Software Patents and Pretrial Dismissal Based on Ineligibility

Recent Supreme Court and Federal Circuit cases have redefined patent eligibility under §101. In 2012, the Supreme Court decided Mayo Medical Laboratories v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. and in 2014, the Court decided Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. Together, these two cases form what is known as the Mayo/Alice Two Step Test for subject matter eligibility. Although Alice discussed computer implemented inventions, it did not expressly answer whether software patents were eligible under § 101. In the years since Alice, it has been difficult to define what is patent eligible. Thus, many software patents have been found ineligible under § 101. However, since 2014, the Federal Circuit has decided a series of § 101 cases which have helped define § 101 eligibility. These are particularly important to guide the district court judges during their § 101 analysis. The Federal Circuit has previously instructed district courts to determine patent-eligibility at the pleadings stage to avoid unnecessary litigation. As a result, oftentimes district courts dismiss cases based on subject matter eligibility with pretrial pleadings. This paper will explore eligibility issues that software patents have faced post-Alice and whether recent Federal Circuit cases help software patentee avoid invalidity due to lack of eligibility at the pretrial stage

Embedology and Neural Estimation for Time Series Prediction

Time series prediction has widespread application, ranging from predicting the stock market to trying to predict future locations of scud missiles. Recent work by Sauer and Casdagli has developed into the embedology theorem, which sets forth the procedures for state space manipulation and reconstruction for time series prediction. This includes embedding the time series into a higher dimensional space in order to form an attractor, a structure defined by the embedded vectors. Embedology is combined with neural technologies in an effort to create a more accurate prediction algorithm. These algorithms consist of embedology, neural networks, Euclidean space nearest neighbors, and spectral estimation techniques in an effort to surpass the prediction accuracy of conventional methods. Local linear training methods are also examined through the use of the nearest neighbors as the training set for a neural network. Fusion methodologies are also examined in an attempt to combine several algorithms in order to increase prediction accuracy. The results of these experiments determine that the neural network algorithms have the best individual prediction accuracies, and both fusion methodologies can determine the best performance. The performance of the nearest neighbor trained neural network validates the applicability of the local linear training set

Low-cost resin infusion mould tooling for carbon fibre composites manufacture

This article describes the research to date carried out under the BAE Systems/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-funded programme ‘Flapless Aerial Vehicle Integrated Interdisciplinary Research’ (FLAVIIR), aimed at developing innovative technologies for the low-cost manufacture of next-generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The aim of the researchers in FLAVIIR was to develop low-cost innovative tooling technologies to enable the affordable manufacture of complex composite aerospace structures. The advances in tooling technology were achieved through the application of rapid prototyping, tooling and manufacture technologies to provide rapidly configured and reconfigurable tool concepts, for low-cost resin infusion moulding. This article introduces three tooling innovations: reconfigurable tooling concept, variable cavity tooling, and porous cavity tooling

Prevent Congenital Syphilis: A Facebook-Based Retrospective Analysis of Community Questions to Identify Gaps in Knowledge and Misconceptions

Background: Congenital syphilis is a significant public health issue that occurs when a pregnant woman with untreated syphilis transmits the infection to her unborn child, which can lead to severe health consequences such as developmental delay, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Despite the availability of effective treatments, the incidence of congenital syphilis has been increasing in recent years, particularly in certain populations such as women of color and those living in poverty. This project aims to better inform public health measures by leveraging social media as a data source for understanding community perspectives on syphilis prevention and management. Methods: In this study, we conducted a Facebook-based retrospective analysis of community questions related to syphilis. Utilizing convenience sampling, data was collected from the UTRGV School of Medicine - Pediatrics Prevent Congenital Syphilis Facebook group from February 2021 to June 2023. The sample size consisted of 1,320 Facebook group members. Group member questions were categorized into 14 different categories, and the geographic distribution of users was determined based on the available profile information. Results: Our analysis revealed that a total of 234 users actively engaged with the Facebook group by posting, commenting, or sending direct messages to the group administrators via Messenger. Among the 146 users with available geographic location data, 44.9% were from Africa, 13.7% from Asia, 2.3% from North America, and 0.9% from Europe. We observed representation from a total of 26 countries, with the top 3 countries of South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia representing 52.1% of our users. Overall, we identified 168 users who had questions directly related to syphilis. Notably, the highest number of questions pertained to Treatment & Medication with 82 total questions, Symptoms & Signs with 45 total questions, and Pregnancy & Congenital Syphilis with 29 total questions. Conclusions: The utilization of social media platforms, such as Facebook, allows for a broader reach and greater engagement with communities worldwide. The active interest demonstrated by the engagement of users within the Facebook group indicates a strong willingness to seek information and clarification regarding syphilis-related topics. The significant number of questions regarding the treatment and symptoms of syphilis provides valuable insights that can guide the development of targeted outreach initiatives. The data collected in this study will be reviewed with the UTRGV SOM Prevent Congenital Syphilis team and the State of Texas DHSH who fund the project, incorporating their suggestions and expertise into the project going forward. We aim to collaborate with healthcare providers, public health organizations, and community stakeholders to implement targeted awareness campaigns. By leveraging the findings from this project, we seek to create impactful educational materials and campaigns that address the identified knowledge gaps and misconceptions, ultimately reducing the incidence of congenital syphilis. This study underscores the critical need for public health education, emphasizes the extensive influence of social media platforms, and demonstrates the strong engagement surrounding syphilis-related subjects

La responsabilidad de los Prácticos del Canal de Panamá a partir del año 2000

El fin de este estudio es determinar cuál sería el mejor sistema de practicaje en el Canal de Panamá y en los puertos de Balboa y Cristóbal, a partir del año 2000. Hay dos sistemas de practicaje que se diferencian por el rol de sus dos figuras principales: el capitán del buque y el práctico. En el sistema de practicaje internacional, el capitán tiene la responsabilidad de la navegación de su buque, pero en el sistema de practicaje actual del Canal de Panamá, la tiene el práctico. Es importante anotar que quien lleva la responsabilidad de la navegación del buque también la tiene en caso de que ocurra un accidente. Para solucionar el dilema, el investigador entrevistó a los 33 expertos marítimos locales más calificados en la materia; en los que se incluyen a empleados de la Comisión del Canal, abogados marítimos, agentes navieros y a ejecutivos de la Autoridad Portuaria Nacional. En el caso del Canal de Panamá, el 79% de los expertos en asuntos marítimos y la mayoría de cada uno de los cuatro grupos, concluyeron que es preferible mantener el sistema de practicaje actual. No obstante, en los puertos de Balboa y Cristóbal, el 67% de los expertos y la mayoría de cada uno de los cuatro grupos, se decidieron por el sistema de practicaje internacional. En este estudio se recomienda mantener el sistema de practicaje actual en el Canal de Panamá, en el cual es el práctico el responsable de la navegación del buque, y cambiar en los Puertos de Balboa y Cristóbal, al sistema de practicaje internacional, donde el capitán es el responsable de la navegación de su buque

Thinking fast, thinking badly

We test for the construct validity of the cognitive reflection test (CRT) by eliciting response times. We find that incorrect answers to the CRT are quicker than correct answers. At the individual level, we classify subjects into impulsive and reflective, depending on whether they choose the incorrect intuitive answer or the correct answer the majority of the time. We show that impulsive subjects complete the test quicker than reflective subjects