Abstract: A combination of a rail, an upright, and a slide connector for attaching the rail to the upright includes a first connector part including a mounting arm secured to an underside surface of the rail adjacent one end thereof and a tongue depending generally downwardly from the mounting arm, and a second connector part including a mounting base secured to a side surface of the upright and a generally planar engagement body extending laterally outwardly from the mounting base. The engagement body has a slot therein for receiving the tongue when the rail is translated along an engagement axis from a disengaged position in which the first and second parts are generally free to move relative to each other to an engaged position in which the first and second parts are substantially inhibited from moving relative to each other, thereby attaching the rail to the upright.

Abstract: The described embodiments relate generally to methods, systems and devices for maintaining data integrity of a removable media card of a handheld electronic device, particularly when such media card is removed from such device.

Abstract: The invention relates to remote access systems and methods using automatic speech recognition to access a computer system. The invention also relates to an intelligent agent resident on the computer system for facilitating remote access to, and receipt of, information on the computer system through speech recognition or text-to-speech read-back. The remote access systems and methods can be used by a user of the computer system while traveling. The user can dial into a server system which is configured to interact with the user by automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech conversion. The server system establishes a connection to an intelligent agent running on the user's remotely located computer system by packet communication over a public network. The intelligent agent sources information on the user's computer system or a network accessible to the computer system, processes the information and transmits it to the server system over the public network.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing an ortho-substituted aminoferrocene comprising reacting an aminoferrocene with a Lewis acid and a lithiating reagent in the presence of an electrophile to form the ortho-substituted aminoferrocene.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining the ideal time for and outcome of reproductive health procedures including in vitro fertilization by establishing a correlation between the successful outcome of said procedure and the spectra of a body fluid obtained using a chosen analytical modality for a population of patients, acquiring for a patient a spectrum of the body fluid of the patient using said chosen modality.

Abstract: A sequence of n coefficients is compressed by determining a cost-determined sequence of n coefficient indices represented by a cost-determined sequence of (run, index derivative) pairs under a given quantization table and run-index derivative coding distribution, wherein each sequence of (run, index derivative) pairs defines a corresponding sequence of coefficient indices such that (i) each index in the corresponding sequence of coefficient indices is a digital number, (ii) the corresponding sequence of coefficient indices includes a plurality of values including a special value, and (iii) each (run, index derivative) pair defines a run value representing a number of consecutive indices of the special value, and an index-based value derived from a value of the index following the number of consecutive indices of the special value.

Abstract: A system and method for data masking target data fields of a data record uses an original database with data records having at least one target data field and a copied database including a copy of at least a portion of the original database. Data masking consists of adding a row-identifier column with an index to a primary data record to form a primary row-identifier data record, creating empty delta data records, performing data transformations on the target data fields to form masked delta data records, merging the masked delta data records with the primary row-identifier data record to form a masked primary data record, copying a related data record and joining with said primary row-identifier data record to form a related row-identifier data record and then merging the related row-identifier data record with the masked primary data record to form a masked related data record.

Abstract: A method of playing a card game is disclosed. The method includes: a) dealing on or more cards to each player; b) taking an action based on the cards, where the action is selected from the group consisting of: betting, raising, calling, checking, and folding; c) determining a winning hand based on the numerical point value of the cards of each player who has not folded, such that the numerical point value of the winning hand is closer to a predetermined value than the numerical point value of the cards of any other player who has not folded; and d) providing a reward to a player having the winning hand, where the reward is at least a portion of the amount wagered by the players.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel cancer-associated antigen that can be used in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Further, the invention provides amino acid and nucleic acid sequence of the novel antigen, binding proteins, and immuno-conjugates. The invention also relates to diagnostic and therapeutic methods and kits.

Abstract: A system and method for processing attachments to messages sent to a mobile device is described herein. Embodiments described herein apply to encrypted messages comprising multiple message parts, in which different encryption keys (e.g. session keys) have been used to encrypt the different message parts. In at least one example embodiment, the encrypted session keys for every message content part comprising an attachment is received at the mobile device. In one embodiment, all of the encrypted session keys are stored together in a main message header. The mobile device may then decrypt the encrypted session key associated with a user requested attachment, and transmits the decrypted session key to one or more remote servers in an attachment request for use in decrypting the requested attachment. Data associated with the requested attachment, in decrypted form, is returned to the mobile device.

Abstract: A platform apparatus for producing hydrogen gas from water includes a buoyant base configured for floating in a body of water, such as on the ocean, a vertical support member extending upwardly from the base, a wind turbine rotatably coupled to the support member for transforming the kinetic energy of wind into rotational energy, a generator coupled to the wind turbine for transforming the rotational energy generated into DC electricity, and an electrolysis apparatus affixed to the platform for using the electricity to extract hydrogen gas from water by the process of hydrolysis. The electrolysis apparatus preferably comprises an exchange chamber for storing water collected from the body of water, a pair of corrosion resistant electrodes, and a gas collection apparatus for collecting the hydrogen gas produced by electrolysis. The platform apparatus preferably includes a pumping apparatus powered by wave motion of the body of water for supplying water to the electrolysis apparatus.

Abstract: A fusion protein comprising GM-CSF and IL-15 is described. The fusion protein has unexpected immune suppressive properties and is useful in a variety of therapeutic applications.

Abstract: A stretch laminate comprises a carrier web extending lengthwise in a machine direction and widthwise in a cross direction between opposed side edges, the carrier web including an extensible zone and an inextensible zone disposed side-by-side across the width of the carrier web; and an elastomeric element laminated to the nonwoven layer over at least a portion of the extensible zone.

Abstract: A cyclone separator useable in a surface cleaning apparatus comprises a cyclone casing defining a cyclone chamber and having first and second opposed ends and a sidewall extending between the first and second ends. The first end is provided with a fluid inlet and the second end is provided with a dirt outlet. The dirt outlet provides a lateral outlet to a dirt collection chamber in communication with the cyclone chamber via the dirt outlet. The dirt outlet is positioned from about 90 to about 330° around the cyclone casing in a flow direction from the fluid inlet.

Abstract: A surface cleaning apparatus comprising a dirt inlet, a handle, a first cyclonic cleaning stage, a second cyclonic cleaning stage comprising a plurality of cyclones in parallel and a plurality of dirt collection chambers that are emptied concurrently, and the first cleaning stage is removed from the second cleaning stage prior to emptying the plurality of dirt collection chambers and, an air flow motor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing intelligent error messaging is disclosed wherein a user of a mobile communications device is provided with descriptive error messaging information to assist the user in overcoming errors associated with the processing of electronic messages and data. For example, when the mobile device is being used to decrypt a cryptographically secured electronic message, and a problem is encountered, program logic of the device provides the user with (1) an indication of exactly what problem is preventing opening of the message, for example, a required cryptographic key is not available; (2) an indication of exactly what may be done to overcome the problem, for example, what utilities should be run on the device; and (3) exactly what data, if any, needs to be downloaded to the device, for example, what cryptographic keys should be downloaded.

Abstract: System and method for blind echo cancellation in a received terahertz signal in a pulsed terahertz system for imaging or spectroscopy. Blind signal processing methods estimate the impulse response of the reflection mechanism and do not require a reference measurement to be taken. The reference signal may be recovered using a successive approach wherein the reference is first estimated using cross-correlation with the received signal and the received signal is represented as a function of the reference signal. For each successive echo, the calculated echo may be subtracted from the received signal and then the estimate of the reference signal is refined. Using an analytical approach, the parameters of a transfer function modeling the reflection mechanism may be estimated by optimizing a cost function.

Abstract: The composite electrolyte for use in a thin plate rechargeable lithium battery comprises a porous or micro-porous inert, multi-layered polymer separator laminate which carries an adherent second polymer coating containing a dissociable lithium compound, and the multi-layered separator having adherent solid second polymer layer, is impregnated with an organic liquid containing another lithium salt. The porous or micro-porous separator laminate is made of multiple polymer layers, at least one of the member layers having melting temperature at least 20-C below the melting temperature of the other polymer member layers. The composite porous electrolyte is inserted between the electrodes of a rechargeable lithium battery. In another embodiment the porous polymer separator sheet has an adherent, dissociable lithium compound containing, solid second polymer layer on each of its major faces.