Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for treatment of muscle dysfunction, including diabetes. In addition, the invention relates to therapeutic compositions comprising nucleotides and/or polypeptides of the invention in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the composition facilitates the treatment of skeletal muscle disorders. Moreover, the invention relates to the treatment and/or prevention of pathological conditions associated with altered intracellular Ca2+ regulation and disrupted membrane structure that occurs when the expression levels of MG29 are reduced.

Abstract: Compounds of this formula are useful for preventing breast cancer.

Abstract: A multi-directional switch includes a switch module, including a generally rectangular base, and an actuator vertically installed into a central receiving chamber defined in the base, the actuator can tilt away from a vertical axis to close one of four corners of the base, and a manual handle mated with the switch module, defining a central hollow being open toward the actuator for fittingly receiving the actuator therein, so as to permit synchronously swinging movement of the manual handle and the actuator. For preventing the manual handle, together with the actuator, synchronously swinging toward one of four corners, after the actuator is fittingly received in the central hollow of the manual handle, at least a rib is formed at a top surface of the base for abutting against a bottom surface of the manual handle, or formed at a bottom surface of the manual handle for abutting against a top surface of the base.

Abstract: The invention is related to an encoding method and device which allows for providing cartoonized video. The invention is further related to corresponding decoding methods and devices. The invention is also related to corresponding video signals. An encoding method, which allows for providing a cartoonization of the source video and for recombining the source video from the cartoonization of the source video and a residual video, comprises the following steps: Cartoonizing the source video, encoding a first video, reconstructing the first video, determining a first residual video between a second video and the reconstructed first video, encoding the first residual video and combining the encoded first video and the encoded first residual video wherein one of the first video and the second video is the source video and the other is the cartoonized source video.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for closing a vascular wound includes a guidewire and/or other surgical implement extending from the wound. A hemostatic material is advanced over the surgical implement and into contact with an area of the blood vessel surrounding the wound. The surgical implement is removed. Blood soaks the hemostatic material, and blood clotting is facilitated by the hemostatic agent within the material. A sealing layer of adhesive can be applied to the hemostatic material, confining the blood flow to the material. Thus, the vascular puncture wound is sealed by natural blood clot formation.

Abstract: The invention is related to a method for decoding an image frame of an image frame sequence and to a corresponding decoder. The method comprises the steps of reconstructing a representation of the image frame, classifying at least one block boundary as to be either high-freq or low-freq and filtering pixels of the at least one block boundary in dependency on the classification and outputting the filtered representation. Film grain noise and/or random texture are more likely to produce high-freq boundaries. Therefore, filtering boundary pixels in dependency on frequency classification helps preserving film grain noise and random texture which are of relevance for video quality at high bit rates.

Abstract: A method for utilizing a CUDA based GPU to accelerate a complex, sequential task such as video decoding, comprises decoding on a CPU headers and macroblocks of encoded video, performing inverse quantization (on CPU or GPU), transferring the picture data to GPU, where it is stored in a global buffer, and then on the GPU performing inverse waveform transforming of the inverse quantized data, performing motion compensation, buffering the reconstructed picture data in a GPU global buffer, determining if the decoded picture data are used as reference for decoding a further picture, and if so, copying the decoded picture data from the GPU global buffer to a GPU texture buffer. Advantages are that the data communication between CPU and GPU is minimized, the workload of CPU and GPU is balanced and the modules off-loaded to GPU can be efficiently realized since they are data-parallel and compute-intensive.

Abstract: A power converter and a power converting method are provided. The power converter for converting an ac input voltage at an input terminal thereof into an ac output voltage at an output terminal thereof includes an energy-storing inductor, a first switching circuit coupled to the energy-storing inductor to selectively switch so that the input terminal of the power converter is coupled to the energy-storing inductor, a second switching circuit coupled to the energy-storing inductor and the first switching circuit to selectively switch so that a common terminal of the power converter is coupled to the energy-storing inductor; and a third switching circuit coupled to the energy-storing inductor, the first switching circuit and the second switching circuit to selectively switch so that the output terminal of the power converter is coupled to the energy-storing inductor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a three-level ac generating circuit and the control method thereof. The three-level ac generating circuit includes a three-level boosting circuit connected to an input source and including a positive boosting portion and a negative boosting portion; and a three-level inverting circuit connected to the three-level boosting circuit and including a positive inverting portion and a negative inverting portion, wherein while the input source is a relative low voltage, the relatively low voltage is boosted via the three-level boosting circuit, inverted and output via the three-level inverting circuit; while the input source is a relatively high voltage, the relatively high voltage is inverted and output via the three-level inverting circuit and wherein the output of the three-level ac generating circuit is power grid.

Abstract: There are provided methods and apparatus for video stream splicing. An apparatus includes a spliced video stream generator for creating a spliced video stream using hypothetical reference decoder parameters. Another apparatus includes a spliced video stream generator for creating a spliced video stream that prevents decoder buffer overflow and underflow conditions relating to the spliced video stream by modifying standard values of at least one hypothetical reference decoder related high level syntax element.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for closing a vascular wound includes a guidewire and/or other surgical implement extending from the wound. A hemostatic material is advanced over the surgical implement and into contact with an area of the blood vessel surrounding the wound. The surgical implement is removed. Blood soaks the hemostatic material, and blood clotting is facilitated by the hemostatic agent within the material. A sealing layer of adhesive can be applied to the hemostatic material, confining the blood flow to the material. Thus, the vascular puncture wound is sealed by natural blood clot formation.

Abstract: A cable assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an electrical connector including an insulative housing defining a mating portion and a pair of positioning portions extending rearwardly from the mating portion, a plurality of terminals received in the insulative housing and at least one metal shell surrounded the insulative housing; a cable electrically terminated to the terminals; and a rear cover substantially enveloping the insulative housing and snugly supported by the positioning portions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate having a plurality of immobilised furanone moieties associated with at least part of a surface of the substrate. The invention also relates to articles consisting of or comprising such a substrate.

Abstract: The frame following a scene cut is usually coded as an I picture. In CBR encoding, the encoder will try to keep the bit rate constant, which will often cause serious picture quality degradation at scene changes. In VBR encoding, more bits will be allocated to the first frame of the new scene and the bit rate will increase significantly for a short time. Therefore subsequent frames must be coded in ‘skipped’ mode, which will often cause jerk artifacts. According to the invention, in each frame belonging to a scene change period, areas are determined that have different human attention levels. In the frames (n?1, n?2, n?3) located prior to the first new scene frame, to the areas having a lower attention level less bits are assigned than in the default encoding, and in the frames (n, n+1, n+2) located at and after the scene cut the thus saved bits are additionally assigned to the areas having a higher attention level.

Abstract: A cable assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an electrical connector including an insulative housing defining a mating portion and a pair of positioning portions extending rearwardly from the mating portion, a plurality of terminals received in the insulative housing and at least one metal shell surrounded the insulative housing; a cable electrically terminated to the terminals; and a rear cover substantially enveloping the insulative housing and snugly supported by the positioning portions.

Abstract: Local clock modeling for a discrete event simulator is described. A local clock generator provides realistic clock characteristics in terms of clock precision and clock drift and clock mapping utilities provide API for other modules and/or protocols in the discrete event simulator to schedule events on local clocks instead of global clock of the simulator.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of stimulating osteoblast function with a PYK2 inhibitor in subjects with osteoporosis, bone fractures, non-unions, pseudoarthroses, periodontal disease or other disorders of bone metabolism. Optionally, the method further comprises administration of a second therapeutic bone agent. The present invention also relates to methods to identify a PYK2 inhibitor effective as a therapeutic bone agent comprising administering a test agent to an osteoblast-like cell and determining if osteoblast function is stimulated. Optionally, the identifying method further comprises contacting the test agent with PYK2 and determining if PYK2 activity is inhibited.

Abstract: A converting device with PFC and dc/dc converting functions is provided. The converting device includes a power source providing a dc voltage, an inverter having an input terminal electrically connected to the power source and an output terminal, a transformer having a primary winding electrically connected to the output terminal of the inverter and a secondary winding, a rectifier/filter circuit having an input terminal electrically connected to the secondary winding of the transformer and an output terminal, and a PFC converter coupled to the output terminal of the rectifier/filter circuit and having an input terminal receiving an ac input voltage. The converting device converts the ac input voltage into an ac output voltage when the ac input voltage is normal, and converts the dc voltage to output the ac output voltage with the cooperation of the inverter, the transformer, the rectifier/filter circuit and the PFC converter when the ac input voltage is abnormal.

Abstract: The invention is related to spatial diffusion in images. Spatial diffusion helps blurring small discontinuities. Edges become sharper by spatial diffusion as well. A method for generating a spatial diffused image from an input image is described wherein the method comprises applying on the input image an inverted Gaussian spatial bilateral filter with a spatial weight which takes the form of an inverted Gaussian. The inverted-Gaussian-spatial bilateral filter, which uses an inverted-Gaussian function as the kernel of spatial filter, can remove small spots in large smooth areas efficiently.

Abstract: A system and method for medium access control in a wireless communication network including the use of packets having a header and plural data portions, acknowledgement request features, corrupt packet identification, and adaptive duty cycling.