Abstract: A coupler for a spiral membrane filtration element having a spiral membrane enclosed within a rigid outerwrap includes a center support, a plurality of spokes extending outwardly from the center support, a circular rim coupled with the spokes, with the face of the rim being perpendicular to the axis of the overwrap. The rim includes a channel on its face for receiving a compressible seal, and a plurality of receptacles around its outer surface for joining two face-to-face adjacent couplers when a pair of aligned keepers is place in each receptacle. Exemplary embodiments of the coupler and filtration elements and filtration assemblies are provided, as well as an associated method.

Abstract: A sustained release formulation of lamotrigine or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof and methods of treatment and uses thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of compounds represented by the Formula I 1

Abstract: User-defined function capabilities in a spreadsheet application allow users to create new named functions that are defined using the spreadsheet formula paradigm. A user may define spreadsheet functions from formulae entered in a worksheet or function sheet of a spreadsheet application. The formula interface is well known to spreadsheet users; therefore, expanding the formula feature to provide encapsulated functions that can be imported, exported, customized, and compiled supplies new power and flexibility to users who do not wish to learn a programming language. Furthermore, the user-defined functions in spreadsheets represent vectors and matrices as “first class” values, similar to Boolean values, numbers, and strings.

Abstract: Oxygen in the air passing through the duct, is converted into ozone for delivery to combustion and oxygenation processes. A conducting element 12 supported on an insulated standoff 13 within a conducting duct 11 has a voltage applied between element 12 and duct 11. This voltage produces a corona on the element whereby ozone is generated. Addition of a grid 24 enhances ozone production. In addition, a provision to vary the voltage on grid 24 whereby the ozone production is controlled further enhances the device. In addition standoff 13 carries supply wire 14 whereby the electrical connection to element 12 is facilitated.

Abstract: An illumination device comprising: a body member; one or more sources of light aligned on a longitudinal axis of, and lying within, the body member; one or more transparent regions of the body member through which light from the or each source passes when the source or sources are energized; and optical particles such as balls or chips of glass lying in the body member and extending between the or each source and that side of the or each transparent region which is directed towards the inside of the body member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of compounds represented by the Formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds and methods of treating conditions mediated by the &agr;v&bgr;3 integrin.

Abstract: A fast optical switch is needed to realize an economical and scaleable optical-core network. In the disclosed optical switch, switching is effected by rapid wavelength conversion. Either channel switching, Time Division Multiplex (TDM) switching or both may be provided by the fast optical switch. The operation of the fast optical switch is enabled by a fast scheduler. The throughput of the optical switch may be increased through a process of bimodal pipelined connection-packing. An in-band exchange of control signals with external nodes may serve to minimize the control overhead. Such control signals may include time-locking signals and connection-requests. A modular structure may be configured to comprise several fast optical switches to yield a high-speed, high-capacity, fully-connected optical switch.

Abstract: Suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) by broadening the energy spectrum of participating SBS photons and/or phonons is achieved in an optical fiber having a core with both radially nonuniform viscosity and CTE profiles provided by alternating layers of glass modifying dopants such as phosphorous and fluorine. The nonuniform thermal expansion and viscosity profiles impart a residual, permanent, nonuniform stress in the fiber. The SBS suppressing effect provided by the nonuniform stress can be controlled and enhanced by applying a uniform or nonuniform tensile force to the fiber as it is being drawn. A preform for the fiber is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds of the formula Ar1—Q—Ar2—Y—R—Z and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are optionally substituted aryl moieties, Z is an optionally substituted nitrogen-containing moiety which may be an acyclic, cyclic or bicyclic amine or an optionally substituted monocyclic or bicyclic nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic moiety; Q is a linking group capable of linking two aryl groups; R is an alkylene moiety; Y is a linking moiety capable of linking an aryl group to an alkylene moiety and wherein Z is bonded to R through a nitrogen atom. The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention are useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases which are mediated by LTB4 production, such as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, IBD and asthma.

Abstract: An improved access system for use in a Fiber-In-The-Loop (FITL) communications network is disclosed. The access system comprises a host digital terminal (HDT) and a plurality of subtending optical network units (ONUs). The digital signal processing (DSP) functions traditionally executed by line interface units (LIUs) within the ONUs are migrated to the HDT, rendering the individual ONUs simpler, cheaper and more reliable. This is made possible by the provision in each ONU of an oversampling codec for sampling (and conversion) of upstream and downstream data at a very high bit rate. The large bandwidths of the data communicated between the ONUs and the HDT are easily handled by the fiber optic medium therebetween.

Abstract: A method of deposing a carbon-containing substance in the pores of a porous body comprises establishing an open varying magnetic field flux loop and placing the body such that a magnetic field flux generated by the open magnetic field flux loop passes through a region of said body and heats that region, creating a thermal gradient across the body and bringing a thermally decomposable carbon-containing gas into contact with the heated region, thereby depositing a carbon-containing substance in the pores if said heated region.

Abstract: An improved access system for use in a Fiber-In-The-Loop (FITL) communications network is disclosed. The access system comprises a host digital terminal (HDT) and a plurality of subtending optical network units (ONUs). The digital signal processing (DSP) functions traditionally executed by line interface units (LIUs) within the ONUs are migrated to the HDT, rendering the individual ONUs simpler, cheaper and more reliable. This is made possible by the provision in each ONU of an oversampling codec for sampling (and conversion) of upstream and downstream data at a very high bit rate. The large bandwidths of the data communicated between the ONUs and the HDT are easily handled by the fiber optic medium therebetween.

Abstract: A cable joint for a multi-core cable including an outer sheath, at least one electric pilot line, at least one optical fiber line, and several cable cores. Both the electric pilot line and the optical fiber line are disposed in protective tubing. Each of the cores of the cable is electrically connected to respective cores of another electric cable, and the connection between the respective cores resides within a casing. Additionally, the electric pilot line, optical fiber, and protective tubing elements of the cable are connected to the corresponding structures of the other electric cable. The connection of these structures resides outside of the casing.

Abstract: A method of depositing a carbon-containing substance in the pores of a porous body comprises establishing an open varying magnetic field flux loop and placing the body such that a magnetic field flux generated by the open magnetic field flux loop passes through a region of said body and heats that region, creating a thermal gradient across the body and bringing a thermally decomposable carbon-containing gas into contact with the heated region, thereby depositing a carbon-containing substance in the pores of said heated region.

Abstract: A distributed optical amplifier for use with soliton transmission, which reduces the effects of soliton—soliton interaction by introducing an optimum excursion in the soliton intensity. A optimum operating regime is found wherein both the pulse intensity oscillations and the soliton—soliton interactions are taken into account.

Abstract: The invention is a novel method and apparatus for controlling the flow of traffic between a host digital terminal (HDT) and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs). Each ONU is connected to the HDT by optical fiber and to a plurality of subscribers by a respective plurality of subscriber drops (typically pre-existing copper twisted pairs). The bandwidth on the fiber, although large, is usually inferior to the total bandwidth that can be transmitted across the subscriber drops. Therefore, both upstream and downstream traffic may become congested at various “choke points” under certain circumstances of usage. Ordinarily, the data is buffered at the choke points, leading to the installation of large queues within each ONU. This solution is not only expensive, but is inadequate since the required queue size is dependent on the maximum transaction size, which has no hard upper bound.

Abstract: An improved access system for use in a Fiber-In-The-Loop (FITL) communications network is disclosed. The access system comprises a host digital terminal (HDT) and a plurality of subtending optical network units (ONUs). The digital signal processing (DSP) functions traditionally executed by line interface units (LIUs) within the ONUs are migrated to the HDT, rendering the individual ONUs simpler, cheaper and more reliable. This is made possible by the provision in each ONU of an oversampling codec for sampling (and conversion) of upstream and downstream data at a very high bit rate. The large bandwidths of the data communicated between the ONUs and the HDT are easily handled by the fiber optic medium therebetween. In the HDT, DSP functions are executed by a common pool, or bank, of DSP ASICs. Decimators are provided in the HDT in order to properly format the data for processing by the DSPs.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for playing bingo having a prize structure which is based upon the true mathematical probabilities of forming pre-announced winning bingo patterns after each random bingo number is drawn and telecasting the mechanical random number generating process live, while simultaneously transceiving information interactively over the telephone or a global communications network, for example, the Internet. In this game, players are not required to assemble in one place. An unlimited number of players can participate simultaneously from different remote locations without changing any individual player's chances of winning.

Abstract: Novel traffic management schemes of a telecommunications network using the concept of virtual links is disclosed. As an example, if a switch connects via a high bandwidth link to an access mux that drives lower bandwidth links. The mux is a potential congestion point in the downstream direction (from high to low bandwidth links) because traffic can arrive at a greater rate over the high bandwidth link than it can exit through the lower bandwidth link. If all of the traffic destined for a particular low bandwidth link can be organized into a unique virtual link. This virtual link can be scheduled at a maximum rate not exceeding the bandwidth of the low bandwidth link, thus preventing the mux from ever becoming a congestion point. Therefore, the amount of mux buffering can be reduced to a very small amount (for jitter absorption). One advantage of this scheme in this example is potentially large cost reductions in the high volume access mux at the lesser expense of a more complex low volume switch.