Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for controlling intra prediction for decoding of a video sequence are provided. The method may include based on a reference line index signaling a first reference line nearest to a coding unit, among a plurality of reference lines adjacent to the coding unit, applying intra smoothing on one or more first reference lines comprising the first reference line, among the plurality of reference lines, and based on the intra smoothing being applied on the one or more first reference lines, applying a position-dependent intra prediction combination (PDPC) on one or more third reference lines comprising the first reference line, among the plurality of reference lines, while preventing application of the PDPC on one or more fourth reference lines other than the one or more third reference lines, among the plurality of reference lines.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for cleaning, decontaminating, and/or sterilizing an instrument during the intraoperative phase of a surgical procedure. In exemplary embodiments, the apparatus comprises: a container having an aperture, a bottom portion, and at least one sidewall defining an instrument bath configured to hold a cleaning agent; a vibration means and radiation means coupled to the container; and a power supply. It is contemplated that at least one of the sidewalls of the container comprises a longitudinal channel disposed within the sidewall for housing the radiation means. It is further contemplated that the cleaning agent can comprise an aqueous solution of chlorohexidine, that the radiation means is configured to emit ultraviolet radiation in a range of at least 100 nanometers to 400 nanometers, and that the vibration means is configured to emit ultrasonic radiation in a range of at least 20 kilohertz to 120 kilohertz.

Abstract: A support device and components thereof can include a stepping cover attached a support frame. The support device has a length that is shorter than the length of a side of the vehicle between the front and rear wheel wells to facilitate access to a single vehicle door of a multiple door vehicle, such as a rear passenger door of a four-door vehicle. The support frame of the support device may be configured to be mounted to the underbody of the vehicle, and the stepping cover is configured to provide a stepping surface for the passenger to use the support device.

Abstract: An apparatus for vertical transfer of whole nuts from a first elevation to a second, lower elevation includes a run extending between an entrance and an exit, and having a plurality of alternatingly arranged conveying panels between the entrance and the exit. Each conveying panel is inclined to horizontal and has a variable effective conveying width. The apparatus further includes arcuate turn-arounds disposed between respective conveying panels to facilitate transferring the nuts from one conveying panel to the next lower conveying panel. The variable effective conveying width is selected based on a predetermined mass flow rate of nuts such that whole nuts move along the run in a continuous stream without tumbling, and wherein each nut is in contact with adjacent nuts in its respective layer.

Abstract: An electronic device comprises an image sensor, one or more processors, and memory storing instructions for receiving an event recording profile based on configuration data of the electronic device, the configuration data including a location type or a power type; receiving a plurality of images of a scene captured by the image sensor; detecting a trigger event based on one or more of the plurality of images of the scene; in response to detecting the trigger event, identifying an object of interest in one or more of the plurality of images of the scene; creating an event clip from the stored images that include the object of interest, wherein creating the event clip includes configuring a clip length based on the event recording profile; and providing the event clip for display.

Abstract: A hairbrush is provided that combs and/or dries hair during brushing and/or styling while also producing an air bearing effect that reduces friction between the hair and the bristles of the hairbrush. Each bristle receives, in an interior space of the bristle, air from a flow of air generated by an air flow generator of the hairbrush. Each bristle is made of a highly-porous material. Air received in the interior space of the bristle exits the bristle through the pores and creates an air bearing effect between the bristles and the hair being brushed or styled that reduces or eliminates friction between the bristles and the hair.

Abstract: A method includes receiving an input audio signal corresponding to utterances spoken by multiple speakers. The method also includes encoding the input audio signal into a sequence of T temporal embeddings. During each of a plurality of iterations each corresponding to a respective speaker of the multiple speakers, the method includes selecting a respective speaker embedding for the respective speaker by determining a probability that the corresponding temporal embedding includes a presence of voice activity by a single new speaker for which a speaker embedding was not previously selected during a previous iteration and selecting the respective speaker embedding for the respective speaker as the temporal embedding. The method also includes, at each time step, predicting a respective voice activity indicator for each respective speaker of the multiple speakers based on the respective speaker embeddings selected during the plurality of iterations and the temporal embedding.

Abstract: A cable distribution system that includes a headend connected to a plurality of customer devices through a transmission network that includes a remote fiber node that converts digital data to analog data suitable for the plurality of customer devices. The remote fiber node receiving a downstream external protocol interface packet that includes a header portion and a data portion in memory. The remote fiber node encoding and transmitting the data portion to at least one of the plurality of customer devices, wherein the data portion is transferred from the memory using direct memory access based upon a buffer descriptor for the encoding.

Abstract: Seal assemblies, gaskets, bearing assemblies, and their components can be used as pre-packaged seal systems and pre-packaged seal and bearing systems. The seal assemblies can be orientated in different configurations for different applications. Gaskets to restrict flow and gaskets with memory lips to operate as sealing lips can be included to increase the number of sealing points. In a pre-packaged configuration, the cylinder can be a straight cylinder, a stepped cylinder, or a split cylinder. Bearing assemblies can be pre-packaged with the sealing assemblies and service grease may optionally be used to provide lubrication and limit fluid incursion into the spring cavities.

Abstract: A biodegradable delivery particle having a benefit agent containing core and a shell.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a system for controlling and propelling a watercraft. The apparatus has a set of motors and a fin-shaped hollow structure attached to the water-facing surface of the watercraft, a wireless controller to receive input commands from a user and transmit the input commands to a microprocessor to control the set of motors based on input commands. The input commands correspond to a speed and a direction. The microprocessor can adjust a thrust force of the set of motors based on the input commands to propel the watercraft in a selected direction at a selected speed.

Abstract: A system for shifting operation modes of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM) from external inputs includes one or more VFMMs that convert electrical power to kinetic energy, the one or more VFMMs being configured to shift to any one of a plurality of operation modes, one or more man-machine interfaces that receive one or more external inputs from a user, the one or more external inputs being indicative of a target operation mode from the plurality of operation modes selected by the user, and a controller that shifts the operation mode of the one or more VFMMs to the target operation mode based on the one or more external inputs received from the one or more man-machine interfaces.

Abstract: A system for treating a plurality of adjacent wells having casing includes a wireline, perforating equipment, and a fiber-optic interrogator. The wireline has at least one optical fiber disposed along its length. At least one optical fiber is configured as a distributed acoustic sensor. The perforating equipment includes a perforating gun that can couple to a termination of the wireline. Run downhole on the wireline, the perforating gun can perforate the casing. The fiber-optic interrogator is configured to couple to another termination of the wireline. The fiber-optic interrogator is configured to interrogate the at least one optical fiber for distributed acoustic sensing. The wireline deployed in a well with the perforating gun can remain in the well, while an adjacent well is stimulated to produce hydraulic fracture. During the stimulation, the fiber-optic wireline is used for distributed acoustic sensing during the fracture operation of the adjacent well.

Abstract: A database system is operable to generate query output based on executing a plurality of operators of a query operator execution flow for a query. Executing each operator can include generating a set of output query rows based on processing a set of input query rows, maintaining execution tracking data for the each operator that includes at least one counter tracking at least one event type, and generating a set of execution tracking rows based on sampling the execution tracking data. The query output includes a final set of rows corresponding to a query resultant and a final set of execution tracking rows generated by at least one final operator based on an aggregation of a plurality of sets of execution tracking rows generated by the plurality of operators.

Abstract: Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head includes a body portion, a crown portion having a composite material, a first groove on a bottom portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, a second groove on the bottom portion extending in a heel-to-toe direction, a first set of ports on the bottom portion between the first groove and the second groove, a second set of ports on the bottom portion between the second groove and a rear portion, and a filler material in the body portion between the first groove and the rear portion. The filler material at least partially surrounds the first set of ports and the second set of ports. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: A method for automatically improving the legibility of text within graphic designs is implemented via a computing system including a processor. The method includes executing a graphics application and causing surfacing of a graphic design GUI on a display. The method includes generating a templatized image including text responsive to the user-initiated insertion of a desired image into a design template surfaced via the graphic design GUI. The method also includes assigning a legibility score to the text within the templatized image and, responsive to a determination that the legibility score is less than a predetermined threshold, generating a bounding box around the text area. The method further includes generating an improved templatized image with improved text legibility by selectively blurring the image portion that falls within the bounding box, as well as causing surfacing of the second templatized image via the graphic design GUI.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and a system that includes receiving, information from user, sending, a request for authorization to a device associated with one or more collection units. Also receiving, a grant of authorization from a device associated with one or more collection units to access stored information and determining, what information among the stored information is target Information. Extracting, target information from a database associated with the one or more collection units and sending, target information to a device associated with the user. Further, identifying, one or more variables associated with the target information and generating, a graphical analysis using the one or more identified variable of the target information.

Abstract: Systems and methods for deploying dependent updates include mechanisms for requiring that dependency information be provided for each update so that dependent updates may be identified. Update dependencies are tracked so that dependent updates are not deployed until parent updates have been completed. Deployment sequencing is implemented on top of existing asynchronous deployment policies so that asynchronous workflow remains intact and unaltered. The asynchronous workflow is upgraded to a synchronous (i.e., sequential) workflow for updates having dependencies to ensure that updates having dependencies are applied in the correct order.

Abstract: A farming method may be shown and described. In an exemplary embodiment, plants may begin in a germination phase. Next, plants are brought to a nursery for a period of time before optionally being transplanted to one or more subsequent nurseries. Finally, plants are transplanted to a greenhouse where they may grow until they are ready for harvest. In an exemplary embodiment, the nursery phases may be vertical farms while the greenhouse phase may be a traditional, hydroponic, or other type of farm which may receive sunlight. AI may be implemented to optimize environmental conditions and robotics may be used to harvest the plants. Plants may be indexed to efficiently expedite plant growth and optimize the time and plant density/spacing in each phase.

Abstract: A neural network architecture is provided for reconstructing, in real-time, a 3D scene with additional attributes such as color and segmentation, from a stream of camera-tracked RGB images. The neural network can include a number of modules which process image data in sequence. In an example implementation, the processing can include capturing frames of color data, selecting key frames, processing a set of key frames to obtain partial 3D scene data, including a mesh model and associated voxels, fusing the partial 3D scene data into existing scene data, and extracting a 3D colored and segmented mesh from the 3D scene data.