Abstract: A process for the production of O'--SIALON ceramics from silicon metal, nitrogen and clay, the process comprising heating the silicon metal and the clay in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to react the components to form O'--SIALON and wherein the clay participates in the reaction as a source of aluminum and silicon.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed to improve the ability of physicians, researchers and others to digest large amounts of cardiac electrophysiologic data acquired during cardiac catheterization, improving their ability to visualize, interpret and act on its content. The technique addresses previous limitations imposed by the number of electrodes which can be simultaneously recorded and by difficulty in determining their locations in reference to intracardiac anatomy. It is based on the composition of multiple activation sequence mappings made in a single rhythm, effected by referencing the position of each of the catheter electrodes to a measurement grid which is stable with respect to the patient's heart. Using this approach, the number of endocardial sites which can be sampled in a stable rhythm is theoretically unlimited, resulting in realization of high resolution activation maps.

Abstract: A passive girdle is wrapped around a heart muscle which has dilatation of a ventricle to conform to the size and shape of the heart and to constrain the dilatation during diastole. The girdle is formed of a material and structure that does not expand away from the heart but may, over an extended period of time be decreased in size as dilatation decreases.

Abstract: Devices and methods for measuring the weakness of body lumens, and in particular, urethral sphincters and similar valves, are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a catheter with a hollow fluted distal end can be inserted into a lumen. The hollow fluted distal end of the catheter is then expanded into an enlarged configuration. The measurement of resistance to withdrawal of the catheter in the enlarged configuration provides an indication of weakness of the lumen. In one aspect of the invention, the catheter is inserted into a bladder via the urethral sphincter and the weakness of the urethral sphincter is measured. In another aspect of the invention, a device for measuring weakness of a body lumen, such as a urethral sphincter and similar valves, can consist of a catheter with a hollow fluted distal end having of an array of wings, and an expanding means for radially expanding the wings into an enlarged configuration.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for inducing the mono-directional transport of ions across a conducting polymer membrane which separates electrolyte solutions, by creating a potential gradient across the conducting polymer membrane.

Abstract: A system and associated methods for recognizing compound words from an utterance containing a succession of one or more words from a predetermined vocabulary. At least one of the words in the utterance is a compound word including at least two formatives in succession, wherein those formatives are words in the vocabulary.

Abstract: In one aspect, the invention provides word recognition systems that operate to recognize an unrecognized or ambiguous word that occurs within a passage of words. The system can offer several words as choice words for inserting into the passage to replace the unrecognized word. The system can select the best choice word by using the choice word to extract from a reference source, sample passages of text that relate to the choice word. For example, the system can select the dictionary passage that defines the choice word. The system then compares the selected passage to the current passage, and generates a score that indicates the likelihood that the choice word would occur within that passage of text. The system can select the choice word with the best score to substitute into the passage. The passage of words being analyzed can be any word sequence including an utterance, a portion of handwritten text, a portion of typewritten text or other such sequence of words, numbers and characters.