Abstract: A computing device is made up of a number of watertight, interengaging, modular computing units immersed in a tank (4) of pure water (41). Each of the computing units has a housing, a data processor within the housing and at least one external electrical power connector connected to the data processor and provided on the housing. Each housing presents a plurality of facets, with external electrical power connectors arranged on different facets of the housing, for the transfer of electrical power with adjacent modular computing units. Each external electrical power connector is of platinum or plated with platinum; and the water (41) has an electrical conductivity of 5×10?3 S/m or less. The computing units interengage to form ball shapes, defining square holes 14a in the faces of the balls to allow water (41) to pass through the system by convection flow.

Abstract: A method for processing microscopy images captures, for each of a first microscopy slide and a second microscopy slide, a plurality of partial spectrum images under multiple optical configurations where each image captures a different portion of the spectrum of the slide. First and second partial spectrum images associated with different optical configuration are selected and used to reconstruct respectively a combined spectrum image of part of the first microscopy slide and a combined spectrum image of at least part of the second microscopy slide, thereby forming a first pair of partial spectrum images. The method determines a distortion map by aligning images derived from the first pair of the partial spectrum images.

Abstract: A toy apparatus includes a base piece having a distal end, a movable elongated member having a first end and a second end, and a tether coupled to the first end of the movable elongated member. Tension applied to the tether moves the movable elongated member from an open first position to a closed second position. The toy apparatus is configured to freely slide on a surface due to momentum generated when an initial pushing force is applied to the toy apparatus. The tension applied to the tether causes the tether to become taut, without other human contact to the toy apparatus. In the closed second position, the second end of the movable elongated member is closer to the distal end of the base elongated member, and the base elongated member and the movable elongated member are capable of retaining a target piece.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a vacuum attachment for cleaning sprinkler heads. The vacuum attachment may include a cleaning extension head having a hollow upper head tube tapering to a hollow lower head tube, wherein the upper head tube has a larger diameter than the lower head tube. The upper head tube may have an upper head tube opening configured to accommodate a facility sprinkler, and the lower head tube may be configured to accommodate a vacuum hose, such that the vacuum hose is configured to removably attach to the cleaning extension head. In some embodiments, the attachment may also include a universal extension device to help users reach sprinklers on higher ceilings.

Abstract: A toy apparatus includes a base piece configured to slide on a surface when an initial pushing force is applied to the toy. A base elongated member is coupled to the base piece, and has a distal end away from the base piece. A movable elongated member has a first end and a second end, and is movable between an open first position and a closed second position. A tether is coupled to the first end of the movable elongated member, wherein tension applied to the tether moves the movable elongated member. In the open first position, the second end of the movable elongated member is away from the distal end of the base elongated member. In the closed second position, the second end is closer to the distal end, and the base elongated member and the movable elongated member are capable of retaining a target piece.

Abstract: An interlock assembly for a door latch mechanism of a door in a container for bulk material that has an interior lined with a membrane for holding fluid. The interlock assembly includes a plunger in an aperture formed through the door, which moves between an extended position, where the plunger extends into the interior of the container, and a locked position, where the plunger is urged outwardly from of the interior of the container. A spring is positioned to apply a force to urge the plunger to the extended position. A lock member is connected to move with the plunger between the extended position and the locked position. The spring force is selected to enable the membrane, under static pressure of fluid within the container, to urge the plunger to the locked position, thereby engaging the lock member to interlock against operation of the door latch.

Abstract: A method of determining a coordinate transform between a first image and a second image, said method comprising the steps of: determining a rate of change of pixel values for locations on the first image to identify candidate alignment patches in the first image; specifying subsets of patches from the set of candidate alignment patches based on an error metric, selecting a subset of candidate alignment patches from said plurality of subsets of candidate alignment patches based upon a predetermined criterion; estimating, for each patch in the selected subset, a shift between the patch and a corresponding patch in the second image, the location of the corresponding patch in the second image being determined from the location of the patch in the first image; and determining the coordinate transform between the first image and second image based on the estimated shifts.

Abstract: A computer device includes a download unit which downloads one or more files into a storage device. A file logging unit records a resource locator identifying a source network location of the file, when the file is downloaded, and associates the resource locator with a first fingerprint of the file. A system policy unit stores the resource locator associated with a process control policy relevant to the file. A process control unit is arranged to obtain a second fingerprint of the file upon launching a process in a runtime execution environment, retrieve the resource locator from the file logging unit by matching the second fingerprint with the first fingerprint, retrieve the process control policy from the system policy unit according to the retrieved resource locator, and selectively apply process execution privileges which determine execution of the process in the runtime execution environment according to the retrieved process control policy.

Abstract: To record events, a vector A is taken of n measurements An. Each measurement An is converted into a binary vector Bn using a binning process. Measurements in vector Bn, are transformed using a kernel operation, to make a vector Cn. All vectors Cn are concatenated into a single vector D. A binary vector M is created with P bits set. A date and vector A are recorded against vector M in a database Z. Vector D is associated into a correlation matrix memory R against vector M. To recall events, the above steps are repeated up to concatenating all vectors Cn into single vector D. Vector D is then used to access a correlation matrix memory R to recall an association vector S, and vector S is applied directly or indirectly to database Z to recover the or each date associated with vector S. This may facilitate the monitoring of assets such as generators, gas turbines, motors, and larger assets such as trains, boats and planes, to ensure that they continue to operate reliably.

Abstract: Content files are isolated in a sandbox as a content isolation environment formed by a secondary user account. Printing is controlled by an agent via a staging file of a secure file type. The agent intercepts print requests (e.g. print start requests and print end requests) in a printing sub-system of an operating system in order to coordinate and securely control printing of the untrusted content file via the intermediate staging file.

Abstract: A computer device and method are described for controlling access to a resource. An execution environment executes a user process with access privileges according to a user security context. A security unit controls access to resources according to the user security context, with the user process making system calls to the security unit. A proxy hook module embedded within the user process intercepts the system call and generates a proxy resource access request. A proxy service module in a privileged security context validates the proxy resource access request from the proxy hook module and, if validated, obtains and returns a resource handle that permits access to the desired resource by the user process.

Abstract: A sterile liquid pump, having replaceable single use components, with a first and second chamber, and a gas valve assembly to selectively communicate gas pressure and vacuum with the chambers, and a resilient tubing liquid manifold loop with a sequence of four ports located within a manifold receiver that supports four pinch actuators aligned to engage and selectively pinch-off flow through the manifold between adjacent pairs ports, and, a controller that operates the valve assembly to alternatingly couple pressure and vacuum to the pump chambers, and that also operates to alternatingly actuate pairs of the pinch actuators to sequentially pump fluid from pump chambers under gas pressure, and through an opposing pair of ports in the resilient tubing manifold.

Abstract: A sterile liquid pump, having replaceable single use components, with a first and second chamber, and a gas valve assembly to selectively communicate gas pressure and vacuum with the chambers, and a resilient tubing liquid manifold loop with a sequence of four ports located within a manifold receiver that supports four pinch actuators aligned to engage and selectively pinch-off flow through the manifold between adjacent pairs ports, and, a controller that operates the valve assembly to alternatingly couple pressure and vacuum to the pump chambers, and that also operates to alternatingly actuate pairs of the pinch actuators to sequentially pump fluid from pump chambers under gas pressure, and through an opposing pair of ports in the resilient tubing manifold.

Abstract: A computer device and respective method provides a primary clipboard accessible from a primary user account, while a sandbox is used to isolate and contain a secondary user account. A secondary clipboard is provisioned and associated with the secondary user account. The computer device, via an agent, intercepts requests from the secondary user account such as for cut, copy or paste type clipboard operations which are ordinarily directed toward the primary clipboard, and satisfies those clipboard operation requests instead by using the secondary clipboard.

Abstract: A computer device includes hardware with a connected peripheral device such as a camera or a microphone. An operating system is configured to operate the peripheral device using a device driver and a representative device object. An agent is configured to apply security attributes to the device object which permit access from a primary user account while preventing direct access to the device object by a secondary user account in a sandbox. The agent may intercept requests made toward the device object, examine each request, and then satisfy the request, when the request is allowed, by selectively arranging access to the device object from the sandboxed secondary user account.

Abstract: A method calibrates a microscope using a test pattern by capturing a plurality of images of the test pattern with the microscope. The test pattern has a plurality of uniquely identifiable positions across a plurality of repeating and overlapping 2D sub-patterns. The method determines an image contrast metric from the captured image in a selected patch of the test pattern and a reference contrast metric in the corresponding region; and (iii) determines a normalised contrast metric using the reference contrast metric and the image contrast metric. The method estimates depths of the two captured images at the plurality of positions using the normalised contrast metrics and a set of predetermined calibration data for a stack of images captured using the test pattern at a range of depths, and calibrates the microscope using a comparison of the determined depth estimates for the at least two images.

Abstract: A computer device and method are described for controlling access to a resource. An execution environment executes a user process with access privileges according to a user security context. A security unit controls access to resources according to the user security context, with the user process making system calls to the security unit. A proxy hook module embedded within the user process intercepts the system call and generates a proxy resource access request. A proxy service module in a privileged security context validates the proxy resource access request from the proxy hook module and, if validated, obtains and returns a resource handle that permits access to the desired resource by the user process.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a vacuum attachment for cleaning sprinkler heads. The vacuum attachment may include a cleaning extension head having a hollow upper head tube tapering to a hollow lower head tube, wherein the upper head tube has a larger diameter than the lower head tube. The upper head tube may have an upper head tube opening configured to accommodate a facility sprinkler, and the lower head tube may be configured to accommodate a vacuum hose, such that the vacuum hose is configured to removably attach to the cleaning extension head. In some embodiments, the attachment may also include a universal extension device to help users reach sprinklers on higher ceilings.

Abstract: A toy figurine is disclosed. The toy figurine includes a body to which one or more plates are coupled. The toy figurine includes a launching mechanism that is used to launch a projectile from the toy figurine. The plates cover the launching mechanism when the plates are mounted to the body.