Abstract: A Low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulator (1) includes: —a Ballast Transistor PBaI (3) of the P-channel MOS or Bipolar type, having a gate (34) and a main conduction path (D-S) connected in a path between the input VDD (4) and the output VOUT (5) of the regulator—an Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) (2) being implemented as an adaptative biasing transistor amplifier and having an inverting input coupled to the output VOUT (5) through a voltage divider R1-R2 (61), a non-inverting input coupled to a voltage reference circuit (7) and having an output connected to the gate (34) of the Ballast transistor (3). To stabilize the output (5) and to increase the power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of the LDO voltage regulator (1), OTA (2) includes a resistance RS, which enables to stabilize the output (5) and to increase the Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR).

Abstract: A mechanical oscillator isochronism corrector comprising a frame (12), a flexible blade (14) integral with the frame to act on a mechanical oscillator at a contact portion (14a) presented by the blade, and a first element for adjusting the pre-stress of the flexible blade including a pre-stress finger (22) acting on the flexible blade, the first adjustment element being integral with the frame.

Abstract: The assembly is made up of: a) a support including a mesoporous coating whose pores have an average diameter dimensioned so as to enable molecules from the family of cyanines to penetrate them, and b) a layer of molecules from the family of cyanines and organized into J-aggregates within the pores of the coating. The assembly moreover includes Quantum Dots located within the same pores as those containing the J-aggregates, the Quantum Dots maintaining J-aggregates structure. A method for producing such an assembly is also described.

Abstract: A frequency synthesizer includes: a first oscillator (1) controlled by a first control device, the first oscillator having a high quality factor that is greater than 300 and produces a first clock signal (2) RF having a fixed frequency, the first control device (30) controlling the frequency of the first controlled oscillator (1) on the basis of a first reference frequency; a second oscillator (3) controlled by a second control device and producing a second clock signal (4); the second control device (31) controlling the frequency of the second controlled oscillator (3) on the basis of a second reference frequency; and an integer frequency divider (5) dividing the frequency of the second clock signal (4) by a variable integer factor N1 and producing a third clock signal (6), the frequency of which is continuously variable by modifying the factor N1 and the control of the second oscillator.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and an apparatus for a continuous non-invasive and non-obstrusive monitoring of blood pressure. The method comprises the steps of: a) measuring the value (PW) of a Pulse Wave parameter, equal to or derived from the Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) parameter of a segment of the arterial tree of a subject, b) measuring the value (CO) of the Cardiac Output parameter, and c) determining the value (BP) of the blood pressure that satisfies B ? ? P = arg ? ? min BP ? ? d ? ( P ? ? W , ? ( C ? ? O , B ? ? P ) ) , where PW is the value measured in step a), (CO, BP) corresponds to a predicted value of the Pulse Wave parameter computed according to a model of the segment of the arterial tree, the value (CO) of the Cardiac Output parameter measured in step b) and an hypothesized value of the blood pressure.

Abstract: A security Device comprises a zero order diffractive microstructure (5) buried within a substrate (3). One or more further optical structures, such as microlenses (1), may be formed on a surface (2) of the substrate (3). The further optical structures modify the optical characteristics of the zero order diffractive microstructure (5). Various alternatives or additional optical structures and methods of producing them are described in additional embodiments.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a solid-state electric charge sensor (200, 600) comprising at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605) that comprises a current source (140, 640) and a column line (120, 620). The sensor also comprises at least one charge detector circuit (210, 610) that is operatively coupled with the at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605). The at least one signal-readout circuit (205, 605) is characterized by further comprising at least one open-loop amplifier (250, 650), the input of which is operatively connectable with the at least one column signal line (220, 620) and with the at least one current source (240, 640); at least one feedback line (230, 630) that is operatively connectable with the output (254, 654) of the at least one open-loop amplifier (250, 650); and operative to selectively form a negative feedback loop; and wherein the open-loop amplifier (250, 650) has an inverting voltage gain.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a smart label to be affixed on or integrated in an object and able to provide an electrical signal indicative of the applied pressure or force and/or the position of the applied pressure or force at a touch point on the object to which the label is affixed. The smart label comprises a layer structure and a detector system, the layer structure comprising of at least a stack of a first, a second and a third layer. The first and third layers comprise a flexible, electrically conductive or semiconductive material and at least two electrodes for connecting the layers to the detector system. The second layer comprises a flexible, deformable and compressible material. The second layer is electrically nonconductive or electrically conductive but less conductive than the first and third layers, wherein the second layer separates the first and third layers.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for estimating an arrival time (PAT) value of a subject in an automatic and unsupervised fashion from a sequence of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images. The method comprises: providing an EIT imaging device adapted to record impedance signal distribution within a measurement region of the subject; measuring a sequence of temporally discrete EIT images during a predetermined measuring time period in the measurement region using the EIT imaging device, each EIT image comprising one or a plurality of EIT pixel subsets, each of said one or a plurality of EIT pixel subset representing an impedance value; generating one or a plurality of time series, each of said one or a plurality of time series representing a variation of the impedance value of the sequence of EIT images; and estimating the PAT value from each of said one or a plurality of time series.

Abstract: A device for the sensitive detection of X-rays comprises a structured scintillator screen optically coupled to a semiconductor image sensor. The scintillator screen comprises individual columnar elements covered with material showing high optical reflection. Each columnar element represents a pixel, and light flashes created by an X-ray photon in a scintillating event exit through a short surface of the columnar element for detection with a semiconductor image sensor. The semiconductor image sensor comprises a multitude of photosensor elements, and one or more of these photosensor elements receives light from a scintillator screen pixel.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed technique disclose an optical device generating light by luminescence comprising a substrate, a waveguide, a pump light source and a photoluminescent layer, wherein the waveguide is positioned between the substrate and the photoluminescent layer, or the photoluminescent layer is positioned between the substrate and the waveguide. The pump light source is provided opposite to the photoluminescent layer at the backside of the substrate. The pump light source is adapted to pump the photoluminescent layer to emit light; and at least some of the emitted light is evanescently coupled into the waveguide.

Abstract: Method for determining the position and/or displacement of a mobile element with respect to a fixed frame, including using a fixed light source emitting a light beam, arranging the source with respect to the mobile element and a sensor to induce an interaction between the beam and sensor, includes using a concave mirror, integral in movement with the mobile element, for reflecting the beam in direction to the sensor, arranging on the path of the beam a fixed optical mask which presents a two dimensional regular pattern interlaced with an absolute code, detecting and processing the image casted by the mask on the sensor, computing the displacement value of the image on the sensor and using the computed displacement value for computing and providing the position and/or the displacement in at least one direction of the mobile element in dependence of the image's displacement.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pipette tip (100, 200, 201, 300) comprising a tip body (110) having an inner surface and an outer surface (112). The inner surface (111) defines an inner cavity (120, 320), which has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end has an upper opening (131); and the lower end has a lower opening (141). At least a part of the inner surface (111) is provided with capturing agents (151) of at least one type forming at least one capturing-agent region (150) on the at least one inner surface. The at least one capturing agent region (150) is capable of selectively binding target substances (152) of at least one type comprised in a sample to form at least agent-target conjugates (155), the arrangement of which define at least one agent-target region (156).

Abstract: A blazed grating is disclosed as well as mode hop-free tunable lasers and a process for fabricating gratings of this type. The grating lies in a general plane and includes a plurality of elongate beams carrying mutually parallel respective reflection surfaces spaced apart from one another with a predefined pitch, each of these reflection surfaces having a normal direction inclined at a grating angle ? to the normal direction of the general plane. The grating includes a plurality of resilient suspension arms connected to the beams and intended to be fastened to a grating support. A first pair of comb electrodes is provided for applying a mechanical force to this assembly, being placed on a first side of the grating, along an axis transverse to the beams, and designed so as to allow the pitch of the grating to be modified in response to the application of the mechanical force.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a balance spring intended to equip a balance of a mechanical timepiece, formed by a spiral bar resulting from machining a fused quartz plate, which has a positive thermal coefficient of rigidity, the bar constituting a core at least locally covered by at least one outer layer having a different structure to modify the thermal coefficient of rigidity.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a smart label to be affixed on or integrated in an object and able to provide an electrical signal indicative of the applied pressure or force and/or the position of the applied pressure or force at a touch point on the object to which the label is affixed. The smart label comprises a layer structure and a detector system, the layer structure comprising of at least a stack of a first, a second and a third layer. The first and third layers comprise a flexible, electrically conductive or semiconductive material and at least two electrodes for connecting the layers to the detector system. The second layer comprises a flexible, deformable and compressible material. The second layer is electrically nonconductive or electrically conductive but less conductive than the first and third layers, wherein the second layer separates the first and third layers.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for measuring a pulse transit time (PTT) value of a subject, comprising: measuring a first arterial pressure pulse arrival time (PAT) and measuring a second PAT value; calculating a PTT value from the difference between the first PAT value and the second PAT value; processing a sequence of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images to identify at least one region of interest (ROI); and estimating at least one of the first and second PAT value from the variation of impedance value determined from said at least one ROI. The method allows for the non-invasive and continuous measurement of the PTT value and arterial blood pressures.

Abstract: A security Device comprises a zero order diffractive microstructure (5) buried within a substrate (3). One or more further optical structures, such as microlenses (1), may be formed on a surface (2) of the substrate (3). The further optical structures modify the optical characteristics of the zero order diffractive microstructure (5). Various alternatives or additional optical structures and methods of producing them are described in additional embodiments.

Abstract: The effective photosensitive area of a solid-state photosensor is controlled with a multitude of electrodes (E1, . . . , Ei, . . . , En) on top of an insulator layer (O) covering a semiconductor substrate (S). Photogenerated charge carriers move laterally under the influence of the voltage distribution on the various electrodes (E1, . . . , Ei, . . . , En), and they are collected at the two ends of the photosensor in diffusions (D1, D2). The voltage distribution on the electrodes (E1, . . . , Ei, . . . , En) is such that the voltage at the two furthermost electrodes (E1, En) is maximum (if photoelectrons are collected), minimum at an interior electrode (Ei), and monotonously decreasing in between. The lateral position of the electrode (Ei) with minimum voltage defines the effective photosensitive area of the photosensor.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to an X-ray interferometer for imaging an object comprising: a phase grating for effecting in correspondence with the phase grating geometry a phase shift to at least a part of X-ray incident onto the phase grating; and an absorption grating for effecting in correspondence with the absorption grating geometry absorption to at least a part of X-ray incident onto the absorption grating. The grating period of the phase grating, and the grating period of the absorption grating may be dimensioned such that a detector for X-rays can be placed at a relatively large distance away from the absorption grating such the phase contrast sensitivity of the image of the object detected by the detector remains substantially unaffected.