Abstract: A bed including a frame, an articulating deck on the frame having head, seat, and foot deck sections, and a mattress on the deck. The deck foot section and mattress foot portion have a first length when the foot section is in the up position and a second length shorter than said first length when the foot section is in the down position. A first driver varies the length of the deck foot section, and a second driver moves the foot section relative to said seat section between the generally horizontal up position and the generally vertically downwardly extending down position.

Abstract: The data acquisition film medium is a gridwork of lines applied to read the distribution and population of insects captured on sticky material on a substrate. The data acquisition gridwork of lines may be applied to the substrate under the sticky material or may be applied to a separate transparent data acquisition film which is applied over the sticky material and insects captured thereon after use of the substrate with its sticky material. The separate transparent data acquisition medium may be in panels to cover the sticky material on capture glueboards, on either one side or both sides of the glueboard, may be in bag form for receiving the glueboards, may be on a roll with tear-off edge, may be wrapped around a single-sided or double-sided glueboard, or may be a long length of film to apply onto a long length of substrate carrying sticky material in an advancing manner in an insect light trap.

Abstract: A method of analyzing a polynucleotide of interest, comprising providing one or more sets of consecutive oligonucleotide primers differing within each set by one base at the growing end therof; annealing a single strand of the polynucleotide or a fragment of the polynucleotide to the oligonucleotide primers under hybridization conditions; subjecting the primers to single base extension reactions with a polymerase and terminating nucleotides, the terminating nucleotides being mutually distinguishable; and observing the location and identity of each terminating nucleotide to thereby analyze the sequence or a part of the nucleotide sequence of the polynucleotide of interest, is disclosed. An apparatus comprising a solid support to which is attached at defined locations thereon one or more sets of consecutive oligonucleotide primers differing within each set by one base at the growing end thereof is also described.

Abstract: A contactless process for detecting electrical patterns on the outer surface of a member comprising providing a member having a charge pattern on an outer surface, repetitively measuring the charge pattern on the outer surface of the member with an electrostatic voltmeter probe maintained at a substantially constant distance from the surface, the distance between the probe and the imaging member being slightly greater than the minimum distance at which Paschen breakdown will occur to form a parallel plate capacitor with a gas between the probe and the surface, the frequency of repetition being selected to cause all time dependent signals to fall out of phase by a predetermined amount, and averaging the out of phase time dependent signals over a sufficient number of measuring repetitions to eliminate the time dependent signals. In one embodiment, the contactless process detects surface potential charge patterns in an electrostatographic imaging member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an intervertebral prosthetic disk. The prosthesis includes a male component with a support plate, an attachment element allowing fixation to a vertebra, and an articulating projection defining a concave lower surface. The prosthesis also includes a female component with a support plate, an attachment element allowing fixation to a vertebra, and a circular pocket with a flat bottom and angled walls suitable for receiving the articulating projection. A generally hemispheric bearing is provided between the male and female components. The hemispheric bearing includes an upper convex surface for cooperating with the concave lower surface of the articulating projection of the male component and a flat lower surface for cooperating with the flat bottom surface of the circular pocket of the female component.

Abstract: A repair of a butterfly valve having metal seat includes de-watering of the valve, and movement of the disc to the open position. As in the prior art, the extant (usually brass) valve seat is machine in situ and capped with a stainless steel substitute seat having relatively low slope in the range of 10.degree. to 20.degree. with respect to the closing valve disc. The valve disc edge and valve disc edge caps are removed. A new valve flap seal clamp and relatively hard rubber seal (in the range of 70.+-.5 shore) is inserted. The new valve seal edge clamp has a profile to completely capture the inserted rubber valve seal edge and assure that all elastic extrusion occurs only to and toward the refurbished valve seat. This elastic extrusion necks down and decreases in cross-section toward the edge of the disc of the valve. When the clamp is compressed, the elastic section of the rubber valve seal is extruded to extend to and toward the valve seat.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for convective cooling of a brain in which cooled air is passed over a patient's head resulting in convective cooling of the patient's brain. The convective brain cooling apparatus comprises an air diffusing coverlet adapted to interface with an air cooling device and a coverlet capable of surrounding the patient's head and/or neck region. The method may also include the additional step of selectively controlling cerebral blood flow and/or cerebral metabolism to further cool the brain or to maintain the brain in a hypothermic state relative to the patent's core temperature. In alternative embodiments the apparatus and method may also include a cooling head cushion, an oral pharyngeal cooling device, a cool water misting device or the use of a network of elastic capillaries placed around the head or neck to maintain or increase the magnitude of the temperature gradient between the brain and the patient's body core.

Abstract: A retractable tape measure of basically conventional design is provided and includes a tape spool hub projecting slightly outwardly of one side of the tape measure housing. A conventional blade-type belt clip includes a free end portion which overlies the hub for frictional engagement therewith upon inward deflection of the clip free end portion by inward finger pressure applied to the outer side thereof. The abutment flange carried by the free end of the tape has the usual opening formed therethrough (previously provided to receive a brad or tack) and a sharp pointed hook is shiftably supported from the tape free end and projectable through the opening. The pointed hook may be manually forced through the opening for penetrating a penetrable surface against which the tape end abutment flange is abutted. The housing of the tape measure includes a spool mounted chalk line and internal opposing pads between which the chalk line passes for wiping excess chalk therefrom.

Abstract: A transverse connector is provided that is useful for adding rigidity to a spinal fixation system employing a pair of generally parallel spine rods. The transverse connector includes a body portion with a longitudinal aperture for receiving a shaft of an adjusting arm such that the adjusting arm can slide into and out of the longitudinal aperture. The body and adjusting arm, while being in sliding engagement for adjustment of the length of the transverse connector, are secured to one another by a set screw threaded into a threaded aperture provided on the body portion. The threaded aperture is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal aperture so that the tip of the set screw will form an interference fit against the shaft of the adjusting arm. Each of the body and adjusting arm includes a clamping assembly consisting of a pair of clamp halves which cooperate to grip one of the spine rods. Each pair of clamp halves fastens to a different one of the spine rods.

Abstract: A sequence of the FMR-1 gene is disclosed. This sequence and related probes, cosmids and unique repeats are used to detect X-linked diseases and especially the fragile X syndrome.

Abstract: An improved disk cartridge has a light emitter and a light detector and a baffle plate disposed between the emitter and the detector. The detector functions to denote the presence of reflected light from a retroreflective marker disposed on a disk cartridge. The baffle plate acts as a filter to minimize the amount of light reflected from sources other than the retroreflective marker that is received by the detector. By minimizing the amount of light seen by the detector from sources other than the retroreflective marker, the retroreflective marker on a disk cartridge can be placed in close proximity to the emitter and detector. It is advantageous for a disk drive of compact design, such as those within a lap top computer.

Abstract: A data storage cartridge for a data storage disk drive has a latent illuminance marker. A light source illuminates the marker and the marker emits illuminance as phosphorescence. A photosensor detects the emitted illuminance, and the decay time is determined. The decay time is checked to provide identification of different types or generations of data storage cartridges.

Abstract: A process for producing a three zone, reinforced, continuous, geometrically symmetrical microporous membrane including a porous support material encapsulated within a middle zone disposed between an upper zone and a lower zone wherein at least one of the three zones has a pore size at least about twenty (20%) percent greater than the pore size of the other two zones is disclosed. Apparatus for fabricating a three zone, reinforced, continuous, geometrically symmetrical, microporous membrane and the fabricated membrane are also disclosed.

Abstract: An order entry system is provided comprising a first computer system, a printing station computer system, a form design repository, a second computer system, a validation engine, and a pricing engine. The first computer system captures form design data and the second computer generates a form price, validates the form, and transmits a validated and priced order to the printing station computer system. The second computer is also programmed to store an index of form design files in the form design repository. The forms order entry system is also programmed to determine manufacturability of an ordered form by comparing its form design data to a set of validation rules and route manufacturability exceptions to a selected one of a plurality of exception handling locations. The pricing engine determines identified labor, material, burden, and mark-up cost components, and applies a set of pricing rules to them, to enable calculation of a form price.

Abstract: A low dielectric constant material is provided for use as an insulation element in an electronic device, such as but not limited to an integrated circuit structure for example. Such a low dielectric constant material may be formed from an aqueous fluoropolymer microemulsion or microdispersion. The low dielectric constant material may be made porous, further lowering its dielectric constant. The low dielectric constant material may be deposited by a spin-coating process and patterned using reactive ion etching or other suitable techniques.

Abstract: A roll assembly is disclosed having a roll, a carrier strip secured to the roll, and a replaceable cover strip adhesively bonded to the carrier strip. Upon removal of the cover strip, the adhesive bond causes a portion of the carrier strip to be pulled away with the cover strip. A replacement cover strip can then be adhesively bonded to the newly exposed surface of the carrier strip.

Abstract: An automatic speed control system continually adjusts the speed of an implanted cardiac assist blood pump to an optimum level for the varying physiological needs of the patient. It does this by periodically iteratively incrementing the speed setpoint of the pump. When the system detects the imminence of a ventricular collapse at diastole, it decrements the speed setpoint by a predetermined safety margin. An alarm condition is provided if the setpoint decrease results in an insufficient blood flow rate through the pump. The flow rate and imminence of ventricular collapse are computed in real time as functions of only the pump's motor current and speed setpoint.