Abstract: Techniques to assign a ranking value to objects in a database such as a collection of cross referencing documents, the World-Wide Web or a hyperlinked database are described. The ranking value assigned to a given data object represents a cross-cluster strength metric and is a function of the object's importance across all groups or clusters in which the object is classified. The cross-cluster strength metric may be particularly beneficial in enhancing the performance of web-based search engines because it emphasizes the importance of objects that appear in multiple groups while de-emphasizing the importance of objects that, while highly linked within one or a few groups, are relatively unlinked to objects in other groups.

Abstract: There is disclosed a control system for use with a prosthetic device comprising a sensor for sensing volitional movement of a muscle, tendon or ligament intended to cause an associated desired movement of another body part and generating an at least one signal in response thereto, and an electronic interface for analyzing at least one signal and sending a corresponding at least one control signal to the prosthetic or orthotic device indicative of the desired movement of another body part.

Abstract: A polymer with a hydrolytically labile backbone and having the structure: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.9 is an alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl group with up to 18 carbon atoms having a pendent carboxylic acid group or the benzyl ester thereof;R.sub.12 is an alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl group with up to 18 carbon atoms having a pendent carboxylic acid ester group selected from straight and branched alkyl and alkylaryl esters containing up to 18 carbon atoms and ester derivatives of biologically and pharmaceutically active compounds covalently bonded thereto, provided that the ester group is not a benzyl group or a group that is removed by hydrogenolysis;each R.sub.7 is independently an alkylene group containing up to four carbon atoms;A is selected from: ##STR2## wherein R.sub.8 is selected from saturated and unsaturated, substituted and unsubstituted alkyl, aryl and alkylaryl groups containing up to 18 carbon atoms;k is between about 5 and about 3,000; andx and f independently range from zero to less that one.