Abstract: A gear connection structure included in a drive device of a document conveyance device includes: a rotary shaft extending in an axial direction thereof; a parallel pin inserted through a pin hole formed in the rotary shaft, the pin hole passing through the rotary shaft in a radial direction thereof orthogonal to the axial direction; a gear; and a biasing member. The gear includes: a shaft hole through which the rotary shaft is passed; and a pin groove inside which the parallel pin is placed. The biasing member biases the parallel pin placed inside the pin groove from a separate wall being one of a pair of walls of the pin groove toward a contacting wall being the other of the pair of walls to press the parallel pin against the contacting wall and against a side of an inner periphery of the pin hole close to the contacting wall.

Abstract: A sealing apparatus includes an upper sealing block and a lower sealing block, a sealing gap measuring unit coupled to the upper sealing block, and a reference block coupled to the lower sealing block to face the sealing gap measuring unit. The sealing gap measuring unit includes a probe housing coupled to the upper sealing block, a probe having both end portions protruding from an upper portion and a lower portion of the probe housing and installed to pass through the probe housing to move relative to the probe housing, and a detection unit to detect a height or a change in height of the probe protruding from the upper portion of the probe housing.

Abstract: A method for monitoring intoxication of a user, the method including: receiving a set of samples from a body region of a user; generating an intoxication metric based on the set of samples; and providing a notification to the user based on the intoxication metric. The method can additionally or alternatively include: modifying operation of the transdermal alcohol sensing device based on the intoxication metric; determining contextual data; maintaining a hydration level of the transdermal alcohol sensing device; and any other suitable processes. A system for monitoring intoxication of a user including a sensor and a housing. The system can additionally or alternatively include any or all of: an inlet, a fastener, an electronics subsystem, a user device, and/or any other suitable component.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a high moisture texturised plant protein. The method comprises the steps of a) grinding of brewer's spent grain, BSG, b) providing ingredients for obtaining a mixture, the ingredients comprising 15% to 60% by weight of the ground BSG and at least a plant protein, c) processing the mixture in an extruder, wherein a homogenous fibrous structure is generated in the extruder to obtain a texturised plant protein, d) first cooling of the texturised plant protein, and e) cutting the texturised plant protein.

Abstract: A manufacturing method disclosed herein includes a preparing step at which a lithium ion secondary battery having been electrically charged to be equal to or more than a predetermined reference SOC is prepared, a filling step at which an inside of the lithium ion secondary battery is filled with an aqueous medium, and a collecting step at which the aqueous medium is collected from the inside of the lithium ion secondary battery. By doing this, it is possible to prepare a Li solution in which Li of a negative electrode active material is eluted into the aqueous medium. Then, by collecting this Li solution, it is possible to easily perform collection of a large amount of Li.

Abstract: A control system for motion management of a heavy-duty vehicle includes an upper-level control system and a lower-level control system. The upper-level control system is arranged to obtain a desired motion behavior by the vehicle and to transmit one or more control signals adapted for control of at least one motion support device, MSD, to the lower-level control system in dependence of the desired motion behavior by the vehicle. The one or more control signals transmitted from the upper-level control system to the lower-level control system comprises data indicative of a desired control bandwidth for control of the at least one MSD. The lower-level control system is arranged to receive the control signals and to control the at least one MSD in dependence of the desired control bandwidth.

Abstract: The present technology relates to a battery pack. More specifically, the battery pack of the present technology includes a pack case that includes a module area in which the battery modules are mounted, and a base plate defining a hollow shape and having a plurality of space parts formed therein to support a lower part of a battery module and in which coolant is stored; sidewalls coupled to a rim of the base plate; and a separation wall coupled to the base plate to separate the battery modules from each other. The separation wall includes a main separation wall extended and formed across a central part of the pack case. The base plate thus enables coolant to flow in out to the space part and an inlet and an outlet at each end connecting the space parts with each other located between a pair of adjacent space parts, and further includes a flow path part including a plurality of cooling flow paths to connect the space parts each other.

Abstract: Described herein are variants of alpha-hemolysin having at least one amino acid substitution at H35G, E111N, M113A, and/or K147N in the mature, wild-type alpha-hemolysin amino acid sequence. In certain examples, the variant may have a substitution at E111S, M113S, T145S, K147S, or L135I in the mature alpha-hemolysin amino acid sequence. The ?-hemolysin variants may also include a substitution at H144A and/or a series of glycine residues spanning residues 127 to 131 of the mature, wild-type alpha hemolysin. Also provided are nanopore assemblies including the alpha-hemolysin variants, the assembly having an increased nanopore lifetime. Further, provided are variants that, in addition to providing increased lifetime, provide a decreased time-to-thread. Hence, the variants provided herein both increase nanopore lifetime and improve efficiency and accuracy of DNA sequencing reactions using nanopores comprising the variants.

Abstract: A pest abatement wall plate includes a wall plate portion structured to cover an electrical box. The wall plate portion is formed substantially from a plastic material, and it has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface is adjacent to an inside volume of the electrical box when the pest abatement wall plate is deployed. The pest abatement wall plate also includes a hosting platform proximate the inner surface of the pest abatement wall plate. The hosting platform arranged to stage a pesticide. Optionally, the pest abatement wall plate further includes a mounting structure and a hinge connecting the mounting structure to the wall plate portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotary mechanism that allows a display device to rotate between a landscape orientation in which the long sides are opposed in an up-down direction, and a portrait orientation in which the short sides are opposed in the up-down direction, and a controller that displays a second preview screen, in which a preview image display region has been expanded, when the display device, displaying a first preview screen, has been shifted from the landscape orientation to the portrait orientation. When the display device is shifted from the portrait orientation to the landscape orientation, in a state where the second preview screen is displayed on the display device, and a job assigned with respect to image data corresponding to the second preview image is suspended, the controller displays a message urging inputting of an instruction on whether to resume the job, on the display device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a receiver that receives a manual input operation via an operation device and a voice instruction via a microphone; and a controller that executes a job on the basis of setting received by the receiver. The controller performs control of not executing a predefined job of the image forming apparatus when the microphone is brought into a state where voice is input and executing the predefined job when the microphone is not in the state where voice is input.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery module including a plurality of battery cells, a cell frame provided with a cell insertion space into which the respective battery cells are inserted, and a support rib dividing the cell insertion space and supporting the respective battery cells. A firewall part in the cell insertion space is provided to surround the respective battery cells. The cell frame is provided so that its thickness becomes thicker at least in part toward the central portion of the cell frame along the insertion direction of the battery cell.

Abstract: An apparatus for establishing an operation plan is an apparatus for establishing an operation plan for a battery system to augment old batteries with new batteries and may include at least one processor; and a memory configured to store instructions executed by the at least one processor to determine a number of first batteries initially installed in the battery system based on a preset minimum required amount of discharge energy; and derive operation plan information including a plurality of augmentation time points for second batteries to be sequentially incorporated into the battery system with the first batteries and a number of the second batteries to be incorporated for each of the plurality of augmentation time points, based on the preset minimum required amount of discharge energy and an expected degradation degree of the first batteries.

Abstract: An externally adjustable pressure modulating valve is disclosed. In one example, the valve has a valve body extending along a valve axis and defining a plunger cavity extending axially into a first end of the valve body. A valve spool is retained in the valve body and is movable along the valve axis. An input plunger is slidable axially in the plunger cavity between a resting position and an actuated position. An external adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the modulation spring force when the input plunger is fully actuated. In one example, the adjustment mechanism includes a threaded sleeve in the plunger cavity, where rotating the threaded sleeve changes the mechanical stop of the input plunger.

Abstract: Reconfigurable patch antenna systems are provided herein. In certain embodiments, a mobile device includes a patch antenna configured to handle a radio frequency signal at a signal feed. The patch antenna includes a plurality of antenna segments. The front-end system further includes a plurality of switches each configured to control connection of a respective one of the first plurality of antenna segments to the first signal feed, and a control circuit configured to control the plurality of switches to provide a frequency adjustment to the patch antenna.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for tempering of a fluid with a jacket element configured as a fluid channel for a fluid to be tempered and an insert element arranged in the fluid channel has web elements which are connected to the jacket element at different locations. Some of the web elements contain web element channels which are fluidly connected with the jacket element, so that in the operating state, a heat transfer fluid which is supplied to the jacket element can flow through the web elements. The jacket element contains chambers with one inlet opening and one outlet opening for a heat transfer fluid. The inlet opening and the outlet opening of the chambers are connected to the web element channels of two web elements each, which belong to the same row of web elements.

Abstract: There is provided a solid-state image pickup element including: a photodiode configured to convert incident light into a photocurrent; an amplification transistor configured to amplify a voltage between a gate having a potential depending on the photocurrent and a source having a predetermined reference potential and output the amplified voltage from a drain; and a potential supply section configured to supply an anode of the photodiode and a back-gate of the amplification transistor with a predetermined potential lower than the reference potential.

Abstract: The invention is a modular card processing and attaching system configured to provide uninterrupted workflow in the feeding and subsequent attaching of cards to carriers for the formation of a mailpiece. The modular card processing and attaching system is further configured to be incorporated into a production mail inserter system, such that attached card and carrier mailpieces may be subsequently sorted and/or inserted into a mailable envelope or packages to be mailed.

Abstract: The present technology relates to an imaging element that can increase the degree of freedom of element arrangement. A photoelectric conversion unit, a through trench penetrating a semiconductor substrate in a depth direction and formed between pixels each including the photoelectric conversion unit, and a PN junction region in a side wall of the trench are included, and the through trench has an opening portion, and a P-type region is formed in the opening portion. A photoelectric conversion unit, a holding unit, a through trench formed between the photoelectric conversion unit and the holding unit, and a PN junction region in a side wall of the through trench are included, and the through trench has an opening portion and a readout gate for reading the charge from the photoelectric conversion unit is formed in the opening portion. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an imaging element.