Abstract: An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, at lease one contact mounted to the insulative housing and a fusible element mounted to the contact. The contact includes a body portion and a mounting portion extending from the body portion. The mounting portion includes a support portion and first and second tails bent from the support portion along opposite directions in order to form a discrete receiving slot. The first and the second tails are substantially perpendicular to the body portion. The fusible element is received in the receiving slot and is in line with the body portion of the contact for reliable fixation.

Abstract: A method for multiline ultrasound imaging comprises implementing multiline beamforming with a number of ensembles (52,54,56,58). Each ensemble includes a sequence (64,66,68,70,72,74) of transmit beams (T) of a given transmit direction and a first multiple of receive beams (R) per transmit beam. The method further includes constructing an overlap multiline image (50) at a frame rate equivalent to a second multiple non-overlapping multiline. The second multiple is a multiple different from the first multiple.

Abstract: A spectral tissue Doppler processor for an ultrasound system produces Doppler phase shift estimates of sequences of signal samples from a sample volume with a short-lag autocorrelator. The autocorrelation products are summed and an arc tangent taken of each sum to produce angle estimates. The angle estimates, which are proportional to the tissue motion velocity, are plotted, smoothed, and displayed as a spectral tissue Doppler display. The angle estimates are also used to produce the audio Doppler signal which is frequency-adjustable by a user. The spectral Doppler display exhibits good time and velocity resolution for motion which is less than that of blood flow such as myocardial motion. Major causes of blurring, unevenness, and distortion are reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is operable to produce tissue Doppler images and data for diagnostic use. The system includes a visual or audible alert which alerts a user to the possibility of aliasing in the tissue Doppler image data and the need to reset the velocity scale of the color map. The visual alert may be a light on the display screen or control panel or contrasting colors to the colors of the color map in an area of the image where aliasing may be occurring. The visual alert may be a histogram displayed in alignment with the color bar of the tissue Doppler image. The indication by the histogram of image values at a velocity limit of the color bar indicates a need to adjust the color velocity scaling.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining a fetal heart rate from ultrasound imaging data in near real-time. The heart rate is determined by analyzing spatial points on ultrasound cardiac volumes and calculating the peak spectral frequency of the changes in ultrasonic characteristics of the spatial points.

Abstract: A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention is a method of managing user authorization levels for access to a plurality of applications. The method includes receiving a request from a user to establish a user profile and establishing an employment indicator for the user. A user authorization level template is obtained in response to the employment indicator. The user authorization level template identifies a plurality of applications and a user authorization level for each application. The user authorization levels are then associated with the user.

Abstract: A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention is a method of managing user authorization levels for access to a plurality of applications. The method includes receiving a request from a user to establish a user profile and establishing an employment indicator for the user. A user authorization level template is obtained in response to the employment indicator. The user authorization level template identifies a plurality of applications and a user authorization level for each application. The user authorization levels are then associated with the user.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for a developer to create and display a “dialog definition”, i.e., a description of the dialog that has the position and size of its constituent elements expressed in relative layout rules. These layout rules include expressions of alignment and/or justification of the elements within a container, rather than expressions of the coordinate positions of the elements. In addition, a set of text strings is provided for each language in a separate language file. The user may identify an operating system and a language in which the dialog will be displayed, and the size of the elements in the identified operating system and language will be determined by the computer. The description is interpreted in the computer to lay out the dialog.

Abstract: A method for adaptive filtering of clutter from a sample stream having a blood signal component and a clutter signal component comprises the steps of (a) estimating a signal strength of the sample stream, and (b) determining an order of a filter based on a relationship between the signal strength estimate and a signal strength threshold. The filter receives the sample stream and provides an output stream having a reduced level of the clutter signal component relative to the blood signal component.

Abstract: A method for adaptive filtering of clutter from a sample stream having a blood signal component and a clutter signal component comprises the steps of (a) estimating a signal strength of the sample stream, and (b) determining an order of a filter based on a relationship between the signal strength estimate and a signal strength threshold. The filter receives the sample stream and provides an output stream having a reduced level of the clutter signal component relative to the blood signal component.

Abstract: A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.

Abstract: Quadrature demodulation apparatus and method for detecting a contrast agent in an ultrasonic echographic system, including an in phase/quadrature demodulator for determining the resolved complex real and imaginary in phase and quadrature components of return signals and a contrast agent detector determining the complex difference between first and second return signals. The detector is implemented as a magnitude of difference detector determining the magnitude of the complex difference of pairs of first and second return signals wherein the real and imaginary components of the return signals, including magnitude and phase information, are used to determine the magnitude of the complex difference between first and second return signals.

Abstract: A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.

Abstract: A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer assembly includes an acoustic mirror, an ultrasound transducer positioned to direct a scanned ultrasound beam at the acoustic mirror, wherein the scanned ultrasound beam is reflected by the acoustic mirror to form a reflected ultrasound beam, and an actuating device for moving the acoustic mirror relative to the scanned ultrasound beam so that the reflected ultrasound beam scans a three-dimensional volume. An ultrasound matching fluid may be disposed between the ultrasound transducer and the acoustic mirror. The actuating device may be configured for rotating the acoustic mirror, translating the acoustic mirror or rotating and translating the acoustic mirror. The acoustic mirror may have a single acoustically-reflecting surface of may be a polygon having a plurality of acoustically-reflective surfaces.

Abstract: A method for detecting a relative level of a contrast agent in a region of a body, where the contrast agent is susceptible to destruction by a destructive ultrasound signal. The method comprises the steps of: determining a signal level from a first ultrasound echo that is produced in the region during a first time, which occurs while the contrast agent is present in the region; determining a signal level of a second ultrasound echo that is produced in the region during a second time, which occurs after destruction of the contrast agent; and determining a ratio of the signal level from the first ultrasound echo and the signal level from the second ultrasound echo, where the ratio indicates a relative level of the contrast agent during the second time as compared to the first time.

Abstract: A thrombolytic filtration and drug delivery catheter is disclosed comprising a shaft which longitudinal ribs. The ribs are compressed while being advanced to the site of interest and are released at the site, flaring to a diameter greater than the diameter of the shaft. The ribs can be compressed by a sleeve or thread, for example. Drugs or other agents can be delivered through lumens in the shaft and ribs, out through ports in the ribs. Preferably, the ports are positioned to deliver the drugs or other agents between the ribs and within the region defined by the ribs.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for generating two dimensional renderings on a display device of acoustic volumetric data that provides depth perception to the user. The system includes an acoustic data acquisition circuit, which includes a sonic transducer and other components, that generates and stores an acoustic data set from medium such as a human body, etc. A scan converter generates a perspective volumetric data set of the medium based upon the acoustic data set, and a single dimensional interpolator that generates at least one interpolated data set from the perspective volumetric data set. The perspective volumetric and interpolated data sets are processed by a compositor that generates two dimensional renderings of the perspective volumetric data set and the interpolated data sets. The system includes a display device which displays the two dimensional renderings in a predetermined fashion to provide depth perception to the viewer.