Abstract: An improvement in a stapling device and method designed to capture a tissue fold between first and second members in the device to staple and cut the fold to form a stapled tissue plication with a hole therein. The improvement includes an engagement assembly in the first member movable from a retracted position in the first member to an extended position in the second member, and releasably attached to second member, an anchor assembly that includes the anchor, wherein (i) movement of the engagement assembly from the retracted to extended position, through a tissue fold captured in the device, is operable to engage the anchor assembly, and (ii) movement of the engagement assembly, with the anchor assembly engaged therewith, to its retracted position, is effective to pull at least a portion of the assembly through the hole in the stapled tissue plication.

Abstract: Techniques for accelerated elastic registration include receiving reference scan data and floating scan data, and a first transformation for mapping coordinates of scan elements from the first scan to coordinates of scan elements in the second scan. A subset of contiguous scan elements is determined. At least one of several enhancements is implemented. In one enhancement cubic spline interpolation is nested by dimensions within a subset. In another enhancement, a local joint histogram of mutual information based on the reference scan data and the floating scan data for the subset is determined and subtracted from an overall joint histogram to determine a remainder joint histogram. Each subset is then transformed, used to compute an updated local histogram, and added to the remainder joint histogram to produce an updated joint histogram. In another enhancement, a measure of similarity other than non-normalized mutual information is derived from the updated joint histogram.

Abstract: An on-line automated analyser of macrocontaminants is described. The analyser is for a pulp and/or a white water stream, the analyser comprises: a pulp classifier separating a sample from the stream into a fraction of macrocontaminants; a contaminant chamber enclosing a contaminant cell receiving the fraction; an optical chamber comprising an optical detector connected to the cell capturing at least one detected image; and a control chamber taking the at least one detected image and conducting an image analysis to determine type and quantity of at least one macrocontaminant in the fraction. The method of analysis of macrocontaminants is also described herein, the method comprises: separating a sample from the stream into a fraction of macrocontaminants; producing at least one detected image by optical measurement of the fraction; and analysing the at least one detected image and determining the quantity and type of at least one macrocontaminant in the fraction.

Abstract: Attach a thermoplastic polymeric foam to multiple spaced apart structural support members of a structure wherein the foam has a resistance to water vapor permeability (mu) that is less than 50, a thermal conductivity that is less than 40 milliwatts per meter*Kelvin, a compressive strength that is greater than 80 kilopascals, and a density of 48 kilograms per cubic meter or less to provide insulation while also providing water vapor-permeability and structural durability to the structure.

Abstract: An improvement in a stapling device and method designed to capture a tissue fold between first and second members in the device and to staple and cut the fold to form a stapled tissue plication with a hole therein is disclosed. The improvement includes an engagement assembly in the first member movable from a retracted position in the first member to an extended position in the second member, and releasably attached to second member, an anchor assembly that includes the anchor, wherein (i) movement of the engagement assembly from its retracted to its extended position, through a tissue fold captured in the device between the first and second device members, is operable to engage the anchor assembly, and (ii) movement of the engagement assembly, with the anchor assembly engaged therewith, back toward its retracted position, is effective to pull at least a portion of the assembly through the hole in the stapled tissue plication formed by the device.

Abstract: Techniques for accelerated elastic registration include receiving reference scan data and floating scan data, and a first transformation for mapping coordinates of scan elements from the first scan to coordinates of scan elements in the second scan. A subset of contiguous scan elements is determined. At least one of several enhancements is implemented. In one enhancement cubic spline interpolation is nested by dimensions within a subset. In another enhancement, a local joint histogram of mutual information based on the reference scan data and the floating scan data for the subset is determined and subtracted from an overall joint histogram to determine a remainder joint histogram. Each subset is then transformed, used to compute an updated local histogram, and added to the remainder joint histogram to produce an updated joint histogram. In another enhancement, a measure of similarity other than non-normalized mutual information is derived from the updated joint histogram.

Abstract: Techniques for indicating arrangement of moving target tissue in a living body include receiving first scan data based at least in part on a first mode of measuring with high spatial resolution over a first duration at a first time. Also received is second scan data representing a scan of the living body based at least in part on a second mode of measuring at a second time. The second mode can be different with a second duration and a repeat rate greater than a repeat rate for the first scan data. An elastic transform is determined that registers the first scan data elastically to the second scan data. A particular spatial arrangement of the moving target tissue is indicted based on the elastic transform. These techniques can be used to update a pre-intervention plan and highlight target detail by registering pre-intervention data to second scan data during the intervention.

Abstract: Kits and method for detecting bacterial endotoxin in an aqueous solution are provided. In certain examples, the kit includes at least a first container comprising solid, endotoxin-specific, horseshoe crab amebocyte lysate and at least one buffer, whereby the sensitivity of the amebocyte lysate is pre-certified. In certain examples, the kit also contains at least a second container comprising a defined quantity of endotoxin configured as a positive product control, wherein the defined quantity of the endotoxin is pre-certified to react positively with the amebocyte lysate in the first container.

Abstract: Kits and method for detecting bacterial endotoxin in an aqueous solution are provided. In certain examples, the kit includes at least a first container comprising solid, endotoxin-specific, horseshoe crab amebocyte lysate, whereby the sensitivity of the amebocyte lysate is pre-certified. In certain examples, the kit also contains at least a second container comprising a defined quantity of endotoxin configured as a positive product control, wherein the defined quantity of the endotoxin is pre-certified to react positively with the amebocyte lysate in the first container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a simple, rapid, and cost-effective test kit for specifically detecting bacterial endotoxin in aqueous solutions, such as water or dialysate solutions, using a Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL)-based gel clot assay. Advantageously, the test kit can vary in its level of sensitivity for detecting endotoxin.

Abstract: A multiport revolving chambered homing binary hunting metallic track encasing hermetic data link caster dart castings constrained new software parallel redundancy cosmos robotizing unified real-time microprocessor machine language computer whose universal dominion domain outline involves automatizing real-time holistically steady state synchronized ubiquitous continuum sub-loculated cyclical parallel redundancy cosmos robotizing unified real-time microprocessor computer logic instructions of multiport revolving chambered homing binary hunting metallic track encasing hermetic data link caster dart castings constrained new end-user graphical human apostrophe interface syntactic synthesis real-time software programs block; multiport revolving chambered homing binary hunting metallic track encasing hermetic data link caster dart castings constrained new algebraic problem-solving application syntactic synthesis real-time software programs block; multiport revolving chambered homing binary hunting metallic track en

Abstract: This is a sensor for, and a method of, determining if a particular type of flame is present, using at least two uncooled HgCdTe detector films on a common IR transmissive substrate. Specific examples of the types of radiation which can be identified include gasoline flames, natural gas flames, and organic combustion flames (identified, e.g., by comparing the amount of combined carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to the amount of water vapor). The ratio of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide can also be determined. The sensor can include a first HgCdTe filter (88) on a common IR transmissive substrate (42), a first uncooled HgCdTe detector film (86) over the first filter (88), and a second uncooled HgCdTe detector film (92) on a CdTe insulator which is either on the first uncooled HgCdTe detector film, or on a second HgCdTe filter (94) provided on the common IR transmissive substrate.

Abstract: An epitaxial layer of a narrow-gap semiconductor is deposited on a substrate comprising a wider-gap semiconductor. The opposite surface of the substrate is then illuminated with light pulses at a wavelength corresponding to the desired bandgap of the resulting material. Each pulse causes localized heating where it first encounters a material having a sufficiently narrow bandgap to be an absorber at the wavelength of illumination. This localized heating will then cause interdiffusion, producing a layer of semiconductor alloy having a bandgap intermediate between the bandgaps of the two starting materials. Repetition of this step will have the effect of moving the region of localized absorption away from the original location, and toward the film/air interface. Since the desired end product composition will be transparent to the illumination applied, the process is inherently self-limiting.

Abstract: A HgCdTe film is produced on a CdTe substrate, by depositing HgTe on a CdTe substrate, and then illuminating the substrate from the underside with infrared light at a wavelength longer than the desired operating wavelength (band-gap-equivalent wavelength) of the device. Since CdTe is transparent in the infrared, the light will reach the HgTe/CdTe interface. Since HgTe is an absorber in the infrared, most of the infrared radiation will be absorbed near the interface, which will cause intense localized heating and thus accelerate the interdiffusion of HgTe and CdTe. This interdiffusion will have the effect of moving the interface away from the original location, and toward the film/air interface. Since the desired end-product HgCdTe composition will be transparent to the infrared radiation applied, the process is inherently self-limiting.

Abstract: In a non-volatile random access memory, a selected one of a plurality of magnetic cells arranged in an array on a major surface of a substrate is inductively switched between opposite remanent, i.e. permanent, states upon the simultaneous application of electrical pulses to a pair of conductors intersecting adjacent the selected cell, each of the electrical pulses having an amplitude less than, but the sum thereof being at least equal to, the amplitude required to inductively switch the remanent state of the selected cell.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a magnetic memory film is disclosed wherein an epitaxial layer of magnetizable material is grown on the surface of a substrate which has been selectively implanted to damage portions of the crystalline surface. The resulting polycrystalline portion of the epitaxial layer grown on the damaged substrate surface is then selectively removed to leave the monocrystalline portions of the epitaxial layer.