320results about How to "Great degree" patented technology

A method of dispensing a therapeutic fluid from a line includes providing an inlet line connectable to an upstream fluid source. The inlet line is in downstream fluid communication with a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber has a pump outlet. The method also includes actuating a force application assembly so as to restrict retrograde flow of fluid through the inlet while pressurizing the pumping chamber to urge flow through the pump outlet. A corresponding system employs the method.

A filtering face mask that includes a mask body that is adapted to fit over the nose and mouth of a person and a harness that is attached to the mask body. The mask body comprises i) a first shaping layer that has been molded; ii) a second shaping layer that has been molded; iii) a filtration layer that is disposed between the first and second shaping layers; iv) a first adhesive layer that adheres the first shaping layer to the filtration layer; and v) a second adhesive layer that adheres the second shaping layer to the filtration layer.

This invention relates to novel pharmaceutically useful compositions that bind to a biological molecule, having improved circulatory half-life, increased avidity, increased affinity, or multifunctionality, and methods of use thereof. The present invention provides a pseudo-antibody comprising an organic moiety covalenty coupled to at least two target-binding moieties, wherein the target-binding moieties are selected from the group consisting of a protein, a peptide, a peptidomimetic, and a non-peptide molecule that binds to a specific targeted biological molecule. The pseudo-antibody of the present invention may affect a specific ligand in vitro, in situ and/or in vivo. The pseudo-antibodies of the present invention can be used to measure or effect in an cell, tissue, organ or animal (including humans), to diagnose, monitor, modulate, treat, alleviate, help prevent the incidence of, or reduce the symptoms of, at least one condition.

The invention relates to cellular compositions comprising hematopoietic cells with the potential or increased potential to form non-hematopoietic cells; methods for producing such cellular compositions; methods for differeentitation of cells of cellular compositions of the invention into cells that exhibit morphological, physiological, functional, and/or immunological features of non-hematopoietic cells; and uses of the cellular compositions. The invention also relates to a method for the expansion of hemtopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

A computer pointing device including: a base portion with a lower surface adapted for sliding across a work surface, a spine portion, projecting substantially upward from said base portion and having a thumb-engaging surface on a first lateral side of the spine and at least fingertip-engaging surface on a second lateral side of the spine opposing said first lateral side. A keyboard with an altered arrangement of function of keys, such as an enlarged or truncated appearance in accordance with keys being re-mapped to sensors on a pointing device. A keyboard with a virtual screen display, which may be made semi-transparent by activating a sensor on a pointing device. A computer with a recess capable of accommodating a mouse device. A locked scrolling or zooming means, using any pointing device, in which scrolling or zooming in a defined direction is proportional to the distance travelled by the device, irrespective of direction of movement of the device.

A flexible medical intubation instrument provided for placement into an animal or human patient comprises a catheter with at least a pair of longitudinally extending lumens or channels including a sensor and/or actuator channel and a working channel. In the sensor/actuator channel is provided a fixed or slideably removable sensor cable having a sensor for sensing a characteristic or condition including any of the following: a visual sensor for optical viewing, a chemical sensor, a pH sensor, a pressure sensor, an infection sensor, an audio sensor, or a temperature sensor. The sensors are coupled by the sensor/actuator cable through light transmission, electric current, or radio transmission to a viewing instrument or other output device such as a meter or video screen for displaying the condition that is sensed within the body of the patient while the flexibility of the composite structure comprising the catheter and cable enable the entire instrument to flex laterally as it moves through curved passages or around obstructions during insertion or removal. While making observations through the sensor channel, the working channel simultaneously functions as a drain or an irrigation duct, a feeding tube, or to provide a passage for the insertion of one or a succession of surgical devices such that the catheter serves as a protective artificial tract or liner as surgical devices are inserted and removed through it in succession so as to minimize tissue trauma, infection, and pain experienced by the patient. The instrument can be used in urology, as well as a visually directed nasogastric tube, as a visually directed external gastrostomy tube, or as a visually directed internal gastric tube or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube and in other applications.

A diagnostic system for collecting, processing, recording and analyzing sounds associated with the physiologic activities of various human organs. The system includes a plurality of transducers placed on the body surface at the operator's discretion. The microphones are coupled to analogue/digital signal processing circuitry for enhancement of the desired signal and exclusion of ambient noise. An A/D converter digitizes the incoming data and transmits data, which is divided into a multitude of discrete blocks, received over very finite intervals of time, to a computer workstation and moved through an analysis program sequentially. The program is displayed as a series of icons which depict operations that the program performs and which allow the operator to reprogram the system at any time. The data is finally displayed in graphical format and stored in memory as the program processes each block sequentially.

A portable medical diagnostic instrument includes an instrument head and a handle portion having an open-ended receiving cavity. A compact illuminator defined by a housing retaining a miniature light source and a power supply is releasably fitted within the open-ended receiving cavity of the handle portion wherein the light source of the illuminator is optically coupled with the instrument on assembly therewith. The handle portion can be integral with the instrument or releasably attached. The handle portion according to at least one version is made from a plastic or other suitable material, permitting disposability and/or single patient use. In one version, the handle portion is flexibly deformable, at least partially, to facilitate release of the portable illuminator.

A cutting block for resecting a bone, particularly the distal femur, has a body with a first generally planar bone contacting surface to contact the resected distal surface of the femur. The body has a second surface spaced from the bone contacting surface along an axis perpendicular to said generally planar bone contacting surface. The body has a perimeter surface extending between the first and second surfaces, wherein the perimeter surface is at least partially curved with respect to the axis in both a direction generally perpendicular thereto and generally parallel thereto. The perimeter surface may be polished.

An operating system deployment arrangement provides a database connected to a network for use in monitoring the boot status of machines connected to sub-networks of the network. A workstation connected to a sub-network is adapted to act as a server for a pre-installation environment to machines newly connecting to the sub-network or at the same geographical location. The workstation carries a program for detecting boot initiation messages broadcast on the sub-network and for progressing booting of newly connecting machines in accordance with boot action data held by the database. In particular, the workstation also sends a software agent and operating system deployment processes to a newly connected machine and the agent takes over progression of the booting process from the workstation. The data held in the database for any one machine is updated as booting progresses. Flexibility is provided both in administration of the boot action data held in the database and by means of user interaction software loaded to a newly connected machine in the course of booting.

A knee joint prosthesis is disclosed. The prosthesis has a femoral component and a tibial component. The tibial component has a tibial plateau element fitted in a tibial tray element. A hemi capstan shaped bridge member is provided between replicated condyles on the femoral component. A specially shaped post is provided between kidney shaped meniscal depression on the tibial plateau element. The bridge member and the post act together to form an additional joint for load transfer during deep flexion of the prosthesis in its operative configuration.

A customizable Web portal service comprises a server that hosts a master Web site. The master Web site serves as a Web portal. Users of a first class can establish accounts on the server. For each account holder, the server hosts a separate copy of the master Web site. Each account holder can customize its copy of the master Web site in accordance with a first level of customizability. In addition, users of a second class can create customized copies of the master Web site and of the account holder copies thereof in accordance with a second level of customizability.

A method of establishing a shared secret random cryptographic key between a sender and a recipient using a quantum communications channel is described. The method comprises: generating a plurality of random quantum states of a quantum entity, each random state being defined by a randomly selected one of a first plurality of bases in Hilbert space, transmitting the plurality of random quantum states of the quantum entity via the quantum channel to a recipient, measuring the quantum state of each of the received quantum states of the quantum entity with respect to a randomly selected one of a second plurality of bases in Hilbert space, transmitting to the recipient composition information describing a subset of the plurality of random quantum states, analysing the received composition information and the measured quantum states corresponding to the subset to derive a first statistical distribution describing the subset of transmitted quantum states and a second statistical distribution describing the corresponding measured quantum states, establishing the level of confidence in the validity of the plurality of transmitted random quantum states by verifying that the first and second statistical distributions are sufficiently similar, deriving a first binary sting and a second binary string, correlated to the first binary string, respectively from the transmitted and received plurality of quantum states not in the subset, and carrying out a reconciliation of the second binary string to the first binary string by using error correction techniques to establish the shared secret random cryptographic key from the first and second binary strings.

The present invention involves an expandable element with an outer sticky surface. The expandable element may be in the form of a balloon with deflated and inflated configurations. The expandable element serves to both dilate a lumen in a blood vessel thereby opening it and to exert force upon the sticky surface in order to press it into apposition against a vessel wall. The outer sticky surface may be provided directly upon the expandable element or on a separate outer sheath that conforms to and follows the contours of the expandable element. The sticky surface may take the form of a biochemical composition and/or a mechanically abrasive structure such as microhooks, hairs, mesh netting, etc. Optionally, additional expandable elements may be provided proximal and distal to the main element to occlude blood flow on either side of a lesion in order to better trap emboli for collection.

A knee joint prosthesis is disclosed. The prosthesis has a femoral component and a tibial component. The tibial component has a tibial plateau element fitted in a tibial tray element. A hemi capstan shaped bridge member is provided between replicated condyles on the femoral component. A specially shaped post is provided between kidney shaped meniscal depression on the tibial plateau element. The bridge member and the post act together to form an additional joint for load transfer during deep flexion of the prosthesis in its operative configuration.

A dual-screen user device and methods for revealing a combination of desktops on single and multiple screens are disclosed. Selected desktops and/or running applications are displayed on dual screen displays. Desktops and applications can be shifted between screens by user gestures, and/or moved off of the screens and therefore hidden. Hidden desktops and screens can be re-displayed by yet other gestures. The desktops and applications are arranged in a window stack that represents a logical order of the desktops and applications providing a user with an intuitive ability to manage multiple applications/desktops miming simultaneously. One user gesture launches an applications management window that provides visual indications of all applications and desktops running at the time. Other gestures rearrange the order of the applications and desktops in the window stack. One particular gesture drags a selected application or desktop appearing in the applications management window to a selected screen.

A flexible medical intubation instrument provided for placement into an animal or human patient comprises a catheter with at least one longitudinally extending lumen or channel. A fixed or slideably removable sensor cable is at least partially contained within the channel, having a sensor for sensing a characteristic or condition. While enabling observations through the sensor channel, the working channel may simultaneously function as a drain or an irrigation duct, a feeding tube, or to provide a passage for the insertion of one or a succession of surgical devices such that the catheter serves as a protective artificial tract or liner as surgical devices are inserted and removed through it in succession so as to minimize tissue trauma.

Data flow graph representation is combined with message passing and delegation, a stackless execution model, and a real-time compiler technology, to provide an improved software development and distribution paradigm. Polymorphic objects represent nodes that can be reconfigured, replaced, and/or modified as needed. Complex functionality is achieved by passing messages among nodes. Authored content is published by replacing interactive nodes with fixed-value nodes as desired. Software representations can be translated among various isomorphic formats, including data flow graphs and scripts, without loss of information or modifiability.

A process for treating an aqueous liquid. The process includes: passing the liquid by force of gravity through a treatment area, the liquid having an upper surface exposed to ambient pressure; disrupting the flow of the liquid as it passes through the treatment area, and exposing the upper surface of the liquid as the flow is disrupted to UV light. Disrupting the flow includes directing lower portions of the liquid toward the surface of the liquid to bring such portions into contact with UV light. A process for treating an aqueous liquid in which the treatment process is monitored. This process includes passing the liquid through a treatment area to bring the liquid into contact with reflective walls submerged below an upper surface of the liquid, and exposing the upper surface of the liquid to light emitted from a UV light source such that UV light penetrates the liquid to strike the submerged reflective surfaces and to be reflected therefrom to emerge through the upper surface of the liquid. The process also involves determining the intensity of the UV light emitted from the light source, determining the intensity of UV light received by a UV light sensor trained to receive emergent light and determining whether the treatment has a predetermined effectiveness based on the intensity of the UV light emitted from the light source and the intensity of the UV light received by the sensor. Apparatuses for carrying out processes of the invention are also described.

A method of modifying the operation of the encoder function and/or the decoder function of a perceptual coding system in accordance with supplemental information, such as a watermark, so that the supplemental information may be detectable in the output of the decoder function. One or more parameters are modulated in the encoder function and/or the decoder function in response to the supplemental information.

A stream of process liquid is treated while flowing through in a horizontally elongated chamber having an open top. Longitudinally elongated electrode blades are aligned with the longitudinal dimension of the chamber. An overhead disbursement chamber supplies a sweeping air stream over the open top of the chamber for removing foam and gas reaction by-products. The electrode blades are separated and held at a desired spacing by small portable guides located below and above the blades.