Abstract: The operational frequency of existing magnetoelectric materials having metallic or ceramic magnetostrictive materials and ceramic piezoelectric materials may be limited to a few kilohertz due to the presence of eddy-current losses in the metallic magnetostrictive phase. Further, these materials may be difficult to machine and fabricate due to their brittleness. Additionally, it may be difficult to tailor and optimize the properties (i.e., magnetoelectric voltage coefficient ?E, etc.) of the devices. This invention provides a magnetoelectric element including at least one set of alternative piezoelectric layer and magnetostrictive composite layer. The magnetostrictive composite layer includes at least one magnetostrictive material dispersed in first concentrated zones within a first polymer matrix, wherein all of said concentrated zones are orientated along a first direction. It is found that the conversion efficiency (i.e., ?E) varies in accordance with applied magnetic control field Hcontrol.

Abstract: Polypyrrole (PPy) is one of the most commonly studied conducting polymers due to its good stability, high conductivity, ease of preparation and non-toxicity. The stability of the conductivity of polypyrrole films depends on the choice of dopant anion, the method of preparation, and the conditions of aging. Most of the existing methods only improve stability by sacrificing conductivity, as well as sensitivity. This invention provides a method for coating conducting polymer onto a substrate by first applying an anionic dopant and an oxidizing agent onto the substrate. The monomer is then allowed to form the conducting polymer at about ?10 to ?80° C. for a sufficient period of time. After storage for a long period of time (nearly a year), the conductive polymer coating still retains almost the same strain sensitivity and at least up to 85% of its initial conductivity.

Abstract: It is desirable to use lower doses of antibiotics in treating bacterial infections, as antibiotics are expensive and may come with undesirable side effects including kidney and/or liver damage. Moreover, using a high dose of antibiotics may lead to development of resistance in bacteria to the antibiotics themselves. More importantly, increasing the dosage may not be able to increase the amount of antibiotics entering the body. Therefore, it may be desirable to devise methods to lower the minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotics. This invention provides a method to reduce the minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotics by adding Ganoderma lucidum, or commonly know as Lingzhi, extracts, and therefore, lower does of antibiotics may be required.

Abstract: A two-mode photonic crystal fiber includes a core of a substantially transparent core material. The core material has a core refractive index and a length, and has a core diameter. The fiber also includes a cladding region surrounding the length of core material. The cladding region has a first substantially transparent cladding material, having a first refractive index. The first substantially transparent cladding material has embedded along its length a substantially periodic array of holes, having a diameter, d, and being spaced apart by a pitch, ?. The holes have a second refractive index, which is less than the first refractive index. The dimensions of the hole diameter, d, and the pitch, ?, co-operate to give two modes propagation within the photonic crystal fiber independent of input radiation wavelength for any value of the pitch, ?, for a substantially fixed d/? ratio within a range of approximately 0.45–0.65.

Abstract: A technique allowing manufacturers to produce woven moisture management fabrics with good moisture transfer properties is based upon a model of the fabric construction, thereby avoiding a manufacturing trial-and-error process. An initial woven fabric design including hydrophilic and hydrophobic yarns is modelled, the warp and weft yarns generally lying in a plane of the fabric. By orthographic projection onto respective planes substantially parallel to the plane of the fabric, a first view and an opposing second d view of a unit cell of the model is produced. If the total projected area of hydrophobic yarn on one of the first and second views is between 40% and 70% of the total projected area, and total projected area of hydrophilic yarn on the other of the first and second views exceeds 50% of the total projected area, then a fabric according to the fabric design will have near optimum moisture wicking properties and is manufactured to the design.

Abstract: A method of controlling the state of polarization of an optical signal includes injecting the optical signal into a laser diode and matching the wavelength of the optical signal to a longitudinal mode of the laser diode. A stabilizer signal can also be injected in to the laser diode. The wavelength of the stabilizer signal is matched a first longitudinal mode of the laser diode a longitudinal mode of the laser diode to the optical signal.

Abstract: A kind of 2-D variable reluctance planar motor comprises: a stator base combined by a plurality of laminated steel bricks; a moving platform consisting of two rows of spaced coil-shoes; traditional sliding supports to hold said platform above said stator base; two electronic rulers for scaling the real position of the platform; traditional supporting means for holding the platform at a distance above the stator base; computer and software for generating motion command signal to PWM generator; PWM current generator for energizing the coils of the moving platform; when a reference data (the final position of the platform) is input into the computer, the computer will give command to the platform and make it moving; once the moving platform is set in motion, the electronic rules continuously detect and transfer the location data of said platform to the computer; the computer continuously compares the data sent by said rules with reference data and gives command to the platform until said two kinds of data are eq

Abstract: An electrical stimulation device for a body part of a person comprises an orthotic with sensor and electrodes and a controller. The controller receives a sensor signal, compares the sensor signal to a threshold value and generates an electrical output from the electrodes if the sensor signal exceeds the threshold value. A docking station facilitates connection of the electrodes and sensors to a computer. The docking station including a first processor for measuring values of the sensor signal and the electrical outputs and a second processor for generating electrical outputs on the electrodes.

Abstract: This invention involves fabric-supported chitosan modified temperature responsive PNIPAAm/PU hydrogel and the use thereof in preparation of facial mask. The merit of this invention is the hydrogel formed can reversibly swell and deswell near body temperature; the incorporation of PU can suppress the syneresis of PNIPAAm at an elevated temperature; Grafting of PNIPAAm and PU onto the surface of cellulose fabrics can enhance the mechanical strength of hydrogel; Coupling of chitosan to the surface of hydrogel can not only improve the handle and skin affinity, but also render the facial mask antibacterial; The hydrogel is capable of loading a variety of nutrients(or other functional components), which can release at body temperature; the hydrogel facial mask can be reusable with repeated rinsing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of determining an elastic modulus of a material having a Poisson's ratio v by a Berkovich indenter having an elastic modulus E; a Poisson's ratio v, and a cross sectional area A(h) as a function of depth are provided. The method and apparatus model the Berkovich indenter with a conical shape and a spherical cap.

Abstract: An UV detector, comprising: a sapphire substrate; a high temperature AlN buffer layer grown on the sapphire substrate; an intermediate temperature GaN buffer layer grown on the high temperature AlN buffer layer; a GaN epitaxial layer deposited on the intermediate temperature GaN buffer layer; a Schottky junction formed on top of the GaN epitaxial layer; and a plurality of ohmic contacts also formed on top of the GaN epitaxial layer, wherein, the high temperature AlN buffer layer and the intermediate temperature GaN buffer layer together form a double buffer layer structure so as to improve the reliability and radiation hardness of the UV detector; and wherein the high temperature AlN buffer layer and the intermediate temperature GaN buffer layer are formed by RF-plasma enhanced MBE growth technology.

Abstract: A storage and delivery vessel for a two-part medicament that has first deformable chamber for holding a first part of a medicament and a second chamber for holding a second part of the medicament. The chambers are separated by a closure which opens when the first chamber is deformed by an external force, to mix the first and second parts of the medicament for dispensing through a dispensing aperture.

Abstract: An acupuncture pen comprises: a casing (11); a blunt tip (13), provided at the front end of the casing moveably; a sensing unit (12), provided in the casing (11) for detecting the movement of the tip (13); An A/D converter (15), provided in the casing (11) for converting the analog signal from the sensing unit (12) into digital signal; a microcontroller (16), provided in the casing (11) for receiving the digital signal from the A/D converter (15), and calculating the force blunt tip (13) applied on the skin on the basis of the received digital signal; and a digital display, provided in the wall of the casing, and electrically connected with the microcontroller (16) for indicating the calculated force. With such structure, the acupuncture pen of this invention can achieve compact configuration and indicate the force applied by the pen visually.

Abstract: An impact mechanism for a hammer drill, which has a housing and a drill bit protruding outside the housing, is provided. The mechanism includes firstly an impact platform within the housing; the impact platform is in connection with the drill bit for receiving impact forces and for transferring the impact forces to the drill bit. The mechanism also has a plurality of cams within the housing, and the plurality of cams are angularly spaced apart and arranged about an axis of rotation. The mechanism further includes a plurality of hammers placed within the housing and interactable with both the impact platform and the plurality of cams. The plurality of hammers are angularly spaced apart and arranged about the axis of rotation, and each hammer is capable of reciprocating along the axis for exerting the impact forces on the impact platform.

Abstract: Existing pressure sensing fabrics may involve two portions, i.e., insulating and conductive portions in the fabric, which increases the complexity of the fabric system and more important, and the instablization of the resistance-strain relationship during dynamic deformation which limits the application fields due to intrinsic properties difference between the two portions. These fabrics commonly employ two or more layers to accomplish the detecting functions. Such arrangements increase the thickness, weight, and cost of the sensors with some other disadvantages such as low accuracy, instability, etc. This invention describes a pressure sensing fabric have a general structure as simple as a plurality of electrically conducting yarns forming interlocking loops of yarns. The pressure sensing fabric is found not only be able to sense pressure but also the magnitude of the pressure.

Abstract: A method for predicting blood glucose level of a person includes performing on the person a near-infrared spectral scan of a body part at a first group of wavelengths and at a second group of wavelengths, determining a first group of near-infrared absorbance values for the first group of wavelengths and a second group of near-infrared absorbance values for the second group of wavelengths, determining a first difference for the first group of near-infrared absorbance values and a second difference for the second group of near-infrared absorbance values, and calculating a blood glucose level for the person using the first and second differences.

Abstract: A process for measuring a property of a sample is provided. The sample has an external surface enclosing an inner portion, and firstly, the sample is deformed by applying a predetermined non-contact pressure to deform a portion of the sample. Then a signal, which is at least suitable for transmission over the air, is directed towards the deformed portion of the sample, and further propagates through the external surface and the inner portion of the sample. Then an echoed signal generated by the inner portion of the sample in response to the propagation of the signal is detected; wherein the echoed signal incorporates information relating to a deformation of the inner portion of the sample. The property of the sample is determined from the deformation of the inner portion of the sample.

Abstract: A method to prepare new or unexpected polymorphs of materials which have not been observed, or to obtain a known polymorph under different conditions than those in which it is usually made, by using a laser to cause nucleation and crystal growth to occur in a supersaturated solution in such a way as to obtain a crystal structure which would not normally appear without the use of the laser.

Abstract: A teleconferencing robot for enabling a remote conferee to project a sense of presence into a group meeting. The teleconferencing robot includes: a base; a video monitor movably mounted to the base for receiving and displaying an image of the remote conferee; an attention getting device for getting the attention of conferees in the group meeting; a control device mounted on the base for moving the video monitor and actuating the attention getting device in response to an input control signal derived from a remote signal generated by the remote conferee and sending an outgoing data signal to the remote conferee providing feedback to the remote conferee from the robot; and the video monitor and attention getting device move in response to the input control signal to enable the remote conferee to project a sense of presence into the group meeting, and to confirm the movement by the outgoing data signal.

Abstract: Most of the dielectric ceramic compositions consist of three or more different lead-based or non-lead ceramics. These materials and their solid solutions can give high dielectric constants (er>10000) but the disadvantage is large fluctuations in the dielectric constant with increasing or decreasing temperature. Most applications of these materials are therefore concentrated on the utilization of their dielectric constants at a specific temperature. This invention provides a dielectric composite of the general formula (x)[Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3]:(1?x)[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3] having improved stability of dielectric constant in the working temperature range.