Abstract: A chair with a transom, a seat support, a back portion, and a combined rock and recline mechanism. The combined rock and recline mechanism has front and rear rocking arrangements configured to enable the seat support and back portion to together rock generally forward and rearward from a neutral position relative to the transom, and a recline arrangement that is configured such that the seat support is in a first at-rest position relative to the back portion when the back portion is in an upright position, and such that reclining the back portion rearwardly from the upright position toward a reclined position moves the seat support upward and rearward from the first at-rest position.

Abstract: A reserve power supply system for providing a supplemental source of electrical power to a main power source. The system includes a backup battery and a switch that can be controlled to couple the backup battery to the main power source when reserve power is needed. The system also includes a sensor to detect when the backup battery should be engaged and a system control unit.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin’s triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: An electrically actuated mulch control lever includes an upper plate and a lower plate pivotably mounted together on a top surface of a mower deck. A compression spring is retained between the upper plate and the lower plate urging the upper plate and the lower plate to pivot together. An electric linear actuator is connected to one of the plates, and a mulch gate hinge is attached to the other plate.

Abstract: A pour-over beverage system includes a dripper and a water reservoir stackable on the dripper. The dripper may include a receptacle having a bottom wall having an elliptical perimeter, a sidewall extending upward from the bottom wall to define an opening of the receptacle, the opening being circular, and a plurality of ridges on the sidewall. The dripper also includes a base extending outward from the bottom wall. The water reservoir includes a reservoir bottom wall, a plurality of first through-holes spaced about a center of the reservoir bottom wall, a plurality of second through-holes spaced about the center of the reservoir bottom wall such that the first through-holes are closer to the center of the reservoir bottom wall than the second through-holes are to the center of the reservoir bottom wall, and a reservoir sidewall extending upward from bottom wall to define an opening of the water reservoir.

Abstract: A microstructured optical fiber sensor for sensing changes in a physical characteristic up to a predetermined temperature is disclosed. The sensor includes a microstructured optical fiber and a fiber Bragg grating formed in the microstructured optical fiber by generating a periodic modulation in the refractive index along a core region of the suspended core. The fiber Bragg grating is configured to produce a band reflection spectra including a fundamental mode and a plurality of higher order modes whose respective wavelengths vary in accordance with changes in the physical characteristic at the core region of the microstructured optical fiber. The microstructured optical fiber is configured to increase the confinement loss of the plurality of higher order modes of the band reflection spectra relative to the fundamental mode.

Abstract: An adjustable spinal fusion intervertebral implant including upper and lower body portions each having proximal and distal surfaces at proximal and distal ends thereof. The implant can include a proximal wedge member disposed at the proximal ends of the respective ones of the upper and lower body portions, and a distal wedge member disposed at the distal ends of the respective ones of the upper and lower body portions. First and second linkages can connect the upper and lower body portions. Rotation of an actuator shaft can cause the distal and proximal wedge members to be drawn together such that longitudinal movement of the distal wedge member against the distal surfaces and the longitudinal movement of the proximal wedge member against the proximal surfaces causes separation of the upper and lower body portions.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

Abstract: Each image of a plurality of user-defined collections of images has properties associated therewith. A seed image is defined as currently viewed or selected image and the properties associated with the seed image are retrieved. The seed image is used to identify seed collections as the collections of images which have the seed image as one of their images. A plurality of candidate images are identified from the seed collections. For each candidate image, a significance score is determined as a function of either the number of seed collections to which the candidate image belongs or the ratio of the number of seed collections to the set of all collections to which the candidate image belongs. Each candidate image is ranked based on the significance scores and the seed image properties. At least one candidate image is recommended to the user based on the ranking of the candidate images.