Abstract: A method of manufacturing an implant, including mixing a first quantity of biocompatible polymer particles, a second quantity of bioactive ceramic particles, and a third quantity of fugitive material particles to define an admixture, forming the admixture to define a composite body having an inferior portion, a superior portion and a central portion disposed between the inferior and superior portions, heating the admixture to fuse the first quantity of bioactive polymer particles to define a composite implant body, and infiltrating the composite implant body with a solvent to remove fugitive material particles to yield a network of interconnected pores and to define a porous implant body. The fugitive material particles are hollow spheres partially filled with a material selected from the group comprising air, bioactive agents, biological growth enhancers, drugs, and biocompatible polymer material, combinations thereof.

Abstract: A spinal implant body 100, including a body volume 101 having an inferior portion 102A, a superior portion 102B, and a central portion 102C disposed between the inferior and superior portions 102A, 102B. The body 100 further includes a first bioactive polymer portion 117A distributed throughout body volume 101, a second bioactive ceramic portion 120A distributed throughout the body volume 101, and a third interconnected pore network portion 105A (which may be filled with a fourth fugitive portion 140A) distributed throughout the body volume 101. The central portion 102C is less porous than the inferior and superior portions 102A, 102B and the pores in the inferior portion 102A are on average larger than the pores in the central portion 102C.

Abstract: A spinal implant body, including a body volume having an inferior portion, a superior portion, and a central portion disposed between the inferior and superior portions. The body further includes a first bioactive polymer portion distributed throughout body volume, a second bioactive ceramic portion distributed throughout the body volume, and a third interconnected pore network portion distributed throughout the body volume. The central portion is less porous than the inferior and superior portions and the pores in the inferior portion are on average larger than the pores in the central portion.

Abstract: The invention provides micro-optical and fiber based solutions to the problem of reflective telescopes with secondary or tertiary obscurations, and further, it ameliorates secondary or tertiary obscurations in compact reflective fiber-coupled telescopes configured as optical transmitters. One solution uses a custom hollow optical fiber and lens system to generate an annular beam that would not be obscured by the telescope secondary obscuration. Another solution uses a fiber coupled micro-axicon lens assembly to achieve the same result.

Abstract: An improved curtain corner support, is disclosed, which is slidably attached to a standard enclosure curtain rod in order to support and extend a curtain inward around the side corner, where the curtain meets the wall, of a shower stall, a booth or a similar enclosure. This apparatus is used to seal the enclosure to provide privacy or to prevent water from escaping from a shower stall. This corner curtain support, suspended from an enclosure curtain rod near a side lateral wall of the enclosure, comprises a counterweighted, cantilevered, right triangular frame, with the hypotenuse edge formed into a concave arc directed into the enclosed region of the frame, from which can be suspended a curtain, forming an approximately right angle corner enclosure barrier about the open side edge of the enclosure, when the corner support, holding the curtain, is pushed against this side wall.

Abstract: Free-space optical (FSO) laser communication systems offer exceptionally wide-bandwidth, secure connections between platforms that cannot other wise be connected via physical means such as optical fiber or cable. However, FSO links are subject to strong channel fading due to atmospheric turbulence and beam pointing errors, limiting practical performance and reliability. We have developed a fade-tolerant architecture based on forward error correcting codes (FECs) combined with delayed, redundant, sub-channels. This redundancy is made feasible though dense wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and/or high-order M-ary modulation. Experiments and simulations show that error-free communications is feasible even when faced with fades that are tens of milliseconds long. We describe plans for practical implementation of a complete system operating at 2.5 Gbps.