Abstract: Shape memory dental retention systems which facilitate the adjustment or removal of an oral appliance, e.g., a crown or bridge, from a reconfigurable abutment assembly are described. The adjustable abutment assembly may be secured to an anchoring implant bored into the bones within the mouth. The abutment assembly has a projecting abutment portion with one or more shape memory material sleeves or plates or elements extending along the abutment. Each of the sleeves has a length with at least one curved or arcuate portion. Energy may be applied to the elements such that the arcuate portion flattens to allow for the oral appliance to be placed thereupon while removal of the energy allows the elements to reconfigure into its curved configuration thereby locking the oral appliance to the abutment. Removal of the oral appliance may be effected by reapplication of energy to the elements.

Abstract: A packaging device for packaging a foodstuff within a receptacle includes an inerting unit having an empty zone, walls of the empty zone configured to receive an upper portion of the receptacle, and the walls being made of a porous material capable of passing an inert gas under pressure, and a closure means retractably disposed above the inerting unit, wherein the inerting unit is configured to pass the inert gas through the walls and into the receptacle, and the closure means is configured to retractably extend into the empty zone to seal the passed inert gas within a headspace volume of the upper portion of the receptacle disposed the foodstuff.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of inhibition of metal corrosion in hot acidic hydrocarbons, wherein acidity is derived from presence of naphthenic acid. More particularly, it relates to a polymeric additive for inhibiting high temperature napthenic acid corrosion, wherein said polymeric additive is polymeric phosphate ester of polyisobutylene succinate ester or oxide derivative of polymeric phosphate ester of polyisobutylene succinate ester. A polymeric phosphate ester of polyisobutylene succinate ester which is capable of acting as naphthenic acid corrosion inhibitor by inhibiting naphthenic acid corrosion in crude oil/feedstock/hydrocarbon streams containing naphthenic acid, and demonstrating higher thermal stability at elevated temperature varying from about 200° C. to about 400° C. [about 400° F. to about 750° F.] is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a unit including a substrate and polyelectrolyte multilayer films deposited thereon in order to: carry out a method involving the proliferation of initial stem or differentiated cells that are brought into contact with the unit; and cover the unit with confluent viable adherent cells resulting from the proliferation of the initial cells, the cover being obtained at the end of a period of no more than one month, such as 14 days, 11 days or, in particular, 7 days, after the initial cells are brought into contact with the unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an LED light string that uses parallel connected bypass components that are connected across the leads of the LEDs and are disposed in the socket of the LED lamp holder. The use of parallel connected bypass components across the leads of the LEDs greatly enhances the reliability of the light string. Bypass components are also included in the LED lamp structure, both internally to the LED lamp proxy and externally across the leads of the LED lamp element. A resistive wire can also be connected between conductors in an LED socket structure inside a lamp holder. Using the bypass components, twinkle lamps can be inserted in series wired LED light strings.

Abstract: A composition is provided for adhering a first article to a second article, the composition comprising a thermally active low Tg polymeric resin; and a multifunctional crystalline polymer. The thermally active low Tg polymeric resin can, for example, comprise 50-99% of the composition. The multifunctional crystalline polymer can, for example, comprise 1-50% of the composition. In one embodiment, the multifunctional crystalline polymer comprises 5-20% by weight of the composition. In one embodiment, the multifunctional crystalline polymer has a low molecular weight.

Abstract: A gain control circuit and its gain control method, said gain control method comprising the following steps: firstly, outputting continuously a counter value; next, generating a ramp wave signal based on said counter value, and at a voltage where a control voltage signal intersects said ramp wave signal, obtaining an initial counter value based on said ramp wave signal, thus determining an initial voltage gain of an amplifier circuit; then, when a high or low voltage of an output signal of said amplifier circuit is greater or less than a predetermined detection voltage upper or lower limit, adjusting a DC voltage level of said ramp wave signal with a detection signal; and finally, obtaining at said voltage a counter value less than said initial counter value based on said ramp wave signal, hereby reducing said initial voltage gain based on said counter value.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for selectively extracting membrane proteins using at least one calixarene of formula (I). The use of calixarenes in the method according to the invention enables the selective solubilization of the membrane proteins while preserving the three-dimensional structure that is essential to the enzymatic activity thereof.

Abstract: The search results of a first iteration of a biometric search are used to form a probe for subsequent iterations searches in a biometric database. his enables the search methodology to “drill down” into the database to find matching biometric templates. In addition, the results of a search using a template of first biometric type are used to limit the search applied using a template of a second biometric type to improve the effectiveness of a one to many search for matching data in a biometric database. These search methods are used in various combinations with different types of biometric templates and demographic information of an individual who is subject of the one to many search.

Abstract: The invention relates to pharmaceutical and vaccine compositions comprising an antibody binding specifically to selected peptides of EBV protein BARF1.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a surgical intervention device, including a surgical instrument capable of passing through human or animal tissue and a system comprising so-called “passive” components capable of measuring deformation or a local strain of the instrument and/or so-called “active” components capable of imposing a local strain on the instrument, the system comprising at least two series of passive components arranged at the surface of the instrument so as to establish a biunivocal relation between the position of the instrument or the position of the distal end of the instrument and all the data originating from the series, and, where required, at least two series of active components arranged at the surface of the instrument. The disclosure also relates to a process for determining the position of the distal end of a surgical instrument capable of passing through human or animal tissue.

Abstract: An abrading device features a flexible abrading membrane supported by two supports. The device may be used in either linear or rotary configurations. The device can be used in conjunction with devices that impart continuous or vibratory linear or rotary motion.

Abstract: The invention concerns an imaging system to monitor at least one surgical instrument in an operative site inside a volume of the body of an animal, comprising: at least one endoscopic camera to obtain endoscopic data on the operative site, at least one ultrasound imaging device to obtain ultrasound data on the operative site, a processing device to process the endoscopic and ultrasound data, characterized in that it further comprises at least three markers intended to be positioned in the operative site, said markers being mobile relative to the instrument, each marker being adapted to be detected both by the endoscopic camera and by the ultrasound imaging device, so as to permit cross-mapping of the endoscopic and ultrasound data by the processing means.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for positioning and/or orienting, in the body of a patient, a surgical tool carried by a tool-holder, including a platform capable of being placed on the body of the patient, an orientable carrier, at least one part of which is rigidly connected to the tool-holder, means for guiding the orientable carrier rotationally relative to the platform in two directions of a plane parallel to the platform, at least 2 pneumatic actuators which engage with the orientable carrier such that a variation in pressure of at least one of the pneumatic actuators causes the orientable carrier to rotate in the first direction and/or the second direction, in which the pneumatic actuators are volumes that can deform in a predetermined direction as a function of the internal pressure.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for assaying Jmjd6 activity.

Abstract: A directional microphone system includes an ultrasonic emitter and receiver. The emitter directs a beam of ultrasound at the audio source with sufficient intensity that non-linear air effects cause non-linear interactions between the ultrasonic sound and the source's sonic sound. Ultrasonic frequency-mired sounds are thereby generated and these are received by the ultrasonic receiver. Signal-processing is carried out on the received signals to strip out the audio signals. The emitter and receiver may be co-located and the emitted beam may be focussed at the location of the audio source. The receiver may also be directional acid focussable. The directional microphone system may be very small and yet highly directional at sonic including low audible frequencies.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plastidial microarray comprising a solid support which comprises a multiplicity of elemental sites, each elemental site comprising several copies of the same nucleic acid probe, said probe being single-stranded, comprising between 50 and 70 nucleotides and corresponding to a sense oligonucleotide in a chloroplastid gene of Arabidopsis thaliana or to an antisense oligonucleotide in a chloroplastid gene of Arabidopsis thaliana, the entire chloroplastid coding genome of Arabidopsis thaliana being represented on the microarray.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device to prevent urinary leakage intended to be implanted in a patient, comprising: compression means (1, 3, 4, 5) to compress the patient's urethra, electronic control means (2) to actuate the compression means (1, 3, 4, 5), characterized in that it further comprises measurement means (7) to measure the patient's activity, coupled with the control means (2), the control means (2) functioning according to a predictive model of urinary leakage based on patient activity, so as to anticipate a possible urinary leak in relation to the measured activity of the patient.

Abstract: A seat sliding device for preventing accidental operation of the operation member. The seat sliding device includes a biasing member 60 which biases a lock member 50 in response to the operation of an operation lever 70 in an unlocking pivoting direction and which is tiltable around a shaft 62 as the tilting center together with the operation lever 70 in response to the operation of the operation lever 70. A balancer 64 of the biasing member 60 has a shape and mass, etc. adapted so as to bring a position of the center of gravity of the tilting body including the operation lever 70 and the biasing member 60 close to the shaft center of the shaft 62.

Abstract: The invention relates to an endoscopic imaging system for observation of an operative site (2) inside a volume (1) located inside the body of an animal, comprising: Image capture means (3) intended to provide data on the operative site (2), Processing means (4) to process data derived from the image capture means, Display means (5) displaying data processed by the processing means (4), characterized in that: The image capture means (3) comprise at least two image capture devices that are independent and mobile relative to one another, the image capture devices being intended to be positioned inside the volume (1), and in that: The processing means (4) comprise computing means to obtain three-dimensional data on the observed operative site (2) from data provided by the image capture devices, and means to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of a region of interest of the operative site from the three-dimensional data obtained.