Devices and methods for aligning the components of polyaxial screws are described herein. In one embodiment, an alignment instrument includes an elongate frame having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of connection caps slidably disposed along the elongate frame. Each connection cap can removably couple to a polyaxial screw extension tube and selectively lock relative to the elongate frame such that a distance between the plurality of connection caps and an angular orientation of each connection cap relative to the elongate frame is maintained. The instrument can also include a transverse angle indicator to indicate an angular orientation of the elongate frame in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the elongate frame. The device can, for example, capture the orientation of a plurality of polyaxial screws during spinal surgery such that the screws can be returned to the same orientation after manipulation to correct a spinal deformity, etc.

Spinal fixation devices are used in orthopedic surgery to align and/or fix a desired relationship between adjacent vertebral bodies. Such devices typically include a spinal fixation element, such as a relatively rigid fixation rod, that is coupled to adjacent vertebrae by attaching the element to various anchoring devices, such as hooks, bolts, wires, or screws. Alternatively, two rods can be disposed on the lateral or anterior surface of the vertebral body in a substantially parallel relationship. The fixation rods can have a predetermined contour that has been designed according to the properties of the target implantation site and, once installed, the rods hold the vertebrae in a desired spatial relationship, either until desired healing or spinal fusion has taken place, or for some longer period of time.
Spinal fixation devices can be anchored to specific portions of the vertebra. Since each vertebra varies in shape and size, a variety of anchoring devices have been developed to facilitate engagement of a particular portion of the bone. Pedicle screw assemblies, for example, have a shape and size that is configured to engage pedicle bone. Such screws typically include a threaded shank that is adapted to be threaded into a vertebra, and a receiving member having a U-shaped slot for seating the fixation rod. The receiving member can be monoaxial and thus fixed relative to the threaded shank, or it can be polyaxial and thus movable relative to the threaded shank. Polyaxial screws can facilitate positioning of the fixation rod therein. Extension members are often coupled to the receiving member, especially in minimally invasive procedures, to provide a pathway through tissue to the receiving member. A set-screw, plug, or similar type of closure mechanism, is used to lock the fixation rod into the rod receiving member of the pedicle screw.
While current spinal fixation systems have proven effective, difficulties are still encountered in various spinal procedures, such as when correcting spinal deformities. For example, the use of polyaxial screws in these operations can aid in capturing a rod or other spinal fixation element within the receiving member of the polyaxial screw due to the ability of the receiving member to move relative to the threaded shank implanted in the patient's vertebra. However, the movement provided by polyaxial screws can limit a surgeon's control when applying corrective forces to the screw in order to effect movement of the vertebra. Various devices exist to lock a polyaxial screw in a monoaxial configuration, but these devices can be problematic as well because surgeons often cannot tell when the receiving member is correctly oriented with respect to the threaded shank implanted within the vertebra. In particular, locking the polyaxial screw in a monoaxial configuration when the receiving member is angled relative to the threaded shank can create large moment forces on the screw during the application of corrective forces. To combat these forces, surgeons often want to lock the polyaxial screw in a monoaxial configuration when the receiving member is aligned with the threaded shank (i.e., the longitudinal axes of the receiving member and the threaded shank are coaxial). Because there is not an easy and cost-effective way to align a polyaxial screw in a coaxial configuration, surgeons often utilize various combinations of polyaxial, monoaxial, and uniplanar screws (the latter provides relative motion between the receiving member and threaded shank in only a single plane).
The use of multiple screw types, however, can be problematic because they add to the complexity of an already technically challenging procedure. Furthermore, beyond the addition of the screws themselves, the use of additional screw types can require that additional instrumentation be present in the operating room as well. Surgeons may need additional training on the use of the different screw types and their associated instrumentation, and costs associated with sterilizing and maintaining the instrumentation and implants are also increased. Still further, monoaxial and, to a lesser degree, uniplanar screws lack the ability to conform to a rod or other spinal fixation element, which can increase the difficulty of capturing and approximating a rod or other spinal fixation element during a procedure.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for methods and devices that allow surgeons to utilize polyaxial screws in a wider range of surgical procedures. In particular, there is a need for methods and devices that allow for rod capture via polyaxial movement of a screw receiving member while also allowing a surgeon to selectively lock the receiving member in coaxial alignment with an implanted shank after rod capture.

Methods and devices for polyaxial screw alignment


An energy store is provided, having at least one stack, each stack having at least one storage cell, which in turn has an air electrode and a storage electrode. The storage electrode is adjacent to channels, which contain a storage medium and water vapor. The channels have a larger cross-sectional area than the cross-section of the storage medium, which condition causes unhindered spreading of a reaction gas in the area between the storage electrode and the storage medium.

For the storage of excess electrical current which occurs, for example, when current is being generated by means of renewable energy sources or by power stations operated in the optimum efficiency range and for which there is temporarily no demand in the network, various technical alternatives are adopted. One of these is the rechargeable oxide battery (ROB). ROBs are conventionally operated at temperatures of between 600° C. and 800° C. In this case, oxygen, which is supplied at an air electrode of the electrical cell, is converted into oxygen ions, transported through a solid electrolyte and brought to the opposite storage electrode. A redox reaction takes place there, which, depending on the charging or discharging process, absorbs or generates electrical current. On account of the high temperatures required for this process, the choice of material for the cell materials used and the design of the cell parts and also the arrangement of the storage medium are highly complex. In particular, the individual components deteriorate after a plurality of redox cycles which are operated at said operating temperatures.


According to one embodiment, a display element includes a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of signal lines. Into the plurality of signal lines, signals of different polarities are alternately input, respectively. In the respective regions surrounded by the scanning lines and the signal lines, a first pixel and a second pixel are arrayed. Along the scanning line, two each of the first pixels and the second pixels are provided, and the two first pixels or the two second pixels are arrayed so as to be juxtaposed to each other. Along the signal line, the first pixel and the second pixel are arrayed alternately.

Conventionally, for a display element, for example, a color liquid crystal display element, etc., a technique with which one pixel is constituted by adding a white sub-pixel to sub-pixels of three primary colors of red, green, and blue is used. Thus, by adding a white sub-pixel to the sub-pixels of three primary colors, an improvement in luminance and a reduction in power consumption of the backlight can be realized.
In the case where a white sub-pixel is added into the size of the sub-pixels of three primary colors, the aperture ratio of each sub-pixel decreases, and a luminance increasing effect according to the addition of the white sub-pixel cannot be sufficiently obtained.
Therefore, in some constitutions, a first pixel consisting of the sub-pixels of three primary colors and a second pixel constituted by adding a white sub-pixel to sub-pixels of two colors of the three primary colors are used, and these first pixel and second pixel are arrayed alternately in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and accordingly, while the aperture ratio of each sub-pixel is secured, a luminance increasing effect according to the addition of the white sub-pixel is obtained.
However, with this pixel array, crosstalk easily occurs in a specific display and the display quality lowers, so that it has been demanded to improve this.

Display device driving sub-pixels of a plurality of colors


A method in a client device of mitigating connection impact on service infrastructure includes: prior to initiating a connection to a service, generating an impact indicator corresponding to the service, the impact indicator representing a predicted load at the service; determining whether the impact indicator exceeds an impact threshold; when the impact indicator exceeds the impact threshold, incrementing a connection interval according to a backoff interval; and initiating a connection with the service upon expiry of the connection interval.

In environments (e.g. warehouses) in which substantial numbers of wireless devices, such as handheld barcode scanners, are deployed, the devices are typically connected to a wireless network deployed within the warehouse, and may also be connected to a variety of other services via the network. Under certain conditions (e.g. following a power loss leading to an outage of the services), the wireless devices may attempt to reconnect to the wireless network and other services. Such reconnection attempts may have a negative impact on the services.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Methods and systems for mitigating connection impact on service infrastructure


The disclosed lubricant compositions comprise a mixture of from about 1-99% by weight of the mixture of one or more ester compounds

The statements in this section provide background information related to this disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Heat transfer devices that operate using a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, including heat pumps, air conditioners (including auto, home, and industrial air conditioners), and refrigerators (including home and industrial refrigerators and freezers), employ refrigerants and lubricants during operation. In a typical heat transfer system, a liquid of suitable boiling point evaporates at low pressure, absorbing heat in doing so. The vapor produced is then compressed and passed to a condenser where it is condensed, generating heat. The liquid condensate is returned through an expansion valve to the evaporator, completing a refrigeration cycle. One important type of refrigeration system is known as "small refrigeration" or "domestic refrigeration" systems, which encompasses systems that are typically used in residential homes, apartments and the like for consumer use in refrigerators, freezers, and the like. Also frequently included in this group are vending machines and the like. Another important refrigeration system comprises automotive air conditioning systems used to provide cooling in motor vehicles.
Refrigerants are often combined with compatible lubricants to form the refrigeration liquids used in the refrigeration compressors. The lubricants ensure that moving parts of the heat transfer devices are lubricated to facilitate operation and avoid wear. Government regulations have affected which fluids may be used as refrigerants in these devices. This in turn has necessitated finding new lubricants that will work well with the new refrigerants. Devices are generally designed to use lubricants that are miscible with the refrigerant during operation. To perform as a satisfactory refrigeration liquid, the mixture of refrigerant and lubricant must be compatible and miscible over a wide temperature range.

Abstract: and from about 1-99% by weight of the mixture one or more second ester compounds

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R11, and R12 are each H or methyl; a+x, b+y. and c+z are integers of 1 to about 20, and m+n is an integer of 1 to about 10; and R7, R8, R9, R10 and R13 are straight-chain and branched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, alkylcycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, arylcycloalkyl, cycloalkylaryl, alkylcycloalkylaryl, alkylarylcycloalkyl, arylcycloalkylalkyl, arylalkylcycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkylaryl, or cycloalkylarylalkyl groups having 1 to about 17 carbons. The lubricant composition may be combined with a refrigerant to form a refrigerant-lubricant composition that may be used as a working fluid in a heat transfer apparatus.


A stack of heat generating integrated circuit chips may be provided with intervening cooling integrated circuit chips. The cooling integrated circuit chips may include microchannels for the flow of the cooling fluid. The cooling fluid may be pumped using the integrated electroosmotic pumps. Removal of cooling fluid gases may be accomplished using integrated re-combiners in some embodiments.

This invention relates generally to cooling stacks of integrated circuits.
Stacking of multiple integrated circuit chips may improve integrated circuit functionality, while at the same time reducing space requirements. As transistor dimensions shrink, the stacking of heat producing integrated circuits will increase heat dissipation problems. Conventional integrated circuit technologies may not be able to adequately remove the amount of heat generated from stacking a series of heat producing chips.
Thus, there is a need for better ways of cooling stacks of integrated circuits.

Method of forming a stack of heat generating integrated circuit chips with intervening cooling integrated circuit chips


The disclosure provides a foldable portable excrement pick-up device. The device includes an upper housing and a lower housing which are combined to form a clip shape via a rotary shaft and a spring. The upper housing is composed of an upper handle and a cap-shaped upper housing body. The lower housing is composed of a lower handle and a bowl-shaped lower housing body. The upper handle and the lower handle are symmetrically arranged, the upper housing body and the lower housing body are hinged to form a clip shape in such a way that the rotary shaft penetrates through the upper hinging portion and the lower hinging portion, and the spring is arranged between the upper handle and the lower handle to make the upper housing body cover the lower housing body elastically in an openable/closeable manner.

With the improvement of living standards, an increasing number of people begin to feed pets. People enjoy going out for a walk with pets at their leisure. However, the pets will defecate inevitably in this process, and excrement affects both the environment and the city appearance, and affects the physical health of people as well due to parasite spreading. A feeder needs to self-clear the excrement of a pet off in a general mode of picking the excrement up with paper by hand, transporting the excrement to an adjacent garbage bin and then throwing the excrement in it. This mode is not only inconvenient, but also insanitary. In the excrement clear-off process, the feeder will touch the excrement of the pet inevitably, and the disease is probably spread in this process.
It is not hard to see that the traditional art also has certain defects.

Foldable portable excrement pick-up device


Rotary shutter assemblies for imaging photometers and methods for using such shutters are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, for example, a method for capturing an image with an imaging photometer can include positioning a rotary shutter having an aperture at a first position such that the shutter blocks light traveling along an optical axis from a light source being measured to an image sensor of the photometer. The method can include pivotably moving the shutter at a generally constant angular speed to a second position with the aperture aligned with the optical axis to expose at least a portion of the image sensor to the light for a first predetermined exposure time. After exposing each portion of the image sensor to the light for the first exposure time, the method can include pivotably moving the shutter at the angular speed to a third position such the aperture is not aligned the optical axis, and then pivotably moving the shutter from the third position back to the first position without rotating the shutter 360 degrees.

Imaging devices, such as imaging photometers and other types of digital cameras, generally include a lens assembly, a shutter, and an image sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device). In operation, an imaging device is positioned at a desired location relative to a light source (e.g., a visual display) to be measured and a user activates the device to capture an image measurement of the light source for a desired exposure time. During each individual exposure period, the lens assembly, mechanical shutter, and image sensor are all aligned along an optical axis and light from the light source can pass along the optical axis to impinge upon the image sensor.
The traditional type of mechanical shutter in many conventional imaging devices is an iris shutter. Such shutters use two or more blades that overlap each other and open apart and close together at a desired exposure rate to expose portions of the image sensor to the light from the light source being imaged. One drawback with this type of shutter, however, is that it generally exposes different parts of the image sensor for different lengths of time. For example, the center portion of the image sensor is generally exposed for a longer time than the outer portions of the image sensor as the shutter blades move outwardly from a closed position to an open position. The difference in exposure times can introduce significant errors into the image measurement. For example, in conventional iris shutter systems with a desired exposure time of 100 milliseconds, the shutter blades can take 5 milliseconds to completely open for the exposure, and another 5 milliseconds to completely close again at the end of the desired exposure time. The opening/closing times can accordingly introduce up to a 10% error in the image measurement because different portions of the image sensor are exposed to the light source for different periods of time. In order to minimize this error, it is often necessary to use relatively longer exposures and, accordingly, systems with iris shutters can be unsuitable for many applications where short exposure times are desired. Another drawback with iris shutters is that such systems include many moving parts that are constantly rubbing against each other and generally require a significant amount of maintenance and/or replacement.
Conventional imaging devices can also include an electronic shutter. This type of shutter operates by constantly flushing the detectors or pixels of the image sensor so that the sensor does not hold an electrical charge. During an exposure period, the flushing process is paused and an electrical charge is allowed to build up until the end of the desired exposure time. The charge is then discharged and the values are read by a suitable controller. Although electronic shutters do not generally have many of the above-described problems that plague systems including iris shutters, many types of high performance CCDs cannot utilize electronic shuttering and require mechanical shutters. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the mechanical shutter systems for high performance imaging devices.

Rotary shutter assemblies for imaging photometers and methods for using such shutter assemblies