Abstract: Apparatus comprising a housing having an aperture configured to receive a body part of a user, a capacitive sensor supported on the housing and a controller configured to use the capacitive sensor to determine whether a body part of a user is present within the aperture and to permit lancing of the body part only when it is determined that the body part of the user is present in the aperture.

Abstract: The present application relates to an apparatus for eliciting a blood sample. The apparatus has a housing having an aperture. A shaft extends in the housing and is received through a hole in a test member. A lancet protrudes radially from the test member. The hole is configured to allow the test member to translate relative to the shaft, in the presence of a force exerted on the test member by an actuator, from a retracted position to a skin penetrating position in which the lancet is displaced towards the aperture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group, comprising the following steps: (a) providing a sample that may contain bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group, a reaction medium comprising at least one fluorescent phosphatidylcholine phospholipase C (PC-PLC) substrate and an inhibitor of Gram-negative bacteria; (b) inoculating the reaction medium with the sample; (c) incubating the inoculated reaction medium; and (d) identifying the bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group by detecting the PC-PLC substrate hydrolysis reaction, in which the pH of the reaction medium and the time necessary for detecting the PC-PLC substrate hydrolysis reaction are adapted such that said hydrolysis reaction by bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group is detected before hydrolysis of the PC-PLC substrate by any Gram-positive bacteria other than those belonging to the Bacillus cereus group, that may be present in the sample.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a base plate including a plurality of depressions, and a power electronics printed circuit board including a plurality traces and a plurality of high voltage components. The plurality of high voltage components is located at a plurality of locations corresponding to the plurality of depressions in the base plate. A plurality of fasteners secures the printed circuit board to the base plate with the plurality of high voltage components received at the corresponding plurality of depressions. A thermally conductive and electrically isolating interface between the base plate and the printed circuit board is made of a gap filler material conforming to the base plate and to the plurality of depressions in the base plate, and conforming to the printed circuit board and to the plurality of high voltage components.

Abstract: A noninvasive method for measuring skin health in a subject comprising collecting an epithelial cell/skin cell sample from the subject; detecting a level of one or more antimicrobial peptide biomarkers in the epithelial cell sample/skin cell sample; diagnosing the subject as having a defense mechanism due to microbial attack on skin or a measure of the system being in balance with environment homeostasis based on the level of one or more antimicrobial peptide biomarkers selected from the group consisting of Histone H2B type 1-M, Histone H2A, Histone H4, Protein S100-A7, Protein S100-A8, Protein S100-A9, Cathepsin G, Neutrophil defensin 3 (Defensin, alpha 3) (HNP-3), Dermcidin, Ribonuclease 7 (RNase 7), human beta-defensin -2 (nBD-2) and Beta-defensin 103 (hBD-3) and listed in Table 1 wherein the AMP families include bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI), Defensin, Histone, Pore-forming toxin, S100 protein, Cytotoxin, Serine Protease 51, Dual Oxidase, transcription regulation, and mixtures thereof

Abstract: A noninvasive method for diagnosing skin health in a subject comprising collecting a skin sample from the subject; detecting a level of one or more small molecule biomarkers in the epithelial cell sample/skin cell sample; diagnosing the subject as having a skin condition based on the level of a detected small molecule biomarker, wherein the detected small molecule is at least one compound chosen from: a compound generated by metabolism of amino acids, a compound generated by dipeptides metabolism, a compound generated by nucleic acids, a compound generated by metabolism of lipids, a compound generated by metabolism of carbohydrates, and mixtures thereof and further small molecule biomarkers as listed in Table 1. Further, a noninvasive method for evaluating the efficacy of products for skin health.

Abstract: A system and method of targeted tuning of a speech recognition system are disclosed. A particular method includes detecting that a frequency of occurrence of a particular type of utterance satisfies a threshold. The method further includes tuning a speech recognition system with respect to the particular type of utterance.

Abstract: Cosmetic compositions for alleviating the signs of photoaged skin containing a substituted azole. Methods for alleviating the signs of photoaged skin that include applying a cosmetic composition comprising substituted azole to a target UV-exposed skin surface. The substituted azole compound present in the cosmetic composition may be 1-phenylimidazole, 4-phenylimidazole or a combination thereof. An effective amount of the cosmetic composition is applied to the target skin surface for a period of time sufficient to alleviate at least one sign of photoaging.

Abstract: Methods of improving the appearance of aging skin that include applying a cosmetic composition to a target skin surface having one or more signs of aging. The cosmetic composition includes a substituted azole. In some instances, the substituted azole compound is 1-phenylimidazole, 4-phenylimidazole, or combinations thereof. An effective amount of the cosmetic composition is applied for a period of time sufficient to improve the appearance of at least one sign of aging skin.

Abstract: Compositions for alleviating mechanically-induced skin inflammation, such as that caused by shaving, contain substituted azole. Methods for alleviating mechanically-induced skin inflammation include the step of applying a composition comprising substituted azole to a skin surface subject to mechanically-induced inflammation. In particular embodiments the substituted azole compound is 1-phenylimidazole, 4-phenylimidazole, or a combination thereof. An effective amount of the composition is applied for a period of time sufficient to alleviate mechanically-induced skin inflammation.

Abstract: A system and method of targeted tuning of a speech recognition system are disclosed. A particular method includes detecting that a frequency of occurrence of a particular type of utterance satisfies a threshold. The method further includes tuning a speech recognition system with respect to the particular type of utterance.

Abstract: System, methods, and apparatuses are provided for processing incoming data using a plurality of mapper modules and at least one reducer module. Incoming data may be processed to provide mapped data. The mapped data may be processed to provide reduced data. A feedback message may be generated. The feedback message may include data describing a suggestive configuration value to be applied when processing the incoming data.

Abstract: A flight procedure criteria prototyping system and method is described herein. According to embodiments, the system is configured to generate a prototype, generate a dependency tree based on the prototype, wherein the dependency tree is comprised of one or more dependency tree nodes, translate the dependency tree into one or more construction steps, wherein there is a mapping between the one or more dependency tree nodes and the one or more construction steps, maintain an ordered list of the one or more construction steps, and generate one or more software specifications based on the one or more construction steps.

Abstract: The various embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to systems and methods for the detection of anatomical structures and anatomical positions. More particularly, the various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to the detection of musculoskeletal elements, such as bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the like, which could be useful for example in poultry processing for bone screening as well as for guidance of machines for processing. For example, a system for detecting a bone in a carcass comprises: a device for supporting a carcass comprising a base and a frame attached to the base, wherein the frame is configured to contact at least a portion of a cavity of a carcass; and an electromagnetic radiation source, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to irradiate at least a portion of a cavity of a carcass.

Abstract: A loose terrain traction assist device for wheeled vehicles includes a generally frusto-conical structure having a proximal portion with a diameter smaller than an overall diameter of a tire of a vehicle, a distal portion that extends outwardly from the wheel, and an outer surface defined between the proximal portion and the distal portion. The traction assist device also includes an attachment arrangement for releasably coupling the frusto-conical structure to a wheel assembly of the vehicle, such that at least part of the frusto-conical structure is adapted to engage with terrain during operation of the vehicle in loose terrain and to not engage with terrain during operation of the vehicle on normal terrain.

Abstract: System, methods, and apparatuses are provided for processing incoming data using a plurality of mapper modules and at least one reducer module. Incoming data may be processed to provide mapped data. The mapped data may be processed to provide reduced data. A feedback message may be generated. The feedback message may include data describing a suggestive configuration value to be applied when processing the incoming data.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for storing graph data within a column-oriented data store. Graph data including vertex data describing one or more vertices in the graph and edge data describing one or more edges within the graph may be received. One or more vertex rows within the column-oriented data store may be assigned, whereby each vertex row of the one or more vertex rows is assigned to one vertex of the one or more vertices. One or more edge rows within the column-oriented data store may also be assigned, whereby each edge row of the one or more edge rows is assigned to one edge of the one or more edges. At least one vertex row and at least one edge row may be populated based on the graph data.

Abstract: A system and method for in-service optical dispersion determination are provided. Optical dispersion is determined by splitting a first optical signal into two components, introducing a time delay between the two components such that corresponding pulses of the two components partially overlap, combining the two components to generate a combined optical signal comprising a first component and a second component, determining power of the combined optical signal while applying a plurality of dispersion compensation values, in order to determine a dispersion compensation value that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal. Polarization Mode Dispersion is determined by adjusting the time delay that is introduced until the power of the combined optical signal is substantially equal for all of the plurality of dispersion compensation values.

Abstract: A method, in one embodiment, can include encoding knowledge about a topic domain into a data modeling technique. Additionally, a set of candidate conditional functional dependencies can be generated based on a data set of the topic domain. Moreover, the set of candidate conditional functional dependencies and the data modeling technique encoded with the topic domain knowledge can be applied to the data set to obtain a plurality of data quality rules for the data set.

Abstract: A system and method of targeted tuning of a speech recognition system are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method includes determining a frequency of occurrence of a particular type of utterance method and includes determining whether the frequency of occurrence exceeds a threshold. The method further includes tuning a speech recognition system to improve recognition of the particular type of utterance when the frequency of occurrence of the particular type of utterance exceeds the threshold.