Abstract: A surgical table which includes a patient support surface 16 for receiving a patient, a vertically-movable support column connected to and supporting the patient support surface, and a pair of four-bar linkages for laterally tilting patient support surface relative to the support column. The support column includes a base that is mounted for vertical movement between a first position in which the surgical table is movable on rollers and a second position wherein the base contacts the floor to lock the position of the surgical table during a procedure. One or more trays may be pivotally connected to the patient support surface and selectively deployed to hold objects such as surgical instruments.

Abstract: A multi-piece structure for mounting an electrical fixture to the side of a building. The structure includes an electrical box having four side walls and locating supports extending radially from said side wall. This fits within the inside of a mounting block with an intermediate plate between the front wall of the mounting block and the opening surface of the electrical box. The electrical box and plate can be formed from fire resistant material permitting the mounting block to be formed from a non-fire rated material. A metal plate can be positioned over the mounting block to provide the appearance of a brass structure. The structure includes two pairs of mounting holes permitting one to attach light fixtures or electrical outlets.

Abstract: A covering for the underarm support of a medical crutch that provides extra padding and comfort to the patient using the crutch. The crutch underarm support covering consists of a flexible sheet material, e.g., a fabric, that forms the outer and inner faces of the cover having a peripheral edge. The complete peripheral edge of the pad is expandable and recoverable and thereby facilitates both fastening the cover to the underarm support of a crutch as well as reversing the pad faces. Preferably, a cushioning element is disposed in a pocket between the inner and outer faces. The complete peripheral edge of the pad is made expandable and recoverable by the insertion of either an elastic or non-elastic material capable of gathering the edge.

Abstract: A pad for a hardwood floor which has an upper layer of floorboards and a lower subfloor, and a plurality of the pads supporting the subfloor and floorboards in spaced relation above a base, each of the pads including horizontally oriented triangular openings defined by angled legs, to optimize the restoring force of the pads and thereby extend the useful life of the hardwood floor.

Abstract: A device and method for applying adhesive to materials, such as elastic strands or flat substrates, used in the production of nonwoven products. Generally, a nozzle is provided and includes a liquid discharge orifice configured to discharge a bead of liquid adhesive. First and second pattern air discharge orifices are associated with the first liquid discharge orifice to vacillate or oscillate the adhesive bead. First and second cleaning and stabilizing air discharge orifices are also associated with the first liquid discharge orifice. These latter air discharge orifices keep airborne contaminants away from the associated liquid discharge orifice and also stabilize the oscillation of the adhesive bead in a single plane. Another embodiment includes walls to separate adjacent sets of air discharge orifices.

Abstract: Ionized Physical Vapor Deposition (IPVD) is provided by a method of apparatus (500) particularly useful for sputtering conductive metal coating material from an annular magnetron sputtering target (10). The sputtered material is ionized in a processing space between the target (10) and a substrate (100) by generating a dense plasma in the space with energy coupled from a coil (39) located outside of the vacuum chamber (501) behind a dielectric window (33) in the chamber wall (502) at the center of the opening (421) in the sputtering target. A Faraday type shield (26) physically shields the window to prevent coating material from coating the window, while allowing the inductive coupling of energy from the coil into the processing space.

Abstract: A curable liquid dispensing pen has a pen body to which a curable liquid dispensing reservoir may be removably attached. The pen body further has a coupling which may be coupled to a source of pressurized air. The air is directed through a passage in the pen body to the reservoir. The pressurized air moves a piston in the reservoir to cause curable liquid to be dispensed from the reservoir. A controller provides a timed pulse of pressurized air to the curable liquid dispensing pen and this controls the volume of curable liquid dispensed from the reservoir.

Abstract: A flexure carriage assembly (24) has a carriage (25) formed of a substantially rigid material. The carriage has four elongate columns (32A, 32B, 32C, 32D) arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another. Each of the elongate columns has first and second ends. The flexure carriage (25) has four first cross members disposed between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the first ends. The flexure carriage also includes four second cross members (38A-D) arranged between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the bottom ends. The elongate columns and first and second cross members define a three-dimensional rectangular structure. The flexure carriage also has disposed centrally between the four elongate columns a translating section (29) spaced equidistant between the first and second ends of the columns.

Abstract: Highly hydrophilic indole and benzoindole derivatives that absorb and fluoresce in the visible region of light are disclosed. These compounds are useful for physiological and organ function monitoring. Particularly, the molecules of the invention are useful for optical diagnosis of renal and cardiac diseases and for estimation of blood volume in vivo.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a process for the rotational molding of polyurethane composite articles. The process is carried out by placing a polyurethane composite precursor composed of a hardener, a resin and a filler, wherein the hardener comprises one or more organic di- or polyisocyanates, and the resin comprises of one or more compounds containing at least two isocyanate-reactive groups, the filler is about 15% to about 50% by weight, or alternatively, about 15% to about 35% by weight, or, in a preferred embodiment, about 25% by weight, the % weight being based upon total weight of the mixture, and either the hardener or the filler optionally contains additives and/or catalysts in a rotational mold, and rotating said mold until at least the first cure time of the molded article is completed. The invention a also pertains to the articles produced by use of this method.

Abstract: A memorialization casket of the type which allows it to be personalized to the deceased comprises a shell, a lid closable upon the shell and an alcove structure mounted to an under side of the lid, the alcove structure including a recessed area adapted to receive an ornament for display. The casket lid may include a dish mounted to the under side of the casket lid, with the alcove structure being mounted to the dish. The dish may have a panel which may include an opening therethrough, with the alcove structure mounted in the opening of the dish panel. An alcove structure mounting adaptor may be mounted in the dish panel opening, with the alcove structure being mounted to the adaptor. The mounting adaptor may include a fastener fastening the alcove structure to the mounting adaptor. The alcove structure may include a fastener adapted to removably retain the ornament in the alcove structure.

Abstract: An endodontic instrument and method of manufacturing an instrument including an elongate member having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, a distal end and a working length between the proximal and distal ends. The working length is formed with a plurality of surface portions ground from the outer surface thereof along paths extending along the longitudinal axis. One or more edges formed during the initial grinding operations are then at least partially ground down. The ground blank is then physically twisted to form helical cutting and/or debris removal edges extending around the longitudinal axis. The instrument may be a file or reamer used in root canal procedures and may have three, four or more longitudinally extending surface portions and multiple edges. Flexibility of the instrument may also be easily varied according to the invention.

Abstract: In combination a mount frame adapted to be attached to a vehicle and a snowplow assembly. The mount frame comprises a pair of detachable receivers which receive a pair of horns extending rearwardly from the snowplow assembly. The snowplow assembly comprises an A-frame, a trunnion and a lift frame. A blade is attached to the front of the A-frame. A pair of spaced stand assemblies, each including a latching mechanism, support the snowplow assembly when the mount frame is separated from the snowplow assembly. The latching mechanisms secure the snowplow assembly to the mount frame.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a speed of a motor of a metering pump providing pressurized fluid at a dispensing gun. The dispensing gun is opened and closed to dispense fluid onto a substrate being carried by a conveyor past the dispensing gun. The apparatus has a pressure control producing first motor speed signals as a function of changing speeds of the conveyor and changing fluid pressures in the dispensing gun when the dispensing gun is open. A flow control produces second motor speed signals as a function of the changing speeds of the conveyor. During changes in conveyor velocity, a motor speed control provides the first motor speed signal to the pump motor which operates the motor at speeds causing the pump to provide fluid to the dispensing gun at pressures changing at a rate tracking a rate of change of the speed of the conveyor.

Abstract: Orthodontic appliances such as orthodontic brackets are provided with bases that are shaped to correspond to the profiles of the specific teeth to which they are to be attached. The shapes of the bases facilitate the visual placement of the appliances on the teeth of patients by visually signaling to the practitioner the positioning of the appliance with the base thereof centered on the facial side of the tooth. This invention further facilitates the positioning of an archwire support of the appliance at a position on a tooth that is offset from the facial axis or from the center of the face of the tooth by manufacture of the appliance with the support offset from the center of the tooth-shaped pad. Preferably, the appliance base is a scaled reduction of the profile of the tooth, viewed from its facial side.

Abstract: A plasma treatment system wherein workpieces are carried in slots in a magazine. The plasma treatment system has first and second plasma treatment chambers mounted on a common base a base. A queuing station is located on the base for receiving the magazines. A magazine handler moves a magazine to a location adjacent one of the first and second plasma treatment chambers. A workpiece handler transfers a workpiece between the magazine and the one of the first and second plasma treatment chambers. The workpiece handler has a workpiece translator with a first surface that contacts a first edge of the workpiece for pushing the workpiece into the plasma treatment chamber. In addition, the workpiece translator has a second surface that contacts an opposite edge of the workpiece for pushing the workpiece out of the plasma treatment chamber.

Abstract: Cyanine dye bioconjugates useful for diagnostic imaging and therapy are disclosed. The conjugates include several cyanine dyes with a variety of bis- and tetrakis (carboxylic acid) homologes. The compounds may be conjugated to bioactive peptides, carbohydrates, hormones, drugs, or other bioactive agents. The small size of the compounds allows more favorable delivery to tumor cells as compared to larger molecular weight imaging agents. The various dyes are useful over the range of 350 to 1,300 nm, the exact range being dependent upon the particular dye. The use of dimethylsulfoxide helps to maintain the fluorescence of the compounds. The inventive compounds are useful for diagnostic imaging and therapy, in endoscopic applications for the detection of tumors and other abnormalities, for localized therapy, for photoacoustic tumor imaging, detection and therapy, and for sonofluorescence tumor imaging, detection and therapy.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided on large area substrates such as wide width textile webs. The printheads are driven by linear servo motors across a bridge that extends across the substrate. The timing of the jetting of the ink is coordinated with the motion of the printheads, so that the heads can be rapidly moved and the ink can be jetted while the printheads are accelerating or decelerating as they move on the bridge. Preferably, ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink is jetted and first partially cured with UV light and then subjected to heating to more completely reduce uncured monomers of the ink on the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product, and method of managing entities in an object-oriented environment permit the selective inheritance of parameters or fields from parent entities and into child entities responsive to persistent indications of the inheritability of such parameters or fields stored in a non-volatile memory. Further, in many implementations, basing a determination of inheritability on such persistent information permits inheritance to be selectively restricted for a parameter or field without requiring any changes to the database schema for a database that controls access to the parent and child entities.