Abstract: Interest regions are detected in respective images (18) having face regions labeled with respective facial part labels. For each of the detected interest regions, a respective facial region descriptor vector of facial region descriptor values characterizing the detected interest region is determined. Ones of the facial part labels are assigned to respective ones of the facial region descriptor vectors. For each of the facial part labels, a respective facial part detector (20) that detects facial region descriptor vectors corresponding to the facial part label is built. The facial part detectors (20) are associated with rules (30) that qualify segmentation results of the facial part detectors (20) based on spatial relations between interest regions detected in images and the respective face part labels assigned to the facial part detectors (20). Faces in images are detected and recognized based on application of the facial part detectors (20) to images.

Abstract: A method for creating a relation tree including scanning a storage device for digital images and performing at least one facial analysis on individuals in the digital images, identifying members of a nuclear family and an association of an individual from the digital images with the nuclear family in response to at least one of the facial analysis, and organizing the relation tree such that the nuclear family is linked with the associated individual.

Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, methods, software programs and techniques for generating an audio thumbnail for a musical piece, in which locations of different repeating segments within an input musical piece are identified. In addition, a singing segment within the musical piece is detected based on a calculated singing metric that indicates when singing is present. A thumbnail criterion that defines a location of an audio thumbnail by reference to generic musical structure is obtained, and a segment of the musical piece is selected as the audio thumbnail based on the thumbnail criterion, together with the location of at least one of the plural different repeating segments and a location of at least a portion of the singing segment. The audio thumbnail is then played and/or stored for future playing.

Abstract: A memory cell including a first electrode, a second electrode and a first resistance-switching layer located between the first and second electrodes. The first resistance-switching layer comprises hafnium silicon oxynitride.

Abstract: An illumination system includes a light source and a reflector. The reflector includes a first optical interface adjacent the light source which redirects light emitted from the light source and incident on the first optical interface via Fresnel reflection. In addition, the reflector includes a second optical interface adjacent the first optical interface on a side opposite the light source, which reflects light passing through the first optical interface via total internal reflection back towards the first optical interface. Also, a light collection system includes such a reflector.

Abstract: An illumination system comprises at least one light source (2) and a light-guide (1). A first part of the light-guide (1) is defined by a surface (12) for light emission and a back surface (13), and a second part of the light-guide is defined by a light receiving surface (14) and a light reflecting surface (15). The light source (2) is disposed adjacent or substantially adjacent to the light receiving surface (14), and light from the light source enters the light-guide through the light receiving surface (14), and is reflected by the light reflecting surface (15) into the first part of the light-guide. Light is emitted from the waveguide through the surface (12) for light emission, and may be used to illuminate, for example, a display device placed over the surface (12) for light emission. The light source and the light receiving surface are on the same side of the waveguide as the surface for light emission.

Abstract: A biaxial optical gyroscope is provided, which realizes mode separation using the waveguide devices with different material, and the biaxial optical gyroscope includes: a surface Plasmon Polariton Y-type mode splitter (1), a Y waveguide integrated optical device (2), a Y waveguide integrated optical chip (3), a first polarization-maintaining fiber coil (41), a second polarization-maintaining fiber coil (42), directional couplers (51, 52) and detectors (61, 62), wherein the two output ends of the surface Plasmon Polariton Y-type mode splitter (1) are respectively connected to the Y waveguide integrated optical device (2) and the Y waveguide integrated optical chip (3), and the output ends of the Y waveguide integrated optical device (2) and the Y waveguide integrated optical chip (3) are respectively connected to the first polarization-maintaining fiber coil (41) and the second polarization-maintaining fiber coil (42).

Abstract: Disclosed is a membrane surface modification method. The method is applicable to a variety of hydrophobic membranes by doping selected inorganic particles. One act of the method involves the in-situ embedment of the inorganic particles onto the membrane surface by dispersing the particles in a non-solvent bath for polymer precipitation. Further membrane surface modification can be achieved by hydrothermally growing new inorganic phase on the embedded particles. The embedment of particles is for the subsequent phase growth.

Abstract: An integrated optical fiber gyroscope chip based on surface Plasmon Polariton waveguide is an integrated optical fiber gyroscope chip in which optical signal is transmitted through the surface Plasmon Polariton waveguide and the polymer optical waveguide which are connected with each other, and it is used in the optical fiber gyroscope field. From the input end to the output end, the optical fiber gyroscope chip sequentially has: an input waveguide (1) and the third output waveguide (7), a directional coupler (2), a symmetrical triple waveguide splitter (3), the first output waveguide (61) and the second output waveguide (62), wherein the input waveguide (1), the first output waveguide (61), the second output waveguide (62) and the third output waveguide (7) are polymer optical waveguides, but the directional coupler (2) and the symmetrical triple waveguide splitter (3) are made from the surface Plasmon Polariton waveguide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to chimeric immune receptor molecules for reducing or eliminating tumors. The chimeric receptors are composed a C-type lectin-like natural killer cell receptor, or a protein associated therewith, fused to an immune signaling receptor containing an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif. Methods for using the chimeric receptors are further provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for identifying an image having a target individual therein. An example system includes an image capture system that generates image data representing a set of a captured images of a predetermined area, an image database that stores the image data, a feature information database that stores feature information for identifying a person caught in an image as the target individual, a target individual image database that stores exemplar image data representing an image of the individual, and a processing subsystem for processing the image data to detect the target individual using the feature information and the exemplar image data.

Abstract: A biodegradable, polyolefin-based material composition having incorporated therein thermoplastic starch particles is described. The material includes from about 5% to about 45% of a thermoplastic starch (TPS), from about 55% to about 95% of a polyolefin or mixtures of polyolefins, and from about 0.5% to about 8% of a compatibilizer, which has a non-polar backbone and a polar functional monomer or a block copolymer of both the non-polar block and a polar block. A method of forming a film and packaging assemblies made with the polymeric material are also described.

Abstract: A cantilever beam structural resonant-type integrated optical waveguide accelerometer, includes an input waveguide (1), a dissymmetrical structural Mach-Zehnder interferometer (2), a micro-mechanical vibration cantilever beam (3), a short curved waveguide (4) and an output waveguide (5); all the waveguide structures and the cantilever beam use the integrated optical micromachining technique, and the device single-scale integration can be realized by using the temperature-insensitive organic polymer optical waveguide structure and the organic polymer substrate, the key technique indexes such as detection sensitivity, dynamic range are extensively adjusted. The phase difference of the optical signal can be measured by detecting the optical intensity of the resonant frequency of the optical circuit so as to achieve high sensitive acceleration detection, and to be free from the effect of the ambient temperature disturbance and waveguide birefringence.

Abstract: A method, comprising receiving query data including an image of a person, and detecting a face of the person in the image to create a detected face, generating face data and clothing data using the detected face including a measure of characteristics of the face and clothing of the person, and retrieving images and video for the person and a related group of people by comparing the face data and clothing data of the person with multiple measures for the characteristics of faces and clothing generated from a set of images and video in which other people appear wherein co-appearances of the person with at least some of the other people are used to retrieve content in which the person and people from the related group appear.

Abstract: A method for processing image data comprises generating face data representing a set of detected faces from image data representing a set of images forming a library of images, using the face data to determine a sub-set of the images from the library in which at least the same person appears, and generating at least one clothing signature for the person representing clothes worn by the person in at least one of the images in the sub-set, and using the or each clothing signature, identifying further images of the person in the library.

Abstract: A surface-plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) tunable optical resonant ring filter that includes an SPPs waveguide, an SPPs tunable directional coupler, and an SPPs tunable resonant ring. The tunabilities of the resonant frequency, the resonant depth, and the filtering bandwidth are achieved by tuning the loss and transmission phase of the resonant ring and the coupling ratio of the directional coupler. Since the metal core layer of the SPPs waveguide is capable of multiplexing electro-optical signals, the SPPs tunable optical resonant ring filter can be used not only in an integrated optics system, but also in an integrated electro-optics hybrid system.

Abstract: Face-based image clustering systems and methods are described. In one aspect, face regions are detected in images. At least one respective parameter value is extracted from each of the face regions. Ones of the face regions associated with parameter values satisfying a cluster seed predicate are classified as cluster seed face regions. The cluster seed face regions are clustered into one or more clusters. A respective face model is built for each of the clusters. The face models are stored. In another aspect, face regions are detected in images. At least one respective parameter value is extracted from each of the face regions. The face regions are ranked based on the extracted parameter values. The face regions are clustered in rank order into one or more clusters. Representations of ones of the clusters are rendered on a display.

Abstract: Non-volatile storage elements having a reversible resistivity-switching element and techniques for fabricating the same are disclosed herein. The reversible resistivity-switching element may be formed by depositing an oxygen diffusion resistant material (e.g., heavily doped Si, W, WN) over the top electrode. A trap passivation material (e.g., fluorine, nitrogen, hydrogen, deuterium) may be incorporated into one or more of the bottom electrode, a metal oxide region, or the top electrode of the reversible resistivity-switching element. One embodiment includes a reversible resistivity-switching element having a bi-layer capping layer between the metal oxide and the top electrode. Fabricating the device may include depositing (un-reacted) titanium and depositing titanium oxide in situ without air brake. One embodiment includes incorporating titanium into the metal oxide of the reversible resistivity-switching element.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to edit in-place a ZIP™ archive file. A file and a first file block (FFB) in a first block location are opened and modified. If the first block location can accommodate the modified FFB, the modified FFB is saved, in-place, in the first block location without rewriting the entire archive. However, if the first block location cannot accommodate the modified FFB, a second file block is copied from a second block location to a third block location located at an end of a file data section of the archive. A portion of the second block location is marked as a free block and the modified FFB is saved without rewriting the entire ZIP™ archive. The archive is then saved by updating and saving both the central directory and end of central directory.

Abstract: Key technologies have been developed in realizing single longitudinal mode CW operation with a regular standing-wave cavity for intracavity frequency doubling and intracavity frequency conversions, so as to produce all solid-state, true cw devices with operation over wide spectral ranges including green, blue and UV. In one method laser arrangement, a beam expander (23 or 41) is applied to render a large mode waist and an improved beam divergence so as to greatly reduce the insertion losses for intracavity optical elements (17, 18 or 44). In another method laser arrangement, when spatial hole burning interference effect is minimized by using a pump head (12) with a thin gain zone (2) in contact with an end cavity mirror, then a low resolving-power spectral filter with low loss can be utilized.