, at least in part using the inverse linescan model, feature edge positions of the identified feature, analyzing the feature edge positions to determine errors in the manufacture of the pattern structure, and controlling a lithography tool based on the analysis of the feature edge positions.

Abstract: A light-emitting device includes: a semiconductor diode structure, a reflector, a wavelength-converting layer, and an intermediate spacer between the diode structure and the wavelength-converting layer. The diode structure emits diode output light at a vacuum wavelength ?0 to propagate within the diode structure. The reflector is on the back diode structure and internally reflects diode internally incident output light. The wavelength-converting layer is positioned with its back surface facing and spaced-apart from a front surface of the diode structure, and absorbs diode output light at ?0 and emits down-converted light at a vacuum wavelength ?1>?0, which exits the wavelength-converting layer through its front surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel transfer system comprises a first housing, a second housing, and a fuel transfer tube connecting the first housing to the second housing, wherein the fuel transfer tube is disposed at an elevational angle. The fuel transfer system comprises a fuel transfer cart configured to slidably move from the first housing to the second housing through the fuel transfer tube.

Abstract: A data system is provided for analyzing and maintaining data obtained from one or more data sources on which the data system depends. The system includes a primary database including current values used by the system and a collection of executable algorithms used to generate the data maintained in the primary database. In response to receiving a notification regarding a change in one of the data sources, a dependency database is used to establish an execution order for algorithms of the algorithm collection that are directly or indirectly dependent on the changed data. The algorithms identified in the execution order are then executed in accordance with the execution order and the corresponding result is stored in the primary database. The system may include data harvesters adapted to recognize changes in the data sources and to generate and transmit corresponding change notifications when such changes occur.

Abstract: A method for managing occupant interaction with components of a vehicle includes generating, via a time-of-flight sensor, a point cloud representing a compartment of the vehicle, the point cloud including three-dimensional positional information about the compartment. The method further includes identifying at least one body segment of a user based on the point cloud. The method further includes determining, via processing circuitry in communication with the time-of-flight sensor, a position of at least one feature of the at least one body segment. The method further includes calculating an orientation of the at least one body segment based on the at least one feature. The method further includes estimating an intended task of the user based on the orientation of the at least one body segment. The method further includes generating, via the processing circuitry, a response signal in response to estimation of the intended task.

Abstract: During a light load (or no-load) operation of a totem pole power factor correction circuit (i.e., PFC), a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller can operate in a skip mode. Further, the PWM controller may disable portions of the PFC to reduce standby power consumption. In this mode, and in this disabled configuration, the output of the PFC may be peak charged over time to a voltage that could be damaging or destructive. This peak charging results from the PFC circuit's inability to fully charge/discharge EMI capacitors between half cycles of the input line voltage. The present disclosure provides circuits and methods to fully charge/discharge the EMI capacitors to prevent peak charging the output.