Abstract: An integrated circuit and method with a delamination free opening formed through multiple levels of polymer dielectric. The opening has a vertical sidewall and no interface between adjacent levels of polymer dielectric is exposed on the vertical sidewall.

Abstract: A method of controlling a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle including an electric propulsion system, an engine, and a catalytic converter associated with the engine, the method comprising: monitoring a state of charge of a battery of the vehicle when in a charge depletion mode; determining a rate of depletion of the state of charge; estimating from the rate of depletion a duration of a depletion period representing the time remaining until a minimum state of charge of the battery will be reached; determining a duration of a warming period of the catalytic converter; comparing the duration of the depletion period and the duration of the warming period; and activating the engine if the duration of the depletion period is less than or equal to the duration of the warming period.

Abstract: A pressure relief cap includes a body engageable with a container and rotatable about an axis for coupling or decoupling the body from the container. The pressure relief cap also includes a handle and a motion control mechanism operable to selectively couple the handle to the body. The motion control mechanism includes a clutch plate moveable between an engaged position in which the clutch plate permits torque transfer from the handle to the body, and a disengaged position in which the clutch plate inhibits torque transfer from the handle to the body. The pressure relief cap also includes a relief valve for releasing pressure in response to elevated pressure within the container.

Abstract: A cache to provide data caching in response to data access requests from at least one system device, and a method operating such a cache, are provided. Allocation control circuitry of the cache is responsive to a cache miss to allocate an entry of the multiple entries in the data caching storage circuitry in dependence on a cache allocation policy. Quality-of-service monitoring circuitry is responsive to a quality-of-service indication to modify the cache allocation policy with respect to allocation of the entry for the requested data item. The behaviour of the cache, in particular regarding allocation and eviction, can therefore be modified in order to seek to maintain a desired quality-of-service for the system in which the cache is found.

Abstract: A technique is described for performing a maintenance operation within an apparatus that is used to control access to a memory device. The apparatus has a storage device for storing access requests to be issued to the memory device, and maintenance circuitry for performing a maintenance operation on storage elements provided within the storage device. Memory access execution circuitry is used to issue to a physical layer interface access requests selected from the storage device, for onward propagation from the physical layer interface to the memory device. Control circuitry is responsive to a training event to initiate a training operation of the physical layer interface. In addition, the control circuitry is further responsive to the training event to trigger performance of the maintenance operation by the maintenance circuitry whilst the training operation is being performed.

Abstract: Methods for differentiating between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer, in a subject, are provided, such methods including the detection of levels of one or more biomarker diagnostic of BPH. The invention also provides a kit for the diagnosis of BPH, without the need for a biopsy.

Abstract: A computing device is described that receives, from a source, a notification. The computing device determines content of the notification other than a quantity of notifications currently pending for the source of the notification and based at least in part on the content, determines a notification badge that reflects the content of the notification. The device displays the notification badge near a graphical element for launching the source of the notification. In reflecting content of the notification, the badge icon may facilitate efficient interaction with the computing device by resolving one or more ambiguities that would otherwise arise.

Abstract: An ear tip for an earphone includes an interior mating surface for attaching the ear tip to the earphone, the interior mating surface at least partially surrounding a cavity where the earphone will be located when the ear tip may be so attached, an outer surface including features corresponding to human ear anatomy, a nozzle extension providing a passageway from the interior cavity to space outside the ear tip, a wax guard in the nozzle extension, the wax guard blocking the passageway, and a plurality of holes through the wax guard, the holes sized and arranged to allow sound to pass along the passageway, while inhibiting ear wax from passing along the passageway.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems, methods, and processes for the production of conversion products such as furanic products from biomass such as lignocellulosic materials.

Abstract: Materials and methods are disclosed for forming interface layers between objects being 3D printed and their underlying support structures, as well as dissolvable supports. The materials and methods facilitate separation of the objects from the supports after all processing is completed and are particularly useful when 3D printing metal objects that have to be sintered subsequent to 3D printing.

Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more hands-free library parameters. The system and method plays one or more test signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a hands-free system under test or the hands-free tuning system and records the responses of a hands-free tuning system or hands-free tuning system at a microphone of the hands-free tuning system and a microphone of the hands-free system under test. The system and method measures the sound generation and sound pickup characteristics of the hands-free system under test or the hands-free system with respect to the one or more of the test signals and one or more of the microphone signals. The system and method calculates tunable parameters. The system and method updates a hands-free system library with the calculated plurality of tunable parameters.

Abstract: An example of a system for delivering neurostimulation pulses to a patient using a plurality of electrodes and controlling the delivery of the neurostimulation pulses by a user may include a programming control circuit and a user interface. The programming control circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of stimulation parameters controlling delivery of neurostimulation pulses according to one or more stimulation waveforms. The interface may include a display screen and an interface control circuit. The interface control circuit may be configured to define the one or more stimulation waveforms, and may include an impedance presentation module. The impedance presentation module may be configured to determine values of impedances each between two electrodes of the plurality of electrodes for all of combinations of two electrodes available from the plurality of electrodes and display the determined values of impedances on the display screen.

Abstract: Systems and methods for estimating a transmit symbol sequence implemented in a coherent receiver include receiving a nominally error-free information bit sequence subsequent to Forward Error Correction (FEC) decoding; determining a nominally error-free estimate of the transmitted bit sequence based on the nominally error-free information bit sequence; and determining a nominally error-free estimate of the transmit symbol sequence by mapping the transmit bit sequence to transmit symbols. The system and methods can further include comparing a transmit optical field based on the transmit symbols to a received optical field for one or more measurements.

Abstract: A method of providing a personalized audio briefing to a user is performed at an electronic device. The device receives identification of information sources associated with the user. Each of the information sources is associated with a content type. The device receives an authorization to access the identified information sources and a preferred order of content types for presentation within the audio briefing. It transmits to a remote system the identification, the authorization, and the preferred order. Following the transmitting, the device receives a verbal input from the user requesting the audio briefing. In response to the verbal input, the device receives a response generated by the remote system, including content from the information sources and information inserted by the remote system based on the authorization to access received from the user. The device outputs an audible response according to the preferred order.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing method including depositing a first amount of metal powder on a print bed, the first amount metal powder forming a first layer, depositing a first binder component to the first layer in a first region, and depositing a second binder component to the first layer in a second region.

Abstract: A headphone includes an electro-acoustic transducer for creating audio output, the electro-acoustic transducer comprising a transducer magnet that produces a transducer magnetic field having a magnetic field strength, structure that is constructed and arranged to be positioned so as to direct the audio output at the ear canal of the ear of a wearer of the headphone, a magnetic field sensor constructed and arranged to sense the Earth's magnetic field, and a nulling magnet constructed and arranged to produce a nulling magnetic field that reduces the strength of the transducer magnetic field at the magnetic field sensor.

Abstract: A mobile communications device includes a plurality of first input devices capable of passively collecting input data, a second input device(s) capable of collecting response data based upon a challenge, and a processor capable of determining a level of assurance (LOA) that possession of the mobile communications device has not changed based upon a statistical behavioral model and the passively received input data, and comparing the LOA with a security threshold. When the LOA is above the security threshold, the processor may be capable of performing a given mobile device operation without requiring response data from the second input device(s). When the LOA falls below the security threshold, the processor may be capable of generating the challenge, performing the given mobile device operation responsive to valid response data, and adding recent input data to the statistical behavioral model responsive to receipt of the valid response data.

Abstract: Systems and method include a detector communicatively coupled to a fiber span; and processing circuitry connected to the detector and configured to digitally sample and process an output of the detector, detect phase changes in the output, and identify an electrostrictive response of the fiber span based on the detected phase changes and based on a dependence of the detected phase changes with frequency. A property of the fiber span can be determined on the electrostrictive response. The property of the optical fiber can include one or more of optical fiber material type, optical fiber material property, optical fiber area, optical fiber geometry, optical fiber condition, optical fiber stress and strain, optical fiber temperature. and optical fiber radiation exposure.

Abstract: A master device has a buffer for storing data transferred from, or to be transferred to, a memory system. Control circuitry issues from time to time a group of one or more transactions to request transfer of a block of data between the memory system and the buffer. Hardware or software mechanism can be provided to detect at least one memory load parameter indicating how heavily loaded the memory system is, and a group size of the block of data transferred per group can be varied based on the memory load parameter. By adapting the size of the block of data transferred per group based on memory system load, a better balance between energy efficiency and quality of service can be achieved.

Abstract: A method and system of fault detection for an alert generation system. In the audio alert generation system, a stored digital alert audio file is selected to be processed to generate an analog audio signal to drive a speaker.