Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, an array of memory structures, conductive structures located between a substrate and the alternating stack, conductive via structures, including an upper portion that overlies and contacts a top surface of a respective one of the electrically conductive layers, and a lower portion that underlies and is adjoined to the upper portion, contacts a top surface of a respective one of the conductive structures, and is electrically insulated from the rest of the electrically conductive layers. Inner, outer and intermediate dielectric spacers laterally surround a respective one of the conductive via structures.

Abstract: A method of determining a vertical medial axis of an object in an input image, is disclosed. A measure of horizontal symmetry is determined for each pixel of the image. First and second vertical bounds within the image are determined. A continuous path between the first and second vertical bounds is determined based on the horizontal symmetry measure, the continuous path representing the vertical medial axis of the object.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, resistive memory elements located in the alternating stack in first and second array regions and contact via structures located in a contact region between the first and the second array regions. The contact via structures have different depths and contact different electrically conductive layers. Support pillars are located in the contact region and extending through the alternating stack. At least one conduction channel area is located between the contact via structures in the contact region. The conduction channel area contains no support pillars, and all electrically conductive layers in the conduction channel area are continuous from the first array region to the second array region.

Abstract: A catheter system and method of dilating first and second anatomies includes a guide catheter extending along a longitudinal axis that has a breakaway distal end portion with a conduit in communication with the lumen. The conduit is configured to guide a dilation catheter at a first predetermined angle relative to the longitudinal axis and a second predetermined angle relative to the longitudinal axis for respectively dilating the first and second anatomies. The breakaway distal end portion includes first and second guide segments at least partially defining the conduit and respectively extending the first and predetermined angles to first and second distal openings. The second guide segment is removably connected to the first guide segment for selectively guiding the dilation catheter along the second predetermined angle when connected and along the first predetermined angle when disconnected.

Abstract: A method of modifying a scene model for a sequence of input images includes receiving, selecting, determining, and modifying. Scene modes associated with the sequence are received. For each image pixel in an input image of the sequence, two scene modes are selected from the received scene modes based on distances between the image pixel color value and the scene modes color values at a corresponding pixel location. It is determined if the image pixel color value matches the color value of any of the selected scene modes. It is determined if the image pixel color value is a mixture of the color values of the selected scene modes. The color value of a closest selected scene mode is modified or is maintained depending on whether there is one matched mode and the image pixel color value is not a mixture of the color values of the selected scene modes.

Abstract: A two-dimensional array of vertical field effect transistors is provided, which includes a one-dimensional array of ladder-shaped gate electrode lines. Each of the ladder-shaped gate electrode lines includes a pair of rail portions that laterally extend along a first horizontal direction and spaced among one another along a second horizontal direction and rung portions extending between the pair of rail portions along the second horizontal direction. The vertical field effect transistors include gate dielectrics located in each opening defined by a neighboring pair of rung portions, and vertical semiconductor channels laterally surrounded by a respective one of the gate dielectrics and extending along a vertical direction. The two-dimensional array of vertical field effect transistors can be employed to select vertical bit lines of a three-dimensional ReRAM device.

Abstract: A method is provided that includes forming a bit line above the substrate, the bit line disposed in a first direction, after forming the bit line, forming a word line above a substrate, the word line disposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, forming a nonvolatile memory material including a semiconductor material layer and a conductive oxide material layer between the word line and the bit line, and forming a memory cell including the nonvolatile memory material at an intersection of the bit line and the word line.

Abstract: A method of classifying foreground and background in an image of a video by determining a pitch color model of the image, the pitch color model comprising a pitch color, color shades of the pitch color, and the pitch color and the color shades under different shades of shadow. Then determining a pitch mask based on a pitch segmentation of the image of the video, determining a pitch background model based on the pitch mask and the pitch color model. The method may continue by classifying each of the elements of the pitch mask as background if a color of the element of the pitch mask matches the pitch color model and updating the pitch background model and the pitch color model using the colors of the elements that have been classified to match the pitch color model.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, resistive memory elements located in the alternating stack in first and second array regions and contact via structures located in a contact region between the first and the second array regions. The contact via structures have different depths and contact different electrically conductive layers. Support pillars are located in the contact region and extending through the alternating stack. At least one conduction channel area is located between the contact via structures in the contact region. The conduction channel area contains no support pillars, and all electrically conductive layers in the conduction channel area are continuous from the first array region to the second array region.

Abstract: A method of classifying foreground and background in an image of a video by determining a pitch colour model of the image, the pitch colour model comprising a pitch colour, colour shades of the pitch colour, and the pitch colour and the colour shades under different shades of shadow. Then determining a pitch mask based on a pitch segmentation of the image of the video, determining a pitch background model based on the pitch mask and the pitch colour model. The method may continue by classifying each of the elements of the pitch mask as background if a colour of the element of the pitch mask matches the pitch colour model and updating the pitch background model and the pitch colour model using the colours of the elements that have been classified to match the pitch colour model.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, an array of memory structures, conductive structures located between a substrate and the alternating stack, conductive via structures, including an upper portion that overlies and contacts a top surface of a respective one of the electrically conductive layers, and a lower portion that underlies and is adjoined to the upper portion, contacts a top surface of a respective one of the conductive structures, and is electrically insulated from the rest of the electrically conductive layers. Inner, outer and intermediate dielectric spacers laterally surround a respective one of the conductive via structures.

Abstract: Method, system, apparatus and computer readable medium for re-identifying a query objection moving from a first camera view to a second camera view. The method comprises the steps of accessing a first set of image frames (Q) captured from the first camera view and a second set of image frames (C) captured from the second camera view; selecting a first representative frame (QR) from the first set of image frames and a second representative frame (CR) from the second set of image frames based on a plurality of intra-camera object appearance distances between frame pairs in each set of image frames; and re-identifying the candidate object in the second camera view as the query object in the first camera view based on at least one inter-camera object appearance distance (D) calculated between the first representative frame and the second representative frame.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a bod, an actuation assembly, and a guide catheter extending distally from the body. The guide catheter includes an open proximal end, an open distal end, a rigid proximal portion, a bendable distal portion, and a pull wire extending from the bendable distal portion to the rigid proximal portion. A proximal end of the pull wire is coupled with the actuation assembly. The actuation assembly is operable to translate the pull wire relative to the rigid proximal portion to thereby articulate the bendable distal portion.

Abstract: A method is provided that includes forming a dielectric material and a first sacrificial material above a substrate, forming a second sacrificial material above the substrate and disposed adjacent the dielectric material and the first sacrificial material, forming a first hole in the second sacrificial material, the first hole disposed in a first direction, forming a word line layer above the substrate via the first hole, the word line layer disposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, forming a first portion of a nonvolatile memory material on peripheral sides of the word line layer via the first hole, forming a second hole in the second sacrificial material, forming a second portion of the nonvolatile memory material on a sidewall of the second hole, forming a local bit line in the second hole, and forming a memory cell including the nonvolatile memory material at an intersection of the local bit line and the word line layer.

Abstract: Die cracking of a three dimensional memory device may be reduced by adding offsets to backside contact via structures. Each backside contact via structure can include laterally extending portions that extend along a first horizontal direction adjoined by adjoining portions that extend along a horizontal direction other than the first horizontal direction. In order to preserve periodicity of memory stack structures extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, the distance between an outermost row of a string of memory stack structures between a pair of backside contact via structures and a most proximal backside contact via structure can vary from a laterally extending portion to another laterally extending portion within the most proximal backside contact via structure. Source shunt lines that are parallel to bit lines can be formed over a selected subset of offset portions of the backside contact via structures.

Abstract: A method is provided that includes forming a dielectric material and a first sacrificial material above a substrate, forming a second sacrificial material above the substrate and disposed adjacent the dielectric material and the first sacrificial material, forming a first hole in the second sacrificial material, the first hole disposed in a first direction, forming a word line layer above the substrate via the first hole, the word line layer disposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, forming a first portion of a nonvolatile memory material on peripheral sides of the word line layer via the first hole, forming a second hole in the second sacrificial material, forming a second portion of the nonvolatile memory material on a sidewall of the second hole, forming a local bit line in the second hole, and forming a memory cell including the nonvolatile memory material at an intersection of the local bit line and the word line layer.

Abstract: Memory openings and support openings can be formed through an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers. A set of dielectric layers and at least one semiconductor material layer can be sequentially deposited in each of the memory openings and the support openings. The at least one semiconductor material layer is removed from inside the support openings, while the at least one semiconductor material layer is not removed from inside the memory openings. Memory stack structures and support pillar structures are formed in the memory openings and the support openings, respectively. The sacrificial material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layers. Removal of the at least one semiconductor material layer from the support pillar structures reduces or eliminates leakage current through the support pillar structures.

Abstract: A method of modifying a scene model for a sequence of input images includes receiving, selecting, determining, and modifying. Scene modes associated with the sequence are received. For each image pixel in an input image of the sequence, two scene modes are selected from the received scene modes based on distances between the image pixel color value and the scene modes color values at a corresponding pixel location. It is determined if the image pixel color value matches the color value of any of the selected scene modes. It is determined if the image pixel color value is a mixture of the color values of the selected scene modes. The color value of a closest selected scene mode is modified or is maintained depending on whether there is one matched mode and the image pixel color value is not a mixture of the color values of the selected scene modes.

Abstract: A method and system associated with a camera view of a moving-object in a scene. The method comprises detecting and tracking the moving object over multiple video frames, estimating an orientation of the moving object in each of the video frames, and constructing a cost map from the estimated orientations over the multiple video frames for finding a minimum cost path over the cost map. The Method also comprises determining regularized orientation estimates of the moving-object from the minimum cost path, and locating the vanishing point of the camera view based on an axis of the moving-object from the minimum cost path, the axis formed by using the regularized orientation estimates.

Abstract: A method of determining stability of a camera comprises capturing an image with the camera and then (A) determining a magnitude of motion for each region of a current sub-division of the image. A step (B) then determines a number of the magnitudes of motion not larger than a magnitude threshold associated with the current sub-division, and where the determined number is greater than or equal to a region threshold associated with the number of regions in the current sub-division, (i) determining the camera to be stable, or otherwise (ii) dividing the current sub-division of the image into a further sub-division and repeating steps (A) and (B) upon the further sub-division.