Abstract: A range has burner coil elements which have temperature switches as a portion of the replaceable coils. Upon reaching a predetermined temperatures, the switch opens and power through the burner element is secured. The burner elements are preferably open coil units. Lowering the temperature in a cooking utensil below common ignition temperatures while still allowing boiling is an objective of many embodiments.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to manufacture a coherent bundle of scintillating fibers is disclosed. A method includes providing a collimated bundle having a glass preform with capillaries therethrough known in the industry as a glass capillary array, and infusing the glass capillary array with a scintillating polymer or a polymer matrix containing scintillating nanoparticles.

Abstract: This invention relates to a broom including an elongate handle attached at one end to a head, a plurality of bristles attached to the head on a different side from the handle, and an auxiliary tool portion configured for use in any one or more of the group selected from scraping, cutting and scooping. The auxiliary tool portion is removably attached to the head and/or handle by means of a quick-release mechanism. The quick release mechanism may include a lever, skewer and stop, and the lever having a cam. The auxiliary tool portion may project forwardly from the broom and/or downwardly having a substantially rigid lower edge.

Abstract: Disclosed are computer-readable devices, systems and methods for generating a model of a clothed body. The method includes generating a model of an unclothed human body, the model capturing a shape or a pose of the unclothed human body, determining two-dimensional contours associated with the model, and computing deformations by aligning a contour of a clothed human body with a contour of the unclothed human body. Based on the two-dimensional contours and the deformations, the method includes generating a first two-dimensional model of the unclothed human body, the first two-dimensional model factoring the deformations of the unclothed human body into one or more of a shape variation component, a viewpoint change, and a pose variation and learning an eigen-clothing model using principal component analysis applied to the deformations, wherein the eigen-clothing model classifies different types of clothing, to yield a second two-dimensional model of a clothed human body.

Abstract: An apparatus configured to couple to an electrical penetration assembly is disclosed in which the apparatus comprises a connector comprising an inorganic seal to seal an inorganic flange and/or housing to an electrical penetration assembly.

Abstract: The invention relates to isomerization catalysts and can be used in the petroleum processing and petrochemical industry. The catalyst contains sulfated zirconium oxide and a binder—aluminum oxide in a ratio of ZrO2/SO4 to Al2O3 from 70 to 30 to 90 to 10, as well as promoter, a group II metal, Ca, in a quantity ranging from 0.01 to 1 wt % of the weight of the catalyst. The catalyst also contains platinum and/or palladium in a quantity ranging from 0.1 to 0.45 wt % of the metal. Isomerization of C4-C7 paraffinic hydrocarbons in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of 110-200° C., a pressure of 1-5 MPa, a hydrogen:hydrocarbon ratio of 0.5-4, and a feedstock space velocity of 0.5-4 h?1 is carried out on a catalyst having the claimed composition. The proposed catalyst offers an enhanced degree of isomerization, improved selectivity of the process, and increased strength of the granules.

Abstract: The current disclosure involves the arrangement and efficient deployment of self-adhering flexible sheet material in individual segments to encircle a bale of harvested material and isolate it from the wind, precipitation, and other elements as it remains in the field following the formation of the bale attendant with harvesting of the crop, until collected for further processing. For use with harvested crops such as cotton or hay, the individual wrapping segments further comprise adhering members, which cause a portion of a wrapping segment, generally found at what is considered a trailing end during a wrapping cycle, to releasably attach to adhering members on an opposite surface of the same wrapping segment.

Abstract: Improved object wrapping materials exhibiting a number of beneficial properties to overcome prior deficiencies are provided. Such properties include the inclusion of a separation interface overlay that allows for greater rigidity at the leading and trailing edges of such wraps. Also, the inclusion of shear-reducing wrap material portions is described, as well as recoil reduction structures within the leading edge regions. Furthermore, core adhesive additions allow for greater resiliency to the base wrap material as it unwinds therefrom, reducing potential waste wrap products by permitting greater amounts of wrap materials in use. Other considerations include the ability, through proper configuration designs, to position a wrap separation indicator within a certain range of distances from the trailing edge, thereby providing greater reliability of wrap application device disengagement during wrap application.

Abstract: An apparatus for a lead-free piezoelectric ink-jet printhead is disclosed. Piezoelectric printheads, while more expensive are favored because they use a wider variety of inks. The piezoelectric printhead includes a diaphragm, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators comprising a lead-free piezoelectric material, at least one nozzle, at least one ink chamber, a top electrode, and a drive circuit. The deflection of the diaphragm on the body chamber contributes to a pressure pulse that is used to eject a drop of liquid from the nozzle. According to an exemplary embodiment, a lead-free piezoelectric printhead operated at smaller thicknesses and significantly higher electric fields is disclosed, along with methods of making such printheads.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to transfection complexes of rosette nanotubes and one or more nucleic acids.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to manufacture a coherent bundle of scintillating fibers is disclosed. A method includes providing a collimated bundle having a glass preform with capillaries therethrough known in the industry as a glass capillary array, and infusing the glass capillary array with a scintillating polymer or a polymer matrix containing scintillating nanoparticles.

Abstract: Methods and systems for producing anode grade coke are disclosed, which allow anode grade coke to be produced from crude oil having a high sulfur content. A fraction of the resid is hydrotreated while another fraction of the resid is treated in a solvent deasphalting unit. A synthetic stream is provided by blending hydrotreated resid with one or more streams from the deasphalting unit. The synthetic stream is fed to an anodic coker unit.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to transfection complexes of rosette nanotubes and one or more nucleic acids.

Abstract: An improved citrus juice finisher is provided for producing “thin” juice. A first aspect is an improved screen design with small perforations having diverging walls in the direction of juice moving through the screen to prevent “blinding” of the screen by entrained particles. A second aspect is a juice modulator which pulverizes the entrained particles to a desired size and viscosity. A third aspect is an improved multi-vane finisher with increased yield and capacity.

Abstract: A system generates a clothing deformation model which models one or more of a pose-dependent clothing shape variation which is induced by underlying body pose parameters, a pose-independent clothing shape variation which is induced by clothing size and underlying body shape parameters and a clothing shape variation including a combination of the pose-dependent clothing shape variation and/or the pose-independent clothing shape variation. The system generates, for an input human body, a custom-shaped garment associated with a clothing type by mapping, via the clothing deformation model, body shape parameters of the input human body to clothing shape parameters of the clothing type and dresses the input human body with the custom-shaped garment.

Abstract: A training weight for a sport stick is provided. The sport stick includes a housing having a sidewall, a proximal end wall and a distal end wall. The sidewall and proximal end wall include an opening and slot which are sized to accept a sport stick's handle and knob. Preferably, the training weight includes a cup which is biased by a spring to force the sport stick's knob to engage and lock to the training weight's proximal end wall. The training weight may include a cam mechanism to permit the retraction and extension of the spring and cup.

Abstract: A system and method of estimating the body shape of an individual from input data such as images or range maps. The body may appear in one or more poses captured at different times and a consistent body shape is computed for all poses. The body may appear in minimal tight-fitting clothing or in normal clothing wherein the described method produces an estimate of the body shape under the clothing. Clothed or bare regions of the body are detected via image classification and the fitting method is adapted to treat each region differently. Body shapes are represented parametrically and are matched to other bodies based on shape similarity and other features. Standard measurements are extracted using parametric or non-parametric functions of body shape. The system components support many applications in body scanning, advertising, social networking, collaborative filtering and Internet clothing shopping.

Abstract: An archery bow with a riser including a mount in an upper wall of a sight window of the riser may allow for a novel manner of mounting an archery accessory. Placement of the mount within a centerline plane of the riser may maintain the weight of the archery accessory along a center of the bow, thereby reducing or eliminating asymmetrically weighted bows or the need for an additional stabilizer to balance the weight of the archery accessory. Positioning the mount in the upper wall of the sight window additionally allows for coordination of the position of a secondary accessory, such as a sight, a light, or a camera, in addition to mounting an arrow rest, such as in a lower wall of the sight window, while maintaining the centralized weight advantages noted above.

Abstract: Co-production a product anode grade coke and a product fuel grade coke is done using a system configured to implement a method that includes: directing an anode grade coker charge material from a tower to a first coke drum set; generating the product anode grade coke using the first coke drum set while directing a first vapor stream from the first coker drum set to the tower; directing a fuel grade coker charge material from a fractionator to a second coke drum set; generating the product fuel grade coke using the second coke drum set while directing a second vapor stream from the second coke drum set to the fractionator; and directing a third vapor stream from the tower to the fractionator while generating the product anode grade coke using the first coke drum set and generating the product fuel grade coke using the second coke drum set.

Abstract: Systems, compositions, methods and kits employ protein shells, such as ferritin or viral capsid shells, herein called nanobubbles, to enhance X-ray images of cells or body tissue under certain x-ray imaging methods. The nanobubbles have sub-micron size such as about 10 nm, about 40, 60, or 100 nm and may be functionalized for effective delivery to or uptake by a target tissue, in vivo or a cell culture. The nanobubbles are hollow, having a central core which may be empty or contain a fluid, such that the shells effectively form long-lived bubbles in the imaged environment, and are of low electron density and have different scattering properties than the surrounding tissue. X-ray imaging by spatial frequency heterodyne imaging enhances visualization or detection of tissue regions bearing the shells. The protein shells may be further treated to assure biocompatibility and/or to resist undesired interactions with non-targeted tissue, such as scavenging by the liver, or attack by the immune system.