Abstract: Multiposition collimation devices and x-ray imaging systems, which include the multiposition collimation devices, are provided. The multiposition collimation device includes a collimator housing and a collimator plate constructed to at least partially block the passage of x-rays. The collimator plate is movable relative to the collimator housing to a first position, corresponding to a first x-ray detector size, and a second position, corresponding to a second x-ray detector size.

Abstract: Multiposition collimation devices and x-ray imaging systems, which include the multiposition collimation devices, are provided. The multiposition collimation device includes a collimator housing and a collimator plate constructed to at least partially block the passage of x-rays. The collimator plate is movable relative to the collimator housing to a first position, corresponding to a first x-ray detector size, and a second position, corresponding to a second x-ray detector size.

Abstract: An adjustable mount for positioning an x-ray source comprising a vertical member that can swivel around a yaw axis, a circular arc-shaped yoke having two ends and passing through the vertical member, a gantry attached to the two ends of the yoke, and an x-ray source attached to the gantry. The x-ray source can be rotated around the yaw axis by swiveling the vertical member, pitched around a pitch axis by pitching the gantry, and/or rotated around a roll axis by passing the yoke through the vertical member. A method for x-ray imaging that includes centering an x-ray source at an aiming position within an adjustable mount, and aiming the centered x-ray source at an x-ray sensor by rotating the x-ray source around a roll axis of the adjustable mount. An x-ray source mounting system comprising an x-ray source and an adjustable mount to which the x-ray source is attached.

Abstract: Solar cells provided with color modulation and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion layer and a color-modulating layer provided over the photoelectric conversion layer. The photoelectric conversion layer is employed for generating electrical energy from incident light and the color-modulating layer is used to modulate colorful appearance. The color-modulating layer is composed of at least one dielectric layer which is free of granules.

Abstract: An adjustable mount for positioning an x-ray source comprising a vertical member that can swivel around a yaw axis, a circular arc-shaped yoke having two ends and passing through the vertical member, a gantry attached to the two ends of the yoke, and an x-ray source attached to the gantry. The x-ray source can be rotated around the yaw axis by swiveling the vertical member, pitched around a pitch axis by pitching the gantry, and/or rotated around a roll axis by passing the yoke through the vertical member. A method for x-ray imaging that includes centering an x-ray source at an aiming position within an adjustable mount, and aiming the centered x-ray source at an x-ray sensor by rotating the x-ray source around a roll axis of the adjustable mount. An x-ray source mounting system comprising an x-ray source and an adjustable mount to which the x-ray source is attached.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-dimensional carbon active compound composite comprising a first carbon material, a second carbon material, an active compound, and further a seed material. This composite is capable of storing faradic or non-faradic charges. The produced multi-dimensional carbon can significantly inhibit the aggregation and disintegration of active compounds. Stacked carbon structure also formed a 3-D framework with high electron conductivity, which increases the rate capability of electrode. The green and simple synthesis process has a great potential for mass production. This green energy storage material can be widely applied to lithium secondary ion battery, supercapacitor, and lithium-air battery electrodes.

Abstract: A solar cell structure with a microsphere-roughened antireflection structure comprises a P-type metal contact electrode, a P-type semiconductor layer, a P-type monocrystalline substrate, an N-type semiconductor layer, an N-type metal contact electrode, and a microsphere-roughened antireflection layer. The N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer are respectively arranged on an upper surface and a lower surface of the P-type monocrystalline substrate. The P-type metal contact electrode is arranged below the P-type semiconductor layer. The N-type metal contact electrode has a specified pattern and is connected with the N-type semiconductor layer. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer is arranged on an upper surface of the N-type semiconductor layer without covering the N-type metal contact electrode. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer reduces the reflection of sunlight and increases the transmittance of sunlight to enhance the efficiency of solar cells.

Abstract: A solar cell structure with a microsphere-roughened antireflection structure comprises a P-type metal contact electrode, a P-type semiconductor layer, a P-type monocrystalline substrate, an N-type semiconductor layer, an N-type metal contact electrode, and a microsphere-roughened antireflection layer. The N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer are respectively arranged on an upper surface and a lower surface of the P-type monocrystalline substrate. The P-type metal contact electrode is arranged below the P-type semiconductor layer. The N-type metal contact electrode has a specified pattern and is connected with the N-type semiconductor layer. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer is arranged on an upper surface of the N-type semiconductor layer without covering the N-type metal contact electrode. The microsphere-roughened antireflection layer reduces the reflection of sunlight and increases the transmittance of sunlight to enhance the efficiency of solar cells.

Abstract: A solar cell with an omnidirectional anti-reflection structure comprises a solar cell substrate, a transparent electric-conduction layer formed on one surface of the solar cell substrate, a plurality of microspheres formed on the transparent electric-conduction layer, and a dielectric layer. The microspheres have a diameter of 0.1-100 ?m. The dielectric layer is formed among the microspheres, and covers the surface of the transparent electric-conduction layer without the microspheres and has a thickness smaller than the diameter of the microspheres. Thus, the above-mentioned structure can enhance the absorption of the short-wavelength spectrum and increase the short-circuit current. Further, the structure with the microspheres is adaptable to the omnidirectional light absorption at various incident angles.

Abstract: A method for diagnosis of diseases adopted on an electronic stethoscope which includes at least two sound receiving portions, a noise control portion, a processing portion, a data portion and an output portion. The method includes: first, the sound receiving portions receive sound signals issued from a patient's lungs included external noises; next, the sound signals are sent to the noise control portion which eliminates the external noise, and the processing portion to be overlapped and intensified; then characteristic values are retrieved from the sound signals to be compared with disease sound signal data in the data portion; finally the output portion outputs a diseases judgment result. Thus the electronic stethoscope can perform automatic interpretation of diseases to reduce human erroneous diagnostic judgment. Users also can get preliminary understanding of their body conditions when doctors are absent.

Abstract: In some aspects, message data is generated from a first representation of a message and a reference image. The message data is generated to hide the message such that generating a second representation of the message from the message data requires processing of a second image that is perceptually similar to the first image. In some examples, a degree to which the second representation of the message is perceptually similar to the first representation of the message is related to a degree to which the second image is perceptually similar to the first image.

Abstract: The present invention disclose an iris recognition method, which utilizes a matching pursuit algorithm to simplify the extraction and reconstruction of iris features and reduce the memory space required by each iris feature vector without the penalty of recognition accuracy. The iris recognition method of the present invention comprises an iris-localization component and a pattern matching component. The iris-localization component locates the iris region via the color difference between different portions of the eyeball. The primary iris features are extracted from iris information and transformed into a sequence of iris feature vectors by a matching pursuit algorithm. Thus, the iris image can be represented by a sequence of atoms, and each atom contains base, amplitude and location. Then, the comparison between the feature vectors of two irises is performed to determine whether the two irises match.

Abstract: In some aspects, message data is generated from a first representation of a message and a reference image. The message data is generated to hide the message such that generating a second representation of the message from the message data requires processing of a second image that is perceptually similar to the first image. In some examples, a degree to which the second representation of the message is perceptually similar to the first representation of the message is related to a degree to which the second image is perceptually similar to the first image.

Abstract: Solar cells provided with color modulation and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion layer and a color-modulating layer provided over the photoelectric conversion layer. The photoelectric conversion layer is employed for generating electrical energy from incident light and the color-modulating layer is used to modulate colorful appearance.

Abstract: According to an asymmetric watermarking technology, which is particularly resistant to projection attack, an original image is analyzed to obtain its watermarking space. The watermarking space is then divided to obtain two orthogonal subspaces g and h. An embedding key G, which is a matrix and which columns form bases of subspace g, is selected and a matrix H, HTG=0 is calculated. Columns of matrix H form bases of subspace h. A detecting key D, which equals the sum D= GT=BHT, wherein B is a matrix, is calculated, and a watermark w is obtained and embedded into the original image ?0 to obtain a watermarked image ?w=?0+Gw, wherein D?0=m0 is not a 0 vector.

Abstract: An encoding system for a data set, particularly for a video data set is disclosed in the present invention. The encoding system includes a coding strategies represented as a tree-based structure, a cost projection system for each tree node, and a parameter searching algorithm for coding strategies to encode a data set. When the encoder parameters are obtained, the coding strategies and rate-allocation have better performance comparing to the related art.

Abstract: An encoding system for a data set, particularly for a video data set is disclosed in the present invention. The encoding system includes a coding strategies represented as a tree-based structure, a cost projection system for each tree node, and a parameter searching algorithm for coding strategies to encode a data set. When the encoder parameters are obtained, the coding strategies and rate-allocation have better performance comparing to the related art.

Abstract: The present invention disclose an iris recognition method, which utilizes a matching pursuit algorithm to simplify the extraction and reconstruction of iris features and reduce the memory space required by each iris feature vector without the penalty of recognition accuracy. The iris recognition method of the present invention comprises an iris-localization component and a pattern matching component. The iris-localization component locates the iris region via the color difference between different portions of the eyeball. The primary iris features are extracted from iris information and transformed into a sequence of iris feature vectors by a matching pursuit algorithm. Thus, the iris image can be represented by a sequence of atoms, and each atom contains base, amplitude and location. Then, the comparison between the feature vectors of two irises is performed to determine whether the two irises match.

Abstract: An electrical connector plug assembly has an outer shell containing at least one electrical contact module acting as an electrical contact plug. The outer shell works in cooperation with a separate connector receptacle assembly which has an inner shell containing at least one electrical contact module acting as an electrical contact receptacle. The outer shell of the electrical connector plug assembly is outfitted with an improved retaining device which secures the outer and inert shells of the connectors together over the joined electrical contact modules within those shells. The preferred connector retaining device is a clip which is attached so that the main body of the clip is in contact with an exterior surface of the plug with extending tabs which hold the clip in position upon slots on the interior surface of the plug and exterior surface of the receptacle shell.

Abstract: A novel method for coding and decoding video data and codec thereof are disclosed. The invented method provides an FGS (fine grained scalability) algorithm using bit plane coding technique. While conducting the bit plane encoding, the spatial and temporal dependence between bit planes is used to exploit the redundancy in the bit planes. In the embodiment of this invention, the bit plains are represented by quadtrees and bit plane prediction is made to remove the spatial and temporal redundancy in a video. The scalability of the video data is fine grained since atoms of the motion residuals do not have to be grouped as coding units.