Abstract: A strengthened semiconductor die substrate and package are disclosed. The substrate may include contact fingers formed with nonlinear edges. Providing a nonlinear contour to the contact finger edges reduces the mechanical stress exerted on the semiconductor die which would otherwise occur with straight edges to the contact fingers. The substrate may additionally or alternatively include plating traces extending at an angle from the contact fingers. Extending at an angle, at least the ends of the plating traces at the edge of the substrate are covered beneath a lid in which the semiconductor package is encased. Thus, when in use with a host device, contact between the ends of the plating traces beneath the lid and contact pins of the host device is avoided.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a friction braking system and a powertrain system including a torque machine operative to react tractive torque input from a wheel of the vehicle. A method for controlling braking in a vehicle includes monitoring operation of the powertrain system, determining a driver intended total brake torque, determining a regenerative braking capacity based upon the operation of the powertrain system, determining a regenerative braking request based upon a time-rate change in the regenerative braking capacity, and determining a motor torque command for the torque machine based upon the regenerative braking request.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor die having increased usable area has at least six sides. The semiconductor die has a reduced stress at each corner of the die, resulting in smaller keep out zones near the corners of the semiconductor die, which allow the placement of bond pads near each corner of the die. The semiconductor die further allows the placement of active circuitry near each corner of the semiconductor die. One embodiment results in a 5.0% increase in usable area on the semiconductor die.

Abstract: A carbon nanosphere has at least one opening. The carbon nanosphere is obtained by preparing a carbon nanosphere and treating it with an acid to form the opening. The carbon nanosphere with at least one opening has higher utilization of a surface area and electrical conductivity and lower mass transfer resistance than a conventional carbon nanotube, thus allowing for higher current density and cell voltage with a smaller amount of metal catalyst per unit area of a fuel cell electrode.

Abstract: A wrist coil for magnetic resonance imaging has a tubular coil formed by a number of coil splicing units spliced together in succession, and an annular coil unit that is wound around the surface of the tubular coil. Since the annular coil unit is wound around the surface of the tubular coil, and the current direction in the annular coil unit is perpendicular to the current direction in each of the coil splicing units, when some of the coil splicing units in the tubular coil do not acquire signals due to the fact that their magnetic field direction is parallel to that of the main magnetic field direction, the annular coil unit will carry out signal acquisition. Furthermore, since the magnetic flux of the annular coil unit is relatively large, this ensures a relatively high signal-to-noise ratio in the acquired signals no matter whatever layout position is adopted for the wrist coil, thus reducing equipment costs and eliminating restrictions for clinical applications in the prior art.

Abstract: The invention is directed to systems, methods, and apparatus for carrying out multi-stage amplification reactions, especially under fluidly closed conditions. In one aspect, methods of the invention are carried out in a fluidly closed reaction system that permits the isolation of a portion of a first (or prior) reaction mixture and its use as a sample or specimen in a second (or subsequent) reaction mixture, thereby substantially avoiding interfering effects that first reaction components may have in the second reaction if both reaction mixtures were simply combined together. In this aspect, systems, methods, and apparatus of the invention may be used with any amplification reaction that permits multiple stages of amplification based on the use of nested primers.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a powertrain system and a friction braking system communicating tractive torque with a driveline, the powertrain system including a torque machine, and an energy storage device connected to the torque machine, said torque machine communicating tractive torque with the driveline. A method for controlling regenerative braking and friction braking includes monitoring a vehicle operating point, determining a braking torque request, determining a regenerative braking motor torque ratio based upon the vehicle operating point wherein the regenerative braking motor torque ratio is non-linearly dependent on the vehicle operating point, and actuating the friction brake based upon the regenerative braking motor torque ratio and the braking torque request.

Abstract: A strengthened semiconductor die substrate and package are disclosed. The substrate may include contact fingers formed with nonlinear edges. Providing a nonlinear contour to the contact finger edges reduces the mechanical stress exerted on the semiconductor die which would otherwise occur with straight edges to the contact fingers. The substrate may additionally or alternatively include plating traces extending at an angle from the contact fingers. Extending at an angle, at least the ends of the plating traces at the edge of the substrate are covered beneath a lid in which the semiconductor package is encased. Thus, when in use with a host device, contact between the ends of the plating traces beneath the lid and contact pins of the host device is avoided.

Abstract: A hybrid control system comprises a power loss (PL) determination module, a hysteresis estimation module, and a mode determination module. The PL determination module determines a power loss of a hybrid drivetrain based on an engine speed, a motor speed, and a vehicle speed. The hysteresis estimation module determines an average power loss of the hybrid drivetrain based on the power loss and determines a hysteresis power loss of the hybrid drivetrain based on the average power loss. The mode determination module selects an operation mode of the hybrid drivetrain based on the hysteresis power loss. The hybrid control system controls the hybrid drivetrain based on the operation mode.

Abstract: An identification code circuit for a receiving coil in a magnetic resonance imaging system, is embodied in a main coil. The circuit has a fixed resistance for generating the identification code of the main coil. The main coil has a socket for connecting a sub-coil, so that a coil plug of a sub-coil can be plugged into the socket for connecting to the main coil. The identification code circuit also has a regulating resistance and a sub-coil switch corresponding to the socket. The coil plug of the sub-coil is plugged into the socket to close the sub-coil switch, so that the values of the regulating resistance and said fixed resistance are added together to form a combined resistance value. After said main coil has been connected to a magnetic resonance imaging system, an identification code source voltage value across the combined resistance value is the identification code of the combined main coil and sub-coil. A receiving circuit identification code thus can be generated simply and with reduced cost.

Abstract: An exemplary method for establishing a gamma correction table for a liquid crystal display includes: providing a liquid crystal display, a signal generator, and a color analyzer, the liquid crystal display comprising a predetermined gamma correction table; invalidating a predetermined gamma correction table of the liquid crystal display; initializing the liquid crystal display, the signal generator, and the color analyzer; measuring 2n (n is a natural number) reference gray scales of a single-colored image; obtaining a single-colored correction curve relating to luminance values corresponding the reference gray scales; obtaining an ideal single-colored gamma curve; storing 256 gray scales corresponding to the luminance values that most close to the luminance values of gray scale 0 to gray scale 255; and establishing a gamma correction table.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction device comprises a fixed magnetic layer having a first side and a second side, the fixed magnetic layer having a magnetic anisotropy that is out of the film plane of the fixed magnetic layer; a stack of a plurality of bilayers adjacent to the first side of the fixed magnetic layer, each bilayer comprising a first layer comprising at least one of cobalt, iron, a CoFeB alloy, or a CoB alloy and a second layer in contact with the first layer, the second layer comprising palladium or platinum, wherein the plurality of bilayers has a magnetic anisotropy that is out of the film plane of each of the bilayers, wherein the fixed magnetic layer is exchange coupled to the stack of the plurality of bilayers, and a tunnel barrier layer in contact with the second side of the fixed magnetic layer.

Abstract: A chemical or corrosive environment sensing system, comprising a giant magnetoresistive effect device having at least one environmentally exposed film, and a device, for sensing changes in the GMR effect device resulting from environmental exposure of the at least one environmentally exposed film. The film may be reversibly or irreversibly altered by the exposure, and is preferably nano-textured to alter a reaction rate and surface area. The sensor may be enzyme linked, that is, respond to an enzyme reaction product rather than the substrate directly. The GMR property altered and/or sensed may be, for example, a lower or upper switching field, an electrical resistance, and the GMR value. The device may be used as a sensor or as part of a control system.

Abstract: In a method and system for processing radio frequency signals of a tubular surface coil, the N channels of coil output signals are generated based on M channels of radio frequency signals acquired by M coil units in the tubular surface coil, wherein N is an even number greater than 1 and is less than or equal to M, and the N channels of coil output signals can be divided into N/2 pairs, with the two channels of coil output signals in each of the pairs respectively coming from the coil units located at symmetrical positions of the tubular surface coil. The respective modulus values of the two channels of coil output signals in said each pair of coil output signals are multiplied to obtain N/2 products which are then summed, and the square root of the summed result is computed, so as to generate a lateral cross-sectional image according to the computed result of square root. The signal strength in an imaging area and the uniformity of signal to noise ratio are thereby improved.

Abstract: Films for optical use, articles containing such films, methods for making such films, and systems that utilize such films, are disclosed.

Abstract: In a system having a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus and MRI-monitored medical equipment, the MRI-monitored medical equipment has an inductive coil built into the equipment that receives magnetic resonance signals from a subject and generates inductive electromagnetic signals according to the received magnetic resonance signals. The magnetic resonance imaging system has at least one reception coil that is positioned externally of the MRI-monitored medical equipment and that is connected to the magnetic resonance imaging system via a cable. The reception coil receives the electromagnetic signals that are generated by the inductive coil that is built into the medical equipment.

Abstract: The invention provides novel polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides and mutants or variants thereof that correspond to a novel human secreted CD84-like polypeptide. These polynucleotides comprise nucleic acid sequences isolated from cDNA library from human spleen (Hyseq clone identification numbers 2938352 (SEQ ID NO: 1)). Other aspects of the invention include vectors containing processes for producing novel human secreted CD84-like polypeptides, and antibodies specific for such polypeptides.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) switch device has at least two RF switch units, each RF switch unit having an output terminal and at least two input terminals. The RF switch units select one channel of RF signals from several channels of the RF signals that are supplied as inputs to their input terminals for emission as an output from their output terminals. A magnetic resonance imaging system and an RF signal transmission method employ such an RF switch device. The use of such an RF switch device reduces the number of channels of the RF signals that need to be further transmitted, which in turn reduces the number of the corresponding long RF cable channels and the number of channels of the subsequent devices, thereby preventing waste and reducing the cost of the system. Moreover, if the subsequent devices include a receiver coil channel selector, then the complexity of the receiver coil channel selector will also be reduced as the number of RF signal channels is decreased.

Abstract: An input/output module for a building automation system includes a mounting plate, a circuit board, and a cover. The mounting plate has at least two fastener receptacles (24-30) positioned to align with fastener receptacles of a standard electrical junction box (90). The mounting plate further includes at least two openings, each opening sized to receive one or more wires therethrough. The circuit board supports an interface circuit configured to communicate on a building network. The circuit board also includes device input terminals and device output terminals. The interface circuit is configured to provide an interface between the building network and devices connected to the input and output terminals. The circuit board is configured to be mounted to the mounting plate. The cover is sized to fit over the mounting plate and circuit board.

Abstract: A method for improving the imaging quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment and MRI equipment, include obtaining a corresponding relationship between a deterioration factor of imaging quality and the cumulative energy of gradient pulses applied by successive scanning MRI sequences, then determining a predicted value of a current deterioration factor of imaging quality according to the currently applied cumulative energy of the gradient pulses and said corresponding relationship, adopting a corresponding method to carry out dynamic regulation or compensation using the predicted value of said deterioration factor of imaging quality as a reference, so as to cancel the influence produced by the heating effect of the gradient system to the imaging quality, thereby effectively improving the imaging quality of the MRI equipment.