Abstract: A device for indicating a level of a bulk material in a bin. A motor imparts a swinging motion to a paddle located inside the bin. When the paddle engages the material, drag on the paddle causes a counteracting force on the motor, indicating a presence of material at the location of the device. In various embodiments, a paddle shaft, having very little exposure inside the bin, extends from a protective enclosure. The shaft is capped with a flexible section having the paddle attached to it. The paddle is at a downward angle relative to the paddle shaft and extends into the bin so as to engage the material. The paddle may move at an urging of the material so as to avoid damage to the paddle, flexible section, and shaft.

Abstract: A hemostatic powder comprises a chitosan salt together with at least one inert material. The disclosure also relates to hemostatic powders into which fluid penetrability is 0.5 cm or more within 1 minute. At least one medical surfactant may optionally be included. The hemostatic powders may be incorporated into wound dressings.

Abstract: A hemostatic powder comprises a chitosan salt together with at least one medical surfactant. At least one inert material may optionally be included. The hemostatic powder may be incorporated into wound dressings.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for correcting white balance in a digital image are described. The method comprises determining a number of grey blocks in the digital image (s102), each block comprising a subset of pixels of the image, and if the number of grey blocks is less than a predetermined value, scaling one or more colour channels of the digital image using a first gain value to generate a first intermediate image (s201A) and scaling one or more colour channels of the digital image using a second gain value to generate a second intermediate image (s201B). A number of grey blocks in each of the first and second intermediate images (s202A, s202B) is determined and the gain value resulting in the intermediate image having a greater number of grey blocks is set as the reference gain value (s203). A grey world process is performed on the intermediate image having a greater number of grey blocks (s205).

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for color denoising are described. There is provided an image processing method. The method comprises the steps of retrieving chrominance level for a plurality of pixels in a predetermined configuration; computing a weight for each pixel; applying the weight to the chrominance level for each the pixel; summing the weighted chrominance level to output a chrominance level for a centre pixel at the center of said predetermined configuration; and repeating the above steps for every pixel per image. The color noise can be reduced while preserving the edge without any edge detection.

Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated promoter sequences, particularly a promoter isolated from Aspergillus niger designated herein as A4-L or A4 and DNA constructs and vectors including the same.

Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated promoter sequences, particularly a promoter isolated from Aspergillus niger designated herein as A4-L or A4 and DNA constructs and vectors including the same.

Abstract: A reinforced conveyor belt has a plurality of fabric plies. One of the plies is an interwoven ply comprised of two layers of weft cords and a plurality of warp cords interweaving through the two layers of weft cords. Each warp cord has the following repeating weave pattern of passing over at least two but not more than five weft cords in the first weft layers, passing between the two weft layers for a distance of at least two weft cords, and passing under at least two but nor more than five weft cords in the second weft layer.

Abstract: A device for indicating a level of a bulk material in a bin. A motor imparts a swinging motion to a paddle located inside the bin. When the paddle engages the material, drag on the paddle causes a counteracting force on the motor, indicating a presence of material at the location of the device. In various embodiments, a paddle shaft, having very little exposure inside the bin, extends from a protective enclosure. The shaft is capped with a flexible section having the paddle attached to it. The paddle is at a downward angle relative to the paddle shaft and extends into the bin so as to engage the material. The paddle may move at an urging of the material so as to avoid damage to the paddle, flexible section, and shaft.

Abstract: Woven reinforcing fabrics for such conveyor belts characterized by an improved resistance to tearing in the longitudinal or travel direction. The woven reinforcing fabric includes a plurality of weft yarns and a plurality of warp yarns aligned substantially orthogonal to the plurality of weft yarns. The warp yarns are woven through the weft yarns to define a plurality of passages arranged in substantially parallel first and second planes. At least one of the weft yarns is positioned in each of the passages and two of the weft yarns are positioned in at least one of the passages in each of the first and second planes.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for building DNA constructs in vitro, transforming such constructs into competent Bacillus strains with good efficiency, and generating populations of mutants. Also provided is a method to assemble DNA constructs in situ.

Abstract: A method of processing video data includes directing the video data set toward a display device. The display device has horizontal resolution h1 and vertical resolution v1. The video data has horizontal resolution h2 and vertical resolution v2. The video data includes a plurality of scan lines. At least one scan line has at least one line span representing the projection onto that scan line of a graphics vector rendered in the video data. The graphics vector has a slope and the line span has a color and a width. The method includes, for a resultant video data set having a horizontal resolution less than h2, determining a color of an edge resultant pixel in a resultant scan line using, at least in part, the slope of the graphics vector at an edge sub-pixel.

Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated promoter sequences, particularly a promoter isolated from Aspergillus niger designated herein as A4-L or A4 and DNA constructs and vectors including the same.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a protective garment system having two primary components. The first component, which serves as the outer layer of the garment, comprises a textile substrate that has been treated on one side with a hydrophobic composition and has been treated on the opposite side with an oleophobic composition. This combination is well-suited for protection against a variety of organic, oily type liquids (such as chemical warfare agents). The second component, which is a composite structure that serves as the inner layer of the garment, contains a core of activated carbon positioned between layers of adhesive and textile substrate.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a textile treatment and the treated textile, wherein one side of the textile is treated to have hydrophobic characteristics and the other side is treated to have both hydrophobic and oleophobic characteristics. The present treatment is wash-durable and breathable. The textile treatment is effective at repelling aqueous liquids (such as rain) and at preventing the penetration of oily liquids (such as chemical warfare agents) through the textile.

Abstract: An evolvable production strain of B. subtilis exhibiting continuous or high level expression during protein evolution is described. An evolved Bacillus subtilis pstS promoter facilitates screening and production of secreted proteins.

Abstract: A bed rail (10) for attaching to a sidewall (12) of a motor vehicle (14), comprising a pair of elongate members (60) held in spaced-apart relation by a leading end cap (16, 30) and a trailing end cap (18, 30), the elongate members defining a space therebetween and an ornamental indicia-bearing panel (20) disposed in the space, for mounting with fasteners to a cap of a sidewall of the motor vehicle. In one aspect, the bed rail assembles by recesses in the elongate members (60) receiving tongues (42, 44) on the end caps (30). A channel (62) in the elongate members hold the edges of the panel. In another aspect, an integral bed rail (90) defines a longitudinal slot (102) through which the panel (20) passes into the space. A method of attaching a bed rail to a sidewall of a motor vehicle is disclosed.

Abstract: The air spring of the present invention combines both traditional air spring characteristics and components with internal hydro damping. The air spring has an upper retainer, a piston, an elastomeric sleeve secured to the upper retainer at a first end and secured to the piston at the lower end, and a damping device. The damping device has an upper and a lower variable volume chamber and a channel connecting the two variable volume chambers, and a damping fluid contained within the damping device.

Abstract: A prosthetic heart valve testing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a test chamber, a slide plate slidingly and sealingly coupled to the test chamber, the slide plate having an opening formed therein that is adapted to receive a prosthetic heart valve to be tested in the test chamber, a storage member containing a plurality of prosthetic heart valves to be tested in the test chamber, and a load/unload means for transferring at least one of the heart valves in the storage member between the storage member and the slide plate. A method disclosed herein comprises positioning the storage member in a first position, moving a first heart valve from the storage member in the first position to the test chamber, performing at least one test on the first heart valve in the test chamber, and returning the first heart valve from the test chamber to the storage member.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for monitoring a vehicle hydraulic system having a plurality of hydraulic function elements. The hydraulic system includes a hydraulic pump for supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the plurality of hydraulic function elements via a corresponding plurality of hydraulic element control valves, an electronic control unit for controlling the element control valves. The pump also supplies lube fluid to a lubrication circuit if requirements of the hydraulic function elements are met. The method includes sensing a hydraulic pressure (preferably the lube pressure of lube fluid in the lube circuit), and comparing the sensed pressure to a threshold pressure. If the sensed pressure is less than threshold pressure, then actively engaged hydraulic elements are tested by disengaging the elements in a predetermined manner, checking to see if the sensed low pressure condition is eliminated.