Abstract: A structure to provide a Zener diode to avoid shunt formation is disclosed. An undoped or lightly doped monocrystalline thin semiconductor lamina is cleaved from a donor body which is not permanently affixed to a support element. The lamina may be annealed at high temperature to remove damage from a prior implant. At least one aperture is formed through the lamina, either due to flaws in the cleaving process, or intentionally following cleaving. Heavily doped amorphous silicon layers having opposite conductivity types are deposited on opposite faces of the lamina, one forming the emitter and one a base contact to a photovoltaic cell, while the lamina forms the base of the cell. The heavily doped layers contact in the aperture, forming a Zener diode. This Zener diode prevents formation of shunts, and may behave as a bypass diode if the cell is placed under heavy reverse bias, as when one cell in a series string is shaded while the rest of the string is exposed to sun.

Abstract: An optical detector system comprises a hermetic optoelectronic package, an optical bench installed within the optoelectronic package, a balanced detector system installed on the optical bench. The balanced detector system includes at least two optical detectors that receive interference signals. An electronic amplifier system installed within the optoelectronic package amplifies an output of at least two optical detectors. Also disclosed is an integrated optical coherence tomography system. Embodiments are provided in which the amplifiers, typically transimpedance amplifiers, are closely integrated with the optical detectors that detect the interference signals from the interferometer. Further embodiments are provided in which the interferometer but also preferably its detectors are integrated together on a common optical bench. Systems that have little or no optical fiber can thus be implemented.

Abstract: Methods and systems for roof estimation are described. Example embodiments include a roof estimation system, which generates and provides roof estimate reports annotated with indications of the size, geometry, pitch and/or orientation of the roof sections of a building. Generating a roof estimate report may be based on one or more aerial images of a building. In some embodiments, generating a roof estimate report of a specified building roof may include generating a three-dimensional model of the roof, and generating a report that includes one or more views of the three-dimensional model, the views annotated with indications of the dimensions, area, and/or slope of sections of the roof. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A method for reading out an image signal includes providing at least two photosensitive regions and providing at least two transfer gates respectively associated with each photosensitive region. The method also includes providing a common charge-to-voltage conversion region electrically connected to the transfer gates and providing a reset mechanism that resets the common charge-to-voltage conversion region. After transferring charge from at least one of the photo-sensitive regions, all the transfer gates are disabled at a first time. The method further includes enabling at least one transfer gate at a subsequent second time and transferring charge from at least one of the photosensitive regions at a subsequent third time while the at least one transfer gate from the second time remains enabled.

Abstract: Provided is a coated implantable medical device, comprising: a substrate; and a coating disposed on the substrate, wherein the coating comprises at least one polymer and at least one pharmaceutical agent in a therapeutically desirable morphology and/or at least one active biological agent and optionally, one or more pharmaceutical carrying agents; wherein substantially all of pharmaceutical agent and/or active biological agent remains within the coating and on the substrate until the implantable device is deployed at an intervention site inside the body of a subject and wherein upon deployment of the medical device in the body of the subject a portion of the pharmaceutical agent and/or active biological agent is delivered at the intervention site along with at least a portion of the polymer and/or a at least a portion of the pharmaceutical carrying agents.

Abstract: An optical detector system comprises a hermetic optoelectronic package, an optical bench installed within the optoelectronic package, a balanced detector system installed on the optical bench. The balanced detector system includes at least two optical detectors that receive interference signals. An electronic amplifier system installed within the optoelectronic package amplifies an output of at least two optical detectors. Also disclosed is an integrated optical coherence tomography system. Embodiments are provided in which the amplifiers, typically transimpedance amplifiers, are closely integrated with the optical detectors that detect the interference signals from the interferometer. Further embodiments are provided in which the interferometer but also preferably its detectors are integrated together on a common optical bench. Systems that have little or no optical fiber can thus be implemented.

Abstract: A light guide apparatus for a backlight module is disclosed, which includes a light guide plate, a circuit having a plurality of conductive contacts integrated with the light guide plate, and a light source disposed on the light guide plate and electrically contacted to the plurality of conductive contacts.

Abstract: A substrate for use in a PCB or PWB board having a coreless buildup layer and at least one metal and at least one dielectric layer. The coreless buildup dielectric layers can consist of at least partially cured thermoset resin and thermoplastic resin. The substrate may also contain land grid array (LGA) packaging.

Abstract: A differential amplifier is provided in the present invention. The differential amplifier includes an amplifying module having a resistive ratio, receiving an input voltage, and amplifying the input voltage as an output voltage in accordance with the resistive ratio; and a feedback module coupled with the amplifying module and generating a feedback signal in accordance with the input voltage and the output voltage for regulating the output voltage.

Abstract: An optical coherence analysis system comprising: a first swept source that generates a first optical signal that is tuned over a first spectral scan band, a second swept source that generates a second optical signal that is tuned over a second spectral scan band, a combiner for combining the first optical signal and the second optical signal for form a combined optical signal, an interferometer for dividing the combined optical signal between a reference arm leading to a reference reflector and a sample arm leading to a sample, and a detector system for detecting an interference signal generated from the combined optical signal from the reference arm and from the sample arm. In embodiments, the swept sources are tunable lasers that have shared laser cavities.

Abstract: A needle (300) for handling a fluid in an analysis system (10), the needle (300) comprising a needle body (302) made of a ceramic material and having a fluid conduit (304) extending between a fitting end (306) and a seat end (308), the fitting end (306) being connectable to a fitting (402) and the seat end (308) being insertable into a seat (602), wherein the needle body (302) is tapering, particularly conically tapering, towards the fitting end (306), a fixing body (310) arranged on the needle body (302) next to the fitting end (306) for exerting an axial force when the needle body (302) is connected to the fitting (402), and a slide-on element (312) to be slid over the needle body (302) so as to push the fixing body (310) towards the fitting end (306).

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a component (400) having a flow path (402), wherein the method comprises forming a high pressure resistant casing (102) with a cavity (202) therein, inserting a bioinert material (302) into the cavity (202) to thereby form a composite block (300), and further processing the composite block (300) for at least partially forming the flow path (402) defined by the component (400).

Abstract: A method and mechanism for a distributed on-demand computing system. The system automatically provisions distributed computing servers with customer application programs. The parameters of each customer application program are taken into account when a server is selected for hosting the program. The system monitors the status and performance of each distributed computing server. The system provisions additional servers when traffic levels exceed a predetermined level for a customer's application program and, as traffic demand decreases to a predetermined level, servers can be un-provisioned and returned back to a server pool for later provisioning. The system tries to fill up one server at a time with customer application programs before dispatching new requests to another server. The customer is charged a fee based on the usage of the distributed computing servers.

Abstract: An inventory monitoring controller maintains information reflecting a current inventory of articles based on radio frequency identification (RFID) tag identifying information received from one or more RFID tag readers in the context of inventory polling operations. In an embodiment, the controller also adjusts an operational parameter (e.g., a missing article detection threshold or a variable polling parameter) based on an analysis of the RFID tag identifying information. For example, a variable polling parameter may be adjusted in response to an occurrence of a triggering event (e.g., an inventory change indicated by the RFID tag identifying information or an occurrence of a temporal event), and a missing article detection threshold may be adjusted based on historical information relating to the detection of (or failure to detect) a particular RFID tag.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus obtains area information indicating target areas to be subjected to image processing from a plurality of image processing servers and judges whether or not their target areas are overlapping each other. The image forming apparatus examines the priority levels set in advance for the image processing servers if their target areas are overlapping each other, then repeats to instruct an image processing server with a lower priority level than another image processing server to adjust the position of its target area until it is judged that the target areas are not overlapping each other. And the image forming apparatus transmits information of the target areas confirmed to be not overlapping each other to the image processing servers, so that the image processing servers can successfully perform image processing on their own target areas according to the information.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for controlling biosynthetic pathways using a metabolic switch in microorganisms. Photoautotrophs are developed to be auxotrophic for certain exogenous compounds such as lipoic acid and/or a fixed nitrogen source. Depletion of the exogenous compound results in the carbon flux to be diverted to preferred metabolic pathways.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for processing a database query between one or more clients and one or more databases. The database query, which is formatted using a first protocol, is received from one of the clients. One of the databases is selected to process the database query and the database query is translated from the first protocol to a second protocol. The translated database query is then sent to the selected database for processing. A response to the database query, which is formatted using the second protocol, is received from the selected database and the response is translated from the second protocol to the first protocol. The present invention determines which of the clients sent the database query and sends the translated response to the client that sent the database query. This method can be implemented as a computer program embodied on a computer readable medium.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image processing apparatus which uses a threshold matrix of a resolution higher than a resolution of an input image, the image processing apparatus including: a screen processing section which performs screen processing on an input image which is input; a matrix storage section which stores a threshold matrix of a resolution higher than a resolution of the input image; a threshold obtaining section which obtains a new threshold corresponding to each pixel of the input image based on a threshold of each cell composing the threshold matrix, wherein the screen processing section compares the pixel value of each pixel of the input image with the new threshold corresponding to each pixel of the input image obtained by the threshold obtaining section and generates a multivalue output image.

Abstract: An access point which is installed over the standard electronic wall box and provides access to different types of existing cables in a standard electronic wall box is disclosed. The access point includes at least one pass-through slot which houses a pass-through port. The pass-through port supports different types of connectors for different types of cables installed in the standard electronic wall box. The pass-through slot is used to expose the different types of connectors on the access point. The access point also includes a connection port to connect the access point to a wall cable which is a network uplink cable for connecting the access point to a network. The access point further includes an expansion slot to connect an expansion module to the access point. When the access point is installed on the standard electronic wall box, the pass-through slot is used to expose a cable that is different from the wall cable.

Abstract: A light guide apparatus for a backlight module is provided. The light guide apparatus comprises a light guide plate and a light source module. The light guide plate is configured with a circuit contact. The light source module is integrated with the light guide plate in contact with the circuit contact. Besides, a method of fabricating a light guide apparatus for a backlight module is also provided with simpler process and lower fabrication cost.