Abstract: A method of controlling a portable electronic device includes detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display, adjusting a first threshold based on detected conditions during the touch, comparing a value related to the touch on the touch-sensitive display to the first threshold, and when the value related to touch meets the first threshold, turning off the display.

Abstract: A roller type electrostatic spinning apparatus is disclosed, which includes an electrostatic spinning solution impregnation mechanism having a sizing roller, a linear emitting electrode disposed on the sizing roller, a collecting electrode module, and a high-voltage power supply. The collecting electrode module includes a casing, several exhaust vent disposed on the casing, several slits disposed on the casing, and several serrate collecting electrodes disposed next to the slits. The high-voltage power supply is connected to the linear emitting electrode and the serrate collecting electrodes.

Abstract: A gas release device that includes a reservoir of pressurised gas and a passageway from said reservoir to an outlet. There is an elastic gas permeable membrane in the passageway that allows gas release only via the membrane. A gas impermeable member is provided in the passageway that includes an interface positioned to contact said gas permeable membrane. Displacement of the gas permeable membrane is responsive to the pressure of the gas in the reservoir such that there is a greater interfacial contact between the gas impermeable member and the gas permeable membrane at a higher gas pressure than at lower pressure to thereby vary the exposed cross sectional area of the permeable membrane available to the flow in an inverse relationship to pressure.

Abstract: A method for managing distributed computing. The method comprises estimating, for each of a plurality of local computing nodes, a distribution of multidimensional values in a space. Each multidimensional value is calculated according to a plurality of locally monitored parameters. The method further includes calculating safe zones in the space where each safe zone is defined according to a respective estimated distribution under a global geometric constraint in the space and setting local geometric constraints for the local computing nodes according to the respective safe zones. Each local geometric constraint is defined such that a detection of at least one monitored multidimensional value violating it by a respective local computing node induces a communication event between the respective local computing node and one or more central computing nodes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for separating radioisotope thallium-201. The device includes an evaporation unit for a solution vial, a first glass vial connected to a first valve and a second valve, an ion exchange column connected to a third valve, a second glass vial connected to a fourth valve and a fifth valve, a collection vial for receiving solution from the fifth valve, a product vial with a membrane filter and a vacuum unit connected to the first valve, the fourth valve and a sixth valve. This device can separate out high-concentration thallium-201 solution from which radioisotope thallium-201 can be obtained.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for supporting an idle mode of a terminal in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system. In the method, a first request message for starting an idle mode is transmitted to a first access node to which the terminal is currently connected and a first response message with respect to the first request message is received from the first access node, and in this case, when the first response message includes acceptance information with respect to the start of the idle mode, the idle mode starts.

Abstract: A RF resonator for sensing a physical or an environmental parameter includes a substrate having a substrate surface. A polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) element is positioned on or within the substrate surface. The RF resonator has a resonant frequency that changes as a function of the physical or environmental parameter. A system for wirelessly sensing at least one physical or environmental parameter includes at least one RF resonator and a wireless RF reader located remotely from the RF resonator for transmitting a wide-band RF interrogation signal that excites the RF resonator. The wireless RF reader detects a sensing signal retransmitted by the RF resonator and includes a processor for determining the physical or environmental parameter at the location of the RF resonator from the sensing signal.

Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and method for constant amplitude encoding of a transmission signal in a CDM (Code Division Multiplexing) communication system. The apparatus for constant amplitude encoding of a transmission signal includes: an encoding module sequentially performing horizontal encoding and vertical encoding on an input signal; and a spreading and multiplexing module spreading the signal which has been encoded by the encoding module and multiplexing the spread signal in a vertical direction to output a data stream having a constant amplitude.

Abstract: A method and system for three-dimensional polarization-based confocal microscopy are provided in the present disclosure for analyzing the surface profile of an object. In the present disclosure, a linear-polarizing structured light formed by an optical grating is projected on the object underlying profile measurement. By means of a set of polarizers and steps of shifting the structured light, a series of images with respect to the different image-acquired location associated with the object are obtained using confocal principle. Following this, a plurality of focus indexes respectively corresponding to a plurality of inspected pixels of each image are obtained for forming a focus curve with respect to the measuring depth and obtaining a peak value associated with each depth response curve. Finally, a depth location with respect to the peak value for each depth response curve is obtained for reconstructing the surface profile of the object.

Abstract: Disclosed are serum biomarkers for diagnosing liver fibrosis and methods for measuring the same. The serum biomarkers obtained from human serum include alpha2-macroglobulin (“A2M”), vitamin D binding protein (“VDBP”), apolipoprotein AI (“ApoAI”). The methods involve with immunoassay using specific antibodies to detect the biomarkers, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (“ELISA”), radio immune assay (“RIA”) and flexible multi-analyte profiling (“xMAP”). ELISA, RIA or xMAP is used to measure changes of protein concentration for the specific protein biomarkers in serum for diagnosing liver fibrosis with suffering hepatitis B or C or other liver diseases. The measurement is safe and accurate. The method can be used before and after treatment of liver fibrosis. Thus, it is possible to achieve early diagnosis and treatment advocated in the preventive medicine.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for detecting DNA sequence differences including single nucleotide mutations or polymorphisms, one or more nucleotide insertions, and one or more nucleotide deletions. Labeled heteroduplex PCR fragments containing base mismatches are prepared. Endonuclease cleaves the heteroduplex PCR fragments both at the position containing the variation (one or more mismatched bases) and to a lesser extent, at non-variant (perfectly matched) positions. Ligation of the cleavage products with a DNA ligase corrects non-variant cleavages and thus substantially reduces background. This is then followed by a detection step in which the reaction products are detected, and the position of the sequence variations are determined.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cosmetic composition for the cleaning of the skin, said composition comprising or consisting of one or more compounds of formula (I) wherein represents a single bond or double bond; R1 and R2 are independently selected from H, linear or branched C1 to C4 alkyl, linear or branched C1 to C4 alkenyl, linear or branched C1 to C4 alkinyl, and linear or branched C1 to C4 alkanoyl; R4 is selected from H, linear or branched C1 to C4 alkyl, linear or branched C1 to C4 alkenyl, and linear or branched C1 to C4 alkinyl; and R3 and R5 are independently selected from H, OH and halogen, or R3 and R5 together are O to form an epoxid, wherein represents a single bond in case R3 and R5 together are O. Also provided are means and methods for the prevention or reduction of biofilm formation on an intracorporeal device and/or for the removal of biofilm from an intracorporeal device, wherein said biofilm comprises or consists of bacteria of the genus Propionibacterium.

Abstract: Dispersion which is free of binders and which contains silica and at least one superplasticizer, the silica being a precipitated silica having a surface area greater than 50 m2/g, the aggregates and/or agglomerates in the dispersion having a median diameter of less than 1 ?m and the proportion of silica being from 5 to 50% by weight, based on the total amount of the dispersion, and a process for the preparation thereof and the use thereof as a concrete admixture in cement-containing preparations.

Abstract: Methods, systems and kits for detecting protein-nucleic acid interactions, in particular, detecting the genomic location to near-base pair resolution at which a particular protein (e.g., transcription factor) binds includes combining steps of a convention chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay with use of an exonuclease that digests DNA strands in the 5?-3? or 3?-5? direction until it reaches a bound protein including a protein crosslinked to DNA. A significant improvement of the resolution and dynamic range of the ChIP assay will increase one's ability to determine with confidence where a particular protein is binding in the genome. Importantly, proteins that inefficiently crosslink to DNA (either intrinsically or due to indirect crosslinking via another protein) and thus are very difficult to detect, are expected to be significantly detected by the kits and methods described herein.

Abstract: Different sharpness values are assigned to different digital zoom levels for generation of preview images from cropped images, where the dimensions of the cropped images correspond to the different digital zoom levels.

Abstract: In a digital receiver, a noise attenuation and signal magnitude mapping variable amplifying unit includes a filter and an amplifier, amplifies and band-bass filters an analog signal and attenuating white noise and an interference signal other than a band signal. An ADC performs sub sampling on a carrier frequency of a desired signal and performs oversampling on the band of the desired signal by using a sampling frequency to convert the analog signal which has passed through the noise attenuation and signal magnitude mapping variable amplifying unit into a digital signal of a direct conversion frequency band or an intermediate frequency band. The ADC has a dynamic range for processing both the desired signal and an undesired signal adjacent to the desired signal. A digital signal processing unit converts a signal frequency of the digital signal or digital-filters an undesired signal within the digital signal and processes the digital signal by digitally adjusting a gain.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and systems for a quick change lamp ballast assembly for newly manufactured lamp fixtures having the quick change ballast or a retrofit for an existing lamp fixture. The quick change ballast assembly includes a ballast mounting fixture 110 for housing the ballast 300, a wire connector fixture 130 and a mounting plate 120 for mounting the ballast mounting fixture 110. The ballast assembly allows for replacement of a non operating ballast to reduce replacement time and labor costs. In a new lamp fixture, the quick change ballast is thermally isolated from the lamp fixture, which reduces the effects of the waste heat from the ballast, and increase overall building efficiency by reducing the cooling load.

Abstract: There is provided a method for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation of a host cell. The method uses an Agrobacterium which expresses a VirD2 protein resistant to cleavage by a caspase. The VirD2 protein is modified by replacement of an aspartic acid residue with an alternative amino acid at one or more of the caspase cleavage sites within the protein amino acid sequence. This method improves the low efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer in certain plant cells and in animal cells caused by caspase cleavage of the VirD2 protein. The modified VirD2 protein, a gene for its expression and a method of producing a protein of interest by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of a host cell are also described.

Abstract: The instant invention provides methods and compositions for the treatment of infection or infectious colonization of the eyelid and/or ocular surface for the treatment and prevention of ocular disorders and eyelid disorders.

Abstract: A magnetic shift register including at least one magnetic track is provided. Each magnetic track has at least one set of burst data formed by a plurality of consecutive magnetic domains. Each magnetic domain has a magnetization direction corresponding to a stored data. A head magnetic domain having a given magnetization direction corresponding to a given stored data is set at a most front of the set of burst data, and the head magnetic domain and the set of burst data form a data storage unit. A method for reading a magnetic shift register is provided.