Abstract: A receptacle moulding system for moulding a receptacle from a fibre suspension and a method for manufacturing a moulded receptacle, in which fibre suspension is deposited into a cavity of a mould during two deposition periods that are separated by an intervening pressure build-up period. During the pressure build-up period a negative pressure of increasing magnitude is generated within the cavity of the mould.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an ear-worn device may include adaptive mixing control circuitry configured to control mixing circuitry to mix a speech component of an input audio signal with a noise component of the input audio signal based on a deviation of a short-term level of the noise component of the input audio signal from a long-term level of the noise component of the input audio signal. In some embodiments, an ear-worn device may include beamforming circuitry configured to generate a front audio signal and a back audio signal, and direction-of-arrival circuitry configured to bias an output audio signal based on a difference between the front audio signal and the back audio signal.

Abstract: A method for securing a first part to a second part where the first part has a locking oblong hole. The method includes passing a locking threaded rod through the locking oblong hole and into the second part. The locking threaded rod is oversized with respect to a width of the locking oblong hole such that the locking threaded rod widens the locking oblong hole as the locking threaded rod is passing through the locking oblong hole.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for centralized validation of potential network calls, such as calls proposing database transactions, on a distributed system. The distributed system may include multiple systems that apply independent criteria for validating proposals, which criteria may not be available external to the individual systems. Moreover, the systems may lack an ability to validate proposals prior to submitting such proposals for commitment. A centralized network call parameter validation system as disclosed herein may validate potential network calls with high confidence by applying probability models of data pattern and hashing digit checksum to potential network call parameter values, which models are generated based on statistical analysis of historical network call values.

Abstract: An ear-worn device includes two or more microphones and noise reduction circuitry including neural network circuitry. The neural network circuitry is configured to: receive multiple audio signals wherein at least two of the multiple audio signals each originate from a different one of the two or more microphones and/or at least one of the multiple audio signals is a beamformed audio signal originating from the two or more microphones; and implement one or more neural network layers trained to perform background noise modification and spatial focusing based on the multiple audio signals, such that the neural network circuitry generates, based on the multiple audio signals, one or more neural network outputs. The noise reduction circuitry is configured to output, based on the one or more neural network outputs, an output audio signal comprising a background noise-modified and spatially-focused version of a first audio signal of the multiple audio signals.

Abstract: An apparatus (e.g., an ear-worn device such as a hearing aid) may include neural network circuitry and control circuitry. The neural network circuitry may be configured to implement a neural network system comprising at least a first neural network and a second neural network operating in parallel. The control circuitry may be configured to control the neural network system to receive a first input signal, process the first input signal using the first neural network to produce a first output and using the second neural network to produce a second output, combine the first output and the second output, reset one or more states of the first neural network, and reset one or more states of the second neural network at a different time than when the one or more states of the first neural network are reset.

Abstract: An apparatus (e.g., an ear-worn device such as a hearing aid) includes neural network circuitry and control circuitry. The neural network circuitry is configured to implement a neural network system comprising at least a first neural network and a second neural network operating in parallel. The control circuitry is configured to control the neural network system to receive a first input signal, process the first input signal using the first neural network to produce a first output and using the second neural network to produce a second output, combine the first output and the second output, reset one or more states of the first neural network, and reset one or more states of the second neural network at a different time than when the one or more states of the first neural network are reset.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, an ear-worn device, e.g., a hearing aid, is provided that operates to enhance audio signals detected by the ear-worn device. In some embodiments, the ear-worn device includes a microphone, a processing circuit coupled to the microphone, and an output signal generator coupled to the processing circuit. In some embodiments, a method for enhancing audio signals includes: detecting an audio signal with the microphone; as the audio signal is being detected, dividing the audio signal into a plurality of segments; enhancing the detected audio signal with the processing circuit of the hearing aid; and outputting the enhanced audio signal with the output signal generator. In some embodiments, enhancing the detected audio signal includes processing one or more of the segments of the detected audio signal with a neural network engine (NNE) of the processing circuit to obtain an output for enhancing the detected audio signal.

Abstract: An ear-worn device may include two or more microphones configured to generate time-domain audio signals, each of the two or more microphones configured to generate one of the time-domain audio signals; processing circuitry comprising analog processing circuitry, digital processing circuitry, beamforming circuitry, and short-time Fourier transformation (STFT) circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to generate, from the time-domain audio signals, one or more frequency-domain non-beamformed audio signals and one or more frequency-domain beamformed signals; and enhancement circuitry comprising neural network circuitry configured to receive multiple frequency-domain input audio signals originating from the one or more frequency-domain non-beamformed audio signals and the one or more frequency-domain beamformed signals, and implement a single neural network trained to generate, based on the multiple frequency-domain input audio signals, a noise-reduced and spatially-focused output audio signal or an output

Abstract: An ear-worn device includes two or more microphones and noise reduction circuitry including neural network circuitry. The neural network circuitry is configured to: receive multiple audio signals wherein at least two of the multiple audio signals each originate from a different one of the two or more microphones and/or at least one of the multiple audio signals is a beamformed audio signal originating from the two or more microphones; and implement one or more neural network layers trained to perform background noise modification and spatial focusing based on the multiple audio signals, such that the neural network circuitry generates, based on the multiple audio signals, one or more neural network outputs. The noise reduction circuitry is configured to output, based on the one or more neural network outputs, an output audio signal comprising a background noise-modified and spatially-focused version of a first audio signal of the multiple audio signals.

Abstract: Termite trailing and recruitment compositions, systems, devices, and methods for using a trail of a percentage 2 phenoxyethanol (2-PE) dissolved in water to form a trail to lead the subterranean termites to termite bait or monitoring stations located about a perimeter of a wood containing structure. The termite bait or monitoring stations can be located up to approximately 20 feet apart from one another, and the trail of a percentage 2 phenoxyethanol (2-PE) dissolved in water. The percentage 2 phenoxyethanol (2-PE) dissolved in water range from approximately 0.1% to approximately 2% depending on the different soil types and localized conditions. The types of soil can commonly include sand, sandy & silty soil, loam and clay soil.

Abstract: A computer system has a plurality of operating systems, each operating system including a graphics processing unit (GPU) driver; a GPU including GPU firmware for controlling the execution of tasks at the graphics processing unit and, for each operating system: a firmware state register modifiable by the GPU firmware and indicating whether the GPU firmware is online; an OS state register modifiable by a GPU driver and indicating whether the GPU driver is online; a memory management unit mediating access to GPU registers such that each operating system can access its respective registers but not those of other operating systems; One of the GPU drivers is a host GPU driver initialising the GPU and bringing the GPU firmware online. Each GPU driver submits tasks for processing only if its respective firmware state register indicates that the GPU firmware is online. The GPU processes tasks for an operating system if the respective OS state register of that operating system indicates that the GPU driver is online.

Abstract: A method of detecting an error at a graphics processing unit causes an instruction including a request for a response from a graphics processing unit to be provided to the graphics processing unit. A timer being configured to expire after a time period is initialised, and during the time period the graphics processing unit is monitored for the response from the graphics processing unit. An error is determined to have occurred in response to determining that no response was received from the graphics processing unit before the timer expired.

Abstract: A computer system has a plurality of operating systems, each operating system including a GPU driver; a graphics processing unit (GPU) including GPU firmware for controlling the execution of tasks at the graphics processing unit and, for each operating system: a firmware state register modifiable by the GPU firmware and indicating whether the GPU firmware is online; and an OS state register modifiable by the GPU driver of the respective operating system and indicating whether the GPU driver is online; and a memory management unit configured to mediate access to the registers of the GPU such that each operating system can access its respective registers but not those of other operating systems; wherein: one of the GPU drivers at the plurality of operating systems is a host GPU driver configured to initialise the GPU and bring the GPU firmware online; each GPU driver is configured to submit tasks for processing at the GPU only if its respective firmware state register indicates that the GPU firmware is online;

Abstract: A method of detecting an error at a graphics processing unit causes an instruction including a request for a response from a graphics processing unit to be provided to the graphics processing unit. A timer being configured to expire after a time period is initialised, and during the time period the graphics processing unit is monitored for the response from the graphics processing unit. An error is determined to have occurred in response to determining that no response was received from the graphics processing unit before the timer expired.

Abstract: A method of configuring a graphics processing unit includes generating configuration data that specifies a configuration to be adopted by the graphics processing unit. The configuration data is received at the graphics processing unit, which is configured in accordance with the configuration data by writing the configuration data into one or more registers of the graphics processing unit. It is determined whether the graphics processing unit is correctly configured in accordance with the configuration data by determining whether the configuration data has been correctly written into the one or more registers of the graphics processing unit. An error is determined to have occurred in response to determining that the graphics processing unit is not correctly configured in accordance with the configuration data.

Abstract: A method of performing safety-critical rendering at a graphics processing unit within a graphics processing system, the method comprising: receiving, at the graphics processing system, graphical data for safety-critical rendering at the graphics processing unit; scheduling at a safety controller, in accordance with a reset frequency, a plurality of resets of the graphics processing unit; rendering the graphical data at the graphics processing unit; and the safety controller causing the plurality of resets of the graphics processing unit to be performed commensurate with the reset frequency.

Abstract: A method of performing safety-critical rendering at a graphics processing unit within a graphics processing system, the method comprising: receiving, at the graphics processing system, graphical data for safety-critical rendering at the graphics processing unit; scheduling at a safety controller, in accordance with a reset frequency, a plurality of resets of the graphics processing unit; rendering the graphical data at the graphics processing unit; and the safety controller causing the plurality of resets of the graphics processing unit to be performed commensurate with the reset frequency.

Abstract: A method of initialising rendering at a graphics processing unit configured to perform safety-critical rendering, the method comprising: causing an instruction for initialising rendering of safety critical graphical data at the graphics processing unit to be provided to the graphics processing unit, said instruction comprising a request for response from the graphics processing unit; initialising a timer, said timer being configured to expire after a time period; and monitoring, during said time period, for a response from the graphics processing unit; determining, by a safety controller external to the graphics processing unit, that an initialisation error has occurred if no response is received from the graphics processing unit before the timer expires.

Abstract: A method of initialising rendering at a graphics processing unit configured to perform safety-critical rendering within a graphics processing system, the method comprising: generating configuration data for initialising rendering of safety critical graphical data at the graphics processing unit; receiving the configuration data for initialising rendering at the graphics processing unit; configuring the graphics processing unit in accordance with the configuration data for initialising rendering; determining whether the graphics processing unit is correctly configured in accordance with the configuration data; and determining, by a safety controller external to the graphics processing unit, that an initialisation error has occurred in response to determining that the graphics processing unit is not correctly configured in accordance with the configuration data.