Abstract: A spark plug having sufficient durability for an internal combustion engine can restrain a sharp increase in resistance of a resistor in spite of its reduced size. The spark plug comprises an insulator having an axial hole, a metallic shell provided on the outer circumference of the insulator, a center electrode inserted into a front end portion of the axial hole, a terminal electrode inserted into a rear end portion of the axial hole, and a ground electrode. A circular columnar resistor is disposed within the axial hole between the center electrode and the terminal electrode, thereby electrically connecting the center electrode and the terminal electrode. The resistor is composed of carbon black that serves as a conductive material, a glass powder, and ceramic particles. Each of the ceramic particles has a maximum particle size of 0.5 ?m or less.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a contract between a property purchaser, e.g., the purchaser of a house, co-op or condo, and an investment fund in which a down payment or other financing is provided to the buyer from the fund in return for a portion of the capital appreciation of the real estate asset. The contract may be grouped with other such contracts and traded in an electronic market. Upon maturity or earlier sale of the property, a portion of the appreciated value of the property paid back to the Fund.

Abstract: A transdermal device such as a patch can include a drug source, a porator, and an energy storage device on-board the patch. The porator operates free of any concurrent connection to any external source of power. A switch can be used to make the selective electrical connection between the porator and the energy storage device. The switch can be arranged to respond to a manual user action after the patch has been adhered to skin, including separation of the porator from a remainder of the patch. Optionally, a series of switches can make electrical connections between the porator and respective individual energy storage devices.

Abstract: There is provided an antenna device including a substrate, an earth section which is disposed on a portion of the substrate, a feed point which is disposed on the substrate, a loading section disposed on the substrate and constructed with a line-shaped conductor pattern which is formed in a longitudinal direction of an elementary body made of a dielectric material, an inductor section which connects one end of the conductor pattern to the earth section, and a feed point which feeds a current to a connection point of the one end of the conductor pattern and the inductor section, wherein a longitudinal direction of the loading section is arranged to be parallel to an edge side of the earth section.

Abstract: An automated medication preparation system for preparing a prescribed dosage of medication in a drug delivery device. The system includes a plurality of stations for receiving, handling and processing the drug delivery device so that the prescribed dosage of medication is delivered to the drug delivery device and a transporting device that receives and holds more than one drug delivery device and moves the drug delivery devices in a controlled manner from one station to another station. The system is configured so that two or more separate drug delivery devices can be acted upon at the same time.

Abstract: A Ni-based heat resistant alloy for a gas turbine combustor, comprising a composition containing, in mass %, Cr: 14.0 to 21.5%, Co: 6.5 to 14.5%, Mo: 6.5 to 10.0%, W: 1.5 to 3.5%, Al: 1.2 to 2.4%, Ti: 1.1 to 2.1%; Fe: 7.0% or less, B: 0.001 to 0.020%, C: 0.03 to 0.15%, and a balance consisting of Ni and unavoidable impurities, wherein a content of S and P contained in the unavoidable impurities is controlled to be, in mass %, S: 0.015% or less, and P: 0.015% or less, wherein the alloy has a texture in which M6C type carbide and MC type carbide are uniformly dispersed in ? phase matrix.

Abstract: A gaming system starts a free game mode when a predetermined condition is established in a game wherein the game is repeatedly executed a predetermined number of times without consuming a playing value, and gives a dividend to a player based on a result in the free game mode. The gaming system comprises a collective dividend lottery unit which determines a collective dividend in exchange for the game executed a specific number of times, a selection unit which selects any one of (a) reception of the collective dividend and (b) continuation of the game in the free game mode in response to the player's instruction, a collective dividend giving unit which gives the collective dividend to the player, and a remaining number of times control unit which decreases the remaining number of times of the game in the free game mode in exchange for giving the collective dividend.

Abstract: A spark plug includes an insulator, a center electrode, a metal shell, a ground electrode, and a noble metal tip joined to at least one of the two electrodes. The noble metal tip is joined to the electrode via a melt portion formed by using a laser or electron beam from a side surface of the noble metal tip. In a predetermined section, including a central axis of the noble metal tip, ¾ or more of one end face of the noble metal tip is joined to the electrode. When the thickness of the melt portion is taken to be TX (mm), and the length in a direction of irradiation with the laser beam is taken to be LX (mm), TX and LX satisfy 1.5?LX/TX, and an angle ?X or angle ?Y, formed by two predetermined straight lines, satisfies ?15??X (?Y)?25.

Abstract: A collapsible stool for easy storage, comprising a collapsible, bench body member, a bench body support panel; and a bench cap. When in use, the bench cap is mounted on the bench body member in its expanded state. The bench body member, in its expanded state, forms a four-sided cylindrical body. Each of the four walls of the four-sided cylindrical body is made of a soft exterior layer, and a solid composite panel that is enclosed within the soft exterior layer. The bench cap is a non-collapsible cap-shaped body that is formed from a bench cap surface member, and bench cap walls to which the bench cap surface member is connected. The bench cap surface member and the bench cap walls are made of a soft exterior layer, and a solid composite panel enclosed within the soft exterior layer. When stored, the bench body support panel and the collapsed bench body member of the present collapsible stool are disposed in the non-collapsible bench cap, forming a single unit that is convenient for storage and transportation.

Abstract: The present invention teaches a vehicular upholstery PPT-fiber fabric that is formed from a double woven fabric in which a face weaving textile design has a number of intersections, called warp up intersections where a warp yarn passes over a weft yarn, and these are more than the number of intersections, called weft up intersection, where a weft yarn passes over a warp yarn. The warp yarn is formed by twisting an intermingled yarn composed of a PPT-multi-filament yarn and a high heat shrinkable PET-multifilament yarn whose shrinkage percentage in boiling water is more than 15%. An intermingle ratio of the PPT-multifilament yarn of the warp yarn is more than the intermingle ratio of the PET-multifilament yarn of the warp yarn. In the warp yarn, the PET-multifilament yarn is shrunk by heating, so that the substantial length of the PET-multifilament yarn becomes shorter than the substantial length of the PPT-multifilament yarn. The weft yarn is composed of PPT-multifilament yarn.

Abstract: A condensate filtering device of the present invention comprises a simulation unit which is able to simulate operating conditions being the same as operating conditions of a main body of an actual condensate filtering device and sample a hollow fiber membrane easily. The condensate filtering device comprises a unit evaluating properties of a hollow fiber membrane provided with a main body of the condensate filtering device containing a first hollow fiber membrane module in which filtration of condensate and air scrubbing washing are repeated, and equipped with a column containing a second hollow fiber membrane module having a hollow fiber membrane which is the same kind as the hollow fiber membrane of the first hollow fiber membrane module; and a line introducing the condensate for unit which is a branched line from a line introducing the condensate directing to the main body of the condensate filtering device and introduces the condensate into the unit evaluating the properties of the hollow fiber membrane.

Abstract: A beam for a measuring machine is constituted by a plurality of extruded beam elements, which are set alongside one another and welded together so that each forms a portion of the cross section of the beam itself; the beam elements and the beam have a hollow section shaped like an equilateral triangle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a minimally invasive method of performing annuloplasty. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for performing annuloplasty includes accessing a left ventricle of a heart to provide a discrete plication element to the left ventricle, and engaging the plication element to tissue near a mitral valve of the heart. Engaging the plication element includes causing the plication element to gather a portion of the tissue to create a plication. In one embodiment, accessing the left ventricle of the heart to provide the plication element includes accessing the left ventricle of the heart using a catheter arrangement.

Abstract: A power element mounting substrate including a circuit layer brazed to a surface of a ceramic plate, and a power element soldered to a front surface of the circuit layer, wherein the circuit layer is constituted using an Al alloy with an average purity of more than or equal to 98.0 wt % and less than or equal to 99.9 wt %, Fe concentration of the circuit layer at a side of a surface to be brazed to the ceramic plate is less than 0.1 wt %, and Fe concentration of the circuit layer at a side of the surface opposite to the surface to be brazed is more than or equal to 0.1 wt %.

Abstract: A stage lighting fixture having a casing extending along a longitudinal axis; a light source housed in a closed end of the casing to emit a light beam substantially along an optical axis; an objective lens located at an open end of the casing; and beam size adjusting means located between the light source and the objective lens to intercept the beam. The beam size adjusting means have an optical element, in turn having a first region with a first concave beam incidence surface of first beam diffusion properties, and a second region with a second concave beam incidence surface of second beam diffusion properties.

Abstract: An automated medication preparation system for preparing a prescribed dosage of medication in a drug delivery device includes a plurality of stations for receiving, handling and processing the drug delivery device so that the prescribed dosage of medication is delivered to the drug delivery device and a transporting device that receives and holds more than one drug delivery device and moves the drug delivery devices in a controlled manner from one station to another station. The system is configured so that two or more separate drug delivery devices can be acted upon at the same time.

Abstract: Presented is a system and method for performing crossing of institutional security orders. The system includes a first server interconnected to a second server and client stations across a communication network. The first server includes a database and is configured to receive institutional orders from the client station, which are stored in the database. The first server includes operating instructions operable to determine whether a match exists between contra institutional orders based on predetermined criteria. Upon determination of a match, the first server forwards a child order composed of at least a portion of one of the contra orders to the second server. At a fraction of a second later, the first server forwards the other of the contra orders to the second server followed by the remaining portion of the contra order.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing a database server to a current status of a client database using data cache techniques is provided. Upon initiating synchronization, the database server receives an identification of a client connection, and creates a server-cache-table having a structure that is compatible with the client database. Database records from a corresponding client-cache-table are received through the client connection and inserted into the server-cache-table. The server-cache-table is merged into the database server. Similar cache-tables can be utilized to synchronize data from the database server to the client. Optionally, a parent-cache-table can be created on the server and populated with records associated with the identified client. Queries and other database operations during synchronization can be performed over the parent-cache-table to further optimize performance.

Abstract: A system and method, which enables precise identification of characters contained in vehicle license plates, container LD, chassis I.D, aircraft serial number and other such identification markings. The system can process these identified characters and operate devices, such as access control (126) operations, traffic systems and vehicle (20) and container tracking and management (170) systems, and provide records of all markings together with their images.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrical contact having high electrical conductivity for a compact electromagnetic relay including an internally oxidized silver-oxide material which is prepared by subjecting an Ag alloy having a composition consisting essentially of, by weight, 5.1 to 9% Sn, 1.5 to 5% In, and 0.005 to 0.06% Bi, with the balance being Ag and unavoidable impurities, to an internal oxidation treatment and then subjecting to a heat treatment for diffusion, aggregation, and growth of precipitated oxides, wherein the internally oxidized silver-oxide material has a metallographic structure such that coarse grains of composite oxides are dispersed and distributed in an Ag matrix, the coarse grains of composite oxides being formed as a result of coarsening of ultra-fine grains of Sn-based oxides and ultra-fine grains of In-based oxides, which are precipitated by the internal oxidation treatment, by the heat treatment for diffusion, aggregation, and growth of the precipitated oxides.