Abstract: An LED lamp (1) is provided, having at least one LED unit (4) arranged in a housing (2), a first (5, 5?, 5?, 5??) and a second (6) lamp cap being arranged spaced from each other on opposing ends of the housing (2), said lamp caps (5, 5?, 5?, 5??, 6) each comprising at least one contact element for connecting said LED unit (4) with a lamp fixture. To enhance the safety of the LED lamp (1) during removal of the lamp (1) from the fixture, said first lamp cap (5, 5?, 5?, 5??) comprises contact breaking means (40, 40?, 40?), configured to electrically disconnect said contact elements of said first (5, 5?, 5?, 5?) and second (6) lamp caps from each other when said LED lamp (1) is removed from said lamp fixture.

Abstract: A power supplying device (20) is provided for providing electrical power to a power receiving device (30), the power supplying device (20) comprising two plates (22), two electrode structures (23, 43, 81, 82) being arranged to be coupled to an AC power source (41) and at least one power transmitter (21). Each electrode structure (23, 43, 81, 82) is attached to one of said two plates (22). The power transmitter (21) is situated in between the two plates (22) and comprises an electrically conductive coil (28) and at least two electrical contacts (25) coupled to the electrically conductive coil (28). The plates (22) and the power transmitter (21) are arranged such that the power transmitter (21) is movable in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the plates (22) with the electrical contacts (25) in contact with the respective two electrode structures (23, 43, 81, 82) for obtaining power from the AC power source (41).

Abstract: In summary, this application describes a psycho-acoustically motivated, parametric description of the spatial attributes of multichannel audio signals. This parametric description allows strong bitrate reductions in audio coders, since only one monaural signal has to be transmitted, combined with (quantized) parameters which describe the spatial properties of the signal. The decoder can form the original amount of audio channels by applying the spatial parameters. For near-CD-quality stereo audio, a bitrate associated with these spatial parameters of 10 kbit/s or less seems sufficient to reproduce the correct spatial impression at the receiving end.

Abstract: Energy is transferred (336) to cause a mechanical property of biological tissue to change, as in ablation. An effect of the transferring is examined in more than one spatial dimension to, for example, make an ablation halting decision for a treatment region, i.e., line (312) or layer (314), or for a location (316) within the region. Halting decisions can be based on lesion-central and/or lesion-peripheral longitudinal displacement of treated tissue evaluated in real time against a characteristic curve. Steering in the azimuthal and/or elevation direction is afforded by, for example, linear, or 2D, multi-channel ultrasound arrays for therapy and imaging. Protocols includable are region-wide scanning (SI 010) and location-by-location completion for both (HIFU) therapy and tracking (acoustic-radiation-forced-based) displacement of treated tissue.

Abstract: This invention relates to a light emitting diode device (100) including an outer casing (102), a light emitting diode element (114), which includes at least one light emitting diode (114a), arranged within the outer casing, a light outlet member (108) constituting a part of the outer casing, a sealed cavity (104) containing a controlled atmosphere, and a seal (110) arranged to seal the cavity. The light emitting diode device further comprises a remote organic phosphor element (116) arranged in the sealed cavity.

Abstract: The present application in particular is directed to a household appliance adapted for treating objects in a primary treatment process. For providing easy disinfection of process media and functional subunits of the household appliance, it is proposed that the household appliance comprises at least one plasma generator adapted to impinge in a secondary treatment process a disinfecting and/or odour reducing plasma at at least one functional subunit of the appliance.

Abstract: This method for analyzing the respiratory activity of a patient comprises the steps (20) for acquiring at least one respiratory activity signal comprising at least one elementary signal corresponding to a respiratory cycle, the general form of which may be expressed by x(t)=x0+x1 cos (?(t)), wherein ?(t) is the phase of said elementary signal, and for analyzing (24, 26, 28) said respiratory activity signal.

Abstract: A sensor tracking device, system and method include a sensor (118) configured on a wire (110) and adapted to fit in a working channel (116) of an endoscope (100). An image identifiable feature (120) is formed on a distal end portion of the sensor which is identifiable when the sensor is extended from the endoscope. An image of the image identifiable feature is collected by the endoscope and permits a determination of a pose of the endoscope.

Abstract: A teat cup cleaning device having a heating chamber, provided with a discharge which is closable by a valve, and arranged for connection to a teat cup. A filling device is provided for filling the heating chamber with an amount of cleaning liquid, and a heating arrangement is arranged to heat the contents of the heating chamber to a temperature T higher than the boiling point Tk of the cleaning liquid at ambient pressure. The valve opens in this situation to deliver the heated cleaning liquid to the teat cup. The teat cup cleaning device also comprising a connecting line between a liquid supply and the discharge.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of digital pathology and in particular to whole slide scanners. A tilted autofocus image sensor images an oblique cross-section of the slide. For focusing multiple sequential overlapping images, which have been taken by the tilted sensor, are compared. The axial position of the tissue layer can be determined from the polar error signal resulting from this differential measurement.

Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination device (1) comprising an optical waveguide (2) and a number of (connections for) light sources (3)—especially LEDs—positioned along the waveguide (3). This waveguide has a central axis (4) at a distance r to the surface of the waveguide, said surface comprising a light entrance surface (6) on which the (connections for) light sources are positioned and a curved light exit surface (5), wherein, viewed along the circumference of the curved surface (5), the distance r to a first intersection (8) between the flat surface (6) and the curved surface (5), changes to a second distance of different value at the second intersection (9) between said surfaces. The invention also relates to a luminaire comprising such an illumination device (1). Due to the special design of the waveguide (2), the amount of reflections of light in the light sources is largely reduced and desired shaping of the exiting beam can be realized.

Abstract: A switchable autostereoscopic display device comprises a first LED display panel, an array of non-switchable lens elements and a second LED display panel. This arrangement avoids the need for a switchable lens array to implement a switchable 2D/3D display. The first LED display panel can simply be turned off so that the lens array does not play a role in generating a 3D output. The second LED display panel then produces the desired 2D image.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented method for enhancing payment flexibility implementing a computer processor accessing at least one storage medium. The method includes receiving payment notification including a payment amount and a payment date for an identified customer and determining eligibility for flexible payment status implementing the computer processor, the determination based on the customer identity, the payment date, and a payment due date. The method further includes calculating a flex accrual using the computer processor if the customer is eligible for flexible payment status, the flex accrual based on the payment amount, the payment date, and the payment due date and communicating the flex accrual to the customer. The method additionally includes allowing the identified customer to utilize the flex accrual by making a late payment without penalty, wherein a number of days late and dollars paid are determined based on the flex accrual.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of forming iron oxide nanoparticles comprising the steps of (a) suspending iron oxide/hydroxide and oleic acid or a derivative thereof in a primary organic solvent; (b) increasing the temperature of the suspension by a defined rate up to a maximum of 340° C. to 500° C.; (c) aging the suspension at the maximum temperature of step (b) for about 0.5 to 6 h; (d) cooling the suspension; (e) adding a secondary organic solvent; (f) precipitating nanoparticles by adding a non-solvent and removing excess solvent; (g) dispersing said nanoparticles in said secondary organic solvent; (h) mixing the dispersion of step (g) with a solution of a polymer; and (i) optionally removing said secondary organic solvent.

Abstract: An optical measurement device for measuring an optical appearance of a surface of a sample includes a measuring head which can be brought into contact with the surface of the sample. The measuring head includes an illumination device for illuminating the surface with an illumination beam, and a detection device or detecting a response beam. The response beam is the response of the sample to the illumination beam. The detection device includes a screen for intercepting the response beam, where the screen extends approximately a quarter hemisphere in order to realize measuring head with a small contact area with the surface.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for improving growth characteristics of plants by increasing expression and/or activity in a plant of an LRR receptor kinase or a homologue thereof. One such method comprises introducing into a plant an RLK827 nucleic acid molecule or functional variant thereof. The invention also relates to transgenic plants having improved growth characteristics, which plants have modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding an LRR receptor kinase. The present invention also concerns constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

Abstract: When detecting and classifying hypo-metabolic regions in the brain to facilitate dementia diagnosis, a patient's brain scan image, generated using an FDG-PET scan, is compared to a plurality of hypo-metabolic region patterns in brain scan images associated with a plurality of types of dementia. In a fully automated mode, the patient's scan is compared to all scans stored in a knowledge base, and a type of dementia associated with a most likely match is output to a user along with a highlighted image of the patient' s brain. In a semi-automated mode, a user specifies two or more types of dementia, and the patient's scan is compared to scans typical of the specified types. Diagnosis information including respective likelihoods for each type is then output to the user. Additionally, the user can adjust a threshold significance level to increase or decrease a number of voxels that are included in hypo-metabolic regions highlighted in the patient' brain scan image.

Abstract: A fiducial marker assembly (30) is tracked using a magnetic resonance scanner (10). At the tracked position of the fiducial marker assembly, local B0 magnetic field inhomogeneity is measured. A warning is issued if the measured local B0 magnetic field inhomogeneity satisfies a warning criterion. A noise figure of merit of the tracking is also determined, and the warning is also issued if the noise figure of merit satisfies a noise-based warning criterion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous extrusion process for preparing cold water swelling phosphate-cross-linked starch derivatives, wherein the process consists of the subsequent steps of gelatinising an alkaline starch in a first zone (10) in the extruder; adding of POCl3 as cross-linking reagent in a second zone (11) in the extruder; cross-linking the obtained gelatinised starch by means of the POCl3 in the second and third zone (11, 12) in the extruder, and neutralising the obtained cross-linked gelatinised starch that is present in a fourth zone (13) in the extruder; recovering the obtained cross-linked, gelatinised starch in a fifth zone (14) in the extruder.