Abstract: The present invention relates to hair removal. In order to provide a hair-removal apparatus with improved user acceptance, a hair-removal apparatus (10) is provided that comprises a hair-removal device (12) with a movable hair-removal component (14) which comprises at least a first hair-contacting member (36) and a second hair-contacting member (36) which are movable relative to each other and which are configured and arranged to mutually co-operate for removing hairs by mutually exerting a contact force, a pressing component (40) configured and arranged to generate said contact force by exerting a pressing force (20) on the movable hair-removal component during operation, a skin proximity sensing component (16), and a force adjusting component (18). The skin proximity sensing component (16) is configured and arranged to detect a relative distance (22) between the movable hair-removal component (14) and a portion of the skin (24) with hairs to be removed.

Abstract: The oral care appliance comprises: a fluid pump (46); a source of liquid (50); and a source of gas (12); wherein the pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses and/or a jet fluid flow using liquid slugs in a selected sequence directed to a nozzle and from there to the teeth, and a control assembly for selecting pulse flow or slug flow with specific set times and sequence directed to a nozzle assembly (80) and from there to the teeth; wherein the pulses have a pulse width within the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz, and wherein the gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume gas to liquid, or wherein the fluid slugs in the jet flow have a volume in the range of 0.05-0.5 ml per orifice, a diameter in the range of 0.1-2 mm and a repetition rate within the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz.

Abstract: The invention relates to obfuscating data while maintaining local predictive relationships. An embodiment of the present invention is directed to cryptographically obfuscating a data set in a manner that hides personally identifiable information (PII) while allowing third parties to train classes of machine learning algorithms effectively. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the obfuscation acts as a symmetric encryption so that the original obfuscating party may relate the predictions on the obfuscated data to the original PII. The various features of the present invention enable third party prediction services to safely interact with PII.

Abstract: A three-dimensional source device provides a three-dimensional display signal for a display via a high speed digital interface, such as HDMI. The three-dimensional display signal comprises a sequence of frames. The sequence of frames comprises units, each unit corresponding to frames comprising video information intended to be composited and displayed as a three-dimensional image. The three-dimensional source device includes three-dimensional transfer information comprising at least information about the video frames in the unit. The display detects the three-dimensional transfer information, and generates the display control signals based in dependence on the three-dimensional transfer information.

Abstract: An electrode configured to provide electrical contact with skin of a subject is provided. The electrode includes an electrode body configured to be removably coupled with the skin of the subject and to receive electrical signals from and/or transmit electrical signals to the skin of the subject, and an electrical coupling that facilitates coupling the electrode to an external computing system. The electrode body includes a conductive silicone material configured to enable uptake or diffusion of moisture from the skin of the subject over which the electrode body is disposed; and a detergent configured to facilitate a flow of ions through the conductive silicone material.

Abstract: A method includes receiving radiation with a hybrid data detection system of an imaging system. The hybrid data detection system includes a hybrid data detector array with a set of spectral detectors and a set of integrating detectors that are arranged along a transverse axis of an examination region. The method further includes generating a set of truncated spectral projections with the first set of spectral detectors. The method further includes estimating a set of spectral projections for the integrating detectors. The method further includes combining the set of truncated spectral projections and the estimated set of spectral projections. The method further includes estimating a set of spectral projections based on the combined set to produce a complete set of spectral projections. The method further includes processing the complete set of spectral projections to generate volumetric image data.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus (100) comprising a process tunnel (102) including a lower tunnel wall (122), an upper tunnel wall (142), and two lateral tunnel walls (128), said tunnel walls being configured to bound a process tunnel space (104) that extends in a longitudinal transport direction (7) and that is suitable for accommodating at least one substantially planar substrate (180) oriented parallel to the upper and lower tunnel walls (122, 142), the process tunnel being divided in a lower tunnel body (120) comprising the lower tunnel wall and an upper tunnel body (140) comprising the upper tunnel wall, which tunnel bodies (120, 140) are separably joinable to each other along at least one longitudinally extending join (160), such that they are mutually movable between a closed configuration in which the tunnel walls (122, 128, 142) bound the process tunnel space (104) and an open configuration that enables lateral maintenance access to an interior of the process tunnel.

Abstract: Patient imaging systems, such as PET imaging systems, for example, may suffer from the introduction of artificially introduced noise. This noise is, typically, introduced during iterations of reconstruction algorithms, such as the least-squares algorithms, which attempts to recreate a 2D or a 3D image from raw acquisition information. The noise appears as “hot-spots” in the reconstructed image. Approaches to address these artefacts use filtering approaches. Typically, a least-squares reconstruction is supplemented with a penalty term, an approach known as “Relative Difference Penalty”. The penalty parameter causes the reconstruction algorithm to filter more or less strongly at certain regions of the reconstruction. The present application proposes an approach which supplements the penalty term with continuous probability information about the likelihood of an edge being present in a portion of an image.

Abstract: An improved reconfigurable label assembly is presented. The assembly includes a container, a front panel, a back panel, a bottom panel, and an optional pair of attachment elements. The bottom panel is disposed between and substantially parallel to the front and back panels in a first configuration to form a label attached to and completely separable from the container. The label is disposed along an outer surface of the container in the first configuration and is configurable to form a receptacle in a second configuration. The front and back panels are separable and the bottom panel is expandable to form the receptacle after the label is removed from the container. The receptacle is capable of holding a consumable product. The receptacle is reconfigurable to the label after use as the receptacle so that the label may be directly reattached to the container. The optional attachment elements cooperate to releasably secure the front, back, and bottom panels to the container in the first configuration.

Abstract: An audio encoder comprises a multi-channel receiver which receives an M-channel audio signal where M>2. A down-mix processor down-mixes the M-channel audio signal to a first stereo signal and associated parametric data and a spatial processor modifies the first stereo signal to generate a second stereo signal in response to the associated parametric data and spatial parameter data for a binaural perceptual transfer function, such as a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The second stereo signal is a binaural signal and may specifically be a (3D) virtual spatial signal. An output data stream comprising the encoded data and the associated parametric data is generated by an encode processor and an output processor. The HRTF processing may allow the generation of a (3D) virtual spatial signal by conventional stereo decoders. A multi-channel decoder may reverse the process of the spatial processor to generate an improved quality multi-channel signal.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein relate to a wearable device for monitoring health parameters of a patient. According to various embodiments, a wearable device, associated mobile device, or other user device may receive health parameters of the user obtained by at least one sensor configured to sense one or more health parameters from the user; receive an identification of a medical alert to be provided to third parties with respect to the user, persist the identification of the medical alert in a memory of the user device, and repeatedly transmit at least one of the identification of the medical alert and an indication of the availability of the medical alert via a communications interface of the user device configured to communicate wirelessly with nearby reader devices.

Abstract: An interventional system includes an introduction element (4) such as a catheter for being introduced into an object (9), for instance, a person. A moving unit (2) such as a robot moves the introduction element within the object. A tracking image generating unit (3) generates, using a radiation beam (7), tracking images of the introduction element within the object. A controller (8) controls the tracking image generating unit depending on movement parameters of the moving unit, which are indicative of the movement. The control operation of the controller (8) allows reducing radiation dose applied to the object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new method for increasing drought resistance of a plant. The method encompasses the impairment of the expression of a gene or genes in said plant. In comparison to a plant not manipulated to impair the expression of said gene(s), the plants display improved drought resistance. Also provided are plants and plant products that can be obtained by the method according to the invention.

Abstract: An image processing system (IPS) and related method for image reconstruction operations, in particular for spectral computed tomography imaging. The image reconstruction operation is based on optimizing a regularized objective or cost function. The objective function includes a regularization term (R) that incorporates, as a-priori knowledge, a known amount of a material resident within a field of view to be reconstructed.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of operating a gas burner (2, 3) of a gas cooking appliance (1). The gas burner (2, 3) comprises a safety valve (7) for closing and opening gas supply to the gas burner (2, 3) and a step valve (8) for setting a gas flow rate to the gas burner (2, 3). Shut-off of the gas burner (2, 3) comprises closing the safety valve (7) while leaving the step valve (8) open at least for a predetermined period of time from complete closure of the safety valve (7).

Abstract: A method for estimating the absolute size dimensions of a test object based on image data of the test object, namely a face or part of a person. The method includes receiving image data of the test object, determining a first model of the test object based on the received image data, and aligning and scaling the first model to a first average model that includes an average of a plurality of first models of reference objects being faces or parts of faces of reference persons. The first models of the reference objects are of a same type as the first model of the test object.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating bill pay requests via an internet-enabled video displaying device are described. The transaction generating system presents users with the option to generate a bill pay request to vendors of products and/or services while the user is passively consuming video content. As video content relating to a given product or service is displayed, a notification invites the user to generate a bill pay request. The user can then use the internet-enabled video displaying device to generate and send a request to transfer funds to the vendor.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with multi SIM card device binding are described herein. According to one embodiment, a system includes an authentication logic configured to enable communication between an entity and a user. The user is associated with a user profile. The system further includes a carrier logic configured to identify a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of a carrier. The carrier logic also requests carrier data associated with the SIM card from the carrier. An update logic is configured to update the user profile with the carrier data.

Abstract: An integrated circuit array, in particular for two dimensional sensor arrays such as ultrasound imaging systems is disclosed. The integrated circuit array (10) comprises a plurality of integrated circuit elements (12) each formed in a substrate (14), wherein the substrates are separated from each other. The array comprises a flexible and/or stretchable connection layer (22) connected to the integrated circuit elements for flexibly connecting the integrated circuit elements to each other. The array further comprises a plurality of electrical interconnects (18) for electrically connecting the integrated circuit elements to each other, wherein the electrical interconnects are formed as metal lines in one piece with integrated interconnects of the integrated circuit elements.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus comprises an MR imaging device (10) including a magnet (12) and heat generating components (18, 20, 22, 24). A cooling system (30) cools the heat generating components using chilled water from an air-cool chiller (28). Sensors (TS, VS) are configured to measure thermal parameters of the heat generating components or of the cooling system. An MR controller (40) controls the MR imaging device to execute an MR imaging examination program (“exam card”) (42) and to adjust the execution of the MR imaging examination program in response to a thermal parameter measured by the one or more sensors indicating the cooling system has insufficient cooling capacity. The MR controller may also adjust the exam card prior to its execution if the cooling system (30) has insufficient cooling capacity at the current air temperature to dissipate the heat load as estimated by a power dissipation model (80).