Abstract: A turbine bucket having an airfoil is disclosed. The airfoil may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. In addition, the airfoil may include a tip. The tip may include a tip floor and a tip wall extending outwardly from the tip floor. The tip wall may include an inner surface defining an inner perimeter of the tip wall. Moreover, a plurality of notches may be defined by the inner surface around at least a portion of the inner perimeter.

Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root and a tip. Also included is a pressure side wall extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and between the root and the tip. Further included is a suction side wall extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and between the root and the tip. Yet further included is a non-circular cooling channel defined by the turbine airfoil and extending radially from the root to the tip, the non-circular cooling channel routing a cooling air to an outlet hole formed in the tip. Also included is an exhaust hole defined by the turbine airfoil and extending from the non-circular cooling channel to the suction side wall, the exhaust hole radially located between the root and the tip.

Abstract: A sealing arrangement for a turbine system includes a bucket having an outer tip and at least one bucket ridge extending radially outwardly from the outer tip, the at least one bucket ridge comprising an abradable material. Also included is a stationary shroud disposed radially outwardly from the outer tip of the bucket. Further included is at least one shroud ridge extending radially inwardly from the stationary shroud toward the outer tip of the bucket, the at least one shroud ridge comprising the abradable material.

Abstract: The invention relates to plant homeobox (HB) protein family polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties compared to a reference or control plant, including increased yield.

Abstract: A sensing method is used for a capacitive sensing device, wherein the capacitive sensing device has a plurality of capacitive sensing components, each of which is charged or discharged by a charging component respectively. The sensing method comprises the steps of: a first sampling step of sampling at least one of charging or discharging time of a capacitive sensing component of the plurality of capacitive sensing components to determine a first sample time for the component sampled, wherein the component sampled and at least one another component of the plurality of capacitive sensing components are charged or discharged simultaneously during the first sampling step; a first comparing step of comparing the first sample time for the component sampled with a reference time; and an outputting step of outputting a trigger signal in the event that the first sample time exceeds the reference time.

Abstract: An airfoil includes a squealer tip at an outer radial end of the airfoil. A squealer tip pocket of the squealer tip has a convex side and a concave side, and a tip plate. A divider extends across the tip plate from the concave side to the convex side to divide the squealer tip pocket into a first pocket and a second pocket. At least one cooling passage through the tip plate in the second pocket provides fluid communication through the tip plate from an interior of the airfoil to the second pocket. The first pocket is fluidically disconnected from the interior of the airfoil.

Abstract: A cooling circuit for a turbine bucket having an airfoil portion includes a trailing edge cooling circuit portion provided with a first radially outwardly directed inlet passage intermediate leading and trailing edges of the airfoil portion of the bucket, extending from a platform portion of the bucket to a location adjacent a radially outer tip of the bucket, and connecting to a second radially inwardly directed passage extending from a location adjacent the radially outer tip to a location adjacent the platform portion. The second radially inwardly directed passage connects to a third trailing edge region passage, and a plurality of crossover passages connect a radially outer half of the second radially inwardly directed passage to a radially outer half of the third trailing edge region passage.

Abstract: A surgical laser system includes a pump module configured to produce pump energy within an operating wavelength, a gain medium configured to convert the pump energy into first laser energy, a non-linear crystal (NLC) configured to convert a portion of the first laser energy into second laser energy, which is a harmonic of the first laser energy, an output, and a first path diversion assembly having first and second operating modes. When the first path diversion assembly is in the first operating mode, the first laser energy is directed along the output path to the output, and the second laser energy is diverted from the output path and the output. When the first path diversion assembly is in the second operating mode, the second laser energy is directed along the output path to the output, and the first laser energy is diverted from the output path and the output.

Abstract: A surgical laser system includes an array of laser diodes that are configured to output laser energy, a fiber bundle, a delivery fiber, and a tubular sheath. The fiber bundle includes a plurality of optical fibers and has a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from the array of laser diodes. The delivery fiber includes a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from a distal end of the fiber bundle. The tubular sheath defines a lumen, in which at least a portion of the delivery fiber is disposed. The tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or a cystoscope. A distal end of the tubular sheath is configured to deliver laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber into a body of a patient.

Abstract: A rotor blade includes an airfoil having a tip plate that extends across an outer radial end. A rim extends radially outward from the tip plate and surrounds at least a portion of the airfoil and includes a concave portion opposed to a convex portion. A plurality of dividers extend between the concave and convex portions to define a plurality of pockets between the concave and convex portions at the outer radial end. A plurality of cooling passages through the tip plate provide fluid communication through the tip plate to the plurality of pockets. A first fluid passage in at least one divider provides fluid communication between adjacent pockets across the at least one divider.

Abstract: A turbine rotor blade for a gas turbine engine is described. The turbine rotor blade includes an airfoil that includes a tip at an outer radial end. The tip includes a rail that defines a tip cavity; and the rail includes a circumscribing rail microchannel. The circumscribing rail microchannel is a microchannel that extends around at least a majority of the length of the inner rail surface.

Abstract: A laser fiber for use in performing a medical laser treatment includes an optical fiber and a fiber tip. The optical fiber includes a terminating end surface at a distal end. The fiber tip is positioned at the distal end of the optical fiber and includes a transmissive portion and a spacer portion. Laser energy discharged from the terminating end surface of the optical fiber is transmitted through the transmissive portion. The spacer portion defines a distal terminating end of the fiber tip that is spaced a predetermined distance from the terminating end surface of the optical fiber. The predetermined distance is set for shock wave generation for calculus destruction at the distal terminating end of the fiber tip.

Abstract: Methods suitable for reducing corner cracking of environmental barrier coating systems. The methods include forming at least one layer of a first portion of the environmental barrier coating system on at least a first region of the component, performing a first heat treatment, forming at least one layer of a second portion of the environmental barrier coating system on a second region of the component, and performing a second heat treatment to the component. Edges of the first portion and edges of the second portion form an angle of at most 60° with respect to a surface of the first region of the component. During the second heat treatment, the second portion of the EBC system expands and the expansion of the second portion of the EBC system is at least partially constrained by the first portion of the EBC system to reduce tensile interfacial stresses in the EBC system.

Abstract: A casted turbine bucket having at least one machined plenum including a plenum chamber and at least one plenum passage connected to a plenum inlet at a root portion of turbine bucket, and a method to feed cooling flow to the turbine bucket using the machined plenum that receives cooling flow from the root portion of the turbine bucket.

Abstract: A rotor blade includes and airfoil. The airfoil includes pressure and suction side walls which extend radially outwardly from a platform in span from a root to a tip and between a leading edge and a trialing edge. The tip includes a tip floor, a plurality of coolant outlets and a tip rail having a pressure side and suction side portions that extend radially outwardly from the tip floor. Cooling passages are circumscribed within the airfoil and are in fluid communication with one or more of the coolant outlets. A baffle extends radially outwardly from and transversely across the tip floor from the pressure side portion to the suction side portion to define first and second tip pockets. A slot is disposed along the suction side portion of the tip rail to provide for fluid communication out of one of the first or second tip pockets, thereby reducing pressure within the corresponding tip pocket.

Abstract: A rotor blade includes a mounting portion comprising a mounting body that is formed to receive a coolant therein. An airfoil portion extends substantially radially outwardly from the mounting body and includes an airfoil body. The mounting body and the airfoil body define a plurality of primary cooling passages that extend substantially radially therein for routing the coolant through the airfoil body. Each of the primary cooling passages includes a cooling flow outlet that is formed along a tip portion of the airfoil body. The airfoil body further defines a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages, each having a coolant outlet that is formed along a trailing edge portion of the airfoil body. At least a portion of the trailing edge cooling passages are formed along a radially outer portion of the trailing edge proximate to the tip portion of the airfoil body.

Abstract: A turbine rotor blade used in a gas turbine engine, which includes an airfoil having a tip at an outer radial edge, is described. The airfoil includes a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall that join together at a leading edge and a trailing edge of the airfoil, the pressure sidewall and the suction sidewall extending from a root to the tip. The tip includes a tip plate and, disposed along a periphery of the tip plate, a rail. The rail includes a microchannel connected to a coolant source.

Abstract: A surgical laser system includes a first laser source, a second laser source, a beam combiner and a laser probe. The first laser source is configured to output a first laser pulse train comprising first laser pulses. The second laser source is configured to output a second laser pulse train comprising second laser pulses. The beam combiner is configured to combine the first and second laser pulse trains and output a combined laser pulse train comprising the first and second laser pulses. The laser probe is optically coupled to an output of the beam combiner and is configured to discharge the combined laser pulse train.

Abstract: A laser lithotripsy method for fragmenting a kidney or bladder stone in a patient is provided. The method includes delivering a first laser energy having a first wavelength to the stone. The stone is heated in response to the delivery of the first laser energy to the stone. The method also includes delivering a second laser energy to the stone having a second wavelength that has a higher absorption by the stone or the fluid surrounding the stone than the first wavelength. The stone is fragmented in response to the delivery of the second laser energy to the stone.