Abstract: The invention provides a method of targeting a drug to areas of hypoxic and/or ischemic tissue within the body in which the desired drug species is linked to a non-cytotoxic bioreductive carrier. Also provided by the invention are novel bioreductive conjugates comprising a non-cytotoxic bioreductive moiety with linked-thereto at least one therapeutic agent. The compounds of the invention are particularly suitable for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritic conditions, diabetes, atherosclerosis, stroke, sepsis, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders, cancer, kidney disease, digestive diseases, liver disease, chronic periodontitis or ischemia following tissue transplantation.

Abstract: A portal monitoring system has a cosmic ray charged particle tracker with a plurality of drift cells. The drift cells, which can be for example aluminum drift tubes, can be arranged at least above and below a volume to be scanned to thereby track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray muons, whilst also detecting gamma rays. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can also detect any radioactive sources occupying the volume from gamma rays emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift tubes can be sealed to eliminate the need for a gas handling system. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Abstract: A plasma generator for delaying the onset of rotation stall by tip gap flow control in, for example, an axial flow compressor is disclosed. The tip gap flow control system includes a housing surrounding a rotor of blades and having an inner wall. At least one plasma generating device is coupled to the inner wall of the housing and circumscribes at least a portion of the rotor of blades. A power supply is electrically coupled to the plasma generating device such that when the power supply energizes the plasma generating device, the axial momentum of a fluid flow between the inner wall of the housing and the tips of the rotor of blades in increased in the direction of the fluid flow.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for detecting charged particles and obtaining tomography of a volume by measuring charged particles including measuring the momentum of a charged particle passing through a charged particle detector. Sets of position sensitive detectors measure scattering of the charged particle. The position sensitive detectors having sufficient mass to cause the charged particle passing through the position sensitive detectors to scatter in the position sensitive detectors. A controller can be adapted and arranged to receive scattering measurements of the charged particle from the charged particle detector, determine at least one trajectory of the charged particle from the measured scattering; and determine at least one momentum measurement of the charged particle from the at least one trajectory. The charged particle can be a cosmic ray-produced charged particle, such as a cosmic ray-produced muon. The position sensitive detectors can be drift cells, such as gas-filled drift tubes.

Abstract: A portal monitoring system has a cosmic ray charged particle tracker with a plurality of drift cells. The drift cells, which can be for example aluminum drift tubes, can be arranged at least above and below a volume to be scanned to thereby track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray muons, whilst also detecting gamma rays. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can also detect any radioactive sources occupying the volume from gamma rays emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift tubes can be sealed to eliminate the need for a gas handling system. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Abstract: A direct dental bridge, built in the mouth of a patient, comprising Zirconium oxide or Aluminium oxide reinforcement bars (19, 20) onto which the pontic of the bridge is assembled. The ceramic bars of the present direct dental bridge bond better to dental filling materials and dental bonding resins than metal bars, and are easier to use than fiber ribbons and resin bars. Also disclosed is a method of building a direct dental bridge further comprising the use of a dental material gingival wedge bonded on an abutment tooth, demale molds for surface veneers, malleable gingival veneers and occlusal/buccal surface veneers.

Abstract: The present invention recognizes that induced RRO is coherent, i.e., the RRO has a large degree of repeatability from track to track. The present invention is a zero acceleration profile (compensation) process that targets CRRO (Coherent RRO). A process of the present invention represents a considerable reduction in the factory calibration time compared to other compensation techniques currently used. The reduction in time is attributed to the fact that CRRO can be computed by averaging position error signals (PES) over multiple tracks as opposed to total RRO which is computed by averaging over multiple revolutions on the same track.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for functional simulation of an I/O bus are disclosed. More particularly, a method of simulating distortion and noise parameters of an I/O bus is disclosed. Embodiments include constraining one or more fields of a record and determining delay amounts based on the resulting parameters, where the final delay amount includes a delay buffer and a net of delay amounts associated with the parameters. Embodiments may also include determining a value of a next bit to be sent to the I/O bus and, after waiting the delay amount, driving the bit on the bus to the next bit value. Parameters may include skew, jitter, duty cycle distortion, voltage reference distortion, and drift of any of these parameters. Further embodiments may include signaling the end of a phase in response to a phase done condition being satisfied.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for managing functional verification of a parameterizable design are disclosed. Embodiments include a system having a testbench configuration module adapted to configure a testbench, the testbench having testbench signals and one or more instantiated components having a plurality of ports of a generic design, where the testbench signals are wired to the plurality of ports. The testbench may also have one or more instantiated special components based on chip-specific versions of the design where the special components are wired to the same ports as the generic design. The system may also include a functional verification manager that, through a component module, observes values in the testbench and automatically configure a verification environment based on the observed values, including automatic insertion of checkers at different levels of hierarchy. The testbench may be a VHDL or Verilog testbench in some embodiments.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of maintaining stability in a servo loop of a disc drive is provided. A dither signal (a single frequency sine wave or a multi-frequency signal) is injected into the servo loop. A servo loop gain error signal is obtained in response to the injected dither signal. A gain of the servo loop is adjusted as a function of the servo loop gain error signal in real-time.

Abstract: A method for creating composite images of multiple objects using standard commodity graphics cards is provided that eliminates the need for expensive specialty graphics hardware for generating real-time renderings of the composite images. After the desired composite image and the objects contained in the composite image are identified, a volume rendered image of a first object is obtained. In addition, at least a first geometric representation and a second geometric representation of a second object based upon a desired composite image of the first and second objects are generated. These geometric representations are preferably polygonal representations. The volume rendered image and the geometric representations are used to create a plurality of composite image components. Each composite image component contains at least one of the volume rendered image, the first geometric representation and the second geometric representation.

Abstract: Robotic systems for modeling, mapping and exploring subterranean void spaces such as mines, caves, tunnels, bunkers, and conduits. Robotic modeling of subterranean voids is generally enabled by a procedural system consisting of preprocessing, ingress, void modeling, mapping and navigation, exploration, conveying payloads other than void modeling sensors, egress, and post processing. The robots can either be imposed mobility or can be self mobile with either autonomous, remote, teleoperated, or manual modes of operation. The robot may optionally transform from a compact size into a more conventional operating size if the operating size exceeds the void entry opening size. Void geometries with flat floors are amenable to robot locomotion such as rolling, crawling, walking or swimming. Alternatively, irregular floor geometries that preclude self mobilization may be accessible by imposed mobilization such as dropping or pushing a movable robotic sensor into such voids.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling a dynamic system is provided in which primary position control output signals are generated at a position measurement sampling frequency. Intermediate position control output signals are generated between the primary position control output signals as a function of the primary position control output signals.

Abstract: A method of reducing the level of saturated fatty acids relative to the level of unsaturated fatty acids in milk. In particular, the genotyping and/or phenotyping of bovine cows on the basis of the amino acid residue located at position 67 of beta-casein produced in their milk. The invention is based on the finding that there is a correlation between the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in milk and the beta-casein variants in milk.

Abstract: An NRRO compensation circuit controls a head position in a disc drive. The circuit has a first frequency circuit providing a first output corresponding to NRRO and a first characteristic sensing circuit that senses the first output and that generates a first control output that adjusts a first NRRO compensation gain. A first control circuit included in the NRRO compensation circuit receives the first control output and the first NRRO compensation gain and provides a first NRRO compensator output.

Abstract: The invention includes new techniques, materials, and methods to build a bridge placed directly in the mouth of the patient without the laboratory making the bridge.

Abstract: An equalization filter for counteracting the effects of unwanted resonance modes and noise in the VCM plant. The filter comprises a transfer function derived from a function of the actual VCM plant response and an ideal response, for which the servo controller is designed. The response of the combined equalization filter and the actual VCM plant response substantially adheres to the ideal response. The disc drive includes firmware operable to generate one or more equalization filters for each of one or more heads.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of tracking repeatable runout in a disc drive servo loop is provided in which a feedforward signal having harmonic components that are updated at a sample rate that is a fraction of a servo sector sample rate is employed during track following.

Abstract: Problems inherent in guiding a sensor via a piecewise-linear lateral parametric profile are generally avoided using at least one broadly curved, generally lateral profile (494). A sensor is configured to move in a nominally longitudinal direction relative to a frame of reference (110). A position scale is defined in a generally lateral direction relative to the longitudinal motion (115). Each broadly curved lateral profile is defined in terms of its corresponding position scale, the scale(s) and the profile(s) both being part of a parametric model that is available for use in guiding the sensor (145).

Abstract: A system capable of performing radiography using a beam of electrons. Diffuser means receive a beam of electrons and diffuse the electrons before they enter first matching quadrupoles where the diffused electrons are focused prior to the diffused electrons entering an object. First imaging quadrupoles receive the focused diffused electrons after the focused diffused electrons have been scattered by the object for focusing the scattered electrons. Collimator means receive the scattered electrons and remove scattered electrons that have scattered to large angles. Second imaging quadrupoles receive the collimated scattered electrons and refocus the collimated scattered electrons and map the focused collimated scattered electrons to transverse locations on an image plane representative of the electrons' positions in the object.