Abstract: The invention provides improved devices for treating tracheobronchitis, bronchiectasis and pneumonia in intubated patients, with aerosolized anti gram-positive and anti-gram negative antibiotics administered in combination or in seriatim. In one aspect, the invention assures this result when aerosol is delivered into the ventilator circuit. In one embodiment, the result is achieved mechanically. In another embodiment, the result is achieved by aerosol formulation. In another aspect, the invention assures the result when aerosol is delivered directly to the airways distal of the ventilator circuit. The devices eliminate the dosage variability that ventilator systems engender when aerosols are introduced via the ventilator circuit. The treatment also concentrates the therapeutic agent at affected sites in the lung such that therapeutic levels of administrated drug are achieved without systemic exposure of the patient to the drug. The invention further provides a dose control device to govern this regimen.

Abstract: A microwave-excited plasma device is proposed. The device comprises of a plurality of microwave plasma reaction units which are capable of generating plasma independently such that a large-area plasma is able to be generated by all of the units. Besides, the high cost of the large-area microwave coupling window and its deformation together with possible breakage caused by atmospheric pressure can be prevented. Moreover, when a plurality of permanent magnets is assembled upon each of the plasma reaction units, the microwave-excited plasma device is improved to be a large-area electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adaptively transmitting the same data, i.e., multicast/broadcast data, according to channel quality to a receiving group including one or more terminals that request the same service in a wireless network. A base station obtains feedback on channel quality indications (CQIs) from a plurality of terminals, selects a transmission technique that satisfies desired service quality based on the CQIs, and transmits data to the terminals included in a receiving group by using the selected transmission technique. The CQIs to be transmitted from the terminals in the receiving group to the base station are transmitted through a previously allocated common CQI feedback channel. In the present invention, in order to reduce a CQI feedback channel capacity, the base station does not allocate a common CQI feedback channel with respect to each reception terminal and allocates radio resources according to CQI levels.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for treating one or more complications of diabetes in a mammal. The method comprises administering to a mammal in need thereof an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide having at least one net positive charge; a minimum of four amino acids; a maximum of about twenty amino acids; a relationship between the minimum number of net positive charges (pm) and the total number of amino acid residues (r) wherein 3 pm is the largest number that is less than or equal to r+1; and a relationship between the minimum number of aromatic groups (a) and the total number of net positive charges (pt) wherein 2a is the largest number that is less than or equal to pt+1, except that when a is 1, pt may also be 1.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for identifying and sorting sensing signals with respect to crystal locations of a scintillation detector, comprising steps of: (a) providing a crystal map detected by a crystal array, the crystal map having a plurality of peak points, each being represented by a coordinate location; (b) finding a basis point with respect to a specific area enclosing an amount of the peak points within the crystal map; (c) determining the peak point within the specific area having the shortest distance to the basis point, the peak point corresponding to a crystal element of the crystal array; (d) changing the location of the specific area; and (e) repeating steps (b) to (d) for a plurality of times to find all the crystal elements with respect to the peak points respectively.

Abstract: A method of installing software on a computer associated with a user, the computer being coupled to a system including one or more document handling devices connected to the computer via a communications network. The method includes, in a document handling device, determining a user identity associated with the user, and in at least part of the system, identifying the computer using the determined user identity and causing a software package to be transferred to the computer via the communications network, thereby causing the software to be installed.

Abstract: A receiver system and a demodulator system are configured to receive and demodulate, respectively, multi-gigabit millimeter wave signals being wirelessly transmitted in the unlicensed wireless band near 60 GHz.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for identifying compounds useful as HCV protease inhibitors.

Abstract: There is provided at least one isolated cell comprising at least one HBV epitope-reactive exogenous T cell receptor and/or fragment thereof, and methods for producing them. In particular, there is provided polynucleotides, constructs and vectors encoding at least one HBV epitope-reactive exogenous T cell receptor for use in the treatment of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). The invention further provides kits and methods of detection of HBV and HCC.

Abstract: A transmission opportunity setting method in a wireless LAN system using multiple channels includes: receiving a request-to-send (RTS) frame from a wireless station, the RTS frame including information on a wireless LAN mode of the wireless station; and transmitting a clear-to-send (CTS) frame to the wireless station according to at least one of the number of remaining available channels among the multiple channels and the wireless LAN mode of the wireless station.

Abstract: Implantable infusion devices and systems with side port access detection capability and methods of detecting side port access. The methods may include the steps of sensing pressure in a fluid passage between an implanted pump mechanism and an implanted outlet port and determining that an implanted side port has been accessed by a hypodermic needle based on a predetermined change in pressure in the fluid passage between the implanted pump mechanism and the implanted outlet port.

Abstract: The present system and method provides a more precise way to record food and beverage intake than traditional methods. The present disclosure provides custom software for use in mobile computing devices that include a digital camera. Photos captured by mobile digital devices are analyzed with image processing and comparisons to certain databases to allow a user to discretely record foods eaten. Specifically, the user captures images of the meal or snack before and after eating. The foods pictured are identified. Image processing software may identify the food or provide choices for the user. Once a food is identified and volume of the food is estimated, nutrient databases are used for calculating final portion sizes and nutrient totals.

Abstract: This invention relates to a PMU-based controlled system separation method to protect against a catastrophic blackout. The method includes the steps of performing an offline analysis of an electrical transmission network to partition generators into a number of coherent groups, performing online monitoring of the transmission network to determine a separation interface and frequencies and damping ratios of dominant inter-area modes, and estimating the risk of system separation to perform real-time control.

Abstract: A tunable photovoltaic electrochromic (PV-EC) device and module are provided. The device includes a transparent substrate, a thin film solar cell on the transparent substrate, a transparent conductive layer located on the transparent substrate beside the thin film solar cell, an EC material covering an exposed surface of the transparent conductive layer and the thin film solar cell, a switching apparatus, and a charge-discharge device coupled to the switching apparatus. The transparent conductive layer and a cathode layer of the thin film solar cell respectively serve as the anode and the cathode of the EC material simultaneously. The switching apparatus is electrically connected to the transparent conductive layer and electrically connected to the anode layer and the cathode layer of the thin film solar cell. The switching apparatus enters a control mode through a switch control signal.

Abstract: Provided is a method for performing handover between a communication network and a broadcast network by a handover controller of a first network corresponding to either the communication network or the broadcast network. The method for performing handover includes: searching for a second network capable of providing the same broadcast content broadcasted over the first network; performing a handover preparation procedure between the communication network and the broadcast network with a handover controller of the second network; delivering the broadcast content broadcasted over the first network to the handover controller of the second network; and sending a message requesting a terminal to watch, over the second network, the broadcast content broadcasted over the first network.

Abstract: A method for automatically detecting errors in machine translation using a parallel corpus includes analyzing morphemes of a target language sentence in the parallel corpus and a machine-translated target language sentence, corresponding to a source language sentence, to classify the morphemes into words; aligning by words and decoding, respectively, a group of the source language sentence and the machine-translated target language sentence, and a group of the source language sentence and the target language sentence in the parallel corpus; classifying by types errors in the machine-translated target language sentence by making a comparison, word by word, between the decoded target language sentence in the parallel corpus and the decoded machine-translated target language sentence; and computing error information in the machine-translated target language sentence by examining a frequency of occurrence of the classified error types.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for frequency division and filtering are provided. The apparatus includes a memory unit, an extrema calculation unit, and an envelope calculation unit. The memory unit is for storing sample data. The extrema calculation unit is for outputting and storing a number of maximum values and a number of minimum values to the memory unit according to the sample data. The envelope calculation unit is for calculating a mean envelope according to the maximum values and the minimum values, wherein within a duration when the envelope calculation unit respectively calculates an upper envelope and a lower envelope according to the maximum values and the minimum values, the envelope calculation unit outputs a value of the mean envelope to the memory unit according to a value of the upper envelope and a value of the lower envelope with respect to a corresponding identical address.

Abstract: A device and method are provided for facilitating extraction of a fraction from a biological sample. The biological sample includes non-desired material and a fraction-bound solid phase substrate. The device includes an input zone for receiving the biological sample therein and a phase-gate zone for receiving an isolation buffer therein. An output zone receives a reagent therein. A force is movable between a first position adjacent the input zone and a second position adjacent the output zone. The force urges the fraction-bound solid phase substrate from the input zone, through the phase-gate zone and into the output zone.

Abstract: A fire-resistant polyurethane foam is provided. A hydroxyl-containing inorganic fire retardant is premixed with a polyisocyanate and a polyol, respectively, to form two premixtures. Then, the two premixtures are mixed for reaction to form a fire-resistant polyurethane foam. Preferably, a combination of different particle sizes of the fire retardant is employed to maximize the amount of the fire retardant and increase the fire resistance of the foam.

Abstract: A method for synthesis of silicon nanowires provides a growth reactor having a decomposition zone and a deposition zone. A precursor gas introduced into the decomposition zone is disassociated to form an activated species that reacts with catalyst materials located in the deposition zone to deposit nano-structured materials on a low melting point temperature substrate in the deposition zone. A decomposition temperature in the decomposition zone is greater than a melting point temperature of the low melting point temperature substrate. The silicon nanowire are grown directly on the low melting point temperature substrate in the deposition zone to prevent the higher temperatures in the decomposition zone from damaging the molecular structure and/or integrity of the lower melting point temperature substrate located in the deposition zone.