Abstract: The present methods and apparatus can provide improved efficacy with improved tolerance. The methods and apparatus can be configured to alter the stimulus, which can decrease neural adaptation of the subject and provide an improved response. The acoustic stimulus can be delivered as a tone, which can make the stimulus more acceptable to the subject receiving the stimulus. The stimulus may comprise a varying stimulus in order to decrease neural adaptation to the stimulus. The stimulus can be varied by varying one or more of a duty cycle, a frequency, or a shape of the waveform. The waveform may comprise a plurality of individual pulses, in which the waveform varies among pulses of the plurality. Acoustic stimulation can be combined with electrical stimulation. The device may comprise a plurality of sensors to determine the response of the subject.

Abstract: A multi-use block including a block body having at least a first leg. The blocks can be placed in different orientations with respect to each other to form multiple interlocking structures. The block can be a variety of materials, including concrete, and when concrete, used for making walls and columns. Methods of making and methods of use are provided.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods using microelectromechanical systems MEMS techniques to provide cryogenic and/or general cooling of a device or sensor system. In one embodiment, a system includes a compressor assembly and MEMS expander assembly in fluid communication with the compressor assembly via a gas transfer line configured to physically separate and thermally decouple the MEMS expander assembly from the compressor assembly. The MEMS expander assembly includes a plurality of expander cells each including a MEMS displacer, a cell regenerator, and an expansion volume disposed between the MEMS displacer and the cell regenerator, and the plurality of cell regenerators are configured to combine to form a contiguous shared regenerator for the MEMS expander assembly.

Abstract: A vision laser receiver having a sensing surface with a fixed geometry such that laser light received by the sensing surface will illuminate a particular section of the sensing surface and the precise elevation and/or tilt of the laser receiver will be determined from the illumination of the sensing surface.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing a generation lock for protecting a data structure is provide. The systems and methods synchronizes read and write transactions for a protected data structure in a multitasking environment and provides low latency and improved scalability. For example, a system and method for implementing a generation lock for protecting a data structure may be provided. The generation lock provides an improved mechanism for restricting access to a data structure that is typically read more often than written. Specifically, the generation lock provides a method for reading and writing to a protected data structures that has a low average latency as compared to traditional read/write semaphores. The generation lock also provides a mechanism in which the system is scalable, meaning that the addition of additional processor cores is capable of increasing the performance, e.g., rate of executing requests, of the system, and is not or is not substantially rate limited by a shared resource.

Abstract: An energy degrading device for attenuating energy of a particle beam with reduced emittance growth. An energy degrader comprises an emittance control material that can preferentially scatter the beam particles that is incident on a surface with a shallow angle. In one approach, the energy degrader may include alternating layers of a low-Z and a high-Z material, wherein the low Z material serves to attenuate energy of the beam particles by virtue of scattering and the high Z material serves to suppress the emittance increase by scattering back the beam particles toward the beam axis. In another approach, the energy degrader may be composed of carbon nanotubes or a material with oriented crystalline structure that is substantially orientated in the incident direction of the particle beam. The carbon nanotubes may serve to preferentially scatter beam particles towards the central beam axis as well as attenuate energy thereof.

Abstract: Adaptive charging networks in accordance with embodiments of the invention enable the optimization of electric design of charging networks for electric vehicles. One embodiment includes an electric vehicle charging network, including one or more centralized computing systems, a communications network, several, electric vehicle node controllers for charging several electric vehicles (EVs), where the one or more centralized computing systems is configured to: receive the electric vehicle node parameters from several electric vehicle node controllers, calculate a charging rates for the electric vehicle node controllers using quadratic programming (QP), where the quadratic programming computes the charging rates based on the electric vehicle node parameters, adaptive charging parameters and a quadratic cost function, and distributes the charging rates to the electric vehicle node controllers.

Abstract: An information processing and display system comprising steering wheel (10) having a rim (12) and at least one spoke (14), and a plurality of sensors (102, 106, 108) placed about one or both of the rim and the spoke, each sensor selectively actuable due to the proximity of a finger, fingers, a hand or hands of a driver; and a processor, logic device or computer (120) in communication with each sensor and capable of detecting specific hand or finger movements corresponding to specific desirable functions.

Abstract: Medical devices and related method for improving blood flow to regions of a patient are described herein. Some medical devices may include a first graft portion, a second graft portion, and a catheter portion disposed between the first graft portion and the second graft portion. The medical device may be implanted into a patient to establish a non-natural flow path.

Abstract: A scanning system includes an improved arrangement of shielding curtains to limit radiation leakage while achieving high throughput and limiting system length. The scanning system includes a segmented conveyor, including a faster conveyor through a shielding region to improve increase throughput of scanned articles, and a slower conveyor through a scanning region to ensure acceptable scanning performance. The curtains are arranged based on the changing gap distance between the articles that results from the changing conveyor speeds.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a hemostasis valve with a selectively coupled torque device. The hemostasis valve may include a first mating interface, and the torque device may comprise a second mating interface. The first interface may comprise a groove that retains the second interface, which may comprise a ridge. An axial force may couple and decouple the interfaces. The interfaces may be configured to allow the torque device to rotate relative to the hemostasis valve when in a coupled position.

Abstract: An electrode assembly having a tubular support jacket that defines an internal compartment. The internal compartment is actively cooled by coolant. An electrode tip is coupled to the tubular support jacket. The electrode tip receives electricity through the tubular support jacket. An insulator construct surrounds at least part of the tubular support jacket. The insulator construct includes an insulation base, an insulation tube and an insulation cap. A gas supply conduit is interposed between the tubular support jacket and the insulation tube, wherein the gas supply conduit receives a working gas from a working gas supply. A thermally conductive casing surrounds at least part of the insulator construct. The thermally conductive casing is actively cooled. The thermally conductive casing actively cools the insulator construct, the underlying tubular support jacket, and thus the electrode tip. The active cooling reduces over-heating of the electrode tip and prevents excessive consumption and erosion.

Abstract: Use of available bits in the TEID field of the GTP header to hold information needed to recreate at least a partial state of the session, enough for it to be routed, without waiting for a full state update. The GTP PDU contains the IP Payload with the source and destination IP addresses. The embodiments use that information and the coded TEID bits to provide sufficient routing information so that the packet can be routed without the full state. The TEID is coded to include bits identifying the APN and bits identifying the QCI of the session. A bit can be used to indicate drop if the full state not available. The remaining bits are used to identify unique user sessions. Some of the TEID bits can be encoded with the charging ID. Because sufficient routing information is provided in each packet, a backup gateway does not need to checkpoint.

Abstract: An ophthalmic treatment system and method for performing therapy on target tissue in a patient's eye. A delivery system delivers treatment light to the patient's eye and a camera captures a live image of the patient's eye. Control electronics control the delivery system, register a pre-treatment image of the patient's eye to the camera's live image (where the pre-treatment image includes a treatment template that identifies target tissue within the patient's eye), and verify whether or not the delivery system is aligned to the target tissue defined by the treatment template. The control electronics control the delivery system to project the treatment light onto the patient's eye in response to both an activation of a trigger device and the verification that the delivery system is aligned to the target tissue, as well as adjust delivery system alignment to track eye movement.

Abstract: An integrated manifold system is disclosed that combines in a single, compact, unitary assembly a one-piece, machined manifold for connecting air supply cylinders with a first stage regulator and recharge port. The manifold body has at least one bottle port configured to removably receive a bottle of pressurized air, a first stage regulator chamber, a quick disconnect fitting port, an air channel in fluid communication with the at least one bottle port and the first stage regulator chamber, and an outlet channel in fluid communication with the first stage regulator chamber.

Abstract: Described embodiments provide systems and methods for stateless modification of operating system registry data across network boundaries. The system includes a processor coupled to memory and configured to execute instructions to receive, within a first network, a request to apply a modification to an operating system registry of a second device within a second network different from the first network. The processor queues data describing the requested modification, receives a polling request from the second device, and transmits, to the second device responsive to the polling request, the queued data describing the requested modification for the second device to apply to the operating system registry of the second device. For example, the requested modification may be to create a key, to create a value, to delete a key, or to delete a value.

Abstract: Messaging communications systems and methods are disclosed herein. An example system includes a beacon architecture including a server; and a plurality of beacons arranged around an environment, the server being configured to sense a real-time center of gravity of a communication device from any of the plurality of beacons receiving communications from the communication device, the real-time center of gravity being a location of the communication device within the environment, transmit a notification to the communication device, the notification including a link to content based on the real-time center of gravity, and transmit the content to the communication device based on a selection of the link.

Abstract: A media presentation and distribution system includes a verification server that handles dynamic verification of playback of media assets on a client device. The client device receives an asset stream of media assets that comprises one or more tags embedded in the media assets. The client device detects an asset identifier associated with each of the media assets during playback of each media asset on the client device, based on identification of a tag of the one or more tags. The verification server verifies the playback of the media assets on the client device based on received support information from the client device. The playback of the media assets are verified to satisfy defined asset delivery criteria and to identify and debug a deviation or one or more errors with the playback of the media assets.