Abstract: Instruments and methods for performing non-invasive measurements of analyte concentrations and for monitoring, analyzing and regulating tissue status, such as tissue glucose levels.

Abstract: A flooring product is provided comprising at least one layer including a polymeric binder comprising at least one thermoplastic polyester resin, wherein the polyester resin comprises at least one renewable component. A flooring product is also provided that includes at least one layer comprising filler and at least one thermoplastic, high molecular weight polyester resin. The flooring product may also qualify for at least one point under the LEED System. A composition is also provided that can be melt mixed in low intensity mixers and processed into flooring layers.

Abstract: Thermoplastic, high molecular weight polyester resin fibers comprise renewable components. Such fibers find utility in flooring applications including carpet fibers, non-woven fiber mats, and reinforcing fibers.

Abstract: A flooring product comprises a heterogeneous design layer having multiple regions wherein two regions comprise compositions having different recycle content or renewable content. The thickness of the design layer may be greater than the dimensions of the regions or the regions may extending from the top surface of the layer to the bottom surface of the design layer. The heterogeneous layer may be composed of consolidated particles/chips which may contain a polyester binder system with a renewable component. Additionally, a method for making a heterogeneous layer having a target wt % recycle content or renewable content is also disclosed.

Abstract: A flooring product is provided which has at least one layer including a polymeric binder comprising homo-polymer PVC resin and thermoplastic, high molecular weight polyester resin or highly viscous polyester resin. The polyester resin comprises renewable components, and can be amorphous or crystalline in nature. A flooring product is described that comprises a renewable or recycle content that classifies the product for points under the LEED system for commercial products.

Abstract: This invention relates to a plasma igniter for directly igniting the pulverized coal burner. Said plasma igniter consists of a plasma generator which includes a composite anode, an combined type cathode, an electromagnetic coil and a transmitting coil; a pulverized coal burner which comprises multi-stage chambers for conveying igniting coal, an equipment for adjusting concentration of coal powder and a four-stage burner canister; and a generator brace. Said combined type cathode consists of a cathode plate, a fixation nut, a conductive pipe, an inflowing pipe, an inflowing guiding pipe, a cathode lid and a sealing spacer. The lining for generating electric arc is assembled with the front of cathode. An alloy plate is used as the cathode plate. The nozzle that used for cooling the cathode is first convergent and then expansive, and is placed in the middle of the conductive pipe. The plasma igniter has the advantage of stable burning.

Abstract: A floor covering has an exposed surface with substantially the same gloss level and at least two portions having different tactile surface characteristics. The difference in the tactile surface characteristics between the two portions is at least an average RPc of 4. The floor covering includes a substrate and a high performance coating overlying the substrate. The high performance coating comprises texture particles, which may be organic polymer particles. The floor covering is made by forming a high performance coating including the texture particles on a substrate, at least partially curing the high performance coating, and then while controlling the temperature of the high performance coating below the melting point temperature or softening point temperature of the texture particles and above the temperature at which the texture particles deform under the applied mechanical embossing pressure, subjecting the first and second portions to different mechanical embossing conditions.

Abstract: In general the present invention provides a video encoder, which is arranged for adaptive encoding mode selection. The video encoder is operable with a plurality of encoding modes for encoding a current macroblock of a video sequence. The video sequence is preferably intended for being transmitted by a communication network, e.g. any circuit-switched or packet-switched communication network. A distortion estimator is arranged for estimating expected distortion values due to potential erroneous transmission of the current macroblock in dependence of the encoding modes. A decision module is arranged for selecting a final encoding mode from the plurality of encoding modes on the basis of the distortion values and encoding parameters. Further, a table is provided, which is referenced by the spatial position of the macroblock and which is updated with an accumulated distortion value. The video encoder is arranged for applying the final encoding mode for encoding the current macroblock.

Abstract: The present invention provides plants, plant cells and methods of making transgenic plants or plant cells, wherein the plants or cells are resistant to bacterial blight. The invention provides isolated nucleic acid sequences comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 or fragments thereof which provide a plant with resistance to bacterial blight disease when transfected into the plant.

Abstract: The present application disclosed an ignition and burning apparatus used in a coal boiler, comprising a pulverized coal burner and one or more combustion-enhancing miniature oil guns inserted in the pulverized coal burner, wherein the miniature oil gun comprises a first air supplying cylinder, an atomizing nozzle positioned in the first air supplying cylinder, an oil burner at a lower end of the atomizing nozzle, an ignition device adjacent to the oil burner and an air intake communicating with the first air supplying cylinder, wherein the pulverized coal burner comprises a cooling air cylinder, an air intake communicating with the cooling air cylinder, an expansion channel supported in the cooling air cylinder by a support, cooling structures surrounding the expansion channel, an external nozzle at one end of the expansion channel and a second air supplying cylinder adjacent to the miniature oil gun and communicating with the expansion channel.

Abstract: Waterborne coating compositions, methods of applying such compositions, and substrates coated with such compositions are described. The compositions include an aqueous dispersion of a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, and a polyvinyl chloride resin. The compositions can also include an aminoplast such as a melamine, and one or more curing agents. Additionally, the compositions can include flatting agents, colored metallic and/or polymeric particles, hard particles, surfactants, rheology modifiers, defoamers, and coalescing aids. The coating composition can be applied to virtually any surface and cured using conventional heat curing techniques, whether or not there is a chemically embossed layer. However, it is advantageously used in surface coverings in combination with a chemically embossed layer. In one embodiment, the surface covering includes a chemically embossed layer and a cured top layer, which are both cured in a single heating step or plurality of heating steps.

Abstract: Novel multifunctional unsaturated polyester polyols, UV-curable top coat formulations including these polyols, and a one-step process for preparing these polyols, are disclosed. Surface coverings and surface covering components including these top coat formulations are also disclosed. The polyols are generally formed by the ring opening polymerization of a lactone with a compound of the formula (R1)aR(OH)b, where a+b>2. R1 is a double bond-containing moiety such as allyl, vinyl, vinylidene, vinyl ether, acrylate, and the like. R is generally an alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, ether or ester group, including substituted versions thereof. R can be a polymer, including polymers with a plurality of functional groups. Examples of lactone groups which can be used include caprolactone, lactide and glycolide.

Abstract: The present application disclosed an ignition and burning apparatus used in coal boiler, comprising one or more combustion-enhancing miniature oil guns and a pulverized coal burner, wherein the combustion-enhancing miniature oil gun comprises an atomizing nozzle, a cyclone, an oil burner, an air supplying cylinder and an ignition device, and the pulverized coal burner comprises ail external nozzle, a window type air film cooler and an expansion channel. During the combustion of the pulverized coal, a certain amount of dry steam may be added for generating carbon monoxide and hydrogen for further enhancing the combustion of the pulverized coal. The ignition and burning apparatus used in coal boiler according to the present invention may save more than 90% of oil and demonstrates excellent economic performance.

Abstract: Methods for synthesizing saturated and unsaturated polyol polymers are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method involves the ring-opening polymerization of lactones, lactides and/or glycolides using hydroxy moiety-containing polymerization initiators, which initiators can include one or more double bond-containing moieties such as (meth)acrylates. The ring-opening polymerization is catalyzed using a lipase enzyme. In another embodiment, the polyol polymers are prepared by the esterification of a di- or polycarboxylic acid with a polyhydric alcohol or a polyhydric alcohol modified to include one or more (meth)acrylate moieties, using an enzymatic catalyst, advantageously avoiding the use of an acidic or heavy metal catalyst. The polyol polymers can be used to prepare urethanes or urethane acrylates, and the urethanes or urethane acrylates used in coating compositions, for example, to provide a coating to surface coverings such as floor, wall and ceiling coverings.

Abstract: Methods for providing surface coverings with differential gloss, and surface coverings prepared by the method, are disclosed. The methods involve screen printing or rotogravure printing a relatively low gloss primer onto portions of a substrate surface covering. The primer-coated substrate is then coated with a relatively higher gloss coating composition, and the coating compositions are cured, advantageously in a single curing step. The result is a surface covering including a top coat having a lower gloss level overlying the primer and a higher gloss level in the regions not overlying the primer.

Abstract: The invention relates to an encoder for forming an encoded picture stream. The pictures are defined as reference pictures or non-reference pictures, and information relating to decoding order and output order of a picture is defined for pictures of the picture stream. The encoder is arranged to form to the bitstream an indication of such a number of pictures arranged to be buffered in decoding order that is sufficient to recover the output order of pictures. The invention also relates to a signal, hypothetical encoder, decoder, hypothetical decoder, electronic device, system, software program and a storage medium.

Abstract: This invention relates to a plasma igniter for directly igniting the pulverized coal burner. Said plasma igniter consists of a plasma generator which includes a composite anode, an combined type cathode, an electromagnetic coil and a transmitting coil; a pulverized coal burner which comprises multi-stage chambers for conveying igniting coal, an equipment for adjusting concentration of coal powder and a four-stage burner canister; and a generator brace. Said combined type cathode consists of a cathode plate, a fixation nut, a conductive pipe, an inflowing pipe, an inflowing guiding pipe, a cathode lid and a sealing spacer. The lining for generating electric arc is assembled with the front of cathode. An alloy plate is used as the cathode plate. The nozzle that used for cooling the cathode is first convergent and then expansive, and is placed in the middle of the conductive pipe. The plasma igniter has the advantage of stable burning.

Abstract: Instruments and methods for performing non-invasive measurements of analyte concentrations and for monitoring, analyzing and regulating tissue status, such as tissue glucose levels.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods for treating acne. The methods include exposing the subject afflicted with acne to ultraviolet light having a wavelength between about 320 to about 350 nm, such that the acne is treated, e.g., inhibited, diminished, eradicated or prevented. In a preferred embodiment, the wavelength is 335 nm and is emitted by either a nitrogen laser or a third harmonic of a NdYAG laser. Treatments can be administered over a several week period, where the subject is exposed to sequential doses of ultraviolet light to obtain beneficial effects, e.g., a reduction or elimination of the acne, e.g., an eradication or diminishment of the bacteria responsible for acne, e.g., Propionibacterium acnes.

Abstract: An instrument for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue includes means for exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths, means for collecting emission radiation from the two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of the portion, and means for forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of the excitation radiation and the simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging the excitation and emission radiation.