Abstract: A partially immersible system includes fuel burning equipment such as an electrical generator located above a flood plain. A hydraulic fluid pumping system is located above the flood plain, and is connected to an immersible hydraulically powered fuel pumping system, which includes hydraulic motors connected to pumps connected to a fuel tank and to the fuel burning equipment to supply fuel to the fuel burning equipment.

Abstract: In one example, a method for low-latency multimedia stream reception and output in a receiving device is described. Data packets may be extracted from a multimedia stream received over a network. The sequence of independently decodable units associated with the multimedia stream may be decoded. Each independently decodable unit may include one or more data packets. The sequence of decoded units may be stored in an output buffer. Further, flow of the decoded units from the output buffer to an output device may be controlled based on one of (a) a latency associated with the decoded units and (b) a rate of reception of the decoded units by the output buffer and a rate at which the output device is operating. The decoded units may be rendered on the output device.

Abstract: A vented pressurized gas-powered actuator includes a housing having a central longitudinal axis and an inner surface. The inner surface has a constant radius between first and second planes extending perpendicular to the axis. At least one vent groove extends from the inner surface in a direction away from the axis. The at least one vent groove has a first end intersecting the first plane and a second end intersecting the second plane.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifiable material are shown and described. A photohardening inhibitor is admitted into a surface of a photohardenable material to create a “dead zone” where little or no solidification occurs. The dead zone prevents the exposed surface of the photohardenable material from solidifying in contact with a container bottom or film. As the solidified object areas get larger and the build platform speed increases, the dead zone increases which can cause the formation of channels in the resulting objects and delamination. A number of techniques including continuous/discontinuous mode switching, multiple illuminations of portions of the same layer, and the use of gray scaling are disclosed for regulating the size of the dead zone.

Abstract: A method for controlling a human-robot collaboration (HRC) system wherein the HRC system includes at least one manipulator having an end effector. The method includes using the end effector in a first operating mode, wherein the end effector is operated with reduced power; monitoring whether a desired object is manipulated when the end effector is used in the first operating mode; and increasing the power used to operate the end effector in order to use the end effector in a second operating mode when the monitoring indicates that the desired object is being manipulated.

Abstract: Syringe systems including barrels having lubricated portions and non-lubricated portions are provided. The non-lubricated portions may be configured to be loaded with injectable materials, such as embolic agents. The injectable materials may comprise polyvinyl alcohol. Also provided are methods of lubricating portions of barrels of syringe systems with lubricants including silicone or silicone-free lubricants.

Abstract: A connector 10 disclosed by this specification includes a male connector 20 and a female connector 50 connectable to each other. The male connector 20 includes a male terminal 30 and a male housing 21 having a receptacle 22 and configured to hold the male terminal 30. The female connector 50 includes a female terminal 60 having a connecting portion 61 to be connected to the male terminal 30 and a female housing having a female terminal accommodating portion fittable into the receptacle 22 and configured to hold the female terminal. A protrusion projecting toward the male terminal is provided on an inner surface of the receptacle. The female terminal accommodating portion is provided with a slit into which the protrusion is to be inserted. The connecting portion is provided with an escaping recess configured to allow the protrusion inserted into the slit and projecting inwardly of the female terminal accommodating portion to escape.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of electrospinning poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) which allow stable PGS fibers and fibrous PGS constructs, scaffolds and grafts to be formed. In one example, a disclosed method includes generating PGS fibers by blending PGS prepolymer with a heat resistant synthetic carrier polymer, wherein the blend is electrospun into micro- or nano-fibers, and the PGS prepolymer is cross-linked into PGS with heat without using chemical cross-linkers. In another example, a disclosed method includes electrospinning a PGS and gelatin blend, wherein the PGS and gelatin composition are cross-linked by heat curing without using chemical cross-linkers. In another example, the method includes preparing an electrospinning precursor solution comprising blending PGS prepolymer with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and a chemical cross-linker; electrospinning the prepared blend; and exposing the electrospun blend to an organic solvent to remove the PLGA.

Abstract: Plasmonic-surface antenna systems are described in which resonators, or cells, are closely arranged but do not touch. At least a portion of a radiating surface includes a plurality of cells (operative as resonators) placed very close together to one so that a surface (plasmonic) wave causes near replication of the current of one cell in an adjacent cell. Cells with one or more fractal shapes may be used as a fractal plasmonic surface (FPS). Systems and/or methods are described of using plasmonic surfaces or fractal plasmonic surfaces for radiofrequency identification (RFID). A PS or FPS may act as an intermediary array of antennas, which can serve to connect an RFID reader with one or more RFID tags. Structures including cages are described that can include one or more surfaces that are each an FPS. Methods of power transfer are described.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a compartment mounted to a frame of the vehicle. The compartment includes a box coupled to a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the vehicle and a latch system coupled to the glove to allow a user access to the box. The latch system includes a continuous loop of material including at least a portion that is made from shape-memory alloy wire.

Abstract: A shield connector includes a male shield terminal (20) mounted in a male housing (10), male inner conductors (37) constituting the male shield terminal (20) and to be connected to female inner conductors (78) by connecting both housings (10, 70), a male outer conductor (21) surrounding the male inner conductors (37) via a male dielectric (31) and configured to contact a female outer conductor (76) by connecting the both housings (10, 70), a tube (25) formed in the male outer conductor (21) and surrounding the female outer conductor (76) with the housings (10, 70) connected, and resilient contact pieces (26) formed in the male outer conductor (21) and to be resiliently connected to an outer periphery of the female outer conductor (76). The tube (25) is continuous over an entire periphery, thereby restricting an expanding deformation thereof.

Abstract: A terminal module M1 is to be accommodated into an outer housing 30, and includes male terminals 20 to be connected to ends of signal wires 11, a first terminal holding member 61 including accommodation recesses 78 for accommodating the terminals 20 inserted in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the terminals 20 with tip parts 21 of the terminals 20 projecting, and a second terminal holding member 65 to be assembled with the first terminal holding member 61. The second terminal holding member 65 is relatively movable toward ends of the signal wires 11 from a terminal tip protection position where the second terminal holding member 65 covers tip parts 21 of the terminals 20 projecting from the first terminal holding member 61.

Abstract: A vehicle interior component is disclosed. The component may comprise a base comprising an opening and first and second layers extending through the opening. The first and second layers may form a structure extending through the opening to an extended position. The first layer may engage the second layer to form the structure. The first layer may separate from the second layer when retracted into the base. The structure may comprise a protrusion formed by the first layer with the second layer to move from a retracted position to the extended position. The protrusion may extend beyond the base by a first distance when the protrusion is retracted and by a second distance greater than the first when the protrusion is extended. The second layer may comprise a bottom; the first layer may comprise a top to couple to the bottom to form the structure as the structure extends.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to form films on sensitive substrates while preventing damage to the sensitive substrate are provided herein. In certain embodiments, methods involve forming a bilayer film on a sensitive substrate that both protects the underlying substrate from damage and possesses desired electrical properties. Also provided are methods and apparatus for evaluating and optimizing the films, including methods to evaluate the amount of substrate damage resulting from a particular deposition process and methods to determine the minimum thickness of a protective layer. The methods and apparatus described herein may be used to deposit films on a variety of sensitive materials such as silicon, cobalt, germanium-antimony-tellerium, silicon-germanium, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, tungsten, titanium, tantalum, chromium, nickel, palladium, ruthenium, or silicon oxide.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for EM communications. One of the apparatus includes a super-regenerative amplifier (SRA) configured to receive a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated signal and to output an amplitude signal as a function of changes in phase in the BPSK modulated signal; a pseudo synchronous demodulator that rectifies the amplitude signal and generates an envelope of the rectified amplitude signal; and an analog to digital converter that converts the amplitude values of the envelope to digital binary values.

Abstract: A system and process for testing and analyzing a laser beam is provided. The system and process allows for repeatable testing of a laser beam to provide a beam intensity profile while accounting for variation in measurements attributable to outside factors. The system and process further allows for simultaneous measurement and analysis of a laser beam having multiple wavelengths.

Abstract: Various types of sub-preset conditions corresponding to a selected mother preset condition are read out from a preset condition storage unit which stores at least a plurality of mother preset conditions set concerning image data acquisition conditions and various types of sub-preset conditions set by updating all or some of the image data acquisition conditions included in each of the mother preset conditions. A sub-preset condition suitable for ultrasonic examination on the object is selected from the readout various types of sub-preset conditions. An image data acquisition condition is initialized based on the selected mother preset condition with respect to each unit related to generation of the image data. The image data acquisition condition is updated by using the selected sub-preset condition. Image data is generated based on a reception signal in ultrasonic transmission/reception using the updated image data acquisition condition.

Abstract: A three dimensional imaging system for generating a 3D panoramic video/image is disclosed. The three dimensional imaging system comprising a plurality of stereoscopic pairs of compound cameras is disclosed. The pair of compound cameras being separated by a predefined distance d.

Abstract: A distributed, deduplicated storage system according to certain embodiments is arranged in a parallel configuration including multiple deduplication nodes. Deduplicated data is distributed across the deduplication nodes. The deduplication nodes can be networked together and communicate with one another according using a light-weight, customized communication scheme (e.g., a scheme based on FTP or HTTP). In some cases, deduplication management information including deduplication signatures and/or other metadata is stored separately from the deduplicated data in deduplication management nodes, improving performance and scalability.

Abstract: Hypervisor-independent reference copies of virtual machine payload data based on block-level pseudo-mount infrastructure and techniques are generated and stored in an illustrative data storage management system. An illustrative hypervisor-independent reference copy comprises one or more virtual-machine payload data files that originated from a first virtual machine. The hypervisor-independent virtual-machine-payload reference copy is governed by a distinct reference copy policy that controls retention, storage, tiering, scheduling, etc. for the reference copy, independently of how the illustrative system treats other virtual machine payload data files originating from the same virtual machine.