308results about How to "Minimize bias" patented technology

A preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of creating and managing an index fund based on an index of funds of hedge funds, comprising steps of (a) identifying potential funds for an index of funds of hedge funds; (b) identifying which of the potential funds meet specific criteria selected so as to minimize biases comprising selection bias and survivorship bias; (c) creating an index by indexing funds identified as meeting the criteria; (d) acquiring a portfolio of funds in the index; and (e) allocating capital to funds in the portfolio.The invention also comprises software to perform the steps of the method described above. In particular, the invention comprises software wherein data regarding potential funds is stored in a database according to object role modeling. A preferred database structure is described.

Device and method for limiting adverse events during supplemental oxygen therapy are disclosed. In the present invention, the oxygen flow between a patient and an oxygen source is controlled with a valve such as a proportional solenoid capable of constraining flow-rates within a continuous range. The flow-rate of oxygen is accurately controlled in a closed-loop with flow-rate measurements. Measures of a patient's vital physiological statistics are used to automatically determine optimum therapeutic oxygen flow-rate. Controller signal filtering is disclosed to improve the overall response and stability. The control algorithm varies flow-rates to minimize disturbances in the patient feedback measurements.

A control system configured to control a deceleration process of an air vehicle which comprises at least one tiltable propulsion unit, each of the at least one tiltable propulsion units is tiltable to provide a thrust whose direction is variable at least between a general vertical thrust vector direction and a general longitudinal thrust vector direction with respect to the air vehicle.

Methods and apparatus for assessing and linking market research questions to participant's (user's) credentials, where the market research questions are integrated into selected continuing education courses or product training. The users may not earn credit for such continuing education unless they answer the market research questions. This method allows a mechanism to perform market research on any group of professionals that require continuing education or training. The method and apparatus of the various embodiments of the present invention have applications on the Internet, stand-alone and networked computer systems, integrated computer-television systems, and conventional communication systems, such as voice telephony.

The present invention is concerned with a process for forming a very well defined pattern of particulate material in a composite material comprising a web material and particulate absorbent material. The present invention relates also to a method for determining the equipment design and process parameter for such a process. In a particular application, the present invention provides a process for preparing liquid absorbent structures, such as may be useful for disposable absorbent articles.

Methods and systems are described to quantitatively determine the degree of soft tissue constraints on knee ligaments and for properly determining placement parameters for prosthetic components in knee replacement surgery that will minimize strain on the ligaments. In one aspect, a passive kinetic manipulation technique is used in conjunction with a computer aided surgery (CAS) system to accurately and precisely determine the length and attachment sites of ligaments. These manipulations are performed after an initial tibial cut and prior to any other cuts or to placement of any prosthetic component. In a second aspect, a mathematical model of knee kinematics is used with the CAS system to determine optimal placement parameters for the femoral and tibial components of the prosthetic device that minimizes strain on the ligaments.

A multi-media method and system performs psychological assessment of an individual for suitability for particular jobs, whereby the individual is shown and provided with discrete visual and auditory stimuli on a multi-media computer screen, so that the individual's responses can be monitored in conjunction with physiological responses received by biofeedback sensors. The computer tallies the test subject's recorded responses. Virtual work environments are optionally displayed, to enable the tested individual to simulate a real work environment. Unlike other job evaluation systems, the system evaluates a job candidate's ability to maintain task focus under pressure. It directly measures performance under pressure, rather than only inferring potential performance based upon selective input from a job candidate.

A prediction model is generated by training an ensemble of multiple neural networks, and estimating the performance error of the ensemble. In a subsequent stage a subsequent ensemble is trained using an adapted training set so that the preceding bias component of performance error is modelled and compensated for in the the new ensemble. In each successive stage the error is compared with that of all of the preceding ensembles combined. No further stages take place when there is no improvement in error. Within each stage, the optimum number of iterative weight updates is determined, so that the variance component of performance error is minimised.

A single surface representation is created from a cloud of points. Each point in the cloud of points is assigned three-dimensional spatial coordinates. The cloud of points is stored in a memory of a computer. Machine-executable instructions are provided for the computer that operate on the cloud of points. The instructions construct an initial triangle from the cloud of points. The instructions construct a multitude of adjacent triangles forming a single continuous surface representing the object. The triangles comprise planar surfaces having three vertices. The vertices of the adjacent triangles comprise the three points forming the initial triangle and a multitude of other points. Except for the initial two points, the points forming the triangles are each computed as a weighted average of a set of nearby points in the cloud of points that satisfy selection criteria. The resulting vertex also has to satisfy one or more selection criteria. The final weighted average surface representation requires much less data to represent the object surface than the initial point cloud.

The present invention relates to oral sustained release formulations of tofacitinib and pharmaceutical acceptable salts thereof. The formulations described herein have desirable pharmacokinetic characteristics.

A method of calculating a process parameter for a deposition of an epitaxial layer on a substrate. The method includes the steps of measuring an effect of the process parameter on a thickness of the epitaxial layer to determine a gain curve for the process parameter, and calculating, using the gain curve, a value for the process parameter to achieve a target thickness of the epitaxial layer. The value is calculated to minimize deviations from the target thickness in the layer. Also, a substrate processing system comprising that includes a processor to calculate a value for the process parameter to achieve a substantially uniform epitaxial layer of a target thickness on the substrate, where the value is calculated using a gain curve derived from measurements of layer uniformity as a function of the value of the process parameter.

In a knee protecting airbag device of the present invention, an airbag is folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag is protruded rearward of a vehicle from a protruding opening and expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in. And, the airbag is arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the body side and the knees of the passenger thereby to protect the knees of the passenger. The protruding opening has a transverse width size set within a range of ⅛ to ⅔ of the transverse width size of the airbag having completed its expansion and inflation.

A method is provided for modifying an image of a pattern during a lithographic imaging process, where the pattern is arranged on a mask for imaging by a projection system on a surface, and the image is an image formed from the pattern by the projection system. In this method the imaging quality of the projection system is described by selected imaging quality parameters, and the image is adjustable by image adjustment parameters of the projection system. The method comprises the steps of determining an ideal image of the pattern, determining a simulated distorted image of the pattern based on the selected imaging quality parameters; determining a deviation between the simulated distorted image and the ideal image, and adapting the image adjustment parameters during the imaging process to minimize the deviation between the simulated distorted image and the ideal image on the basis of the selected imaging quality parameters.

A method and a device for simulating the realization of lighting effects in an environment are disclosed. The method may receive environment data, user input indicative of lighting effects, and data indicative of what installable devices exist. Based thereon, the method may generate at least one implementation option for each lighting effect and select one implementation option for each lighting effect. As a result, realization data based on the environment data and selected implementation options options can be generated. A simulator for simulating realization of lighting effects is adapted to communicate, on the one hand, with a user or other provider of environment and lighting effect data, and, on the other, with a source of information on installable hardware device. The simulator can be operable in a design mode, an implementation mode, a selection mode and a realization mode.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a new alternative to the Bayer pattern for spatial subsampling in color imaging applications. One aspect of the present invention relates to a new design paradigm for spatio-spectral sampling, which is also described. The proposed scheme offers the potential to significantly reduce hardware complexity in a wide variety of applications, while at the same time improving output color image quality. According to another aspect, it is realized that conventional processing techniques are subject to diminishing returns, and with the exception of the most sophisticated processing techniques generate imperfections perceptible to a practiced eye. According to one aspect, a framework for CFA design in presented. In one embodiment the physical characteristics of the CFA are generated so that the spectral radii of luminance and chrominance channels are maximized. In another embodiment, the CFA designed to subject to the conditions of perfect reconstruction. In one aspect, the physical characteristics of CFA design are constrained to require physically realizable CFA(s). Alternatively, certain physical characteristics can be emphasized to generate easier to manufacture CFA(s). According to another aspect, conventional methods and systems are evaluated, confirming shortcomings regarding aliasing in imaging and bandwidth, against which certain embodiments are benchmarked, showing improved performance under at least some embodiments of proposed designs and methods. According to another aspect, a display device CFA is evaluated in terms of throughput of stimuli as limited by aliasing. It is shown the spectral replicas of the chrominance signals induced by existing CFA patterns are centered around frequencies that are not sufficiently far from the DC, consequently overlapping with the luminance signal spectrum and reducing the throughput of the stimuli. By reinterpreting the interactions between the stimuli, display CFA, and CSF in terms of amplitude modulation, an alternative CFA coding scheme that modulates the chrominance signals to a higher frequency relative to common schemes is provided in some embodiments.

To maintain high productivity and performing high-grade processes while minimizing deviation of a sheet process position in a direction at a right angle to a sheet conveying direction whatever types of sheets are to be processed, timing for starting detection of an end position of each of the sheets is controlled so as to execute the detection of the end position of each of the sheets at a vicinity of a sheet processing position on the sheet at which a sheet process is executed.

A method and an apparatus or apparatus system for vibration control, by harmonic optimization technology, of vibrations in the cantilever or barrel, portion of a device from which a projectile is fired or launched along the centerline of the cantilever. More particularly this invention relates to rifles, where the rifle barrel is a cantilever portion, and methods and apparatus for increasing the accuracy of firing projectiles. The invention is principally directed to a method and apparatus including a mass device affixed to a flexible cylinder extension at the muzzle end, inertial mass devices, having combustion pressure reduction features, affixed intermediate the muzzle end and the cartridge chamber, and a spring suspension system between barrel and rifle stock affixed proximal to the cartridge chamber. This system decreases the angular dispersion of barrel vibrations at the muzzle resulting from the firing of projectiles through such barrels.

A method of operating an anti-phase six degree-of-freedom tuning fork gyroscope system comprises the steps of driving a first three degree-of-freedom gyroscope subsystem, and driving a second three degree-of freedom gyroscope subsystem in an anti-phase mode with the first gyroscope subsystem at an anti-phase resonant frequency. Acceleration or an angular rate of motion is sensed by means of the first and second three degree-of-freedom gyroscope subsystems operating in a flat frequency response range where the anti-phase resonant frequency is designed. Response gain and phase are stable and environmental and fabrication perturbations are avoided by such operation. A anti-phase six degree-of-freedom tuning fork gyroscope system which operates as described is also characterized.

Disclosed is a heat exchanger configured by laminating layers having micro-channels by adapting a micromachining, wherein the micro-channels having uniform length and cross section are constructed within a heat exchanger body in a curved outer shape, thereby minimizing deviation for each channel and improving heat transfer efficiency.

A feedback control system for steering a tool along a well-plan. Optimum steering instructions may be generated by a recursive optimization of multiple objectives. These objectives can include accuracy and quality. The quality objective can include the objective of drilling a smooth borehole by minimizing strain energy and torsion. The accuracy objective can include the objective of minimizing the deviation of the borehole trajectory during the real-time drilling process from a predefined well-plan. The trajectory control problem, therefore, can be a multi-objective problem where, in some embodiments, the weightings of the individual objectives can be adjusted along the process.

A method and an apparatus for detecting knocking combustion in an internal combustion engine, by evaluating the ionic current signal sensed in the combustion chamber, is especially adapted to correct or compensate the ionic current signal for longterm variations arising therein, for example due to variations in the composition of the fuel as a result of contamination with metallic components or the like. Thereby, erroneous knock recognition is prevented. To achieve this, a frequency-filtered time-sampled knocking component integral of the ionic current signal generated in the present combustion cycle is multiplied by a correction value determined from at least one integral value of the ionic current signal generated during at least one prior combustion cycle. The correction value is preferably a time-weighted combination of plural difference values that are respectively determined by subtracting an average integrated value of the ionic current signal from the knocking component integral of the ionic current signal in plural prior combustion cycles, and that are stored in successive positions of a shift register. If the final corrected knocking component integral falls outside of an allowable range, a knock recognition signal is released.

A method for determining the presence of a hydrate history in a fluid involves obtaining a sample of the fluid. The sample is then cooled to determine the amount of cooling required in order to induce hydrate formation. The result is then compared to the amount of cooling required to induce hydrate formation in a sample, which has been heat treated to remove any hydrate history present, before cooling. Also provided are methods for prevention or control of hydrate formation of a fluid in a system. The degree of inhibition of hydrate formation in the fluid is monitored and then the system conditions or fluid composition are adjusted as required. Methods for carrying out monitoring of a fluid liable to form hydrates are also described.

An arrangement for the control of an actuator (48) for the adjustment of an adjustable element (16) of an agricultural work machine (10) is equipped with a control unit (50) to produce adjustment signals for the adjustable element (16) in the sense of moving to a theoretical position, a control arrangement (62) of the actuator (48), coupled with the adjustable element (16), which receives the adjustment signals of the control unit (50), and a determination device (54) to make available at least one parameter (0), determined with the aid of recorded vibration characteristics of the system consisting of the adjustable element (16) and the work machine (10). The determination device (54) can be operated so as to determine at least one parameter (0) at the successively following time points and to supply it to the control unit (50). The parameter (0) serves to optimize the regulating behavior of the control unit (50).