A method for preparing a metal sulfide thin film using ALD and structures incorporating the metal sulfide thin film. The method includes providing an ALD reactor, a substrate, a first precursor comprising a metal and a second precursor comprising a sulfur compound. The first and the second precursors are reacted in the ALD precursor to form a metal sulfide thin film on the substrate. In a particular embodiment, the metal compound comprises Bis(N,N'-di-sec-butylacetamidinato)dicopper(I) and the sulfur compound comprises hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to prepare a Cu2S film. The resulting metal sulfide thin film may be used in among other devices, photovoltaic devices, including interdigitated photovoltaic devices that may use relatively abundant materials for electrical energy production.

Provided are superhydrophobic coatings, devices and articles including superhydrophobic coatings, and methods for preparing the superhydrophobic coatings. The exemplary superhydrophobic device can include a substrate component and one or more superhydrophobic coatings disposed over the substrate component, wherein at least one of the one or more superhydrophobic coatings has a water contact angle of at least about 150° and a contact angle hysteresis of less than about 1°. The one or more superhydrophobic coatings can include an ultra high water content acid catalyzed polysilicate gel, the polysilicate gel including a three dimensional network of silica particles having surface functional groups derivatized with a silylating agent and a plurality of pores.

One or more temporal stimulation parameters of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) are selected to substantially modulate one or more target physiological functions without substantially modulating one or more non-target physiological functions. In one embodiment, a stimulation duty cycle is selected such that VNS is delivered to the cervical vagus nerve trunk to modulate a cardiovascular function without causing laryngeal muscle contractions.

An implantable medical device lead having a flow measurement sensor mounted thereon is provided with a capsule mounted proximate to the sensor. The capsule is used to house electrical circuitry corresponding to the sensor in order to prevent impedance on conductors of the lead, which gradually decreases over chronic periods, from directly affecting signal transmission between the sensor and the electrical circuitry. The electrical circuitry includes a charge amplifier used for processing signals from the sensor. In some cases, the amplifier can be initially calibrated and periodically tuned so as to have consistent functioning with the sensor over chronic periods.

Implantable devices and related systems utilize power management features in conjunction with a recharge circuit that includes a coil and capacitance. The reactance such as the capacitance and/or inductance may be variable such that in the event of an overcharge condition, the reactance may be varied to change the resonant frequency of the circuit of the coil from the recharge frequency to another frequency to reduce the power being received. Other power management features may additionally or alternatively be employed. For instance, the device may send an uplink telemetry signal to an external device to request that recharge power be decreased. The device may switch additional resistance into the circuit of the coil to reduce the Q of the circuit. As another example, the device may clamp the circuit of the coil to ground.

A portable hydro massage device for submersion in a body of water containing a female user, i.e. a bathtub, provides a local massage to the labium region and a focused stimulant to the female user's clitoris thereby resulting in a superior sensation to the entire body promoting an overall euphoric state and calming effect. The apparatus employs a saddle shaped housing, where the buttocks are placed, and a saddle horn for controlling the stimulus. Disposed within the midsection of the saddle horn is a hydro jet with a driven flow from a circulating water pump that draws suction from the main body of water. The hydro jet is adjustable in pressure and a method is provided for aeration of the water discharged to allow for a rhythmic pulsation effect. The saddle horn may be held and the lower body positioned as needed to focus the discharged stream from the hydro jet to the desired point of the pelvic region.

A massage roller includes a generally resilient roller body and a plurality of massage zones having various densities provided on the roller body.

An ultrasound surgery system includes: a handpiece including an ultrasound transducer that generates ultrasound vibration and a treatment portion to which the ultrasound vibration is transmitted; a drive current output section provided in a power supply apparatus to which the handpiece is detachably connected, the drive current output section producing and outputting a drive current for driving the ultrasound transducer; a drive frequency output section that detects and outputs a drive frequency for driving the ultrasound transducer with a resonant frequency of the ultrasound transducer; a first information storage section that stores first information including a parameter unique to the handpiece; and a variable current setting section that variably sets the drive current produced by the drive current output section, based on the drive frequency detected by the drive frequency output section, in order to maintain an amplitude or a vibration velocity of the ultrasound vibration in the treatment portion at a predetermined value.

A method and system uniquely capable of generating thermal bubbles for improved ultrasound imaging and therapy. Several embodiments of the method and system contemplates the use of unfocused, focused, or defocused acoustic energy at variable spatial and/or temporal energy settings, in the range of about 1 kHz-100 MHz, and at variable tissue depths. The unique ability to customize acoustic energy output and target a particular region of interest makes possible highly accurate and precise thermal bubble formation. In an embodiment, the energy is acoustic energy. In other embodiments, the energy is photon based energy (e.g., IPL, LED, laser, white light, etc.), or other energy forms, such radio frequency electric currents (including monopolar and bipolar radio-frequency current). In an embodiment, the energy is various combinations of acoustic energy, electromagnetic energy and other energy forms or energy absorbers such as cooling.

The present invention provides in some embodiments, a portable device for massaging and treating a person's muscles. The device can include an elongate center shaft and a roller section rotatably positioned about the outer surface of the elongate cylindrical center shaft and extending at least a portion of a distance between the first end of the elongate cylindrical center shaft and the second end of the elongate cylindrical center shaft. The device can also include a first and second handle coupled to the elongate center shaft. The first and second handles can be configured to collapse in order to decrease an overall length of the portable roller massager.

A massage device is disclosed and may include a substantially solid body with an array of at least twenty, and in some cases thirty or thirty-two or more, massage fingers each with an outward tip, an inward base and a center axis, the center axis extending to a center of the body. The massage fingers are spaced about the body at substantially equal distances from each of at least three, and in some cases up to five or six, massage fingers nearest to each massage finger such that the center axis of each massage finger is spaced and positioned to correspond to a location of one of at least twenty vertices of a polyhedron, in some cases a pentakis dodecahedron, and aligns with a vertex axis extending from a polyhedron center point through one of the vertices of the polyhedron.

Disclosed is a mold hanger for supporting a bottle mold in a blow molding station, the mold hanger comprising a piston and piston sleeve fully contained within the mold hanger configured to push a moveable insert into the mold. Also disclosed is a method of retrofitting an original rotatable blow molding module having multiple existing blow molding stations, each existing mold hanger defining an existing outer envelope. The disclosed method may include providing an improved mold hanger substantially contained within the respective existing outer envelope and including low-profile drive mechanisms configured opposably to drive moveable inserts into the mold. Further disclosed is a method of manufacturing a blow molded bottle with a deep pinch grip, the method including providing within a mold hanger a drive mechanism to drive a moveable insert into the mold. A bottle made by such methods is also disclosed.

An injection molding machine includes an ejector unit configured to eject a molding product from a mold. The ejector unit includes a support provided on a platen to which the mold is attached, a slidable base configured to slide relative to the support, a transmission mechanism supported by the support and configured to convert an input into an output corresponding to the distance between the support and the slidable base and transmit the output to the slidable base, a drive source configured to cause the transmission mechanism to operate, an ejection member configured to move together with the slidable base, and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position of the slidable base relative to the ejection member.

An injection molding system is disclosed that utilizes a melt channel wherein at least a portion of the melt channel has a noncircular cross-section for balancing shear in a melt stream of moldable material that flows therethrough. The noncircular cross-section of the melt channel portion may be, for e.g., capsule-shaped, extended egg-shaped, oval, teardrop-shaped, or peanut-shaped. A flow splitter is also disclosed that is positioned offset from a central axis of an upstream melt channel to protrude between inlets of respective downstream melt channels, where the upstream melt channel splits into the downstream melt channels, to thereby create a narrower inlet into one of the downstream melt channels and a wider inlet into the other of the downstream melt channels.

An apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor package may include a mold and a molding plate. The mold may define a mold cavity with the mold being configured to receive a circuit board in the mold cavity, and the circuit board may include a semiconductor chip mounted thereon. A molding plate may be moveable in the mold cavity with the molding plate being configured to adjust a volume of the mold cavity. Related methods are also discussed.

An apparatus and method for the shaping of plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers with at least one blow moulding station which is arranged on a conveying device rotatable about a pre-set axis of rotation (D). The blow moulding station has a blow mould and this blow mould forms a cavity in the interior of which the plastics material pre-forms are capable of being expanded by being acted upon with a gaseous medium to form the plastics material containers, with a stressing device, which acts upon the plastics material pre-forms with the gaseous medium in order to expand them, and with a clean room, which surrounds the blow moulding station at least in part. The clean room is bounded off from an environment by at least two walls which are movable relative to one another.

An exemplary embodiment provides a regenerative burner apparatus. The apparatus includes a burner housing having a gas channel and a single-stage heat regenerator equipped with a housing enclosing a fluid-porous heat regenerative media bed. A first gas passageway in the housing directly interconnects the gas channel and the lower surface of the media bed. A second gas passageway in the housing interconnects an opening in the housing communicating with the exterior and the upper surface of the media bed. This arrangement allows hot waste combustion gases to pass upwardly through the media bed so that any condensable contaminant in the gases condenses to a liquid and flows out of the bed under gravity before becoming solid and clogging the bed. The liquid contaminant may then be removed from the regenerator from a position below the media bed.

A method of transferring a foil comprising: forming a foil transferring face on a photoreceptor employing a foil transferring face forming toner; transferring the foil transferring face onto a base substance, followed by fixing the foil transferring face; supplying a transfer foil having at least a foil and an adhesive layer on the base substance having the fixed foil transferring face, heating the transfer foil and the foil transferring face while the adhesive layer of the transfer foil is in contact with the foil transferring face to adhere the foil onto the foil transferring face; removing the transfer foil from the base substance while leaving the foil adhered onto the foil transferring face, wherein the foil transferring face forming toner comprises at least a binder resin, wherein the binder resin comprises a polymer formed by using a vinyl monomer comprising at least a carboxyl group.

A resist composition including a base component (A) which exhibits changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of acid and an acid-generator component (B) which generates acid upon exposure, the acid-generator component (B) including an acid generator (B1) consisting of a compound represented by general formula (b1-1) shown below: wherein RX represents a hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent exclusive of a nitrogen atom; each of Q2 and Q3 independently represents a single bond or a divalent linkage group; Y1 represents an alkylene group or fluorinated alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and Z+ represents an organic cation exclusive of an ion represented by general formula (w-1).

In a first thermal transfer portion of upstream side, a negative toner image forming portion forms on a photosensitive drum a desired negative toner image which reverses a desired positive toner image selected from all the toner images. The negative toner image forming portion then forms the desired negative toner image on a belt member. The first thermal transfer portion transfers a desired negative foil image from a foil sheet to the belt member so that a desired positive foil image remains on the foil sheet. A second transfer portion transfers the desired positive foil image thus remained on the desired positive toner image formed on the sheet of paper. A cleaning portion removes the desired negative toner image and the desired negative foil image from the belt member.

Provided are an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which leakage doesn't easily occur, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each including the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a method of manufacturing the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive layer including titanium oxide particle coated with tin oxide doped with a hetero element. When an absolute value of a maximum current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case of performing a test of applying −1.0 kV including DC voltage to the conductive layer is defined as Ia, and an absolute value of a current amount flowing through the conductive layer in a case where a decrease ratio of a current amount per minute reaches 1% or less for the first time is defined as Ib, the relations of Ia≦6000 and 10≦Ib are satisfied. A volume resistivity of the conductive layer before the test is 1.0×108 Ω·cm to 5.0×1012 Ω·cm.

To provide an amine compound, represented by General Formula (I) below: [In General Formula (I), R1 and R2 represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon group, which may be identical or different; m and n are an integer of 1 or 0; Ar1 represents a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon group; Ar2 and Ar3 represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon group; and Ar1 and Ar2 or Ar2 and Ar3 may bind to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group including a nitrogen atom.]

The present invention provides a carrier for a two-component electrophotographic developer, comprising a core particle and a thermoset silicone resin layer coated thereon, wherein said layer comprises a charge control agent and is formed by heat-treatment at a temperature below the melting point of said charge control agent.

A resist composition including a base component which exhibits changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of acid and an acid-generator component which generates acid upon exposure, the acid-generator including an acid generator consisting of a compound represented by general formula (b1-1) shown below: In which RX represents a hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent exclusive of a nitrogen atom; each of Q2 and Q3 independently represents a single bond or a divalent linkage group; Y1 represents an alkylene group or fluorinated alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and Z+ represents an organic cation exclusive of an ion represented by general formula (w-1).

Techniques for reducing the number of shots required by a radiation beam writing tool to write a pattern, such as fractured layout design, onto a substrate. One or more apertures are employed by a radiation beam writing tool to write a desired pattern onto a substrate using L-shaped images, T-shaped images, or some combination of both. By reducing the number of shots required to write a pattern onto a substrate, various implementations of the invention may reduce the write time and/or write complexity of the write process.

A reverb generator comprises a delay circuit for delaying an input audio signal, a feed back path connecting an output port of the delay circuit to its input port, and a phase shifter connected in series to the delay circuit. The phase shifter produces a dispersion in the spectrum of the input audio signal in accordance with frequency dependent delay characteristic in such a manner that the delay time is large in a low frequency range and small in a higher frequency range. By including the phase shifter in the feed back path, one can obtain an output audio signal having a spectrum which is repeatedly subjected to dispersion, thus simulating the effect of dispersion due to the multiple reflections taking place in an actual concert hall.

An apparatus for the carrying of a woodwind musical instrument, known as a recorder, consisting of a ring with sufficient inside diameter to fit around the shaft of the recorder and a strap attached to the ring and of sufficient length so as to fit around the neck of the person playing the recorder and allowing the recorder to hang in a position of easy access to the user.

A rigid plectrum (1) for stringed instruments, of the type having a spearhead shape with a pointed front part (2) and a broadened rear part (3) in which, at the lateral walls (4) and (5) forming the pointed part, a first facet (4a) and a second facet (5a) are made, covering the entire thickness of the respective lateral wall; the facets being set at an angle α to the thickness of the respective lateral wall, each facet starting on one face of the plectrum which is opposite the face from which the other facet starts, and finishing on the other face of the plectrum; the facets also being set at an angle β to the face of the plectrum, from the rear part to the front part.

A tremolo device for a stringed instrument is described in which a base plate is configured for surface mounting to a body of the instrument. A pivot plate is pivotally coupled to the base plate along an edge of the pivot plate. Each string is associated with a string seat. The string is threaded through the string seat receiving a terminal end of the string. The string seat includes a keyed portion that slidably attaches the string seat to the pivot plate in a keyed slot provided in a bottom surface of the pivot plate. A spring disposed between the base plate and the pivot plate maintains the pivot plate in a first position relative to the base plate until a user provides an action to pivot the pivot plate relative to said base plate. The spring returns the pivot plate to the first position when the user action is terminated.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and a device for determining a target cell. The method includes: acquiring information about a candidate cell for a mobile terminal; and determining the candidate cell as a target cell for the mobile terminal if the candidate cell is a preferred cell determined according to cell statistic information, where the cell statistic information includes: specific information about a cell having served the mobile terminal and specific information about the mobile terminal in the cell having served the mobile terminal. According to the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention, a proper target cell may be determined for a mobile terminal, thereby avoiding a large number of handovers and reselections and saving network resources.

A method for providing suggestions from a messaging platform. The method includes: identifying, by a computer processor, a set of website-account pairs, wherein each of the set of website-account pairs represents an account of the messaging platform and a website; for each website-account pair of the set of website-account pairs: selecting, by the computer processor, connected accounts having a graph relationship with the account of the website-account pair, and creating an association between at least a subset of the connected accounts and the website of the website-account pair; receiving a set of websites associated with a user, wherein at least one of the set of websites is referenced by a first association of the created associations; and providing, by the computer processor, one or more account suggestions for the user based at least on the first association.

A compose form for drafting a message is presented inline within a window along with a message list. For example, instead of overlaying the message application's user interface (UI) with a new window for composing a message, the compose form is displayed within a portion of the window reserved for viewing content of messages. While composing the message using the compose form, the rest of the message application's UI remains visible and accessible to the user. For example, the user may navigate to another folder and/or move to another message/conversation by interacting with the tree view/message list view. A draft of the message being composed may be automatically saved when the user navigates away from the compose form (e.g. by selecting another conversation in the list view).

Distributed mobile device management including a plurality of management agents is disclosed. Management-related information may be retrieved from a storage location accessible to a plurality of management agents. The management-related information may have been provided to the storage location from a management agent associated with a managed application. And at least one operation may be performed based at least in part on the management-related information.

Method and arrangement for network resource management in a communication network, especially related to transfer of content. A content resource broker is introduced, which dynamically manages resources based on the size of the content to be transferred. The method and arrangement involve the obtaining of information on current and future network capacity, which is available for transfer of content; the receiving of a request from a requesting entity concerning resources for transfer of a content C; and the determining of whether the available network capacity within a predetermined response time is sufficient for transferring the content C before the predetermined response time has expired.

In general, to provide acknowledgment information by a first wireless device, the first wireless device sends repeated instances of acknowledgment information in respective first and second frame structures, in response to receipt of first information from a second wireless device. In addition, the first wireless device also sends further acknowledgment information in the second frame structure that is responsive to second information received from the second wireless device.

A sealing arrangement used to create a seal between a first part of a chain and a second part of the chain, wherein the second part can at least be pivoted in relation to the first part, includes a sealing ring with an annular sealing lip for sealing a lubricant area between parts which can be pivoted towards each other, and an elastic ring which is adapted to be fixed to one of the parts and which is adapted to exert pressure in the sealing ring. In addition, a supporting ring is arranged between the sealing ring and the elastic ring.

A bicycle gear shift control system capable of avoiding frequent gear shifting includes: a power module; a microcomputer electrically connected to the power module for allowing a cyclist to switch between the automatic gear shifting mode and a manual gear shifting mode; a gear shifting driver electrically connected to the microcomputer, substantially connected to a derailleur, and instructed by the microcomputer to drive the derailleur to perform gear shift control; and a manual shifting controller electrically connected to the microcomputer. The microcomputer has an automatic gear shifting logic whereby the microcomputer determines the timing of automatic gear shifting and performs gear shifting. The microcomputer further has a gear shifting delay logic that involves delaying for a delay time interval from commencement of gear shifting according to a gear shifting criterion and ruling out all other gear shifting commands during the delay time interval.

A rear bicycle sprocket for use with a multi-gear rear cassette is provided. The sprocket includes a chain engaging portion and a mounting portion having generally annular shape about a central axis and a plurality of support arms, integrally formed with the chain engaging portion and with the mounting portion. The sprocket further includes a plurality of space maintaining protrusions, each space maintaining protrusion extending axially forwardly from an axially forward surface of a corresponding support arm and integrally formed therewith. A multi-gear rear cassette having a plurality of sprockets coaxially mounted together wherein the plurality of sprockets includes the rear bicycle sprocket mounted axially rearmost and a bicycle including the multi-gear rear cassette are further provided.

A driving device includes a stretched member, and a first rotation member and a second rotation member that support the stretched member in a stretched manner. The first rotation member has a first rotation axis, and the second rotation member has a second rotation axis. The first rotation member includes a plurality of members arranged in an axial direction of the first rotation axis.

An arrangement for supplying oil to a chain drive which drives a transmission oil pump that is axially offset relative to a torque converter and embedded in an intermediate plate in a vehicle having a torque converter. The driven sprocket of the chain drive is supported by a converter neck mounted in a centering plate. A seal is provided between the converter neck and the sprocket and is arranged adjacent the sliding fit between the converter neck and the sprocket. To compensate for the suppression of lubrication of the seal, the neck bearing and the chain drive, a valve is integrated in the intermediate plate, and a duct is provided in the plane, in which the centering plate is screwed to the intermediate plate, such that excess oil flowing from the valve is selectively directed to the seal, the neck bearing and the chain drive.

A drive arrangement (10) has first and second wheels (12, 14) and an endless loop member (16). The path of the member (16) is defined in part by a third wheel (18), between the wheels (12, 14). The wheel (18) is movably mounted so that the length can be changed for the path of the member (16) as it passes around the wheel (18), between the wheels (12, -14). Accordingly, the member (16) can be tightened or slackened around the wheels (12, 14), so that the wheels (12, 14) can be coupled to convey drive from one to the other, through the member (16), or disengaged, so that drive is not conveyed.

A vehicle has a motor-gear unit, a trailing wheel of the vehicle being connected the output shaft of the gear and an input shaft of the gear being connected to a motor. The gear has an outer wheel, an inner wheel and a traction means extending between the outer wheel and the inner wheel. A revolving transmitter is also provided which lifts the traction means off the outer periphery of the inner wheel and pushes it against the inner periphery of the outer wheel.

A belt unit includes an endless belt member, a first roller provided on an inner circumferential surface side of the belt member, and a stretching member provided on the inner circumferential surface side of the belt member. The stretching member is configured to stretch the belt member. A circumferential length of the belt member at a center portion in a widthwise direction of the belt member is shorter than a circumferential length of the belt member at an end portion in the widthwise direction of the belt member.

A pulley assembly having a body, a shaft mount and a plurality of bolts is disclosed. The body is aligned to the shaft mount by providing a tight tolerance between a shoulder portion of the bolt and a neck portion of a counter sunk hole formed in the body. Additionally, an outer surface of the body may have a pattern of friction lines or patches formed by fusing particulate matter to the outer surface with heat generated by a laser beam.

A transmission system for vehicles, including bicycles, is disclosed. The system aligns a chain or other drive means to a center of each of a plurality of provided sprockets, allows for a smaller, lighter and more durable shifter/controller, and reduces various complications associated with cable slack and shifting. A derailleur is provided with linear actuated features to directly translate drive means from one position to another along a desired path.

A method for electronically controlling a bicycle gearshift comprising at least one derailleur is disclosed, comprising the sequential steps of: a) imparting a movement on the derailleur of the gearshift until the derailleur is in an intended position;b) waiting for a predetermined time period,c) performing a check whether the derailleur is in the intended position, within a possible predetermined tolerance,d) in case said check has a negative outcome, imparting a movement on the derailleur of the gearshift until the derailleur is in the intended position. A derailleur and an electronically servo-assisted bicycle gearshift comprising control electronics comprising modules adapted to carry out the method outlined above are also disclosed.

This invention relates to methods for improved cell-based therapies for retinal degeneration and for differentiating human embryonic stem cells and human embryo-derived into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and other retinal progenitor cells.

A method for engineering and utilizing large DNA vectors to target, via homologous recombination, and modify, in any desirable fashion, endogenous genes and chromosomal loci in eukaryotic cells. These large DNA targeting vectors for eukaryotic cells, termed LTVECs, are derived from fragments of cloned genomic DNA larger than those typically used by other approaches intended to perform homologous targeting in eukaryotic cells. Also provided is a rapid and convenient method of detecting eukaryotic cells in which the LTVEC has correctly targeted and modified the desired endogenous gene(s) or chromosomal locus (loci) as well as the use of these cells to generate organisms bearing the genetic modification.

A cartridge for squeezing-out a cartridge content, like a cement, or a medical cement, having a cylindrical hollow space bordered by a cartridge wall, a feed plunger arranged in the hollow space to be mobile along the cylinder axis of the hollow space and abutting the cartridge wall, and at least one snap-in means for locking the feed plunger in place at the cartridge wall, to a locking device arranged on the feed plunger and comprises at least a snap-in means which is accessible from outside when the feed plunger is locked. The invention also provides a cartridge system with a cartridge for squeezing out content and a method for dispensing such cartridge content, preferably a cement, through the use of a cartridge of said type.

A dissolution generator includes: an upright housing; a screen assembly extending across an interior of the housing, and configured to support a column of powder thereabove; a spray nozzle disposed below the screen assembly and directed towards the screen assembly; and a pressure mechanism disposed above the screen assembly, and configured to apply a substantially constant downward pressure.