Abstract: A battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a cell stack including a plurality of battery cells each including a pair of electrode leads; a fastening bar frame including a pair of lead slits through which electrode leads of adjacent battery cells are passed through; and a fastening bar including an insertion slit through which a pair of electrode leads passing through the pair of adjacent lead slits pass, the fastening bar being coupled to the fastening bar frame.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a connector module with improved convenience in use and durability.

Abstract: Provided is a method of diagnosing the degradation of a lithium secondary battery in a non-destructive manner without disassembling the battery, which includes: obtaining, from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data obtained during first charging of the lithium secondary battery, a first graph showing the change of the c-axis d-spacing value of the layered positive electrode active material according to the number of moles of lithium ions deintercalated from the layered positive electrode active material during the charging; obtaining, from XRD data obtained during second charging of the lithium secondary battery, a second graph showing the change of the c-axis d-spacing value of the layered positive electrode active material according to the number of moles of lithium ions deintercalated from the layered positive electrode active material during the charging; and classifying a cause of degradation of the secondary battery by comparing the first graph and the second graph.

Abstract: A pig cleaning and transportation system is disclosed. Exemplary implementations include a platform with a plurality of apertures; a plurality of securing mechanisms, each mechanism within each aperture and configured to hold a pig and allow it to rotate around its longitudinal axis; a base underneath the platform; and a cleaning element connected to the base and positioned on each longitudinal side of the platform in pressure contact with the pigs on the plurality of securing mechanisms, each cleaning element including at least one cleaning material surface.

Abstract: A battery pack includes battery modules each including secondary batteries; a connection plate having a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the secondary batteries and provided with connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the secondary batteries, and a connection portion to protrusively extend in a left or right direction from the body portion so that a part of the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is bonded to a portion of the other connection plate; and a module housing having hollows in which the secondary batteries are inserted and accommodated, the module housing having a separating groove at an outer wall thereof by indenting a portion of the outer wall inward to be spaced apart from the bent end of the connection portion.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a data processing part, a data management part. The data processing part processes data. The data management part manages security of the data processing part. The security management part includes a set value holding part, a start control part and a state control part. The set value holding part holds a set value of security strength. The start control part starts the integrated circuit by secure boot which performs signature verification on a boot program in a case where the security strength shown by the set value is over a predetermined level. The state control part resets the data processing part when falsification of the boot program is detected by the signature verification in the secure boot.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a calibration controller controls an exposure device to form a toner patch image for calibration in a non-printable area outside a printable area in a main scanning direction, and executes at least one of density adjustment and gradation adjustment based on a density measurement value of the toner patch image. A toner refresh controller controls the exposure device to form a toner band for toner refresh in accordance with a coverage rate. Further, when the length of the toner band to be formed in the non-printable area exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the toner refresh controller forms at least a part of the toner band to be formed in the non-printable area in parallel with a subsequent page image.

Abstract: A temperature sensor assembly for a cooktop appliance can include a plate with a cylindrically-shaped boss, one or more seals located in one or more grooves of the plate, a grommet disk engaged with the bottom surface of the plate, and a cylindrically-shaped grommet in which a cap for a temperature sensor is positioned and is slidable therein.

Abstract: A base station establishes a wireless connection in a first portion of a frequency band with a user equipment located in a first geographic area. The first portion is allocated to an operator of the base station in response to a request transmitted to a spectrum access server (SAS). The user equipment is handed over from the first portion to a second portion of the frequency band in response to detecting presence of an incumbent that is allocated a third portion of the frequency band for exclusive use within a second geographic area that overlaps with the first geographic area. The third portion overlaps with the first portion. The second portion is allocated to the operator in response to the request. The first portion and the second portion are separated by a frequency bandwidth that is larger than a threshold determined based on a frequency bandwidth allocated to incumbents.

Abstract: A vaporizer apparatus includes a pump housing, a main housing containing an evacuation chamber, and an operation unit attached to the main housing. The operation unit selectively seals the evacuation chamber off from communication with an air inlet. One or more pumps in the pump housing is/are operable to generate a vacuum in the evacuation chamber. A mouthpiece is attached to the main housing, and may be selectively placed in communication with the evacuation chamber. When oil is placed in the evacuation chamber and the operation unit is operated, the evacuation chamber is temporarily sealed off from the inlet, creating a vacuum sealed chamber connected with the pump(s). Then, the pump(s) is/are activated to reduce pressure in the evacuation chamber, and the oil is vaporized at an ambient temperature without requiring a heater. When the operation unit is released, the evacuation chamber is emptied via the mouthpiece.

Abstract: A washing appliance including a removable agitator post having a recess configured for complementary receipt of an impeller interface. A plurality of apertures can be spaced around a bottom end of the agitator post. A plurality of alignment pins may extend from the impeller interface and into the plurality of apertures. The alignment pins can be movable in and out of the apertures so that the agitator post can be secured to, or released from, the impeller interface.

Abstract: Measurement of a leading edge of an instrument passing from a first medium having a first density to a second medium having a second density using a displacement sensor alone. In particular, a displacement signal, a velocity signal, and an acceleration signal measured from or derived from a displacement sensor are analyzed to determine when the leading edge of the instrument passes from the first material to the second material as the leading edge of the instrument is advanced relative to the material. For instance, the measurement may be used to output an occurrence signal that indicates to a user that the instrument has passed from the first medium to the second medium. Additionally, a length measurement of the path of the instrument when passing from the first medium to the second medium may be recorded, and/or the instrument may be controlled (e.g., the instrument may be stopped).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of venting a synthetically commutated hydraulic pump (2). The connecting fluid conduits (8, 16), connecting said synthetically commutated hydraulic pump (2) with a fluid reservoir (7) is vented at least on start-up of the synthetically commutated hydraulic pump (2), using a fluid intake device (14, 17, 20) that connects to a fixed displacement pump (3).

Abstract: A hybrid quantum system performs high-fidelity quantum state transduction between a superconducting (SC) microwave qubit and the ground state spin system of a solid-state artificial atom. This transduction is mediated via an acoustic bus connected by piezoelectric transducers to the SC microwave qubit. For SC circuit qubits and diamond silicon vacancy centers in an optimized phononic cavity, the system can achieve quantum state transduction with fidelity exceeding 99% at a MHz-scale bandwidth. By combining the complementary strengths of SC circuit quantum computing and artificial atoms, the hybrid quantum system provides high-fidelity qubit gates with long-lived quantum memory, high-fidelity measurement, large qubit number, reconfigurable qubit connectivity, and high-fidelity state and gate teleportation through optical quantum networks.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the instant disclosure provides a portable computing device that includes at least: a processor; a non-transient computer media; computer instructions, and where, when the processor executes the computer instructions, the portable computing device is programmed to: transmit an electronic request to establish a user session related to an event, where the electronic request includes a user-specific event-specific identifier that is uniquely related to a user and the event; display, during the user session, an user-specific app-like graphical user interface including: a first interface area displaying a text-based content related to the user-specific event-specific identifier and the event, a second interface area displaying a live virtual event content related to the user-specific event-specific identifier and the event, a graphical user interface element that has been programmed to automatically execute a user-specific action related to the event when a user activates the graphical user inte

Abstract: To shorten time required for AD conversion when a solid-state imaging element that detects presence or absence of an address event further captures image data. In a detection block, a first pixel that generates a first analog signal by photoelectric conversion and a second pixel that generates a second analog signal by photoelectric conversion are arrayed. A first analog-digital converter converts the first analog signal into a digital signal on the basis of whether or not a change amount of an incident light amount of the detection block exceeds a predetermined threshold. A second analog-digital converter converts the second analog signal into a digital signal on the basis of whether or not the change amount exceeds the threshold.

Abstract: An electric resistance heating coil assembly includes a spiral wound sheathed heating element having a first coil section and a second coil section. A bimetallic thermostat is connected in series between the first and second coil sections of the spiral wound sheathed heating element. The bimetallic thermostat is spring loaded such that a distal end of the bimetallic thermostat is urged away from a top surface of the spiral wound sheathed heating element. The electric resistance heating coil assembly also includes a shroud cover and a heat transfer disk.

Abstract: Sequencing adaptors and methods are provided for preparation of polynucleotides for sequencing. The sequencing adaptors contain a portion of a recognition sequence for a methyl-dependent endonuclease. Unwanted adaptor dimers that form during ligation of adaptors to target polynucleotides produce a complete restriction sequence and are cleaved by the endonuclease, followed by exonuclease digestion, thereby removing the dimers.

Abstract: Multi-directional drilling of a bone to create a perforation of bone cortex. The disclosure presents methods of using a drill having a measurement system to advance a drill bit through a bone with detection of penetration or eruption of the leading edge of the drill bit through the exterior of the cortex layer of the bone. In this regard, operation of the drill may be controlled to limit soft tissue damage adjacent to the distal side of the bone. The drill bit may be at least partially retracted through a first bore, repositioned, and one or more additional bores may be created, all while monitoring for penetration of the leading edge of the drill bit relative to the cortical layer. In turn, a perforated distal side of the cortical layer of the bone may be created that creates a desired weakness in the bone, which may be useful in various operations including when performing a corticotomy or the like.