Abstract:
Prosthetic intervertebral discs and methods for using the same are described. The subject prosthetic discs include upper and lower endplates separated by a compressible core member. The prosthetic discs described herein include one-piece, two-piece, three-piece, and four-piece structures. The subject prosthetic discs exhibit stiffness in the vertical direction, torsional stiffness, bending stiffness in the saggital plane, and bending stiffness in the front plane, where the degree of these features can be controlled independently by adjusting the components of the discs. The interface mechanism between the endplates and the core members of several embodiments of the described prosthetic discs enables a very easy surgical operation for implantation.
Abstract:
A substrate includes a metal portion and an underplate that is laser sintered to the metal portion. The metal portion has a melting point that is lower than a sintering temperature of the underplate.
Abstract:
An example method includes receiving a first input indicating user activity at a first position in a document in a document editing application. The document editing application is navigable among different partial views of the document. The document editing application displays a frame element that indicates a position of a presently displayed partial view of the document is with reference to an entirety of the document. The method further includes displaying, in response to the first input indicating user activity, a first marker, in or proximate to the frame element, indicating where the first position of user activity is located with reference to the entirety of the document.
Abstract:
An authorization mechanism allows a host executing a guest operating system to grant permission for the guest to directly access an adapter function's address spaces without host intervention. This access is via instructions implemented based on the architecture of the adapter function. The host also has the capability to intervene in the execution of the instruction, if desired.
Abstract:
The present invention includes door locks having a cam having three lobes, and to systems including such door locks. The outer lobes of the cam can limit the rotation of the cam. By limiting the rotation of the cam, the outer lobes can ensure that the cam is always ready for immediate activation. The outer lobes can also strike against outer pins of a locking mechanism to cause the cam to rotate with the locking mechanism when the locking mechanism is activated from the opposite side of the locking mechanism. The present invention also extends to methods of installing and using a door lock including three lobes.
Abstract:
The present invention may include a towable trailer being mechanically couplable to a vehicle, the towable trailer including an auxiliary battery housing unit, a wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer, an auxiliary battery disposed within the auxiliary battery housing unit of the towable trailer, the vehicle including a storage battery, the auxiliary battery of the towable trailer being electrically couplable with the storage battery of the vehicle via a bidirectional pathway, and a control system configured to control a transfer of electrical energy between the auxiliary battery of the towable trailer and the storage battery of the vehicle along the bidirectional pathway.
Abstract:
An electrical testing system is adapted to perform electrical tests on devices fabricated on successive frames of a web of substrate, each frame including a plurality of fiducial marks. A digital imaging system captures a digital image of a frame, which is analyzed to determine spatial relationships between positions of a set of test pads and positions of the fiducial marks. The frame is advanced to an electrical test fixture which includes a set of test probes adapted to make electrical contact with the test pads. A fiducial sensing system including a plurality of fiducial sensors determines positions of the fiducial marks. The position of the electrical test fixture is adjusted responsive to the determined spatial relationships and the determined fiducial mark positions so that the test probes are aligned with corresponding test pads, and an electrical test of the device is performed.
Abstract:
A vehicle pedal assembly with a stationary plastic pedal shaft structure made of different plastic materials and more specifically a vehicle pedal assembly with a pedal shaft including an exterior bearing surface adapted for abutting bearing contact with the surface of the drum of the pedal shaft. The bearing surface is made of a different plastic material that minimizes wear and friction between the shaft surface and the pedal drum surface. The pedal shaft includes opposed key shaped ends that are inserted into respective key hole shaped through-holes defined in the pedal assembly housing for aligning and securing the pedal shaft in the pedal housing.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for controlling Quality-of-Service (“QoS”) in a Virtual Private Network (“VPN”) in a transport network providing a plurality of QoS bearers. The methods involve: establishing, between two VPN endpoints, a plurality of VPN tunnels through the transport network, including at least a default VPN tunnel associated with a first QoS bearer and an alternate VPN tunnel associated with a second QoS bearer; receiving and analyzing a data block; applying a VPN policy to assign the data block to either default VPN tunnel or alternate VPN tunnel; and encapsulating the data block in a transport data block including at least one indicator. The indicator specifies whether the transport data block is to be communicated by the transport network using the first QoS bearer or second QoS bearer.
Abstract:
A capillary absorption spectrometer and process are described that provide highly sensitive and accurate stable absorption measurements of analytes in a sample gas that may include isotopologues of carbon and oxygen obtained from gas and biological samples. It further provides isotopic images of microbial communities that allow tracking of nutrients at the single cell level. It further targets naturally occurring variations in carbon and oxygen isotopes that avoids need for expensive isotopically labeled mixtures which allows study of samples taken from the field without modification. The method also permits sampling in vivo permitting real-time ambient studies of microbial communities.