Abstract: Microchip devices are provided that include a substrate; a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, each reservoir defining an internal volume; and a reservoir cap positioned on or in each of the reservoirs bounding the internal volume from an external environment, the reservoir cap being formed of a material that undergoes a phase change upon heating, wherein the internal volume can communicate with the external environment upon heating said reservoir cap to cause said reservoir cap to undergo a phase change and rupture.

Abstract: A television line doubler (interlaced to progressive scan converter) incorporating the following aspects an improved field motion detector which does not treat low frequency vertical transitions as motion; a frame motion detector having an improved ability to differentiate motion from subcarrier signal components; a sawtooth artifact detector; a sawtooth artifact detector in combination with a film pattern detector, such that the artifact detector can take the film pattern detector out of film mode earlier than it would if it only were responsive to a break in the film pattern; tandem field motion detectors; an improved field based film detector; film pattern detectors and motion detectors used therewith which operate by performing end-of-field calculations; the combination of a field motion detector and a frame motion detector such that the frame motion detector provides a motion signal used as a verification by the field motion detector; an improved NTSC film detector requiring a minimum number of NTSC film

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing multimedia streams to a plurality of display devices coupled with a source device. An example method includes mapping a first subset of pixels for display on a first one of the plurality of display devices from a native stream at a source device to a first stream, mapping a second subset of pixels for display on a second one of the plurality of display devices from the native stream to a second stream, and transmitting simultaneously the first and second streams from the source device.

Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for the controlled release or exposure of reservoir contents. The device includes a reservoir cap formed of an electrically conductive material, which prevents the reservoir contents from passing out from the device and prevents exposure of the reservoir contents to molecules outside of the device; an electrical input lead connected to said reservoir cap; and an electrical output lead connected to said reservoir cap, such that upon application of an electrical current through the reservoir cap, via the input lead and output lead, the reservoir cap ruptures to release or expose the reservoir contents. The reservoir contents can comprise a release system containing drug molecules for release or can comprise a secondary device, such as a sensor. In one embodiment, the controlled release system is incorporated into an implantable drug delivery device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for determining a horizontal resolution and a phase of an analog video signal arranged to display a number of scan lines each formed of a number of pixels is described. A number of initialization values are set where at least one of the initialization values is a current horizontal resolution and then a difference value for each immediately adjacent ones of the pixels is determined. Next, an edge flag value based upon the difference value is stored in at least one of a number of accumulators such that when at least one of the accumulators has a stored edge flag value that is substantially greater than those stored edge flag values in the other accumulators, then the horizontal resolution is set to the current resolution.

Abstract: Method and devices are provided for extended and controlled delivery of parathyroid hormone to a patient. The method includes implanting a medical device into the patient, the medical device comprising a substrate, a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, a release system contained in each of the reservoirs, wherein the release system comprises parathyroid hormone; and controllably releasing a pharmaceutically effective amount of the parathyroid hormone from the reservoirs. The parathyroid hormone can be released intermittently, such as once daily over an extended period (e.g., two months, ten months, or more.). The device can further include reservoirs containing a bone resorption inhibitor or other drug for release. The devices are useful in delivering PTH for the treatment and prevention of bone loss, such as associated with osteoporosis.

Abstract: Devices are provided for the controlled exposure or release of contents stored in hermetically sealed reservoirs. The devices comprise a primary substrate having a front side and a back side, and including one or more hermetic sealing materials; a plurality of reservoirs in the primary substrate positioned between the front side and the back side; reservoir contents, which comprise chemical molecules (such as drugs) or a secondary device (such as a glucose sensor), located inside the reservoirs; a hermetic sealing substrate having a surface composed of one or more hermetic sealing materials; and a hermetic seal formed between and joining the primary substrate and the hermetic sealing substrate, wherein the hermetic seal independently seals the reservoirs.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for determining motion vectors to be used for interpolation of intermediary frames in a digital video sequence are disclosed. A first image frame including several image patches is received. A second image frame including one or more image patches corresponding to the image patches in the first image frame is received. For each image patch that occurs in both frames, the following operations occur: forward and backward motion vectors are determined for the image patch in the first image frame, forward and backward motion vectors are determined for the image patch in the second image frame, one motion vector from the first image frame and one motion vector from the second frame are selected and the selected motion vectors are used to establish an intermediary position of the image patch in an interpolated frame between the frames.

Abstract: Reducing fast motion artifacts in an LCD panel by receiving a video stream at a first frame rate which is then downsampled to a second frame rate. The downsampled video stream is then upsampled to a third frame rate and a voltage is applied to a pixel element such that the pixel element transitions from a first pixel value to a predetermined second pixel value within a period of time consistent with the third frame rate.

Abstract: Methods, formulations, and devices are provided for enhancing drug delivery from a medical device. The method is provided for increasing the rate or quantity of a drug formulation released from an implantable drug delivery device, which method comprises the step of providing a release-modifying agent within or proximate to the implantable drug delivery device, in a manner effective to inhibit gelation, aggregation, or precipitation of the drug formulation being released from the device. The drug formulation and the release-modifying agent may be stored together in at least one reservoir in the implantable drug deliver device. Alternatively, the release-modifying agent may be stored in one or more reservoirs separate from the drug formulation.

Abstract: A method of coupling a multimedia source device to a multimedia sink device by providing a source device having a transmitter unit coupled thereto, providing sink device having a receiver unit coupled thereto, receiving a source data stream in accordance with a native stream rate by the transmitter unit, coupling the transmitter unit and the receiver unit by way of a linking unit, forming a multimedia data packet stream formed of a number of multimedia data packets and generating a transport schedule for transferring the multimedia data packet stream in accordance with a link rate between the transmitter unit and the receiver unit wherein the multimedia data.

Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for the controlled release or exposure of reservoir contents. The device includes a substrate, a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, reservoir contents disposed in the reservoirs, discrete reservoir caps covering each reservoir to seal the reservoir contents in the reservoirs, and control circuitry for selectively disintegrating the reservoir caps to release or expose the reservoir contents in vivo. At least one of the reservoir caps comprises a first electrically conductive layer coated with one or more protective layers. In one embodiment, the control circuitry comprises an electrical input lead and an electrical output lead connected to and directly contacting each of said reservoir caps and a source of electric power for applying an electrical current through each reservoir cap in an amount effective to rupture each of the reservoir caps.

Abstract: Managing power in a display controller having an on-board power supply coupled to a host device having an off-board power supply by way of a connector is described. If the on-board power supply is active, then power is supplied to the display controller by the off-board power supply by way of the connector and a low frequency clock arranged to provide a low frequency clock signal is turned on. Alternatively, when it is determined that the on-board power supply is active, then power is supplied to the display controller by the on-board power supply only, the low frequency clock is turned off and a high frequency clock arranged to provide a high frequency clock signal is turned on.

Abstract: An implantable medical device is provided for controlled delivery or exposure of reservoir contents. The device may include a substrate; a plurality of discrete reservoirs in the substrate, wherein the reservoirs have interior walls and at least one opening in the substrate; reservoir contents disposed in the reservoirs; a reservoir cap closing the at least one opening of each of the reservoirs to seal the reservoir contents in each of the reservoirs; and control circuitry for selectively disintegrating the reservoir caps to release or expose the reservoir contents in vivo, wherein the interior walls of the reservoirs comprise a material to protect the substrate in vivo. For example, to enhance the resistance of the substrate to etching in vivo, the interior sidewalls of the reservoirs may include a protective coating (such as gold, platinum, carbon, silicon carbide, silicon dioxide, or platinum silicide), or the sidewalls may include a doped silicon.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for reducing the power consumption of a microprocessor. One or more signal transitions in an instruction set of a microprocessor are profiled. A probability of occurrence is assigned to each instruction in the instruction set. A binary operation code is assigned to each instruction, based on the probability of occurrence for the instruction. The instructions having the highest probability of occurrence are assigned operation codes that require fewer signal transitions. As a result, the power consumption of the microprocessor is reduced.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for performing temporal motion vector filtering in digital video are disclosed. A recursive hierarchical process is used to determine a motion vector. In the recursive hierarchical process, a neighborhood of old motion vectors is filtered to generate a first estimated motion vector for an image patch in a pair of two image frames. The filtering process uses multiple vectors in a neighborhood around the old motion vector to improve the prediction of the first estimated motion vector. The temporal vector partitioning process separates motion vectors associated with an object from motion vectors associated with a background before selecting a best motion vector, which improves the selection process. The process also works well in the absence of object/background boundaries, as in this case the outlier (incorrect) vector or vectors will be separated out from the good vectors.

Abstract: An implantable medical device is provided for use with an external detector to detect an analyte in vivo. In one embodiment, the device consisting essentially of a substrate; a plurality of discrete reservoirs located in the substrate, each reservoir having at least one opening; a reacting component contained in each reservoir; and at least one non-degradable barrier layer covering each reservoir opening, the barrier layer being permeable to an analyte to be detected, wherein the reacting component remains inside the reservoirs and can react with the analyte to be detected, and wherein the device is adapted for implantation into the body of a patient.

Abstract: Detecting when the on-board power supply is powered on or off by an auto activity detection circuit by determining if the reference clock signal (TCLK) is toggling and if the reference clock signal is toggling, then charging a capacitor to a high voltage in the auto activity detection circuit based on the toggling reference clock signal, and outputting an on-board power supply activity signal based upon the high voltage by the auto activity detection circuit indicative of whether or not the on-board power supply is active.

Abstract: A packet based display interface arranged to couple a multimedia source device to a multimedia sink device is disclosed that includes a transmitter unit coupled to the source device arranged to receive a source packet data stream in accordance with a native stream rate, a receiver unit coupled to the sink device, and a linking unit coupling the transmitter unit and the receiver unit arranged to transfer a multimedia data packet stream formed of a number of multimedia data packets based upon the source packet data stream in accordance with a link rate between the transmitter unit and the receiver unit.

Abstract: Methods are provided for controlled reservoir opening, including the steps of (a) providing a biocompatible implantable device which comprises at least one substrate, a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, reservoir caps each of which covers one of the reservoirs, and molecules sealed inside the reservoirs; and (b) selectively heating each reservoir cap in an amount effective to rupture the reservoir cap and open the reservoir. In another embodiment, the method steps include (a) implanting into a patient a biocompatible device which comprises at least one substrate, a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate, reservoir caps each of which covers one of the reservoirs, and molecules sealed inside the reservoirs; and (b) selectively heating each reservoir cap in an amount effective to rupture the reservoir cap and open the reservoir.