Abstract: A covering for delivering a substance or material to a surgical site is provided. The covering, with substance provided therein, may be referred to as a delivery system. Generally, the covering may be a single or multi-compartment structure capable of at least partially retaining a substance provided therein until the covering is placed at a surgical site. Upon placement, the covering may facilitate transfer of the substance or surrounding materials. For example, the substance may be released (actively or passively) to the surgical site. The covering may participate in, control, or otherwise adjust the release of the substance. In various embodiments, the covering may be formed of a collagen material and is suitable for a variety of procedure specific uses.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to expert modeling in a KM system and provide method, system and computer program product for organically ranked knowledge and categorization for a KM system. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for organically ranked knowledge and categorization in a KM system can be provided. The method can include bookmarking answer content for a first end user of the knowledge management system, suggesting a set of categories previously associated with the answer content by other end users of the knowledge management system, and categorizing the bookmarked answer content with a category selected from the set of categories.

Abstract: A method decodes a picture that is encoded and represented by blocks in a bitstream, by first determining, from the bitstream, motion associated with the block. Using a model, the motion is mapped to indices indicating a subset of quantized transform coefficients to be decoded from the bitstream. Then, values are assigned and reinserted to the quantized transform coefficients not in the subset.

Abstract: In a decoder, a desired image is estimated by first retrieving coding modes from an encoded side information image. For each bitplane in the encoded side information image, syndrome bits or parity bits are decoded to obtain an estimated bitplane of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image. A quantization and a transform are applied to a prediction residual obtained using the coding modes, wherein the decoding uses the quantized transform coefficients of the encoded side information image. The estimated bitplanes of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image are combined to produce combined bitplanes. Then, an inverse quantization, an inverse transform and a prediction based on the coding modes are applied to the combined bitplanes to recover the estimate of the desired image.

Abstract: A durable, semi-rigid, single-layered flexible duct having a sleeve made of a single aluminum layer and a resilient wound element disposed at the mid-point of the overlap region of the aluminum layer. The wound element imparts corrugations to the sleeve, such that the duct is extendible between a compacted configuration suitable for storage and for shipping and an extended configuration suitable for installation in a gas transport arrangement. Closely and evenly-spaced ridges that are situated in between the corrugations, add rigidity and durability to the duct. The inward-facing surface of the aluminum ribbon is substantially smooth and featureless except for the helical corrugations imparted by wire winding and the closely and evenly-spaced ridges. The aluminum sleeve is of a predetermined thickness rendering the duct substantially rigid when in an extended configuration and enabling the duct to maintain its substantial rigidity upon extension from a compacted configuration.

Abstract: In a decoder, a desired image is estimated by first retrieving coding modes from an encoded side information image. For each bitplane in the encoded side information image, syndrome bits or parity bits are decoded to obtain an estimated bitplane of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image. A quantization and a transform are applied to a prediction residual obtained using the coding modes, wherein the decoding uses the quantized transform coefficients of the encoded side information image, and is based on previously decoded bitplanes in a causal neighborhood. The estimated bitplanes of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image are combined to produce combined bitplanes. Then, an inverse quantization, an inverse transform and a prediction based on the coding modes are applied to the combined bitplanes to recover the estimate of the desired image.

Abstract: In a decoder, a desired image is estimated by first retrieving coding modes from an encoded side information image. For each bitplane in the encoded side information image, syndrome bits or parity bits are decoded to obtain an estimated bitplane of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image. A quantization and a transform are applied to a prediction residual obtained using the coding modes, wherein the decoding uses the quantized transform coefficients of the encoded side information image. The estimated bitplanes of quantized transform coefficients of the desired image are combined to produce combined bitplanes. Then, an inverse quantization, an inverse transform and a prediction based on the coding modes are applied to the combined bitplanes to recover the estimate of the desired image.

Abstract: A system and method for the insertion of additional content to messages sent between mobile communications devices. The system provides for a point system which allows users of the system to accumulate points for additional content sent with text messages. The points may be used for various functions such as purchasing premium services or may be applied towards the user's service charges.

Abstract: A method codes pictures in a bitstream, wherein the bitstream includes coded pictures to obtain data for associated TUs and data for generating a transform tree, and a partitioning of coding units (CUs) into Prediction Units (PUs), and data for obtaining prediction modes or directions associated with each PU. One or more mapping tables are defined, wherein each row of each table has an associated index and a first set of transform types to be used for applying an inverse transformation to the data in TU. The first set of transform types is selected according to an index, and then a second set of transform types is applied as the inverse transformation to the data, wherein the second set of transform types is determined according to the first set of transform types and a transform-toggle flag (ttf) to obtain a reconstructed prediction residual.

Abstract: A bitstream corresponding to an encoded video is decoded. The encoded video includes a sequence of frames, and each frame is partitioned into encoded blocks. For each encoded block, an edge mode index is decoded based on an edge mode codeword and a prediction mode. The edge mode index indicates a subset of predetermined partitions selected from a partition library according to the prediction mode. The encoded block is partitioned based on the edge mode index to produce two or more block partitions. To each block partition, a coefficient rearrangement, an inverse transform and an inverse quantization is applied to produce a processed block partition. The processed block partitions are then combined into a decoded block for a video.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to expert modeling in a KM system and provide method, system and computer program product for organically ranked knowledge and categorization for a KM system. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for organically ranked knowledge and categorization in a KM system can be provided. The method can include bookmarking answer content for a first end user of the knowledge management system, suggesting a set of categories previously associated with the answer content by other end users of the knowledge management system, and categorizing the bookmarked answer content with a category selected from the set of categories.

Abstract: A system and method for the insertion of additional content to messages sent between mobile communications devices. The system provides for a point system which allows users of the system to accumulate points for additional content sent with text messages. The points may be used for various functions such as purchasing premium services or may be applied towards the user's service charges.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions and methods for treating autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma, by administering to a subject a CTLA4 molecule that block endogenous B7 molecules from binding their ligands.

Abstract: A system and a method for decoding at least a portion of an image includes determining a current prediction mode based on a combination of a prediction mode residue and a function of at least one previous prediction mode and decoding the portion of the image using the current prediction mode.

Abstract: Specifically, a method decodes a picture. The picture is encoded and represented by blocks in a bitstream. For each block, a remap flag is obtained from the bit-stream. The block is either a remapped reconstructed block or a non-remapped reconstructed block. Either the non-mapped reconstructed block or an inverse remapped reconstructed block is output according to the remap flag. The remapped reconstructed block maximizes a similarity with the neighboring blocks, as compared to the similarity of the non-mapped reconstructed block and the neighboring blocks, by applying point operations to the remapped reconstructed block.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to expert modeling in a KM system and provide method, system and computer program product for organically ranked knowledge and categorization for a KM system. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for organically ranked knowledge and categorization in a KM system can be provided. The method can include bookmarking answer content for a first end user of the knowledge management system, suggesting a set of categories previously associated with the answer content by other end users of the knowledge management system, and categorizing the bookmarked answer content with a category selected from the set of categories.

Abstract: A video encoded as a bit stream is decoded by maintaining a set of dictionaries generated from decoded prediction residual signals, wherein elements of the set of dictionaries have associated indices. A current macroblock is entropy decoded and inverse quantized to produce decoded coefficients. For the current macroblock, a particular dictionary of the set of dictionaries is selected according to a prediction mode signaled in the bit stream, and particular elements of the particular dictionary are selected according to a copy mode signal in the bit stream and the associated index. The particular elements is scaled and combined, using the decoded coefficients, to reconstruct a current decoded macroblock prediction residual signal. Then, the current decoded macroblock prediction residual signal is combined with previously decoded macroblocks to generate an output macroblock of a reconstructed video, wherein the steps are performed in a decoder.

Abstract: Blocks in pixel images are template matched to select candidate blocks and weights according to a structural similarity and a perceptual distortion of the blocks. The perceptual distortion is a function of a just-noticeable-distortion (JND). A filter outputs a prediction residual between the block and the candidate blocks. The prediction residual is transformed and quantized to produce a quantized prediction residual using the JND. The matching and quantizing is optimized jointly using the perceptual distortion. Then, the quantized prediction residual and the weights are entropy encoded into a bit-stream for later decoding.

Abstract: A bitstream includes coded pictures, and split-flags for generating a transform tree. The bit stream is a partitioning of coding units (CUs) into Prediction Units (PUs). The transform tree is generated according to the split-flags. Nodes in the transform tree represent transform units (TU) associated with the CUs. The generation splits each TU only if the corresponding split-flag is set. For each PU that includes multiple TUs, the multiple TUs are merged into a larger TU, and the transform tree is modified according to the splitting and merging. Then, data contained in each PU can be decoded using the TVs associated with the PU according to the transform tree.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions and methods for treating autoimmune diseases, such as Sjogren's syndrome, by administering to a subject a CTLA4 molecule that block endogenous B7 molecules from binding their ligands.