Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic walking cane for the visually impaired which is adapted with an RFID reader to wirelessly detect RFID tags which are positioned as guides along footpaths with Braille blocks having embedded RFID tags.

Abstract: Provided is a device for controlling a particle distribution in a droplet including particles. The device includes: a first electrode for developing an electric field in the vicinity of the droplet; and a second electrode for developing the electric field that is fixed to a substrate, is insulated from the first electrode, and located at about the center of the droplet. A micro electrode system including a circular electrode placed along a droplet rim and a point electrode at about the center of the bottom is used to cause radial electroosmotic flow, thereby obtaining a uniform solute distribution after complete evaporation of the droplet. The direction and strength of the radial electroosmotic flow can be varied and the radial electroosmotic flow is periodically applied. Particles used to obtain uniformity are selected from the group consisting of a polymer, an organic substance, an inorganic substance, a metal, and a biomolecule. The particles can be neutral, negatively charged or positively charged.

Abstract: An electrochemical system with reduced limiting-current behavior is disclosed. The electrochemical system is useful for fuel cells and bio-sensors. In part, the invention relates a method of reducing or eliminating limiting-current behavior in the operation electrochemical systems, in particular those with ion-selective membrane or electrochemical electrodes, by spatially reducing the convection near the membrane or the electrode. The invention further relates to electrochemical systems in which micropores, microarrays or pillar arrays are used to reduce convection in comparison to conventional systems without microarrays, micropores or pillar arrays.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for construction of a design for elastic pavement of a road or sidewalk. The process includes: grinding rubber chips into fine pieces, admixing the ground chip pieces with a urethane binder, heat curing the mixture to prepare a mat block, and slicing the prepared mat block to form logo blocks of desired design; grinding rubber chips into fine pieces, admixing the ground chip pieces with a urethane binder, in-situ paving a road or sidewalk with the mixture, and leveling the paved road or sidewalk; and adhering a binder to a bottom of the logo block and placing the logo block on desired positions of the paved road or sidewalk before the paved road or sidewalk being cured, heating the paved road or sidewalk to fix the logo block to the paved road or sidewalk while leveling the same.

Abstract: A multiplexed concentration interface that can connect with a plurality of microchannels, conventional 96 well plates or other microarrays is disclosed. The interface can be used in biosensing platforms and can be designed to detect single or multiple targets such as DNA/RNA, proteins and carbohydrates/oligosaccharides. The multiplexed concentration device will provide a set of volume-matched sample preparation and detection strategies directly applicable by ordinary researchers. Furthermore, a multiplexed microfluidic concentrator without buffer channels is disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and methods of use thereof for desalting a solution. The methods, inter-alia, make use of a device comprising microchannels, which are linked to conduits, whereby induction of an electric field in the conduit results in the formation of a space charge layer within the microchannel. The space charge layer provides an energy barrier for salt ions and generates an ion depletion zone proximal to the linkage region between the microchannel and the conduit. The method thus enables the removal of salt ions from the region proximal to the conduit and their accumulation in a region distant from the conduit, within the microchannel.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods for capturing a fingerprint are provided. In a first example method, first fingerprint image may be obtained in a guard region within a captured image, the guard region including less than all of the captured image. A fingerprint region may be extracted from the captured image based on a predicted color distribution, the predicted color distribution based on color information associated with the first fingerprint image, the extracted fingerprint region including the first fingerprint image within the guard region and at least a portion of the fingerprint region extending beyond the guard region within the captured image. In a second example method, guard region may be defined within a picture boundary area, the defined guard region including less than all of the picture boundary area. At least one image may be captured, the captured image spanning the picture boundary area. Information associated with the captured image may be extracted from within the guard region.

Abstract: There is provided an LED testing apparatus. An LED testing apparatus according to an aspect of the invention may include: a first lighting unit generating first light and irradiating the first light onto an LED having an encapsulant including a fluorescent material excited by the first light to emit light having a longer wavelength than the first light; a second lighting unit generating second light having a longer wavelength than the first light to irradiate the second light onto the LED; an image acquisition unit receiving the light emitted from the fluorescent material and the second light reflected off the LED to acquire images of the LED; and an LED state determination unit determining whether the LED is acceptable or defective using the images of the LED acquired by the image acquisition unit. There is further provided an LED testing method using the LED testing apparatus.

Abstract: A refrigerator is provided. A water supply passage unit of the refrigerator is installed going around a freezing compartment but via an outer side of the main body. Therefore, the water supply passage unit is not frozen.

Abstract: A method for controlling the hydrophilic droplet using the electrowetting principle is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention provides a method for increasing the change of the contact angle in the interface that is formed between the hydrophilic droplet and the nonpolar fluid by adding a constant concentration of two-element electrolyte or three-element electrolyte to the hydrophilic droplet; and an apparatus for controlling the droplet having the change of the contact angle and velocity scope increased by the method.

Abstract: This invention provides a device and methods for increasing the concentration of a charged species in solution, wherein the solution containing the concentrated species is exposed to the environment. Such solution can be formed on a surface or on a tip of a measurement device. The open-environment concentration technique overcomes the disadvantages of in-channel concentration devices, especially by eliminating flow-induced delivery processes that lead to concentration losses. Combined with direct contact dispensing, methods of this invention can be used for various applications such as immunoassay and MALDI-MS.

Abstract: A method for controlling the hydrophilic droplet using the electrowetting principle is disclosed. More specifically, the present invention provides a method for increasing the change of the contact angle in the interface that is formed between the hydrophilic droplet and the nonpolar fluid by adding a constant concentration of two-element electrolyte or three-element electrolyte to the hydrophilic droplet; and an apparatus for controlling the droplet having the change of the contact angle and velocity scope increased by the method.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and methods of use thereof in concentrating a species of interest and/or controlling liquid flow in a device. The methods make use of a device comprising a fluidic chip comprising a planar array of channels through which a liquid comprising a species of interest can be made to pass with at least one rigid substrate connected thereto such that at least a portion of a surface of the substrate bounds the channels, and a high aspect ratio ion-selective membrane is embedded within the chip, attached to at least a portion of the channels. The device comprises a unit to induce an electric field in the channel and a unit to induce an electrokinetic or pressure driven flow in the channel.

Abstract: Provided are an alignment mark with a higher rate of recognition, a semiconductor chip including the alignment mark, a semiconductor package including the semiconductor chip, and methods of fabricating the alignment mark, the semiconductor chip, and the semiconductor package. The alignment mark may include an align metal pad on a substrate and may be electrically isolated. A protective film may be on the align metal pad and may include an aperture exposing a part of the align metal pad. A metal alignment bump may be on the align metal pad exposed in the aperture such that the metal alignment bump protrudes above the protective film.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calculating an observation probability includes a first operation unit that subtracts a mean of a first plurality of parameters of an input voice signal from a second parameter of an input voice signal, and multiplies the subtraction result to obtain a first output. The first output is squared and accumulated N times in a second operation unit to obtain a second output. A third operation unit subtracts a given weighted value from the second output to obtain a third output, and a comparator stores the third output for a comparator stores the third output in order to extract L outputs therefrom, and stores the L extracted outputs based on an order of magnitude of the extracted L outputs.

Abstract: Provided is a device for controlling a particle distribution in a droplet including particles. The device includes: a first electrode for developing an electric field in the vicinity of the droplet; and a second electrode for developing the electric field that is fixed to a substrate, is insulated from the first electrode, and located at about the center of the droplet. A micro electrode system including a circular electrode placed along a droplet rim and a point electrode at about the center of the bottom is used to cause radial electroosmotic flow, thereby obtaining a uniform solute distribution after complete evaporation of the droplet. The direction and strength of the radial electroosmotic flow can be varied and the radial electroosmotic flow is periodically applied. Particles used to obtain uniformity are selected from the group consisting of a polymer, an organic substance, an inorganic substance, a metal, and a biomolecule. The particles can be neutral, negatively charged or positively charged.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods for capturing a fingerprint are provided. In a first example method, first fingerprint image may be obtained in a guard region within a captured image, the guard region including less than all of the captured image. A fingerprint region may be extracted from the captured image based on a predicted color distribution, the predicted color distribution based on color information associated with the first fingerprint image, the extracted fingerprint region including the first fingerprint image within the guard region and at least a portion of the fingerprint region extending beyond the guard region within the captured image. In a second example method, guard region may be defined within a picture boundary area, the defined guard region including less than all of the picture boundary area. At least one image may be captured, the captured image spanning the picture boundary area. Information associated with the captured image may be extracted from within the guard region.

Abstract: An integrated cell searcher of a dual mode modem, which supports different communication modes, is provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for improving a printing speed of a printer. According to the present invention, a method for improving a printing speed of a printer comprises the steps of: converting data to be printed by a predetermined size; calculating a time required for transferring the converted data to the printer by means of a predetermined calculating formula; setting a starting time for transferring a command of recognizing an environment of a printer engine to the printer with reference to the calculated time; transferring the command of recognizing the environment of the printer engine to the printer at the starting time during a transferring of the converted data; and performing the recognizing of the environment of the printer engine after receiving the command of recognizing the environment.

Abstract: A technique for processing print data in which a single printer driver of a host confirms a data processing form of a printer, generates print data corresponding to the confirmed data processing form of the printer and transmits the print data to the printer.