Abstract: A remote Information Management Network routing system located either at an independent hosting facility or at a central station monitoring facility that receives event and alert information from a security or premise monitoring system and sequentially transmits interactive notifications about the event and alert information to wired and wireless devices specified in a user profile within the Information Management Network.

Abstract: A fabric paint delivery system includes a container storing fabric paint under nitrogen pressure, the container having an opening for discharge of the paint therethrough; a valve operative for receiving the paint from the opening; a trigger assembly having a nozzle operative for discharging the paint received from the container through the valve, the trigger assembly having a trigger for opening and closing the valve to selectively discharge the paint from an opening of the nozzle as a mist in a spray cone; wherein the trigger is operable by pulling the trigger towards the container using one's index finger for opening the valve and for closing the valve by releasing the trigger.

Abstract: A system for publicly displaying messages can comprise an automotive vehicle having an automotive electrical system including an ignition system and a generator and a publicly visible electronic display; video drive circuitry for generating images (which can include advertisements) on the display; display-power circuitry for receiving power from the vehicle's automotive electrical system, supplying that power to the display, and automatically reducing the power supplied to the display after the vehicle's ignition is turned off. The display-power circuitry can automatically increase power to the display when the vehicle's ignition is turned back on. A computer can control the images on the display and the display-power circuitry can automatically reduce power to the display independently of whether the computer is operating.

Abstract: The present invention contemplates the addition of 0.5% to 4% taurolidine into solutions used peritoneal dialysis. The taurolidine is intended to prevent or reduce the incidence of infection within the abdomen and/or in the vicinity of an implanted dialysis port. The invention also includes methods using solutions of taurolidine in the flushing and locking of catheters and fluid lines used in peritoneal dialysis.

Abstract: A spinal implant replaces excised tissue removed during spine surgery. This implant includes fasteners which firmly attach it to vertebrae adjacent to excised tissue so as to transmit tension and torsional loads to and from those vertebrae. The body of the implant has through cavities into which bone growth material is placed during surgery. The body of the implant also has a finite modulus of elasticity in compression so as to share compressive loads with emplaced bone growth material and with new bony growth facilitated by the emplaced material and the load sharing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device, whereby a galvanometer actuator (7) that is connected to the element and a control unit are provided. Said unit generates a control signal for the actuator for adjusting the element according to a desired position time history that can be freely predetermined, whereby the control unit detects the control signal by means of the desired position time history and by considering a model (4) consisting of the unit of the actuator and the element. Said model is a time discrete state space model and is selected in such a way that said model can predict the position time history of the element for a time history of the control signal and with predetermined exactness, whereby said time history of the control signal can be freely predetermined. The predetermined desired position time history is verified by the control unit and by means of a preliminary filter and is modified with regard to the feasibility thereof if required.

Abstract: A transform-based image compression framework called local zerotree (LZT) coding partitions the transform coefficients into small groups, each of which is encoded independently using popular zerotree algorithms. The LZT coder achieves similar coding performances as current state-of-the-art embedded coders. The advantage of this coding method is fourfold: (i) because of the reduction of memory buffering, LZT reduces the complexity of the codec implementation and increase the speed of the zerotree algorithm significantly, especially in hardware; (ii) LZT processes large images under limited memory constraint; (iii) LZT supports parallel processing mode as long as the transform in use has that capability; and (iv) LZT facilitates the coding/decoding of regions of interest. The penalty in coding performance is minute compared to global zerotree predecessors in that there are only a few extra bytes of side information.

Abstract: A method for measurement of mass and energy transfer parameters (clearance and dialysance) in hemodialysis. A sensor is provided in the dialysate flow path downstream of the dialyzer and means are provided to add concentrate upstream of the dialyzer. A pre-determined amount of a substance whose dialysance is to be measured is added upstream of the dialyzer. The amount of substance riot dialyzed in the dialyzer is measured downstream of the dialyzer by said sensor by integrating the concentration over time. Dialysance is calculated from the amount added upstream, the amount measured downstream and the dialysate flow. In case the substance is part of the dialysate the base concentration is subtracted during integration. The addition of the concentrate upstream of the dialyzer can be done manually or, alternatively by the mixing pump of the dialysis machine. Instead of an increase of the concentration with a concentrate dilution with water can be used as well.

Abstract: A system of advertising information on one or more mobile vehicles as a function of the vehicle's location. The system comprises mobile units and a central system for controlling the displays on the mobile units. The mobile units include displays visible from the outside of the vehicle, a controller, and a wireless communication system for repeatedly transmitting a locator signal to and receiving display-selection messages from the central system. The central system includes a wireless communication system for receiving locator signals from the mobile units, a memory and a processor. The central system determines a zone in which the mobile unit is located, selects a display to be shown by the mobile unit based on the zone that the mobile unit is located, and transmits a display-selection message to the mobile unit identifying a selected display message to be shown on the mobile unit's display.

Abstract: A spinal implant replaces excised tissue removed during spine surgery. This implant includes fasteners which firmly attach it to vertebrae adjacent to excised tissue so as to transmit tension and torsional loads to and from those vertebrae. The body of the implant has through cavities into which bone growth material is placed during surgery. The body of the implant also has a finite modulus of elasticity in compression so as to share compressive loads with emplaced bone growth material and with new bony growth facilitated by the emplaced material and the load sharing.

Abstract: The invention is a unitary implant or graft made of allograft bone or of similar material and shaped as a conjoined double dowel. Six embodiments of the implant are shown along with three embodiments for a vertebral distractor and reamer guide.

Abstract: Stenosis in a blood access circuit (graft, fistula) or in an extracorporeal circuit are detected by monitoring pressure pulses in the extracorporeal circuit created either by the heart or by the peristaltic blood pump of the extracorporeal circuit. By monitoring pressure pulses created by the. peristaltic blood pump loss of occlusion of the blood pump can be detected. Measurement of the pressure pulses is done either with sensors already built into the blood treatment equipment or, according to the invention, with sensors mechanically coupled to the wall of the blood tubing. The deviation of a pressure pulse amplitude proportional signal from a predetermined value indicates stenosis or loss of occlusion, respectively.

Abstract: A fabric paint delivery system includes a container storing fabric paint under nitrogen pressure, the container having an opening for discharge of the paint therethrough; a valve operative for receiving the paint from the opening; a trigger assembly having a nozzle operative for discharging the paint received from the container through the valve, the trigger assembly having a trigger for opening and closing the valve to selectively discharge the paint from an opening of the nozzle as a mist in a spray cone; wherein the trigger is operable by pulling the trigger towards the container using one's index finger for opening the valve and for closing the valve by releasing the trigger.

Abstract: An improvement in an implantable port of the type including a housing that is implanted within a subcutaneous tissue pocket is disclosed, wherein the improvement comprises the presence of metallic silver, an inorganic silver compound, a silver salt of an organic acid, or other antimicrobial substances such as taurolidine on the surfaces of the port in contact with, or proximate to, the tissue of said pocket.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of inhibiting or preventing infection and blood coagulation in or near a medical prosthetic device after the device has been inserted in a patient by administering to the device a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition having: (A) at least one taurinamide derivative, and (B) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of biologically acceptable acids and biologically acceptable salts thereof, whereby there are no systemic anti-clotting and no systemic biocidal effects.

Abstract: A passive fiber local access architecture and signaling plan is disclosed which enables the local exchange network to meet the need, as defined by the International Telecommunications Union(ITU) in References 7 and 8, for an economic means of providing a multitude of services to subscribers over a single medium. Integrating disparate signals compatibly and symmetrically over one medium dictates that all digital transmission and signaling at speeds in excess of 100 Mbps be used on the link. The additional bandwidth needed to support this expanded capacity demand points to glass fiber as the most suitable candidate for this role. A failure tolerant, diversely routed redundant ring cabling architecture provides a dedicated fiber or fiber pair to each premises from the local exchange carrier POP, eliminating the need for intermediate nodes. line power, signal splitters, amplifiers or metallic loops in the last mile.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of inhibiting or preventing infection and blood coagulation in or near a medical prosthetic device after said device has been inserted in a patient comprising administering to the device a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition comprising: (A) at least one taurinamide derivative, and (B) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of biologically acceptable acids and biologically acceptable salts thereof, whereby there are no systemic anti-clotting and no systemic biocidal effects.

Abstract: An improvement in an implantable port of the type including a housing that is implanted within a subcutaneous tissue pocket is disclosed, wherein the improvement comprises the presence of metallic silver, an inorganic silver compound, a silver salt of an organic acid, or other antimicrobial substances such as taurolidine on the surfaces of the port in contact with, or proximate to, the tissue of said pocket.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of inhibiting or preventing infection and blood coagulation in or near a medical prosthetic device after said device has been inserted in a patient comprising administering to the device a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition comprising: (A) at least one taurinamide derivative, and (B) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of biologically acceptable acids and biologically acceptable salts thereof, whereby there are no systemic anti-clotting and no systemic biocidal effects.

Abstract: This invention introduces a class of multi-band linear phase lapped biorthogonal transforms with fast, VLSI-friendly implementations via lifting steps called the LiftLT. The transform is based on a lattice structure which robustly enforces both linear phase and perfect reconstruction properties. The lattice coefficients are parameterized as a series of lifting steps, providing fast, efficient in-place computation of the transform coefficients as well as the ability to map integers to integers. Our main motivation of the new transform is its application in image and video coding. Comparing to the popular 8×8 DCT, the 8×16 LiftLT only requires 1 more multiplication, 22 more additions, and 6 more shifting operations. However, image coding examples show that the LiftLT is far superior to the DCT in both objective and subjective coding performance. Thanks to properly designed overlapping basis functions, the LiftLT can completely eliminate annoying blocking artifacts.