Abstract: Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons for imaging applications. Subtraction techniques are described to enhance the processing of the muon tomography data.

Abstract: Prevention of autoimmune disease and induction of transplantation tolerance in a recipient can be achieved by induction of mixed chimerism via bone marrow transplantation (BMT), but this procedure requires total body irradiation (TBI)-conditioning of the recipient. The toxicity of radiation and potential for graft versus host disease (GVHD) prevents its clinical application. Donor CD8+ T cells play a critical role in facilitation of engraftment, but also contribute to induction of GVHD in TBI-conditioned recipients. It is disclosed herein that high doses of donor CD8+ T cells in combination with donor bone marrow (BM) cells induces mixed chimerism without GVHD in recipients conditioned with anti-CD3 mAb. These chimeric recipients display donor specific tolerance and reversal of insulitis. These results establish that donor CD8+ T cell-mediated facilitation of engraftment can be separated from GVHD in non-irradiated recipients.

Abstract: An occlusion reduction system is described. The occlusion reduction system can reduce occlusions when displaying multiple objects by computing an occlusion measure and applying one or more functional dynamics techniques to minimize the occlusion measure, such as by moving objects, making objects at least partially transparent, and altering the scale of objects. The occlusion reduction system can create a geometric model based on modeling information it receives, establish a viewpoint, identify a set of objects for analysis, and compute an occlusion measure for the identified set of objects.

Abstract: A method and architecture for increasing version resiliency between a host application that is unmanaged code and managed code is provided. A version resiliency technique specifies that the host application and the managed code communicate via an adapter that implements a protocol to access an object exposed by the host application. The version resiliency technique specifies that when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by the object of the host application is released, a new version of the adapter that executes within the application domain of the custom code is released. A version of managed code that adheres to the protocol will correctly interact with new versions of the host application that include a new version of the object because a new implementation of the adapter is also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for building, creating, or otherwise specifying an airport ground taxi navigation route for an aircraft from an input of the route is disclosed. The apparatus includes a keypad, voice recognition device, or other entry device, a processor, a display screen, and a navigation map database. A crewmember on the aircraft uses the entry device to enter all or part of the ground navigation taxi route. The entry device converts the received route information into an input text string, either with or without delimiters. The system parses the input text string by extracting characters or substrings from the input text string. A database lookup component searches the map database to find a route component that matches the character or substring. If the system finds a matching route component, it determines if the matching route component is continuous with the taxi route. The system adds the matching route component to the taxi route and displays any discontinuity.

Abstract: Use of helper probes in dipstick assays is described. In a dipstick assay to test for the presence of a target nucleic acid in a sample solution, the sample solution is contacted with the contact end of the dipstick to cause the sample solution to move by capillary action to a capture zone of the dipstick at which target nucleic acid is captured. The target nucleic acid may be captured at the capture zone by a capture probe capable of hybridising to the target nucleic acid. A labelled detection probe capable of hybridising to the target nucleic acid may be used to detect the target nucleic acid at the capture zone. A helper probe may be used to enhance the binding of the capture and/or detection probe to the target nucleic acid, thereby improving the sensitivity of target nucleic acid detection. Dipsticks and kits are also described.

Abstract: A detector circuit monitors the phase relationship between the lamp voltage and the excitation voltage, and if one or more conditions are met, triggers the open lamp protection process in a discharge lamp system. The detection circuit can be incorporated into a lamp voltage feedback circuit and implemented on the integrated circuit level with less cost and circuit complexity.

Abstract: Character recognition is described. In one embodiment, it may use matched sequences rather than character shape to determine a computer-legible result.

Abstract: The instant invention provides an economical flow-through method for determining amount of target proteins in a sample. An antibody preparation (whether polyclonal or monoclonal, or any equivalent specific binding agent) is used to capture and thus enrich a specific monitor peptide (a specific peptide fragment of a protein to be quantitated in a proteolytic digest of a complex protein sample) and an internal standard peptide (the same chemical structure but including stable isotope labels). Upon elution into a suitable mass spectrometer, the natural (sample derived) and internal standard (isotope labeled) peptides are quantitated, and their measured abundance ratio used to calculate the abundance of the monitor peptide, and its parent protein, in the initial sample.

Abstract: A discriminating method of ascertaining the format of the loaded optical disc for an optical disc device is disclosed. When the optical disc device operates under a close-loop control, related central error signal is amplified and measured, while the peak-to-peak value of the amplified central error signal is then compared with a threshold. The loaded optical disc will be discriminated as a R-type medium if the peak-to-peak value of the amplified central error signal is larger than the threshold. On the contrary, the loaded optical disc is identified as a ROM-type medium if the peak-to-peak value of the amplified central error signal is smaller than the threshold.

Abstract: Information representing a plurality of clients on a network is stored in a data structure. The data structure may be stored within a server or agent in a content delivery network and may include client network address information. The data structure is dynamically compressed based on network proximity information relating to the clients.

Abstract: Snare drum assemblies, including assemblies with flexible snare anchors, and associated methods are described. A drum assembly in accordance with one embodiment includes a set of snare strands, each having a first end and a second end, a first, flexible snare anchor connected directly to the snare strands toward the first ends, and a second, flexible snare anchor connected directly to the snare strands towards the second ends. The snare anchors can be flexible between a first shape and a second shape different than the first shape when attaching the snare anchors to a drum. The first and second snare anchors can have generally flat, uniform shapes when not under tension, and can have a relatively thin profile (e.g., thickness) to provide for contact between the snare strands and a drum head in one or more orientations. In further particular embodiments, the drum head against which the snare assembly is positioned need not include snare beds.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying object information of an information page is provided. An information extraction system identifies the object blocks of an information page. The extraction system classifies the object blocks into object types. Each object type has associated attributes that define a schema for the information of the object type. The extraction system identifies object elements within an object block that may represent an attribute value for the object. After the object elements are identified, the extraction system attempts to identify which object elements correspond to which attributes of the object type in a process referred to as “labeling.” The extraction system uses an algorithm to determine the confidence that a certain object element corresponds to a certain attribute. The extraction system then selects the set of labels with the highest confidence as being the labels for the object elements.

Abstract: A method and system for Extensible Markup Language (XML) application transformation may include converting a call flow diagram describing a voice interface process into a list of states in a XML format, and creating a lookup table of audio states in the XML format by mapping a plurality of audio prompts and their corresponding textual representations with states of a list of states that play audio files associated with the plurality of audio prompts. The method and system may include creating an intermediate application in the XML format and from the list of states by merging audio prompts in the lookup table with states of the list of states that play audio files, and transforming the intermediate application into a second application of a second format that is a representation of the call flow diagram.

Abstract: The present invention provides variants of cyanovirin-N and water-soluble polymer conjugates thereof. The cyanovirin-N of the invention are particularly suited for site-selective covalent attachment of one or more water soluble polymers, to provide polymer conjugates of cyanovirin-N variants exhibiting antiviral activity.

Abstract: An immunoassay cassette, apparatus, and method for detecting an analyte in a liquid body-fluid sample are disclosed. The cassette has a body and a support mounted on the body, for movement relative to the body to first and second transfer positions. Sample supplied to a sample well in the cassette body is transferred to a reagent reservoir on the cassette body, by moving the support to its first transfer position. Here the sample reacts with a first reagent composition in the reservoir effective to form a modified sample. The modified sample is then transferred to a reagent strip on the support by moving the support to its second transfer position. The reagent strip has a transfer zone at which sample material is transferred to the strip, a second reagent composition effective to react with the modified sample to form a detectable analyte-dependent product, and a detection zone located downstream at which the detectable product can be observed.

Abstract: An integrated tool and automatic calibration systems that enable wet chemical processing chambers, lift-rotate units and other hardware to be quickly interchanged without having to recalibrate the transport system or other components to the replacement items. These tools are expected to reduce the down time associated with repairing or maintaining processing chambers and/or lift-rotate units so that the tools can maintain a high throughput. Several aspects of these tools are particularly useful for applications that have stringent performance requirements because components are more likely to require maintenance more frequently, and reducing the down time associated with maintaining such components will significantly enhance the integrated tool.

Abstract: A method, system and computer-readable medium for analyzing interaction or usage data, such as for customers, is described. The interaction or usage data may be stored in log files and supplemented with data from other sources. Various data parsing information may be defined and used as part of the analysis, such as by using customer-specific information to identify various occurrences of interest. For example, when analyzing a customer's web site interaction data, the parser component can use data defining customer-specific types of web site events of interest. Such high-level types of occurrences can be specified in a variety of ways, such as by using a combination of a logical web site, one or more URIs corresponding to web pages, and/or one or more query strings. The data parsing information may also specify a mapping of actual web sites to one or more logical sites.

Abstract: A method of determining a movement vector between two images is disclosed. The two images are sequentially taken by an optical mouse. The method comprises first calculating a directional correlation value for a plurality of directional shifts between the first image and the second image. The minimum directional correlation value is chosen and compared to a threshold value. If the minimum directional correlation value calculated is less than the threshold, identifying a movement vector associated with the minimum directional correlation value. However, if the minimum directional correlation value is not less than the threshold, the first and second images are compressed and the calculations are redone. The compression continues until a qualifying movement vector is identified.