Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for configuring an implantable device to interface with retina cells are described. The device may comprise an array of pixel units capable of stimulating the retina cells are described. The pixel units may operate in a mode of operation selected from a plurality of modes including a normal mode and a calibration mode. A control circuitry of the device may be configured to switch the mode of operation for the pixel units. In one embodiment, the pixel units may be configured to receive light for stimulating the retina cells during the normal mode to enable perception of the light. During the calibration mode, the pixel units may be configured to adjust amount of stimulation to the retina cells.

Abstract: Candidate cells, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), present with blood are captured using a multiple stage device, having successive stages configured to deviate candidate cells out of the blood while slowing down the flow rates of the deviated resultant for easier capture of CTCs through progressive stages. The devices can include separation channel and deviation channels formed of micro-post patterns dimensioned to deviate different desired candidate cells for analysis.

Abstract: A method for objectively evaluating quality of a stereo image is provided. The method obtains a cyclopean image of a stereo image formed in the human visual system by simulating a process that the human visual system deals with the stereo image. The cyclopean image includes three areas: an occlusion area, a binocular fusion area and a binocular suppression area. Representing characteristics of the image according to the singular value of the image has a strong stability. According characteristics of different areas of the human visual system while dealing with the cyclopean image, the distortion degree of the cyclopean image corresponding to the testing stereo image is presented by the singular value distance between cyclopean images respectively corresponding to the testing stereo image and the reference stereo image, in such a manner that an overall visual quality of the testing stereo image is finally evaluated.

Abstract: An early warning and monitoring system is disclosed for battery cells and battery packs. During normal cycling of a battery, surface temperature, voltage, current and impedance may be monitored to determine if abnormalities exist in the battery and/or battery structure. The abnormalities may be advantageously detected using battery temperature characteristics, where the characteristics are subject to rule-based processing to determine impending battery failure. By receiving advance notice of failure, a warning signal may be transmitted to provide notice and/or allow corrective action to be taken.

Abstract: A method for face recognition is provided with collecting a match facial image; retrieving a reference image from image records of a database or an input image; selecting one or more facial features from each of the match facial image and the reference image; obtaining at least one match facial feature and a match deviation of the reference image corresponding to the facial features of the match facial image; creating a match geometric model and a reference geometric model; obtaining a model deviation by comparing the match geometric model and the reference geometric model; and employing a match deviation and a model deviation to obtain a recognition score based on a predetermined rule. The method involves a two-way face recognition by integrating facial features of block matching with geometric model comparison. It employs relationship of match deviation and model deviation.

Abstract: Tubing such as clear plastic disposable tubing or glass tubing includes a photonic sensor formed in or placed within the tubing. The photonic sensors can take the form of photonic crystal sensors, distributed feedback laser sensors, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensors, including photonic crystal enhanced SERS sensors. Detection arrangements for the sensors are described. The invention has many applications including tubing used in hospital care (e.g., urinary catheters, intravenous fluid delivery tubing, tubing used in dialysis, e.g. heparin lines or blood tubing sets), food manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, water quality monitoring, and environmental monitoring.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and systems for bridging between commercially available, high-speed image sensors and low cost, low power microcontrollers. An image sensor interface processor is provided for controlling an image sensor, and receiving and storing image data. A microcontroller (or other general purpose or image processor) can communicate with the image sensor interface processor, to access pixel data in a random access fashion through a parallel memory access interface at any speed desired by the microcontroller. Moreover, automatic power management of the image sensor can be provided by the image sensor interface processor. In some alternative embodiments, the described image sensor interface processor may be integrated into the image sensor itself, or a microcontroller, or some other intermediate device.

Abstract: A gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first display panel configured to display game images of a game, the first display panel including a screen facing downward; a plurality of first beam splitters disposed under the first display panel and inclined with respect to the screen to partially reflect the images from the first the display panel into a forward direction; a background image generator disposed rear to the first beam splitters and generating background images, the background images from the background image generator passing through the first beam splitters toward the forward direction to overlap the game images; and a controller configured to execute the game and to control the first display panel.

Abstract: A surgical guidance system for properly orienting a surgical instrument, such as an acetabular cup inserter, within a patient relative to a plurality of anatomical reference points includes a support device for retaining the patient, a reference sensor fixedly coupled to the support device and a tool sensor removably coupled to the instrument. The support device includes a plurality of abutment pads that directly contact the plurality of anatomical reference points. A processor is electrically connected to the reference and tool sensors and is programmed to collect spatial orientation data compiled from each sensor. Using the spatial orientation data, the processor determines in real-time the actual orientation of the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical reference points. An indicator is electrically connected to the processor and provides a feedback signal that assists the surgeon in properly orienting the instrument relative to a user-defined acceptable range.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to selectively extract light rare earth metals, and by extension, europium, from an acidic solution containing a plurality of types of rare earth metal. This valuable metal extraction agent is represented by the general formula. In the formula: R1 and R2 each indicate the same or different alkyl group; R3 indicates a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and R4 indicates a hydrogen atom or any given group other than an amino group bonded to the ? carbon as an amino acid. Preferably, the general formula has a glycine unit, a histidine unit, a lysine unit, an aspartic acid unit, or an N-methylglycine unit. Preferably, when extracting europium using the extraction agent, the pH is adjusted into the range of 2.0-3.0 inclusive, and when selectively extracting light rare earth metals, the pH is adjusted to 1.7-2.7 inclusive.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to pharmaceutical agents and compositions useful for the treatment and prevention of amyloid disease in a subject. The invention further relates to isolated antibodies that recognize a common conformational epitope of amyloidogenic proteins or peptides that are useful for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of amyloid disease.

Abstract: This invention relates to a mammalian artificial chromosome vector, which retains a human chromosome 7 fragment comprising human cytochrome P450 genes and is transmittable to progeny, wherein the human chromosome 7 fragment retains a region of approximately 1 Mb±500 Kb in size comprising at least a human CYP3A gene cluster, which region is located between chromosome markers AC004922 and AC073842, and to a non-human mammalian animal retaining the vector.

Abstract: The invention provides the Zidovudine-conjugated quinoline compound N-((1-(2-(hydroxy-methyl)-5-(5-methyl-2,4-dioxo-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1(2H)-yl)-tetrahydrofuran-3-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)-6-(4b,8,8-trimethyl-4b,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydrodibenzo[a,c]phenazin-2-yloxy)hexanamide. The compound can selectively kill hepatoma cells, especially hepatoma cells with hepatitis B, and inhibit the growth of subcutaneous tumors in mice, but has no significant toxicity to normal liver cells. Experiments confirm that the compound has an anti-hepatoma effect and can be used in preparation of anti-hepatoma drugs.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to water-dispersible polyurethane polymers as well as related polyurethane dispersion (PUD) compositions including the same, methods of making the same, methods of using the same, and articles coated with the same. The water-dispersible polyurethane polymer includes hydrophobic oligomeric polyether soft segments that include 1,2-di-substituted oxyethylene repeating units. The 1,2-di-substituted oxyethylene repeating units are derived from unsaturated fatty acid esters, such as from a distribution of epoxidized vegetable oil fatty acid esters subjected to a ring-opening polymerization process for oligomeric polyether polyol formation. The water-dispersible polyurethane polymer further includes hard segments common to other PUD compositions.

Abstract: A nonhuman transgenic mammal is described whose genome comprises a promoter construct operably linked to a heterologous DNA encoding an epithelial sodium channel ? subunit, wherein said promoter construct directs expression of the epithelial sodium channel ? subunit in lung epithelial cells of said animal, and wherein said transgenic mammal has increased lung mucus retention as compared to the corresponding wild-type mammal. The animal is useful in screening compounds for activity in treating lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Abstract: The present invention relates to characterizing changes in mammalian gastrointestinal microbiota associated with antibiotic treatment and various disease conditions (such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin-deficiency or insulin-resistance related disorders, glucose intolerance, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver, abnormal lipid metabolism, short stature, osteoporosis, and other disorders of bone formation and mineralization, etc.) and related diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Therapeutic methods of the invention involve the use of probiotics, prebiotics, or narrow spectrum antibiotics/anti-bacterial agents that are capable of restoring healthy mammalian bacterial gastrointestinal microbiota.

Abstract: A submicron connection layer and a method for using the same to connect wafers is disclosed. The connection layer comprises a bottom metal layer formed on a connection surface of a wafer, an intermediary diffusion-buffer metal layer formed on the bottom metal layer, and a top metal layer formed on the intermediary diffusion-buffer metal layer. The melting point of the intermediary diffusion-buffer metal layer is higher bottom metal layers may form a eutectic phase. During bonding wafers, two top metal layers are joined in a liquid state; next the intermediary diffusion-buffer metal layers are distributed uniformly in the molten top metal layers; then the top and bottom metal layers diffuse to each other to form a low-resistivity eutectic intermetallic compound until the top metal layers are completely exhausted by the bottom metal layers.

Abstract: An organic EL element comprises: a substrate; a first electrode formed at one surface side of the substrate; a second electrode opposing the first electrode; and an organic EL layer located between the first and second electrodes. In the organic EL element, the second electrode is a transparent electrode, and the first electrode is a reflecting electrode. The organic EL element is a top-emission type. The first electrode comprises a plurality of nanometer-size (nanometer-order) columnar structures formed on the above-mentioned one surface of the substrate, and each of the plurality of columnar structures has a metallic surface as the outermost surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for screening infants at high risk for central auditory processing deficits and then remediating less efficient processing behaviorally using an adaptive training algorithm that gradually increases sensitivity to rapidly occurring stimuli streams.