A seal assembly between a disc cavity and a turbine section hot gas path includes a stationary vane assembly and a rotating blade assembly downstream from the vane assembly and including a plurality of blades that are supported on a platform and rotate with a turbine rotor and the platform during operation of the engine. The platform includes a radially outwardly facing first surface, a radially inwardly facing second surface, a third surface, and a plurality of grooves extending into the third surface. The grooves are arranged such that a space is defined between adjacent grooves. During operation of the engine, the grooves guide purge air out of the disc cavity toward the hot gas path such that the purge air flows in a desired direction with reference to a direction of hot gas flow through the hot gas path.

A support ring for a rotary assembly such as a propeller assembly includes support cups for receiving blade roots of propeller blades. The support cups are interconnected by bridging structures. Each bridging structure includes bridging walls which extend radially from a bridging web. The bridging structures thus have a channel-shaped cross-section. The bridging walls have a scalloped configuration at their radially outer edges. As a result of this configuration, the neutral axes of the bridging structures are straight, so that the support ring behaves, in structural terms, as a polygon.

In general terms, embodiments of the present invention relate to fan assemblies and methods for installing the same. For example, some embodiments of the present invention include a fan assembly that includes: (a) a rotational member; (b) a connection member structured for connection to the rotational member and including a body portion and a head portion; and (c) a blade arm defining an opening therein, such that the opening includes an open end portion and a closed end portion. In some embodiments, the connection member and the blade arm are configured such that, (a) when the blade arm is positioned in a support state, the head portion of the connection member rests against the blade arm to support the blade arm relative to the rotational member, and (b) when the blade arm is positioned in a secure state, the head portion of the connection member at least partially bears against the blade arm adjacent to the opening defined in the blade arm. Also, some of these embodiments of the present invention may be characterized as “easy install” fan assemblies because they include an “easy install” blade arm to motor connection, as described above, and/or an “easy install” blade arm to fan blade connection.

A machine-implemented display method that, with respect to a volume dataset being rendered, enables a user to navigate to any position in space and look in any direction. Preferably, the volume dataset is derived from a computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. With the described approach, the user can see details within the dataset that are not available using conventional visualization approaches. The freedom-of-motion capability allows the user to go to places (positions) within the volume rendering that are not otherwise possible using conventional “orbit” and “zoom” display techniques. Thus, for example, using the described approach, the display image enables a user to travel inside physical structures (e.g., a patient's heart, brain, arteries, and the like).

The present invention pertains to a system and method for X-ray imaging wherein a targeted fluence at the detector for projection images can be achieved at a plurality of projection angles around the imaging subject by control of exposure times implemented during image acquisition. Exposure time for a second projection image may be determined by the fluence in a first projection image, and in a third projection image by the fluence in a second projection image, where projection images are acquired within two degrees of one another. An acquisition parameter calculation can be configured to calculate acquisition parameters, such as said exposure times, to achieve the targeted fluence in projection images and can be coupled to a rotation controller that implements the acquisition parameters by controlling a relative angle between the imaging subject and X-ray image acquisition device.

A system and method is provided for estimating the local noise of CT images and denoising the images using a modified non-local means (NLM) algorithm that is adaptive to local variations of noise levels. A strategy for efficiently estimating the local noise of CT images is also described.

An X-ray arrangement is suitable to record absorption, phase contrast, and dark field images of an object. The visibility of low absorbing specimens is improved and required radiation dose is reduced. The assembly includes an X-ray source; two or more gratings; a position-sensitive detector with spatially modulated detection sensitivity; a recorder for recording the images; an evaluator for evaluating the intensities for each pixel to identify the characteristic of the object for each individual pixel as an absorption and/or a differential phase contrast and/or an x-ray scattering dominated pixel. Images are collected by rotating from 0 to n or 2n either the sample or the assembly. The gratings are produced with planar geometry. The X-rays pass through the gratings parallel to the substrate. The grating structures extend along the X-ray path which determines the phase shift. The attenuation of the X-rays caused by the grating structures is no longer given by the thickness, but by the length of the grating structures.

A noninvasive, quantitative imaging technique is presented for detecting and diagnosing liver disease, such as cirrhosis. The technique includes: capturing scan data from a subject using computed tomography or another type of imaging method and extracting image data representing the liver from the scan data. Various measures of the liver may be obtained from image data and then used to compute random variables of a statistical model, where the model is predictive of a medical condition of the liver and comprised of random variables that are indicative of at least one of a shape or texture of the liver. Output from the statistical model provides an indication of an undesirable condition of the liver.

Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques are described for dynamically adjusting, in a fan-angle direction, attenuation of radiation during an examination of an object such that portions of the object that are not represented in resulting (tilted/targeted) images of the object are exposed to less radiation than portions of the object that are represented in resulting (tilted/targeted) images of the object. As a rotating gantry is rotated, blades of a pre-object collimator are dynamically repositioned to selectively attenuate emitted radiation. A collimator adjustment component may be configured to determine how to reposition the blades based at least in part upon at least one of a desired tilt of the resulting (tilted) image(s), a translational position of the object, and a gantry rotation angle, for example.

The invention relates to an X-ray device comprising an x-ray sensitive camera for creating tomograms, especially panoramic tomograms. Means for creating 3D shots of a partial volume of the mandibular arch are also provided, said 3D shots being created especially by a second image receiver for creating a 2D shot and means for taking a plurality of 2D shots from different directions and creating a 3D shot therefrom, preferably according to conebeam technology with the associated reconstruction algorithms. The x-ray sensitive camera comprises a first x-ray sensitive image receiver for creating a tomogram, and a second x-ray sensitive image receiver for creating plane shots.

A method of treating an object with radiation that includes generating volumetric image data of an area of interest of an object and emitting a therapeutic radiation beam towards the area of interest of the object in accordance with a reference plan. The method further includes evaluating the volumetric image data and at least one parameter of the therapeutic radiation beam to provide a real-time, on-line or off-line evaluation and on-line or off-line modification of the reference plan.

A tridimensional modeling apparatus, system and kit is for representing an exploration network. The apparatus, system and kit include a transparent hollow cube with six plane surfaces for representing an enclosed volume, a plurality of perforations on at least two of the six plane surfaces and indicia around each opening for marking polar coordinates and orientation. The apparatus, system and kit further include a plurality of transparent rods for representing exploration channels. The plurality of perforations on the cube are arranged for receiving rods for tridimensional modeling of the exploration network and each rod is inserted into an opening with an angle and a depth, thereby resulting in a visual representation of the exploration network within the represented volume.

A user interface system including a sheet that defines a surface and at least partially defines a first level fluid vessel arranged at a first level within the sheet and a second level fluid vessel arranged at a second level within the sheet, wherein both the first and second level fluid vessels are arranged underneath the surface; a first volume of fluid contained within the first level fluid vessel; a second volume of fluid contained within the second level fluid vessel; and a displacement device coupled to the first and second level fluid vessels that selectively manipulates the first and second volumes of fluid, thereby deforming a particular region of the surface to a first and second stage, respectively or deforming a first particular region and a second particular region of the surface, respectively.

A cognitive disorder diagnostic system that employs cognitive cubes, gameplay associate with the cognitive cubes, and a data gathering as statistical analysis base device that may be a computer, that communicates the gathered data to a web server host according to a unique ID associated with particular cognitive cubes and further associated with a particular player. Using the statistical data gathered using the gameplay, various cognitive disorders may be successfully diagnosed and treated with higher reliability.

A method for selectively applying a reflectance modifying agent (RMA) to an area of skin, the method comprising receiving an image of the area of skin, identifying, using the image, a nominated point within the area of skin, determining an actual reflectance of the nominated point, applying an edge protection technique based on the image to generate one or more outputs, determining a desired reflectance of the nominated point based on the one or more outputs, calculating an amount of RMA to be applied based on the output, and determining whether to apply the RMA to the area of skin based on the amount of RMA.

The subject disclosure is directed towards automated processes for generating sentence completion questions based at least in part on a language model. Using the language model, a sentence is located, and alternates for a focus word (or words) in the sentence are automatically provided. Also described is automated filtering candidate sentences to locate the sentence, filtering the alternates based upon elimination criteria, scoring sentences with the correct word and as modified the alternates, and ranking the alternates. Manual selection may be used along with the automated processes.

Configurations for simulation of motions or movement in a health training mannequin for teaching purposes are disclosed. A cardiac defibrillation response simulation apparatus is configured to be housed separately from but interfaced with a health training mannequin to induce motion symptomatic response to electrical shock in the mannequin. In one embodiment a system comprises a motion inducer comprising a housing, an interface structure, and an actuator, wherein the interface structure is coupled to the actuator, movable relative to the housing, and configured to interface with a portion of a health training mannequin to induce motion in at least one portion of the health training mannequin. In another embodiment a method comprises interfacing a portion of a health training mannequin with an interface structure, the interface structure being coupled to an actuator and movable relative to a housing coupled to the actuator, the housing not being housed within a portion of the health training mannequin. Various hardware configurations are presented.

A method and system are presented to address quantitative assessment of visual motor response in a subject, where the method comprises the steps of: (1) presenting at least one scene to a subject on a display; (2) modulating the contrast of a predetermined section of the scene; (3) moving the predetermined section relative to the scene with the movement being tracked by the subject via at least one input device; (4) measuring a kinematic parameter of the tracked movement; (5) quantitatively refining the tracked movement; (6) determining the relationship between at least one of the scene and the quantitatively refined tracked movement; (7) adjusting the modulated contrast relative to the quantitatively refined tracked movement; (8) calculating a critical threshold parameter for the subject; and (9) recording a critical threshold parameter onto a tangible computer readable medium.

A method and system are presented to address quantitative assessment of word recognition sensitivity of a subject, where the method comprises the steps of: (1) presenting at least one scene, comprising a plurality of letters and a background, to a subject on a display; (2) moving the plurality of letters relative to the scene; (3) receiving feedback from the subject via at least one; (4) quantitatively refining the received feedback; (5) modulating the saliency of the plurality of letters relative to accuracy of the quantitatively refined feedback; (6) calculating a critical threshold parameter; and (7) recording a critical threshold parameter onto a tangible computer readable medium.

Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communication including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments implement communication systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages. Users of the systems and methods may be incentivized to submit corrections for inaccurate or erroneous translations, and may receive a reward for these submissions. Systems and methods for assessing the accuracy of translations are described.

A target device is usable with a simulation system which includes a weapon simulator having a trigger, a chamber for firing a blank cartridge in response to the trigger, and a transmitter arranged to emit a light signal defining one or more activation codes of prescribed duration in response to the trigger. The target device includes a sensor array of photodiodes and a processor receiving output signals from the photodiodes. The processor determines that the sensor array has been hit by the weapon simulator in response to a first portion of one activation code being received by one of the photodiodes and at least one second portion of the same activation code being received by the same or a different one of the photodiodes when the first portion and the at least one second portion correspond to an entirety of one activation code within the respective prescribed duration.

A device configured to track and capture the movement data of a target as well as shooting and firearm movement activity of a hunter includes a housing, a camera, sensors, a processor, a memory, and a battery. The camera is disposed in close proximity to the housing to capture the movement of a target. One or more sensors are disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor to capture the velocity and orientation of a gun. A trigger activation sensor is also in communication with the processor. The memory stores camera activity, trigger activity, sensor activities, and also stores an alarm setting on the device. The processor activates the alarm setting when predefined criteria are met. Radar can be incorporated to determine the distance of the target from the user. GPS can also be included to provide precise location and time information.

A method of providing a user with an extra-terrestrial somatosensory experience includes equipping the user with an underwater breathing apparatus, having the user occupy an underwater environment, such environment providing buoyancy to the user, and while the user occupies the underwater environment, using a computer-implemented virtual reality system to present to the user a virtual reality environment modeling an extra-terrestrial setting. The virtual reality system inhibits visual perception by the user of items outside of the virtual reality environment so that the user experiences the virtual reality environment under a buoyancy condition provided by the underwater environment. The buoyancy condition enhances the experience of the virtual reality environment.

A new design for a dry-erase board allows for writing on a clear top surface or a second surface under the clear top surface. The dry-erase board includes an insert positioned between the clear top surface and a second surface, the insert being protected by the clear top surface

A line length remainder and justification indicator device for use with a line composing machine in which the device employs a continuously rotating drum having preselected values of line remainder and justification information indicated thereon. A controlled intermittent flash illuminates only the desired information.

The invention relates to an assemblage of two pieces of bodywork (1, 2) each having a flange (5, 6) for pressing against the flange of the other piece. Each flange carries at least one tongue (11, 12) extending towards the other piece. A fastener member (20) is suitable for engaging around the tongues so to prevent them from moving relative to one another once said two pieces of bodywork are in a predetermined position in which they are united flange against flange. The invention also provides the pieces of bodywork constituting said assemblage.

A method that utilizes software and hardware mechanisms to meet the FCC requirement for a U-NII antenna to be an integral part of the device in which it operates, while providing wireless ready U-NII devices and CRUable U-NII radios. Enhancements are made to the software BIOS, including the inclusion of a table of approved radio-antenna PCI ID pairs to create an authentication scheme that verifies and authenticates the radio and antenna combination as being an FCC-approved unique coupling during boot-up of the system. The BIOS also comprises an OEM field that stores an encrypted secret key utilized to complete a second check of the radio model placed in the device. During boot up of the device, the PCI ID pairs from the BIOS are compared against the PCI ID of the radio and the secret key is checked against the radio model. Only a system with an approved combination of radio and antenna is allowed to complete the boot process, indicating an FCC approved device-antenna-radio combination under the “integral” requirement.

Secure access to a database of upgrade data is provided by storing an encryption key value in a cable used to interconnect a first device and a second device that is associated with the database of upgrade data. The second device allows access to the database of upgrade data via the cable only when the cable is first positively authenticated by the second device through use of the encryption key value stored in the cable.

One embodiment relates to a feedback receiver (FBR). The FBR includes a FBR signal input configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, a first local oscillator (LO) signal input configured to receive a first LO signal having an LO frequency, and a second LO signal input configured to receive a second LO signal having the LO frequency. The second LO signal is phase shifted by approximately 90° relative to the first LO signal. FBR also includes a divider that induces a time-varying phase shift in the first and second LO signals while concurrently retaining a 90° phase shift between the first and second LO signals.

A phase offset compensator for compensating a phase offset is provided. The phase offset includes a first phase sub-offset and a second phase sub-offset. The phase offset compensator includes a feedback loop comprising a first loop filter, the feedback loop being configured to compensate the first phase sub-offset of the phase offset, and a feed forward loop comprising a second loop filter, the feed forward loop being configured to compensate the second phase sub-offset of the phase offset.

A carrier frequency offset compensation method for a communication system is provided. The method includes: mixing, filtering and interpolating an input signal according to a mixing parameter, a first filtering parameter and a first interpolation parameter, respectively, to generate a processed result; calculating a carrier frequency offset estimation value of the input signal according to the processed result; adjusting the mixing parameter according to the carrier frequency offset estimation value; and mixing, filtering and interpolating the input signal according to the adjusted mixing parameter, a second filtering parameter and a second interpolation parameter, respectively. The first interpolation parameter is associated with a cut-off frequency corresponding to the first filtering parameter.

Systems and methods for carrier phase recovery are provided. One method includes providing a reference signal, detecting an input signal and determining a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the input signal. The method also includes employing a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) algorithm based on the SNR to determine a Carrier Phase Recovery Loop (CPRL) bandwidth.

Various embodiments associated with an at least fourth-order cumulant of a signal are described. The at least fourth-order noise-insensitive cumulant of the signal can be taken and compared against an at least fourth-order noise-insensitive cumulant of known signals. A match can be found between the signal and a known signal and from this match, a demodulation scheme of the signal can be determined. The demodulation scheme can be used to demodulate the signal.

A receiving circuit, use, and method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal is provided. The circuit comprise a demodulator and a digital filter connected downstream of the demodulator for moving averaging. The filter has at least two FIFO registers and subtractors. Whereby for subtracting an output value of the FIFO register from an input value of the FIFO register a subtractor is connected to each FIFO register. Wherein the filter has a weighting unit, which is connected downstream of each FIFO register, and wherein the filter has an integrator, which is connected downstream of the subtractors for integration.

Systems and methods for discrete signal synchronization based on a known bit pattern are described. In one aspect of the present subject matter, a discrete signal synchronization system is configured to synchronize a preprocessed discrete signal with a modified discrete signal. The system comprises a processor and a synchronization module coupled to the processor. The synchronization module comprises an extraction module and comparison module. The extraction module determines a bit pattern from the modified discrete signal using Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). The comparison module compares the determined bit pattern with a known bit pattern of the preprocessed discrete signal and records a time point at which the determined bit pattern matches with the known bit pattern of the preprocessed discrete signal as a synchronization point.

A coupling device for use in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network may be configured to disable an upstream path through it when there is only noise incident on the upstream path, and enable the upstream path through it when a desired transmission from a cable modem downstream of the coupling device is incident on the upstream path. The coupling device may be a trunk amplifier, a distribution amplifier, a splitter, or the like. The coupling device may comprise a single upstream interface coupled to a plurality of downstream interfaces. The enabling and/or disabling may be in response to a signal strength indicated by the SSI being below a threshold and/or in response to one or more control messages indicating whether any downstream cable modem is, or will be, transmitting.

Techniques for extracting the characteristic response of a non-linear channel are presented. In various implementations of the invention, a channel's characteristic response may be determined by identifying a first input sequence, determining the ones compliment of the first input sequence and then determining the response of the channel to these two input sequences. Subsequently, two input matrices and two response matrices may be generated based upon the two input sequences and their corresponding responses. Given these four matrices, a symmetrical response component may be determined by iteratively solving a system of equations formed from the columns of each matrix. Subsequently, given the symmetric component and these four matrices, an asymmetrical response component may be determined by again iteratively solving the system of equations for the columns of each matrix.

A radio communication device capable of randomizing both inter-cell interference and intra-cell interference. In this device, a spreading section (214) primarily spreads a response signal in a ZAC sequence set by a control unit (209). A spreading section (217) secondarily spreads the primarily spread response signal in a block-wise spreading code sequence set by the control unit (209). The control unit (209) controls the cyclic shift amount of the ZAC sequence used for the primary spreading in the spreading section (214) and the block-wise spreading code sequence used for the secondary spreading in the spreading section (217) according to a set hopping pattern. The hopping pattern set by the control unit (209) is made up of two hierarchies. An LB-based hopping pattern different for each cell is defined in the first hierarchy in order to randomize the inter-cell interference. A hopping pattern different for each mobile station is defined in the second hierarchy in order to randomize the intra-cell interference.

In some embodiments, a method for processing output of at least one microphone of a device (e.g., a headset) to identify at least one touch gesture exerted by a user on the device, including by distinguishing the gesture from input to the microphone other than a touch gesture intended by the user, and by distinguishing between a tap exerted by the user on the device and at least one dynamic gesture exerted by the user on the device, where the output of the at least one microphone is also indicative of ambient sound (e.g., voice utterences). Other embodiments are systems for detecting ambient sound (e.g., voice utterences) and touch gestures, each including a device including at least one microphone and a processor coupled and configured to process output of each microphone to identify at least one touch gesture exerted by a user on the device.

An image-based georeferencing system comprises an image receiver, an image identification processor, a reference feature determiner, and a feature locator. The image receiver is configured for receiving a first image for use in georeferencing. The image comprises digital image information. The system includes a communicative coupling to a georeferenced images database of images. The image identification processor is configured for identifying a second image from the georeferenced images database that correlates to the first image. The system includes a communicative coupling to a geographic location information system. The reference feature determiner is configured for determining a reference feature common to both the second image and the first image. The feature locator is configured for accessing the geographic information system to identify and obtain geographic location information related to the common reference feature.

The adjustable headset is an all in one device that includes an adjustable support band, a display system, a first and second ear cover, a computer system, a communications system, and a power source. The adjustable support band connects to each ear cover, with the ear covers being adjacent to a user's ears. The display system uses binary screens to create the experience of looking at large screens by taking up most of a user's field of view. The display system is attached to the ear covers by adjustable screen bars, which allow a user to change the general orientation of the display system. The computer system is capable of storing and running software programs and interfacing with connected devices by means of a set of connection ports or the communications system. The virtual goggles can adjust to meet individual comfort needs and interface with a variety of technologies.

A cloud computing system for object location, object identification, object picking, object picking by line, object loading onto one or more transport devices, or object delivery that can include using a cloud based server comprising a cloud based processor in communication with a cloud based data storage. The cloud based server can be in communication with at least one mobile processor in communication with a mobile data storage and a display. The method can also include sending instructions to an operator from the cloud based computer to a mobile processor associated with an operator to instruct the operator to perform a logistics operation. The logistic operation can include one or more of object location, object identification, object picking, object picking by line, object loading onto one or more transport devices, and object delivery.

Systems and methods for annotating electronic meetings are generally provided. Embodiments herein may include receiving an indication of one or more trusted users for an electronic meeting. The one or more trusted users may include a subset of a plurality of attendees of the electronic meeting. Annotation privileges may be associated with the one or more trusted users for the electronic meeting. An annotation associated with the electronic meeting may be received from at least one of the one or more trusted users. An output representative of the annotation may be generated.