Abstract: An intelligent shelving system uses touch sensors to operate power-operated, adjustable shelves. Touch sensors also are used as limit switches to control shelf motion, to monitor the encroachment of shelved items on shelves, to detect spills, and to control other related devices and functions, such as shelf lighting. Display units are provided to provide information relating to objects stored in the shelving system and to the operation of the shelving system.

Abstract: In a virtual reality environment, the behavior of the computer-controlled virtual vehicle may be made more human-like by increasing the AI driver's reaction time to environmental stimuli, such as physical stimuli (e.g., detecting a loss of tire traction, audio warning signals, smoke, virtual fatigue, weather changes, etc.) or “visual” stimuli (e.g., virtual visual detection by the computer driver of a turn or obstacle in its path, ambient lighting differences, etc.). Reaction time may be increased by introducing a delay in receipt of stimuli by the artificial intelligence motion control system, by introducing a delay in receipt of control signals by the physics engine, or by modifying the control signal to degrade their accuracy in approximating a prescribed racing line.

Abstract: A method serving as a catalyst and tool for improving the fundamental processes vital to a community by applying a quantitative, interlaced, simultaneous, multi-disciplinary, systems engineering approach to improve and maximize achievement of goals and processes occurring within a city or greater extended community, such as, a large watershed area. The method involves a specifically designed facility, a computer-based mathematical model, and an exemplary methodology for public participation based on the mathematical relationship and interdependencies of the educational activity, economic development, ecological preservation, environmental issues, research activity, and entertainment and recreation activity of the community.

Abstract: A simulation environment includes a number of simulation domains. Particular simulation domains in a simulation environment are selectively activated and deactivated such that performance and resolution for a circuit design being simulated are dynamically controlled.

Abstract: Systems and methods to facilitate user thinking about an arbitrary problem. The systems and methods include an output and interface to external components and resources. A system for facilitating construction of a model representing user understanding about an arbitrary problem is provided. The model has a combination of thinking components and knowledge components. The system includes first logic to facilitate user specification of at least one thinking structure, and second logic to facilitate user specification of at least one knowledge structure. Third logic facilitates linkages among thinking and knowledge structures, and model logic tracks user interaction with the first through third logic to construct a user model structure of user development and population of the user model structure, the thinking structures and the knowledge structures. Interface logic provides content to or from the user model structure or the archetype model structure.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention encompass methods for modeling of complex systems, which include, but are not limited to gene regulatory networks, biological systems, and the like. Other embodiments of the invention include the development of computational tools for the identification and discovery of potential targets for therapeutic intervention in diseases such as cancer. The embodiments discussed utilize methods that model the potential effect of individual genes on the global dynamical network behavior, both from the view of random gene mutation as well as intervention in order to elicit desired network behavior.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a plurality of home appliances provided in a building, wherein home appliance built-in communication modules are each adapted to convert information in an Ethernet standard format into that of a home appliance standard format and adapters are provided to connect the home appliance built-in communication modules to a phoneline network alliance (PNA) provided in the building to transmit and receive information therebetween. The home appliances can be controlled over a network using an existing telephone line. The adapters allow interconnection of the plurality of home appliances with no distance limitations.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the fundamental prediction, analysis, and parametric studies of the interaction of multiply scattered waves of any nature (acoustic, electromagnetic, elastic) with particulate composites (solid or fluid particulate phases included in a solid or fluid phase). It comprises of: a) a Prediction Engine 21 to predict the composite physical attributes from those of the constituent phases, b) an Inversion Engine 22 to estimate a subset of the attributes of the constituent phases and composite from the rest of those attributes, and c) an ergonomic Graphical Interface 23 to enable the user to easily set up complex simulation experiments for the analysis, and synthesis of real systems in which generic waves interact with composites. The Prediction Engine 22 is suitable for integration into existing acoustic or optical particle size analyzers to thereby extending their concentration ranges by at least two orders of magnitude.

Abstract: An efficient parallel event simulation method is implemented by simulating blocks of M edge events, where M is approximately equal to e logeN, and N being the number of interconnected processing elements. Following a simulation iteration, each processing element shares information with adjacent processing elements that relates to events that the processing elements simulated which may affect the simulation of events at the neighbor processing elements. When the communication reveals that the information that is shared by a neighbor processing elements is different from the information that the processing element assumed, then the arriving information is kept and the simulation process is repeated. In executing the repeated simulations of a block, the same random variable values are employed. When all of the processing elements find that the arriving shared information is the same as the information already known to the receiving processing element, simulation of the block ends.

Abstract: An apparatus concurrently executing designing of a mechanism and developing of embedded software. A three-dimensional-mechanism model simulates an operation of the mechanism, an embedded software developing section develops a control program to control the designing and operation of the mechanism in parallel to each other, a first interface inputs designing data from a mechanism designing section to the three-dimensional-mechanism model simulator for being dynamically reflected on the three-dimensional-mechanism model, and a second interface transfers data between the three-dimensional-mechanism model simulator and the embedded software developing section while synchronizing the simulator and the embedded software developing section with each other.

Abstract: A method and system for creating a simulation authoring environment. Specifically, the present invention discloses a method and system for creating a simulation application that simulates a real-life interaction with a network device. In one embodiment, a real command-line interface with the device is monitored at a server computer. The interface, including the line-commands and their outputs are captured. The line-commands for the particular communication sequence are summarized and grouped into steps. Also, the line-commands can be edited. New line-commands can also be introduced into the communication sequence. Additionally, the server computer re-executes the communication sequence in order to determine all the valid permutations associated with the communication sequence. A simulation application is generated such that the simulation application presents real-life outputs to command-line inputs in an instructional exercise format.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a medical diagnosis is provided. In a first embodiment of the present invention a conversion table is created and stored in a computerized storage media of a computerized system, the conversion table converts raw test data into numeric values. Furthermore, a sub-diagnosis database is created and stored in the storage media, the sub-diagnosis database including a plurality of rules, each rule being identified by at least one diagnosis parameter. Patient test results are then input to the computerized system where they are converted into numeric analyte values by the conversion table. The numeric analyte values are compared to the diagnosis parameters of the rules stored in the sub-diagnosis database, wherein the rules having diagnosis parameters corresponding to the numeric analyte values are saved in the computerized system.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for controlling a system that operates responsive to a plurality of input control signals are disclosed. During operation the system generates a plurality of output status/control signals. A master controller has at least first and second controllers. The first controller outputs and inputs signals over a first communication path, and the second controller outputs and inputs signals over a second communication path. The first and second controllers output signals based on input signals received over the first and second communication paths, respectively, and also based on stored control data. A plurality of input/output modules are provided. Each of the input/output modules has first and second slave controllers. The first slave controller of each of the input/output modules inputs and outputs signals over the first communication path to the first controller, and the second slave controller outputs and inputs signals over the second communication path.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for searching a database of web site functional characteristics to identify web sites that are compatible with designated functions are provided. With the apparatus and method, a database of functional characteristics is compiled and a search interface is provided. The database may be compiled in an automatic, manual, or semiautomatic manner by, for example, retrieving web site content with various functions of a web browser disabled and analyzing the resultant output through the web browser. With the search interface, a user may enter designations of the functional characteristics that the user is either interested in having or not having in the resultant list of web sites. Based on the user's designation of functional characteristics, the search engine associated with the search interface searches the database of web sites and identifies the web site entries in the database that are compatible with the designated functional characteristics.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for providing secure and opaque type libraries to automatically provide secure variables within a programming module. A system for providing secure and opaque type libraries to automatically provide secure variables within a programming module. The system includes an OTL selection module, an OTL substitution module, an OTL type library database, a compiler module; and a linker module to create an executable processing module. The OTL selection module randomly selects or generates one of the possible variable obfuscation functions for each declared secure variable. The OTL substitution module substitutes the separate instance of the selected variable obfuscation function for every reference to the declared secure variable. The OTL type library database receives queries from the OTL selection module a database to identify of possible variable obfuscation functions applicable for the variable type corresponding to the declared secure variables.

Abstract: A control system for a plant is disclosed. The control system includes a controller for controlling the plant based on a controlled object model which is obtained by modeling the plant. The controlled object model is modeled using an input and an output of the plant which are sampled at intervals of a sampling period which is longer than a control period of the controller. The sampled input of the plant is a filtered control output which is obtained by filtering an output of the controller. The controller carries out a control process of the plant at intervals of the control period.

Abstract: The present invention leverages scalable learning methods to efficiently obtain a Bayesian network for a set of variables of which the total ordering in a domain is known. Certain criteria are employed to generate a Bayesian network which is then evaluated and utilized as a guide to generate another Bayesian network for the set of variables. Successive iterations are performed utilizing a prior Bayesian network as a guide until a stopping criterion is reached, yielding a best-effort Bayesian network for the set of variables.

Abstract: Selection of certain attributes as output and input attributes is provided so a decision tree may be created more efficiently. For each possible output attribute an interestingness score is calculated. This interestingness score is based on entropy of the output attribute and a desirable entropy constant. The attributes with the highest interestingness score are used as output attributes in the creation of the decision tree. Score gains for the input attribute over the output attributes are calculated using a conventional scoring algorithm. The sum of the score gains over all output attributes for each input attribute is calculated. The attributes with the highest score gain sums are used as input attributes in the creation of the decision tree.

Abstract: A Soft Computing (SC) optimizer for designing a Knowledge Base (KB) to be used in a control system for controlling a motorcycle is described. In one embodiment, a simulation model of the motorcycle and rider control is used. In one embodiment, the simulation model includes a feedforward rider model. The SC optimizer includes a fuzzy inference engine based on a Fuzzy Neural Network (FNN). The SC Optimizer provides Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) structure selection, FIS structure optimization method selection, and teaching signal selection and generation. The user selects a fuzzy model, including one or more of: the number of input and/or output variables; the type of fuzzy inference; and the preliminary type of membership functions. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to optimize linguistic variable parameters and the input-output training patterns. A GA is also used to optimize the rule base, using the fuzzy model, optimal linguistic variable parameters, and a teaching signal. The GA produces a near-optimal FNN.

Abstract: According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of modelling a network comprising operating the network as a neural network and executing a neural network modelling algorithm on the network, whereby the network models its own response to a requested action.