Abstract: A recommendation server provides product or service suggestions to a user based on transaction and location data. The recommendation server receives transaction data from a merchant device operated by a merchant affiliate. The transaction data contains information that is used to identify a suggested product or service. A search vicinity is determined based on the location of the merchant affiliate and the suggested product or service. A suggested merchant is determined that is located within the search vicinity, and that sells the suggested product or service. Information about the suggested merchant and the suggested product or service is sent to a user device operated by the user in order to encourage them to make a purchase from the suggested merchant.

Abstract: Broadly speaking, embodiments of the present techniques provide a voltage monitoring circuit for low power minimum-energy sensor nodes. The circuit comprises sensing circuitry to sense a monitored signal having a plurality of operating signal states; a first comparator having a first input for receiving an upper threshold signal; and a second comparator having a first input for receiving a lower threshold signal, the upper and lower threshold signals defining a range which includes at least one signal state of the plurality of operating states of the monitored signal, wherein the first and second comparators have a bias input for receiving a bias configuration setting, the bias configuration setting being selectable according to an operating signal state of the monitored signal.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide systems, methods, and techniques for managing merchandising cards. A merchandising card may be, for example, a gift card, loyalty card, or the like. Consistent disclosed embodiments, a system for managing merchandising cards may include one or more memory devices storing instructions and one or more processors configured to acquire, from a device over a network, a plurality of locations associated with the device, the device locations being acquired at different instances in time within a predetermined period of time. Additionally, the one or more processors may be configured to calculate an overall merchant confidence rating for a merchant using the device locations. Further, the one or more processors may be configured to, based on the overall merchant confidence rating, determine that the merchant matches a merchant that is associated with merchandising card, and send a reminder a user of the device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus (10) for generating X-rays. It is described to produce (210) with at least one power supply (40) a voltage between a cathode (20) and an anode (30). The cathode is positioned relative to the anode, and the cathode and anode are operable such that electrons emitted from the cathode interact with the anode with energies corresponding to the voltage, and wherein the electrons interact with the anode at a focal spot to generate X-rays. The at least one power supply provides (220) the cathode with a cathode current. An electron detector (50) is positioned (230) relative to the anode, and a backscatter electron signal is measured (240) from the anode. The measured backscatter electron signal is provided (250) to a processing unit (60).

Abstract: An electronic device 50 has at least one harvesting unit 52 for harvesting power from ambient energy. At least one circuit 54, including processing circuitry 56, is supplied with power from the harvesting unit 52. Control circuitry 60 is provided to adjust at least one property of the processing circuitry 56 or the at least one harvesting unit 52 to reduce impedance mismatch between an output impedance of the harvesting unit 52 and an input impedance of the at least one circuit 54.

Abstract: Briefly, embodiments of claimed subject matter relate to comparison of a signal amplitude, such as a signal originating from a battery, for example, with a reference signal. A reference signal may be generated via body-biasing of one or more transistors, for example, which permit operation of the one or more transistors in a sub-threshold state, in which current through the one or more transistors comprises an exponential relationship to an applied voltage. Thus, at least in particular embodiments, detection of low battery voltage or battery overvoltage may be performed utilizing only a very small amount of electrical power.

Abstract: System and method for plug and play is an architectural framework and associated mechanisms for plug and playable components. Further the present disclosure facilitates discovery of plug and playable components in a host system without human intervention in configuration and utilization. To achieve this, the system is provided with: a collection of standards and protocols to support functional and structural extensibility of systems; and a collection of services and events to support functional and structural extensibility of systems. Further, the present disclosure facilitates instant connection and disconnection of external component into the host system. In addition, the system also facilitates instant operation and halt of the functionalities provided by the external system and the components plugged into the host system.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of calibrating a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for a phase locked loop. The method includes prior to activating the phase locked loop, and prior to activating a frequency locked loop, causing a bias signal generator circuit to generate a control signal with a fixed control voltage for the VCO. The method continued with activating the frequency locked loop, and adjusting the bias signal generator to calibrate a transconductance of the bias signal generator while the frequency locked loop is activated. The frequency locked loop is then deactivated, and the phase locked loop is activated.

Abstract: In one illustrative example, an IP network media data router includes a spine and leaf switch architecture operative to provide IP multicast delivery of media data from source devices to receiver devices without the overhead communication with a controller. The architecture can include K spine switches, K sets of L leaf switches, M data links between each leaf switch, and a plurality of bidirectional data ports connected to each leaf switch for a guaranteed non-blocking IP multicast delivery of data. A deterministic hash function a used on both the first hop router and the last hop router to ensure the same spine node is selected for flow stitching. Accordingly, without the extra communication with a centralized controller, the right spine for establishing a multicast flow can be chosen using the deterministic hash function and the distributed resource information stored on each node.

Abstract: Briefly, embodiments of claimed subject matter relate to comparison of a signal amplitude, such as a signal originating from a battery, for example, with a reference signal. A reference signal may be generated via body-biasing of one or more transistors, for example, which permit operation of the one or more transistors in a sub-threshold state, in which current through the one or more transistors comprises an exponential relationship to an applied voltage.

Abstract: A system for testing substrates includes a first elongated member including an outer end, an inner end, an outer surface that extends between the outer and inner ends, and a concave surface at the inner end, and a second elongated member including an outer end, an inner end, an outer surface that extends between the outer and inner ends of the second elongated member, and a convex surface at the inner end of the second elongated member that opposes the concave surface at the inner end of the first elongated member. A joint interconnects the first and second elongated members for guiding sliding movement of the concave surface of the first elongated member over the convex surface of the second elongated member between extended and flexed positions. A first clamping assembly is coupled with the first elongated member and at least one first clamping assembly spring normally urges the first clamping assembly away from the inner end of the first elongated member.

Abstract: A circuit includes a frequency detector generating a comparison signal as a function of a comparison between a reference signal and a feedback signal. An oscillator generates an output signal as a function of the comparison signal. A frequency divider, in operation, divides the output signal by a division value to produce the feedback signal as having a frequency that is a multiple of a frequency of the reference signal. A frequency counter circuit measures the frequency of the reference signal and generates a count signal based thereupon. A control circuit adjusts the division value used by the frequency divider, in operation, based upon the count signal.

Abstract: A physical host machine of a public cloud system includes a set of processing units for executing instructions stored in non-transitory machine readable media. The physical host machine also includes a physical network interface cars (PNIC) and a non-transitory machine readable medium that stores a data compute node (DCN). The DCN includes first and second applications, first and second logical interfaces, a network stack, and a managed forwarding element (MFE). The first application is connected to the pNIC through the network stack, the first logical interface, and the MFE. The second application is connected to the PNIC through the network stack, the second logical interface, and the MFE.

Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for correcting transmit attenuation of an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a method includes setting a reference value of transmit attenuation for an amplifier of a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil, acquiring a two-dimensional B1 field map with the transmit attenuation set at the reference value, determining a mean flip angle from the B1 field map, determining a transmit attenuation correction value based on a prescribed flip angle and the mean flip angle, correcting the reference value of transmit attenuation with the transmit attenuation correction value to obtain a final value of transmit attenuation, and performing an MRI scan with the transmit attenuation set at the value.

Abstract: An aircraft structure protected from collisions with foreign objects includes a first support proximate to an aircraft structure root; first sheets attached to the first support to form a first leading edge portion of the aircraft structure; a second support proximate to an outer end of the aircraft structure; second sheets attached to the second support to form a second leading edge portion; and a door including one or more ribs disposed between the first and second supports and configured to give shape to a third leading edge portion of the aircraft structure; and third sheets, attached to the ribs to form the third portion of the leading edge; wherein the first support, the first sheets, the second support, the second sheets, the one or more ribs, and the third sheets are disposed to mitigate damage from a foreign object collision by absorbing kinetic energy from a collision.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a few mode optical fiber (100). The few mode optical fiber (100) includes a core region (102). A core region (102) defined by a region around a central longitudinal axis (116) of the few mode optical fiber (100). In addition, the core region (102) has a first annular region (106) extended from central longitudinal axis (116) to radius r1, a second annular region (108) extended from radius r1 to radius r2, a third annular region (110) extended from radius r2 to radius r3, a fourth annular region (112) extended from radius r3 to radius r4 and a fifth annular region (114) extended from radius r4 to radius r5. Also, the few mode optical fiber (100) has a cladding defined by the sixth annular region (104) extended from radius r5 to radius r6.

Abstract: In a particular implementation, an apparatus to control clamping devices includes a first control circuit and a second control circuit. The first control circuit is responsive to a detection signal and generates a first drive signal to control a body diode of a clamping device. The second control circuit is responsive to the detection signal and generates a second drive signal to control the gate terminal of the clamping device.

Abstract: In one illustrative example, an IP network media data router includes a spine and leaf switch architecture operative to provide IP multicast delivery of media data from source devices to receiver devices without the overhead communication with a controller. The architecture can include K spine switches, K sets of L leaf switches, M data links between each leaf switch, and a plurality of bidirectional data ports connected to each leaf switch for a guaranteed non-blocking IP multicast delivery of data. A deterministic hash function a used on both the first hop router and the last hop router to ensure the same spine node is selected for flow stitching. Accordingly, without the extra communication with a centralized controller, the right spine for establishing a multicast flow can be chosen using the deterministic hash function and the distributed resource information stored on each node.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mobile X-ray device, comprising: a housing with an X-ray source arranged therein, a sensor system comprising one or more sensors for aligning the X-ray source to an object to be scanned and/or detecting at least one extrinsic object in a predefined area in a vicinity of the X-ray beam of the X-ray source; a processor unit comprising determining the alignment of the X-ray source and the object to be scanned based on signals received from the sensor system; image acquisition for generating an X-ray image; activating a blockage signal for the mobile X-ray device based on signals received from the sensor system; and an interface for outputting the generated X-ray image and/or information; wherein image acquisition is blocked, if the sensor system signals one of the following: at least one extrinsic object is detected within the predefined area; lack of alignment between the X-ray source and the object to be scanned.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a few mode optical fiber. The few mode optical fiber includes a core region. A core region defined by a region around a central longitudinal axis of the few mode optical fiber. In addition, the core region has a first annular region extended from central longitudinal axis to radius r1, a second annular region extended from radius r1 to radius r2, a third annular region extended from radius r2 to radius r3, a fourth annular region extended from radius r3 to radius r4 and a fifth annular region extended from radius r4 to radius r5. Also, the few mode optical fiber has a cladding defined by the sixth annular region extended from radius r5 to radius r6.