Abstract: In a method to determine a curve of revolution speed of a continuous belt-shaped image substrate, at least two color separations are generated on the image substrate and transferred from the image substrate onto a substrate material to generate a print image. A first offset in a transport direction of the substrate material between the at least two color separations of the print image is determined at a first point. At least one second offset in the transport direction is determined between the at least two color separations of the print image at least one second point. The first point and the second point have at least one interval relative to one another in the transport direction. The curve of the revolution speed of the image substrate is determined with aid of the first offset and the second offset.

Abstract: An implantable heart monitoring system includes a housing configured for implantation in a subject, at least one sensor member implanted relative to the heart of the subject to detect an electrical signal related to cardiac activity of the heart, a control circuit in the housing, and a memory accessible by the control circuit.

Abstract: A method for detecting a condition of a heart of a patient using an implantable medical device, including the steps of sensing acoustic signals indicative of heart sounds of the heart of the patient; extracting signals corresponding to a first heart sound (S1) and a second heart sound (S2) from sensed signals; calculating an energy value corresponding to a signal corresponding to the first heart sound (S1) and an energy value corresponding to the second heart sound (S2); calculating a relation between the energy value corresponding to the first heart sound and the energy value corresponding to the second heart sound for successive cardiac cycles; and using at least one relation to detect the condition or a change of the condition. A medical device for determining the posture of a patient and a computer readable medium encoded with instructions are used to perform the inventive method.

Abstract: A disposable swab tipped medication applicator containing one or more pharmacologically active agents in an anhydrous crystalline or powdered form at the swab. A method for use of the swab tipped applicator provides for delivery the pharmacological agent(s) to an area of the skin, such as the external auditory canal, preferably after showering or bathing, so that the dry agent is dampened so as to treat conditions of the skin. A package of the prepared applicators is provided in one embodiment, while in another embodiment applicators having two different medicaments are provided in a single package for treatment of a condition.

Abstract: In an implantable sensor lead for sensing mechanical cardiac activity of a heart, as well as a sensing method and a cardiac stimulator embodying such a sensor lead, multiple cardiac activity sensing elements are distributed along a portion of a length of the lead body of the implantable lead. The sensing elements sense or detect mechanical cardiac activity and respectively emit electrical signals corresponding to the detected mechanical cardiac activity. The delivery of cardiac stimulation pulses can be controlled dependent on an analysis of the detected mechanical cardiac activity.

Abstract: A wireless magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner bore tube assembly has a radio frequency (RF) antenna, a microwave antenna array and an electrical screen. The RF antenna is formed of a series of RF antenna elements, each comprising a rung. The rungs are spaced at intervals of substantially half of the wavelength of the frequency of operation of the microwave antenna array. The microwave antenna array is formed by a series of microwave antenna elements interleaved between the rungs and the screen acts as a reflector to reflect signals from the microwave antenna elements towards the center of the bore tube.

Abstract: In a method and a magnetic resonance system for positioning a patient support device of the magnetic resonance system, wherein the magnetic resonance system also has a coil device and the patient support device that has a mounting for accommodation of the coil device at a predetermined position, a detector unit is provided for detection of information describing the coil device and a control device controls a drive unit of the support device to move the support device to a determined position in the magnetic resonance apparatus using only information detected by the detector unit.

Abstract: In a method and device for correcting distortion in MRI, k-space data are acquired in a number of data readout directions, the data are converted into a number of images, and a corresponding pixel shift map is generated for each image. The geometric distortion in the corresponding image is corrected according to the pixel shift map, and then all geometric distortion-corrected images are combined. Since movement distortion normally exists in the data readout direction, collecting the k-space data from a number of data readout directions can effectively correct movement distortion. Moreover, correcting the geometric distortion for the images converted from data acquired in a number of data readout directions according to the pixel shift map can reduce the geometric distortion of the final image generated from combination of images. The method and device correct not only movement distortion of MRI images, but also geometric distortion of MRI images.

Abstract: An x-ray computed tomography apparatus has one anode ring in a vacuum housing surrounding an examination volume, wherein a focus of an x-ray source revolves on the anode ring to expose the examination volume with an x-ray beam from different directions, and a detector system arranged on a rotating frame that can rotate around a system axis. The detector system serves to detect the x-ray radiation exiting from the examination volume, wherein the detector system and the focus can rotate around the system axis synchronously and in the same rotation direction with a rotation angle offset by 180°. The apparatus also includes a computer to process the measurement values acquired by the detector system. The anode ring can be driven such that it rotates around the system axis, and the rotation direction of the anode ring and the rotation direction of the focus around the system axis are opposite while a rotation of the focus around the system axis ensues.

Abstract: In a biventricular heart stimulator and a method for controlling such a biventricular heart stimulator, successive stimulation pulses are delivered to the ventricles of a heart such that stimulation pulses in a single heartbeat cycle are respectively first delivered to the first ventricle and then to the second ventricle. Capture or loss of capture in response to stimulation pulses delivered to one ventricle is detected. As a result of a detected loss of capture, preventative measures are taken for preventing loss of capture in the other ventricle.

Abstract: An anaesthesia apparatus has a control unit that controls a gas flow of a flushing gas through at least part of the anaesthesia apparatus so as to flush anaesthetic agent from the apparatus when the apparatus is not connected to a patient. In this way the remaining anaesthetic agent can be removed from the anaesthesia apparatus after use before connecting another patient. Pre-use check of the apparatus can be performed automatically.

Abstract: In a method for data backup of a franking machine in which, in a data backup step, a connection is established between the franking machine and a remote data center via a communication network, data stored in the franking machine are transmitted to the data center as backup data in a transmission step, and the backup data are stored in the data center in a storage step. The backup data include user-definable configuration data of the franking machine that are definable by the user of the franking machine for configuration of the franking machine.

Abstract: A rotor of a gantry of a computed tomography apparatus is produced at least in sections in a differential style from bar-shaped basic elements. Due to the differential style of the rotor, the rotation mass is reduced to a significant degree given a simultaneously maintained rigidity and stability of the rotor 1, such that high rotation speeds can be realized with a comparably small dimensioning of the rotor drive.

Abstract: A detector unit for arrangement in a field generating unit of a magnetic resonance device has an RF transmission/reception system for transmitting RF pulses into, or receiving magnetic resonance signals from, an examination volume of the field generation unit. The RF transmission/reception system surrounds a patient tunnel at a radial distance from a tunnel axis thereof, and is divided into two sub-systems located at a distance from each other along the direction of the tunnel axis, so as to form a substantially annular cavity or interstice therebetween.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for correcting distortion during magnetic resonance imaging k space data in a number of readout encoding directions, sampling points on the phase encoding lines are primarily in low frequency regions of k space and the number of such sampling points is less than that of all sampling points. A view angle tilting compensation gradient is superimposed on the axis of a layer selection gradient. The k space data acquired from the number of directions are then combined.

Abstract: A light emitting sign including a lightguide having a thickness not greater than 0.5 millimeters. The lightguide having an array of elongated legs extending therefrom, wherein each leg terminates in a bounding edge and is folded such that the bounding edges are stacked. At least one light source emits light into the stacked bounding edges. The light travels within the legs to the lightguide, with the light from each leg combining and totally internally reflecting within the lightguide. A plurality of light scattering features frustrate totally internally reflected light within the lightguide such that the light exits the sign in a light emitting area.

Abstract: In a medical implantable device having a hermetically sealed, radio shielded encapsulations containing an RF circuit therein and having an antenna located outside of the encapsulation, and in a method for connecting the RF circuit to the antenna, at least one hermetical feedthrough connection is provided in the form of at least one conductor passing through a wall portion of the encapsulation in a liquid-tight and gas-tight manner, with the feedthrough being electrically insulated from the encapsulation. At least one connector pin is provided on an RF circuit board, which is resiliently mounted on the RF circuit board. The RF circuit is mounted in the encapsulation so as to cause the connector pin to resiliently engage the conductor and to electrically connect the conductor with the RF circuit board.

Abstract: A coupling closure is provided for substantially environmentally-sealed reversible closure of containers or hose elements. At least one first flexible band with at least one first closure element is provided. At least one second flexible band is provided with at least one second closure element that is complementary to the first closure element. A top side of the first band comprises at least one third closure element and a top side of the second band comprises at least one fourth closure element. Also a coupling closure is provided for substantially environmentally-sealed reversible closure of containers or hose elements comprising a plurality of frame bands and articulation devices. Immediately adjacent frame bands are connected with one another via at least one articulation device between the immediately adjacent frame bands to form a circumferential folding frame wherein inner sides of at least two adjacent or opposing frame bands are foldable one on top the other to form a closure.

Abstract: In a magnetic resonance apparatus having an RF radiating coil and gradient coils, and in a method for operating such a magnetic resonance apparatus, a pulse sequence, composed of multiple time steps, is specified for operating the gradient coils to time-dependently select regions of a selected slice of a selected volume of a subject. A non-linear equation system is then solved to obtain feed parameters for individual channels of the transmit coil for each time step, with specification of a desired target magnetization, and dependent on the pulse sequence specified for the gradient coils. The non-linear equation system is based on discrete values for time and space variable and, in addition to equations resulting from the Bloch equation, which are non-linear in their feed parameters, includes at least one additional equation that describes boundary conditions for the examination of the subject.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for video coding a sequence of digitized images comprising predicting the contents of each image taking into account a rate distortion optimization criterion being dependent on a Lagrange multiplier; transforming the prediction error resulting from predicting step into a plurality of transformed residual coefficients in each image; quantizing the transformed residual coefficients in each image; wherein the Lagrange multiplier is determined for each image based on a probability distribution of the transformed residual coefficients of the respective image, the probability distribution having its maximum probability at its mean zero and being formed such that the probabilities decrease to zero from the mean to large absolute values of the transformed residual coefficients, whereby the variance of the probability distribution is calculated from the plurality of transformed residual coefficients in the respective image.