Abstract: The present invention provides a solar water heating apparatus which includes concentric inner and outer vessels defining an annular cavity therebetween, within which cavity a phase change material is located, and which is vaporised when solar radiation is incident on the outer vessel, in order to transfer heat to a water store contained in the inner vessel, this water store being fed fresh unheated water while the heated water is extracted therefrom for domestic or other purposes.

Abstract: A skin marker for providing a reference point for a plurality of different medical imaging procedures, said marker incorporating one or more substances having one or more of radiance and/or hydration and/or radiopaque and/or radio luminescent and/or radioactive properties for detection by X-ray and/or Computer Tomography (CT) and/or MRI and/or Ultrasonic scanning processes and/or Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and one or more markings recognizable by an optical imaging process such as 3D surface scanning.

Abstract: There is described a method for detecting the presence of skin tone in an image. A gray scale representation of a pixel within the image is provided. Next, a red chrominance independent representation for is provided for the pixel. Then, the two representations are analysed to determine whether a difference in value between the representations corresponds with a the presence of a skin tone value. The present invention provides a rapid skin tone detection classifier particularly useful for real time applications.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a pharmaceutical composition for use in the treatment of a neurodegenerative disease.

Abstract: The present invention provides a powder coating composition, and in particular a corrosion protection enhanced high temperature resistant powder coating which, when exposed to high temperature, withstands adhesion failure or cracking, often called mud cracking, which is due to a mismatch in thermal coefficients between the coating and the substrate, the powder coating composition comprising a corrosion inhibitor and reinforcing fibres which increases the tensile modulus, elongation and tensile strength of the composition, allowing the reinforced powder coating to resist the above described cracking at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A method is provided for analysing the self-similarity of an audio file. The method involves obtaining the audio spectrum envelope data of an audio file to be analysed; performing a clustering operation on the spectrum envelope data to produce a clustered set of data; for a first portion of the clustered data, performing a string matching operation on at least one other portion of the clustered data; and based on the results of the string matching operation, determining the at least one other portion of the clustered data most similar to said first portion of the clustered data. There is also provided a method of repairing an audio stream received over a network using similarity data to replace damaged or missing portions of data with similar “good” portions of data.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite concrete article comprising affixing at least one layer of textile to a base layer and incorporating the base layer into a body of wet uncured concrete such that the base layer becomes embedded in the concrete, whereby at least a portion of the at least one textile layer defines at least a portion of a surface of the cured concrete article with the base layer embedded within the concrete to anchor the textile layer to the concrete.

Abstract: A medication delivery device for delivering a medicament by inhalation, said device comprising a housing (2) defining a chamber adapted to receive a metered dose of medication from a medication dispensing device, such as a pressurised metered dose inhaler canister or a dry powder inhaler, said chamber having an outlet (4) communicating with a mouthpiece of the device whereby said metered dose of medication can be withdrawn from the chamber via the mouthpiece by inhalation by a patient, said chamber being provided with a moveable wall (5) moveable between a first position and a second position, whereby said moveable wall is arranged to move from its first position to its second position as a patient withdraws a dose of medication from the chamber by inhalation to verify complete inhalation of said dose of medication. FIG.

Abstract: A skin marker for providing a reference point for a plurality of different medical imaging procedures, said marker incorporating one or more substances having one or more of radiance and/or hydration and/or radiopaque and/or radio luminescent and/or radioactive properties for detection by X-ray and/or Computer Tomography (CT) and/or MRI and/or Ultrasonic scanning processes and/or Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and one or more markings recognisable by an optical imaging process such as 3D surface scanning.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite concrete article comprising forming a textile structure, removing material from regions of the textile structure to create voids in the textile structure and incorporating the textile structure into a body of wet uncured concrete such that the concrete flows into the voids created in the textile structure, embedding the textile structure into the concrete, whereby the textile structure defines at least a portion of a surface of the cured concrete article.

Abstract: There is described a method of encrypting a set of 2D input data, preferably image data. The method comprises obtaining the hash value of a password and re-sizing the hash value to fir the size of the 2D input data. The re-sized data is transformed using an irreversible transform, and the output of the transform is then used to encode the 2D data.

Abstract: There is described a method for detecting the presence of skin tone in an image. A gray scale representation of a pixel within the image is provided. Next, a red chrominance independent representation for is provided for the pixel. Then, the two representations are analysed to determine whether a difference in value between the representations corresponds with a the presence of a skin tone value. The present invention provides a rapid skin tone detection classifier particularly useful for real time applications.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solar water heating apparatus which includes concentric inner and outer vessels defining an annular cavity therebetween, within which cavity a phase change material is located, and which is vaporised when solar radiation is incident on the outer vessel, in order to transfer heat to a water store contained in the inner vessel, this water store being fed fresh unheated water while the heated water is extracted therefrom for domestic or other purposes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a powder coating composition, and in particular a corrosion protection enhanced high temperature resistant powder coating which, when exposed to high temperature, withstands adhesion failure or cracking, often called mud cracking, which is due to a mismatch in thermal coefficients between the coating and the substrate, the powder coating composition comprising a corrosion inhibitor and reinforcing fibres which increases the tensile modulus, elongation and tensile strength of the composition, allowing the reinforced powder coating to resist the above described cracking at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A method of forming a sector for a nacelle lip skin from a sheet metal blank comprising the steps of: providing an arcuate or annular punch (7) or mandrel having an inner surface, an outer surface and a leading edge, said punch (7) substantially corresponding in shape to an inner surface of at least a sector of the nacelle lip skin, placing the blank (13) against the outer surface of the punch (7) and clamping a trailing edge of the blank (13) in a clamping means (11,12) to hold the blank (13) against the outer surface of the punch (7), said clamping means (11,12) gripping said trailing edge of the blank without slippage; gripping a leading edge of the blank (13), opposite said trailing edge, in a gripping means (8,9), at a location axially spaced from said punch (7) adjacent and in front of the leading edge of the punch (7), said gripping means (8,9) gripping said blank (13) with sufficient force to permit the blank (13) to flow therethrough in a controlled manner without tearing or wrinkling; displacing the

Abstract: A tissue mapping system comprising a two dimensional array of test electrodes 10 for application to the surface of tissue under investigation and circuit means 50-66 for measuring an electrical characteristic of the tissue underlying each test electrode. In one embodiment the electrical characteristics is the impedance of the tissue underlying each test electrode.

Abstract: A wound healing system comprising an array of electrodes incorporated in a device for applying an electrical signal to a wound. The electrodes are configurable to form at least one composite electrode and the electrical signal is applied to the wound via the composite electrode(s). The system preferably includes means for determining the state of the wound, the electrode composition of the composite electrode(s) depending on the determined state of the wound. Advantageously, the electrode composition of the composite electrode(s) is adjustable in response to changes in the determined state of the wound.

Abstract: A method of determining cluster attractors for a plurality of documents comprising at least one term. The method comprises calculating, in respect of each term, a probability distribution indicative of the frequency of occurrence of the, or each, other term that co-occurs with said term in at least one of said documents. Then, the entropy of the respective probability distribution is calculated. Finally, at least one of said probability distributions is selected as a cluster attractor depending on the respective entropy value. The method facilitates very small clusters to be formed enabling more focused retrieval during a document search.

Abstract: An artificial neural network apparatus comprising an array of neural units, each comprising a router, at least one neuron device and at least one synapse unit. The routers of respective neural units communicate with one another using data packets. The synapse units receive and create analogue signals, the routers converting these signals from or into packet form for communication between neural units. The use of routers in this way simplifies the required interconnectivity between neural units in the array and so facilitates the creation of large artificial neural networks.

Abstract: A system for monitoring the location of a tube, especially a feeding tube. The system comprises an antenna located at an outlet of the tube; a wireless transmitter coupled to the antenna; and a sensor co-located with the antenna and arranged to generate an output which indicates at least one sensed characteristic, for example, pH level, of the tube's environment. The system includes a remote receiver device for receiving wireless signals, the receiver device including means for determining the strength of said received wireless signal, and means for determining said sensor output from said received wireless signal.