Abstract: An ice making system for a refrigerator appliance is provided. The ice making system includes an ice maker, an ice bucket and an ice cube level sensing assembly. The ice cube level sensing assembly includes an infrared light emitter and an infrared light receiver. The infrared light emitter directs infrared light into a storage volume of the ice bucket, and the infrared light receiver receives infrared light from the infrared light emitter reflected by ice cubes within the storage volume of the ice bucket.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array and a plurality of pairs of column lines. The pixel array includes a plurality of unit pixel areas arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. Each of the unit pixel areas includes a readout circuit connected to a corresponding pair of column lines, and first and second photo-electric conversion devices sharing the readout circuit. Each of the unit pixel areas is configured to output a first pixel signal corresponding to a photoelectron generated by the first photo-electric conversion device through the first column line, and to output a second pixel signal corresponding to a photoelectron generated by the second photo-electric conversion device through the second column line.

Abstract: Provided are an image sensor and an image capturing apparatus including the image sensor. The image sensor includes a pixel array including: multiple sensing pixels outputting image signals respectively corresponding to intensities of incident light; and at least one pair of focusing pixels that are adjacent each other, and each outputting a phase difference of the incident light as a focusing signal; wherein each focusing pixel includes: a semiconductor layer including a photodetecting device accumulating electric charges generated according to absorbed light from among the incident light; a wiring layer formed on a first surface of the semiconductor layer and including wirings; a planarization layer having a first surface on a second surface of the semiconductor layer; a shielding layer formed in the planarization layer to block some of the incident light to be incident to the photodetecting device; and a color filter layer and a micro lens layer.

Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor may include: a ceramic body; first and second external electrodes; first and second internal electrodes; third and fourth internal electrodes being adjacent to the first and second internal electrodes in a thickness direction of the ceramic body, respectively; and first floating electrodes misaligned with the third and fourth internal electrodes in the thickness direction of the ceramic body within the ceramic body and having both end portions overlapped with portions of the third and fourth internal electrodes, respectively. When a distance between the first internal electrode and the third internal electrode or between the second internal electrode and the fourth internal electrode is a and a distance between the third or fourth internal electrode and the first floating electrode is b, b>a may be satisfied.

Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor may include: a ceramic body; first and second external electrodes; first and second internal electrodes connected to the first and second external electrodes, respectively; first floating electrodes having both end portions overlapped with portions of the first and second internal electrodes, respectively; and at least one second floating electrode shifted with respect to the first floating electrodes in a length direction of the ceramic body. The lengths of portions of the first and second floating electrodes overlapped with the portions of the first internal electrodes may be different from those of portions of the first and second floating electrodes overlapped with the portions of the second internal electrodes.

Abstract: An ice making system for a refrigerator appliance is provided. The ice making system includes an ice maker, an ice bucket and an ice cube level sensing assembly. The ice cube level sensing assembly includes an infrared light emitter and an infrared light receiver. The infrared light emitter directs infrared light into a storage volume of the ice bucket, and the infrared light receiver receives infrared light from the infrared light emitter reflected by ice cubes within the storage volume of the ice bucket.

Abstract: A spectroscopic sensor and a spectroscopic method of determining a concentration of a sample are disclosed. The sensor is used in connection with a sample cell containing a sample. The sensor includes a coherent light source configured to transmit an interrogation light beam along an optical sample path directed towards the sample. The sensor also includes an in-line reference cell located in the sample path. The sensor also includes a detector having outputs responsive to absorption signals from the sample and the in-line reference cell. The sensor also includes a processor configured to isolate the reference absorption signals from the in-line reference cell and sample absorption signals from the sample cell and generate calibration information based on the reference absorption signals and determine a concentration of the sample based on the sample absorption signals.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array and a plurality of pairs of column lines. The pixel array includes a plurality of unit pixel areas arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. Each of the unit pixel areas includes a readout circuit connected to a corresponding pair of column lines, and first and second photo-electric conversion devices sharing the readout circuit. Each of the unit pixel areas is configured to output a first pixel signal corresponding to a photoelectron generated by the first photo-electric conversion device through the first column line, and to output a second pixel signal corresponding to a photoelectron generated by the second photo-electric conversion device through the second column line.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a polymerization method of propylene, which can prepare a propylene homopolymer with both high fluidity and high rigidity as well as a propylene/?-define copolymer having both high fluidity and a good rigidity-toughness balance by, for example, control of polymerization steps and elevation of polymerization temperature, while the catalyst still maintains a relatively high polymerization activity.

Abstract: A spectroscopic sensor and a spectroscopic method of determining a concentration of a sample are disclosed. The sensor is used in connection with a sample cell containing a sample. The sensor includes a coherent light source configured to transmit an interrogation light beam along an optical sample path directed towards the sample. The sensor also includes an in-line reference cell located in the sample path. The sensor also includes a detector having outputs responsive to absorption signals from the sample and the in-line reference cell. The sensor also includes a processor configured to isolate the reference absorption signals from the in-line reference cell and sample absorption signals from the sample cell and generate calibration information based on the reference absorption signals and determine a concentration of the sample based on the sample absorption signals.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a stent for prostatic urethra expansion which does not generate bladder stones, is removable without causing injury on a urethra, and does not generate atrophy of a prostatic urethra even after removal. The stent for prostatic urethra expansion include a stent unit including a cylindrical body with space parts formed by knotting or crossing shape memory alloy wires and bending terminals formed at both ends of the cylindrical body, a pair of hook wires passing through the space parts and knotted to the shape memory alloy wires, both ends thereof being wound on the bending terminals and then being bent upwardly to produce hooks, and a pair of hanging strings arranged in opposite directions to form a hanging knot. The stent for prostatic urethra expansion does not move into the bladder, and expands and maintains a lumen of the stenosed prostatic urethra, thereby reducing post-operative recovery time.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for power-saving switch on a pair of configurable analog-to-digital converters. The apparatus mainly comprises an antenna, an antenna switch, a zero-IF RF receiver, and a baseband demodulator. By using a first and a second control signal to control the ON/OFF states of a plurality of switches and a plurality of stage units in the configurable analog-to-digital converters, and the third control signal to control the ON/OFF states of a plurality of LNA stages and the gain of a plurality VGAs, the power saving of the analog-to-digital converter is easily achieved.

Abstract: A terminal device includes a communication section configured to communicate with a server including content data, a reproduction processor configured to reproduce the content data obtained through the communication, a bookmark creator configured to, in accordance with an instruction from a user, create a bookmark on the basis of information regarding a reproduction location of the content data in the process of being reproduced and information regarding a storage location of the content data, a bookmark storage section configured to store the bookmark therein, and a controller configured to, in the case where an instruction for reading out the bookmark is issued by the user, perform control to read out the bookmark from the bookmark storage section, transmit a request for acquisition of the content data specified by description of the read-out bookmark to the server, and cause the reproduction processor to reproduce the content data transmitted by the server.

Abstract: A slide fastener bioabsorbable stent is applied as a cardiovascular system stent or a lumen stent in the disease of cardiovascular or narrow lumen. The slide fastener bioabsorbable stent includes a snap fastener stent, an edge slide fastener stent, a middle slide fastener stent, and a double fastener stent. The slide fastener bioabsorbable stent has good degradability and biocompatibility, and is more suitably used as a pediatric vascular stent, with which no late-onset stent thromboses after implanted, and thus it is not necessary to long-term take antiplatelet drugs and the subsequent surgical operation may not be affected. Also, it has a strong support, and thus can be widely used as a cardiovascular system stent or a lumen stent in the disease of cardiovascular or narrow lumen. The slide fastener bioabsorbable stent has simple production and convenient drug carrying, which can be used as a carrier of medicine or gene treatment.

Abstract: A transcatheter delivery device for delivering a slide-and-lock stent to a stenosed lumen consists of an outer cannula (3), an inner sheath (2) and a balloon catheter (1). The distal end of the balloon catheter (1) is a balloon (5). The length and diameter of the balloon (5) can be chosen according to the requirement of the stent. A cone (4) is attached to the distal end of the balloon (5) to prevent the stent sliding to the distal end. The proximal part of the cone (4) can be inserted into the outer cannula (3) to maintain the external surfaces of the cone (4) and the outer cannula (3) on the same level. The inner sheath (2) is a little shorter than the balloon catheter (1) and extends to the proximal end of the balloon (5) so as to prevent the stent sliding to the proximal end.

Abstract: A self-expandable shape memory alloy stent includes first and second wires made of super-elastic shape memory alloy. The first wire extends downwardly from the top to the bottom of the stent without interlocking with itself but extends upwardly from the bottom to the top of the stent while interlocking with itself to leave a multiplicity of rhombic spaces. Similarly, the second wire extends downwardly from the top to the bottom of the stent without interlocking with itself but extends upwardly from the bottom to the top of the stent while interlocking with itself, in such a manner as to divide the rhombic spaces formed by the first wire into four small rhombic spaces. The first wire and the second wire are woven with each other in such a manner that the second wire passes alternately below and above the first wire at intersection points.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for injecting liquid-drops of particle mixture liquid including a mixture of biological particles, affecting magnetic field, and having only positive particles, which are combined with magnetic responsive material, separated by magnetic force, and having negative particles, which are not combined with magnetic responsive material, precipitated by gravity.

Abstract: A pixel cell includes a substrate, an epitaxial layer, and a photo converting device in the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer has a doping concentration profile of embossing shape, and includes a plurality of layers that are stacked on the substrate. The photo converting device does not include a neutral region that has a constant potential in the vertical direction. Therefore, the image sensor including the pixel cell has high quantization efficiency, and a crosstalk between photo-converting devices is decreased.

Abstract: A heart valve prosthesis and a method of fabricating the same. The heart valve prosthesis uses a leaflet of pig pericardium or a leaflet of cattle pericardium, which has a suitable thickness according to the size of the valve, and a stent. The heart valve prosthesis is fabricated by placing a valve body over a Dacron body, binding the valve body to the Dacron body using stitching fiber, rolling the Dacron body into a cylindrical form such that the valve body is located inside, binding opposite edges of the Dacron body to each other using stitching fiber, and inserting the resultant structure into a stent, which is knitted using a shape memory alloy wire. The heart valve prosthesis is friendly to and is not rejected by human tissue, is free from deformation, and can be implanted using a non-invasive manner without incising the chest wall of a patient.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a photoelectric converter, a reflector, and a charge carrier guiding region. The reflector is disposed under the photoelectric converter, and the charge carrier guiding region is disposed between the photoelectric converter and the reflector. The reflector reflects incident light passed by the photoelectric converter back through the photoelectric converter for increasing photoelectric conversion efficiency and reduced crosstalk. The charge carrier guiding region dissipates undesired charge carriers for further increasing photoelectric conversion efficiency.