Abstract: Hard-tissue implants are provided that include a bulk implant, a face, pillars, slots, and at least one support member. The pillars are for contacting a hard tissue. The slots are to be occupied by the hard tissue. The at least one support member is for contacting the hard tissue. The hard-tissue implant has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa, and has a ratio of the sum of (i) the volumes of the slots to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the volumes of the slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1. Methods of making and using hard-tissue implants are also provided.

Abstract: Hard-tissue implants are provided that include a bulk implant, a face, pillars, slots, and at least one support member. The pillars are for contacting a hard tissue. The slots are to be occupied by the hard tissue. The at least one support member is for contacting the hard tissue. The hard-tissue implant has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa, and has a ratio of the sum of (i) the volumes of the slots to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the volumes of the slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1. Methods of making and using hard-tissue implants are also provided.

Abstract: An implant for attaching a tendon or ligament to a hard tissue is provided. The implant includes a shaft, a convex first surface, a flat or concave second surface, first pillars for contacting a hard tissue, first slots to be occupied by the hard tissue, second pillars for contacting a tendon or ligament, and second slots to be occupied by the tendon or ligament. The implant has a first surface ratio of the sum of the volumes of the first slots to the sum of the volumes of the first pillars and the volumes of the first slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1, and a second surface ratio of the sum of the volumes of the second slots to the sum of the volumes of the second pillars and the volumes of the second slots of 0.60:1 to 0.98:1. The second surface ratio is greater than the first surface ratio.

Abstract: An implant for attaching a tendon or ligament to a hard tissue is provided. The implant includes a shaft, a convex first surface, a flat or concave second surface, first pillars for contacting a hard tissue, first slots to be occupied by the hard tissue, second pillars for contacting a tendon or ligament, and second slots to be occupied by the tendon or ligament. The implant has a first surface ratio of the sum of the volumes of the first slots to the sum of the volumes of the first pillars and the volumes of the first slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1, and a second surface ratio of the sum of the volumes of the second slots to the sum of the volumes of the second pillars and the volumes of the second slots of 0.60:1 to 0.98:1. The second surface ratio is greater than the first surface ratio.

Abstract: A method of forming a metal component from metal powder which includes exposing the metal powder to an inert gas; consolidating the metal powder into a solid metal; followed by exposing the solid metal to a hot isostatic pressing process to form a metal component, wherein the hot isostatic pressing process has one initial compression cycle followed by at least one decompression and recompression cycle.

Abstract: Spinal interbody cages are provided that include a bulk interbody cage, a top face, a bottom face, a top mesh structure, a bottom mesh structure, pillars, and slots. The top and bottom faces are exterior surfaces of the bulk interbody cage having a top central opening and a bottom central opening, respectively. The top and bottom mesh structures extend from the bulk interbody cage across the top central opening and the bottom central opening, respectively. The pillars are for contacting vertebral bodies. The slots are to be occupied by bone of the vertebral bodies and/or by bone of a bone graft. The spinal interbody cage has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa, and has a ratio of the sum of (i) the volumes of the slots to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the volumes of the slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1.

Abstract: Hard-tissue implants are provided that include a bulk implant, a face, pillars, slots, and at least one support member. The pillars are for contacting a hard tissue. The slots are to be occupied by the hard tissue. The at least one support member is for contacting the hard tissue. The hard-tissue implant has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa, and has a ratio of the sum of (i) the volumes of the slots to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the volumes of the slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1. Methods of making and using hard-tissue implants are also provided.

Abstract: A hard-tissue implant is provided. The implant includes a shaft, a surface of the shaft, pillars for contacting a hard tissue, slots to be occupied by the hard tissue, and a thread disposed helically along the shaft, extending radially from the shaft, and having a plurality of grooves oriented transversely with respect to the thread that define a series of thread segments and thread gaps along the thread. The implant has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa and a ratio of (i) the sum of the volumes of the slots and the thread gaps to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the thread segments and the volumes of the slots and the thread gaps of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1. Also provided is a method of use of the implant for fusion of two or more bones in an individual in need thereof.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for forming a structure comprising: a) forming a pack from a skin sheet and a core sheet, wherein venting grooves are formed in a surface of a sheet that is adjacent to the other sheet; b) placing the pack in a mould and heating the pack; c) injecting a first gas between the core and skin sheets to urge the skin sheet against the mould; d) injecting a second gas on the side of the core sheet remote from the skin sheet to urge the core sheet against the skin sheet; e) maintaining gas pressure of the second gas thereby diffusion bonding the sheets; and f) withdrawing some or all of the first gas from the cavity.

Abstract: The present disclosure is a blood collection assembly that has a needle assembly fixedly coupled to a finger-activated actuator and tubing and the needle assembly has a needle. Further, the blood collection assembly has a hub that houses the needle assembly and the hub has a channel in a top surface of the hub. Additionally, the channel slidably engages the finger-activated actuator such that when the finger-activated actuator is moved from a distal end of the hub to a proximal end of the hub the needle retracts within the hub.

Abstract: Spinal interbody cages are provided that include a bulk interbody cage, a top face, a bottom face, pillars, and slots. The pillars are for contacting vertebral bodies. The slots are to be occupied by bone of the vertebral bodies and/or by bone of a bone graft. The spinal interbody cage has a Young's modulus of elasticity of at least 3 GPa, and has a ratio of the sum of (i) the volumes of the slots to (ii) the sum of the volumes of the pillars and the volumes of the slots of 0.40:1 to 0.90:1.

Abstract: Orthopedic screws are provided that include a tip, a head, and a shaft extending between the tip and the head. The shaft comprises a shaft core and at least one thread. The thread is disposed helically along the shaft, extends radially from the shaft, and has a plurality of grooves oriented transversely with respect to the thread. The plurality of grooves define a series of thread segments and thread slots along the thread. The shaft core is solid from the tip to the head. Cannulated orthopedic screws also are provided that include a shaft core that is hollow from the tip to the head and that defines a lumen extending from a tip opening to a head opening. Methods of use of the orthopedic screws and the cannulated orthopedic screws also are provided.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for forming a structure comprising: a) forming a pack from a skin sheet and a core sheet, wherein venting grooves are formed in a surface of a sheet that is adjacent to the other sheet; b) placing the pack in a mould and heating the pack; c) injecting a first gas between the core and skin sheets to urge the skin sheet against the mould; d) injecting a second gas on the side of the core sheet remote from the skin sheet to urge the core sheet against the skin sheet; e) maintaining gas pressure of the second gas thereby diffusion bonding the sheets; and f) withdrawing some or all of the first gas from the cavity.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a part, the method involving providing an apparatus, the apparatus having a metal skin component; a metal HIP can and a hollow space between a portion of the HIP can and a portion of the skin component, the method further involving filling the HIP can with a metal powder; evacuating the HIP can; sealing the evacuated HIP can; and applying a HIP process to the apparatus in a HIP chamber so as to form the part.

Abstract: An airframe (10) for an air vehicle comprising an outer skin layer (12) and a support layer (13) defining a fuselage of said air vehicle, wherein said outer skin layer (12) is magnetically coupled to said support layer (13).

Abstract: Additive manufacturing apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object, the apparatus comprising: means for directing energy onto a growth surface of a workpiece to form thereon a liquid melt-pool; means for feeding additional material into the melt-pool so as to cause the additional material to become incorporated into the liquid of the melt-pool; and means for cryogenically cooling the liquid melt-pool, thereby to achieve a cooling rate of the liquid melt pool of at least 100° C. per second and to cause the liquid melt-pool to solidify.

Abstract: In some examples, a portable electronic device may monitor a plurality of device care metrics to detect and characterize a level of care provided to an electronic device by a user. Further, the user may receive a reward for providing a level of care as specified by one or more device care thresholds. For example, the device may monitor sensor information from one or more sensors for determining whether the device has experienced a physical event, such as a fall event, an excessive moisture event, or the like. Further, the device may also monitor for system events, such as whether to update a program, whether malicious code has been installed, or the like. The occurrence of a physical event and/or the user's actions in response to a system event may determine a user's eligibility to receive a reward based on the level of device care provided.

Abstract: An airframe (10) for an air vehicle comprising an outer skin layer (12) and a support layer (13) defining a fuselage of said air vehicle, wherein said outer skin layer (12) is magnetically coupled to said support layer (13).

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing confirmations for list modifications. A network page is sent to a client. The network page includes one or more components for requesting that one or more items be added to a list of items. The item(s) are added to the list of items in response to a request from the client. A display region is encoded for rendering in the client as a layer superimposed on the network page. The display region includes a confirmation that the item(s) have been added to the list of items.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of methods and systems of incentivized advertising are presented. A content identifier identifying a digital content item, such as a song, is displayed on a user computing device. The digital content item is typically of the type available for a purchase price by the general public. A selection icon is provided in visual association with the content identifier. If the icon is selected by the user, an advertisement media item, such as a video advertisement, is presented on the user computing device. If the advertisement media item is presented for at least a requisite ad impression period, the digital content item is imparted to the user for free. Follow-up ad engagement views are typically presented to the user with a button to redeem the earned digital content item. Administrator and server elements are configured to facilitate performance of the method, and to optimize efficient use of advertiser's budget.