Abstract: A print (e.g., on paper) user interface (PUI) device for decoding an embedded message to activate a function is described. The PUI can be used for transforming an embedded message into cognizable human sensory inputs. The device includes a reader and a processor. The reader can sense light from a pattern of pixels on a printed surface and determines the pixel values of the pixels. The pattern of pixels constitutes a foreground visual image that conveys cognizable information to an observer. The primary function of the embedded message need not be to launch a Web-site but to display more information related to the cognizable information.

Abstract: A device for sampling blood from the skin of a patient by puncture. The device includes one or more lancets for lancing the skin and a fluid-conducting plate unit for transporting blood from the lancing wound. The plate unit has one or more channels for conducting fluid to one or more target locations. Preferably there is a first channel for conducting away a first portion of fluid that contains more of a fluid that is emitted initially (initial fluid) from the puncture wound and a second channel for conducting a second portion of fluid that contains less of the initial fluid from the puncture wound. Blood is drawn into the channels by capillary force. The device can be used to lance the skin and obtain a representative sample of blood with relatively simple procedures.

Abstract: A microfluidic structure assembly having a microchannel formed by bonding two plates together is disclosed. The microfluidic structure assembly includes a first plate and a second plate. At least one of these plates has one or more microgrooves. Microdepressions and microprojections are also present in the plates and they connect such that the microprojections of one plate fit into the microdepressions of the other plate. As a result, the two plates are proximate to each other to form an assembly in which the microgrooves to form microchannels. These microdepressions and microprojections securely lock the microchannels into desired positions. Preferably the plates are made by molding to form the microdepressions, microgrooves, and microchannels.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining the respiratory effort of a patient is disclosed. The apparatus includes a device for acquiring electrocardiographic (ECG) signal (e.g., conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) signal) that contains pure cardiac signal and respiratory muscle tremor (RMT) signal. The apparatus also includes a processor for processing the ECG signal. The processor includes a filter to filter the ECG signal for reducing the cardiac signal, a device for determining a waveform representing the magnitude of the oscillations in the filtered ECG signal, and a mechanism for smoothing spikes in the waveform. The resulting waveform is related to the respiratory muscle tremor, which is related to the respiratory effort. The estimation of the respiratory effort is derived entirely from the ECG signal.

Abstract: A blood analysis apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing. The apparatus including a cartridge and a driver. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case through an opening for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The driver drives the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin. The driver is triggerable by the skin which is to be lanced exerting a force exceeding a preset amount against the triggering mechanism of the apparatus, to drive the lancet toward the skin.

Abstract: A technique for analyzing analytes in a chemical array having a plurality of pixels is provided. The apparatus of the technique contains a light source for irradiating a light beam at the pixels individually, a controller for controlling the relative position of the light source to the array, and a detector for detecting fluorescence resulting from irradiation. The controller controls the light beam generated by the light source to irradiate a first number of pixels sequentially in the array and repeating one or more times the sequential irradiation before irradiating a second number of pixels, the pixels of which are different from those of the first number of pixels. The first number of pixels includes more than one pixel but less than the total number of pixels in the array.

Abstract: A photoconductor coating which is a cross-linked product of a copolymer is disclosed. The copolymer is a polymerization reaction product of reactant monomers comprising three types of monomers. The reactant monomers include from 0.1 to 20 mole percent of one or more first monomers on the reactant monomers, from 0.1 to 20 mole percent of one or more second monomers on the reactant monomers, and from 0.1 to 80 mole percent of one or more third monomers on the reactant monomers. The first monomers has the formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 each is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, and alkylphenyl in which alkyl has 1 to 4 carbon atoms and is linear, R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, alkylphenyl, biphenyl, --COOR.sup.5, and --CONHR.sup.6 ; R.sup.5 and R.sup.

Abstract: A laser system capable of providing light of high intensity is disclosed. This system includes a laser gain medium and three reflectors. A first reflector and a second reflector spaced from the first reflector define a laser cavity that contains the laser gain medium. Light reflected by the first reflector is amplified by the laser gain medium. A third reflector is spaced from the second reflector to define a resonant cavity external to the laser cavity. Light passes from the laser cavity to resonate in the external resonant cavity. Part of the light passes from the external resonant cavity to the laser cavity. A light-screening device, e.g., an aperture, is disposed between the second reflector and the gain medium to screen light reflected from the external cavity such that the light portion of constructive interference is preferentially passed over the light portion of destructive interference. This enables the gain medium to optically lock to the resonant frequency of the external cavity.

Abstract: A technique for analyzing target chemicals is provided. The apparatus of the technique contains an array of two or more light sources. Each of the array elements includes a light source. The light source has an emitting surface from which light can be emitted. Two or more binder chemical moieties are associated with the light sources at the emitting surfaces. These binder chemical moieties can bind target chemicals such that different target chemicals can be bound to the array. Light emitted by the light sources impinges on target chemicals bound to the light sources and will cause light interaction (e.g., fluorescence) with the target chemicals to result in a light pattern or patterns to indicate the presence or quantity of the target chemicals. The array is formed by a tiling technique involving the arrangement of tiles of array elements in a desired pattern.

Abstract: An intramyocardial activity detector for detecting repeating patterns of irregular intramyocardial Wenckebach activity in the heart of a patient is provided. The apparatus includes a mechanism measuring electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the body, a mechanism for measuring respiratory signals from the body, and a processor electrically associated with the two mechanisms means for measuring to determine the presence of intramyocardial Wenckebach activity of two or more phases. The processor calculates Wenckebach basis function strengths that indicate the presence of voltage in the measured ECG signals caused by repeating patterns of irregular intramyocardial Wenckebach activity via a relationship that describes the measured ECG signals as comprising Wenckebach input being additive to respiratory interference.

Abstract: An imaging guidewire for imaging tissues from inside a patient's body cavity. The imaging guidewire includes an elongated main body portion and an end portion. The end portion has a housing near to the guidewire's distal end, an ultrasonic beam emitting assembly having a pivotable part, and a driver for producing a pivotal motion on the pivotable part. The housing has a portion that is acoustically transparent. The pivotable part is movable and is operatively connected to the housing. The pivotable part can either have on it a transducer for emitting ultrasound or a reflector for reflecting ultrasound. In either case, when the pivotable part pivots it sweeps ultrasonic energy over a selected angle. The driver is located near to the transducer such that all driving motions for driving the pivotal motion occur near the distal end of the imaging guidewire.

Abstract: A gas analysis apparatus for analysis of sample gas wherein the apparatus has a mechanism for cleaning optical elements such as reflectors and windows in the apparatus is provided. The gas analysis apparatus includes a light source for emitting light, a body having an isolated cavity in which the light emitted by the light source propagates, a detector for analyzing light scattered by the sample gas in the isolated cavity, and a spraying system connected to the body to spray a sublimable substance. The isolated cavity has one or more optical elements each with a surface. The spray of the sublimable substance is directed onto such a surface for in situ removal of contaminants. The body has a sample inlet port for introducing the sample gas into the cavity and an outlet port for venting gas from the cavity.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe for imaging tissues from inside a patient's body cavity is disclosed. The ultrasonic probe includes an end portion having a back and forth pivotable transducer assembly for transmitting an ultrasonic beam. The transducer assembly is supported by a silicon-containing support about a cavity and includes a transducer block on a base layer connected to the support via one or more twistable or flexible support arms. The transducer block includes a backing layer, a transducer layer on said backing layer, and an acoustic matching layer on the transducer layer. A bottom electrode in the transducer block penetrates the backing layer to connect electrically to a bottom face of the transducer layer to a conductor which is on a first face of the block. A top electrode penetrates the acoustic matching layer to connect electrically to a top face of the transducer layer to a conductor on a second face of the block for activating the transducer layer.

Abstract: An apparatus for characterizing a short optical input pulse is provided. The apparatus has an optical disperser and an analyzer. The optical disperser disperses the input pulse temporally to an extent adequate for the analyzer to analyze. The analyzer analyzes the intensity and phase characteristics of the dispersed pulse which is used to obtain the intensity and phase characteristics of the input pulse. The characteristics of the input pulse are obtained by mathematically back-propagating the dispersed pulse through the disperser. Preferably, the analyzer has a discriminator that splits the dispersed pulse into two portions that travel along two paths of unequal length and then collimating the two portions to obtain optical interference. By analyzing the optical interference, the intensity and the phase of the dispersed pulse can be determined.

Abstract: A laser system capable of providing light of high intensity is disclosed. This system includes a laser gain medium and three reflectors. A first reflector and a second reflector spaced from the first reflector define a laser cavity that contains the laser gain medium. The second reflector has a reflectivity (R.sub.2) larger than the reflectivity (R.sub.1) of the first reflector such that light emitted from the laser gain medium resonates in the laser cavity. A third reflector having a reflectivity (R.sub.3) larger than the reflectivity of the first reflector (R.sub.1) is spaced from the second reflector to define a resonant cavity external to the laser cavity. Light passes from the laser cavity to resonate in the external resonant cavity. Part of the light passes from the external resonant cavity to the laser cavity to optically lock the laser gain medium. The distance between the second and the third reflectors is adjustable to tune the resonant frequency of the external cavity.

Abstract: A notch filter for selectively removing a target ion with a specific mass-to-charge ratio from an ion beam is provided. The notch filter uses a quadrupole and a power supply for generating an rf electrical potential in the quadrupole. The quadrupole has two pairs of parallel electrodes of opposite polarities. Each pair is comprised of two parallel electrodes having equal electrical potential. The rf electrical potential generated by the power supply is a superposition of an rf quadrupole frequency component and an excision frequency component. The quadrupole has an inlet end and an outlet end and the ion beam traverses from the inlet end to the outlet end. As a result of the rf quadrupole frequency component, ions of above a selected mass-to-charge ratio are guided down the quadrupole. The excision frequency component, which is at the second harmonic of the dominant resonant frequency of the target ion, causes the target ion to resonate and be removed from the ion beam before exiting the quadrupole.

Abstract: A multinotch filter for selectively removing target ions with a plurality of specific mass-to-charge ratios from an ion beam is disclosed. The multinotch filter uses a quadrupole and a power supply for generating rf voltages in the quadrupole. The quadrupole has two pairs of parallel electrodes. Each pair has two parallel, oppositely facing electrodes. The rf voltages generated by the power supply includes a rf quadrupole frequency component and at least a first excision frequency component and a second excision frequency component. The rf quadrupole frequency component is applied to the electrodes such that within each pair the two oppositely facing electrodes with respect to the rf quadrupole frequency component are equal in potential and the two pairs are 180.degree. out of phase. With respect to the first excision frequency component, the oppositely facing electrodes within one pair are 180.degree. out of phase with each other.