Abstract: An optical switch for switching first and second input beams linearly polarized in the same direction which has a first half wave plate for rotating the polarization optically coupled to the second input beam, the first input beam and the output of the half wave plate input to a first polarization beam displacer which provides a combined beam, the output of which is connected to a controllable half wave gate which in a passive state passes the combined beam gate and in the active state passes the combined beamed rotated by 90 degree to an output Gate in dependence of a controlled signal input to the controllable wave gate. The output of the controllable wave gate is input to a second polarization beam displacer which refracts light into first and second refracted output beams displaced from each other a predetermined distance and a second half wave plate.

Abstract: A pharmaceutical composition comprising, in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, a therapeutically effective amount of a polyaromatic ring-containing compound, capable of mimicking the physiological activity of insulin or insulin-like growth factor.

Abstract: Binding of two members of a binding couple reveals epitopes which are revealed only after binding and the monoclonal antibody secreted from the hybridoma cell line CG-10 directed against these epitopes bind to the bound couple at a significantly higher affinity than their binding affinity to either of the two members themselves when not bound to one another.

Abstract: A microwave heater (22) which uses electromagnetic radiation for heating liquid flowing from a liquid source to a liquid receiver. The microwave heater (22) includes a microwave generator having an interaction region (28) within which the electromagnetic radiation is generated. At least a portion of a conduit (30) which has an inlet (32) connected to the liquid source and an outlet (34) connected to the liquid receiver is deployed within the interaction region (28). The liquid flows through the conduit (30) acting as a dielectric load of the microwave generator so as to be heated by the electromagnetic radiation.

Abstract: There are provided novel compounds for the treatment of male impotence. The compounds are derived from vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in which the natural amino acid sequence is modified by replacement of any of the 5, 17 and 19 amino acid residues by other natural or non-natural amino acids, and they bear at least one terminal lipophilic group.The modified VIP sequences are prepared by conventional peptide chain assembling methods.The novel compounds and compositions containing them are suitable for transdermal application for treating male impotence.

Abstract: A method for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases comprising administering to a patient in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide compound selected from the group consisting of:(i) vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP);(ii) analogues of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in which one or more amino acids has been replaced, added or deleted without substantially altering the biological properties of the parent peptide;(iii) a conjugate being a peptide compound according to either of (i) and (ii) coupled to a lipophilic moiety;(iv) a physiologically active fragment of (i), (ii) and (iii); and(v) a functional derivative of any of (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv);optionally in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (20) for introducing molecules and macromolecules into a membrane vesicle, a cell or a tissue by (a) applying a train of low unipolar or alternating voltage pulses to molecules/macromolecules and cells, (b) increase the concentration of the molecules/macromolecules at the surface of the cells, leading to an increased interaction of the molecules/macromolecules with the membrane of the cell while also causing electrophoretic movement of charged proteins and lipids in the cell membrane, and (c) causing the destabilization of the cell membrane whereby the molecules/macromolecules penetrate into the cytosol via an endocytic process and via diffusion through structural defects in the membrane lipid bilayer.The apparatus (20) includes a support plate (36) having apertures (38) for allowing electrodes (22) to pass therethrough. Support tubes (34) located within the apertures (38) slideably surround the electrodes (22).

Abstract: A method for multiplexing the buffer space used to store messages of backlogged flows at the output port of a switch. The buffer space is partitioned among queues of variable length, with the first queue long enough to accommodate the largest expected backlog, the second queue long enough to accommodate the second-largest expected backlog, etc. Messages are dequeued from the queues for transmission in Round-Robin order. Incoming messages are enqueued in a manner that guarantees that messages of heavily backlogged flows tend to be enqueued in the longer queues, while preserving FIFO message order. If the messages are all of the same length, then the queues are partitioned into locations, of the same length as the messages, each location having an ordinal index in its queue, and the messages are enqueued so that each message of a particular flow is enqueued in a location with a different ordinal index.

Abstract: Binding of two members of a binding couple reveals epitopes which are revealed only after binding and the monoclonal antibody secreted from the hybridoma cell line CG-10 directed against these epitopes bind to the bound couple at a significantly higher affinity than their binding affinity to either of the two members themselves when not bound to one another.

Abstract: A phase-only filter for approximating a given optical transfer function for monochromatic incoherent light. The filter is designed by solving an integral equation for a phase function, and imposing, on a transparent plate, an optical path length for the incoherent radiation equal, in radians, to the phase function modulo 2.pi. plus an overall constant.

Abstract: A pharmaceutical composition and method for treating injury to or diseases which result in neuronal degeneration resulting from stroke, brain, retina or spinal cord injuries and other brain disorders and possible trauma associated with neurosurgical procedures is disclosed. The composition consists of glutamine synthetase (GS), analogues and derivatives thereof and a pharmaceutical carrier which when administered to a patient prevents or reduces neuronal degeneration.

Abstract: Retinal dystrophies are treated by melanotropin peptides or analogs.

Abstract: A method for examining a visual field of a subject includes the steps of stimulating the subject eye movement reflex to an off field visual stimulus and mapping the subject visual field based on a positive reflex to the stimulus. An apparatus (20) for evaluating the visual field of a subject (22) includes a subject affixation mechanism (24) for affixing a portion of the apparatus (20) to the subject (22), an eye tracking mechanism (26) operatively connected to the subject affixation means (24) for tracking eye movement of the subject (22), and visual field stimulus generater (28) operatively connected to the affixation mechanism (24) for generating a visual stimulus.

Abstract: Eye diseases or disorders are treated by an active agent being a melanotropin peptide or an analogue thereof, the analogue being an agent having a biological effect resembling that of the melanotropin peptide. The active agent may be administered topically onto the eye, by injection into the eye or systemically.

Abstract: A purified and isolated gene, designated ATM, mutations of which cause ataxia-telangiectasia and its genomic organization is disclosed. Methods and a kit for the detection of carriers of mutations of the ATM gene are provided by analysis of nucleic acids isolated from patients including in situ hybridization, Northern blotting and reverse transcriptase--polymerase chain reaction, Southern blotting, single strand conformational polymorphism, restriction endonuclease fingerprinting (REF), PCR amplification and DNA-chip analysis.

Abstract: A positioning device (500) for positioning workpieces along translations and through angular rotations about two or more axes of rotation. In particular, the positioning devices (500) can be employed in method for aligning an optical fiber (510) with an optical beam such that the axis of the optical fiber (510) is aligned coincident to the axis of the optical beam and the endface (508) of the optical fiber (510) is deployed at the global maximum along the axis of the optical beam. The positioning devices are for use laser-to-fiber set-ups, laser-to-spatial filter set-ups, fiber-to-fiber set-ups and the like.

Abstract: A method for bounded distance decoding of symbols received in transmission when the original symbols belonged to a Block code featuring series of symbols forming legitimate codewords whose metric distance from the received transmission is measured in Square Euclidean Distance (SED), when the maximum number of errors per word is upward bound by d-1; in which the Block code can be divided into subsets which will each define the entire codeword; and in which the maximum number of errors in at least one subset is one. The method includes dividing the received symbols into a number of blocks per codeword and decoding each block separately and simultaneously with regard to a maximum of one error present in each block. The solution of the decoder is the legitimate codeword with the lowest overall metric distance (SED) from the received transmission.

Abstract: An apparatus for time dependent power spectrum analysis of a physiological signal modulated by the autonomic nervous system. The apparatus includes a sensor for picking up a physiological signal modulated by the autonomic nervous system and a frequency selection apparatus for selecting at least one frequency inherent to the signal. The apparatus further includes a selective windowed time-frequency analysis processor for determining the power spectrum of the physiological signal within a window along the signal for the at least one frequency and an output apparatus for providing information associated with the functioning of the autonoinic nervous system as provided by the power spectrum of the physiological signal.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method of controlling the microstructure and service properties of electrically conductive transparent and other materials by passing an electrical current through the materials while simultaneously employing an additional process. Examples of the additional process include heating, sintering, deposition, casting, electrical arcing, and immersion in liquids. In one embodiment of the present invention, the additional process is deposition of a transparent conductive coating material while passing a current through the deposited coating along the surface of the coated material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions containing bacteria capable of degrading hydrocarbons, such as petroleum or petroleum products and methods for their use.