Abstract: In a fuel cell assembly comprising a plurality of cell each including an electrolyte layer (2), a pair of diffusion electrode layers (3, 4) interposing the electrolyte layer between them, and a pair of flow distribution plates (5) for defining passages (11) for fuel and oxidant fluids that contact the diffusion electrode layers, the fuel cells are arranged on a common plane. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the fuel cell assembly can be minimized, and a fuel cell assembly of favorable electric properties can be achieved. Each flow distribution plate is typically formed with communication passages for communicating fluid passages defined on each side of the electrolyte layer at a prescribed pattern. The communication passages and through holes communicate the fluid passages in such a manner that adjacent fuels cells have opposite polarities.

Abstract: Multiple hygienic effects are concurrently applied to body structures. This is established by two or more light source sources each capable of delivering a light beam to the body structures using an optical means whereby each light beam provides a unique hygienic effect to the body structures. The device could be a handheld device with detachable components. The device could also be a brush or a comb. The device could include a massaging means and/or a vibrating means. An agent could be used to the body structures to assist in the hygienic treatment plan. A cradle could be included to store the device, reload the power supply of the device, as well as a means to communicate with a hygienic service provider. The cradle could also host a displaying means and a selecting means.

Abstract: An optical component mount with beam deviation monitoring and beam guiding system using such optical component mounts. The optical component mount has a location for mounting an optical element thereon for operating on the beam and at least one sensor attached to the optical mount at a predetermined position to at least one mode of the optical component mount. The predetermined position is selected depending on the state of the optical component mount. The state can be, e.g., a vibrational state or a thermal expansion state. The predetermined position is chosen near or at an anti-node of at least one mode contributing to the state. The state of the optical mount is determined based on the signals obtained from the at least one sensor, which can be an accelerometer in the case of monitoring a vibrational state or a temperature sensor in the case of monitoring a thermal expansion state.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, improved multipass second harmonic generation (SHG) is provided by the use of an inverting, self-imaging telescope. This embodiment ensures parallelism of all passes of all beams within the nonlinear medium. According to another embodiment of the invention, improved multipass SHG is provided by the use of a wedged phasor. This arrangement provides a simple adjustment of the relative phase of the pump beam and second harmonic beam between passes. According to a further embodiment of the invention, improved multipass SHG is provided by the use of an inverting self-imaging telescope in combination with a wedged phasor. This arrangement provides a simple adjustment of the relative phase of the pump beam and second harmonic beam between passes, and ensures parallelism of all passes of all beams within the nonlinear medium.

Abstract: A method for providing automatic, personalized information services to a computer user includes the following steps: transparently monitoring user interactions with data during normal use of the computer; updating user-specific data files including a set of user-related documents; estimating parameters of a learning machine that define a User Model specific to the user, using the user-specific data files; analyzing a document to identify its properties; estimating the probability that the user is interested in the document by applying the document properties to the parameters of the User Model; and providing personalized services based on the estimated probability.

Abstract: The invention provides implants suitable for use as an artificial cornea, and methods for making and using such implants. Artificial corneas having features of the invention may be two-phase artificial corneas, or may be three phase artificial corneas. These artificial corneas have a flexible, optically clear central core and a hydrophilic, porous skirt, both of which are biocompatible and allow for tissue integration. A three-phase artificial cornea will further have an interface region between the core and skirt. The artificial corneas have a high degree of ocular tolerance, and allow for tissue integration into the skirt and for epithelial cell growth over the surface of the prosthesis. The use of biocompatible material avoids the risk of disease transmission inherent with corneal transplants, and acts to minimize post-operative inflammation and so to reduce the chance or severity of tissue necrosis following implantation of the synthetic cornea onto a host eye.

Abstract: A new technique for maintaining the alignment of electric and magnetic fields in an x-ray tube so the tube can be operated in the presence of a static external magnetic field without being negatively affected thereby. Deflection of the electron beam of the x-ray tube by the high magnetic field is reduced or eliminated by modifying or canceling, at a location near the electron beam, the magnetic field components transverse to the beam. In a preferred embodiment, a set of electromagnet coils are positioned on or near the tube and oriented in a way that when current is applied internal magnetic fields are produced in a direction opposite to the transverse magnetic fields, thereby causing cancellation. In one implementation, one or more sensors are used to detect the transverse magnetic fields. The sensor is positioned near the electron beam, either inside or outside the x-ray tube.

Abstract: An imaging system and method combines a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and an x-ray fluoroscopy system such that the two systems have coincident fields of view. X-rays are generated by a stationary anode x-ray tube in which an electron beam is accelerated from a cathode to an anode. In the presence of the static magnetic field of the MRI system, the electron beam is deflected unless it is parallel to the static magnetic field. The x-ray source of the invention contains elements used to steer the electron beam and increase its focusing on the anode. The beam can be steered electrostatically, electromagnetically, or by adding magnetic material to the x-ray source. In the resulting system, MR and x-ray images are acquired without moving the object, which is particularly useful for image-guided medical intervention procedures.

Abstract: A tunable laser and laser tuning method, based on the interaction of a spectrally dependent beam distortion and a spatial filter within a laser cavity. One embodiment of this laser is an external cavity semiconductor laser in which broad tunability is obtained by the insertion of an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) into the laser cavity such that the intra-cavity laser beam passes through the AOTF in zeroth order.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for nonlinear frequency mixing of light waves relying on a nonlinear material having a nonlinear coefficient d and a waveguide fabricated in the nonlinear material. The waveguide is equipped with a quasi-phase-matching (QPM) grating extending along the length of the waveguide and endowed with an asymmetry of the nonlinear coefficient d along the width of the waveguide. The transverse asymmetry is chosen to establish a mode overlap for nonlinear frequency mixing between different transverse width modes of light. The transverse asymmetry can be odd or else neither odd nor even so as to establish mode overlap for frequency mixing between even transverse width modes and odd transverse width modes. The QPM grating can have single or multiple grating stripes that can be staggered, interleaved, angled and otherwise altered to achieve the transverse asymmetry establishing a mode overlap for frequency mixing between even transverse width modes and odd transverse width modes.

Abstract: A plasma display panel for multi-screen system comprising a front and a back dielectric plates; transparent and addressing electrodes orthogonally located between the plates; display cells defined by the mutually orthogonal electrodes; barrier ribs for separating and defining display cells from each other; and a very narrow sealing seam for sealing edge parts of the two plates. The sealing seam has a width ranging from about 0.3 mm to about 1.5 mm. The sealing material is a glass powder having a special composition that enables a low melting point. A concave groove accommodates the sealing material. The present invention prevents the image from missing between the adjacent units in the display matrix and eliminates the dark matrix border lines.

Abstract: A method for improving SNR without reducing dynamic range in a CMOS video sensor system under low illumination is described, wherein the CMOS video sensor system employing self-reset DPS architecture includes pixel level A/D conversion and wherein each DPS pixels is capable of resetting itself whenever a corresponding diode reaches saturation during integration time, the method comprising the steps of eliminating global frame reset for the self-reset DPS pixels, capturing and storing a plurality of frames, extending integration time beyond frame readout time, and generating frame images using one or more previously stored frames.

Abstract: A dynamic wake avoidance system utilizes aircraft and atmospheric parameters readily available in flight to model and predict airborne wake vortices in real time. A novel combination of algorithms allows for a relatively simple yet robust wake model to be constructed based on information extracted from a broadcast. The system predicts the location and movement of the wake based on the nominal wake model and correspondingly performs an uncertainty analysis on the wake model to determine a wake hazard zone (no fly zone), which comprises a plurality of “wake planes,” each moving independently from another. The system selectively adjusts dimensions of each wake plane to minimize spatial and temporal uncertainty, thereby ensuring that the actual wake is within the wake hazard zone. The predicted wake hazard zone is communicated in real time directly to a user via a realistic visual representation.

Abstract: A new and versatile ultra-miniature pressure sensor comprises a very thin diaphragm of approximately one micron or less, e.g., 0.2 microns. In some embodiments, the diaphragm has a radius of 20 microns and the pressure sensor can detect signals at or near 0.1 Atm with 1% accuracy. The diaphragm is formed by epitaxial growth of silicon or by bonding and etching. A plurality of high sensitivity piezoresistive strain gauges measure strain of the diaphragm. Less than 0.1 microns thick, the piezoresistive strain gauges are embedded in the diaphragm by ion implantation or formed thereon by epitaxial growth. The ability to form ultra-thin piezoresistive layers on very thin diaphragms enables the miniaturization of the pressure sensor as well as any device that employs it.

Abstract: A laser tuning mechanism which embodies “spectrally dependent spatial filtering” (SDSF) and contemplates two key elements of the tuning mechanism. The first element of the SDSF tuning mechanism is a spectrally dependent beam distortion (i.e. alteration of the amplitude and/or phase profile of the beam) provided by an SDSF tuning element in a laser cavity. The second element of the SDSF tuning mechanism is an intracavity spatial filter which makes the round trip cavity loss a sensitive function of both beam distortion and cavity alignment. Such a laser can be aligned so that a specific beam distortion, which is provided by the SDSF tuning element at a tunable wavelength, is required to obtain minimum round trip cavity loss, thereby providing tunable laser emission. A preferred embodiment of the SDSF tuning mechanism is an external cavity semiconductor laser having a zeroth order acousto-optic tuning element.

Abstract: A device including a photon emitter, a light source, and a filter with a corresponding method for producing triggered single photons and triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons are provided. The light source delivers a pulse to a photon emitter and generates pairs of electrons and holes to emit photons. The light source includes a mechanism to tune a pulse wavelength to an excited state-absorption resonance of the photon emitter. The light source could also include a device to selectively choose a polarization to create the pairs of electrons and holes of a particular spin. A filter isolates the last and single photon. Optionally, a micro-cavity is included to direct the emitted photons and couple to one or more optical elements. When the device or the method is used to produce triggered pairs of polarization-entangled photons, it works almost the same as for the single photons, except for modifications to the way the light source excites the photon emitter and how emission filtering is performed.

Abstract: A toothpick for the application of light treatment at a body structure is provided. The toothpick distinguishes a handle and an element. The handle hosts one or more light sources each capable of delivering a light beam with a unique light treatment. The element is optically connected to the light source(s) such that the light beam(s) could radiate through the surface of the element at a body structure. This radiation is not limited to radiation through the tip of the element, but would radiate in multiple directions. The element of the toothpick could be used in direct or not in direct contact with a body surface as long as the light treatment can be applied to the body structure. In case the element is in contact with a body structure, then the element could add a massaging effect to the body structure.

Abstract: A device for the application of light treatment at a body structure is provided. The device could also be referred to as (dental) floss and be used for body structures in an oral cavity. The device distinguishes a container and a filament. The container hosts one or more light sources each capable of delivering a light beam with a unique light treatment. A user could select between the different light sources and/or parameters. The filament is a strand or fiber of a material transparent to the light beam. The filament is optically connected to a light source (or selected light source) such that the light beam could radiate through the filament at a body structure. The filament could be used in direct or not in direct contact with a body surface as long as the light treatment can be applied to the body structure.

Abstract: An optical switch uses a walk-off crystal together with a Wollaston prism, a Faraday rotator, and a halfwave plate pair and a single collimating lens of one multiple-fiber pigtail for both input and output optical beams. In one embodiment, an input beam enters the device through one port of a tri-fiber pigtail, and a switched beam exits the device through a second or third port of the same tri-fiber pigtail, depending on a state of the Faraday rotator. All three beams use the same pigtail and collimating lens.

Abstract: A sensor embedded in a high temperature metal is incorporated into a sensing system for measuring temperature, strain, or other properties of a metal structure. An optical system transmits light to and receives output signals from the sensor for analysis. With rotating structures, an optical fiber lead transmits light between the sensor and external surface of the structure along its rotational axis, allowing the lead to remain fixed with respect to the optical system as the structure rotates at high speeds.