Abstract: A needle guard having a housing defining an interior cavity, and a transitional member disposed within the interior cavity is disclosed. The transitional member includes a pivoting arm having a first end and a second end, the first end adjacent an interior portion of the housing. The transitional member also includes a needle tip sensing element, and a transverse barrier, such that the needle tip sensing element and the transverse barrier are oriented on opposing sides of the pivoting arm adjacent the second end. The needle guard may be adapted for transition from a restrained position when the needle tip is exterior to the interior cavity, to an activated position when the needle tip is within the interior cavity. The transitional member may also have a needle tip sensing element for contacting a needle in the restrained position, and a binding edge for engaging the needle in the activated position.

Abstract: A hub assembly, such as for long needles, is disclosed. The hub assembly includes a needle hub having a proximal end and a distal end, having a cannula extending therethrough and protruding from the distal end, with the needle hub having a first engagement portion. The hub assembly also includes a stylet handle having a stylet extending therefrom. The stylet is adapted to be received within a portion of the cannula, with the stylet handle having a second engagement portion. An engagement of the first engagement portion of the needle hub and the second engagement portion of the stylet handle forms a positive lock in which at least a portion of one of the first and second engagement portions is held within the other of the first and second engagement portions in an unbiased state.

Abstract: A transparent conductive oxide (TCO) material includes a metal-rich metal oxide having an average formula (M1, M2 . . . Mn)yOx, where M1, M2 and Mn are the same metal or different metals and a molar ratio of y:x is selected from a range of 0.1 to 20. A method of making a metal-rich metal oxide material includes co-depositing a metal and a stoichiometric metal oxide and annealing the deposited material above 100° C. In an embodiment, a thin-film solar cell, includes an electrode, a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) disposed on the electrode, a solar absorbing layer disposed on the TCO, and a metal-rich metal oxide disposed on the solar absorbing layer. A method of fabricating a thin-film solar cell is also disclosed.

Abstract: Syringe plunger rods comprising an elongate body formed from a composition comprising one or more of virgin material, a sterilization-stable recycled resin and a biobased compositions are described. Plunger rods comprising a plurality of ribs, some of which may have a plurality of openings, are also described. The plunger rods requiring less material while maintaining sufficient structural integrity to function properly.

Abstract: A safety needle device having a housing, a retractable sheath, and a needle cannula. The retractable sheath includes a tubular portion that is slideably mounted about a portion of the housing to completely or partially encase the length of the cannula. The retractable sheath includes a sheath bevel at the distal end having a blunted or angled tip. The angled tip being configured to suitable injection angles and may be fixed or rotatable. The sheath bevel may include a skin-engaging contact surface at the distal end. The needle may be connected to a needle hub at the proximal end of the housing and includes a needle bevel at the distal end. The sheath bevel and needle bevel may be offset from each other. A safety needle device having a retractable sheath having a graduated injection depth gauge to indicate needle penetration is also disclosed.

Abstract: A toy figure assembly is disclosed. The toy figure assembly includes a toy figure and a toy surfboard that can be used with the toy figure. In one embodiment, the toy figure can be coupled to the toy surfboard in an upright or surfing orientation that simulates the toy figure surfing on the toy surfboard. In one embodiment, the toy figure can be coupled to the toy surfboard in a lying orientation that simulates the toy figure paddling on the toy surfboard. In one embodiment, a handle is coupleable to the toy figure to allow a user to move the toy figure into different poses.

Abstract: A medical connector includes a body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a sidewall extending between the distal end and the proximal end, a helical thread extending radially outward from a surface of the sidewall and comprising a crest portion, flank portions, and a root portion with the flank portions connecting the crest portion to the root portion, and at least one deformable protrusion extending radially outward from the root portion of the helical thread.

Abstract: Syringe assemblies having a passive disabling system to prevent reuse are provided. According to one or more embodiments, the syringe assembly comprises a barrel, plunger rod and detachable thumb press wherein the plunger rod further comprises flexible locking petals that lock the plunger rod within the barrel, a ramp disposed adjacent to the locking element, and one or more frangible connection or break point at the proximal end of the plunger rod disposed either inside the thumb press or immediately adjacent to the thumb press to separate the thumb press from the main body of the plunger rod when a user applies sufficient proximal force to the plunger rod after it has been locked within the barrel.

Abstract: A safety needle device having a housing, a retractable sheath, and a needle cannula. The retractable sheath includes a tubular portion that is slideably mounted about a portion of the housing to completely or partially encase the length of the cannula. The retractable sheath includes a sheath bevel at the distal end having a blunted or angled tip. The angled tip being configured to suitable injection angles and may be fixed or rotatable. The sheath bevel may include a skin-engaging contact surface at the distal end. The needle may be connected to a needle hub at the proximal end of the housing and includes a needle bevel at the distal end. The sheath bevel and needle bevel may be offset from each other. A safety needle device having a retractable sheath having a graduated injection depth gauge to indicate needle penetration is also disclosed.

Abstract: Syringe assemblies having a passive disabling system to prevent reuse are provided. According to one or more embodiments, the syringe assembly comprises a barrel, plunger rod and detachable thumb press wherein the plunger rod further comprises flexible locking petals that lock the plunger rod within the barrel and one or more frangible connection or break point at the proximal end of the plunger rod disposed either inside the thumb press or immediately adjacent to the thumb press to separate the thumb press from the main body of the plunger rod when a user applies sufficient proximal force to the plunger rod after it has been locked within the barrel.

Abstract: Syringe assemblies having a passive disabling system to prevent reuse are provided. According to one or more embodiments, the syringe assembly comprises a barrel, plunger rod and detachable thumb press wherein the plunger rod further comprises flexible locking petals that lock the plunger rod within the barrel and one or more frangible connection or break point at the proximal end of the plunger rod disposed either inside the thumb press or immediately adjacent to the thumb press to separate the thumb press from the main body of the plunger rod when a user applies sufficient proximal force to the plunger rod after it has been locked within the barrel.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method for sequencing a species of nucleic acid template using pH inert reference sensors is described that comprises the steps of: introducing a nucleotide species to an array of wells where a plurality of the wells comprise a species of nucleic acid template and a plurality of the wells comprise a plurality of functional groups with a high pH buffering characteristic, and in at least a first well a polymerase species incorporates the nucleotide species into a plurality of strands complementary to the species of nucleic acid template disposed in the first well and results in a release of a plurality of hydrogen ions; detecting a signal in the first well that is responsive to the hydrogen ions and one or more noise sources; detecting a signal in a second well comprising the functional groups with the high pH buffering characteristic that is responsive to the one or more noise sources; and subtracting the second well signal from the first well signal to generate a corrected signal associated

Abstract: A package including a stack of tissue paper sheets, wherein the package includes at least one line of weakness that has an unbroken configuration and a broken configuration and wherein the package is configured to be able to be flexed to pull apart the line of weakness when the line of weakness is in the broken configuration to open the package to allow a tissue paper sheet in the stack to be withdrawn through the open package.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method for generating a flow order that minimizes the accumulation of phasic synchrony error in sequence data is described that comprises the steps of: (a) generating a plurality of sequential orderings of nucleotides species comprising a k-base length, wherein the sequential orderings define a sequence of introduction of nucleotide species into a sequencing by synthesis reaction environment; (b) simulating acquisition of sequence data from one or more reference genomes using the sequential orderings, wherein the sequence data comprises an accumulation of phasic synchrony error; and (c) selecting one or more of the sequential orderings using a read length parameter and an extension rate parameter.

Abstract: A system including a dry absorbent tissue paper sheet dispenser having a dispensing opening through which dry tissue paper sheets can be withdrawn and a moist sheet dispenser having a dispensing opening through which moist sheets can be withdrawn, wherein one of the dry tissue paper dispenser and the moist sheet dispenser is configured to sit atop the other so that the dispensing openings face in opposing directions in a combined configuration, and wherein the dry and moist sheet dispensers have cooperating interfacing surfaces when they are in the combined configuration that resist movement of the moist sheet dispenser with respect to the dry tissue paper dispenser in a first direction perpendicular to a sheet withdrawal direction of the dry tissue paper dispenser and the moist dispenser.

Abstract: A stack of interfolded tissue paper sheets, wherein the interfolding pattern is such that each sheet is folded at least once to provide leading and trailing panels with respect to a sheet withdrawal direction, to define a stack comprising an overlapping region where adjacent sheets in the stack overlap and non-overlapping regions of the stack on opposed sides of the overlapping region wherein adjacent sheets of the stack do not overlap.

Abstract: A container for containing a stack of interfolded tissue paper sheets, wherein the container includes a dispensing opening and lips so that a sheet passes through the dispensing opening when being withdrawn from the stack and dispensed from the sheet, wherein the lips are in an overlapping state in a direction of withdrawal of the sheets, wherein the lips are configured to be opened into a less overlapping or non-overlapping state by the sheet as the sheet moves therethrough and are configured to return to the overlapping state after withdrawal of the sheet.

Abstract: A safety needle device having a housing, a retractable sheath, and a needle cannula. The retractable sheath includes a tubular portion that is slideably mounted about a portion of the housing to completely or partially encase the length of the cannula. The retractable sheath includes a sheath bevel at the distal end having a blunted or angled tip. The angled tip being configured to suitable injection angles and may be fixed or rotatable. The sheath bevel may include a skin-engaging contact surface at the distal end. The needle may be connected to a needle hub at the proximal end of the housing and includes a needle bevel at the distal end. The sheath bevel and needle bevel may be offset from each other. A safety needle device having a retractable sheath having a graduated injection depth gauge to indicate needle penetration is also disclosed.