Abstract: A non-lethal arrow is disclosed that includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis. A nock is located on a first end of the shaft and a flight is positioned at approximately the first end of the shaft. A tip connector including a shaft connection end, wherein the shaft connection end is connected with the shaft. The shaft connection end defines a hollow interior portion sized a configured to receive an end of the shaft. A foam tip surrounds at least a portion of the tip connector. The foam tip is overmolded over the tip connector.

Abstract: An artificial skin such as an outer covering or skin for an animatronic character. The skin may be formed by a method that includes providing a mold assembly with an exterior mold and a core. In the mold assembly, a cavity is formed between inner surfaces of the exterior mold and exterior surfaces of the core that defines the skin system. The mold assembly includes a seam-forming wall extending between the inner and exterior surfaces. The method includes inserting an elongate, tubular guide through holes in the seam-forming wall and pouring an elastomeric material into the mold to occupy the cavity between the exterior mold and the interior core. The method includes, after the material has hardened, cutting a seam in the skin system by cutting the material along the seam-forming wall. The tubular guide is separated into guide segments and a staggered joint is formed at the cut seam.

Abstract: An edge-lit waveguide-based backlighting apparatus for high-brightness microdisplays. In one example, the backlighting apparatus includes a waveguide having substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces and a side surface substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces and extending between the top and bottom surfaces along a periphery of the waveguide, a specularly reflective film disposed on and at least partially covering the bottom and side surfaces of the waveguide, and at least one light source disposed on the side surface and configured to emit light into the waveguide in a direction of a length of the waveguide, the waveguide being configured to direct the light out of an output region of the top surface of the waveguide.

Abstract: Topoisomerase inhibitors are useful for the treatment of inflammatory disorders including arthritis, restenosis, surgical adhesions and other diseases. Controlled release polymeric formulations to topoisomerase inhibitors are particularly suitable for this use.

Abstract: A non-lethal arrow is disclosed that includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis. A nock is located on a first end of the shaft and a flight is positioned at approximately the first end of the shaft. A tip connector including a shaft connection end, wherein the shaft connection end is connected with the shaft. The shaft connection end defines a hollow interior portion sized a configured to receive an end of the shaft. A foam tip surrounds at least a portion of the tip connector. The foam tip is overmolded over the tip connector.

Abstract: A method and medicament for promoting wound healing in a subject is disclosed. The medicament comprises an effective amount of an agent comprising one or more of; (i) an activated protein C (APC), (ii) a functional fragment of an APC, (iii) an APC mimetic compound, and (iv) protein C. Delivery systems including gels, sponges, gauzes and meshes incorporating the agent for topical administration are also described.

Abstract: A method and medicament for promoting wound healing in a subject is disclosed. The medicament comprises an effective amount of an agent comprising one or more of; (i) an activated protein C (APC), (ii) a functional fragment of an APC, (iii) an APC mimetic compound, and (iv) protein C. Delivery systems including gels, sponges, gauzes and meshes incorporating the agent for topical administration are also described.

Abstract: A method for controlling a switch based on transistors is disclosed. A switching circuit for switching a signal from an input port to an output port thereof is provided. A shunting circuit for switchably shunting the signal from the input port to ground is also provided. A control signal is generated for biasing a control port of the shunting circuit and an approximately complimentary control signal is generated for biasing of the switching circuit to either shunt a signal received at the input port or to switch the signal to the output port. A further bias signal for biasing a port within the switching circuit along the signal path between the input port and the output port is also provided.

Abstract: Medical devices with novel spark gap electrode designs, able to control manually or automatically the electrodes gap are provided. These devices are used to generate a shock wave created by the rapid expansion and collapse of a plasma bubble that is formed between two spark gap electrodes placed in a special liquid medium, when a high differential voltage (kV) is applied to the electrodes. The resulting shock wave impacts a reflector to direct the energy into the body of an animal or a human toward the desired treatment location. This electro-hydraulic principle to create acoustic shock waves as a method of treatment is in use in the medical (lithotripsy, orthopedic use, wound treatment, burns, post-operative treatment, pain treatment, diagnosis, skin and organ transplantation supporting devices, arteriosclerosis treatment), cosmetic (treatment of scars and cellulite) and veterinary (treatment of musculoskeletal disorders) fields.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an artificial skin system for use with a robotics assembly. The method includes providing a mold core with an exterior surface defining an inner surface of a skin system, with this surface including a plurality of mounting elements. The method includes attaching, to each of the mounting elements, an elastomeric actuation piece or point (EAP). The mold core is positioned within an exterior skin mold, and a cavity is formed between the exterior surface of the mold core and inner surfaces of the exterior skin mold that defines topography and dimensions of the skin system. The method includes filling the cavity with skin-forming material. Then, after the skin-forming material hardens to form the skin system, the method includes removing the skin system from the mold core including detaching the EAPs from the mounting elements, and the EAPs are integrally bonded within the skin system.

Abstract: A method and medicament for promoting wound healing in a subject is disclosed. The medicament comprises an effective amount of an agent comprising one or more of; (i) an activated protein C (APC), (ii) a functional fragment of an APC, (iii) an APC mimetic compound, and (iv) protein C. Delivery systems including gels, sponges, gauzes and meshes incorporating the agent for topical administration are also described.

Abstract: A method for controlling a switch based on transistors is disclosed. A switching circuit for switching a signal from an input port to an output port thereof is provided. A shunting circuit for switchably shunting the signal from the input port to ground is also provided. A control signal is generated for biasing a control port of the shunting circuit and an approximately complimentary control signal is generated for biasing of the switching circuit to either shunt a signal received at the input port or to switch the signal to the output port. A further bias signal for biasing a port within the switching circuit along the signal path between the input port and the output port is also provided.

Abstract: A non-lethal arrow is disclosed that includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis. A nock is located on a first end of the shaft and a flight is positioned at approximately the first end of the shaft. A tip connector is included that has a foam tip connection end and a shaft connection end. The shaft connection end is connected with a second end of the shaft. The foam tip connection end includes a plurality of securing ribs extending circumferentially about the foam tip connection end. The securing ribs taper upwardly toward a back surface thereby allowing the securing ribs to grip a foam tip connected with the foam tip connection end. The shaft connection end includes an elongate cylindrical portion defining a hollow tube that is sized and configured to receive the second end of the shaft.

Abstract: A non-lethal arrow is disclosed that includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis. A nock is located on a first end of the shaft and a flight is positioned at approximately the first end of the shaft. A tip connector is included that has a foam tip connection end and a shaft connection end. The shaft connection end is connected with a second end of the shaft. The foam tip connection end includes a plurality of securing ribs extending circumferentially about the foam tip connection end. The securing ribs taper upwardly toward a back surface thereby allowing the securing ribs to grip a foam tip connected with the foam tip connection end. The shaft connection end includes an elongate cylindrical portion defining a hollow tube that is sized and configured to receive the second end of the shaft.

Abstract: A fully automated paint sample mixing and vending machine including an inventory section holding a plurality of containers with a base paint solution. The containers are individually dispensed onto a shuttle unit when a color is selected. The shuttle unit delivers the container to a capping unit for cap removal. After cap removal, the container moves on the shuttle unit to a colorant dispensing unit where various colorant paint solutions are injected into the base paint solution. Following tinting, the shuttle unit returns the container to the capping unit where the cap is securely reattached. The container is then delivered to a shaker unit where the container is rigorously shaken to mix the base and colorant solutions together to provide a uniform solution of consistent color. The container is then transported by the shaker unit to a delivery chute where the container is provided to the customer.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a product, such as an animatronic character, with artificial skin. The method includes providing a mold assembly with an exterior mold and a core. In the mold assembly, a cavity is formed between inner surfaces of the exterior mold and exterior surfaces of the core that defines the skin system. The mold assembly includes a seam-forming wall extending between the inner and exterior surfaces. The method includes inserting an elongate, tubular guide through holes in the seam-forming wall and pouring an elastomeric material into the mold to occupy the cavity between the exterior mold and the interior core. The method includes, after the material has hardened to form the skin system, cutting a seam in the skin system by cutting the material along the seam-forming wall. The tubular guide is separated into guide segments and a staggered joint is formed at the cut seam.

Abstract: A method for measuring ventricular dimensions from M-mode echocardiograms, includes providing a digitized M-mode echocardiogram image, running a plurality of local classifiers, where each local classifier trained to detect a landmark on either an end-diastole (ED) line or an end-systole (ES) line in the image, recording all possible landmarks detected by the classifiers, where a search range in an N-dimensional parameter space defined by the landmarks for each dimension is reduced to a union of subsets, where each dimension of the parameter space corresponds a landmark, for each combination of possible landmarks, checking if an order of the landmarks is consistent with a known ordering of the landmarks, and if the order is consistent, running a global detector on each consistent combination of landmarks to find a landmark combination with a highest detection probability as a confirmed landmark detection, where the landmarks are used for measuring ventricular dimensions.

Abstract: A sampling system is provided. The sampling system includes a housing. Mounted to the housing is a Hall effect sensor. A probe configured to contact a sample is inserted into the housing. The probe includes an elongated portion and a restorative spring inserted onto the elongated portion of the probe. The restorative spring provides sufficient restorative force to return the probe to a relaxed position. The Hall effect sensor is configured to sense a field strength generated by the proximity of the restorative spring of the probe in the extended position.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for physical face cloning to generate a synthetic skin. Rather than attempt to reproduce the mechanical properties of biological tissue, an output-oriented approach is utilized that models the synthetic skin as an elastic material with isotropic and homogeneous properties (e.g., silicone rubber). The method includes capturing a plurality of expressive poses from a human subject and generating a computational model based on one or more material parameters of a material. In one embodiment, the computational model is a compressible neo-Hookean material model configured to simulate deformation behavior of the synthetic skin. The method further includes optimizing a shape geometry of the synthetic skin based on the computational model and the captured expressive poses. An optimization process is provided that varies the thickness of the synthetic skin based on a minimization of an elastic energy with respect to rest state positions of the synthetic skin.