Abstract: A component made of a thermoplastic composite material comprises fibers and thermoplastic polymer wherein the has a hole defined therein for receiving a member to form a connection, and reinforcement provided in the region of the hole and arranged to define a predetermined rip-through path to be followed by the member in the event that a failure load is applied.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a shoot restraint for use with manufactured seeds comprising. In some embodiments, the shoot restraint includes a substantially porous material having a top surface and a bottom surface. The substantially porous material is formed to define a substantially cylindrical upper portion having an upper diameter; and a substantially cylindrical lower portion having a lower diameter. The upper diameter is larger than the lower diameter. A parabolic cavity extends from the top surface to the bottom surface through the upper portion and at least partially into the lower portion.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes at least one transistor over a substrate. A first guard ring is disposed around the at least one transistor. The first guard ring has a first type dopant. A second guard ring is disposed around the first guard ring. The second guard ring has a second type dopant. A first doped region is disposed adjacent to the first guard ring. The first doped region has the second type dopant. A second doped region is disposed adjacent to the second guard ring. The second doped region has the first type dopant. The first guard ring, the second guard ring, the first doped region, and the second doped region are capable of being operable as a first silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) to substantially release an electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Abstract: A method, system, and media are provided for enhancing viewability of information presented on a mobile device. The media includes presenting a user interface on a mobile device that includes foreground information that overlaps a background image. The background image may be converted into a first set of color values and the foreground information into a second set of color values. A dominant color may be determined for the background image and foreground information. The dominant colors may be used to calculate a contrast ratio that may be compared to a threshold value. At least a portion of the color values may be modified when the contrast ratio is less than the threshold value. A set of modified color values may then be derived and a modified presentation may be presented to the user that includes the modified color values.

Abstract: Range and Doppler ambiguities are common in radar, lidar, and acoustic systems. Resolving these ambiguities is important to achieve desirable geolocation and image quality performance in these systems. A new method is described to iteratively resolve the ambiguities. For Doppler ambiguity applications, a first PRF value and an initial Doppler frequency search window are selected. A new PRF is determined based on the ratio of the initial search window to the first PRF. The radar data of the first pair of PRF's is used to determine two modulo Doppler estimates. The modulo Doppler estimates are used to determine a new Doppler estimate with a confidence interval smaller than the first search window. The ratio of the new Doppler search window to the first PRF, is used to determine the next PRF. This process is iterated until the new Doppler search window is less than the first PRF.

Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) manages engine operation in the event of an engine cooling system malfunction by operating the engine with fewer than the total number of engine cylinders, while extracting power, particularly during transient operation, from not only the engine, but also the vehicle's traction motor and battery.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a substituted propanamide derivative or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof that is useful as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for a bone metabolic disease. The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound having General Formula (I) or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient: [wherein, R1 represents a C6-C10 aryl group that may be substituted by a group selected from Substituent Group ?, for example; R2 represents a C6-C10 aryl group that may be substituted by a group selected from Substituent Group ?, for example; and X represents a hydroxyl group or a C1-C6 alkoxy group, for example].

Abstract: Paint roller support includes a substantially rigid sleeve portion for supporting a roller cover thereon and a plurality of flexible fingers that are engageable by an actuator to cause outer ends of the fingers to flex outwardly. An elastomeric material at least partially covers outer surfaces of the fingers for pressing engagement of the elastomeric material against the inner diameter of a surrounding roller cover during outward flexing of the fingers for securely retaining the roller cover in place on the support.

Abstract: The present invention relates to cellulose esters having low hydroxyl content for use in optical applications, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) films. Films made with low hydroxyl levels and a given ratio of non-acetyl ester to hydroxyl level have been found to have low intrinsic birefringence. Therefore, these films can be cast, molded, or otherwise oriented without an appreciable birefringence or optical distortion (i.e. retardation). Such features make these films useful in polarizer, protective, and compensator films as well as molded optical parts, such as lenses. Furthermore, it has also been found that resins of the present invention can also be made to have “+C plate” behavior either by melt or solvent based processing, a characteristic which is not typical of cellulose esters. Such +C behavior allows films to be produced having unique compensatory behavior. Other embodiments of the invention relate to methods melt casting films while minimizing birefringence formation.

Abstract: The present application provides compounds, including all stereoisomers, solvates, prodrugs and pharmaceutically acceptable forms thereof according to Formula I wherein R1, R4, R5, R3, R3a, W, D, R2a, R2b and R2c are defined herein. Additionally, the present application provides pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one compound according to Formula I and optionally at least one additional therapeutic agent. Finally, the present application provides methods for treating a patient suffering from an MCHR-1 modulated disease or disorder such as, for example, obesity, diabetes, depression, anxiety or intestinal inflammation, by administration of a therapeutically effective dose of a compound according to Formula I.

Abstract: Air cleaner and preferred components for an air cleaner are provided. In certain arrangements, a band is permanently mounted to the media pack, surrounding the media. Also, the cartridge is non-circular and includes a radial seal thereon.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise in an image captured using a digital image sensor having pixels being arranged in a rectangular minimal repeating unit, comprising: computing first weighted pixel differences by combining first pixel differences between the pixel value of a central pixel and pixel values for nearby pixels of the first channel in a plurality of directions with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values; computing second weighted pixel differences by combining second pixel differences between pixel values for pixels of at least one different channel in the plurality of directions with corresponding local edge-responsive weighting values; and computing a noise-reduced pixel value for the central pixel by combining the first and second weighted pixel differences with the pixel value for the central pixel.

Abstract: A pulp feeder for used paper recycling apparatus being installed in a room of a small shop or the like, friendly to the environment, low in running cost, and capable of maintaining a high confidentiality is presented. The pulp feeder includes a partition member disposed slidably on the downside of a running endless mesh belt, and a paper making frame body disposed slidably on the upside of the mesh belt, and an overflow gate is provided in the paper making frame body for keeping constant the water level of the collected pulp suspension, and the pulp suspension supplied in the paper making frame body is collected up to a specific water level defined by the overflow gate, and is uniformly diffused and supplied on the upside of the running mesh belt. Accordingly, if the supply water volume of pulp suspension fluctuates, the water level of pulp suspension staying in the paper making frame body is always kept constant, and the weight of the wet paper manufactured on the mesh belt is stabilized.

Abstract: A main controlling part is configured to choose and execute either a constant belt speed control which controls a driving motor (a driving source for an intermediate transfer belt) to move the intermediate transfer belt at a predetermined target belt speed or a constant motor speed control which rotates the driving motor at a predetermined target rotational speed according to a print command, and then, prior to a first-time print job, after executing a writing position correcting process while moving the intermediate transfer belt under the constant belt speed control, forms a color shift detecting image by switching from the constant belt speed control to the constant motor speed control, measures a difference between amounts of color shift, and executes a speed correcting process for correcting the target rotational speed of the driving motor in the constant motor speed control based on the measurement result.

Abstract: A method for processing a rebate claim. The method comprises providing a web site accessible by the consumer and integrated with a processing system accessible by the retailer. The processing system receives an identifier of a qualified transaction and/or of the consumer, and receives information from which it can be determined if the qualified transaction at least partially satisfies a rebate offer. Information from the consumer is received on the web site sufficient to match identifying information about the consumer to the information from the retailer and/or sufficient to satisfy conditions for making a rebate claim. The rebate claim is validated and the value of the rebate offer is transferred to the consumer. Embodiments are discussed relating to transactions on a computer network, making rebate claims via a wireless communications device, and use by membership clubs or in conjunction with loyalty cards or other designated cards.

Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) display apparatus includes an image generation subsystem (IGS) for generating at least one two-dimensional (2D) image and providing filtered rays derived from the at least one 2D image to an optical element for modulating the filtered rays and producing a 3D image, wherein the filtered rays comprise limited overlap of pixel information. A method and a computer program product for generating 3D images are provided.

Abstract: A filtering face-piece respirator 10 that includes a mask body 12 and a harness 14. The mask body 12 contains a filtering structure 18 that is retained in position on the mask body 12 by a support structure 16 that includes a longitudinally-movable, centrally-spaced, transversely-extending member 26 that extends from a first side 22 of the structure 16 to a second side 24 without being joined together by any longitudinally-extending members that hinder movement of the transversely extending member 26 in the longitudinal direction. The transversely-extending members converge towards each other at east side 22, 24 of the mask body 12. A filtering face-piece respirator 10 of this construction can allow the mask body 12 to readily accommodate the motion of a person's jaw. Workers who use this filtering face-piece respirator may find it much easier to talk to other persons when working. A single mask size also may be able to properly fit to faces of various sizes.

Abstract: A method for repeatably fabricating a test specimen assembly comprising a pair of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) test specimens adhesively bonded together, the bonded joint having respective areas of substantially different, but consistent variable adhesive bond strengths suitable as a calibration standard. The method comprises fabricating a first FRP test specimen having a bonding surface with first and second areas that have substantially different bonded joint performance-governing characteristics and then using adhesive to bond the bonding surface of the first FRP test specimen to the bonding surface of a second FRP test specimen. The different bonded joint performance-governing characteristics are achieved by treating first and second areas of the surface of the first FRP test specimen using different respective surface preparation techniques.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for slitting composite material int1aaaaaaaaaaao tape and for measuring the width of the slit tape as the tape is being reeled onto take up rolls. The tape width is measured by an optical micrometer. The optical micrometer includes a transmitter for directing radiant energy over the tape and, a receiver for receiving radiant energy from the transmitter that passes across an edge of the tape and for producing a signal related to the width of the tape.

Abstract: A power electronics and control architecture for powering an AC load from a multi-source power system through a single conversion stage is disclosed. A controllable DC-to-AC inverter accepts a DC output voltage range from a DC power source at a DC input, and outputs an adjustable AC at an AC output. A sensor measures an output power of the DC power source to obtain a measured output power, and a processor sets a power level at the DC input based on the measured output power. The processor sets the power level to control the output power of the DC power source, and synchronizes the adjustable AC to a common AC output of the multi-source power system.