Abstract: A surgical instrument, such as an endoscopic or laparoscopic instrument. The surgical instrument may comprise an end effector comprising at least one sensor. The surgical instrument may also comprise an electrically conductive shaft having a distal end connected to the end effector wherein the sensor is electrically insulated from the shaft. The surgical instrument may also comprise a handle connected to a proximate end of the shaft. The handle may comprise a control unit electrically coupled to the shaft such that the shaft radiates signals as an antenna from the control unit to the sensor and receives radiated signals from the sensor. Other components electrically coupled to the shaft may also radiate the signals.

Abstract: Techniques for selectively transforming one or more coding units when coding video content are described herein. The techniques may include determining whether or not to transform a particular coding unit. The determination may be based on a difference in pixel values of the particular coding unit and/or one or more predefined rate-distortion constraints. When it is determined to not perform a transform, the particular coding unit may be coded without transforming the particular coding unit.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to conveyor systems including liftgates. In some embodiments, a conveyor system including a liftgate comprises a conveyor section including a plurality of rollers, a liftgate section comprising a frame having a proximal end and a distal end and including sidewalls, a plurality of liftgate rollers positioned within the frame, a front bracket and a rear bracket, wherein the front bracket is positioned between the sidewalls toward the proximal end and the rear bracket is positioned toward the distal end, and wherein the rear bracket is pivotably affixed to the conveyor section, and an actuator affixed to the rear bracket and the front bracket configured to provide a linear force acting between the rear bracket and the front bracket, wherein the linear force causes the proximal end of the liftgate portion to raise with respect to the conveyor section.

Abstract: Live-action event data is received during a live-action event from an event reporting computing system via a computer network interface. The live-action event data is provided to a machine-learning prediction machine previously trained with previously-completed event data to output a prediction for an upcoming aspect of the live-action event. The prediction is sent to a client computing system via the computer network interface prior to commencement of the upcoming aspect to enhance a live-action event experience provided by the client computing system.

Abstract: A recirculating powder applicator includes an applicator body having an inlet on an upstream surface and an outlet on a downstream surface, wherein the inlet and outlet define a passage that extends transversely through the thickness of the applicator body, a powder conduit, an air inlet, an exhaust aperture located on one of the upstream or downstream surfaces, and a circulation chamber located on the interior of the applicator body. The powder conduit and air inlet are in fluid communication with the passage and the passage is in fluid communication with the circulation chamber. A method of applying powder to a substrate during a continuous process includes using a recirculating powder applicator.

Abstract: An optical element includes a Fresnel surface including valleys between Fresnel segments. Compensation trenches disposed in the valleys are configured to accept excess of an optical layer received in the valleys during a deposition of the optical layer. The compensation trenches are filled with the optical layer.

Abstract: Various configurations of an electronic display, and devices incorporating the display, are provided. The display may have multiple portions connected along one or more axes, lines, points, or other connecting areas. The portions are movable about the connections. In various configurations, the display portions emulate different media and/or communication and computing devices. Two or more of the display devices may be coupled in an array.

Abstract: A method and system are provided that synchronize one or more appliances to one or more users' schedules. Sensor data may be obtained from a sensor. The sensor data may indicate a state of a first appliance. A user location may be determined. A first characteristic of the first appliance may be obtained. Based upon the user location and the sensor data, a schedule indicating when the user will desire a state change of the first appliance may be determined. A feature of the first appliance may be dynamically modified to cause the first appliance to operate according to the schedule. A notice may be sent to the user that contains information about the first appliance.

Abstract: A exhaust-gas heat management system includes a catalytic converter in the exhaust-gas train of an internal-combustion engine, a cover enclosing the catalytic converter, and thereby realizing a cavity for holding a latent-heat storage PCM, at least two fluid connections between the cavity and the collecting vessel, and a pump device for activating and deactivating a PCM circuit between the cavity and the collecting vessel by means of the fluid connections. A method comprises determining an operating state of the internal combustion engine, determining the catalytic converter temperature, determining the PCM temperature, activating the PCM circuit if the PCM temperature is above a phase transition temperature of the PCM, and the internal combustion engine is in a switched-on operating state or the internal combustion engine is in a switched-off operating state and the catalytic converter temperature is below a light-off temperature of the catalytic converter.

Abstract: Vehicle safety devices, seam tapes for use in safety airbags along with their methods of formation and use are provided. The vehicle safety device can comprise an airbag and a pyrotechnic device positioned within working proximity to an aperture defined in the airbag and configured to fill the interior space of the airbag with a gas upon ignition. The vehicle safety device can also comprise a seam tape positioned over the seam joining a first fabric section and a second fabric section of the airbag. The seam tape can be configured to melt enough to flow into the needle puncture holes formed along the seam upon ignition of the pyrotechnic device.

Abstract: In various embodiments, methods and systems for implementing distributed data object management are provided. The distributed data object management system includes a local metadata-consensus information store and one or more remote metadata-consensus information stores for metadata-consensus information and a local data store and one or more remote data stores for erasure coded fragments. For a write operation, corresponding metadata writes and data writes are performed in parallel using a metadata write path and a data write path, respectively, when writing to the local metadata-consensus information store and the one or more remote metadata-consensus information stores and the local data store and the one or more remote data stores. And, for a read operation, corresponding metadata reads and data reads are performed in parallel using a metadata read path and a data read path, respectively, when reading from the metadata-consensus information stores and the data stores.

Abstract: Techniques involve writing to a disk array. In response to a request for writing target data to a target storage area in a stripe of the disk array including at least one failed storage area, it is determined whether incompletion of the writing of the target data is to cause failed data in the at least one failed storage area to be unrecoverable. In response to determining that the incompletion of the writing is to cause failed data to be unrecoverable, the failed data is recovered. The recovered data is stored in a persistent memory, and the target data is written in the target storage area. In this way, the efficiency and performance of writing processing of the disk array having a failed disk is increased significantly.

Abstract: An edge detection system is provided that generates a scanning electron microscope (SEM) linescan image of a pattern structure including a feature with edges that require detection. The edge detection system includes an inverse linescan model tool that receives measured linescan information for the feature from the SEM. In response, the inverse linescan model tool provides feature geometry information that includes the position of the detected edges of the feature.

Abstract: A podcast system and method are provided to select and deliver media ads over a network to a user device and to insert the media ads in media content subscribed to and delivered over the network to the user device.

Abstract: A method of monitoring respiration with an acoustic measurement device, the acoustic measurement device having a sound transducer, the sound transducer configured to measure sound associated with airflow through a mammalian trachea, the method includes correlating the measured sound into a measurement of tidal volume and generating at least one from the group consisting of an alert and an alarm if the measured tidal volume falls outside of a predetermined range.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, or computer-readable medium may include estimating local motion of an input video frame of an input video by computing a local motion vector corresponding to a respective candidate pixel patch from among one or more candidate pixel patches within the input video frame. Global motion may be estimated by computing a global motion vector. One or more subject motion vectors may be computed based on a corresponding local motion vector and the global motion vector. A number of static frames of the video may be identified. The input video may be determined to be a static video if a ratio of the number of static frames to a number of the video frames in the input video meets a static frame threshold and determining that the input video is a motion video if the ratio fails to meet the static frame threshold.

Abstract: A light projection system includes a light source configured to emit image light and an optical assembly configured to provide positive optical power to the image light and optically correct the image light. The optical assembly comprises a plurality of optical elements configured to correct differential distortion related to the image light across a field of view (FOV) within a threshold amount. The differential distortion is corrected based in part on asymmetry of the plurality of optical elements relative to an optical axis shared by the plurality of optical elements.

Abstract: An optical system for acquiring fast spectra from spatially channel arrays includes a light source for producing a light beam that passes through the microfluidic chip or the channel to be monitored, one or more lenses or optical fibers for capturing the light from the light source after interaction with the particles or chemicals in the microfluidic channels, and one or more detectors. The detectors, which may include light amplifying elements, detect each light signal and transducer the light signal into an electronic signal. The electronic signals, each representing the intensity of an optical signal, pass from each detector to an electronic data acquisition system for analysis. The light amplifying element or elements may comprise an array of phototubes, a multianode phototube, or a multichannel plate based image intensifier coupled to an array of photodiode detectors.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing content performance using creative extensions are provided. A content generation system receives request for a content item for presentation on a client device. The request includes an indication of a serving context for the content item. The content generation system uses a creative extension performance model and the serving context for the content item to calculate a predicted performance metric for the content item for multiple different potential creative extensions. Each of the potential creative extensions defines a different action that occurs in response to a user interaction with the content item. The content generation system selects one of the potential creative extensions based on the predicted performance metrics and generates a content item having the selected creative extension using data assets extracted from various data sources. The creative extension performance model is updated using event data from the client device.

Abstract: A device attempts to access a resource that requires a multi-factor authentication (MFA), and receives, from an MFA server device, a challenge form. The device performs natural language processing on the challenge form to determine a first location of an input for a security code and a second location of a verify button. The device provides, to an email server device, a request to access emails associated with a user of the device, and receives access to multiple emails associated with the user. The device processes the multiple emails to identify an MFA email in the multiple emails, and identifies a security code in the MFA email. The device provides the security code at the first location, and selects the verify button at the second location. The device provides the security code to the MFA server device, and receives information indicating whether the device is authenticated.