Electromechanical driver and remote surgical instrument attachment having computer assisted control capabilities

A medical tool comprising an electromechanical driver and a surgical instrument attachment for use in invasive surgery, including a handle coupled to a flexible sheath which is in turn coupled to a surgical attachment. The handle of the driver includes the electromechanical driver and at least one processor element which controls the actions of the electromechanical driver, and therefore the application elements of the surgical attachment, based on information relayed between the processor element and remotely activatable sensor assemblies in the surgical instrument attachment.

Adaptive impedance tuning in wireless power transmission

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power. A wireless power receiver includes a receive antenna for coupling with near field radiation in a coupling-mode region generated by a transmit antenna operating at a resonant frequency. The receive antenna generates an RF signal when coupled to the near field radiation and a rectifier converts the RF signal to a DC input signal. A direct current-to-direct current (DC-to-DC) converter coupled to the DC input signal generates a DC output signal. A pulse modulator generates a pulse-width modulation signal to the DC-to-DC converter to adjust a DC impedance of the wireless power receiver by modifying a duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation signal responsive to at least one of a voltage of the DC input signal, a current of the DC input signal, a voltage of the DC output signal, and a current of the DC output signal.

Electrosurgical instrument with time limit circuit

An electrosurgical instrument includes a housing having a treatment portion attached thereto. The treatment portion is adapted to connect to an electrosurgical generator that supplies energy to the electrosurgical instrument. An activation element is included and is disposed in electrical communication with the electrosurgical generator and the treatment portion. The activation element is selectively actuatable to supply energy from the electrosurgical generator to the treatment portion. A time-out device is coupled to the housing and is configured to prevent re-use of the electrosurgical instrument after a pre-determined time limit.

Bi-phasic compressed porous reinforcement materials suitable for implant

A high strength porous biphasic polymeric reinforcement material manufactured by a compression and/or sintering process is disclosed. The material results in a network of interconnected collapsed pores, which forces thin overlapping walls and passages to be created. The network provides permeable access for fluid migration throughout the material. The strength and/or permeability are advantageous for medical devices and implants.

Methods and compositions for improving plant health

The present invention provides methods and compositions for improving plant health. In particular, application of dicamba or another substrate of DMO, or metabolites thereof including DCSA, to a plant confers tolerance to, or defense against, abiotic or biotic stresses such as oxidative stress including herbicide application, and plant disease, and enhances crop yield. Such application may be in combination with the application of another herbicide such as glyphosate.

WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER BETWEEN A SOURCE AND A VEHICLE

Described herein are improved configurations for a wireless power transfer system that may include a source resonator including at least one high-Q magnetic resonator configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field, the source resonator located at a distance from a vehicle having a device resonator, and a positioning system that provides information on a relative alignment of the source resonator and the device resonator.

Film deposition apparatus and film deposition method

The present invention is a film deposition apparatus configured to deposit a film on a substrate that has been loaded into a vacuum container via a transfer opening and placed on a table in the vacuum container, by supplying a process gas to the substrate from a process-gas supply part opposed to the table under a vacuum atmosphere, while heating a table surface of the table, the film deposition apparatus comprising: an elevating mechanism configured to vertically move the table between a process position at which the substrate is subjected to a film deposition process, and a transfer position at which the substrate is transferred to and from an external transfer mechanism that has entered from the transfer opening; a surrounding part configured to surround the table with a gap therebetween, when the table is located at the process position, so that the surrounding part and the table divide an inside of the vacuum container into an upper space, which is located above the table, and a lower space, which is located below the table; a vacuum exhaust conduit in communication with the upper space, through which a process atmosphere in the upper space is discharged to create a vacuum in the upper space; a heating unit configured to heat a gas contact region ranging from the upper space to the vacuum exhaust conduit, to a temperature higher than a temperature allowing adhesion of reactant; and a heat insulation part disposed between the heating unit and a lower part of the vacuum container surrounding the lower space.

CAPTURE AND DISPLAY OF ANNOTATIONS IN PAPER AND ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

A software and/or hardware facility that enables users to associate annotations with text segments contained in digital content. A capture client allows users to create annotations associated with text segments on content being viewed by the user. The annotations are stored in association with the text segments by an annotation server. When a user subsequently views content, text fragments in the viewed content are compared with the stored text segments by the facility. Text segments that are found to match the text fragments are identified by the facility, and the associated annotations displayed to the user on the viewed content by a display client. Because stored annotations are associated with a text segment, rather than the original content or an identifier associated with the original content from which the text segment was identified, annotations are able to be applied to any content that utilizes the text segment in the future.

Plasma process apparatus and plasma process method

A disclosed plasma process apparatus is disclosed that applies a plasma process to an object to be processed, including a cylindrical processing container configured to be evacuatable to vacuum, a holding unit configured to hold plural objects to be processed and inserted into and to be extracted from the cylindrical processing container, a gas supplying unit configured to supply a gas into the processing container, an activating unit configured to be located along a longitudinal direction of the processing container and to activate the gas by plasma generated by a high frequency power, a cylindrical shield cover configured to surround a periphery of the processing container and to be connected to ground for shielding from high frequency, and a cooling device configured to cause the cooling gas to flow through a space between the cylindrical shield cover and the cylindrical processing container during the plasma process.

PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD, PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER RECORDING MEDIUM

According to the present invention, plasma oxidation processing and plasma nitridation processing are applied at the same time to the surface of a semiconductor substrate by plasma using a microwave. After forming an insulating film by the plasma oxynitridation processing as described above, the plasma nitridation processing is further applied to the insulating film as necessary. Thereby, it is possible to form the insulating film with an excellent electrical characteristic.