Abstract: An identification and payment method of using biometric characteristics is provided. It uses different combinations of different kinds of biometric characteristics of an individual to verify or authenticate the individual to pay different amounts of money to enhance security. In addition, if the individual is under coercion or the individual's biometric characteristics are usurped, it may communicate with, for example, external organizations, third-party devices, or social contacts of the individual to enhance security.

Abstract: A method for setting shooting parameters of a HDR mode includes: displaying a user interface provided for a user to set a shooting number of photographs consecutively taken at different exposures each time the user shoots in the HDR mode; when the user shoots in the HDR mode, detecting a vibration extent to determine whether to automatically increase the shooting number; uploading the photographs to a cloud server to perform a big-data or elite-data analysis to generate proposals for HDR image processing; and, according to the proposal selected by the user, performing the HDR image processing for the photographs to generate a HDR photograph.

Abstract: An Internet-of-Things (IoT) system includes energy harvesting devices, IoT devices, and a monitoring device. The energy harvesting devices harvest the same or different types of ambient energy to provide a single-mode or multi-mode energy harvesting function, respectively. Each IoT device coupled to at least one energy harvesting device includes a control module, a wireless network module, and an energy storage module. The control module determines, according to energy supplied by the at least one energy harvesting device, whether to control the at least one energy harvesting device to supply energy to the IoT device and charge the energy storage module, or whether to control the energy storage module to supply energy to the IoT device. The wireless network modules of the IoT devices are coupled together to form a wireless ad hoc network (WANET). The monitoring device monitors operating conditions of the IoT devices through the WANET.

Abstract: A provisioned node, which is to be added into a distributed memory network, creates an empty provisioned key/value map. A master node, which is an existing node, in the distributed memory network, maintains existing key/value entries in an existing key/value map. An update cycle is performed, which includes receiving, by the master node and the provisioned node, one or more changes to the existing key/value entries. For any change that is a remove operation, the provisioned node stores a key specified in the remove operation in a tombstone set, and further removes the specified key from the provisioned key/value map. For any change that is a put operation of a specified key/value pair, the provisioned node puts the key/value pair in the provisioned key/value map.

Abstract: A motion detection method determines bit-rate changes of input pixels of a video frame by a grey relational analysis technique to establish a multi-quality background model, detects moving objects by two-stage block-based and pixel-based detection procedures to generate a binary motion mask, detects luminance changes of the video frame by entropy calculation to timely update the background model, provides a setting interface for a user to set a detection sensitivity, and examines false detections of the binary motion mask. Therefore, it can correctly interpret moving objects in VBR video streams, implement more accurate and complete motion detection, eliminate the influence of luminance changes, increase the detection accuracy, and decrease false detections.

Abstract: A provisioned node, which is to be added into a distributed memory network, creates an empty provisioned key/value map. A master node, which is an existing node, in the distributed memory network, maintains existing key/value entries in an existing key/value map. An update cycle is performed, which includes receiving, by the master node and the provisioned node, one or more changes to the existing key/value entries. For any change that is a remove operation, the provisioned node stores a key specified in the remove operation in a tombstone set, and further removes the specified key from the provisioned key/value map. For any change that is a put operation of a specified key/value pair, the provisioned node puts the key/value pair in the provisioned key/value map.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling an operating interface of a display device by user's motion. The operating interface is displayed on a screen. The operating interface comprises columns extending along a horizontal direction and layers extending along a depth direction. The method comprises steps of: displaying the operating interface on the screen of the display device; detecting the user's motion by the display device; moving a hand to an initial position by the user; and corresponding the user's motion to the operating interface by the display device. When the user moves the hand left or right or rotates the eyes left or right along the horizontal direction of the screen, the operating interface accordingly switches the columns left or right. When the user moves the hand forward or backward along the depth direction of the screen, the operating interface accordingly switches the layers forward or backward.

Abstract: A display device includes a flat-panel screen, an image capturing module, an eye tracking module, a screen rotating and tilting module, a flat-to-curve emulation module, and a flat-to-curve mechanical module. The display device employs the flat-to-curve emulation module to transform a rectangular flat image displayed by the flat-panel screen to a pincushion-like flat image according to a user's eye position; therefore, it may automatically provide the “emulated” curved image according to the user's eye position so that a user may perceive a visual effect like seeing a curved image. The display device further employs the flat-to-curve mechanical module to bend the flat-panel screen into a curved screen according to the user's eye position to bend the flat image displayed by the flat-panel screen into a curved image; therefore, it may automatically provide the “real” curved image according to the user's eye position to enhance the visual effect.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biodegradable medical devices such as stents manufactured from biodegradable polymeric-bioceramic nanoparticle composites. The invented medical devices include at least one bioceramic nanoparticle dispersed in at least one biodegradable polymer, wherein the said biodegradable polymers include biodegradable polyesters. The device and methods to disperse one or more bioceramic nanoparticle, wherein the said bioceramic nanoparticle include, but are not limited to, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), dicalcium phosphate (DCP), tricalcium phosphate (TCP), pentacalcium hydroxyl Apatite(HAp), tetracalcium phosphate monoxide(TTCP) and combinations or analogues thereof. Other embodiments include methods of fabricating biodegradable stent with said polymeric-nanoparticle composites.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a drug-impregnated implantable medical device such as stent manufactured from polymers, and more particularly, biodegradable polymers including biodegradable polyesters. The invented medical devices include at least one therapeutic agent impregnated in at least one biodegradable polymer wherein at least a portion of the therapeutic agent in this polymer is crystalline. The device and methods to impregnated one or more therapeutic agents, where each therapeutics agent may be chosen from the following categories: immunosuppressant agents, anti-neoplastic agents and anti-inflammatory agents were disclosed. Other embodiments include methods of fabricating drug-impregnated implantable medical devices.

Abstract: In embodiment, pattern for polymeric radially expandable implantable medical devices such as stents for implantation into a bodily lumen are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biodegradable medical devices such as stents manufactured from biodegradable polymeric-bioceramic nanoparticle composites. The invented medical devices include at least one bioceramic nanoparticle dispersed in at least one biodegradable polymer, wherein the said biodegradable polymers include biodegradable polyesters. The device and methods to disperse one or more bioceramic nanoparticle, wherein the said bioceramic nanoparticle include, but are not limited to, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), dicalcium phosphate (DCP), tricalcium phosphate (TCP), pentacalcium hydroxyl Apatite (HAp), tetracalcium phosphate monoxide (TTCP) and combinations or analogues thereof. Other embodiments include methods of fabricating biodegradable stent with said polymeric-nanoparticle composites.

Abstract: The present invention provides coatings or coating compositions for implantable or insertable medical devices containing one or more polymers and a combination of an immunosuppressant agent and an anti-neoplastic agent. In some embodiments, the coatings or coating compositions of the invention control sustained-release of the immunosuppressant agent and the anti-neoplastic agent for at least about 4 weeks. The present invention also provides implantable or insertable medical devices and other drug delivery or eluting systems containing a coating or coating composition of the invention and uses thereof.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel and inventive biodegradable and biocompatible materials and methods of use in biomedical area. Inventive materials can be formed by blending PLGA with ACP or any one of their family members. Inventive materials can be used in making biodegradable products including but not limit to drug eluting stents, vascular graft, bone substitutes such as bone fixation screws, surgical sutures and anti-adhesive membranes, and/or drug-slow release control vehicle etc.