Abstract: A probe for test connecting an apparatus contact of a probe apparatus with a test contact of a tested electronic device along a contacting axis has a top structure, a bottom structure a spring member and a guide. The guide may be an outer guide face of the spring member or be part of the bottom or top structure in the form of a circumferential recess or a snap finger. The probe may be guided either slide ably in a rigid carrier structure and/or via its circumferential recess in one or two flexible membranes snapped on a rigid support frame. The probes may be simultaneously fabricated in large numbers by micro fabrication techniques with a fixed fabrication pitch and assembled in a probe apparatus with a probe pitch independently of the fabrication pitch.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining and characterizing, which portions or shapes of a medical image correspond to a shape of interest is provided. A candidate shape is obtained after which a visible surface is computed adjacent to this candidate shape. A visible surface includes one or more portions of the medical image that are visible by the candidate shape. Once the visible surface is determined, parameters of the visible surface are computed. Then the method further includes the step of determining whether the candidate shape corresponds to a shape of interest. The method further includes the step of computing features of the candidate shape and/or classifying the candidate shape. The advantage of the computer-implemented method is that it provides a high detection specificity, i.e. reducing false positives, without sacrificing sensitivity of the detection of a shape of interest.

Abstract: A solid catadioptric lens with a single viewpoint has a spherical refractive surface with a center C on an optical axis of the lens. An ellipsoidal reflective surface of the lens faces the spherical refractive surface such that a first focus F1 of the ellipsoidal reflective surface is coincident with the center C of the spherical refractive surface. Furthermore, the lens has a shaping surface facing the ellipsoidal reflective surface for shaping a light that passes the single viewpoint. The shaping surface can be refractive, reflective or semi-transparent and its shape can be ellipsoidal with its first focus F1? coincident with the second focus F2 of the ellipsoidal reflective surface. The single viewpoint of the lens is at the center C of the spherical reflective surface and is enforced with an aperture that can be positioned at various points inside, on a surface or even outside the lens, depending on the type of shaping surface chosen.

Abstract: A trash disposal device and method is provided that can be used to dispose litter and cigarette litter in particular. The device includes sheets of material forming a rectangular box casing that has a slot. Heat resistant material sheets are positioned within the casing such that the sheets may be pulled out of the casing through the slot. A sheet can be pulled out from the device and shaped into an ashtray-like shape that can be used to collect for instance cigarette litter. The ashtray-like shape with the litter can be folded up into a small package and then be placed in a storage area that could be part of the device. The trash disposal device could be assembled with foldable material to form the casing with a slot.

Abstract: Improved multipass second harmonic generation (SHG) is provided by the use of an inverting, self-imaging telescope which ensures parallelism of all passes of all beams within the nonlinear medium. Improved multipass SHG is also provided by the use of a wedged phasor which provides a simple adjustment of the relative phase of the pump beam and second harmonic beam between passes. Improved multipass SHG is provided by the use of an inverting self-imaging telescope in combination with a wedged phasor which provides a simple adjustment of the relative phase of the pump beam and second harmonic beam between passes, ensures parallelism of all passes of all beams within the nonlinear medium. A further embodiment includes an OPO and at least one phasor and preferably first and second telescope assemblies.

Abstract: A hybrid system with adjustable on-chip components and a method calibrating the same invariably maximizes hybrid performance despite of on- and off-chip component mismatches and imperfections. The hybrid system has a main DAC, a replica DAC, and three or four resistors. Both DACs are directly connected to digital data. An adjustable resistor is connected to the main DAC and is calibrated such that output impedance is automatically adjusted to match an off-chip load impedance Z. A replica DAC current K is calibrated for optimum DC matching in presence of Z. An adjustable capacitor C2 is calibrated for slope-matching (bandwidth matching). If Z changes, the calibration procedure should be repeated for optimal performance. These three calibration mechanisms can be utilized individually or in combination. The present invention is compatible with both analog and digital echo-cancellers.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting vibration information by receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected or emitted from a target object at a photodetector array to provide real-time imaging of the target object. The detected radiation may be visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation, and/or of other desired frequency ranges. The detected radiation is AC-coupled to isolate components relating to oscillations of the target object from components relating to ambient radiation, e.g. background sunlight, and is digitized, stored, and subjected to processing such as a Fourier transform to generate outputs representative of frequencies of oscillation, which can be used for analysis of the target object.

Abstract: An apparatus and method employing principles of stereo vision for determining one or more orientation parameters and especially the second and third Euler angles ?, ? of an elongate object whose tip is contacting a surface at a contact point. The apparatus has a projector mounted on the elongate object for illuminating the surface with a probe radiation in a known pattern from a first point of view and a detector mounted on the elongate object for detecting a scattered portion of the probe radiation returning from the surface to the elongate object from a second point of view. The orientation parameters are determined from a difference between the projected and detected probe radiation such as the difference between the shape of the feature produced by the projected probe radiation and the shape of the feature detected by the detector.

Abstract: A fuel cell assembly is provided that includes a plurality of cells. Each cell includes an electrolyte layer (2), a pair of gas diffusion electrode layers (3, 4) interposing the electrolyte layer between them, and a pair of flow distribution plates (5) for defining passages (10, 11) for fuel and oxidizer gases that contact the gas diffusion electrode layers. The electrolyte layer (2) includes a frame (21) with a grid (21a), which has a number of through holes (21b), and electrolyte (22) retained in each of the through holes. Because the electrolyte is not required to be interposed between structural members such as the gas diffusion electrode layers and flow distribution plates, the electrolyte is allowed to expand into the passages for the fuel and oxidizer gases so that no undesirable stresses are produced, and the structural members would not be affected by the expansion of the electrolyte.

Abstract: The dynamic range and the noise immunity of a digital imaging system are increased by basing an estimate of the illumination on a sensor on a series of measurements of the accumulated illumination at intervals within an exposure period. The measuring may occur destructively, or alternatively the photocurrent of the sensor may continue to accumulate over the exposure period. The estimate may use statistical signal processing of the measurements, based on various noise models and various optimization criteria. The estimate may be computed recursively over the multiplicity of measurements, using a set of recursive values that may include but is not limited to the estimated illumination, a current weighting coefficient, a variance of the current measurement and a variance over the series of measurements.

Abstract: A marker device for increased road safety due to a flexible design is provided. The marker device includes a base with an opening and a flexible means that is positioned over the base. The flexible means has a fast impulse response to direct (contact) and indirect (no-contact) perturbations with one or more parts of the flexible means capable of deflecting up to about 180 degrees from their original position. In one example the deflection ranges from about 15 degrees to about 180 degrees. The marker device increases the likelihood for the marker device to remain upright once the perturbations disappear, therewith increasing the likelihood for the marker device to remain serving as a marker device safely alerting traffic; i.e. its intended purpose.

Abstract: A multi-channel optical frequency mixer for all-optical signal processing and a method for engineering the same. The multi-channel mixer uses a nonlinear optical material exhibiting an effective nonlinearity deff whose spatial distribution is defined by a quasi-phase-matching grating, e.g., a QPM grating. The spatial distribution is defined such that its Fourier transform to the spatial frequency domain defines at least two wavelength channels which are quasi-phase-matched for performing optical frequency mixing. The wavelength channels correspond to dominant Fourier components and the Fourier transform is appropriately adjusted using grating parameters such as grating periods, phase reversal sequences and duty cycles to include an odd or even number of dominant Fourier components. The multi-channel mixer can perform frequency mixing operations such as second harmonic generation (SHG), difference frequency generation (DFG), sum frequency generation (SFG), and parametric amplification.

Abstract: The present invention provides a barricade sign that is compact, portable, safe, durable, versatile, and weather/wind resistant. The barricade sign distinguishes a base and a lid that are pivotally connected together. The base supports the lid and has a compartment for storing one or more safety cones or signs that can be reduced to a small volume, or any other items related to road safety. One side of the lid has a positioning element for securing the cones in place. The other side implements a desired sign. The connection between the base and the lid is configured to hold up the sign in a stable, sustainable, wind resisting manner in absence of impact and to collapse, fold, close, or break upon impact. In such an encounter, the overall height and the layered or curved shape enable the barricade sign to act like a speed bump, thereby minimizing or eliminating damages.

Abstract: A semiconductor source of emission electrons which uses a target of a wide bandgap semiconductor having a target thickness measured from an illumination surface to an emission surface. The semiconductor source is equipped with an arrangement for producing and directing a beam of seed electrons at the illumination surface and a mechanism for controlling the energy of the seed electrons such that the energy of the seed electrons is sufficient to generate electron-hole pairs in the target. A fraction of these electron-hole pairs supply the emission electrons. Furthermore, the target thickness and the energy of the seed electrons are optimized such that the emission electrons at the emission surface are substantially thermalized. The emission of electrons is further facilitated by generating negative electron affinity at the emission surface. The source of the invention can take advantage of diamond, AlN, BN, Ga1-yAlyN and (AlN)x(SiC)1-x, wherein 0?y?1 and 0.2?x?1 and other wide bandgap semiconductors.

Abstract: Overall, ebonite coatings or elastomeric linings are not recommended for direct immersion in sulfuric acid with higher than 65% concentration. By blending a chemical resistant epoxy resin to an ebonite coating, the resulting epoxy ebonite composition can be employed in more severe environment such as direct immersion in >65% sulfuric acid. In particular, the present invention provides a blend of an epoxy coating with an ebonite coating with a mix ratio of 95/5 to 5/95, the resulting epoxy ebonite composition of which has greatly increased adhesion to steel and excellent resistance to undercut corrosion when subjected to salt spray. The epoxy ebonite composition according to the present invention can be used as coatings, adhesives, encapsulants or sealants and is particularly useful as industrial coatings that are subject to wide temperature variations, salt contamination or chemical attack.

Abstract: The invention provides microfabricated devices and methods for directing the growth of a cell process to form an artificial synapse. The devices are called artificial synapse chips. The artificial synapse comprises a nanofabricated aperture (about 50–100 nm in size) that connects the cell process to a chemical or electrical means of neuronal excitation. Such an aperture width mimics the length scales of a natural synapse and thus emphasizes the localized spatial relationship between a neuron and a stimulation source. The invention further provides devices and methods for regenerating a nerve fiber into an electrode. The invention thus provides a regeneration electrode that uses a novel neural interface for stimulation and that uses novel surface methods for directing neuronal growth making possible in vivo connection of the devices to neural circuitry in a retina and other anatomical locations.

Abstract: A battery includes an anode comprising a metal, a cathode comprising an active oxygen species, and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein oxidation of the metal and reduction of the active oxygen species provides the current of the battery.