Abstract: A water tap body has a mechanical mixing valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet of the mixing valve, to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet, and to allow a mix of water to flow to the water outlet. The water tap body also has a mechanical selector valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet and to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet of the mechanical selector valve. The water outlet of the mechanical mixing valve is in fluid communication with a first tap body outlet. The water outlet of the mechanical selector valve is in fluid communication with a second tap body outlet.

Abstract: An ice-protection system has first and second zones of a leading edge of an aerodynamic or streamlined aerodynamic component, each zone having a de-icing apparatus and an ice-detection sensor positioned behind an elongated convex window as to be aero-conformal with the leading edge. The ice-detection sensor is in the form of a module and has a sensor head having a front face and abutments at ends of the window. The ice-detection sensors may have a central light emitter and a plurality of sensor elements peripheral to the light emitter. The ice-protection system also has a control system responsive to the ice-detection sensors to control the respective de-icing apparatus, and may activate automatically a sequence of operation.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to implementing and using a data processing system with a person engagement index to provide automated personalized healthcare functions. In some embodiments, a computing platform may receive information about a patient or other healthcare-consuming person from several sources including electronic medical records, healthcare providers, the person, and other sources. Based on the information, a person engagement index measuring the person's capacity to engage in healthcare may be generated by the computing platform. In addition to being calculated by the computing platform based on medical records and other such information, the person engagement index may be calculated by the computing platform based on answers to survey questions, as well as patient interaction information indicating how the person interacts with personalized educational content.

Abstract: A water tap body has a mechanical mixing valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet of the mixing valve, to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet, and to allow a mix of water to flow to the water outlet. The water tap body also has a mechanical selector valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet and to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet of the mechanical selector valve. The water outlet of the mechanical mixing valve is in fluid communication with a first tap body outlet. The water outlet of the mechanical selector valve is in fluid communication with a second tap body outlet.

Abstract: An ice-protection system suitable for use in an aircraft comprises first de-icing apparatus operable to de-ice a first zone; a first ice-detection sensor positioned in the first zone and arranged to detect ice accreted on the first zone; and a control system responsive to the first ice-detection sensor and arranged to control the operation of the first de-icing apparatus.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Performance and comfort is increased in a tyre for vehicle wheels by assembling a tyre which includes a belt structure including at least one radially external reinforcing layer including a plurality of cords disposed at a substantially zero angle relative to a circumferential extension direction of the tyre. Each of the cords includes cellulose fibres, such as rayon, and aliphatic polyamide fibres, such as nylon.

Abstract: Native operating system application programming interfaces (API's) are described using metadata and such descriptions are stored in a standard file format in a known location. By storing API definitions using such metadata, other applications can readily identify and use the APIs. To create such API representations, during development, a developer describes the shape of the API, including (but not limited to) the classes, interfaces, methods, properties, events, parameters, structures and enumerated types defined by the API. This API description is processed by a tool which generates a machine-readable metadata file. The machine-readable metadata file contains the same information as the API description, however in a format designed to be machine read rather than human authored.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: A tire having a tread wherein a first shoulder region includes a plurality of shoulder blocks that are circumferentially separated by shoulder transverse grooves. A central region includes a plurality of substantially transverse grooves extending from a first circumferential groove toward the equatorial plane, wherein two circumferentially consecutive substantially transverse grooves delimit a central area. The central area includes a first central block; a second central block having one side forming a part of the wall of the first circumferential groove; and a third central block circumferentially shifted with respect to the first central block and positioned at a distance from the first circumferential groove, the third central block being separated from the second central block by a central transverse groove which is inclined with respect to the equatorial plane. The substantially transverse grooves have respective end portions at a distance from the equatorial plane.

Abstract: A system and methods provide handling of variable rate playback in a multimedia computer architecture. The systems and methods provide data structures and interfaces that enable a computer architecture and components therein with the ability to playback data at speeds faster and slower than real-time, to playback data in reverse, and to change the rate of playback at any point during playback. One embodiment is a method for providing low-latency, glitch-free changes in a multimedia architecture. Other embodiments are directed to defining multimedia component responsibilities for making rate changes, allowing rate changes to work with standard playback types, coder-decoders, and renderers. The methods include determining a minimum of the maximum reported playback rates and determining minimum and maximum playback rates in a set of modes including: reverse skip mode, reverse key frame mode, reverse full mode, forward full mode, forward key frame mode, and forward skip mode.

Abstract: A medical device placement and monitoring system is provided that includes numerous circuits that can be used alone or in combination. The circuits include a feedback initiator, a feedback receiver, and a clinician notifying device. By various means in the provided circuits, the feedback initiator provides information about the location of a radio frequency identification tag secured to a medical device inserted within a patient. This information or data is received and analyzed by the feedback receiver that monitors the circuit, which then transmits an output to the clinician notifying device to alert or advise the attending clinician of this information. The data that is output supplies information about the location of the radio frequency identification tag to the clinician, thereby assisting the clinician in placement of a variety of medical devices including nasogastric or endotracheal tubes, as well as in monitoring proper device placement after initial insertion.

Abstract: A tire having a tread wherein a first shoulder region includes a plurality of shoulder blocks that are circumferentially separated by shoulder transverse grooves. A central region includes a plurality of substantially transverse grooves extending from a first circumferential groove toward the equatorial plane, wherein two circumferentially consecutive substantially transverse grooves delimit a central area. The central area includes a first central block; a second central block having one side forming a part of the wall of the first circumferential groove; and a third central block circumferentially shifted with respect to the first central block and positioned at a distance from the first circumferential groove, the third central block being separated from the second central block by a central transverse groove which is inclined with respect to the equatorial plane. The substantially transverse grooves have respective end portions at a distance from the equatorial plane.

Abstract: A system and method for calculating audio processing attribute in digital signal processing system are provided. A testing system generates a multi-channel test signal in which one channel is returned to the testing system and the other channel is sent to a tested system. The test signals are processed, mixed and correlated. The resulting differences in the correlated signals are used to calculate various processing attributes of the tested system.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and articles for the administration of a biologically active substance (BAS). These methods and articles provide for the controlled and sustained delivery of relatively large quantities of these substances with a low burst effect. The articles made using the method of the invention have increased percentages (w/w) of macromer, increased crosslinking density, and reduced pore size in comparison to articles made using solution methods.

Abstract: Disparate devices in an audio/video ecosystem may be connected and managed by having multiple crossbar connections at nodes in a node and leaf network. The leaves of the network may be various audio and video devices, with receivers, personal computers, and other devices comprising the nodes, which have at least some crossbar switching ability. When the nodes are connected, some or all of the devices attached to all of the nodes may be made available at each interface for control and display. Each node may act as a crossbar, allowing a user at each interface to enjoy the services of any device, regardless of the node to which the device is attached.

Abstract: Media may be dynamically rendered by receiving signals from one or more types of sensors sensing in an area, and obtaining from the signals information about one or more locations of furniture, or one or more locations of persons or heads or ears thereof, or identities of one or more persons in common with other data such as time of day, season, or other external metadata. Audio and/or video data may be rendered based on the locations or identities. The identity of a person can be automatically obtained and used to automatically select a rendering profile which is then used to render digital audio and/or video media. A dynamically changing spatial location of a head and/or or ears may be automatically determined and how an audio stream is rendered may be dynamically changed based on the spatial location.

Abstract: Assessment of de-interlaced video quality is determined automatically by de-interlacing interlaced video content using a reference de-interlacer and a test de-interlacer. The reference de-interlacer produces a result of known quality and the test de-interlacer is one which is being assessed. The result from each de-interlacer is compared to reference video content to derive a signal-to-noise ratio for each relative to the reference video content. The difference in the signal-to-noise ratios is compared against a predefined threshold. If the difference is within the range defined by the threshold, the test de-interlacer is determined to produce an acceptable product.