Abstract: The present invention provides scanning mechanisms for imaging probes using for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including high frequency ultrasound and/or optical coherence tomography. The imaging probes include adjustable rotational drive mechanism for imparting rotational motion to an imaging assembly containing either optical or ultrasound transducers which emit energy into the surrounding area. The imaging assembly includes a scanning mechanism having including a movable member configured to deliver the energy beam along a path out of said elongate hollow shaft at a variable angle with respect to said longitudinal axis to give forward and side viewing capability of the imaging assembly. The movable member is mounted in such a way that the variable angle is a function of the angular velocity of the imaging assembly.

Abstract: An adaptive video presentation method for automatically presenting a video with stream-embed information based on content analysis of the video on a smaller display with a limited screen size is provided. The method comprises steps of determining a salient object group containing at least one salient object based on perceptual interest value of macroblocks for each frame of said video, extracting a window having a minimum size containing the salient object group for a scene of the video, characterized in that it further comprises steps of comparing size of the extracted window with the smaller display size; and presenting at least a selected area of the extracted window containing at least a part of the salient object group for the scene on the smaller display in different operation modes based on the result of the comparison steps for different motion mode for the scene of the video.

Abstract: Binding proteins, such as antibodies directed to IGF-II with cross-reactivity to IGF-I and uses of such antibodies are described. In particular, fully human monoclonal antibodies directed to the IGF-II with cross-reactivity to IGF-I are disclosed. Also discussed are nucleotide sequences encoding, and amino acid sequences comprising, heavy and light chain immunoglobulin molecules, particularly sequences corresponding to contiguous heavy and light chain sequences spanning the framework regions and/or complementarity determining regions (CDR's), specifically from FR1 through FR4 or CDR1 through CDR3.

Abstract: When for video coding Intra refresh is used, which inserts Intra coded blocks into previously Inter coded pictures, an efficiently adapted rate control method is required for error resilient video coding. A method for adaptively determining a bit budget for encoding video pictures comprises pre-analyzing each of the pictures of a group of pictures, wherein a relative complexity index is calculated for each picture, allocating bits to the pictures based on their relative complexity index and encoding each of the pictures with the allocated number of bits. The pre-analysis comprises selecting pictures for Intra refresh coding, extracting attention area information from the selected pictures, encoding at least the macroblocks of the attention area using Intra mode, calculating for each picture a complexity index, and calculating from the complexity indices of the pictures of the group a relative complexity index for each picture. Thus, a subjectively better video quality is achieved.

Abstract: A polymeric nanoparticle composition is provided. The nanoparticle may be of a core/shell configuration with an interphase region connecting the core and the shell. The mean average diameter of the polymer nanoparticles may be less than about 250 nm. The size, composition, and/or configuration of the interphase region may be varied to achieve desired physical and/or chemical properties of the resulting polymeric nanoparticles, and of the compositions into which the nanoparticles are compounded.

Abstract: In various embodiments devices and methods are provided for an improved dry-cooling condensation system. In certain embodiments the methods involve receiving steam from a source of steam (e.g., a power plant); condensing the steam into water while transferring the latent heat of the steam into the latent heat of a thermal storage material; and dissipating the latent heat from the thermal storage material at a later time when the ambient temperature is lower than the ambient temperature at the time the steam was condensed into water.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring the quality of a video is provided. The method comprises: generating a frame loss pattern of the video by indicating whether each frame in the video is lost or successfully transmitted; and evaluating the quality of the video as a function of the generated t came loss pattern.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are rubber compositions suitable for use in tire treads comprising (a) at least one conjugated diene polymer or copolymer; (b) at least one filler; (c) a curative package; and (d) at least one of: (i) from 0.2 to 10 phr of at least one halogenated hydrocarbon wax, or (ii) from 0.2 to 10 phr of at least one silicone-containing wax comprising a functionalized polyalkylsiloxane, a functionalized polyalkylsilsesquioxane resin, or combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the at least one halogenated hydrocarbon wax is a chlorinated hydrocarbon or a fluorinated hydrocarbon wax.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for automatic prediction of a current value using a weighted average of a number of current reference values, wherein the current value is associated with a current pair consisting of a first and a second current data tuple. The method comprises using a set of reference pairs, each reference pair consisting of a first and a second reference data tuple and being associated with a reference value, for selecting the current reference values wherein the first reference data tuples, the first current data tuple and a first metric is used for selecting, determining, for each current reference value, an associated weight using the second reference data tuples of the pair associated with the respective selected reference value, the second current data tuple and a second metric, and using the current reference values and the determined weights for determining the weighted average.

Abstract: When video sequences are obtained from e.g. news, interviews, conferences and sports matches, flashlight often appears in the video due to photographing. When encoding the video sequence, the intensity changes a lot so that the motion estimation can not find a well-matching block in a previous picture. Accordingly, the video encoder will encode in intra mode and thereby generate much more bits than for the neighboring non-flash pictures. According to the invention, not the real flash picture is encoded in the video sequence but an artificial non-flash or de-flashed picture, and some indications and parameters are inserted into the bit stream to model the flash effect. The decoder can regenerate the flash picture by reconstructing the non-flash picture and then adding the flash effect. The number of bits required for coding flash pictures is thereby significantly reduced.

Abstract: In some aspects, this invention provides a method of making a bone marrow-derived tissue-specific stem cell proliferation, expansion, isolation and rejuvenation extracellular matrix. In other aspects, this invention provides a method of making a tissue-specific fibroblast-derived stem cell differentiation extracellular matrix. Also provided are methods of using such a cell-derived preservation or differentiation matrices to induce tissue-specific differentiation of pluripotent cells, repair damaged tissue, and treat a subject having a physiologic deficiency using the same.

Abstract: A method and mechanism to reduce the energy consumption of a single-carrier wireless transmission system such as a base station or a subnet of multiple base stations in relation to the loading of the system. Energy savings may be achieved by withholding the transmission of the system over some time slots, decreasing the available frequencies for user traffic transmission, dynamically adjusting the system to a lower bandwidth, or a combination of these techniques in proportion to the system transmission load at a given time. The lower the system load, the more transmission resources may be withheld or reduced, and, hence, the more savings in energy consumption. Energy savings may be most prominent during periods of low traffic loading of the single carrier-based wireless transmission system.

Abstract: A system and method of collecting solar energy from sunlight, employing a thermal generation apparatus having a solar collector module including a receiver in optical communication with an array of mirrors. The method comprises reflecting energy impinging upon the reflector assembly with a plurality of reflective elements. The plurality of reflective elements is configured to direct energy reflected therefrom onto the receiver. The solar collector module is configured to rotate about an axis; and an angular position of the plurality of reflective elements is changed in relation to relative movement of the sun with respect to earth.

Abstract: A method for magnetic resonance imaging, in which a magnetic resonance imaging device employs a multi-echo imaging sequence, includes the steps of: applying, to one of the multiple echoes, a first number of steps of phase encoding, applying a readout gradient, and collecting the data of this echo to reconstruct an anatomical image; and applying, to another one of the multiple echoes, a second number of steps of phase encoding, applying a readout gradient, and collecting the data of this echo to construct a temperature image. The method is capable of obtaining at the same time both a temperature image with high time resolution and an anatomical image with high spatial resolution.

Abstract: The present invention provides scanning mechanisms for imaging probes using for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including high frequency ultrasound and/or optical coherence tomography. The imaging probes include adjustable rotational drive mechanism for imparting rotational motion to an imaging assembly containing either optical or ultrasound transducers which emit energy into the surrounding area. The imaging assembly includes a scanning mechanism including a movable member configured to deliver the energy beam along a path out of said elongate hollow shaft at a variable angle with respect to said longitudinal axis to give forward and side viewing capability of the imaging assembly. The movable member is mounted in such a way that the variable angle is a function of the angular velocity of the imaging assembly.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for improving wireless communication network performance and efficiency, based on detecting the occurrence of grant loss in relation to the transmission of scheduling grants to mobile terminals over a downlink control channel. Grant loss detection is based on detecting erasure events corresponding to the transmitted scheduling grants, and the incidence of grant loss with respect to a given mobile terminal can be tracked and used to compensate the control value(s) used for link adaptation of the downlink control channel, with respect to that terminal. Additionally, or alternatively, when a given grant is determined to be lost, a new grant is sent and the HARQ redundancy version is reset for the newly scheduled transmission.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for embedding video annotation data into a coded video stream. The method comprises the step of —encapsulating said video annotation data into a unit, so-called video annotation unit, of the coded video data stream which format corresponds to at least one format used for sending the associated video data, —inserting an identifiable synchronizing code enabling the identification of said video annotation unit into the video data stream.

Abstract: An apparatus for playing a game is provided. The apparatus may include a base, a plurality of projectiles and a first target platform moveable with respect to the base. The first target platform may include a collecting position, in which the plurality of projectiles are collected at the first target platform, and a dispersing position, in which the plurality of projectiles are dispersed from the first target platform. The apparatus may further include an actuator mechanism configured to actuate movement of the first target platform from the collecting position to the dispersing position and a first launcher attached to the base and configured to project the plurality of projectiles toward the first target platform.

Abstract: International image or video coding standards uses hybrid coding, wherein a picture is separated into pixel blocks on which predictive coding, transform coding and entropy coding is employed. The transform coding is effective because the prediction error samples are correlated in the frequency domain. However, when the prediction quality is getting better and better, spatial domain coding becomes more effective than transform coding. According to the invention, it is first determined in which corner of a current block the first non-zero amplitude value is located. Based on the related zeros run length value in that block, a pre-defined scan path is selected, i.e. a context-based adaptive scan mode is used.

Abstract: Cationic techniques can be used to polymerize monomers that include a class of hydroxyaryl compounds so as to provide polymers that exhibit desirable properties including, but not limited to, reduced hysteresis. Compositions such as vulcanizates in which such polymers can be utilized and products such as tire components that incorporate and/or are manufactured from such compositions also are provided.