Abstract: A face recognition and information system comprises a headset bearing a camera 10 which is used to capture images in the direction of a user's gaze. The images are processed and any faces in those images are identified from a database which may be held in control means 16. Once the face has been identified information relating to that person will be outputted through a visual display 14 or an earpiece 18 to unobtrusively provide information relating to the person identified.

Abstract: A camera 1 comprises first and second camera systems 3, 5. The first camera system 3 is a high resolution camera which captures images (so-called ‘key frames’) at a relatively low rate, whilst the second camera system 5 is a low resolution camera which captures images (so-called ‘video frames’) at a higher rate. Accordingly, a plurality of video frames are captured between each key frame. An application program is provided, either in a PC 13 to which the frames are downloaded, or in the camera 1 itself. The main purpose of the application program is to decide which of the captured frames should be stored, and which should be discarded (i.e. by a deletion or replacement operation) thereby freeing-up memory.

Abstract: Target viewing apparatus comprises a plurality of spaced electronic viewing cameras 15-18 for viewing a predetermined region 5 and for providing respective image signals, the field of view of at least two viewing cameras overlapping in at least a part of said region, identification means for identifying or detecting a target object within said part of said region, and control means (FIG. 6) responsive to said identifying means for selecting an image signal from a selected one of said at least two cameras, wherein said control means includes means for assessing the pose (attitude) of the target and selection means arranged for selecting the said one camera at least partly upon the assessed pose. The selected camera may be the one seeing a pose nearest to a predetermined pose, or to a pose determined by other parameters associated with the target and/or other parts of the region 5 whether or not determined in conjunction with a predetermined pose.

Abstract: There is described a method and apparatus for measuring the volume of an object by means of penetrating radiation. The object is placed in an irradiation zone and measurements of amounts of radiation passing through respective areas of the object are made. From each measurement, a value representative of the “thickness” of the object at that area is derived, and by adding the representative values, a “volume” is calculated. The object is preferably moved through the irradiation zone, while radiation is measured by means of a linear array of sensors extending perpendicularly to the movement direction.

Abstract: A method for treating an animal selected from the group consisting of pigs, poultry and ruminants, to increase the animal's performance, which comprises administering to the animal, with its feed, a performance-increasing amount of an organism selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus kefir, Lactobacillus parakefir and Lactobacillus parabuchneri.

Abstract: The subject invention pertains to methods for treating silage which comprises adding to the silage a microorganism having the characteristic of Lactobacillus buchneri, NCIMB 40788, to produce a secondary metabolite as well as fatty acids normally produced in fermentation, and further comprising maintaining the silage closed for a period sufficient for the secondary metabolite to accumulate. This secondary metabolite has the ability to inhibit the growth of spoilage organisms including yeasts, molds and spore-forming bacteria.

Abstract: A projectile intended to be incorporated in a cartridge for firing from a shotgun, for use by police forces and other law enforcement agencies as a means of rapidly breaking a lock or bolt holding a door closed, comprises a cylindrical low-strength casing, for example of paper, filled with a dense non-toxic finely divided material such as tungsten powder. An advantage of the projectile disclosed, as compared to conventional shotgun projectiles, is that whilst the projectile will retain its integrity until it strikes the target and thus will effectively blast a hole through a lock or bolt or through the portion of the door carrying such, the impact of the projectile with the target will fragment the paper casing allowing the tungsten powder to disperse rapidly so that after the powder has passed through the door against which the projectile is fired the powder will lose momentum within a very short distance due to atmospheric drag on the fine tungsten particles.

Abstract: Ku(Ku70 and Ku80) of yeast and mammalian cells and other components of the Ku-associated DNA repair pathway are involved in retrotransposon and retroviral integration into cellular nucleic acids. Agents which inhibit activity of the pathway are useful for inhibition of retroviruses. Such agents are obtainable using assays involving the Ku-associated DNA repair pathway and one or more components thereof.

Abstract: A loudspeaker drive unit (1) comprises a diaphragm (2), a chassis member (3) and a surround (4) connecting the outer portion of the diaphragm to the chassis member in which (i) substantially all parts of the surround (4) located between the diaphragm (2) and the chassis member (3) and capable of radiating sound are arranged parallel or at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the loudspeaker drive unit (1), or (ii) the surround is made of a body of foam material (30) arranged to be compressed against the chassis member (32) when the diaphragm (10) moves towards the chassis member, or (iii) the bending wave impedance of the surround (30) is matched to the bending wave impedance of the diaphragm (10).

Abstract: An MPEG2 compliant digital video encoder system employs an I-frame video encoder module having a quantization unit and variable length encoding to encode coefficients of each macroblock of a picture. Bit regulation schemes are presented for constraining selected coefficients of a macroblock if the bit rate of two prior macroblocks in a row exceeded a bit rate limit, or if the bit rate of the current nonintra macroblock is greater than a predetermined megabits per second (Mbps) limit. Pattern constraining is implemented within the quantization unit. For nonintra pictures, the conventional variable length coding process is modified to generate a Fixed Coded Block Pattern (FCBP) header for each macroblock of the picture for outputting in the bitstream prior to coding of the coefficients. The FCBP signifies that each block of the macroblock contains at least one nonzero coefficient.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electromagnetic valve arrangement, preferably for a pressure medium of a vehicle braking system, comprising an electromagnet arrangement which is coupled with a valve closing means which can be brought into several positions, a housing with a first, a second, a third, and a fourth connection of which, in a first position, the first and the second connection are in flow connection with each other, and the third and the fourth connection are blocked; in a second position, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth connection are blocked; in a third position, the first and the second connection are blocked, and the third and the fourth connection are connected with each other; and in a fourth position, the first and the third connection are connected with each other, and the second and the fourth connection are blocked.

Abstract: A method of forming cobalt silicide on source/drain regions and polysilicon gate areas of an MOS integrated circuit uses an improved technique to prevent unwanted oxidation of cobalt or growth of silicide on other areas of device. A thin titanium nitride (or titanium tungsten) film is deposited on top of a cobalt film following the steps of patterning the polysilicon gate, source/drain implant and sidewall oxide spacer deposition and etch. The titanium nitride film allows formation of defect-free cobalt silicide during an elevated-temperature anneal. Without the titanium nitride film, the cobalt is likely to oxidize and/or form cobalt silicide in unwanted regions of the device, which can cause device failure.