Abstract: Cutting elements for earth-boring tools include one or more recesses and/or one or more protrusions in a cutting face of a volume of superabrasive material. The superabrasive material may be disposed on a substrate. The cutting face may be non-planar. The recesses and/or protrusions may include one or more linear segments. The recesses and/or protrusions may comprise discrete features that are laterally isolated from one another. The recesses and/or protrusions may have a helical configuration. The volume of superabrasive material may comprise a plurality of thin layers, at least two of which may differ in at least one characteristic. Methods of forming cutting elements include the formation of such recesses and/or protrusions in and/or on a cutting face of a volume of superabrasive material. Earth-boring tools include such cutting elements, and methods of forming earth-boring tools include attaching such a cutting element to a tool body.

Abstract: Arrangements are provided for assembling multiple substrates for coating within a fluidized bed coater so as to deposit a coating of uniform thickness across the entire exterior surface thereof. One embodiment includes a method for coating orthopedic implants having convex and concave surfaces with pyrocarbon by pyrolytic decomposition of a hydrocarbon.

Abstract: A polycrystalline compact includes a plurality of diamond grains of micron size, submicron size, or both, and a plurality of diamond nanoparticles disposed in interstitial spaces between the plurality of diamond grains. A method of forming a polycrystalline compact includes combining a plurality of micron and/or submicron-sized diamond grains and a plurality of diamond nanoparticles to form a mixture and sintering the mixture in a presence of a carburized binder to form a polycrystalline hard material having a plurality of inter-bonded diamond grains and diamond nanoparticles. Cutting elements including a polycrystalline compact and earth-boring tools bearing such compacts are also disclosed.

Abstract: A polycrystalline super hard construction has a body of PCD material and a plurality of interstitial regions between inter-bonded diamond grains forming the PCD material. The body also has a first region substantially free of a solvent/catalyzing material which extends a depth from a working surface into the body of PCD material. A second region remote from the working surface includes solvent/catalyzing material in a plurality of the interstitial regions. A chamfer extends between the working surface and a peripheral side surface of the body of PCD material. The chamfer has a height which is the length along a plane perpendicular to the plane along which the working surface extends between the point of intersection of the chamfer with the working surface and the point of intersection of the chamfer and the peripheral side surface of the body of PCD material. The depth of the first region is greater than the height of the chamfer.

Abstract: Arrangements are provided for assembling multiple substrates for coating within a fluidized bed coater so as to deposit a coating of uniform thickness across the entire exterior surface thereof. One embodiment includes a method for coating orthopedic implants having convex and concave surfaces with pyrocarbon by pyrolytic decomposition of a hydrocarbon.

Abstract: A catheter device for use in the photodynamic treatment of a body cavity or hollow organ of the body, such as the bladder, the device being used in the photodynamic treatment of abnormalities, disorders or diseases of the internal surfaces of said body cavity or hollow organ.

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to a monitoring system for monitoring the positioning of a patient relative to a treatment apparatus operable to deliver radiation along a radiation path. A model generation module is arranged to generate a model of a surface of a patient being monitored. A comparison module determines a transformation required to match the generated model to the stored model target surface. An offset determination module then utilizes the transformation and data indicative of a current position of a treatment apparatus to determine an offset value indicative of the offset of the surface of a patient relative to an axis corresponding to a determined current radiation path for radiation generated by the treatment apparatus applied to a patient. If the offset value exceeds a threshold, a warning may be generated or treatment may be halted.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) heating apparatus and a microwave oven including an RF heating apparatus. The apparatus includes a cavity for receiving an object to be heated. The apparatus also includes a plurality of channels for generating RF radiation to be introduced into the cavity. Each channel includes a frequency synthesizer, a power amplifier and an antenna. Each channel is operable to use a common phase reference signal for generating the RF radiation. Each channel may be controllably operable to generate RF radiation having different, respective frequency spectra. Forward and reverse signal detection circuitry may be provided that is operable to determine amplitude, frequency and/or phase information relating to RF radiation in the cavity. This information may be used for adaptively controlling the RF radiation generated by each channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a PCD composite compact element comprising a PCD structure integrally bonded at an interface to a cemented carbide substrate; the PCD structure comprising coherently bonded diamond grains having a mean size no greater than 15 microns; the cemented carbide substrate comprising carbide particles dispersed in a metallic binder, the carbide particles comprising a carbide compound of a metal; wherein the ratio of the amount of metallic binder to the amount of the metal at points in the substrate deviates from a mean value by at most 20 percent of the mean value.

Abstract: A method of making a cutter structure (1) comprises placing a pre-formed body (4) of hard material having a surface topography in a canister, placing an aggregated mass of grains of superhard material (2) over said surface topography, placing a punch (10) in contact with the superhard material (2), the punch (10) having a surface with a surface topography inverse to that of the hard material body to imprint a pattern in the superhard material (2) complementary to the surface topography of the punch (10). The surface of the punch (10) contacting the superhard material (2) being formed of a ceramic material that does not react chemically with the superhard material (12) and/or a sinter catalyst for the superhard material (2).

Abstract: A method of making a body of polycrystalline superhard material comprising placing an aggregated mass of grains of superhard material into a canister, placing a ceramic layer either in direct contact with the aggregated mass of grains of superhard material or in indirect contact therewith, the ceramic layer being spaced from the grains by an interlayer of material when present, the ceramic layer having a surface with surface topology, the surface topology imprinting a pattern in the aggregated mass of grains of superhard material complementary to the surface topology, the ceramic material and the material of the interlayer being such that they do not react chemically with the superhard material and/or a sinter catalyst material for the grains of superhard material. The aggregated mass of grains of superhard material and ceramic layer are subjected to a pressure of greater than 5.

Abstract: Examples described may relate to methods and systems for controlling permission requests for applications running on a computing device to access resources provided by the computing device. A computing device may maintain in memory for a given application responses to permission requests. The computing device may receive responses to a first permission request that includes two selectable options to either allow or deny access to a particular resource. The computing device may determine whether a number of the responses to the first request that indicate to deny access exceeds a predefined threshold. If the number exceeds the threshold, the computing device may provide, at a run-time of the application subsequent to presentation of the first request, and based on the application attempting to access the resource, a modified permission request that includes, in addition to the two selectable options, a selectable option to prevent requesting permission to access the resource.

Abstract: A cutter comprises a superhard construction, the cutter having a cutting edge defined by a rake face, and a flank extending therefrom. The cutter also has first and second regions, the first region abutting the second region along a boundary, the first region having a different material composition from the second region. At least the second region comprises superhard material, the material of the first region has a different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from the material of the second region. The second region extends around the peripheral edge of the first region defined by the boundary to form a collar therearound, the first region and/or the second region extending to and/or forming at least a part of the rake face.

Abstract: A pneumatic depth sensor system for remotely reporting on a depth of a body of fluid is provided. The system comprises a regulated source of compressed gas, a first pressure sensor upstream from a normally-closed electronic solenoid valve, a second pressure sensor downstream from the electronic solenoid valve and a bubbler outlet downstream from the second pressure sensor, the bubbler outlet for locating at a bottom of the body of fluid, the depth sensor system under control of a microprocessor, the microprocessor in electronic communication with the first and second pressure sensors and the normally-closed electronic solenoid valve, and configured to instruct the normally-closed electronic solenoid valve to be in a fully open position or a fully closed position and to rapidly change position in response to a pressure reading from the second pressure sensor.