This report describes the evidence for invasion of Pacific Northwest streams by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that have escaped from marine salmon farms, and assesses the potential impact of farmed salmon invasion on native fishes inhabiting streams on National Forest System lands. The current risk to streams on National Forest lands in the Pacific Northwest from Atlantic salmon invasions appears to be low and is limited to a few areas in northwest Washington and southeast Alaska. However, long-term risks may be substantial if fish continue to escape from marine rearing pens or freshwater hatcheries. The two greatest threats appear to be that (1) Atlantic salmon could transmit a serious disease or parasite to native fishes, and (2) escaped salmon could eventually adapt to local conditions, leading to self-sustaining populations. If Atlantic salmon populations are eventually established, this species' preference for swiftly flowing stream habitats could facilitate competition with currently at-risk species such as steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). This could result in a pattern of expansion similar to that observed in other nonnative aquatic plants and animals, in which a prolonged early colonization period is followed by a rapid phase of exponential growth as breeding populations adapt to local conditions.

MUSICIANS ON CALL has expanded its Music Pharmacy program, which brings the "healing power of music" to patients in hospitals across the country, sponsored by AMAZON MUSIC and BOSE. … more

HUBBARD RADIO/SEATTLE has announced that CAT THOMAS will become the Brand & Content Director at Top 40 KQMV (MOVIN 92.5) and AC KRWM (WARM 106.9), transferring from HUBBARD’s … more

For many marketers, emails are the lifeline for most marketing efforts. Every SPAM complaint, unsubscribe, or bounce has an impact on the current ROI as well as on the sender’s reputation which affects the ROI of the future campaigns. Yet the sender reputation, that you accumulate over the period of multiple email campaigns, is only...

Center for Biological Diversity Press Release WASHINGTON – Four commonly used neonicotinoid pesticides can harm bees and other pollinators, according to a new analysis by California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation. The study found that current approved uses of the “neonics” … Continue reading →

UN Environment Press Release Hundreds of millions of people in Asia rely on rice not only as a staple but as their main source of nutrition. But new research suggests the rice they eat will become less nutritious due to … Continue reading →

Today we’re going back to San Francisco with myself and Jason Calacanis on stage during my tour stop for my book Creative Calling. Jason is an investor and long time host of the This Week in Startups podcast. And, of course, Jason wastes no time in our conversation. He goes right to the heart of the matter by getting into failure, venture capitol, knowing when to quit, and when to push through. Enjoy! FOLLOW JASON: facebook | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast Subscribe   This podcast is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world’s largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker, money/life and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts — Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

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In this paper we introduce various types of harmonic Finsler manifolds and study the relation between them. We give several characterizations of such spaces in terms of the mean curvature and Laplacian. In addition, we prove that some harmonic Finsler manifolds are of Einstein type and a technique to construct harmonic Finsler manifolds of Rander type is given. Moreover, we provide many examples of non-Riemmanian Finsler harmonic manifolds of constant flag curvature and constant $S$-curvature. Finally, we analyze Busemann functions in a general Finsler setting and in certain kind of Finsler harmonic manifolds, namely asymptotically harmonic Finsler manifolds along with studying some applications. In particular, we show the Busemann function is smooth in asymptotically harmonic Finsler manifolds and the total Busemann function is continuous in $C^{infty}$ topology.

In this paper, we derive a formula for the sums of powers of the first $n$ positive integers that involves the hyperharmonic numbers and the Stirling numbers of the second kind. Then, using an explicit representation for the hyperharmonic numbers, we generalize this formula to the sums of powers of an arbitrary arithmetic progression. Moreover, as a by-product, we express the Bernoulli polynomials in terms of the hyperharmonic polynomials and the Stirling numbers of the second kind.

The Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelation (HEALPix) scheme is used extensively in astrophysics for data collection and analysis on the sphere. The scheme was originally designed for studying the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, which represents the first light to travel during the early stages of the universe's development and gives the strongest evidence for the Big Bang theory to date. Refined analysis of the CMB angular power spectrum can lead to revolutionary developments in understanding the nature of dark matter and dark energy. In this paper, we present a new method for performing spherical harmonic analysis for HEALPix data, which is a central component to computing and analyzing the angular power spectrum of the massive CMB data sets. The method uses a novel combination of a non-uniform fast Fourier transform, the double Fourier sphere method, and Slevinsky's fast spherical harmonic transform (Slevinsky, 2019). For a HEALPix grid with $N$ pixels (points), the computational complexity of the method is $mathcal{O}(Nlog^2 N)$, with an initial set-up cost of $mathcal{O}(N^{3/2}log N)$. This compares favorably with $mathcal{O}(N^{3/2})$ runtime complexity of the current methods available in the HEALPix software when multiple maps need to be analyzed at the same time. Using numerical experiments, we demonstrate that the new method also appears to provide better accuracy over the entire angular power spectrum of synthetic data when compared to the current methods, with a convergence rate at least two times higher.

Finding a good regularization parameter for Tikhonov regularization problems is a though yet often asked question. One approach is to use leave-one-out cross-validation scores to indicate the goodness of fit. This utilizes only the noisy function values but, on the downside, comes with a high computational cost. In this paper we present a general approach to shift the main computations from the function in question to the node distribution and, making use of FFT and FFT-like algorithms, even reduce this cost tremendously to the cost of the Tikhonov regularization problem itself. We apply this technique in different settings on the torus, the unit interval, and the two-dimensional sphere. Given that the sampling points satisfy a quadrature rule our algorithm computes the cross-validations scores in floating-point precision. In the cases of arbitrarily scattered nodes we propose an approximating algorithm with the same complexity. Numerical experiments indicate the applicability of our algorithms.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel trans-2-decenoic acid derivative or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and to provide a pharmaceutical agent which contains said compound as an active ingredient and has a highly safe neurotrophic factor-like activity or an alleviating action for side effect induced by administration of anti-cancer agents. The trans-2-decenoic acid derivative or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof which is the compound of the present invention is specifically represented by the formula (1): (In the formula, Y is —O—, —NR— or —S—, R is hydrogen atom, alkyl group, dialkylaminoalkyl group or the like and W is a substituent such as dialkylaminoalkyl group) and has a quite high usefulness as a pharmaceutical agent such as a preventive or therapeutic agent for dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, etc., a treating or repairing agent for spinal cord injury.

The invention relates to ceramide dimers which are constructed from two ceramide molecules which are crosslinked to each other via their lipophilic end. The ceramide molecules thereby have at least one hydrophilic group at their hydrophilic end for increasing the hydration shell of the dimer. The ceramide dimers according to the invention can be used as pharmaceutical preparation or as cosmetic preparation.

The present invention relates to a novel acid addition salt of risperidone, wherein acid counterion is selected from the group consisting of pamoic acid, caproic acid, cypionic acid, decanoic acid, camphor sulfonic acid, enanthic acid, palmitic acid, fusidic acid, gluceptic acid, gluconic acid, lactobionic acid, lauric acid, levulinic acid and valeric acid, a process for the preparation and pharmaceutical composition comprising the same. Further, the invention relates to the use of said pharmaceutical composition comprising the acid addition salt of risperidone in the treatment of patient suffering from psychotic disorders.

The present invention relates to novel heterocycle-substituted diphosphonic acids, and the pharmaceutically-acceptable salts and esters thereof, in which the diphosphonate-substituted carbon atom moiety is attached to a carbon atom in a nitrogen-containing six membered ring heterocycle, preferably a piperidine ring. The heterocycle-substituted diphosphonic acid compounds have the general structure: ##STR1## wherein Z is a nitrogen-containing six membered ring heterocycle moiety selected from piperidinyl, diazinyl and triazinyl; m, n and m+n are from 0 to 10; Q is a covalent bond or a moiety selected from oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen; and R1, R2, R3 and R4 are substituent groups.The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing these novel compounds. Finally this invention relates to methods for treating or preventing diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism by utilizing a compound or pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.

Antivirally active compounds of formula (I), wherein R1 is hydrogen, hydroxy, mercapto or amino; R2 is hydrogen, hydroxy, fluoro, chloro or amino; R3 and R4 are independently selected from (II), (III), amino, hydroxy or an ether or ester residue thereof, or R3 together with R4 is (IV), wherein M is hydrogen or a pharmaceutically acceptable counterion; and n is 1 or 2; with the proviso that, when R2 is amino and R3 and R4 are hydroxy, R1 is not hydroxy and in addition, when n=1, R1 is not hydrogen, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; processes for preparation of said compounds, a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compounds, methods for treatments of virus infections as well as use of compounds of formula (I) without the proviso for the manufacture of a medicament for treatment of AIDS. ##STR1##

An exemplary system for treatment and disposal of pharmaceutical waste comprises a sealable pail, a stirring device, a sealable bag, a container, an acidic substance, and a denaturant. The sealable pail receives the pharmaceutical waste and the acidic substance. The acidic substance dissolves the pharmaceutical waste, and the stirring device stirs the acidic substance to ensure that the pharmaceutical waste is completely dissolved. The denaturant is added to the dissolved pharmaceutical waste and renders the dissolved pharmaceutical waste safe for transport. The treated pharmaceutical waste is sealed within the sealable pail, and the sealable bag receives the sealed pail and is sealed. The sealed bag is then placed in the container for transport to a disposal facility.

Containers and methods for disposing unused pharmaceutical product are disclosed. Each container (100, 200, 300) may include a container body (104, 204, 304) with an internal chamber (116, 216, 316) for storing pharmaceutical product, along with a cover (124, 224, 324) for selectively limiting access to the chamber (116, 216, 316). An encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may be selectively disposable within the chamber (116, 216, 316), and may be operable to encapsulate the pharmaceutical product within the container (100, 200, 300). For instance, the encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may melt and/or flow into contact with the pharmaceutical product and thereafter solidify to encapsulate the pharmaceutical product. The encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may melt and thereafter solidify between the cover (124, 224, 324) and shell (104, 204, 304) to limit removal of the cover (124, 224, 324) from the shell (104, 204, 304).

The subject of the present invention are novel esters of (acyloxymethyl)acrylamide, a pharmaceutical composition containing them and their use in the production of drugs for the prophylaxis or treatment of oncogenic diseases and diseases connected with increased cell proliferation.

A phenyl alkyl carbamate derivative compound and a pharmaceutical composition containing the compound are provided. More specifically, the phenyl alkyl carbamate derivative compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, a composition for muscle relaxation containing the phenyl alkyl carbamate derivative compounds and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient, and a method of muscle relaxation comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of the phenyl alkyl carbamate derivative compound and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a subject in need of to a subject in need of, are provided.

The present invention relates to new salts of 6-(propyl-(2-thiophen-2-ylethyl)amino)tetralin-1-ol(rotigotine), their use as a medicament, for example for the treatment of CNS disorders like Parkinson Disease, RLS, fibromyalgia and/or depression, in particular through electromotive administration. The present invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations suitable for iontophoresis that provide enhanced iontophoretic delivery of rotigotine to at least one target tissue. The formulations are further characterized by good to excellent solubility of the salts in aqueous solutions.

The invention relates to a solid pharmaceutical composition comprising solid amorphous fulvestrant, said composition being formulated in combination with a solubilizing composition. The invention also relates to a method for preparing said composition and a kit including the composition.

This invention is related to a pharmaceutical combination that contains a Casein kinase 2 (CK2) peptide inhibitor (termed P15) along with the standard chemotherapeutic drugs used in cancer treatment and which are administered together, separated or sequentially. The chemotherapeutic drugs include cisplatin, taxol, alkaloids from Vinca, 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, mitomicin C, imatinib, iressa and velcade (vortezomib). The synergism between the P15 peptide and the anticancer drugs achieves an efficient concentration of each cytostatic drug in the combination which is from 10- to 100-fold lower than that for each cytostatic drug alone. The pharmaceutical combination described in this invention exhibits lower toxicity compared to that reported by the anticancer therapeutics and therefore, it represents a crucial advantage for its use in cancer therapy. Furthermore, the sequential administration of this pharmaceutical combination through the pretreatment with the P15 peptide leads to the chemo sensibilization of refractory tumors to the anticancer therapeutics.

A system for arm therapy comprises a first drive (M2) that can be fixedly connected to an element (10) determining the position of a user (19) and rotationally driving, about a first axis (A2), a part (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, M1, 26) of the arm therapy system which can be connected to an upper arm module (26, M3, M4). The driven part of the arm therapy system comprises a second drive (M1) adapted to rotationally drive said upper arm module (26, M3, M4) about a second axis (A1), wherein said second axis (A1) is oriented orthogonal to the first axis (A2). The system can provide a statically determined exoskeleton with correct anatomical axes and misaligned technical axes.

A pneumatic compression garment includes a flexible member for placement on a limb of a human body. A bladder in the flexible member defines an inflatable chamber. The bladder has an opening through which the inflatable chamber is inflated. A port mounted on the bladder has an air inlet adapted for communication with a source of pressurized air and an air outlet in communication with the inflatable chamber via the opening in the bladder. Pressurized air is delivered from into the inflatable chamber for inflating the inflatable chamber and thereby applying a compression force to the limb when the flexible member is in place on the limb. An air diverter affixed to an inside surface of a first sheet of the bladder and configured to divert air entering the inflatable chamber from directly impinging against an inside surface of a second sheet of the bladder.

This invention is provides a means of playing LP records with minimal distortion. Low distortion is achieved by eliminating tracking error normally associated with pickup cartridges mounted to pivoting tone arms. This invention discloses a tone arm that constrains the motion of the stylus to straight radial path, mimicking the cutting path of the record lathe, supported on parallel rails by free rolling spherical bearings. Unlike many previous linear tracking tone arms, this invention does not rely on air pressure or servo motor mechanisms. The use of free rolling bearings or axles between parallel tracks fashioned from rails, rods or tubes, eliminates all sources of lateral friction other than pure static and rolling friction of the balls on the rails, rods or tubes. In the preferred embodiment, the fixed rods or tubes are driven synchronously, thereby eliminating static friction of the supporting rolling balls. Friction is further reduced using magnetic or buoyant support of the tone arm to reduce bearing load to that amount minimally sufficient to maintain full contact between the rolling balls and the upper and lower rods.

The invention describes families of compounds that utilize multihydroxyl phenyl groups to provide adhesive properties. Selection of the multihydroxy phenyl group along with linkers or linking groups and the linkages between the linkers or linking groups with polyalkylene oxides, provides materials that can be engineered to afford controllable curing time, biodegradation and/or swelling.

A support arm for a water-cooled, current-conducting electrode includes wall elements, wherein each wall element is a flat conductive metal with a hollowed out recess on its outer surface extending over its length. The support arm further includes a cover extending over each recess to define a closed cooling channel within each wall element when the cover is welded to the wall element. The cover includes with an inlet port and an outlet port for cooling water.

A pharmacy automation system having a robot having a hardware device and a software for internal mapping is configured to carry out at least the following different interactions: the robot communicates autonomously with a physician or an assistant directly or via an intermediary; the robot interacts with an inventory of goods and browses the inventory of goods to determine if a prescribed medication is available in the pharmacy; if the prescribed medication is available in the pharmacy, the robot interacts with a medication dispenser, using the internal mapping to fill a container with the prescribed medication, and store the container; when a patient or a proxy arrives to pick up the prescribed medication, the robot checks and approves an identification of the patient or the proxy; and hands the container with the prescribed medication over to the patient or proxy.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with swarm management are described. One example system comprises a communication component configured to establish a communication link with at least one element, where the at least one element is part of a swarm. The example system also comprises a management component configured to manage performance of a task list by the swarm through the communication link.

It is an object of the present invention to provide antimicrobial metallodrugs comprising an antimicrobial peptide (“AMP”) and/or an antibiotic covalently bound to a metal binding moiety. These metallodrugs combine a metal binding domain which typically catalyzes oxido-reductase chemistry or acts as a Lewis-Acid catalyst, with a member of a diverse class of antimicrobial agents currently validated in preclinical and clinical settings for the treatment of a broad spectrum of pathogenic organisms.

An apparatus and method for transporting radiopharmaceutical substances. The apparatus comprises a radiation shielding pig having an elongated sidewall that extends between two ends and that defines an elongated, interior chamber. The sidewall is thinner than each of the ends. A radiation shield defines at least one cavity. The shield has two open ends and a central area between the open ends that is thicker than each of the two open ends. Also, a method of assembling and disassembling the apparatus includes, placing a syringe filled with a radiopharmaceutical substance into the pig; placing the pig containing the filled syringe in the radiation shield; placing the pig and the shield into an ammunition can for transporting the radioactive substance contained in the syringe.

The invention concerns a soluble pharmaceutical formulation comprising an insulin derivative wherein the formulation further comprises more than 4 zinc atoms per 6 molecules of the insulin derivative, and a citric acid monohydrate and/or a histidine compound used in an amount sufficient to increase the tendency of the insulin derivative to self-associate into dodecamers. The invention further comprises a process for preparing the soluble pharmaceutical formulation.

A multilayer armor is provided that includes a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer, and an interlayer securing the first and second rigid layers to one another. At least one of the first and second rigid layers can include a plurality of regions with a physical or material property that varies between the regions. The interlayer can have a force-extension ratio of 5,600 psi/in or less. The interlayer can have a physical or material property that varies within the interlayer.

A chimeric protein containing neutrophil inhibitory factor and hirugen, the chimeric protein having an amino acid sequence that includes FPRPGSGG (SEQ ID NO:21) Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising the chimeric protein, which can be used for treating or preventing cerebral injury and cerebral edema, or for inhibiting platelet aggregation.

A deboning system for an arm part of bone-in meat includes: a clamp; at least one forearm-bone incision making device; an olecranon incision making device; and a forearm-bone separation device, wherein the at least one forearm-bone incision making device includes a robot arm and a forearm cutter attached to the robot arm, and the olecranon incision making device includes a pair of olecranon cutters.

A method and system of printing a pharmaceutical label is disclosed. The method and system includes a mechanism for receiving patient prescription information, with is entered into a prescription entry system. The vial size may be calculated based on the patient prescription information. Spacing for printing dosing indicia on a pharmaceutical label is calculated and printed on the pharmaceutical label. The pharmaceutical label may then be applied to a vial, which may include an indexing mechanism to aid tracking of doses.

In one embodiment, a surgical instrument comprises an articulable harmonic waveguide. The articulable harmonic waveguide comprises a first drive section comprising a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the first drive section may be configured to connect to an ultrasonic transducer. The articulable harmonic waveguide further comprises a first flexible waveguide coupled to the distal end of the first drive section. An end effector extends distally from the first flexible waveguide. The surgical instrument further comprises an articulation actuator to flex the first flexible waveguide.

A power distribution system for distributing electric power generated by a wind farm between an AC power transmission link and a DC power transmission link is provided. Both power transmission links connect the wind farm to a substation of a power grid. The power distribution system includes a central wind farm controller and a distribution device. In response to a control signal from the central wind farm controller, the distribution device distributes the generated electrical power between the two power transmission links. It is further described a power transmission system with the above described power distribution system and a method for distributing electric power between an AC power transmission link and a DC power transmission link.

Boom drive apparatus for substrate transport systems and methods are described. The boom drive apparatus is adapted to drive one or more multi-arm robots rotationally mounted to the boom to efficiently put or pick substrates. The boom drive apparatus has a boom including a hub, a web, a first pilot above the web, and a second pilot below the web, a first driving member rotationally mounted to the first pilot, a second driving member rotationally mounted to the second pilot, a first driven member rotationally mounted to the boom above the a web, a second driven member rotationally mounted to the boom below the a web, and a first and second transmission members coupling the driving members to driven members located outboard on the boom. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Source support arm of a liquid crystal panel transportation device is provided, which includes a primary arm section. The primary arm section includes a plurality of ancillary arm sections that are rotatable to open mounted thereon. A liquid crystal panel transportation device is also disclosed, which includes a support arm having a primary arm section and ancillary arm sections that are mounted to the primary arm section and are rotatable to open.

The present invention discloses a log sawing system comprising multiple cutting blades. The multiple cutting blades are positioned to cut laterally or perpendicular to the centerline of the log which is to be cut. The logs are transported into cutting position using some type of log positioner. The multiple cutting blades are rotatably mounted on an arm which is pivotally mounted on a shaft in groups, being driven by an electrical or like motor, all of which are mounted onto a platform positioned adjacent to the log to be cut. Hydraulic lifters are used to partially rotate the saw blades into the cutting position adjacent the log. Means utilizing a computer and lasers are provided to develop a log cutting solution to best utilize the logs.

A toy figure is provided that incorporates an articulated armature, the armature including a torso member and multiple limbs, where each limb may be the same or different, and each limb includes at least one limb segment. Each limb segment includes two longitudinal primary plates that intersect approximately orthogonally, and a plurality of substantially parallel secondary plates that intersect with and are approximately orthogonal to both primary plates. The outer edges of the primary and secondary plates of each limb segment substantially define a shape and a volume for that limb portion of the toy figure. The articulated armature is surrounded by a resilient body material to simulate flesh.

A multi-color harmonic synthesized laser system for laser processing and a laser processing method using multi-color harmonic synthesized laser are disclosed. The multi-color harmonic synthesized laser system includes a laser source for providing a single laser wave, a converter for converting the single laser wave into a plurality of harmonic waves with different frequencies, and a modulating unit for modulating amplitudes and relative phases of the harmonic waves to form a plurality of modulated harmonic waves, so as to synthesize the modulated harmonic waves as a single synthesized laser wave, wherein the single synthesized laser wave is focused on an object to perform a laser processing. The converter includes a plurality of non-linear crystals for converting the single laser wave into a fundamental harmonic wave and a plurality of multi-frequency harmonic waves. The harmonic waves are coherent and collinear, and the phases of the harmonic waves are related to one another.

A windshield wiper arm bracket includes a pair of side walls. Each of said side walls include at least one centrally located pin arm receiving hole formed therein. The bracket also includes a post attaching the pair of side walls together. The post is for receiving a pin arm adaptor thereon. The bracket also includes an attachment arm formed on a bottom of each of the pair of side walls. The attachment arms are for connecting the bracket to a windshield wiper assembly. An adaptor for a windshield wiper arm bracket includes a top portion and a web portion. The web portion includes a central aperture formed therein. The central aperture includes a first portion for receiving a post of the windshield wiper arm bracket and a second aperture for receiving a pin arm of a windshield wiper arm.

The present invention proposes a digital system and method of measuring (estimating) non-energy parameters of the signal (phase, frequency and frequency rate) received in additive mixture with Gaussian noise. The first embodiment of the measuring system consists of a PLL system tracking variable signal frequency, a block of NCO full phase computation (OFPC), a block of signal phase primary estimation (SPPE) and a first type adaptive filter filtering the signal from the output of SPPE. The second embodiment of the invention has no block SPPE, and NCO full phase is fed to the input of a second type adaptive filter. The present invention can be used in receivers of various navigation systems, such as GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO, which provide precise measurements of signal phase at different rates of frequency change, as well as systems using digital PLLs for speed measurements.

A chair assembly includes a four-bar linkage assembly including a first linkage member, a second linkage member, a third linkage member and a fourth linkage member each pivotably coupled to one another such that the four-bar linkage assembly includes an upper end that is adjustable between raised and lowered positions, and an arm rest assembly adapted to support the arm of a seated user thereon and supported the upper end of the four-bar linkage assembly, wherein a lower end of the four-bar linkage assembly is pivotably supported from an arm support structure for pivotable movement, such that the upper end of the four-bar linkage assembly is moveable between a first position and second position located laterally outward from the first position.

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to an earthquake detection and alarming apparatus, comprising: a transparent object (46) having a concave surface on the top thereof; a rollable object (34) placed on the concave surface; an apiary of light projectors (30) placed above the concave surface; an apiary of light receivers (38) correspondingly to the apiary of light projectors, the apiary of light receivers being placed below the concave surface; and circuitry for determining: (a) vibrating frequency and amplitude of the rollable object with reference to the concave surface from sensing of the receivers (38); and (b) deducing therefrom the arrival of primary waves.

A jointed mechanism including a segment coupled to a joint; and an elongated component coupled to the segment, where applying a pulling force to the elongated component rotates the segment around the joint, elastically deforming the elongated component; wherein the elastic deformation generates an elongated component elastic force sufficient to rotate the segment, in an opposite direction, in absence of the pulling force.

The present invention pertains to a modular furniture system in which a flat-foldable or easily assembled and disassembled rigid base structure composed of rectangular-cross-sectioned pieces each with specific dimensions serves variously, once assembled, as the supporting framework for a flat-foldable chair seat-and-backrest module, which configured together with the base structure serves as either an upright dining chair with armrests or as a lower and more reclined lounge chair with armrests, or alternatively as configured for supporting the connectable or foldable components of a flat planar surface module to be used for dining or to serve as a desktop, or alternatively as configured for supporting a storage cabinet module with drawers or doors.