Abstract: The subject of the invention is a glazing unit comprising a glass substrate (1) equipped on one of its faces, intended to form face 1 of said glazing unit in the use position, with a thin-film multilayer comprising, from the substrate (1), a film (2) of a transparent electrically conductive oxide, an intermediate film (3) having a refractive index lying in the range from 1.40 to 1.55 and having an optical thickness Y, and a photocatalytic film (4) the optical thickness X of which is at most 50 nm, said optical thicknesses X and Y, expressed in nanometers, being such that: 110·e?0.025X?Y?135·e?0.

Abstract: The identification of compounds, strigolactones, having the ability to stimulate the growth and/or development of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi). Such compounds are, for example, the natural strigolactones strigol, alectrol, sorgolactone, orobanchol, or their synthetic analogs GR7, GR24, Nijmegen-1, demethylsorgolactone. New ways of developing an agriculture that is more respectful of the environment, and permits the implementation, on a small or large scale, of advanced mycorrhization techniques aimed at optimizing the production of fungic inoculum, the use of AM fungi in soils or cultivation substrates, and intensifying the symbiotic interaction between these microorganisms and cultivated plants.

Abstract: A method for performing security screening at a checkpoint is provided. The method includes providing an X-ray imaging system having a scanning area and providing a supporting device for supporting articles to be scanned in the scanning area, wherein the supporting device has at least two reference areas manifesting respective X-ray signatures when exposed to X-rays, the X-ray signatures being distinguishable from one another. The method further includes placing an article to be scanned on the supporting device, introducing the article to be scanned in the scanning area while the article is supported by the supporting device and using the X-ray imaging system for deriving the X-ray signatures of the reference areas and for obtaining an X-ray image of the article while the supporting device is in the scanning area.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus suitable for screening a receptacle are provided. An image signal conveying an input image related to contents of the receptacle is received, the image signal having been produced by a device that is characterized by introducing distortion into the input image. A distortion correction process is applied to the image signal to remove at least part of the distortion from the input image, thereby to generate a corrected image signal conveying at least one corrected image. The corrected image signal is processed in combination with a plurality of data elements associated with a plurality of target objects in an attempt to detect a presence of at least one of the target objects in the receptacle. A detection signal is generated in response to detection of the presence of at least one target object in the receptacle.

Abstract: A method for performing security screening at a checkpoint is provided. The method includes providing an X-ray imaging system having a scanning area and providing a supporting device for supporting articles to be scanned in the scanning area, wherein the supporting device has at least two reference areas manifesting respective X-ray signatures when exposed to X-rays, the X-ray signatures being distinguishable from one another. The method further includes placing an article to be scanned on the supporting device, introducing the article to be scanned in the scanning area while the article is supported by the supporting device and using the X-ray imaging system for deriving the X-ray signatures of the reference areas and for obtaining an X-ray image of the article while the supporting device is in the scanning area.

Abstract: Method and medical devices for generating and stabilizing micro- or nano-bubbles, and systems and methods for therapeutic applications using the bubbles, are provided. The micro-bubbles may be used to enhance therapeutic benefits such as ultrasound-guided precision drug delivery and real-time verification, acoustic activation of large tumour masses, enhanced acoustic activation through longer retention of therapeutic agents at the point of interest, enhancement of high intensity focused ultrasound treatments, light activation of photodynamic drugs at a depth within a patient using extracorporeal light sources, probes, or sonoluminescence, and initiation of time reversal acoustics focused ultrasound to permit highly localized treatment.

Abstract: There is described a power splitter for directing electromagnetic power comprising: an input port for receiving the electromagnetic power; at least one dielectric element placed inside the power splitter; at least two output ports for outputting the power according to a splitting ratio, the at least two output ports placed on a surface opposite to the input port; and at least one dielectric moving device for positioning the at least one dielectric element between the at least two output ports to dynamically direct the power into the at least two output ports according to the power splitting ratio.

Abstract: The identification of compounds, strigolactones, having the ability to stimulate the growth and/or development of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi). Such compounds are, for example, the natural strigolactones strigol, alectrol, sorgolactone, orobanchol, or their synthetic analogs GR7, GR24, Nijmegen-1, demethylsorgolactone. New ways of developing an agriculture that is more respectful of the environment, and permits the implementation, on a small or large scale, of advanced mycorrhization techniques aimed at optimizing the production of fungic inoculum, the use of AM fungi in soils or cultivation substrates, and intensifying the symbiotic interaction between these microorganisms and cultivated plants.

Abstract: There is described a power splitter for directing electromagnetic power comprising: an input port for receiving the electromagnetic power; at least one dielectric element placed inside the power splitter; at least two output ports for outputting the power according to a splitting ratio, the at least two output ports placed on a surface opposite to the input port; and at least one dielectric moving device for positioning the at least one dielectric element between the at least two output ports to dynamically direct the power into the at least two output ports according to the power splitting ratio.

Abstract: An apparatus suitable for screening a receptacle. The apparatus comprises an input for receiving an image signal, the image signal conveying an input image related to contents of the receptacle, the image signal having been produced by a device that is characterized by introducing distortion into the input image. The apparatus also comprises a processing unit operative for: applying a distortion correction process to the image signal to remove at least part of the distortion from the input image, thereby to generate a corrected image signal conveying at least one corrected image; processing the corrected image signal in combination with a plurality of data elements associated with a plurality of target objects in an attempt to detect a presence of at least one of said target objects in the receptacle; and generating a detection signal in response to detection of the presence of at least one of said target objects in the receptacle.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for three dimensional machine vision including a projector and camera. The projector casts a structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code on the surface to be mapped. The camera then images the surface. The projected image is shifted, and the process is repeated a number of times, according to the particular arrangement selected for the structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code. The image data collected from this series of images is then processed by relatively simple matrix operations to determine the location of each camera pixel in three dimensional space.

Abstract: A method for matching a two dimensional image to one of a plurality of three dimensional candidate models.

Abstract: In the method and system for displaying an undistorted, target image on a surface of unknown geometry, an image of the surface is captured from the point of view of an observer, a mapping is established between pixels of the captured image and pixels of the target image, taking into consideration respective positions of the observer and surface, and the target image is displayed on the surface. The display of the target image comprises a correction of the target image in relation to the established mapping to display on the surface a target image undistorted from the point of view of the observer.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for three dimensional machine vision including a projector and camera. The projector casts a structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code on the surface to be mapped. The camera then images the surface. The projected image is shifted, and the process is repeated a number of times, according to the particular arrangement selected for the structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code. The image data collected from this series of images is then processed by relatively simple matrix operations to determine the location of each camera pixel in three dimensional space.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for three dimensional machine vision including a projector and camera. The projector casts a structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code on the surface to be mapped. The camera then images the surface. The projected image is shifted, and the process is repeated a number of times, according to the particular arrangement selected for the structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code. The image data collected from this series of images is then processed by relatively simple matrix operations to determine the location of each camera pixel in three dimensional space.

Abstract: A method for computing the location and orientation of an object in three-dimensional space.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for three dimensional machine vision including a projector and camera. The projector casts a structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code on the surface to be mapped. The camera then images the surface. The projected image is shifted, and the process is repeated a number of times, according to the particular arrangement selected for the structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code. The image data collected from this series of images is then processed by relatively simple matrix operations to determine the location of each camera pixel in three dimensional space.

Abstract: A method for estimating the optical flow between a plurality of images is provided. The method includes obtaining a motion orientation component and a motion magnitude component. Determining the motion orientation component includes creating, a first graph using spatio-temporal derivatives of the plurality of images, solving for a first maximum-flow in the first graph to thereby obtain a first minimum-cut therefrom, and computing the motion orientation component from the first minimum-cut. Determining the motion magnitude component includes creating a second graph using spatio-temporal derivatives of the plurality of images and the motion orientation component, solving for a second maximum-flow in the second graph to thereby obtain a second minimum-cut therefrom, and computing the motion magnitude component from the second minimum-cut. The motion orientation component and the motion magnitude component together comprise the estimate of the optical flow between the plurality of images.

Abstract: A method for solving the stereo correspondence problem transforms the problem into a maximum-flow problem. Once solved, the minimum-cut associated to the maximum-flow results in a disparity surface for the entire image at once. This global approach to stereo analysis provides a more accurate and coherent depth map than the traditional line-by-line stereo method. Moreover, the optimality of the depth surface is guaranteed and can be shown to be a generalization of the dynamic programming approach that is widely used in standard stereo. Results show improved depth estimation as well as better handling of depth discontinuities. While the worst case running time is O(n.sup.3 d.sup.3), the observed average running time is O(n d.sup.1.4) for an image size of n pixels and depth resolution d.

Abstract: A method for rectifying first and second images of a single scene for stereoscopic analysis is provided. The method has first and second steps of providing the first and second images from first and second cameras. The first camera having a first optical center and a first geometry relative to the scene, the second camera having a second optical center and a second geometry relative to the scene. The first and second images each comprise a plurality of epipolar lines wherein each point on each of the epipolar lines is expressed in a first and second image coordinate system, respectively. Third and fourth steps are provided wherein each point on each epipolar line of the first and second images are rotated to be parallel to a line connecting the first and second optical centers of the first and second cameras.