Abstract: A kinematic coupling includes a male connector (94) and first and second opposed jaws (122, 124.) Each of the jaws is pivotable from a retracted position in which the male connector can be inserted between the jaws and an engaging position in which the jaws prevent withdrawal of the male connector from between the jaws. The male connector is movable between an extended and a retracted position, and is biased towards the retracted position. This provides a positive clamping force when the kinematic coupling is engaged.

Abstract: Compositions of matter comprising a substituted cyclodextrin and cytotoxic compound, especially cytotoxic drugs such as antibiotic, anti-fungal and anti-neoplastic, drugs are claimed. The compositions cause significantly less ulceration compared to the same formulation of cytotoxic compound without cyclodextrin compound when extravasated. The compositions may also cause less vascular irritation compared to the same formulation of cytotoxic compound without cyclodextrin when administered intravenously without extravasation. Compositions of matter comprising watersoluble cytotoxic agents, especially anticancer drugs and anti-ulceration effective or anti-irritation effective amounts of cyclodextrin compounds are also claimed. Methods for reducing the likelihood of ulceration and or irritation when administering the compositions according to the invention are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: An ultrasound welding component is disclosed. One embodiment of the component includes a weld region about which an ultrasound weldable material may be wrapped. The weld region includes a weld zone consisting of recesses positioned on opposing sides of a weld area. The recesses and weld area each having widths selected such that an ultrasound source compressing overlapping sections of the ultrasound weldable material against the weld area forms a weld having a width which is narrower than a sum of the widths of the recesses and the weld area. The component also includes a mechanism which immobilizes the ultrasound weldable material relative to the weld zone.

Abstract: A method for detecting oligonucleotides is provided and comprises forming a series of different sized oligonucleotides labeled with an energy transfer dye; separating the series of labeled oligonucleotides based on size; and detecting the separated labeled oligonucleotide by exposing the oligonucleotides to light having a wavelength between about 250 and 450 nm and measuring light emitted by the energy transfer dye at a wavelength greater than about 500 nm.

Abstract: Disclosed is a surgical apparatus including a surgical instrument including a housing and a cannula, and a surgical tool including a shaft and a tip, and a drive interface and an electrical interface, and the drive interface producing a surgical motion of the tip, and the electrical interface producing a cauterizing action of the tip. Also disclosed is a cutting and cauterizing device for connection to a surgical instrument. Additionally, methods for using both the surgical apparatus and the cutting and cauterizing device are disclosed.

Abstract: In a transcription system which includes a plurality of signal receivers for positioning adjacent a writing surface and for receiving a position signal transmitted from a stylus when the stylus is positioned adjacent the writing surface, the signal receivers producing timing signals in response to receiving the position signal from the stylus, the transcription system using the timing signals to determine a position of the stylus adjacent the writing surface, a detector assembly comprising: a housing for mounting to the writing surface; a plurality of signal receivers; and at least one user activated control switch whose activation by a user when the detector assembly is mounted to the writing surface produces a control signal which causes the transcription system to perform a function in response.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of collapsing multiple ports to a single queue. The invention has applications in switching devices whereby several external ports share the same resource, such as a switching fabric. In order to allocate the resources fairly to all the ports, a scanning method is used to allocate the division of the resources to each of the external ports. A port combiner circuit continuously scans or polls the external ports in a round robin fashion checking for a port ready to input data. An external port in a ready state transfers its frame data to an input queue. The frame data is written to the next available segment in the input queue which is comprised of RAM configured as a circular buffer. After a frame is written, the write pointer is incremented to point to point to the next available segment. The next frame segment read out of the input queue is always the first one written. The queue thus formed received multiple inputs but has a single output.

Abstract: A method of performing source routing when a node is in the overload state. A node in the overload state cannot perform routing functions in response to a SETUP message for destinations other than its directly connected neighbors. Instead, the node forwards the SETUP request to one of its directly connected neighbors. The neighboring node chosen must be able to support the overload routing feature, the link between the two nodes must be in the FULL state and the node chosen must not itself be in the overload state. The neighboring node chosen to calculate the source route receives a ROUTE REQUEST message encapsulating the information received from the source user. The neighboring node chosen then calculates the source route as if it was the node connected to the source user, i.e., the node in the overload state. The route, once calculated, is sent to the requesting node in the overload state.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes assigning channels to a set of access points coupled to a network. The network includes a set of wireless network nodes. Each access point communicates, using one of the channels, to a subset of the wireless network nodes. Each channel corresponds to a different frequency range in the electromagnetic spectrum. The embodiment includes the following steps. At least a first access point of the set of access points transmits a plurality of messages. A measure of interference between access points communicating on a first channel is determined from the plurality of messages. A second set of channel assignments, that results in a lower amount of interference between access points communicating on the first channel, is determined. The second set of channel assignments is assigned to the set of access points. Thus, non-interfering frequency assignments for the access points can be determined.

Abstract: A method of permitting older networks based on E-IISP routing to operate in newer PNNI based networks. The invention combines the PNNI and E-IISP routing schemes and permits their simultaneous execution in the same ATM network. The E-IISP routing scheme is modified so as to operate in unison with the minimal PNNI implementation configured on each node. The Hello protocol and associated Finite State Machine (FSM) are utilized to determine whether a remote node is in the same peer group. If it is determined that both nodes are in the same peer group, the ports on either side of the link are configured as standard PNNI type ports. If it is determined that the two nodes are from different peer groups, the ports on either of the link are configured as E-IISP type ports. Foreign address information is then exchanged between the two nodes thus permitting border nodes to learn about other peer groups from their respective remote nodes.

Abstract: A method of determining an efficient route to a well known address that is particularly applicable to networks that do not have the capability of source routing for calculating routes to specific addresses such as ATM networks based on the IISP protocol. The well known address may represent any entity in the network that provides distributed services (e.g., network server applications) that are to be shared among many nodes and applications on the network, such as LECSs. The method of functions to automatically and dynamically register ‘well known’ addresses on the ports of each node that implements the invention. This permits applications on the network to route to the destination in the shortest possible path thus utilizing network resources in an efficient manner. If there is more than one location with the well known address, e.g., a redundant LECSs in the network, or more than one route to the location then the optimum location will be the one routed to.

Abstract: A multicast queue for controlling cell traffic to individual output queues in a multicast group in accordance with the backpressure information generated by each output queue. One or more destinations asserting the backpressure signal are identified and, in response, the corresponding one or more destinations are removed from the ‘distribution list’ in the routing tag associated with the connection. In this fashion, a cell that originated at a multicast source queue can be transmitted to the remaining destination queues that are not in a congested state. Cell traffic will cease only to those destination queues that generated the backpressure signal indicating that they are full. If the congestion at an output port is removed, the corresponding backpressure bit is reset and cell traffic resumes to that particular output port.

Abstract: A power switching and voltage regulation system utilizing a conventional switching element to provide distributed power switching and voltage regulation. The system utilizes a switching element to impose an impedance in a controlled manner to provide power to a load such as a plug-in module in an electronic apparatus. The power source supplying an input DC voltage is intentionally set to a higher voltage than the level required by the plug-in module. The voltage supplied is required to be sufficiently high such that the voltage delivered to the plug-in module, exceeds the maximum permitted voltage level of the voltage required by the particular plug-in module. Once the switching device is turned on, the switching element exerts an impedance which functions to drop the voltage supplied to the load to the required value. The impedance is generated in accordance with a feedback control signal.

Abstract: A translation table apparatus used to perform both forward and backward bitmap vector translations. The translation table is used with bit vectors where it is desired to displace one or more bits to different bit positions in accordance with a configurable bitmap translation table. The translation of one bit vector to another is performed in real time and any number of bits can be moved simultaneously. In addition, both the bit vectors and the contents of the translation table can be changed on the fly. Translations are performed on multiple bits simultaneously wherein several bits can be displaced at the same time in accordance with the translation table. The same hardware used to implement the translation table is used for backward translations as well.

Abstract: A system is provided for scanning an object, the system comprising: a drive shaft having a proximal portion and a longitudinal axis; a motor including a motor shaft having a rotational axis, the motor serving to rotate the motor shaft about the rotational axis; a flexible joint coupling the drive shaft to the motor shaft by the proximal portion of the drive shaft, the flexible joint having a range of motion which allows the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft to move relative to the rotational axis of the motor shaft; and an object attached to the drive shaft which is movable along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft in response to the drive shaft being rotated by the motor. This system may be used in a drum scanner system and may be used to read storage layer radiation screens.

Abstract: A caching method to greatly reduce the time to calculate routes based on the well known Dijkstra routing algorithm. A first embodiment is suitable for use in applications where only a single class of call is in use. A second embodiment is suitable for use where multiple classes of calls are is simultaneous use. A sequential number field and a global variable holding a sequential count are maintained by each node. When a node is put on the PATH list, the global sequential count variable is copied to the sequential number field for that particular node descriptor. Subsequently, when a route to destination node is to be calculated, for each node marked as a destination, the global sequential count variable and the node descriptor sequential number field are checked if they are equal. If they are, it means that a route has already been calculated to the destination which was already determined to be optimum.

Abstract: A method for treating a patient having a disease associated with undesirable or uncontrolled cell proliferation such as cancer and restenosis is provided. The method comprises: delivering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of 9-nitro-20(S)-camptothecin in combination with an effective amount of an antibiotic agent such as doxorubicin.

Abstract: A kit for use with a transcription system which includes a plurality of signal receivers for positioning adjacent a writing surface and for receiving position signals transmitted from a stylus when the stylus is positioned adjacent the writing surface, the transcription system recording writing performed by the stylus on the writing surface, the kit comprising: a background image coupleable to the writing surface; and a computer readable medium including logic for detecting a position of the background image on the writing surface, logic for detecting a position of the stylus relative to the background image on the writing surface, logic for recording writing by the stylus relative to the background image, and logic for forming a composite image comprising the background image and the writing by the stylus on the background image.

Abstract: A method whereby local area network (LAN) multicast traffic flows are defined and set up by the network management system (NMS). Network efficiency is maximized and performance degradation of the network and workstations connected thereto is reduced. The method utilizes standard 802.1D bridging infrastructure built into conventional level 2 network switching devices to permit a administrator to define a multicast flow, otherwise known as a virtual LAN (VLAN) or a ‘Session VLAN,’ as a multicast application that can be mapped to a multicast MAC address. The multicast MAC address is then utilized in the transmission of the multicast messages. The NMS declares a session VLAN across all the level 2 devices in the network utilizing standard SNMP and members of the session VLAN can be added and removed. Each device then translates the SNMP requests to an operation on its standard 802.1D static addresses.

Abstract: Compounds and methods of using these compounds to treat neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease, are provided. The compounds that are provided for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases can be represented by a general formula (I): wherein R1 is Me, Et or PhCH2; R2 is H, PhCH2 or 6-Me-3-Py—(CH2)2; and R3 is H, Me or Br. The solid line accompanied by the dotted line, i.e. — represents a single or double bond and salts thereof with pharmacologically acceptable acids and quaternary derivatives.