Abstract: This invention relates to an internal jet impingement type shell and tube heat exchanger in which the jet cooling tubes and the heating tubes in shell and tube heat exchanger are formed either as a staggered tube bundle or as a square tube bundle, and the orifices on each jet cooling tube are provided according to the arrangement of tube bundle. Thus, the heat transfer performance of jet impingement type shell and tube heat exchanger is remarkably enhanced.

Abstract: The invention relates to antioxidant substituted isoindoline nitroxide compounds and their use in methods of treating or preventing diseases or disorders related to oxidative stress, methods of reducing oxidative stress and methods of protecting a subject from oxidative stress upon exposure to ionising radiation. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antioxidant compounds are also described.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for assisting flow of a fluid in a conduit. In some embodiments, a viscous impeller rotating within a protective cage provides a boost and total pressure to blood within the circulatory system of an animal.

Abstract: Various embodiments include methods for diagnosing and treating medical conditions that involve an autoimmune response to connective tissue such as collagen found in organs such as the lung. In one method pulmonary disease and disorders such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) are diagnosed by analyzing fluid or tissue samples obtained from a patient for evidence of an autoimmune response to various types of collagen including, for example, Type V. One type of assay for evidence of an autoimmune response to Type V collagen comprises the steps of obtaining a fluid or tissue sample from a patient, contacting at least a portion of the sample with antigen to anti-Type V collagen antibody and monitoring the mixture of sample and antigen for changes indicative of the presence of anti-Type V collagen in the sample. Another embodiment includes treating pulmonary diseases such as IPF by administering a therapeutically effective dose of epitopes of various collagens including Type V collagen.

Abstract: A current source rectifier is provided at an output of an alternating current generator, an alternating current motor is connected to an output of the rectifier via a voltage source inverter, furthermore, two arms having switching elements connected in inverse parallel to diodes are connected to the output of the rectifier, and one terminal of a direct current power source capable of a power supply and absorption is connected to a midpoint between the arms, while the other terminal thereof is connected to a neutral point of motor coils or generator coils, thereby eliminating a need for a large volumetric reactor in a direct current chopper, achieving a downsizing of the circuit.

Abstract: A method of forming an undercut microstructure includes: forming an etch mask on a top surface of a substrate; forming, on a top surface of the etch mask, an ion implantation mask having a top surface that is smaller than the top surface of the etch mask and that does not extend beyond the top surface of the etch mask; ion implanting the substrate in the presence of the etch mask and the ion implantation mask so that a damaged region is generated at a depth below an area of the surface that is not masked by the ion implantation mask; and etching the surface of the substrate until the damaged region is removed.

Abstract: A software controlled electronic dimming ballast for preheating, striking, and varying the dimming level of a lamp. In one embodiment, the ballast includes an EMI filter circuit, an AC/DC converter circuit, a PFC circuit, an inverter circuit, and a software controlled microcontroller circuit. The microcontroller circuit includes a microcontroller and software for generating inverter control signals that cause the inverter circuit to preheat, strike, and varying the dimming level of the lamp. The inverter control signals are generated based on dimming control and lamp dimming level feedback signals. The ballast also includes a lamp dimming level feedback signal conditioning circuit for generating the lamp dimming level feedback signals. Alternative embodiments of the ballast are also described.

Abstract: A magnetic component has a bobbin structure for winding a conductive material. The bobbin structure includes a bobbin body having a first winding embedded in the bobbin body. The first winding is made of a conductive material. The first winding includes a winding body and two terminal ends. The terminal ends protrude from the bobbin body for connection to a circuit. The winding body of the first winding is embedded inside the bobbin body. Alternatively, the first conductive winding is embedded in a bobbin flange included on the bobbin body. The bobbin structure generally includes a hollow interior cavity shaped for inserting a ferrite core.

Abstract: A process for treating impure water includes adding magnesium hydroxide and/or ammonium hydroxide to the water. This neutralizes the impure water and reacts with dissolved metals in the water. The metals are precipitated as metal hydroxides/oxides, which are removed from the water. Thereafter barium hydroxide is added to the water. The barium hydroxide reacts with dissolved sulphates to produce barium sulphate and, when magnesium hydroxide is used, with dissolved magnesium, to produce magnesium hydroxide. Barium sulphate and, when present, magnesium hydroxide are removed from the water. When ammonium hydroxide is used, ammonia is stripped from the water. Carbon dioxide is then added to the water. The carbon dioxide reacts with dissolved calcium in the water. The calcium is precipitated as calcium carbonate, which is removed from the water.

Abstract: A microreactor having a reaction mixture inlet, a reaction mixture channel, and a reaction mixture outlet is provided, in which a piezoelectric material that generates surface acoustic waves and has, formed on the surface thereof, a thin film having catalytic activity is disposed in the reaction mixture channel so that the inner surface of the reaction mixture channel is configured from the thin film. The thin film having catalytic activity can be constituted of a material selected from a group consisting of metals, metal oxides, and complexes of organic compounds. The microreactor attains remarkable improvements in the effect of stirring a reaction mixture and catalysis, whereby a chemical reaction can be evenly and efficiently accelerated. The microreactor is free from channel clogging and pressure loss and hence renders a stable and precise chemical reaction possible.

Abstract: A combined detector capable of simultaneously detecting both a value indicating a physical/chemical phenomenon such as a pH value and the intensity of an energy beam such as light. The combined detector comprises a physical/chemical phenomenon detecting system (10) and an energy beam detecting system. The physical/chemical phenomenon detecting system (10) has a sensing section (21) whose potential varies with a physical/chemical phenomenon, a charge supply section (22) for supplying first charge to the sensing section, a charge supply control section (23) provided between the sensing section (21) and the charge supply section (22), a first charge storage section (26) for storing the first charge transferred from the sensing section (21), and a charge transfer control section (27) provided between the sensing section (21) and the first charge storage section (26).

Abstract: There is provided an inverter circuit which allows a single drive circuit to carry out both the tracking control for tracking resonance frequency fluctuations caused by load fluctuations, and the power control, thereby reducing switching loss. An inverter drive circuit part obtains a phase difference between output current and output voltage directed to a load circuit which is connected to a midpoint of two arm circuits of the inverter circuit, and controls a phase of the driving signal directed to each of the semiconductor switches in such a manner that the phase difference becomes zero or a predetermined value. This allows an operating frequency of the inverter circuit part to track a resonance frequency of the load circuit. In addition, this enables a current phase to be delayed with respect to a voltage phase, thereby achieving ZCS.

Abstract: A exemplary method for determining vibration displacement in interferometric scanning, in which two optical signals having a phase difference with each other of a high-coherence interferogram corresponding to a tested surface is detected for determining a shifting displacement between the reference plane of interferometric apparatus and the tested surface. In one embodiment, a series of the shifting displacements with respect to a time interval are measured for determining the vibrating frequency of the tested surface by spectrum analysis. Meanwhile, an exemplary interferometric apparatus is also disclosed for calculating the relative position between the tested surface and the reference plane of interferometric apparatus whereby the interferometric apparatus is capable of compensating influences of vibration caused by the environment or the tested surface itself so as to obtain the surface profile and vibration frequency of the tested surface.

Abstract: A dual-power-supply system uses both a fuel cell and a chargeable secondary battery. A differential voltage adding unit adds a differential voltage between the voltage of the fuel cell and a necessary target output voltage to the voltage of the fuel cell by using the secondary battery, thereby obtaining an output voltage of the dual-power-supply system. A control unit detects the output voltage, and controls the differential voltage adding unit such that the output voltage is equal to the target output voltage.

Abstract: A reception program maps, by PC mapping, the values of message data to symbol x, which describes the combinations of Mp carrier waves of Mc carrier waves with value-1 bits corresponding to the carrier waves to be transmitted, and receives the transmit signal created by performing transformation processing thereon to sample y. A matrix computing portion performs transformation processing on sample y? in a parallel form including an unnecessary signal component to symbol z?. A first decoding portion sequentially performs maximum likelihood value decoding on groups of M bits of symbol z? and finally decodes all of the symbol z? to symbol x?. If the symbol x? includes Mp value-1 bits, a second decoding portion handles the symbol x? as the final decoding result and if not, the second decoding portion performs maximum likelihood decoding on the entire symbol z? to obtain the final decoding result.

Abstract: A method has been developed that detects cardiac arrhythmia from intrinsic cardiac nerve signals obtained from a heart in a patient. The method includes sampling intrinsic cardiac nerve activity at a high sample rate, filtering the sampled signal with a high pass filter, comparing the filtered signal to a predetermined threshold, and initiating a therapeutic action in response to the filtered signal exceeding the predetermined threshold. The intrinsic cardiac nerve activity may be received through an electrode implanted on the heart or from an electrode inserted into the venous structure of the heart.

Abstract: Peptides having at least 2 amino acids and no more than 15 amino acids are provided. The peptides comprise amino acid sequence X-Y or Y-X, wherein X is an aromatic amino acid and Y is any amino acid other than glycine. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions and kits including such peptides as well as methods using same for diagnosing and treating amyloid associated diseases.

Abstract: A signal detection device allows wavelet transformation of an object signal to be performed in real time by using a real signal mother wavelet.

Abstract: A floor washing robot is disclosed. The robot includes: a control unit for controlling a power source to drive at least three omnidirectional wheels and at least one washing disc to rotate to wash a floor; a water spray device for spraying water; and a vacuum device for vacuuming waste water or dirt. The floor washing robot can be moved freely in any direction to improve the cleaning effect.

Abstract: A movable floor system for use with a rotating gantry in a radiation treatment facility is provided that comprises a carriage assembly slidably supported within the gantry to maintain a substantially constant orientation while the gantry is rotating. An extendable/retractable panel assembly is supported on the carriage assembly that includes a plurality of non-movable floor panels and a like plurality of movable floor panels slidably mounted over corresponding ones of the non-movable panels. The movable panels are sized to span a distance between the carriage assembly and a fixed floor of the treatment room. Each of the movable panels has a platform surface for supporting a person for access to and from the patient table situated within the gantry. A control system coordinates the extension and retraction of the movable floor panels to prevent collisions with the radiation nozzle as it rotates during the patient treatment.