Abstract: A stent for maintaining an open passageway through a body lumen, such as the prostatic urethra of a male patient, includes an elongated segment including a flexible polymer material bridging a plurality of hoops. The elongated segment defines a lumen extending therethrough and has a distal end. A retention structure may be coupled to the distal end of the elongated segment to inhibit the distal end from migrating when the stent is placed within a body of a patient. The flexible polymer material is disposed between the plurality of hoops, thereby creating hinged members that allow for the spaces between the hoops to expand and contract longitudinally to accommodate prostatic swelling when the stent is placed within the prostatic urethra of the patient.

Abstract: A laser micro-dissection system, which is provided with a laser beam, in particular for the processing of biological material located on a carrier, comprises a laser, a microscope with a camera for the production of a microscope image or video image of the biological material located on the carrier and display screen for the display of the recorded video image, With the aid of suitable input means, a desired biological object to be processed with the laser beam, in the video images displayed on the screen, is selected and allocated to a corresponding object group. The control of the laser micro-dissection system, which can be realised in the form of a computer, automatically produces a list, in which on the one hand the individually selected objects and, on the other, a comprehensive representation of the object groups is contained.

Abstract: A cable modem uses a CATV network as an information transfer medium. To a cable modem proper that is connected by way of a coaxial cable to a CATV network, an expansion unit is attached that has a wireless LAN function that permits wireless communication with an information processing terminal. The expansion unit is removably attached to the cable modem proper by use of a plug and connector.

Abstract: A circuit for generating a digital data signal from an analog input data signal is disclosed. The circuit comprises a master-slave flip-flop with a clock input for receiving the analog input data signal, an amplitude detecting circuit for detecting the amplitude of the analog input data signal and generating an amplitude detection signal in response thereto, and a phase shifting circuit responsive to the amplitude detection signal for supplying a phase shifted signal to the clock input of the master-slave flip-flop. The circuit may further include a clock recovery circuit for generating a recovered clock signal from a clock signal contained in the analog input data signal. The recovered clock signal may be supplied to the amplitude detecting circuit, or a feedback loop may supply the phase shifted clock signal to the amplitude detecting circuit.

Abstract: A method for liquid phase oxidation of a cycloalkane compound is provided by which the cycloalkane compound intended to be oxidized mixes with water to form an azeotropic mixture, and then an oxygen enriched gas is introduced to perform an oxidation reaction. This method is particularly suitable for liquid phase oxidation of cyclohexane by using an oxygen enriched gas or pure oxygen, which not only enhances conversion rate and selectivity of the cyclohexane oxidation process but also improves process safety in the use of an oxygen enriched gas or pure oxygen for cyclohexane oxidation.

Abstract: A system for operating a workflow and a method applied to the system are proposed, so as to conduct an electronic workflow for an enterprise based on a server/client architecture in a intranet or internet environment. A terminal device of the system allows a user at the terminal device to submit a request for inquiring, browsing, issuing or reading a document, which is transmitted a network server for initiating a service server, so as to process the request and transmit the processed result through the network server to the user. The foregoing system and method can substitute for a conventional system in manual processing and is a powerful tool to fulfill the objectives for an enterprise in promoting the working efficiency and reducing the management cost.

Abstract: A substrate for a semiconductor package is provided, which includes: a core layer; at least a metal layer applied over each of upper and lower surfaces of the core layer, wherein the metal layer on the upper surface forms a plurality of conductive traces each having a terminal, and the metal layer on the lower surface is defined with a conductive region and a surrounding peripheral region, allowing the conductive region to form a plurality of conductive traces each having a terminal; and an insulating layer applied over each of the metal layers, wherein terminals of the conductive traces and at least a corner portion of the peripheral region are exposed to outside of the insulating layers. During fabrication of semiconductor packages, after a post molding curing process, the vertically-stacked substrates can be easily separated by virtue of a gap being formed between exposed corner portions of the stacked substrates.

Abstract: A flapping apparatus includes a first disk rotated by a driving source, and a second disk that rotates in contact with a main surface of the first disk. The second disk is provided with first and second stoppers that limit its angle of rotation. When the stopper is in contact with the first disk, rotation of a wing shaft is caused only by the rotation of the first disk, and when the stoppers are not in contact with the first disk, rotation of the wing shaft is caused only by the rotation of the second disk.

Abstract: A specimen collecting device is disclosed. The device has an elongated foam member that is circumscribed by a hollow tubular member along a portion of its longitudinal axis. The hollow tubular member has a cross sectional area less than the uncompressed cross sectional area of the foam member so that the foam member is compressed along the circumscribed portion.

Abstract: An image display apparatus comprises a display section including picture elements for modulating light transmission or reflection, a driving section for performing an addressing scan of the picture elements in such a manner as to successively change light modulation states of the picture elements in each display frame, and a light emitting section for illuminating the display section. The light emitting section is switched ON-OFF once in each display frame, the addressing scan for the picture elements is performed in the OFF state of the light emitting section in each display frame, and the sequence of the addressing scan is reversed every one or more display frames.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes a change detecting portion for outputting a first control signal indicating transition from a small change state to a large change state and a second control signal indicating transition from a large change state to a small change state between picture planes of input motion picture data, and an operation control portion for controlling starting and stopping of recording or transmission of input motion picture data according to the first control signal and the second control signal. During recording or transmission, the operation control portion controls to stop recording or transmission if the first control signal is not output until after a predetermined arbitrary time T1 elapses after the second control signal is output.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for determining the orientation of a crystallographic plane (100) relative to a crystal surface (2) are provided, in which the orientation is free from errors of adhesion of the crystal or contamination of the holders for the crystal. For this purpose, the angle which the crystal surface to be measured forms with a reference axis and the angle which the crystallographic plane forms with the reference axis are measured and subtracted. In a wire sawing apparatus with an X-Y positioning unit, next the desired correction is made with the aid of measurement of the orientation and at the same time the crystal is displaced in horizontal and vertical positions. As a result, there remains a further degree of freedom of rotation of the crystal in the cutting plane for achieving a cut which is free from forces perpendicular to the feed direction and wire direction, so that no tool deflection takes place or the cutting forces are minimal. Further, the precision of orientation is increased.

Abstract: Disclosed are silica-coated nanoparticles and a process for producing silica-coated nanoparticles. Silica-coated nanoparticles are prepared by precipitating nano-sized cores from reagents dissolved in the aqueous compartment of a water-in-oil microemulsion. A reactive silicate is added to coat the cores with silica. Also disclosed are methods for functionalizing silica-coated nanoparticles for use in a variety of applications.

Abstract: In a sharpening process of image data using a Laplacian operation, a parameter k for controlling the size of a Laplacian to be subtracted from an original image, a parameter ? for suppressing influences of noise and a parameter ? for suppressing an overshoot and an undershoot are respectively provided, and these parameters are altered in accordance with the state of an original image. Thus, it becomes possible to carry out the sharpening process on the image data without causing emphasized noise and occurrences of an overshoot and an undershoot.

Abstract: Featured are a method and apparatus for fixing adjacent vertebrate of a spine that avoids the need and associated problems with prior cage or straight rod and screw systems. Methods and apparatus of the invention utilize a new implant member, which preferably is arcuate. Preferred methods of the invention for stabilizing adjacent vertebrae of the spine, include steps of providing a positioning apparatus including two guide sleeves, each guide sleeve having a long axis and locating the two guide sleeves with respect to the adjacent vertebrae such that a vertex formed by the long axis of each guide sleeve is located in the intervertebral space for the adjacent vertebrae. The method further includes forming an aperture in each of the adjacent vertebrae using the guide sleeves and inserting an implant into the apertures formed in each of the adjacent vertebrae so that the implant extends between the adjacent vertebrae and through the intervertebral space.

Abstract: To form predetermined patterns on flexible substrates made of an inorganic material, in the case where one of substrates in pair is subjected to a processing operation that causes swelling or shrinkage of the substrate, the other substrate is also subjected to the processing operation irrespective of whether or not the other substrate requires the processing operation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for operating gas turbine engine bleed valves in response to pressure values within the engine, wherein the engine pressure values are sensed electronically and routed to a programmable logic device, and wherein the programmable logic device control the opening and closing of the bleed valves in a manner that allows for reduced engine vibration with minimal loss of engine efficiency.

Abstract: The compounds of the following formula: wherein R, R2, R3 and A have the meanings given in the specification, are endowed with selective A3 adenosine receptor antagonist activity. These compounds can be used in a pharmaceutical composition to treat disorders caused by excessive activation of the A3 receptor, or can be used in a diagnostic application to determine the relative binding of other compounds to the A3 receptor. The compounds can be labeled, for example with fluorescent or radiolabels, and the labels used in vivo or in vitro to determine the presence of tumor cells which possess a high concentration of adenosine A3 receptors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polyester film for display comprising: a polyester film substrate containing an ultraviolet light absorber; and a coating layer formed on at least one surface of said polyester film substrate, said polyester film having a haze of not more than 2.0% and a light transmittance at 380 nm of not more than 5.0%.

Abstract: Disclosed is a new and useful discharge lamp for use in applications, such as tanning and technical lighting, and a method of making the same. The discharge lamp includes, inter alia, a vitreous tube having an axial length, a base phosphor coating applied on the interior of the tube along the entire axial length, and at least one phosphor over-coat applied over the base phosphor coating in one or more axial regions of the vitreous tube. The phosphor over-coat is applied to less than the total length of the vitreous tube. In a representative embodiment, the vitreous tube has an outer periphery which is smooth, but in alternate embodiments, a helical groove path is formed therein over at least a portion of the axial length.