Abstract: An RGD polypeptide grafted poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid)/?-tricalcium phosphate composite material is composed of ?-tricalcium phosphate particles and RGD polypeptide grafted poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid) with mass ratio of 1:10-1:100, in which the ?-tricalcium phosphate particles are uniformly dispersed in the RGD polypeptide grafted poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid) matrix. The preparation method includes that poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid) is polymerized with GRGDY short peptide (glycin-arginine-glycin-aspartic acid-tyrosine sequence) to obtain RGD polypeptide grafted poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid), and then RGD polypeptide grafted poly (glycolic acid-L-lysine-L-lactic acid) is compounded with ?-tricalcium phosphate particles.

Abstract: There is provided a protective gas composition for preventing combustion of a molten magnesium/magnesium alloy, containing a compound selected from the group consisting of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa), 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (OHFC-1234ze), methyl 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl ether (HFE-254pc), which are fluorine-containing organic compounds, and mixtures thereof; and a carrier gas.

Abstract: A magnetic device is provided for placement on the top surface of a printed circuit board with surface mount connection on the bottom surface. The circuit board includes first and second sets of slots bisecting each other. The device includes a bobbin with a plurality of support members each having a face shaped to engage the top surface of the printed circuit board and a plurality of pins attached to the support members. The pins have a first portion shaped to pass through the first set of slots, and a second portion shaped to pass through the second set of slots. The second portion of the pins is shaped to engage the bottom surface of the circuit board, locking the magnetic device in place against the top surface of the circuit board and providing a soldering area for surface mounting on the bottom surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of bio-metric identification of persons according to the hand, by which the shape of the hand is scanned, evaluated and compared with the database of hand shapes, whereas the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the hand is scanned, this is analysed and a three-dimensional (3D) model of the hand is created, which is compared with the database of three-dimensional (3D) models of hand. The invention also relates to a device for biometric identification of persons according to the hand comprising a pad and a scanning device (2) coupled with a control and evaluating unit, while the pad comprises a positioning depression (1) in the shape of a hand, while the positioning depression (1) is whole situated in the field of view of the scanning device (2) and in the area of impact of radiation from a source (21) of light.

Abstract: Provided is a spectroscopic device of a new constitution, which is suited for detecting precisely a fluorescent light emitted from an inspection object in a fluorometric analysis, such as a DNA. The spectroscopic device (10) comprises a spectroscopic sensor body (21) for outputting the quantity of charge corresponding to the intensity of such a light of a spectroscopy object as corresponds to the intensity of a light having a wavelength component of a wavelength specified with the value of a gate electrode or larger, and a floating diffusion unit (51) for outputting a voltage according to the quantity of charge outputted from the spectroscopic sensor body (21). The floating diffusion unit (51) includes a plurality of serially connected charge wells (53 and 55), for which output voltages are individually detected.

Abstract: An electric power system comprises an AC motor, a first DC voltage unit, an inverter as a power converter, being connected between the AC motor and first DC voltage unit, for exchanging power between these two components; and a controlled DC power supply which is connected between an arbitrary spot of a coil of the AC motor and a positive or negative electrode of the first DC voltage unit and which connects at least one semiconductor switching element and a battery as a second DC voltage unit in series.

Abstract: An electronic ballast has control circuitry to provide a pre-heating signal to the filaments of a gas discharge lamp for a predetermined length of time before the lamp is ignited and, further, cease providing the pre-heating signal after the lamp has been ignited.

Abstract: A channel estimation device for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system and related method. The transmitting end transmits error detection signal of subcarrier, and the channel estimation is decided by whether the received signal at the receiving end is correct. Furthermore, in order to reduce the calculation complexity of the channel estimation, least square estimation is performed first, then MMSE estimation is performed to obtain more precise channel estimation, and singular value decomposition is utilized to reduce the calculation complexity of MMSE. The above-mentioned channel estimation method can obtain a better system efficiency in fast time variant channel.

Abstract: A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) 1 has a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2. The membrane 2 has ion-conductive domains 3 and non-ion-conductive domains 4 and an electrode catalyst 5. The electrode catalyst 5 is present selectively on surface sites of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2 which corresponds to the ion-conductive domains 3 rather than surface sites of the membrane 2 which corresponds to the non-ion-conductive domains 4. A spray liquid containing the electrode catalyst and a solvent is applied onto a surface of the membrane 2 by electrostatic spray deposition to selectively adhere the electrode catalyst 5 on the surface sites of the membrane 2 which corresponds to the ion-conductive domains 3. The membrane 2 is preferably subjected to a hydrophilization treatment before being sprayed with the spray liquid.

Abstract: There is provided a zeolite membrane which is thinner than a conventional membrane and which has improved permeability and a method for manufacturing the zeolite membrane. The method includes a surface layer forming step for forming a surface layer by attaching a low polar polymer on a first surface of a porous substrate to cover the surface, a filling step for filling a masking polymer into pores in the porous substrate from a surface different from the first surface of the porous substrate up to the surface layer by impregnating the porous substrate with the masking polymer and solidifying the masking polymer, and a surface layer removing step for removing the surface layer. After the surface layer removing step, a zeolite membrane is formed on the first surface of the porous substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying dynamic characteristics of a vibratory object is provided in the present invention, in which a series of dynamic interference images of the vibratory object is acquired through a frequency sweeping procedure and a two-dimensional image scanning procedure. Thereafter, the acquired images are processed for obtaining the corresponding differential fringe density index by signal processing technique of band-pass filtering method so as to further identify the dynamic characteristics of the vibratory object.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of extract of selenium-enriched yeast (Se-YE) as a supplement to the serum-free cell culture media formulations. The cell culture media comprising this supplement are particularly suitable for cultivating mammalian cells and for production of recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract: A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multi-channel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single micro-chip sensor is described. A multi-channel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Abstract: A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multichannel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single microchip sensor is described. A multichannel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cathode and a fuel cell, which are built to prevent escape of liquids, e.g. water and fuel solution, from the cell. Thus, according to a first aspect thereof, the present invention provides a cathode suitable for use in a fuel cell having a proton conducting membrane, the cathode comprising a plurality of layers including a catalyst layer and a hydrophobic porous support layer, wherein at least one of said plurality of layers is a liquid water leak-proof layer, which allows gas to pass through it and prevents passage of liquid water and/or aqueous fuel solution.

Abstract: An electronic ballast has control circuitry to operate a gas discharge lamp in both full and dimmed illumination modes. The electronic ballast also includes a full power circuit having a power control coupled to the dimming controller output to receive the dimming controller signal, a filament heating circuit having a heating input coupled to a reduced power circuit to receive a reduced power signal and a heating output that can couple to the filaments of one or more lamps. When the full power circuit receives the dimming controller signal, via the power control, and the dimming controller signal is not in the dimming request range (i.e. the full illumination mode has been selected), the full power circuit generates a full power signal capable of driving/operating the lamp(s) in the full illumination mode. When the reduced power signal is present, the filament heating circuit generates and provides a filament heating signal to the filaments, via the heating output.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to constructs and in particular genetic constructs comprising polynucleotide sequences capable of release in covalently closed, circular form from a larger nucleotide sequence such as, but not limited to, a genome of a eukaryotic cell. Preferably, once released, a polynucleotide sequence is reconstituted in a form which permits expression of the polynucleotide sequence. In one embodiment, the reconstituted polynucleotide sequence comprises a coding sequence with all or part of an extraneous nucleotide such as, but not limited to, an intronic sequence or other splice signal inserted therein. Expression and in particular transcription of the coding sequence involves splicing out the extraneous sequence. The release and circularization is generally in response to a stimulus such as a protein-mediated stimulus. More particularly, the protein is a viral or prokaryotic or eukaryotic derived protein or developmentally and/or tissue specific regulated protein.

Abstract: A method for making a reinforcement device for a concrete structure includes the steps of (a) installing a plurality of parallel reinforcement rebars, and (b) embracing the reinforcement rebars with a cable unit by winding the cable unit around the reinforcement rebars. The cable unit has a plurality of wires twisted together.

Abstract: A constant current source mirror tank dimmable ballast operates multiple high impedance lamps in a stable and balanced manner. The dimmable ballast has an inverter connected to two third-order resonant circuits. These third-order resonant circuits dominate the transfer function of the ballast circuits. Consequently, changes in the impedance of the lamp do not affect the current output to the lamps.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package includes a cover plate disposed on a substrate mounted with an integrated circuit chip thereon. The chip is formed with first solder pads coupled respectively and wiredly to pin terminals on the substrate, and second solder pads coupled respectively and wiredly to pinhole terminals in the cover plate, and includes a main circuit unit, a pin transmission unit interconnecting electrically first ports of a main circuit unit and the first solder pads, a pinhole transmission unit interconnecting electrically second ports of the main circuit unit, and a control unit coupled to the pin and pinhole transmission units, and operable to control operation of the pin and pinhole transmission units such that each first port is coupled to a selected first solder pad through the pin transmission unit and that each second port is coupled to a selected second solder pad through the pinhole transmission unit.