Abstract: A reciprocating piston pump assembly comprises a cylinder housing with two internal chambers separated by a piston. The piston is coupled with a pushrod that reciprocates back and forth between two positions. The piston's position is tracked to measure the volume of fluid passing through the pump assembly. The pump assembly has two inlets, two outlets, two inlet passages, and two outlet passages. A first valve is positioned on the pushrod at a junction between the first inlet passage and first outlet passage. A second valve is positioned on the pushrod at a junction between the second inlet passage and second outlet passage. The pushrod can be positioned in a neutral position to simultaneously close both valves.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to charging and recharging systems for compact hearing aids, components thereof, and support devices therefor. The charging and recharging systems generally include a light emitting device, such as an aural insert having a light emitting diode, and a photovoltaic cell disposed on an implanted hearing aid. In operation, the light emitting device is positioned in or near the entrance of the ear canal and transmits light energy across the ear canal towards the implanted hearing aid. The photovoltaic cell receives the light energy and converts the light energy into stored electricity to power the hearing aid.

Abstract: A headphone may employ an ear pad mounted to a housing. Affixing a soft sticky or tacky non-adhesive polymer base to the underside of a headphone ear pad allows easy attachment of ear pads to a headphone with the ability to frequently and non-destructively swap pads, without the weight, bulk and fragility of other pad attachment mechanisms.

Abstract: A dual-barrel powder dispenser is provided. The dual-barrel arrangement may offer a highly-accurate, and highly efficient system and method for dispensing a consistent amount of powder. A controller in communication with the interface may determine the speeds at which each barrel rotates in order to dispense a volume and weight of powder from a hopper to a receptacle. A scale may monitor and determine the total weight of powder dispensed into the receptacle resting on the scale. The entire assembly may be self-contained in a single integrated body.

Abstract: A reciprocating piston pump assembly comprises a cylinder housing with two internal chambers separated by a piston. The piston is coupled with a pushrod that reciprocates back and forth between two positions. The piston's position is tracked to measure the volume of fluid passing through the pump assembly. The pump assembly has two inlets, two outlets, two inlet passages, and two outlet passages. A first valve is positioned on the pushrod at a junction between the first inlet passage and first outlet passage. A second valve is positioned on the pushrod at a junction between the second inlet passage and second outlet passage. The pushrod can be positioned in a neutral position to simultaneously close both valves.

Abstract: Techniques for self-testing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors are described. Some techniques involve testing inertial sensor characteristics such as an accelerometer's sensitivity to acceleration and a gyroscope's sensitivity to angular motion. The tests may be performed by providing a test signal, which simulates a stimulus such as an acceleration or angular rate, to a MEMS inertial sensor and examining the sensor's output. The efficacy of such self-tests may be impaired by spurious signals, which may be present in the sensor's environment and may influence the sensor's output. Accordingly, the self-testing techniques described herein involve detecting the presence of any such spurious signals and discarding self-test results when their presence is detected. In some embodiments, the presence of spurious signals may be detected using a signal obtained by mixing the response of the MEMS inertial sensor with a reference signal substantially in quadrature with the test signal.

Abstract: A dual-barrel powder dispenser is provided. The dual-barrel arrangement may offer a highly-accurate, and highly efficient system and method for dispensing a consistent amount of powder. A controller in communication with the interface may determine the speeds at which each barrel rotates in order to dispense a volume and weight of powder from a hopper to a receptacle. A scale may monitor and determine the total weight of powder dispensed into the receptacle resting on the scale. The entire assembly may be self-contained in a single integrated body.

Abstract: Systems and methods for sensing angular motion using a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope are described. These systems and methods may be useful for sensing angular motion in the presence of low-frequency noise, which may be noise below 1 KHz. In a system for sensing angular motion, low-frequency noise may give rise to duty cycle jitter, which may affect the demodulation of the sense signal and cause errors in angular motion estimates. The systems and methods described herein address this problem by relying on double-edge phase detection technique that involves sensing when the rising and falling edges of the resonator signal deviate from their expected values in the idealized 50% duty cycle scenario. To prevent the formation of ripples in the double-edge phase detection that may otherwise affect the demodulation of the sense signal, a switch may be used. The switch may be maintained in a non-conductive state when a ripple is received.

Abstract: An entangled, spatially distributed, quantum sensor network enhanced by quantum repeaters includes a probe-state generator for generating M entangled light fields, where M is an integer greater than one. The quantum sensor network also includes M spatially distributed sensor modules that communicate with the probe-state generator to receive the M entangled light fields, respectively, and conduct a measurement therewith. The quantum sensor network also includes one or more quantum repeaters, each of which is (a) located in a propagation channel of a respective one of the entangled light fields to its corresponding sensor module from the probe-state generator, and (b) includes a plurality of quantum scissors to amplify the entangled light field to at least partly compensate for loss in the propagation channel.

Abstract: An earphone can be configured with at least one acoustic driver positioned within an earphone housing. An acoustic driver may be acoustically coupled with an ear canal of a user via two or more airflow pathways that are configured to provide a uniform acoustic impedance from the driver to the user's ear canal.

Abstract: A dual-barrel powder dispenser is provided. The dual-barrel arrangement may offer a highly-accurate, and highly efficient system and method for dispensing a consistent amount of powder. A controller in communication with the interface may determine the speeds at which each barrel rotates in order to dispense a volume and weight of powder from a hopper to a receptacle. A scale may monitor and determine the total weight of powder dispensed into the receptacle resting on the scale. The entire assembly may be self-contained in a single integrated body.

Abstract: A dual-barrel powder dispenser is provided. The dual-barrel arrangement may offer a highly-accurate, and highly efficient system and method for dispensing a consistent amount of powder. A controller in communication with the interface may determine the speeds at which each barrel rotates in order to dispense a volume and weight of powder from a hopper to a receptacle. A scale may monitor and determine the total weight of powder dispensed into the receptacle resting on the scale. The entire assembly may be self-contained in a single integrated body.

Abstract: Sense amplifiers for use in connection with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes are described. The sense amplifiers may be configured to change the level of a gyroscope signal, i.e., the signal produced by a gyroscope in response to angular motion, to a level suitable for processing circuitry arranged to infer the angular velocity. The sense amplifier may further provide a DC discharge path allowing for discharge of the DC component of the output signal. The DC discharge path may include an anti-aliasing filter and a resistive circuit. The anti-aliasing filter may filter the output signal to maintain the resistive circuit in the linear region. The anti-aliasing filter may be designed with a frequency response such that discrete frequency sub-bands are blocked or at least attenuated. The frequency sub-bands may be tuned to substantially match the gyroscope's resonant frequency and its integer multiples.

Abstract: A method of optimizing spectrum usage in real-time for a plurality of networks is provided. The method includes: retrieving local spectrum usage data in a geographical area in which spectrum allocation is to take place; modeling the plurality of networks, using one or more quantum statistical models, as a system of interacting particles, wherein each particle represents a node in a network and is configurable to exist in one of several quantum states; selecting bandwidth allocation and utilization constraints for the nodes based on a system allocation intent; solving an optimization problem related to the system allocation intent to estimate specific frequency and bandwidth distributions to be allocated to each node by applying the selected one or more quantum statistical models, the selected bandwidth allocation and utilization constraints, and the captured local spectrum data; and instructing each node to operate within the specific bandwidth allocated to the node.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for tracking local and remote file usage, and aggregating the resulting file usage statistics for presentation to a user. The operating system of a local computer can cause presentation of a merged list of unified file usage information, wherein the merged list of unified file usage information comprises a first representation of the local file associated with local file usage information and a second representation of a Web application file associated with remote file usage information from a remote network host.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and machine-readable media are provided for processing items within an automated storage and retrieval device. A scanned machine-readable identifier associated with an item is received at an automated storage and retrieval device. A determination is made whether the machine-readable identifier that was scanned is a container identification (ID). The machine-readable identifier is identified based on pre-defined criteria when the machine-readable identifier is determined not to be a container ID. The machine-readable identifier is mapped to an existing order using stored order information. A container ID is created by the fulfillment system and passed back to the automated storage and retrieval device. The item is stored in the automated storage and retrieval device using the created container ID.

Abstract: A real-time spectrum optimization and allocation is provided within multifunction, co-located, interacting heterogeneous networks. Quantum statistical allocation techniques may be adapted to networks with nodes that behave indistinguishably and distinguishably, within a common geographic locational area. If the network nodes are indistinguishable, their statistical behavior may be Fermionic or Bosonic. Fermionic nodes occupy a single or the same state with some form of degeneracy. Bosonic nodes may occupy a single or the same state, with or without degeneracy. If the nodes are distinguishable, then their statistical behavior is Boltzmann-like, and they may occupy the same state provided there is degeneracy to the overall bandwidth allowing information to be transferred.

Abstract: A method of optimizing spectrum usage in real-time for a plurality of networks is provided. The method includes: retrieving local spectrum usage data in a geographical area in which spectrum allocation is to take place; modeling the plurality of networks, using one or more quantum statistical models, as a system of interacting particles, wherein each particle represents a node in a network and is configurable to exist in one of several quantum states; selecting bandwidth allocation and utilization constraints for the nodes based on a system allocation intent; solving an optimization problem related to the system allocation intent to estimate specific frequency and bandwidth distributions to be allocated to each node by applying the selected one or more quantum statistical models, the selected bandwidth allocation and utilization constraints, and the captured local spectrum data; and instructing each node to operate within the specific bandwidth allocated to the node.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to charging and recharging systems for compact hearing aids, components thereof, and support devices therefor. The charging and recharging systems generally include a light emitting device, such as an aural insert having a light emitting diode, and a photovoltaic cell disposed on an implanted hearing aid. In operation, the light emitting device is positioned in or near the entrance of the ear canal and transmits light energy across the ear canal towards the implanted hearing aid. The photovoltaic cell receives the light energy and converts the light energy into stored electricity to power the hearing aid.