Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel cell system in which a poisoned electrode catalyst can be recovered while meeting a demand for an output power. When a controller detects that an electrode catalyst is poisoned, the controller derives a target operation point adequate for recovering a function of the poisoned electrode catalyst to realize shift of an operation point so that the output power is kept constant. Specifically, a fuel cell voltage is controlled using a DC/DC converter, and an amount of an oxidizing gas to be fed from an oxidizing gas supply source is adjusted, thereby controlling a fuel cell current.

Abstract: In a method for recovering energy in a braking process of a hybrid vehicle which has an internal combustion engine and an electric drive, as well as a hydraulic or pneumatic braking system, the exploitation of the electric drive is able to be optimized if the braking system includes at least one pressure reduction valve, using which the braking pressure exerted by the driver is able to be reduced as a function of the deceleration proportion of the electric machine.

Abstract: A silicon oxide layer is formed by oxidation or decomposition of a silicon precursor gas in an oxygen-rich environment followed by annealing. The silicon oxide layer may be formed with slightly compressive stress to yield, following annealing, an oxide layer having very low stress. The silicon oxide layer thus formed is readily etched without resulting residue using HF-vapor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and compositions for preventing the occurrence or progression of a cancer or pre-cancerous condition associated with expression, or over-expression of human cytidine deaminases of the APOBEC3 family. The invention also relates to drug screening assays designed to identify compounds that regulate the activity, or level of expression, of hA3A, hA3C and hA3H. The invention further relates to transgenic mice, as well as cells derived from said mice, that have been genetically engineered to express, or over-express hA3A, hA3C and/or hA3H. Such mice may be utilized to screen for, or identify, compounds that modulate the activity, or expression, of the human cytidine deaminases. The present invention also provides topical compositions such as cosmetic lotion, crème, or sunscreen for use on the skin, which comprise one or more inhibitors of human cytidine deaminase activity.

Abstract: The invention provides a superwide-angle imaging or projecting optical system provided that, albeit being a wide-angle optical system having an angle of view exceeding 180°, is of small size and reduced F-number and fast, and has improved f-? performance. The optical system consists only of transmitting surfaces, and has an angle of view of 180° or more. The optical system comprises a front group (Gf) comprising at least one meniscus lens (L1) having a negative focal length, an aperture (S), and a rear group (Gb) comprising at least two lenses having a positive focal length. At least one transmitting surface in the front group is made up of an extended rotation free-form surface.

Abstract: An image pickup optical system made of five lenses, includes in order from an object side, an aperture stop, a first lens L1 having a positive refracting power, a second lens L2 having a negative refracting power, a third lens L3 having a positive refracting power, a fourth lens L4 having a positive refracting power, and a fifth lens L5 having a negative refracting power. Moreover, an image pickup apparatus includes this image pickup optical system.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer for use in a fluid medium includes at least one transducer core having at least one acoustic/electric transducer element. The ultrasonic transducer furthermore includes at least one decoupling element which is configured to reduce a structure-borne noise coupling between the transducer core and a housing. The decoupling element includes at least one porous plastic material, in particular a foamed plastic material. The porous plastic material includes at least one thermosetting polymer and/or at least one thermoplastic.

Abstract: A fuel injector for fuel ignition systems of internal combustion engines includes a magnetic circuit having a core, a magnetic coil and an armature, and a movable valve needle, which has a valve-closure member that cooperates with a fixed valve seat, the valve seat being shaped on a valve-seat member and being provided with a valve-seat support in which the valve-seat member is inserted. At least one metallic component of the fuel injector, in this context, has a serrated structure on its outer circumference for producing a solid connection to a corresponding component made of plastic. The plastic components may be the connection piece, the valve-seat support, the coil shell and the connecting pipe of the valve needle. The fuel injector is particularly suitable for use in fuel-injection systems of mixture-compressing internal combustion engines having externally supplied ignition.

Abstract: Video decoding with video enhancement using direct contrast enhancement in the spatial domain including transforming the decoded intramacroblock output to a matrix of spatial domain coefficients; multiplying the spatial domain coefficients with the corresponding intramacroblock enhancement matrix elements of an intramacroblock enhancement matrix to provide enhanced spatial coefficients; transforming said enhanced spatial coefficients to the temporal domain to generate an enhanced decoded intramacroblock; multiplying the spatial domain intermacroblock coefficients from the entropy decoder of the video decoder with the corresponding intermacroblock enhancement matrix elements of an intermacroblock enhancement matrix to provide enhanced spatial coefficients, and transforming the enhanced spatial coefficients to generate enhanced decoded residual coefficients.

Abstract: The invention provides at least two electrochemical sensors positioned in a nuclear reactor or in a system adjacent to the nuclear reactor, wherein at least one of the at least two electrochemical sensors has a heated zirconium electrode, and the at least two electrochemical sensors produce voltages proportional to an electrochemical corrosion potential for a surface that each of the at least two electrochemical sensors are installed upon. The invention also provides an arrangement configured to accept the voltages produced by the at least two electrochemical sensors, wherein the arrangement is configured to determine an electrochemical corrosion potential of a zirconium fuel rod in the nuclear reactor based upon the voltages of the at least two electrochemical sensors.

Abstract: A lead wire insertion device includes a first chuck member and a second chuck member, each of which is separable, and connects a coil terminal of a cassette coil to a terminal of a connection terminal. The first chuck member is divided into the first chuck inner member and a first chuck outer member at a first division position that is inside both ends of a cross section of the coil terminal in a lateral direction, and that is offset from a center of the cross section in the lateral direction. The second chuck member is divided into the second chuck inner member and a second chuck outer member at a second division position that is inside the both ends of the cross section of the coil terminal in the lateral direction, and that is offset from a center of the cross section in the lateral direction.

Abstract: A first image formation point for a workpiece is provided between a camera and the workpiece. An image of the workpiece is at the first image formation point, and picked up by the camera. Meanwhile, an image for a protection glass is not formed at the first image formation point, and is instead diffused and then picked up by the camera. For this reason, an image caused by dirt on the protection glass is diffused. As a result, in the image picked up by the camera, images due to dirt become few and images due to the workpiece become relatively many. Therefore, the accuracy of an evaluation on the quality of the workpiece can be improved.

Abstract: An electromagnetically excitable coil having a wire, the wire being wound around a wire holder in one winding direction, the wire having a winding start, which generally is disposed at a first end of the coil, and a winding end, which generally is disposed at the same end of the coil, using an uneven number of winding layers, the coil having an elongated cross-section and the cross-section having a longer side and a shorter side, the wire being routed from the second end of the coil to the first end of the coil while forming at least one wire crossing at the shorter side of the cross-section.

Abstract: In a system and a method for real time transmission between modules that are serially connected to one another, each module embeds its useful data in a data packet received by a preconnected module, which has a data packet number, if a comparison value formed as a function of the data packet number agrees with an identification number (frameID) that is provided in the module.

Abstract: A zoom optical system in which: a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a positive fourth lens group are arranged in that order from the object side and magnification is changed by properly changing distances between these lens groups; the first lens group consists of only one lens element and the most object-side surface of the first lens group has a convex shape which faces toward the object side; the second lens group includes, in order from the object side, a negative single lens, a negative cemented lens, and a positive single lens; and the following condition (1) or (2) is satisfied: 0.2??Dw-w10/Lt?0.

Abstract: A method for delivering control information together with sampled data between a DSP and an RF/analog front-end in a high speed communication modem, which embeds sampled data and control information in frames to be transferred over one interface. A frame may comprise various fields, each may consist of one or more bytes or octets. The frame may have a data field for carrying the sampled data, and at least one control field for transferring the control information to update RF/analog front-end registers. The control field may include an octet containing a control address, an octet containing a control command, and an octet containing control data. The frame may also provide means of synchronization, e.g., by using a sync field to identify the frame boundary.

Abstract: An in-vehicle hydrogen storage apparatus has a hydrogen gas filling passage connected from a hydrogen gas filling port up to the storage device that stores a hydrogen gas to be supplied to a fuel cell, and an odorizing agent supplying device that supplies an odorizing agent to hydrogen gas in at least one of the inside of the storage device and the inside of the hydrogen gas filling passage.

Abstract: A method of producing a ring member includes a cutting process in which a rectangular sheet is formed by cutting a strip-shaped material pulled out from a coiled material; a joining process in which opposite edges of the sheet are butted, and a cylindrical member is formed by joining the edges to each other; and a ring formation process in which a ring member is formed by cutting the cylindrical member in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the cylindrical member. In the cutting process, the strip-shaped material is i) cut along one of a first section line parallel to an edge of the strip-shaped material facing a direction in which the strip-shaped material is pulled, or a second section line perpendicular to the edge, and then ii) cut along the other of the first or second section line, that is perpendicular to the line previously cut.

Abstract: A computer implemented system and method provides for transmission of a parent shell order of which no portion is placed for execution until a respective child order is obtained. The shell order can be received from a device of an exchange member on behalf of a member's customer and the child orders can be received directly from a device operated by the customer.

Abstract: A digital potentiometer includes a circuit containing multiple string arrays, each having a plurality of switching devices connected to an array of resistors. Each input terminal receives a separate digital input code enabling the resistance of one of the arms to be varied without changing the other.