A system and method are described that provide television content broadcast system subscribers with convenient access to aggregated web feed content. In one embodiment, a television content broadcast system (20) maintains a database (21) linking one or more particular subscribers with one or more sources of web feed content. The television content broadcast system (20) downloads web feed content for a subscriber from the one or more sources associated with the subscriber, either at the user's request or to a cache (22). The television content broadcast system (20) sends the downloaded web feed content through a web content interface (30(2)) to a television receiver (41), or through a web content interface (30(3)) to a local memory (51) in a set-top box (50). In another embodiment, the television content broadcast subscribers also have accounts on a web content aggregation system (10). Web content aggregation system (10) retrieves web feed content associated with the user, and sends the web feed content to television content broadcast system (20) for forwarding to the appropriate subscriber.

A playback apparatus to play back content data including sound data includes an instruction operating portion to detect an instruction operation that instructs execution of prescribed processing, a hold operating portion to detect a hold setting operation that sets a state of not accepting the instruction operation to the instruction operating portion, a state control portion to set the state of not accepting the instruction operation to the instruction operating portion if the hold setting operation is detected by the hold operating portion, and a video processing portion to perform processing for displaying a video. If the video processing portion performs processing for displaying the video when the hold setting operation is detected, the state control portion controls the video processing portion to suspend at least a part of processing for displaying the video.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for measuring multicast latency are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes emulating one or more Internet protocol television (IPTV) user devices by generating channel leave and join requests. The method further includes monitoring network responses to the channel leave and join requests and calculating, during a cycle of channel leave and join requests for a user device and prior to repeating the cycle, at least one metric of latency associated with the channel leave and join requests.

A video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery system has a VOD Application Server which manages a database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content elements of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order. The templates include those for higher-order displays which have one or more links to lower-order displays of specific content. The VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request, displays a high-order templatized display, and in response to viewer selection of a link, displays the lower-order display of specific content. The hierarchical templatized displays enable viewers to navigate to an end subject of interest while having a unique visual experience of moving through a series of displays to the end subject of interest.

A multilayer armor is provided that includes a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer, and an interlayer securing the first and second rigid layers to one another. At least one of the first and second rigid layers can include a plurality of regions with a physical or material property that varies between the regions. The interlayer can have a force-extension ratio of 5,600 psi/in or less. The interlayer can have a physical or material property that varies within the interlayer.

A protective sheet for a solar cell module that includes a cycloolefin resin layer laminated to one surface of a substrate film with a polyolefin resin layer disposed therebetween, wherein the polyolefin resin layer and the cycloolefin resin layer are formed by co-extrusion molding.

The invention relates to a glass item, at least one of the surfaces thereof having antimicrobial properties that are resistant to a temperature treatment, especially a temperature treatment in preparation of the subsequent tempering thereof. The glass item especially comprises an antimicrobial agent beneath the surface of the glass, and nanoparticles that are partially and/or totally incorporated into the mass of the glass close to said surface and consist of at least one inorganic component.

A solar cell sealing film contains an ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymer, a crosslinker, and crosslinking auxiliary agents, wherein the solar cell sealing film contains a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate having 5 or more (meth)acryloyl groups in the molecule and triallyl isocyanurate as the crosslinking auxiliary agents, and a mass ratio of the polyfunctional (meth)acrylate to the triallyl isocyanurate is 0.06 to 0.3 parts of polyfunctional (meth)acrylate per 1 part of triallyl isocyanurate.

A flat steel product having a base layer of a steel material and a multilayer coating applied thereto, and a method for producing the flat steel product. The method having the following steps: providing a steel base layer; applying a zinc layer to the base layer by electrolytic coating; applying an aluminum layer to the surface of the zinc layer, wherein no treatment is made to the surface of the zinc layer in regard to the oxides and sulfides present thereon at the end of the electrolytic zinc coating step or occurring during the course of the aluminum coating step; applying a magnesium layer to the aluminum layer; and subsequently heat treating the flat steel product in such a way that an MgZn2 layer forms in the coating above the Al layer.

A heterocyclic compound represented by Formula 1 or Formula 2 below and an organic light-emitting device including the heterocyclic compound: wherein X1, X2, and R1 through R16 are defined as in the specification.

A perpendicular magnetic recording disk has a graded-anisotropy recording layer (RL) formed of at least two ferromagnetically exchange coupled CoPtCr-oxide magnetic layers (MAG1 and MAG2) with two nucleation films (NF1 and NF2) between the magnetic layers. NF1 is a metal film, preferably Ru or a Ru-based alloy like RuCr, sputter deposited on MAG1 at low pressure to a thickness between about 0.1-1.5 nm. NF2 is a metal oxide film, preferably an oxide of Ta, sputter deposited on NF1 at high pressure to a thickness between about 0.2-1.0 nm. MAG2 is sputter deposited over NF2. NF1 and NF2 provide a significant reduction in average grain size in the RL from a graded-anisotropy RL without nucleation films between MAG1 and MAG2, while also assuring that MAG1 and MAG2 are strongly exchange coupled.

An optical film has a cellulose acylate film base material containing cellulose acylate and a plurality of sugar ester compounds having different ester substitution degrees in which an average ester substitution degree of the plurality of sugar ester compounds is from 60 to 94%, and an antistatic hardcoat layer formed from a coating composition containing at least an organic antistatic agent and a curable compound having a (meth)acryloyl group in a molecule of the curable compound.

Described is a black dichroic dye composition comprising 2 or more dyes, wherein at least one dye, generally a red dye and optionally a yellow dye, conforms to the formula A and at least one dye, usually a blue dye, conforms to the formula B Ar1—N═N—[Ar2—N═N—]qAr3—N═N—Ar4 (B) with symbols as defined in present claims. The dye composition is well suited for combination with liquid crystal material for use, inter alia, as polarizing film and/or in liquid crystal displays, showing, inter alia, high dichroic ratio and excellent compatibility with the LC material.

A low profile, wrappable spacer and method for maintaining a pair of elongate members in fixed, spaced relation to one another is provided. The wrappable spacer includes a flexible elongate body having oppositely facing inner and outer faces extending along laterally spaced, lengthwise extending edges between opposite ends. The inner face has an adhesive surface. At least one member extends between the edges transversely to the lengthwise extending edges. The member extends outwardly from the adhesive surface, wherein the adhesive surface is configured for adhesion to at least one of the member, the elongate members or the outer face.

Provided is a zinc-plated steel sheet for hot pressing having outstanding surface characteristics, comprising: a steel foundation plate comprising a metal surface diffusion layer of which the Gibbs free energy reduction per mole of oxygen during oxidation is less than that of Cr; an aluminum-rich layer containing at least 30 wt. % of aluminum formed on the surface diffusion layer, and a zinc plating layer formed on the aluminum-rich layer. In this way, a metal having a low affinity for oxygen is coated to an effective thickness prior to annealing and thus the creation of annealing oxides at the surface of the steel sheet is suppressed and a uniform zinc plating layer is formed, and alloying of the zinc plating layer is promoted during press-processing heat treatment. Cracking in the steel foundation plate during hot press molding is prevented.

A method for optimized launch of a vehicle is provided wherein a driveline of the vehicle at least includes an engine, an automatic transmission, a system for exhaust gas recirculation, which are controlled by a driveline management system, wherein the management system is able to determine the mass of the vehicle, and whereby a launching gear of the transmission is calculated dependent at least on the determined mass of the vehicle, whereby a launching gear is chosen dependent of the power loss caused by the EGR and wherein the power loss caused by the EGR is determined, the available power to launch the vehicle is determined, and the launching gear is recalculated dependent of the available power, and selecting said recalculated launching gear before launch of the vehicle, launch the vehicle with the recalculated launching gear.

Peptides having a structure characterized by the presence of two loops constrained in cyclic structure by the presence of covalent bonds between amino acid side chains, the amino acid sequences of the first and the second loop being substantially homologues to that of loop 1 (residues 29-38) and of loop 4 (residues 92-97) of NGF, respectively, displaying nerve growth factor (NGF) agonist or partial agonist activity.

Mono-pegylated arginase conjugate and method producing thereof. The mono-pegylated arginase is homogeneous in molecular weight and shows therapeutic effect for treating cancers and viral infections. The method of producing such arginase conjugate has a main step of genetically modifying the gene encoding an arginase so that the PEG moiety can attach to the enzyme at a predetermined, specific intended site. This is achieved by removing the PEG attaching amino acid residues at undesirable sites while keeping (or adding, if necessary) the one at the desirable site of the enzyme. Two exemplary mono-pegylated arginase conjugates so produced are human arginase I (HAI) where a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety is site-specific covalently bonded to Cys45 of the enzyme and Bacillus caldovelox arginase (BCA) where a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety is site-specific covalently bonded to Cys161 of the enzyme.

Plant viral vectors have great potential in rapid production of proteins, but no simple. Here a geminivirus-based system for high-yield and rapid production of oligomeric protein complexes, including virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is described. In particular, a single vector that contains two non-competing replicons for transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves is described. The correct assembly of these subunit proteins into functional oligomeric structures (VLPs or full-size mAb) is also described. This system advances plant transient expression technology by eliminating the need for non-competing viruses, and thus, enhances the realistic commercial application of this technology for producing multiple-subunit protein complexes.

Compositions and methods for the treatment of asthma and inflammatory ocular disorders are disclosed.

A formulation of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) for promoting weight loss comprising reconstituted HCG in an amount sufficient to promote weight loss; at least one vitamin selected from the group consisting of: vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B7, vitamin B9, and vitamin B12; and at least one dietary supplement selected from the group consisting of: an amino acid, inositol, choline chloride, and L-carnitine.

The present invention relates to treating a tissue in a mammal from the effects of reperfusion using flagellin.

Disclosed are polypeptides, nucleic acids, and related compositions that render plants resistant to bacterial pathogens. Also disclosed are transgenic plants having the nucleic acids and resistant to bacterial pathogens.

Disclosed is a general methodology to create nano fibers of therapeutic molecules that have a dual role, as both the delivery vehicle and the drug itself. It is shown that with proper molecular design, the integration of enzymatic reaction and self-assembly provides a powerful method to create molecular hydrogels of clinically-used therapeutics without compromising their bioactivities. In addition, the results disclosed herein demonstrate enzyme-instructed self-assembly as a facile strategy for generating the supramolecular hydrogels of molecules that inherently have poor solubility in water. For example, by covalently connecting paclitaxel with a motif that is prone to self-assemble, a hydrogel of paclitaxel can be formed without compromising the activity of the paclitaxel.

A method of treating a disease or condition in which up-regulating GAGs is therapeutically beneficial is disclosed, in particular osteoarthritis and skin diseases. The method comprises locally administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of an agent capable of down-regulating activity or expression of a component of the renin-angiotensin system.

The present invention provides variable mass labeling reagents, a set of the variable mass labeling reagents, and a multiplexed set of variable mass labeling reagents.

A compact disc (CD) player and method for ejection control thereof is provided. The CD player has: a CD tray, an eject button, a front-end module, a back-end module, and a fast response eject module, wherein the front-end module and the back-end module are coupled to each other and integrated in an integrated circuit (IC). The fast response eject module has a second tray control module for detecting a status of the eject button, and a second ejection detection module for controlling the ejecting/inserting of the CD tray according to the detected status of the eject button after the CD player is powered up and before initialization of the first ejection detection module is completed. Accordingly, the CD player of the invention may quickly respond to the status of the eject button and control ejecting/inserting of the CD tray immediately after the CD player is powered up.

There is provided a disk drive apparatus including a first chassis unit that has a pickup base at which an optical pickup and a disk table have been disposed, and a first base chassis to which the pickup base has been attached, and a second chassis unit that has a second base chassis and at which a chucking pulley has been disposed. A first rectifying plate part is provided at the first base chassis. A second rectifying plate part is provided at the second base chassis.

A compact disc (CD) player, which comprises playback substrates, a conveying roller, CD sensors, a CD stopper, a first trigger member, frame members, cam members and moving members, wherein the CD stopper has a major axis and abutting portions disposed at both ends of the axis; the first trigger member rotates when a minor-diameter CD stops at a mounting position on a turntable; the frame members receive the movement of the first trigger member; the cam members are coupled to the frame members; the moving members receive the rotation of the CD sensor and move along the outside diameter of a CD; the moving members are provided with clamping portions and abutted portions configured to be clamped with the abutting portions; and the cam members are provided with clamped portions configured to abut against the clamping portions.

An electromagnetic interference (EMI) absorber includes an EMI conductive sheet having first and second portions, the first portion absorbing EMI from an EMI absorption target and the second portion for conducting EMI to an EMI discharge target, and an elastic member covered by the first portion.

A data storage media may have at least a multi-layer recording lamination with a predetermined coercivity. The multi-layer recording lamination can be configured to record at least one servo format mark for a plurality of data tracks with a solid immersion mirror and program a data bit on the multi-layer recording lamination with a near field transducer.

A CD player, which comprises a conveying roller, a first sensing rod, a second sensing rod, a linkage member, a first switch and a second switch; wherein the linkage member is used for transmitting the rotation of the first sensing rod to the second sensing rod and provided with a first retaining part, a first clamping part, a second retaining part, a second clamping part; the two retaining parts are respectively arranged on both sides of a centerline of a CD conveying path; when the first sensing rod is prevented from rotating by the first retaining part, the second sensing rod is used for releasing the behavior; and when the second sensing rod is prevented from rotating by the second retaining part, the first sensing rod is used for releasing the behavior. The player can avoid the malfunction of a major-diameter CD detection switch and has a very simple structure.

Provided is an objective lens driving unit that prevents an electrical short circuit between very closely spaced second terminals in the objective lens driving unit. The objective lens driving unit is capable of being used in a slim-type optical disc drive.

A machine which provides for both leaf stripping and grading can be used to process plants, such as burley tobacco plants, by continuously moving the plants in a first direction while simultaneously varying the position of the plants in a second direction relative to a defoliating apparatus. The plants may be moved horizontally through a machine by a transporter engaging the plant stalks while the vertical distance between the transporter (and thus the plants) is varied relative to the defoliating apparatus. The transporter and defoliating apparatus may be positioned at an angle to one another. Due to the changing amount of vertical distance, leaves from different sections of the plants, such as leaves at different stalk heights, can be contacted and removed at different corresponding horizontal locations in the machine. Accordingly, leaves can be graded based on the location(s) from which they are retrieved after removal.

A cleaning system for use in a combine harvester including an auger bed mounted within a frame such that when the combine harvester is laterally inclined from the horizontal, the cleaning system, including the auger bed and a sieve, may be leveled or substantially leveled to a generally horizontal position. The auger bed can include a plurality of augers located side by side with their axes positioned generally longitudinally in the combine harvester.

An agricultural combine having an adjustable spreader assembly is provided that includes a spreader with one or a pair of regulators. The spreader includes a discharge opening about its lateral side. The regulator is pivotably connected to the lateral side of the spreader such that the regulator is in fluid communication with the discharge opening. The regulator can be configured to move from a retracted position to an extended position or to vary the direction of discharge of crop residue. The spreader can be a vertical spreader, a horizontal spreader, or a spread board.

A granular material stirring apparatus for breaking up clumps of a granular material in an interior of a storage bin comprises a base assembly for resting on a floor of the bin, an agitation rotor rotatably mounted on the base assembly, and a rotation device connected to the rotatable agitation rotor to cause the agitation rotor to rotate with respect to the base assembly. The agitation rotor may include a central member rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and a plurality of stirrer members extending substantially radially outwardly from the central member to rotate about the substantially horizontal axis.

A system for removing plant material from harvested crops includes a pinch roller conveyor including pairs of rotatable pinch rollers whose longitudinal axes are aligned with a length of the conveyor, the pinch rollers forming nips in which plant material can be caught and pulled down through the conveyor as the pinch rollers rotate, wherein first ends of the pinch rollers are laterally displaceable so that the pinch rollers can laterally separate from each other to facilitate passage of plant material.

A biomass feed system includes a device to propel an airborne flow of the biomass along a trajectory within a collection device. At least one air flow port is disposed and operable in cooperation with at least one fan for discharging a flow of air for creating a blanket of pressurized air within the interior cavity beneath the trajectory for supporting and extending a distance of travel of the biomass within the collection device. The collection device can include an air flow outlet adjacent to a terminal end of the trajectory, to and through which the pressurized air will flow, in a manner for lifting and carrying at least some of the airborne biomass farther into the interior cavity. And, vanes or other elements can be provided to used to achieve better sideward distribution.

A dehider tool has first and second blades arranged in contact with each other that rotate in opposite directions on a common blade axis. A drive assembly having a pneumatic motor and respective drive belts drives the blades in opposite directions about the common blade axis. The blades each have an outer cutting edge in the shape of a regular convex polygon, such as a decagon. The blades have an inner opening for coupling with a blade holder of the drive assembly. The inner opening has the shape of a regular convex polygon, such as a pentagon. The blades are covered with a hard surface coating to extend their service life.

Method and apparatus are provided for mechanically processing an organ or organs taken out from slaughtered poultry in a processing device or processing line, which organ or organs form part of an organ package and wherein the organ or organs are separated from the organ package. The organ package is spatially oriented by the processing device without notably breaking tissue connections in the package, and in a preselected order so as to cause the harvesting of organs from the package to occur in a preselected sequence that depends on the location of the organ package in the processing device or processing line.

The invention concerns an apparatus for processing meat, in particular fish, comprising a processing tool, an actuating unit associated with the processing tool for moving the processing tool out of a starting position into a processing position and vice versa, and a control device which is operatively connected to the processing tool or actuating unit for control of the processing tool, which is distinguished in that the actuating unit comprises a cylinder unit having two pressure cylinders which are arranged one behind the other and connected to each other, wherein the processing tool is arranged on one of the two pressure cylinders of the cylinder unit and the two pressure cylinders can be controlled independently of each other. Furthermore, the invention concerns a corresponding method.

The invention relates to a packaging plant for packing sausages or other objects, comprising a manufacturing device, a buffer device, a feeding device, an insertion device, and a packaging machine, the buffer device comprising a length-variable transport section, and a method for operating a packaging plant according to the invention.

The meat cutting cabinet provides an apparatus for automatically cutting and slicing meat using laser beams. The cabinet includes a motor disposed in the interior top thereof. The motor is connected to a winch or spool that pays out or reels in a steel cable. A steel hanger adapted for holding meat is suspended from the steel cable. Interior sidewalls of the cabinet have elongate standards extending from the upper portion to a lower portion proximate the cutting area of the cabinet. The steel hanger is slidably attached to the elongate members via channels formed in the standards. A laser carrier is disposed along an interior periphery of the cabinet and holds laser heads that can move via translation inside the carrier. This laser arrangement forms the cutting area through which the suspended meat can travel under control of a control panel connected to the spool motor.

A work hanging apparatus includes a hanger line continuously conveying hangers each having a hook, a robot that has a hand with which a work having a hole is held and transfers the held work to a hanging location set in the hanger line, a controller controlling a movement of the hand to catch the hook of one of the hangers with the hole of the held work at the hanging location, a hole deviation detector that detects a positional deviation of the hole of the work, an attitude deviation detector that detects an attitudinal deviation of the hanger, and a corrector that corrects the movement of the hand according to the positional and attitudinal deviations.

A shoulder blade removal device of bone-in meat includes: a bottom holder which is configured to be in contact with a lower side of the bone-in meat such that the lower side of the bone-in meat is lifted upward and moved in a horizontal direction; a support member for bending the bone-in meat in cooperation with the bottom holder such that an end of the shoulder blade; and a chuck unit attached to a robot arm and gripping the tip part of the shoulder blade in cooperation with the robot arm. The chuck unit includes: a base member fixed to the robot arm; a grip member; and a lock member supported by the base member such that the lock member can be advanced or retracted toward or away from the lateral plate part, the lock member pinching the shoulder blade in cooperation with the lateral plate part.

Method and apparatus are provided for mechanically processing an organ or organs taken out from slaughtered poultry in a processing device or processing line, which organ or organs form part of an organ package and wherein said organ or organs are separated from the organ package. The organ package is spatially oriented by the processing device without notably breaking tissue connections in the package, and in a preselected order so as to cause harvesting of organs from the package to occur in a preselected sequence that depends on the location of the organ package in the processing device or processing line.

A slaughtered pig leg parts conveyor device is provided for conveying individual pig leg parts, wherein an individual pig leg part includes at least a portion of a pig leg and the pig foot. The conveyor device includes a track and one or more pig leg part carriers movable along said track, each carrier being adapted to carry an individual pig leg part. Each carrier has one pig foot retaining assembly adapted to engage on a single pig foot so as to retain the pig leg part in a position suspended from the carrier. The retaining assembly includes a pig foot aperture adapted to receive the pig foot.

A portable plucking mechanism for birds, comprising a rotating head with a plurality of flexible protrusions operably connected to a motor, a plurality of arm members, and an attachment mechanism optionally comprising a trailer hitch receiver and an electrical connection to a power source. These components are connected with a plurality of articulable joints, allowing for optimal positioning of the rotating head (at the distal end of an arm member) in space relative to the position of the attachment mechanism (at the proximal end of another arm member). Thus, the user has convenient access regardless of terrain or obstacles, the ability to easily reposition the head, and the ability to manipulate the body of the bird with both hands, to frictionally engage a plurality of feathers with the rotating flexible protrusions, while minimizing damage to the meat of the bird.

A modular, intrinsically-safe power module assembly is provided. The assembly includes a rigid conduit adapter configured to mount to a conduit of a field device. A housing, having an interior, is operably coupled to the rigid conduit adapter and is physically supported by the rigid conduit adapter. At least one non-rechargeable battery is disposed within the housing. Intrinsic safety circuitry is coupled to the at least one non-rechargeable battery, and is coupled to a connector that mates with a cooperative connector in the rigid conduit adapter.