Abstract: A cleaner head for a cleaning appliance includes a rotatable brush bar assembly, a motor for driving the brush bar assembly, and a drive mechanism connecting the motor to the brush bar assembly. The drive mechanism includes a rotatable input drive member connected to the motor, a rotatable output drive member connected to the brush bar assembly and moveable relative to the input drive member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axes of rotation of the drive members, a belt connecting the input drive member to the output drive member, and a belt tensioning member located between the drive members for tensioning the belt by urging the output drive member away from input drive member.

Abstract: An attachment for a vacuum cleaning appliance includes a head having a bristle carrier and a bristle cover. The bristle carrier includes a plurality of bristles and the bristle cover includes a plurality of apertures. The attachment includes a conduit which is connectable to a vacuum cleaning appliance for conveying an air flow from the bristle cover towards the appliance, a handle connected to the head, and an actuator which is depressible towards the handle to effect relative movement between the bristle carrier and the bristle cover between a stowed configuration in which the bristles are retracted relative to the bristle cover and a deployed configuration in which the bristles protrude from the bristle cover through the apertures.

Abstract: A solids distributor for injection plants includes a collecting chamber having a plurality of lance lines leading away from the chamber. The chamber has a supply connection for a solid to be distributed and is surrounded by a common wall in which a plurality of ports is formed. The lance lines are connected to the ports, and an annular gap is formed in front of the ports and along the common wall. A pressure vessel is arranged geodetically above the collecting chamber, the lower part of the pressure vessel being designed as a bunker, having an outlet providing a direct and continuous junction to the supply connection and an upper part designed as a gas space. The collecting chamber may include a central displacement body which forms the annular gap with the common wall and which may be an upwardly tapering cone which projects out of the collecting chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a serum protein product, suitable as an ingredient for foods and therapeutic compositions, in particular infant and baby foods. The invention also provides a method for the preparation of the serum protein product, based on micro filtration of milk. The invention provides a method for the preparation of a serum protein product, comprising the preparation of a permeate through micro filtration of cow's milk at a temperature of between 10 and 20° C. utilizing a membrane having a pore size of between 0.3 and 0.5 ?m.

Abstract: A fan assembly for creating an air current includes an air outlet mounted on a stand. The stand includes a base and a body tiltable relative to the base. The fan assembly has a center of gravity located so that when the base is located on a substantially horizontal support surface, the projection of the center of gravity on the support surface is within the footprint of the base when the body is in a fully tilted position.

Abstract: Antibodies and molecules derived therefrom that bind to 161P2F10B protein and variants thereof, are described wherein 161P2F10B exhibits tissue specific expression in normal adult tissue, and is aberrantly expressed in the cancers listed in Table I. Consequently, 161P2F10B provides a diagnostic, prognostic, prophylactic and/or therapeutic target for cancer. The 161P2F10B gene or fragment thereof, or its encoded protein, or variants thereof, or a fragment thereof, can be used to elicit a humoral or cellular immune response; antibodies or T cells reactive with 161P2F10B can be used in active or passive immunization.

Abstract: A method of operating a digitally modulated solid state laser is disclosed. The laser is optically pumped by a current-supply driven diode-laser radiation and with output-power stabilized at a desired value by a light regulator cooperative with a power monitor and the current source is disclosed. When the laser is turned on, the current-source is enabled and the light-regulator is disabled. A current regulator allows current from the current-supply to increase until the monitored power reaches the desired value. At this point, the light regulator is enabled and the light regulator assumes control of the current-supply for maintaining the output-power at the desired level.

Abstract: A pulse width modulation method for controlling the output power of a pulsed gas discharge laser powered by a pulsed RF power supply comprises delivering a train of digital pulses to the RF power supply. Each pulse in the train has an incrementally variable duration. The power supply is arranged to deliver a train of RF pulses corresponding in number and duration to the train of digital pulses received. The average power in the RF-pulse train can be varied by incrementally varying the duration of one or more of the digital pulses in the digital pulse train. The train of RF pulses is used to power a gas discharge laser. The gas discharge laser outputs a pulse train corresponding to the RF pulse train.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for screening for the occurrence of gene silencing (e.g., post transcriptional gene silencing) in an organism. Also provided are methods for isolating silencing agents so identified.

Abstract: Pre-stored no-touch or no-hover (no-event) sensor output values can initially be used when a sensor panel subsystem is first booted up to establish an initial baseline of sensor output values unaffected by fingers or other objects touching or hovering over the sensor panel during boot-up. This initial baseline can then be normalized so that each sensor generates the same output value for a given amount of touch or hover, providing a uniform response across the sensor panel and enabling subsequent touch or hover events to be more easily detected. After the initial normalization process is complete, the pre-stored baseline can be discarded in favor of a newly captured no-event baseline that may be more accurate than the pre-stored baseline due to temperature or other variations.

Abstract: A drying apparatus has a casing, a cavity formed in the casing for receiving an object, a fan located in the casing and creating an airflow, and at least one slot-like opening communicating with the fan and arranged in the casing so as to direct an airflow transversely across the cavity. The slot-like opening has a maximum width which is no greater than 0.8 mm. This produces a very narrow, high velocity, high pressure airflow which is capable of drying an object efficiently and quickly and is suitable for use in a hand dryer.

Abstract: A bladeless fan assembly for creating an air current includes a nozzle mounted on a base housing a device for creating an air flow through the nozzle. The nozzle includes an interior passage for receiving the air flow from the base and a mouth through which the air flow is emitted. The nozzle extends about an axis to define an opening through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the air flow emitted from the mouth. The nozzle includes a surface over which the mouth is arranged to direct the air flow. The surface has a diffuser portion tapering away from the axis, and a guide portion downstream from the diffuser portion and angled thereto.

Abstract: An absorbent wearing article including an air permeable and liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-retentive absorbent structure placed on the backsheet. An outer sheet has having elastic members is placed on and bonded to a surface of the backsheet opposed to its surface bonded to the absorbent structure. The outer sheet has the elastic members intermittently bonded under tension thereto, and is formed in a region thereof facing the absorbent structure with an opening. The elastic members extend laterally under tension from a peripheral edge of the opening beyond the absorbent structure and the first backsheet is exposed through the opening.

Abstract: A control system for an electric machine, the control system including a position sensor and a drive controller. The drive controller generates one or more control signals for exciting a winding of the electric machine in response to edges of a signal output by the position sensor. The times at which the control signals are generated by the drive controller are corrected by a position-sensor offset that is fixed over an operating speed range of the electric machine.

Abstract: A hand-held cleaning appliance includes a suction conduit, an airflow generator for generating an airflow along the suction conduit, a separating apparatus in communication with the suction conduit for separating dirt and dust from the airflow, a power source for supplying power to the airflow generator and a handgrip enabling a user to maneuver the hand-held cleaning appliance. The handgrip has a first end and a second end. The airflow generator is arranged directly adjacent the first end of the handgrip and the power source is arranged adjacent the second end of the handgrip. By providing a hand-held vacuum cleaner with such an arrangement, the hand-held vacuum cleaner is easier and more comfortable to manipulate in use.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to the generation and characterization of neutralizing anti-IFN-? monoclonal antibodies with broad reactivity against various IFN-? subtypes. The invention further relates to the use of such anti-IFN-? antibodies in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders associated with increased expression of IFN-?, in particular, autoimmune disorders such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Abstract: In an impulse response processing device, a waveform dividing part divides a waveform of an original impulse response into a plurality of blocks on a time axis. A time adjusting part performs a time adjustment to reduce a time difference between successive ones of the blocks. A waveform synthesizing part generates a waveform of a new impulse response by adding the blocks on the time axis after the time adjustment by the time adjusting part. Further, a windowing part performs a windowing process to multiply each block by a window function having a window width corresponding to a width of the block, a function value of the window function decreasing from a center to both ends of the block. The waveform synthesizing part generates the new impulse response using the blocks after the windowing process by the windowing part.