Abstract: A ports cap for a mask assembly includes two closure portions adapted to seal respective ports of the mask assembly, a bridge piece that joins the two closure portions, and two gripping tabs extending outwardly from respective closure portions. Each gripping tab includes one or more ribs on at least one side thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a laser scanning system and associated method. In a disclosed arrangement the method comprises using a laser source to produce a laser beam; using a scanning module to scan the laser beam over the surface of a substrate; and using a redirecting unit at a position in a beam path of the laser beam between the scanning module and the substrate to control the direction of incidence of the laser beam onto the substrate, wherein: the laser beam is scanned over a predetermined region on the substrate in such a way that each portion of the region is exposed by the laser beam from a plurality of different directions of incidence.

Abstract: At a first time, a schedule module is configured to access a list of status indicators associated with a group of egress port indicators. The list of status indicators includes a set of status indicators each of which has a value greater than a threshold. The schedule module is configured to randomly select a status indicator from the set of status indicators and configured to reduce the value of the selected status indicator. The schedule module is then configured to send the egress port indicator associated with the selected status indicator such that a data cell is sent from an egress port associated with that egress port indicator. At a second time, when the value of every status indicator from the list of status indicators is not greater than the threshold, the schedule module is configured to increase the value of every status indicator above the threshold.

Abstract: An elbow assembly for a mask assembly includes an anti-asphyxia valve (AAV) assembly that may take the form of a box-like frame work, a drop-in arrangement, or a slot-in arrangement. In each case, the AAV assembly may include a flap element which is movable so as to either direct ambient gas/air to the elbow assembly and thus the patient using the mask assembly, or to allow the passage of pressurized gas to the patient.

Abstract: A nasal or full-face mask frame includes a main body and a vent assembly provided to the main body. The vent assembly includes a plurality of holes arranged in at least one column. The holes are positioned on a relatively flat and/or non-recessed portion of the main body.

Abstract: A nasal or full-face mask frame includes a main body and a vent assembly provided to the main body. The vent assembly includes a plurality of holes arranged in at least one column. The holes are positioned on a relatively flat and/or non-recessed portion of the main body.

Abstract: A multi-chassis network device may automatically detect whether cables connected between chassis devices are correctly inserted. The device may insert, into a first data stream output from a first port of the device, control information identifying the first port. The device may receive, from a second data stream received by the first port of the device, second control information identifying a second port, at another device connected to the device via a cable. The device may determine, based on the second control information, whether the connection of the first port to the second port, via the cable, is valid and cause, when the connection of the first port to the second port is determined to not be valid, the device to output an indication that the connection is not valid or to reconfigure the device to make the connection of the first port to the second port valid.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a coherent optical receiver that can receive during a first time period a set of in-phase signals and a set of quadrature signals having a skew from the set of in-phase signals. The coherent receiver can blindly determine a delay between the set of in-phase signals and the set of quadrature signals based on the set of in-phase signals and the set of quadrature signals. The delay includes an intersymbol portion and an intrasymbol portion. The coherent optical receiver can apply the delay at a second time after the first time period such that a skew after the second time is less than the skew at the first time period.

Abstract: This disclosure describes the Fast Chromatic Dispersion Estimation (FCDE) techniques which corrects for chromatic dispersion in high data rate optical communications systems such as some coherent optical communications systems. FCDE may utilize transform such as fast-Fourier transforms to estimate the chromatic dispersion. From an estimate of the chromatic dispersion, the techniques may determine filter tap coefficients for compensating the chromatic dispersion.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for an adaptive media library for application ecosystems. A request may be received for a media item from an application. The request may include an application state of the application and user data associated with a user of the application. A media item may be selected from among media items in a media database based on the application state, the user data, media selection criteria, and metadata for one or more media items. The selected media item may be sent to the application. User feedback may be received about the media item from the application. The user feedback may be stored as user feedback data. The media selection criteria may be updated based on the user feedback data and the metadata for the media items. An effect of the media items on the user may be predicted. The media item with the greatest predicted effect among the subset of media items may be selected.

Abstract: An enterprise locking service coordinates multiple cooperating applications to ensure that one and only one user is modifying a database record at a given time. The database records may be stored in multiple databases having potentially different database record locking protocols. Through monitoring and tracking requests for database locks, the enterprise locking service is also able to determine database usage trends under various metrics.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for forming fine scale structures (4, 4?, 4?, 5, 6, 7, 8) in the surface of a dielectric substrate (3) to two or more depths are disclosed. In an example, the apparatus 25 comprises a first solid state laser (12) arranged to provide a first pulsed laser beam (13), a first mask (16) having a pattern for defining a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 8) at a first depth, a projection lens (17) for forming a reduced size image of said pattern on the surface (3) of the substrate and a beam scanner arranged to scan said first pulsed laser beam (13) in a two-dimensional raster scan relative to the first pattern to form a first set of structures (4, 6, 7, 5) at a first depth in the substrate, wherein the first or a further solid state laser is arranged to form a second set of structures (8) at a second depth in the substrate (3).

Abstract: First in, first out (FIFO) queues may be used to transfer data between a producer clock domain and a number of consumer clock domains. In one implementation, a control component for the FIFO queues may include a number of counters, corresponding to each of the consumer clock domains, each of the counters maintaining a count value relating to an amount of data read by the corresponding consumer clock domain. The control component may additionally include a credit deduction component coupled to the count values of the counters, the credit deduction component determining whether any of the count values is above a threshold, and in response to the determination that any of the count values is above the threshold, reducing the count value of each of the counters and issuing a write pulse signal to the producer clock domain, the write pulse signal causing the producer clock domain to perform a write operation to the FIFO queues.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is described that allows accurately registered, high resolution patterning of thin films on discrete lengths of flexible substrate material that are unwound from a drum and after processing are rewound onto another drum. Discrete lengths of the substrate—are clamped to a chuck and the chuck moved in a direction parallel to the length of the substrate. Accommodating units are provided for accommodating length changes in the substrate both upstream and downstream of the chuck. A processing head is moved across the width of the substrate when clamped to the chuck and pattern formation is by one, or a combination, of laser ablation, laser exposure or ink jet printing using either or both subtractive and additive processes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method can include receiving at an egress schedule module a request to schedule transmission of a group of cells from an ingress queue through a switch fabric of a multi-stage switch. The ingress queue can be associated with an ingress stage of the multi-stage switch. The egress schedule module can be associated with an egress stage of the multi-stage switch. The method can also include determining, in response to the request, that an egress port at the egress stage of the multi-stage switch is available to transmit the group of cells from the multi-stage switch.

Abstract: A washout vent for a mask for use with a system for supplying breathable gas pressurized above atmospheric pressure to an airway of a mammal for treatment of sleep disordered breathing, includes a solid mask section and a vent orifice extending through a thickness of the solid mask section and adapted for gas washout. The vent orifice includes opposed side walls providing a flow passage that allows gas to flow along the opposed side walls from an interior of the mask to atmosphere in use, and the opposed side walls defining at least a portion of a conic section having a length substantially greater than its width. The vent orifice includes an orifice inlet at the interior of the mask and an orifice exit open to atmosphere, and the opposed side walls converge from the orifice inlet to the orifice exit to reduce noise of gas washout.

Abstract: A method for controlling nematodes in or on a plant, a plant part, and/or a locus for plant growth is provided, the method comprising applying to a plant, plant part, or locus for plant growth in need of protection from said nematodes an effective amount of Bacillus pumilus, a mutant of Bacillus pumilus, or at least one metabolite of Bacillus pumilus. In particular, the Bacillus pumilus strain may be strain QST2808.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques of determining whether a symbol stream includes a pattern defined by a regular expression. As described herein, the regular expression may be represented using a non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA). A plurality of states in the NFA may be evaluated in parallel. These states may be associated with a plurality of symbol positions in a symbol stream. Evaluating a plurality of states and symbols in parallel may allow for faster determinations of whether the symbol stream includes the pattern defined by the regular expression.

Abstract: A method and service for establishing a web-based network that includes an enterprise locking service. The enterprise locking service is able to coordinate multiple, cooperating applications that need to ensure that one and only one user is modifying a database record at a given time. These database records may be stored in multiple databases having potentially different database record locking protocols. Through monitoring and tracking of requests for database locks, the enterprise locking service is also able to determine database usage trends under various metrics.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for producing lipids and amino acids from a gaseous substrate comprising methane and oxygen. The process uses a culture of a methanotrophic microorganism in a liquid nutrient medium. The methanotrophic microorganism can be a Methylomicrobium bacterium and more specifically Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1. The lipid products can be in the cellular membrane of the methanotroph and can be extracted in a separate extraction zone.