Abstract: An apparatus is provided which includes a sample holder for holding a reaction chamber which includes an optical interface, a fiber optic cable for delivering an excitation beam to a sample housed within the reaction chamber and for receiving light emitted by the sample, and a lens co-axially disposed with the fiber optic cable and positioned outside the reaction chamber for focusing the excitation beam through the optical interface and within a volume of the sample and for collecting and transmitting to the fiber optic cable light emitted within the volume of the sample.

Abstract: A percutaneous method of repairing a fissure in the annulus pulposus comprises placing an energy source adjacent to the fissure and providing sufficient energy to the fissure to raise the temperature to at least about 45-70.degree. C. and for a sufficient time to cause the collagen to weld. An intervertebral fissure also can be treated by placing a catheter with a lumen adjacent to the fissure and injecting sealant into the fissure via the catheter, thereby sealing the fissure. An intervertebral fissure additionally can be treated by providing a catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, a longitudinal axis, and an intradiscal section at the catheter's distal end on which there is at least one functional element. The next step is applying a force longitudinally to the proximal of the catheter which is sufficient to advance the intradiscal section through the nucleus pulposus and around an inner wall of an annulus fibrosus, but which force is insufficient to puncture the annulus fibrosus.

Abstract: A scanning mechanism is provided for use in a scanning probe microscope. The scanning mechanism includes a stationary portion; a moveable portion; a plurality of springs attaching the moveable portion to the fixed portion, the plurality of springs providing tension against movement of the moveable portion relative to the stationary portion, the tension provided by the plurality of springs having a substantially linear spring constant over a scan distance; and one or more voice coils attached to either the moveable portion or the stationary portion for moving the moveable portion relative to the stationary portion in one or more orthogonal directions.

Abstract: Disclosed is an integrated surgical and cauterizing apparatus, comprising a surgical instrument including a drive member, a cannula, and a tool, and the cannula attached at a proximal end to the drive member and defining at a distal end thereof an opening, and the tool including a shaft and a tip, and the shaft contained within he cannula and connecting the tip in the opening of the cannula to the drive member to produce a surgical motion of the tip; and a cauterizing instrument comprising at least one electrode, and a conductor, and at least one electrode affixed to the cannula adjacent to the distal end of the cannula and the conductor providing an electrical path from the at least one electrode for the application of electrical power to the at least one electrode to produce a cauterizing effect.

Abstract: An implantable electrode is provided for treating tissue in a patient with energy. In one variation of this embodiment, the implantable electrode includes a shaft having a length sufficient to extend from outside a body of the patient to adjacent a tissue site to be treated, an electrode core attached to a distal end of the shaft capable of delivering a form of energy to the tissue site, one or more wires which extend from a proximal end of the shaft to the electrode core such that an energy source external to the patient can be coupled to the wire for delivering energy to the electrode core, and a head formed at least in part of a soluble and porous material which at least partially surrounds the electrode core and becomes conductive when contacted with an energy conducting liquid. According to this variation, the shaft also includes a lumen for delivering energy conducting liquid from outside the body to the head.

Abstract: A vocoder based voice recognizer recognizes a spoken word using linear prediction coding (LPC) based, vocoder data without completely reconstructing the voice data. The recognizer generates at least one energy estimate per frame of the vocoder data and searches for word boundaries in the vocoder data using the associated energy estimates. If a word is found, the LPC word parameters are extracted from the vocoder data associated with the word and recognition features are calculated from the extracted LPC word parameters. Finally, the recognition features are matched with previously stored recognition features of other words, thereby to recognize the spoken word.

Abstract: A compact virtual image display system is provided which includes a microdisplay; a first magnification optic consisting of three surfaces: a display input surface; a reflective/transmissive surface, and a reflective first magnification element surface; and a second magnification optic. Light forming the source object enters the first magnification optic at the display input surface. The light travels within the first magnification optic such that it is projected to an area on the reflective.backslash.transmissive surface that is at least partially within the full field of view provided by the second magnification optic. The light is directed to the reflective/transmissive surface at a first angle of incidence .theta..sub.SO relative to the reflective/transmissive surface such that the light is internally reflected by the reflective/transmissive surface and directed to the reflective first magnification element surface.

Abstract: An externally guidable intervertebral disc apparatus manipulates disc tissue present at a selected location of an intervertebral disc, comprising a catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis, the catheter having an intradiscal section at the distal end of the catheter, the intradiscal section being extendible into the disc, having sufficient rigidity to be advanceable through the nucleus pulposus of the disc under a force applied longitudinally to the proximal end, having sufficient flexibility in a direction of the disc plane to be compliant with the inner wall, having insufficient penetration ability to be advanceable through the inner wall of the annulus fibrosus under the applied force; and a functional element located in the intradiscal section for adding or removing energy or a material at the selected location of the disc. Methods of using the apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: A synthesized virtual image electronic display comprising a microdisplay for forming a source object a first stage magnification optic for magnifying the source object to produce a magnified real image; an image synthesizing optic including an array of individual pixels upon which the real image is projected.

Abstract: A gene, designated as CBF1, encoding a protein, CBF1, which binds to a region regulating expression of genes which promote cold temperature and dehydration tolerance in plants is described. CBF1 is used to transform microorganisms and can be used to transform plants.

Abstract: A method is provided for genotyping a target sequence at at least two allelic sites by a 5' nuclease amplification reaction. In one embodiment, the method includes performing a nucleic acid amplification on a target sequence having at least two different allelic sites using a nucleic acid polymerase having 5'.fwdarw.

Abstract: A probe station which comprises a base machine, a chuck mounted on the base machine to hold a device under test (DUT), a probe platen mounted on the base machine on which to mount probes for the device, a microscope mounted on the base machine having a field of view on the DUT on the chuck, and a single laser, mounted with the microscope. The single laser supplies an output beam in a plurality of wavelengths through the microscope optics on a beam line to the field of view of the microscope. The laser system includes a solid state laser, a harmonic generator coupled with the solid state laser, and switchable optics for selecting the wavelength of the output beam from among two or more selectable wavelengths. In addition, the laser system includes a variable attenuator, based on a unique half-wave plate, which operates for the plurality of wavelengths which are selectable as outputs in the infrared (1064 nanometers), in the green (532 nanometers), and in the ultraviolet (355 nanometers, or 266 nanometers).

Abstract: A virtual image display system is provided which is made thinner through the use of an immersed beam splitter, and in one embodiment, total internal reflection. The display system includes an imaging surface on which a source object is formed, a first optical element having a reflective function and a magnification function, a second optical element having a magnification function and an immersed beam splitting element positioned between the first and second optical elements, the immersed beam splitting element including a beam splitter surrounded by an optically transparent material having a refractive index greater than air. An illumination source projects the source object formed at the imaging surface through the optically transparent material to the beam splitter. The beam splitter reflects the projected source object to the first optical element. The first optical element magnifies the projected source object and reflects a magnified virtual image of the projected source object to the beam splitter.

Abstract: A method for implementing redundancy of both links and ports between two switches, e.g., ATM switches. A redundant link connection between two ATM switches is constructed using two separate parallel communication links connected between separate ports on each of the switches. One communication link is termed the main link and the other is termed the backup link. Two virtual circuits are setup between the backup link ports. One is a direct virtual circuit directed over the backup link. The other is an indirect virtual circuit that is routed over the main link via the main link ports. A virtual circuit is also setup over the main link for regular data traffic. In addition, a standby virtual circuit is setup over the backup link but is placed in standby until the occurrence of a failure. Until a failure occurs, traffic normally proceeds over the main link while the backup link ports transmit keep alive messages to each other over the indirect virtual circuit that is routed over the main link.

Abstract: Atomic force microscope system is provided which is designed to be incorporated into or attachable to an objective lens which can be mounted on a lens turret of an optical microscope such that simultaneous atomic force microscopy and optical viewing of a sample through the objective lens can be performed. In one embodiment, the atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed to be removably attached to a standard objective lens of an optical microscope. In another embodiment, the AFM system is designed to be removably attached to an optical microscope and includes integrated optics for providing an optical view. In both embodiments, the optics are used solely for generating an optical view and/or other optical contrast mechanisms and are not used in conjunction with a detection mechanism of the AFM.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for delivering energy to a selected area on a surface. The apparatus includes an outlining mechanism which receives light from a light source and directs an aiming beam to a surface, an energy source direction modulator which receives energy from an energy source and directs the energy to the surface, and a controller which causes the outlining mechanism to move the aiming beam relative to the surface to form a visually continuous outline around an area of the surface and causes the energy source direction modulator to deliver energy within the area formed by the visually continuous outline. The apparatus can also include an operator selectable activation mechanism which the apparatus requires to be continuously activated in order to deliver energy.

Abstract: An optical system for a scanning probe microscope provides both an optical on-axis view and an optical oblique view of the sample by means of two optical paths each providing an image to a CCD camera via an auto-zoom lens. A shutter alternately blocks the image of either view from reaching the auto-zoom lens. The CCD camera provides the optical image to a video display which also displays the scanning probe image, thus eliminating the need for eyepieces and allowing easy viewing of both the optical and scanning probe images simultaneously.

Abstract: A novel method of routing and performing autoconfiguration in an ATM network is disclosed. The method simplifies the configuration and routing for ATM networks having a relatively large number of nodes. Networks are constructed in hierarchical fashion in the form of branches and trees and assigned network address prefixes in accordance with their location in the network. Network nodes periodically exchange identification information permitting both switches on either side of a link to be aware of who they are connected to. Each node registers a network address and its associated significant length for each of its neighbors on each of its links. A node performs routing by comparing the destination address against each of its registered addresses for all its links. The routing method takes advantage of the network address prefix to ensure that the routing proceeds in the correct direction towards the destination and does not enter a tree or a branch that does not contain the destination.

Abstract: This invention is a method for treating human erectile dysfunction using therapeutic amounts of human growth hormone (GH) administered systemically. Severing the parasympathetic nerves that regulate the erectile function during the course of surgery produces erectile dysfunction. Damage to these nerves by diseases such as diabetes mellitus and alcoholism and during aging may also produce erectile dysfunction. GH stimulates the regeneration of severed parasympathetic nerves that regulate the erectile function restoring potency. GH may act directly or by stimulating the production of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). The combination of GH plus an IGF (with or without one of the IGF binding proteins) may provide a better response than GH alone.

Abstract: A method is provided for delivering energy to a selected area on a surface. The method includes forming a visually continuous outline on the surface, positioning the visually continuous outline such that the outline surrounds an area to be treated with energy, and delivering energy within the area surrounded by the visually continuous outline. The method may be used to deliver energy to any surface, including surfaces which need to be exposed prior to the delivery of energy. Examples of surfaces that may be treated with energy using the method and apparatus of the present invention include, but are not limited to skin, an exposed area of internal tissue such as muscle or fat tissue, and a surface in an oral cavity such as gum tissue or a tooth enamel.