Abstract: Provided are articles such as medical devices which comprise at least one water soluble, crosslinked copolymer. The primary polymer chains of the copolymer are hydrophilic and independently have a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The water soluble, crosslinked copolymers of the present invention are free from terminal substrate associating segments. The copolymers may be incorporated into a formulation from which the article is made or may be contacted with the article post-formation.

Abstract: Provided are articles such as medical devices which comprise at least one water soluble, crosslinked copolymer. The primary polymer chains of the copolymer are hydrophilic and independently have a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The water soluble, crosslinked copolymers of the present invention are free from terminal substrate associating segments. The copolymers may be incorporated into a formulation from which the article is made or may be contacted with the article post-formation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biomedical devices, and particularly contact lenses comprising a polymer having entangled therein at least one polymer comprising repeating units from N-(2-hydroxyalkyl)(meth)acrylamide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions comprising at least one stable, near-monodisperse, non-reactive hydrophilic polymer comprising in said polymer's backbone, a hydrophilic segment having a degree of polymerization of about 10 to about 1000, and a linear silicone segment at at least one terminal end of said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer, wherein said silicone segment comprises between about 6 and about 200 siloxy units, and said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer is associated, via the linear silicone block with a silicone hydrogel. The non-reactive hydrophilic polymers may be incorporated into the formulation from which the silicone hydrogel is made or may be contacted with the silicone hydrogel post formation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions comprising at least one stable, near-monodisperse, non-reactive hydrophilic polymer comprising in said polymer's backbone, a hydrophilic segment having a degree of polymerization of about 10 to about 1000, and a linear silicone segment at least one terminal end of said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer, wherein said silicone segment comprises between about 6 and about 200 siloxy units, and said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer is associated, via the linear silicone block with a silicone hydrogel. The non-reactive hydrophilic polymers may be incorporated into the formulation from which the silicone hydrogel is made or may be contacted with the silicone hydrogel post formation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polymers and hydrogels comprising a sulfonic acid component formed from reactive components comprising (i) at least one hydrophobic monomer and (ii) at least one sulfonic acid-containing component, wherein the sulfonic acid-containing component is comprised of a salt formed by a non-polymerizable, hydrophilic base and a polymerizable sulfonic acid. One or more embodiments provide that the at least one hydrophobic monomer comprises a silicone component.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biomedical devices, and particularly contact lenses comprising a polymer having entangled therein at least one polymer comprising repeating units from N-(2-hydroxyalkyl)(meth)acrylamide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biomedical devices, and particularly contact lenses comprising a polymer having entangled therein at least one polymer comprising repeating units from N-(2-hydroxyalkyl)(meth)acrylamide.

Abstract: Provided are articles such as medical devices which comprise at least one water soluble, crosslinked copolymer. The primary polymer chains of the copolymer are hydrophilic and independently have a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The water soluble, crosslinked copolymers of the present invention are free from terminal substrate associating segments. The copolymers may be incorporated into a formulation from which the article is made or may be contacted with the article post-formation.

Abstract: Provided are articles such as medical devices which comprise at least one water soluble, crosslinked copolymer. The primary polymer chains of the copolymer are hydrophilic and independently have a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The water soluble, crosslinked copolymers of the present invention are free from terminal substrate associating segments. The copolymers may be incorporated into a formulation from which the article is made or may be contacted with the article post-formation.

Abstract: Methods and systems for bridge damage detection using, for example, one or more strain range methods are provided. One exemplary embodiment provides a computer-implemented methods and systems for determining bridge damage from strain sensor data, for example, by collecting a batch of strain data from one or more sensor pairs. From the batch of strain data one or more sets of strain data may be extracted comprising a quasi-static response of the bridge under ambient traffic loads. A relationship may be established between the one or more sets of strain data extracted from the one or more sensor pairs by orthogonal regression. Bridge damage may be detected by generally isolating a damage indicator between the one or more sensor pairs by monitoring changes in a statistical Fshm value over time.

Abstract: In-situ methods and systems for determining bridge load ratings under ambient traffic are provided. These may include, for example, by installing one or more strain gauges on one or more bridge girders a batch of strain readings may be acquired from the one or more strain gauges. From the batch of strain readings, one or more strain time histories may be randomly sampled based, for example, on a girder peak strain. One or more vehicles may be randomly selected based on the one or more stored vehicle parameters by accessing a database with one or more stored vehicles and stored vehicle parameters. A bridge load rating model may be calibrated based on the one or more randomly sampled strain time histories and the randomly selected one or more vehicles for acquiring, in one embodiment, a bridge load rating distribution.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polymers and hydrogels comprising a sulfonic acid component formed from reactive components comprising (i) at least one hydrophobic monomer and (ii) at least one sulfonic acid-containing component, wherein the sulfonic acid-containing component is comprised of a salt formed by a non-polymerizable, hydrophilic base and a polymerizable sulfonic acid. One or more embodiments provide that the at least one hydrophobic monomer comprises a silicone component.

Abstract: Provided are compositions comprising a block copolymer of the following formula: [A]-B-[Q], wherein [A] is a polymer that has an affinity for a substrate; B is a linking group comprising an optionally-substituted, polyvalent linking group having a molecular weight of no more than 1000 g/mole; and [Q] comprises a semi-crosslinked, ungelled polymer derived from copolymerization of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer with a poly-functional ethylenically unsaturated monomer. Such block copolymers are cross-linked via the [Q] segment, but not macroscopically gelled. The [Q] segment is hydrophilic and has a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The [A] segment is located on at least one terminal end of said block copolymer, comprises between about 1 and about 200 repeating units. The block copolymer is associated, via the linear substrate associative segment with a surface comprising at least one hydrophobic site, such as a silicone hydrogel.

Abstract: Provided are articles such as medical devices which comprise at least one water soluble, crosslinked copolymer. The primary polymer chains of the copolymer are hydrophilic and independently have a degree of polymerization in the range of about 10 to about 10,000. The water soluble, crosslinked copolymers of the present invention are free from terminal substrate associating segments. The copolymers may be incorporated into a formulation from which the article is made or may be contacted with the article post-formation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to biomedical devices, and particularly contact lenses comprising a polymer having entangled therein at least one polymer comprising repeating units from N-(2-hydroxyalkyl)(meth)acrylamide.

Abstract: A swivel castor assembly, includes a body having at least one rotatable wheel engageable with a floor or ground surface below the body, a brake actuable to brake or prevent rotation of the wheel, and an element for mounting the body such that it is able to swivel about a generally upright axis. A head is adapted to be mounted to prevent or restrict its rotation about the upright axis. A brake activator is mounted to the head for movement between a braking position in which it activates the brake, a neutral position in which the brake is inactive and the body is not prevented from swivelling about the upright axis, and a direction-lock position in which the body may be swivelled to one of plural selectable orientations with respect to the head at each of which the body is locked against swivelling but the brake is inactive.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions comprising at least one stable, near-monodisperse, non-reactive hydrophilic polymer comprising in said polymer's backbone, a hydrophilic segment having a degree of polymerization of about 10 to about 1000, and a linear silicone segment at least one terminal end of said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer, wherein said silicone segment comprises between about 6 and about 200 siloxy units, and said non-reactive hydrophilic polymer is associated, via the linear silicone block with a silicone hydrogel. The non-reactive hydrophilic polymers may be incorporated into the formulation from which the silicone hydrogel is made or may be contacted with the silicone hydrogel post formation.

Abstract: A swivel castor assembly, includes a body having at least one rotatable wheel engageable with a floor or ground surface below the body, a brake actuable to brake or prevent rotation of the wheel, and an element for mounting the body such that it is able to swivel about a generally upright axis. A head is adapted to be mounted to prevent or restrict its rotation about the upright axis. A brake activator is mounted to the head for movement between a braking position in which it activates the brake, a neutral position in which the brake is inactive and the body is not prevented from swivelling about the upright axis, and a direction-lock position in which the body may be swivelled to one of plural selectable orientations with respect to the head at each of which the body is locked against swivelling but the brake is inactive.

Abstract: There is disclosed a fluid treatment device comprising a housing for receiving a flow of fluid. The housing comprises a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a closed fluid treatment zone disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. Disposed in the housing is at least one elongate radiation source assembly having a longitudinal axis disposed in the fluid treatment zone substantially parallel to a direction of the flow of fluid through the housing. The radiation source assembly comprises an elongate radiation source disposed in a protective sleeve to define a substantially annular passageway. The protective sleeve has opposed open ends configured to permit heat to exit the passageway and the housing through at least one of the opposed open ends of the sleeve.