Abstract: An articulating lighting system and lamp frame (1) with many configurations in use and installation by rotation of frame components (2, 3) about a central axis (4).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for obtaining spatial information about an object, and for measuring the dielectric constant of an object. They include placing the object in a cavity and interacting electromagnetic radiation at a plurality of frequencies with the object to obtain a corresponding plurality of measured resonant transverse magnetic modes. They also include using the plurality of measured resonant transverse magnetic modes to obtain the spatial information for the object, and/or using the plurality of measured resonant transverse magnetic modes to obtain the dielectric constant for the object.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method for determining whether an individual is suffering from cancer by determining a parameter representing the TIMP-1 concentration in body fluid samples from the individual. The present invention furthermore describes a method for determining whether an individual is suffering from minimal residual disease or recurrent cancer after being treated for the primary cancer by determining a parameter representing the post-operative TIMP-1 concentration in body fluid samples from the individual. In addition, the invention describes the additive effect of combined post-operative measurements of plasma TIMP-1 and serum CEA.

Abstract: Retroreflective articles having cube corner elements are disclosed, with the dihedral angle errors of the cube corner elements selected to limit the visibility range of the retroreflective article. Also disclosed are methods for making the cube corner elements and the retroreflective articles.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to medical devices or pharmaceutical compositions, each containing a synthetic, bioabsorbable, biocompatible polymer that is the reaction product of a polybasic acid or derivative thereof, a monoglyceride, and a polyether.

Abstract: The fixing member of the present invention can be mounted to a fixed member that is fixed to a printed circuit board and that is used for fixing the fixed member to the printed circuit board, the fixing member including: a mounting member main body fixed to the fixed member; male connector portions having at tip ends thereof lug portions that are engaged with an opening edge of an insertion opening in the printed circuit board when inserted into the inserting opening; and contact portions that contact with a soldering land formed at the printed circuit board and are joined to the soldering land by soldering when the lug portions are engaged with the opening edge, the contact portions being formed at the mounting portion main body and the male connector portions extend arm-shaped from the mounting portion main body or from the contact portions.

Abstract: A shift lever includes: a knob having a opening, which is mounted on the distal end of the lever main body; a moving body, movably arranged in the interior of the lever main body with one end protruding from the opening thereof and is placed in the interior of the knob; an operating unit, which is movably accommodated in the opening portion of the knob; and a link member that is provided in the knob turnably around an axis that is the center of a predetermined region of the base end side; an engaging pin provided at one of the operating unit and the link member; and guide grooves provided such that the engaging pin can be placed in the other of any one of the operating unit and the link member, where from one end in the longitudinal direction to the other end is curved.

Abstract: An auto focusing mechanism is provided in a surveying instrument, such as an electronic level, that is capable of automatically focusing a telescope on a sighted staff. As a focusing lens (21b) is moved by a motor (41) along the optical axis of a telescope (20), the image of a staff (1) sighted by the telescope (20) is converted into an electrical signal by a line sensor (24). The output signal of the line sensor (24) is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter (27) and stored in a RAM (28). Based on the data stored in the RAM (28), a microcomputer (3) monitors frequencies of the component signals, or wavelets, contained in the output signal of the line sensor (24) stored in the RAM (28). When a particular frequency of the output signal associated with the position of the focusing lens (21b) is detected a determination is made that the focusing lens (21b) is located at a focusing position, and the distance from the telescope (20) to the staff (1) is calculated.

Abstract: A single pole female connector has: a mounting base portion in which is formed a terminal insertion hole into which a male terminal can be inserted; an extending portion extending outwardly from the mounting base portion; and a terminal contacting portion which extends from a peripheral edge of the mounting base portion in a direction substantially orthogonal to a plate portion, and which is formed so as to be able to nip the male terminal. The extending portion is electrically connected by being reflow soldered to a land at a reverse surface of the substrate. It is difficult for cream solder to enter into a male terminal insertion path at an inner side of the female connector.

Abstract: The invention concerns a capacitive ultrasonic transducer, comprising an external layer operating as an external plate, provided with electrode means, capable to vibrate, and a stiff substrate, in turn provided with electrode means, wherein it further comprises n levels, with n?2, interposed between the plate and the substrate, each level including a plurality of cavities, and m interface intermediate layers, capable to vibrate, among said n levels, with m=(n?1), the cavities of each one of said n levels being further defined by support means connected between faced surfaces of layers adjacent to said cavities, each one of said m intermediate layers being provided with electrode means, whereby the cavities of each level are interposed between a pair of electrode means belonging to either two adjacent intermediate layers or to an intermediate layer and to one out of the substrate and the plate.

Abstract: A fuel injector for vaporizing a liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of the plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; a heat source arranged along each of the plurality of capillary flow passages, the heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in each of the plurality of capillary flow passages to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from the liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each outlet end of the plurality of capillary flow passages; and a valve for metering substantially vaporized fuel to the internal combustion engine, the valve located proximate to each outlet end of the plurality of capillary flow passages. The fuel injector is effective in reducing cold-start and warm-up emissions of an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: The invention provides a fed-batch or continuous process for producing heterologous peptides, polypeptides or proteins in lactic acid bacteria, comprising the steps of (i) constructing a recombinant lactic acid bacterium comprising a nucleotide sequence coding for the heterologous peptide, polypeptide or protein, and appropriate regulatory nucleotide sequences such as regulatable promoters and signal peptides to control the expression of the coding sequence and the secretion of gene product, (ii) cultivating the recombinant bacterium under or continuous cultivation conditions to express the gene, and (iii) harvesting the recombinant bacterium or the gene product. Preferably, the cultivation medium is a chemically defined or synthetic medium optionally supplemented with yeast extract.

Abstract: Provided is a portable electronic device having a removable hard disk drive in which the hard disk drive is adapted to have a slot-type removable shape, thereby allowing the hard disk drive to be conveniently mounted and used, and when the hard disk drive is detached, power is cut off before detaching the hard disk drive, and when the hard disk drive is mounted, power is automatically supplied after the hard disk drive is completely mounted, thereby preventing damage by a voltage shock.

Abstract: An upper tier terminal is provided with a fitting portion and a board attachment portion. When the upper tier terminal is being fabricated, a first wire member which is a component of the fitting portion and a second wire member which is a component of the board attachment portion, whole peripheral surfaces of which have been subjected to a plating treatment beforehand, are employed. End portions of the first wire member and the second wire member are mutually superposed, and the first wire member and the second wire member are joined. Thus, the fitting portion is formed and the board attachment portion is formed. Hence, a surface of the upper tier terminal is structured by a plating layer at the peripheral surface of the first wire member and a plating layer at the peripheral surface of the second wire member. Consequently, a post-plating treatment can be rendered unnecessary.

Abstract: A digitization process and system which involves the use of a novel label, labeling system and labeling methodology. According to the teachings of the present invention, the label is comprised of two parts one of which is transparent and the other of which is opaque. Bates numbers or other identifiers according to some sequential numbering or ordering scheme are placed on the opaque portion of the label. The labels are placed on document edges prior to scanning and removed after scanning. Following scanning, an interactive quality control process is carried out in order to ensure image integrity against the original document sequence and integrity. After the sequence and integrity of the images is verified, the images are cropped so as to remove the ordering information and then the document may be stored possibly for later retrieval via its unique identifier.

Abstract: A fuel injector for delivering fuel to an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes a fuel injector housing, a system for metering vaporized fuel to the internal combustion engine, the system positioned within the fuel injector housing, and a system for delivering an atomized stream of liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine, the system positioned within the fuel injector housing, wherein the fuel injector is operable to transition from metering vaporized fuel to delivering an atomized stream of liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: A distance measuring device is provided that reduces the time required for a distance measurement without degrading accuracy of the measured value.

Abstract: A rulable array of cube corners defined by three sets of parallel, equidistant, symmetrical vee-grooves is provided. The directions of the three vee-groove sets make three angles, no two of which are equal. When the array in viewed in plan, lines along the roots of the grooves determine a pattern of triangles in which the apices of the cube corners lie at distances from their respective triangle's centroid that are substantially less than the distance between the triangle's orthocenter and its centroid. In an unmetallized prismatic retroreflective sheeting, the array of quasi-triangular cube corners has the entrance angularity advantages of compound cant with nearly the efficiency of uncanted triangular cube corners at small entrance angles.

Abstract: An improved outdoor lighting system is provided that comprises a light assembly formed from at least one tubular mast having a distal end for supporting an electrically powered light source, and a proximal end mounted in the ground, and an electrical cable for connecting the light source to an underground power source. The improved system includes an electrical connector assembly in the cable located in the vicinity of the ground-mounted distal end of the tubular mast. The electrical connector assembly spontaneously disconnects in response to an application of an tensile force indicative of an automobile collision with the mast, thereby preventing damaging tensile forces from being transmitted along the underground portion of the cable to the circuit breaker.