Abstract: A new and distinct Actinidia chinensis cultivar named ‘W47’ is disclosed, characterized by having distinctive yellow flesh fruit, and a very late seasonal harvest time in New Zealand. Additionally, the new variety produces fruit with very soft, downy pubescence and with a distinctive blunt, slightly protruding stylar end shape and square shoulders. The new variety is suitable for commercial production of kiwi fruit.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of blueberry (Vaccinium hybrid) plant named ‘C00-09’, characterized by its combination of upright to bushy plant shape and strong plant growth vigor, evergreen foliage with late timing of vegetative bud burst, lateness of flowering and fruiting, large to very large fruit size with oblate shape, firm fruit suited to handling, attractive dark blue fruit color and small picking scar, strong berry sweetness with weak to medium acidity. This combination results in higher quality fruit with a later availability than other varieties.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of cherry tree. The following features of the tree and its fruit are characterized with the tree budded on ‘Mahaleb’ Rootstock (non-patented), grown on Handford sandy loam soil with Storie Index rating 95, in USDA Hardiness Zone 9, near Modesto, Calif., with standard commercial fruit growing practices, such as pruning, thinning, spraying, irrigation and fertilization. Its novelty consist of the following combination of desirable features: 1. Early blooming with a low winter chilling requirement of approximately 500 hours at or below 45° F. 2. Fruit maturing in the early season. 3. Fruit with an attractive red skin color. 4. Fruit with good flavor and eating quality. 5. Heavy and regular production of large size fruit.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of peach tree (Prunus persica), which is denominated varietally as Burpeachtwentythree', and which produces an attractively colored yellow-fleshed, clingstone peach which is mature for harvesting and shipment approximately May 5 to May 10 under the ecological conditions prevailing in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.

Abstract: This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of strawberry plant (Fragaria×ananassa Duch) named ‘Puget Crimson’. ‘Puget Crimson’ is a late season, June-bearing (short-day) cultivar adapted to the Pacific Northwest. ‘Puget Crimson’ is distinguished by its upright growth habit, strong vigor, large fruit that is longer than wide, high yields of very late season production and an excellent strong strawberry flavor.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant named ‘Ilvobo’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; early and freely flowering habit; strong and sturdy stems that hold inflorescences upright; and large conical inflorescences with numerous white-colored sterile flowers that with development become red purple in color.

Abstract: A new cultivar of Veronica plant, ‘Whitewater’, that is characterized by its white flowers, its foliage that is dark green in color with a lustrous surface, and its low spreading habit.

Abstract: A new Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sywan Pur’ particularly distinguished by the bold red-purple inflorescence color, medium green foliage, rounded and mounded plant habit, and a natural flowering season response that is about early October.

Abstract: A new Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Syaub Oran’ particularly distinguished by the long-lasting, greyed-orange colored inflorescences, dark green foliage, with rounded and mounded plant habit.

Abstract: A new poinsettia plant named ‘NPCW10187’ particularly distinguished by its compact growth, medium sized bracts, and a brilliant bright red color, is disclosed.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Verbena plant named ‘Sunmarimuco’, characterized by its compact and outwardly spreading to trailing plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; early and freely flowering habit; long flowering period; purple-colored flowers that are held above and beyond the foliar plane; and good garden performance.

Abstract: A new cultivar of Begonia boliviensis named ‘YAMOUR’, characterized by its semi-pendulous plant habit, its single red flowers, its dark purple-green leaves, its floriferous habit, and its vigorous growth habit.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Hosta plant named ‘Secret Treasure’, characterized by its outwardly spreading foliage with upright flower scapes; dark green and white variegated leaves; purple-colored flowers that are positioned above the foliar plane on strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Aglaonema plant named ‘Bryant Queen’, characterized by its relatively compact and outwardly arching plant habit; freely clumping habit; dense and full growth habit; narrowly lanceolate leaves with contrasting dark green and silver-colored markings and dark green-colored margins; and relative cold temperature tolerance.

Abstract: A new cultivar of Kniphofia, ‘Echo Rojo’, characterized by its inflorescences that start orange in color and turn red as they mature, its early blooming habit with the first blooms appearing at the end of April to the first part of May in Georgia, its repeat bloom throughout the summer, its semi-evergreen foliage that remains clean, and its strong upright stems that reach 36 inches in height and do not lodge.

Abstract: A new distinct cultivar of Sanvitalia speciosa plant named ‘DANVITAL4’, characterized by its mounding and trailing plant habit; compact growth habit with good branching; about 200 inflorescences per plant, consisting of ray florets that are primarily yellow in color and disc florets that are primarily green in color; and medium tolerance to heat.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner power head (40) for vacuum cleaning and having two counter rotating agitators 52 and 54. Motor (60) rotates agitators (52) and (54) through transmission (70), and also rotates suction fan (65) to provide suction air to the rotary brush agitators. Exterior housing 48 and inner housing (49) provide air suction passageways to direct suction air through fan (65) and out of the housing to a dirt collection bag (34). Self-propelled function is provided by using user force on handle (32) to create differential contact friction between the two counter-rotating rotary brush agitators so that a net traction force is generated that propels power head (40) in the direction the user is pushing.

Abstract: A window buck is formed of side walls that are extruded from vinyl. The side walls have interior channels. The side walls may be formed to effect a female-male connection between the ends of two adjoining side walls. Alternatively a locking member is provided that is sized to frictionally engage a selected channel. The edges of the side members are shaped for abutment to each other with a connector in the channels to hold the window buck together. The window buck thereafter may be placed before the cement wall is formed and is sized to receive a window frame. The window buck may be formed into selected geometric shapes. Window bucks of different dimensions may be assembled by selected sides of different dimensions from bins or pallets of presized side members.

Abstract: A self-contained beverage chilling apparatus including a refrigerant cooling system comprising a refrigerant reservoir in a fluid communication with a cold plate, a refrigerator accumulator, a compressor and a refrigerant condenser mounted within a housing unit. The housing unit further included beverage inlet means in fluid communication with the cooling system cold plate, and beverage dispenser means in fluid communication with the cold plate wherein the beverage to be dispensed is chilled to a desired temperature as it passes through the cold plate to the beverage dispensing means.

Abstract: A semi-custom intraoral discluder device for preventing chronic tension and common migraine headaches and temporomandibular disorders that are caused or perpetuated by chronic activity of the temporalis muscle. The discluder includes a trough, contoured to encompass at least one maxillary or mandibular incisor, from which extends a protrusion, typically of a dome shape. The trough can be retained on the teeth by any adaptable material which can flow around the teeth and then maintain its shape. The adaptation of the retentive material can be performed by the end user, health care provider, or anyone trained in the art. Once in place in the wearer's mouth, one or two opposing incisor teeth will come into contact with the protrusion prior to the upper and lower posterior and/or canine teeth coming into contact, regardless of the position of the mandible, thereby reducing the intensity of the activity of the temporalis muscle.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a multiple-service card is disclosed. A card member 108 is provided with a single card that serves as both an open transaction instrument and a private retailer transaction instrument. This multiple-service card may have the traditional credit card data on one side of the card, including, for example, the account number, name of the account holder, and the expiration date. The other side of the card may include a magnetic stripe that contains the account information in machine readable form as well as private retailer transaction instrument information. In the system, the primary party and the service partner participants cooperate to complete the processes associated with the provision of the combined card services, including a new account process, card replacement and renewal processes, a service partner cancellation process, and a process for cancellation and/or transfer by a primary party.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting the impedance of an output load coupled to a digital amplifier and compensating for changes in the response of the amplifier. One embodiment of the invention is implemented in a Class D pulse width modulated (PWM) amplifier. In this embodiment, a digital PCM test signal is generated. This test signal is processed by the amplifier to produce a corresponding analog audio output signal that is used to drive a speaker. A sense resistor placed in series with the speaker is used to generate a test voltage that is compared to a reference voltage. When the test voltage reaches the reference voltage, the current through the sense resistor (hence the speaker) is at a known level, so the value of the digital test signal is noted. The impedance of the speaker is then determined from the test signal value and the speaker current.

Abstract: A PC-based system for monitoring and storing representative images from video cameras may be utilized for security or other monitoring applications. Camera inputs from digital or analog sources are individually and independently digitized and displayed at a first set of image sizes, sampling rates, and frame rates, and may be stored in digital form on various recording media at a second set of image sizes, sampling rates, and frame rates, and these two sets of sizes and rates may or may not be identical. Provisions are included for adding detection or alarm systems which will automatically alter image size, sampling rate and/or frame rate of an individual input source, or activate other physical responses. In addition to security system monitoring, further applications of the invention are disclosed for process monitoring in manufacturing environments and also for applications in videoconferencing.

Abstract: The invention provides a measuring apparatus that can efficiently analyze a three-dimensional image by simultaneously recording a circular streak image and a straight-line streak image at a measured point, even when a large number of circular streak images are present. A measuring apparatus includes: a 3CCD camera; a cubic beam splitter that combines optical images incident from plural routes; a mirror that shifts an image focusing position of an optical image at a measured point by a predetermined distance; a coloring unit that applies a predetermined color to an optical image incident to a route of the beam splitter; a motor that rotates the beam splitter and the mirror in a direction of an arrowhead; and a PC that calculates a three-dimensional position of the measured point based on the optical image recorded by a camera.

Abstract: A high intensity lighting apparatus (400) includes an outer housing (402); a curved support disk (414) having an array of diode or laser-based integrated light sources (410) attached thereto disposed within the housing. Each of the light sources (110) include a tube (112) having a laser or diode chip (111) at one end of the tube. The tubes each have at least one concave shaped exit surface (113) on an end opposite the chip, wherein the concave exit surface converges light emitted from each of the light sources to focal points within the housing (402). A shape of the curved support disk (414) converges the respective focal points into a light beam having a common focal plane (441). Adjustable secondary optics (431) are disposed in the housing after the focal plane (441) for creating various angles of transmission of the light beam. The laser can be a diode laser, while the diode can be a light-emitting diode (LED).

Abstract: A lens driving apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical yoke 3; a base 5 to which the yoke 3 is attached; a carrier 7 having a lens; a coil 10; and a magnet 13, wherein the carrier 7 is moved in a direction of an optical axis of a lens by electromagnetic force generated by passing current through the coil 10, the base 5 is substantially square-shaped as viewed from a plane, the yoke 3 is placed at an inner position of the base 5, the yoke 3 has an outer peripheral wall 3a and an annular inner peripheral wall 3b to be spaced to each other, each magnet is placed between the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall and at a position corresponding to a base corner portion of the base 5, and a space between the outer peripheral wall 3a and the inner peripheral wall 3b positioned at a base side portion 3e is made narrower than a space between the outer peripheral wall 3a and the inner peripheral wall 3b positioned at the base corner portion.

Abstract: A pipeline-based matching scheduling approach for input-buffered switches relaxes the timing constraint for arbitration with matching schemes, such as CRRD and CMSD. In the new approach, arbitration may operate in a pipelined manner. Each sub-scheduler is allowed to take more than one time slot for its matching. Every time slot, one of them provides a matching result(s). The sub-scheduler can use a matching scheme such as CRRD and CMSD.

Abstract: The present invention features a novel combination therapy useful in the treatment of autoimmune disease that increases or maintains the number of functional cells of a predetermined type in a mammal by killing or inactivating autoimmune cells and re-educating the host immune system.

Abstract: An alumina particle (1) of the present invention has an alumina body with a short axis length (b) of 1 to 10 nm, a long axis length (a) of 20 to 400 nm and an aspect ratio (a/b) of 5 to 80. The alumina body is expressed by a Formula I, and n is not less than 0. Al2O3.

Abstract: Various single crystals are disclosed including sapphire. The single crystals have desirable geometric properties, including a width not less than about 15 cm and the thickness is not less than about 0.5 cm. The single crystal may also have other features, such as a maximum thickness variation, and as-formed crystals may have a generally symmetrical neck portion, particularly related to the transition from the neck to the main body of the crystal. Methods and for forming such crystals and an apparatus for carrying out the methods are disclosed as well.

Abstract: A dental implant system having a temporary abutment made of plastic. An impression coping, also made of plastic, is attached to the temporary abutment using a snap fit. This snap fit obviates the need to remove the temporary abutment during the process of taking an impression of the mouth in the area around an implant. The cap may be provided for the temporary abutment that is attached thereto using the same snap fit mechanism. The snap fit mechanism comprises projections formed on one of the components and recesses formed on the other of the components, where the projections engage the recesses to maintain the components in a desired position relative to each other against incidental force. However, these components may be separated by deliberate application of manual force when required.

Abstract: In a patterning process of a semiconductor device having inverted stagger type TFTs, a normal photolithography step using diazo naphthoquinone (DNQ)-Novolac resin based positive photo resist is applied, and a problem of the area dependency of the photo resist pattern side wall taper angle may occur. The problem is critical for the reason of influence on variation of an etching shape in a dry-etching step. The present invention has an object to solve the above problem. In a photolithography step, which is patterning step of a semiconductor device having inverted stagger type TFTs, by adjusting a pre-bake temperature or a PEB (post-exposure-bake) temperature, and positively performing evacuation of solvent in a state of a photo resist film, the volume contraction by evacuation of solvent at the post-bake is reduced, and the problem of the area dependency of the photo resist pattern side wall taper angle is solved, which is deformation due to the volume contraction.

Abstract: A novel isoform of tropomyosin is disclosed. The isoform is closely related to epithelial human tropomyosin (hTM) and more particularly to hTM5 except the last coding exon. The novel isoform, is called TC22. Northern blot analysis with TC22-specific probe revealed that normal culture cell lines and normal epithelial tissues expressed very little, if at all, TC22 message, whereas their transformed counterparts and tumor tissues including dysfunction of the alimentary canal, significantly increased the expression of TC22. Assays directed at determining the level of TC22 are useful in diagnostics and therapeutics of dysfunction of the alimentary canal. Specific antibodies and mimics for TC22 are also disclosed for use in diagnostics and therapeutics of dysfunction of the alimentary canal.

Abstract: A needle assembly includes a needle and a hub mounted to each other. The hub includes a sidewall spaced outwardly from the needle cannula and extending to a distal position between the opposed ends of the needle cannula. A housing integral with the hub defines a sidewall to partially confine a safety shield. The safety shield is slidably disposed about the needle cannula and releasably retained in a proximal position and can be moved to a distal position where the safety shield completely surrounds that portion of the needle hub projecting distally from the hub. The needle assembly includes a spring for propelling the safety shield to the distal position and a latch for releasing the safety shield from the proximal position. The latch may be passively activated by normal usage of the medical implement to which the needle assembly is mounted or alternately activated manually.

Abstract: An improved method and mechanism for specified temporal deployment of rules within a rules server. A rules server applies a set of rules, stored within a rulebase, to a given set of input values or parameters. Each rule is associated with a start time and an end time. Upon receiving a transaction request, a transaction time is determined for the transaction request. Subsequently, a set of effective rules within the ruleset are identified by the rules server, wherein each effective rule has a start time before the transaction time, and an end time that is after the transaction time. The rule server applies only the set of effective rules to the transaction.

Abstract: Gloves, in particular cycling gloves, are being furnished which allow an efficient circulation of air in the interior of the glove in the area of the palm and largely prevent the development of sweat on the user's hand.

Abstract: This application describes a garment (e.g. a swim suit) having a base layer of stretchable elasticated fabric, the base layer having a torso portion that covers at least a part of the torso of a person when the garment is worn. An inner core layer of stretchable elasticated fabric is bonded to the inner surface of the base layer to extend around the abdomen and lower back regions of the garment. By providing a double layer of stretchable elasticated fabric in this manner, more compression is applied to the abdomen of the person (e.g. swimmer) wearing the suit, bringing about improvements in form drag. The additional support provided to the lower back and abdomen also improves core stability, which is of benefit in many sporting activities, including swimming.

Abstract: A wearable garment with a stitched or otherwise secured accessory, which is preferably a one piece PVC or injection molded plastic accessory. The accessory includes a base for attachment to the garment and a disk in the general shape of a bottle cap and bottle flange. The disk is attached together with the base by a flexible tether. The base unit is glued, stitched or otherwise attached to the wearable garment and the, bottle cap shape, is snapped onto the base unit.

Abstract: Examples of a nursing cover are described, including a sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge and a second side edge, wherein a stiffener pocket, a first strap and a second strap are disposed along the top edge of the sheet, the first strap and second strap being configured to detachably couple together, and a stiffener housed within the stiffener pocket and being configured to bow outward from the top edge of the sheet, the stiffener comprised of a material comprising a material memory associated with a pre-determined shape, the stiffener assuming the pre-determined shape during a resting state and, when a force is applied, the stiffener is configured to temporarily deform and, when the force is removed, the stiffener reassumes the pre-determined shape, the stiffener having a first end cap formed at a first end and a second end cap formed at a second end, wherein the stiffener, the first end cap and the second end cap collectively comprise a single member.