Abstract: A constant volume combustion chamber, combustor, and method for constant volume combustion involve combusting a fuel in a chamber sealed by a pintle having a conical portion fitted into a conical nozzle throat and pulling the pintle away from the nozzle throat to allow combustion products to exhaust through a nozzle outlet. The shapes and surfaces of the pintle and nozzle throat provide for sealing the chamber at high pressures while resisting surface wear. Operational parameters for the combustor may be computer controlled in response to measured pressures and temperatures in the combustor.

Abstract: A power and control unit for a low or medium voltage apparatus, said apparatus comprising at least a couple of electrical contacts that can be coupled/separated by means of an electro-magnetic actuator, first power storage means for supplying electric power for the operations of said apparatus and power supply means for charging first said power storage means, characterised in that it comprises: a primary control device for managing the operations of said apparatus when said power supply means are available; a secondary control device for managing the operations of said apparatus when said power supply means are not available, said secondary control device being able to receive electric power directly from said first power storage means.

Abstract: A novel high tensile strength semi-absorbable composite suture with minimized non-absorbable mass. The suture has a core made from a bioabsorbable polymer. The core is covered by a braided sheath. The braided sheath is made from an absorbable yarn and a bioabsorbable yarn. The bioabsorbable yarn is made from a least one filament of a bioabsorbable polymer. The nonabsorbable yarn is made from at least one filament of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.

Abstract: The invention provides a use of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein for preparing a medicament for preventing or treating epithelium trauma of the intestinal mucosa, wherein the protein is selected from: (a) a protein having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) a protein which has a sequence having at least 70% homology with the amino acid sequence in the (a) and has the effect of preventing or treating epithelium trauma of the intestinal mucosa. The invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the protein (a) or (b) as the active component.

Abstract: An intelligent power module includes a power circuit board having a plurality of power devices and fixed on a base plate of a case body able to be closed with a lid to form a protective case of the intelligent power module. The intelligent power module also includes a control circuit board suitable to drive the power devices of the power circuit board. The control circuit board is associated with the lid in such a way that the control circuit board is comprised within the case body. The control circuit board and the lid thus realizing an intelligent lid of the intelligent power module.

Abstract: An apparatus including first and second electrodes separated by an electrolyte, at least one of the first and second electrodes including an actuating substrate configured to undergo reversible deformation during actuation, wherein reversible deformation of the actuating substrate causes a decrease in the internal resistance of the apparatus.

Abstract: A novel method for the preparation of stavudine polymorphic form I and form II is described. 5?-acetate-2?,3?-diacetyl-5-methyluridine is reacted with catalytic amounts of sodium methoxide in a C1-C4 alcoholic solvent, resulting in crude stavudine form II. Crude stavudine form II can be converted into polymorphic stavudine form I by slurry at reflux in isopropanol, without isolating or purifying the crude stavudine form II.

Abstract: An unreeling assembly, particularly for labeling devices, comprising a supporting frame for at least one reel of continuous film which is supported by a respective reel support, which can rotate about an unreeling axis of the reel, and a motorized traction drum, which is designed to unreel the continuous film from the reel of continuous film, between the reel of continuous film and the traction drum there being at least one tensioning element, which is movable, with respect to the supporting frame, along a respective movement path, elements being provided for estimating the radius of the reel of continuous film as a function of the data related to the angular velocity of the reel, to the speed of the film drawn by the traction drum and to the position of the tensioning element with respect to the supporting frame along the respective movement path.

Abstract: A data transfer system and method are described for providing transfer of data over a network between a sender and a plurality of receivers. Data is sent over a network to the plurality of receivers by the sender at a specified rate regardless of data loss. A receiver that identifies a lost block of data transmits a retransmission request to the sender. The sender responds to one or more retransmission requests by transmitting a repair packet to all receivers that contains blocks of data for which retransmission requests have been received.

Abstract: The present invention relates to articles to be worn in contact with mammal body, such as sanitary napkins, pantiliners, nursing pads, baby diapers and the like, comprising a mint odor-free cooling agent able to convey freshness sensation to the wearer of the article, without the need of modifying body surface temperature.

Abstract: A low-temperature process of producing high-purity iron powder by feeding hematite and a reducing agent into a rotary reactor under pressure to form a mechanical fluid bed. The fluid bed is rotated at a particular speed within a rotary reactor. The fluid bed is simultaneously heated to a reaction temperature, and the pressure is then reduced within the rotary reactor to a pressure in a range of 0.01 bars to 2.0 bars, as a result reducing the reaction temperature to a temperature in a range of 600° C. to 850° C. Maintaining the pressure and the rotation results in the formation of a high-purity iron oxide without the requirement for post-grinding process steps because sintering is prevented by using a combination of pressure reduction and a rotary set at an optimum rotation speed, resulting in useful additives produced by a more environmentally-friendly process.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for role-based access control of network devices. The network devices may constitute the fabric of a storage area network (“SAN”) that has been logically partitioned into virtual storage area networks (“VSANs”) that are allocated to various administrators. Roles assigned according to preferred aspects of the invention do not need to be hierarchical, but are customized according to administrators' needs.

Abstract: A method for vision field computing may comprise the following steps of: forming a sampling system for a multi-view dynamic scene; controlling cameras in the sampling system for the multi-view dynamic scene to perform spatial interleaved sampling, temporal interleaved exposure sampling and exposure-variant sampling; performing spatial intersection to the sampling information in the view subspace of the dynamic scene and temporal intersection to the sampling information in the time subspace of the dynamic scene to reconstruct a dynamic scene geometry model; performing silhouette back projection based on the dynamic scene geometry model to obtain silhouette motion constraints for the view angles of the cameras; performing temporal decoupling for motion de-blurring with the silhouette motion constraints; and reconstructing a dynamic scene 3D model with a resolution larger than nominal resolution of each camera by a 3D reconstructing algorithm.

Abstract: A particle analysis system includes an inlet; an inertial focusing microchannel disposed in a substrate and having a downstream expanding region at a distal end, where the inlet is connected to a proximal end of the microchannel; a plurality of outlets connected to the microchannel at the downstream expanding region; a plurality of fluidic resistors, where each fluidic resistor is connected to a respective outlet; and a particle analyzer configured to measure a size and a position of particles in the microchannel. A particle sorting system includes an inlet; an inertial focusing microchannel disposed in a substrate and having a downstream expanding region at a distal end, where the inlet is connected to a proximal end of the microchannel; a plurality of outlets connected to the microchannel at the downstream expanding region; and a plurality of fluidic resistors, where each fluidic resistor is connected to a respective outlet.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for receiving speech and/or non-speech communications of natural language questions and/or commands and executing the questions and/or commands. The invention provides a conversational human-machine interface that includes a conversational speech analyzer, a general cognitive model, an environmental model, and a personalized cognitive model to determine context, domain knowledge, and invoke prior information to interpret a spoken utterance or a received non-spoken message. The system and method creates, stores and uses extensive personal profile information for each user, thereby improving the reliability of determining the context of the speech or non-speech communication and presenting the expected results for a particular question or command.

Abstract: An auxiliary injection unit is disclosed that has an extruder barrel and extruder screw integrated within an injection molding system. The extruder barrel and extruder screw are contained within a mold plate of the injection molding system with a drive mechanism of the auxiliary injection unit being external thereof. A melt stream emanating from the extruder barrel of the auxiliary injection unit is in selective fluid communication with either a melt channel of a manifold providing melt thereto during an injection cycle or with a discharge channel of a melt discharge tube for purging melt. A melt diverter component receives the melt stream from the extruder barrel and includes a shuttle valve slidably positioned therein that is operated to selectively divert the melt stream produced by the auxiliary injection unit to either the melt channel of the manifold or the discharge channel of the discharge tube.

Abstract: The invention relates to a compound having structure (I), which acts as a non-competitive specific inhibitor of P-glycoprotein (P-gp for “Pleiotropic glycoprotein”) and which can be used as a drug, particularly for improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments. The invention is therefore suitable for use in the medical field, particularly for the chemotherapeutic treatment of cancers or infections.

Abstract: A financial transaction device is disclosed. The device includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surface comprises a writable field enabling a writing instrument and/or a printing device to write on the first writable field. The writable field allows transaction device purchasers to include a custom note, picture, design, logo, pattern and/or any other indicia on the device. The writable field creates an added element of thoughtfulness to make the gift exchange more special.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes devices, methods, and systems including memory cell sensing using a boost voltage. One or more embodiments include pre-charging and/or floating a data line associated with a selected memory cell, boosting the pre-charged and/or floating data line, and determining a state of the selected memory cell based on a sensed discharge of the data line after boosting the data line.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a PVC-free floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer of a thermoplastic composition, said composition comprising: a polymer matrix comprising at least two polymers, said matrix comprising at least 5 parts of at least one polymer with acid anhydride groups; the total amount of the polymers being combined to 100 parts, and at least 100 parts of at least one filler per 100 parts of polymer.