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Vacuum heat insulating material, heat insulating box using vacuum heat insulating material, refrigerator, refrigerating/air-conditioning apparatus, water heater, equipments, and manufacturing method of vacuum heat insulating material

A highly reliable vacuum heat insulating material having excellent processability, usability and heat insulating performance and a heat insulating box using the vacuum heat insulating material are provided. A vacuum heat insulating material related to the present invention includes: a core material structured by a laminated structure of an organic fiber assembly formed by forming an organic fiber into a sheet shape and cutting an end face with a predetermined length, and having a core material opening portion formed by a through hole or a notch with cutting; a gas-barrier outer cover material containing the core material inside, having a sealing portion for sealing surrounding of the sheet-shaped organic fiber assembly and surrounding of the core material opening portion, and hermetically sealing an inside with almost vacuum status by sealing the sealing portion; and an outer cover material opening portion provided at the outer cover material under a status in which the sealing portion provided at the surrounding of the sheet-shaped organic fiber assembly and the surrounding of the core material opening portion is sealed, being a through hole or a notch which is smaller than the core material opening portion with a sealed amount, and a long fiber being equal to or longer than a length of the sheet is used for the organic fiber.




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Railway clip insulator with two stable positions for standby, parked or preloaded position and installed, loaded or final position

A rail seat includes a concrete rail tie; a pair of rail clip support shoulders cast in place in said rail tie each said shoulder having a rail face between its external sides; a pair of shoulder insulators each shaped to lie against the rail face of the rail shoulder; a pair of rail clips each having a base section adapted to seat within the rail clip support shoulder and a toe section adapted to seat on the rail base. The clip and toe insulator assembly is loaded on the shoulder in a vertical direction so that parts of the toe insulator seat within pockets in the shoulder that enable the clip and insulator assembly to move laterally towards the rail but not away from it and the clip base is aligned with the shoulder slot ready to enter it when the clip is moved laterally to the parked position which applies a small downward force to the clip toes and at this stage lie outside the limits of the rail base and finally the clip can be moved laterally into the installed position where the toe insulators sit on top of the rail base and securely hold it down.




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Method for the application of a permanent electrical contact to the web of rails

Method for applying an electrical contact to a hole (2) of a metal wall portion (1), comprising the steps of providing a bush (12), a punch (11) with a shaft (16), an expansion portion (19) and a connecting portion (20) thereof, a pulling device (21) with an abutment portion (22) and a pulling mechanism (23) for engaging the punch (11) and to pulling it proximally with respect to the abutment portion (22), inserting the punch (11) in a passage hole (25) of the bush (12) so that the connecting portion (20) protrudes proximally from the bush and the expansion portion (19) is located on end (14), bush connecting the punch (11) to the pulling device (21), inserting the preassembled bush (12)-punch (11)-unit from a proximal side of the wall portion (1) distally in the hole (2) and activating the pulling device (21) to pull the punch (11) proximally through the bush, thereby radially expanding bush and permanently anchoring it in the hole (2).




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Insulating anti-corrosive rail clamp integrally made of polymeric composition

The invention relates to a rail clamp for fastening rail equipment, said rail clamp being integrally composed of a polymeric composition produced by pultrusion or molding, vacuum molding or compression molding. It has high mechanical strength. It is anticorrosive and insulating and is preferably composed of a resin and reinforcing fibers and/or a thermoplastic. It is advantageously formed as a one piece structure. The rail clamp is especially used to fasten rails to base slabs and has economic advantages compared to the rail clamps known in the art, which are made of steel coated with rubber.




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Polyurethane ballast layer, the method for preparing the same and the use thereof

The present invention relates to a polyurethane ballast layer, the method for preparing the same and a railway comprising the polyurethane ballast layer. The polyurethane ballast layer provided in this invention comprises a polyurethane-filled ballast layer and a polyurethane external protective layer, wherein the polyurethane-filled ballast layer comprises ballasts and polyurethane foam filled in the space among the ballasts. The polyurethane ballast layer provided in this invention can reduce the probability of ballast crashing, shifting and cracking under heavy load, and separate the ballast track from the outside environment to prevent rain, snow and wastes from entering into the internal space of the ballast track bed. Furthermore, the polyurethane ballast layer can keep the polyurethane foam filled in the ballasts layer away from water in the outside environment to avoid hydrolysis. The polyurethane ballast layer presented in this invention can be used in the railway ballast track bed to extend the track bed maintenance cycle, and save maintenance cost significantly.




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Guide plate for the lateral guidance of a rail and system for fastening a rail

Disclosed is a guide plate for the lateral guidance of a rail and to a rail fastening system with such a guide plate. The guide plate has a contact area, on which the guide plate stands in the completely assembled state, and a support portion, which is associated with the counter bearing, with a support face, with which the guide plate 1 is supported, in the completely assembled state, on a counter bearing.




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Methods and apparatus for establishing electrical connections to a railroad rail

A method of making an electrical connection to a railroad rail includes fastening a wire bonding assembly to a railroad rail, the wire bonding assembly including first and second spaced apart washer plates contacting the rail and a metal bar supported by the washer plates. The metal bar is electrically connected with the rail with a first conductive lead contacting a selected point on the rail and a selected point on the metal bar. A second conductive lead is connected to another selected point on the metal bar for establishing an electrical connection to the rail from an electrical device.




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Ballast anti-flight railroad sleeper

A ballast anti-flight sleeper characterized by having on the upper face two surfaces endowed with sufficient inclination as to prevent the accumulation of ballast over this side of the sleeper, with this geometric topology being the main claim; the fundamental elements in the same figure: track (1), ballast anti-flight sleeper (2), ballast (3) and the elements to anchor and secure the track (4).




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Dual hardness bonded direct fixation fastener

A bonded, direct fixation fastener as supportive structure for a rail on a railroad tie or bed comprising: a rail plate, wherein the rail plate has a generally horizontal center portion having a lower face and an upper face and defining a rail plate horizontal plane, and wherein the rail plate center portion extends at a first angle from opposing sides as rail plate tongues above the rail plate horizontal plane, the rail plate having a rail securing device; a bed plate comprising a generally horizontal center portion, an upper bed plate face defining a bed plate horizontal plane, and a pair of opposing bed plate tongues extending from opposing sides of the bed plate horizontal center portion disposed at a second angle above the bed plate horizontal plane; a horizontal elastomeric portion of relatively lower durometer hardness encapsulating at least a portion of the bed plate and at least a portion of the rail plate; and vertical elastomeric portions of relatively higher durometer hardness encapsulating at least a portion of each bed plate tongue and at least a portion of each rail plate tongue, and surrounding the upper face of the rail plate; and wherein each vertical elastomeric portion is physically continuous with the horizontal elastomeric portion.




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Closure valve assembly for a container

A closure assembly for a container having a housing with a fluid passage, a retaining ring attached to an inner surface of a wall of the housing and having a sloping centering flange, and a valve positioned in the housing and sealing the fluid passage.




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Adhesive closure strip for bulk material product bag

A bulk material product bag has an adhesive closure strip fixedly secured thereon. As a result of the adhesive closure strip being oriented transversely across the normally open end region of the bulk material product bag so as to be adhesively bonded to both the back and front sides of the bulk material product bag, the adhesive closure strip effectively closes and seals the open end region of the bulk material product bag. Handle structure can also be integrally incorporated within the adhesive closure strip.




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Valve and valve strip for a reclosable container

A gastight valve strip for a reclosable container. The valve strip includes opposing first and second film layers adapted to be disposed over a container aperture through a sidewall of the reclosable container. The first film layer is attached to the second film layer by a first thermal seal disposed around the periphery of the first film layer. An attachment surface of the second film layer is adapted to be sealed to the sidewall of the reclosable container. Opposing surfaces of the first and second film layers form a substantially gastight seal therebetween upon contact of the film layers. Offset first film layer and second film layer apertures extend through the first and second film layers, respectively, the first film layer aperture being in fluid communication with an exterior side of the valve strip and the second film layer aperture being configured to be in fluid communication with the container aperture.




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Material for attenuating impact energy

A new and novel impact energy attenuation material, impact energy attenuation module employing the material and a fit system for optimizing the performance thereof is provided. Non-linear energy attenuating material consisting of a plurality of loose particles is employed for impact energy dissipation. The loose particles are preferably spherical elastomeric balls. An impact energy attenuation module includes a container that holds the loose particles. The impact energy attenuation module can be provided in a wide range of sizes and shapes and the loose particles can be provided in different materials, sizes, density, compaction and hardness to suit with the application at hand. A matrix of impact energy attenuation module are provided about the surface of a shell to provide the required impact energy attenuation. The material, impact energy attenuation module and system of the present invention are well suited for protection of body parts and other cushioning and protection needs.




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Self-supporting storage bag with resealable pour spout

A reclosable bag or pouch configured to store, and to easily pour, material. The reclosable bag is configured with an integral pour spout having a reclosable fastener to facilitate the pouring of material from the bag, and subsequent resealing. By locating the pour spout along an upper side of the bag, material is focused downward from the bag, and not outward, when poured. Bags configured in this manner thus provide end users with enhanced control over the dispensing rate and direction of their contents. In some embodiments, the bag is also configured as a self-supporting bag capable of resting generally upright upon its bottom end.




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Stopper for closing a medical system

A cylindrical stopper for closing a medical system and a method for closing a medical system, and to the medical system itself, closed with the stopper of the invention.




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Single-dose package for transdermal therapeutic system or sheet-like administration forms

In the case of a package (1) for single-dose films (2) containing active substances, comprising an upper packaging material element (3) and a lower packaging material element (4) which are connected together by a peripheral seal area or respectively sealing seam (5) such that a cavity (6) for holding the film (2) is formed, said cavity being enclosed on all sides, wherein the upper packaging material element (3) and the lower packaging material element (4) each have at least one cut (7, 8) in the region of the seal area or respectively, the sealing seam (5), said cuts being congruent, andat least one cut (7, 8) is crossed by a folding or bending line (10), the folding or bending line (10) is formed in a weakened manner.




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Pet waste disposal kit and method

A pet waste disposal kit includes a kit bag with an impermeable lining that can be worn around the waist or over the shoulder of the pet handler. The kit bag serves as the secondary container for filled waste collection bags, and it also serves to store the other materials contained in the kit. The kit also includes a supply of lightweight, impermeable, biodegradable plastic gloves, which can be made of biodegradable polyethylene, and a supply of waste collection bags made of lightweight, impermeable, biodegradable plastic, containing a disinfecting-deodorizing mixture. The disinfecting-deodorizing mixture contains a highly alkaline compound, a desiccant and a deodorizer. The waste collection bags have re-sealable zip-locks or twist ties. The kit also includes a supply of antiseptic hand wipes or a liquid hand sanitizer.




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Floral sleeve with handle

A sleeve has an open top and side edges. One or more handles are defined by perforations that extend inward from the side edges and can terminate with a stress concentration-reducing shape. The handles may be tapered. The handles may include a reinforcing weld formed by an extension of the bottom seal of adjacent, oppositely oriented sleeves.




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Environmentally sealed docking device and method, having a zipper and a slide

A closure having two profile strips for an at least partially flexible container for connecting a first container to a second container in a manner sealed against the environment in a such a way that a closed docking position can be obtained. Further the closure provides for conducting a flow in a sealed manner against the environment in a flow direction through the closure from the first container into the second container in such a way that an open docking position can be obtained. According to the described system, the second container facing the first container is designed with an identical closure that engages in the closure of the first container in the open docking position and forms a channel for the flow in the flow direction together with the closure.




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Packaging material and method for microwave and steam cooking of food products

A packaging device allowing for the distribution, storage and cooking of various food products, such as perishable or frozen food product(s). The packaging device includes a plurality of micro-perforations that may promote the extended shelf-life of the perishable food product and the maintenance of the quality of the perishable food product or be configured to maintain the integrity of a frozen food product. The packaging device also includes a venting system that allows the cooking of the perishable or frozen food products within the packaging device.




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Sterilization box seal device

A sterilization box seal device including a shaft capable of being slid into a closure device of a sterilization box, and a support part of the proximal end of shaft, which includes a locking element irreversibly capable of cooperating and attaching on the distal end of shaft so as to form therewith a closed loop preventing the closure device from opening, such that the support part includes an additional part to the support one necessary for the sole seal function, the additional part includes an area capable of receiving a readable identification label.




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Apparatus and method for sequentially anchoring multiple graft ligaments in a bone tunnel

An apparatus for anchoring at least two graft ligaments within a longitudinal bone tunnel includes a longitudinal sleeve having at least two ligament-contacting surfaces located in lateral opposition to a sleeve inner lumen. The sleeve is configured for at least partial insertion into the bone tunnel with each graft ligament positioned laterally adjacent a different ligament-contacting surface and at least partially located between the bone tunnel and the sleeve. An actuating member has proximal and distal actuating member ends. An asymmetrically offset profile is defined by the sleeve and/or the actuating member. The asymmetrically offset profile has engagement thresholds. The actuating member is inserted into the sleeve to cause frictional engagement of each graft ligament with both the bone tunnel and at least one ligament-contacting surface, the frictional engagement of each graft ligament being temporally spaced apart from the frictional engagement of at least one other graft ligament.




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Optimization of face cone element for spiral bevel and hypoid gears

A method of determining an optimized face cone element for spiral bevel and hypoid gears. The form of the root fillet of one member of a gear pair is determined and that from is transferred to the tip of the other member of the gear pair. With the inventive method, tooth root-tip clearance is optimized and the contact ratio is maximized while avoiding root-tip interference between mating gear members.




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Pallet changing device for a machine tool and machine tool comprising a pallet changing device

A pallet changing device (40) for changing pallets on a machine tool comprises a changing device (15) including connecting elements (26, 28) for releasably connecting the pallet changing device (40) to pallets (7, 8), a rotational drive (19) for rotating the changing device (15) in a working plane (18), and a lifting device (20) for raising and lowering the changing device (15) and thus the working plane (18) within a workspace (21). The rotational drive (19) is arranged outside the workspace (21).




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Method for producing conical or hypoid wheels using the plunging process

A method of chip-removal machining a tooth gap of a work piece includes executing a first substantially linear plunging movement of the cutting tool along a first plunge vector and machining a region of the work piece near a tooth head of a first tooth flank of the tooth. A substantially transverse movement of the tool along a transverse vector is then executed to machine a region of the work piece near a tooth head of the second tooth flank of the tooth. A second plunging movement of the cutting tool along a vector path is then executed, to an end point of the second plunging movement that lies at a position of the work piece corresponding to the slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated. The cutting tool is rotated about an axis of rotation thereof during execution of these steps.




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Load balancer

According to one embodiment, an apparatus comprises an interface and one or more processors. The interface receives a request for a web page from a web browser. The one or more processors select a subset of web servers from a resource pool according to a load balancing determination. The one or more processors send the request to at least two of the web servers of the subset before receiving any response from the other web servers. Upon receiving one or more responses from distinct web servers, the one or more processors selects a response to communicate to the web browser.




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Machining apparatus for grinding, milling, polishing or the like of a dental workpiece

A machining apparatus for grinding, milling, polishing or the like of a dental workpiece. The machining apparatus contains a machining tool, a housing to which the machining tool is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation relative to the housing, and a holding device to which the housing is fixed. The housing is mounted yieldingly movably to the holding device in dependence on forces exerted on the machining tool.




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50 CFM bath fans with lens cover and flaps/ears that allow housings to be mounted to joists

Apparatus, systems and methods of 50 CFM exhaust and ventilation fans for bathrooms with grill covers having removable light lens covers, and flaps/ears that allow the housings to mount directly to joists and/or other structural members inside of a ceiling or inside of a wall. The housing can include a mounting plate having a motor with attached impeller thereon, wherein the mounting plate with motor and attached impeller and electrical connectors can be removed as a single unit from the housing for accessing and inspecting interior wire connections during inspection and for ease in replacing parts such as burned out motors overtime.




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Rotor for an axial flow pump for conveying a fluid

The invention relates to a rotor for an axial flow pump for conveying a fluid having an axis of rotation and having an impeller blade which has at least one part surface which extends transversely to the axis of rotation and beyond it, wherein the impeller blade has throughgoing webs or a network of webs which connect a different marginal regions of the impeller blades to one another. A good compressibility is hereby achieved in the radial direction with high stability during operation.




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Horizontal axis wind turbine apparatus

A control apparatus C of a horizontal axis wind turbine apparatus WTG calculates the value en of a pitch angle command for each blade based on the rate of change ΨD of the azimuth angle Ψ of a Nacelle N and the rotor azimuth angle of the blades B1, B2 and B3, causes the rotor R to generated torque around the yaw axis by periodically controlling the angle change of the pitch angle of the blades B1, B2 and B3, and using that torque, controls the rate of change of the azimuth angle of the nacelle N. The value of that angle change is calculated as a value that increases as the inputted value of the rate of the change ΨD increases.




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Wind turbine rotor and method of calibrating rotor blade pitch

A wind turbine rotor includes a hub with a rotor blade mounted to a bearing of the hub wherein the rotor blade has a longitudinal axis extending in a radial direction relative to an axis of rotation of the hub, and the rotor blade is rotatable about its longitudinal axis whereby the pitch of the rotor blade is adjustable. The rotor blade has a tag such as an RFID tag fixed on the rotor blade at a predetermined angular position about the longitudinal axis of the rotor blade; and a sensor is fixed on the hub for contactless sensing of the tag when the tag is in a predetermined angular position about the longitudinal axis of the rotor blade. Repeated and accurate calibration of rotor blade pitch is hereby made possible.




al

Means for locking a sealing ring on a turbine disk

A mechanism compressing a sealing ring of a cooling circuit of blades of a turbine engine against a turbine wheel supporting the blades, the wheel supporting on a downstream surface thereof an annular flange positioned radially and defining with the surface a groove configured to house the sealing ring. The flange includes at least two cut-outs on the edge thereof located opposite the bottom of the groove, to form windows for axial insertion in the groove for claws supported by the circumference of the ring facing the groove of the wheel. The mechanism includes a bolt tab configured to be positioned in the groove between the surface of the wheel and the ring, and a clamping shaped to be supported by the surface of the wheel and to engage with the bolt to ensure that the ring is compressed against the flange.




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Impeller of centrifugal compressor

An impeller of a centrifugal includes, a plurality of full blades provided from the fluid inlet part to the fluid outlet part of the impeller; a plurality of splitter blades provided on the hub surface, wherein the geometry of a flow entering part of the splitter blade is compatible with the complicated flow inside the compressor so that the evenly distributed flow rate distribution, the increased pressure ratio and the enhanced efficiency are achieved. The leading edge blade angle θ in the tip end part of the flow entering front-end-part of the splitter blade 7 in the area of the higher height level from the hub surface is further inclined smoothly toward the blade suction surface side Sb of the full blade 5 in comparison with the inclination standard curve, the increased inclination angle becoming smoothly greater in response to the increase of the height level.




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Axially-split radial turbines and methods for the manufacture thereof

Embodiments of an axially-split radial turbine, as are embodiments of a method for manufacturing an axially-split radial turbine. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of joining a forward bladed ring to a forward disk to produce a forward turbine rotor, fabricating an aft turbine rotor, and disposing the forward turbine rotor and the aft turbine rotor in an axially-abutting, rotationally-fixed relationship to produce the axially-split radial turbine.




al

Turbomachine blade or vane having complementary asymmetrical geometry

A turbomachine blade or vane is made of composite material including fiber reinforcement obtained by three-dimensional weaving of yarns and densified by a matrix. The blade or vane includes a first portion constituting at least an airfoil exhibiting two faces each connecting a leading edge to a trailing edge, the first portion forming a single part with at least one second portion present only on one of the faces of the airfoil, the second portion constituting a portion of at least one of the following elements: a flowpath delimiting outer portion of an inner platform, an inner portion of an inner platform, a flowpath delimiting inner portion of an outer platform, and an outer portion of an outer platform, the portions of the fiber reinforcement corresponding to the first and the second portions of the blade being at least partially mutually imbricated, with yarns of the first portion of the fiber reinforcement penetrating into the second portion of the fiber reinforcement.




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Seal assembly including grooves in a radially outwardly facing side of a platform in a gas turbine engine

A seal assembly between a disc cavity and a turbine section hot gas path includes a stationary vane assembly and a rotating blade assembly downstream from the vane assembly and including a plurality of blades that are supported on a platform and rotate with a turbine rotor and the platform during operation of the engine. The platform includes a radially outwardly facing first surface, a radially inwardly facing second surface, a third surface, and a plurality of grooves extending into the third surface. The grooves are arranged such that a space is defined between adjacent grooves. During operation of the engine, the grooves guide purge air out of the disc cavity toward the hot gas path such that the purge air flows in a desired direction with reference to a direction of hot gas flow through the hot gas path.




al

Propeller windmill for small-sized power generator

Provided is a small-sized propeller windmill which can efficiently generate power even when a wing speed is low, has no possibility that the windmill is broken even when a strong wind blows, can stably ensure a weathercock direction of a base blade, and can suppress an environmental burden, in such a propeller windmill, the blade having a corrugated wing shape is supported in a cantilever manner by way of an elastic body, and the blade and the elastic body are made of paper or plastic. Further, to stably ensure the weathercock. direction of the base blade, a weathercock stabilizing mechanism is arranged behind the base blade.




al

Chemical liquid injector and CT apparatus

Chemical liquid injector 100 includes two piston driving mechanisms 130 each moving a piston of a syringe forward, main injection condition determining section 171 determining injection conditions for a chemical liquid in main injection, test injection condition determining section 172 determining injection conditions for the chemical liquid in test injection performed prior to the main injection to inject a smaller injection amount of the chemical liquid than that in the main injection, and control section 161 creating an injection protocol in accordance with the injection conditions determined by test injection condition determining section 171 and main injection condition determining section 172 such that the chemical liquid is injected in a series of operations in which the test injection is performed, then a preset injection suspension time is present, and subsequently the main injection is performed, and further controlling operation of piston driving mechanisms 130 in accordance with the injection protocol.




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Arc-shaped medical imaging equipment

Medical imaging equipment is provided. The medical imaging equipment comprises a support assembly, an arc-shaped member slidably mounted on the support assembly, a radiation source mounted on the arc-shaped member in the vicinity of a first distal end of the arc-shaped member and being oriented to radiate along the direction of an imaging axis, and a detector mounted on the arc-shaped member in the vicinity of the second distal end of the arc-shaped member and being oriented to face the source along the imaging axis, wherein the radiation source and the detector are respectively mounted on one side and the other of the mid plane of the arc-shaped member.




al

Medical imaging system for accurate measurement evaluation of changes

A system and method for nodule boundary visualization superimposed on a scan image, including generating phantom image measurements of at least one synthetic calibration object in relation to a body to calibrate a scanner; acquiring a first image of a nodule on the calibrated scanner; computing and marking a boundary on the image; displaying the first image with the boundary superimposed over the first image; presenting the initial boundary to a user for modification where the user can add one or more modification points to the image to create a modified boundary that is encompassed by the one or more modification points; once the user has marked the one or more modification points on the image, computing an updated boundary that adapts to include the new points.




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Spatial derivative-based ray tracing for volume rendering

A machine-implemented display method that, with respect to a volume dataset being rendered, enables a user to navigate to any position in space and look in any direction. Preferably, the volume dataset is derived from a computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. With the described approach, the user can see details within the dataset that are not available using conventional visualization approaches. The freedom-of-motion capability allows the user to go to places (positions) within the volume rendering that are not otherwise possible using conventional “orbit” and “zoom” display techniques. Thus, for example, using the described approach, the display image enables a user to travel inside physical structures (e.g., a patient's heart, brain, arteries, and the like).




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System and method for denoising medical images adaptive to local noise

A system and method is provided for estimating the local noise of CT images and denoising the images using a modified non-local means (NLM) algorithm that is adaptive to local variations of noise levels. A strategy for efficiently estimating the local noise of CT images is also described.




al

Medical image processing apparatus

A medical image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an imaging unit configured to image an affected area in two directions using X-rays; a fluoroscopic image generating unit configured to generate two X-ray fluoroscopic images corresponding to the two directions, on a basis of imaging signals outputted from the imaging unit; a rendering image generating unit configured to project the affected area contained in three-dimensional image data acquired in advance, in two directions according to a same X-ray geometry as that used for imaging the X-ray fluoroscopic images, to thereby generate two affected area rendering images; and an image combining unit configured to combine the X-ray fluoroscopic images with the affected area rendering images for each corresponding direction, to thereby generate combined parallax images in two parallax directions corresponding to the two directions, and to output the two generated combined parallax images to a 3D display apparatus.




al

Dual mode X-ray vehicle scanning system

A variable mode X-ray transmission system is provided that can be operated in low or high dose rate modes depending upon the area or portion of the vehicle to be screened. In one embodiment, variable dose rate is achieved by use of a novel collimator. The systems disclosed in this application enable the scanning of a vehicle cab portion (occupied by people, such as a driver) at low dose rate, which is safe for human beings, while allowing the scanning of the cargo portion (unoccupied by people) at a high dose rate. Rapid switching from low dose rate to high dose rate operating mode is provided, while striking a balance between high material penetration for cargo portion and low intensity exposure that is safe for occupants in the cab portion of the inspected vehicle.




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Method for recording a four-dimensional angiography data record

A method for recording a four-dimensional angiography data record using an x-ray facility with a C-arm is proposed. Projection images are recorded from different projection directions at different time points of the cardiac cycle. A number of three-dimensional reconstruction image data records assigned respectively to a time segment of the cardiac cycle are reconstructed from the projection images and combined to form the four-dimensional angiography data record by temporal assignment in respect of the cardiac cycle. At least one recording parameter describing the temporal sequence is selected when recording the projection images as a function of cardiac stimulation performed to ensure a stable heart rate during recording so that the recording of the projection images takes place in such a manner that it is synchronized with the cardiac cycle.




al

Dual energy backscatter X-ray shoe scanning device

Dual-energy backscatter x-ray shoe scanning including: pre-processing input image information received from a shoe scanning device and image calibration data received from a database to output an atomic number image; detecting at least one suspect region based off the atomic number image; identifying the at least one detected suspect region as an object class using a changeable list of attributes; and classifying the object class according to a changeable list of categories.




al

Gain calibration technique for digital imaging systems

A computer-implemented method for gain calibration is provided. The method includes sorting the calibration data of each pixel location from the offset-corrected X-ray image data into a sequence. The method also includes removing part of the calibration data from one end or both ends of the respective sequence for each pixel location. The method further includes averaging the calibration data remaining within each respective sequence to obtain an average pixel value for each pixel location. The method yet further includes generating a gain map based on the average pixel value for each pixel location.




al

Multi-material decomposition using dual energy computed tomography

A method for obtaining multi-material decomposition images of an object is presented. The method includes acquiring an image pair from a dual energy computed tomography scan of the imaged object. The method then includes selecting a material basis for multi-material decomposition of the image pair. The method further includes applying a physicochemical model for the material basis. Also, the method includes performing multi-material decomposition using at least one constraint imposed by the physicochemical model.




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System and method for correcting for metal artifacts using multi-energy computed tomography

A method is provided. The method includes acquiring a first dataset at a first energy spectrum and a second dataset at a second energy spectrum. The method also includes extracting a metal artifact correction signal using the first dataset and the second dataset or using a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image generated respectively from the first and the second datasets. The method further includes performing metal artifact correction on the first reconstructed image using the metal artifact correction signal to generate a first corrected image.




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Method for energy calibrating quantum-counting x-ray detectors in a dual-source computed-tomography scanner

A method is disclosed for energy calibrating quantum-counting x-ray detectors in an x-ray installation including at least two x-ray systems turnable around a center of rotation. A target, for producing x-ray fluorescence radiation, is positioned between the first x-ray source and first x-ray detector and irradiated with x-radiation of the first x-ray source in such a way that x-ray fluorescence radiation which strikes the second x-ray detector from the target is produced by the x-radiation of the first x-ray source. The second x-ray detector is then energy calibrated by way of the x-ray fluorescence radiation of the target. The first x-ray detector can be energy calibrated in the same way with the aid of the x-radiation of the second x-ray source. With the proposed method, the x-ray detectors of a dual-source CT x-ray installation can be calibrated with little expenditure under conditions close to those of the system.