Abstract: A permanently mounted orthodontic intermaxillary constant force system wherein the force producing portions are attached to the orthodontic appliance in one jaw and small flexible cables transmit the forces to the patient's opposite jaw.

Abstract: A lingual archwire forming appliance for adapting a wire to the lingual surfaces of a patient's teeth during the construction of a bonded lingual archwire retainer. The appliance is composed of a handle attached to an arch-formed wire. The combination of the handle and curved archwire are useful in fitting a bonded lingual archwire directly in a patient's mouth.

Abstract: A musical sonification system and method sonifies data, such as real-time financial market data, to produce an audio signal output including a musical rendering of the data. A sonification engine converts the data into sound parameters based on configuration data and a sonification and mapping scheme. A sound generator generates the audio output signal from the sound parameters.

Abstract: A synthetic slag is produced by melting the mineral content of an organic carbon-containing mineral, for example, oil shale or tar sands, with a source of lime such as cement kiln dust. The organic carbon, especially hydrocarbon, content of the mineral is oxidized by oxygen gas, which typically is derived from air or an air/oxygen combination, in an exothermic reaction and the heat generated provides the thermal energy for the reaction between the mineral content and the source of lime. In this way the gaseous products will typically comprise nitrogen, unreacted oxygen, water vapor and carbon dioxide, and heat energy can be readily recovered from the hot off gas products evolving during the combustion reaction. The synthetic slag may be pelletized and employed as lightweight mineral aggregate or milled, or atomized and then milled, to cement fineness to provide slag cement.

Abstract: The present invention is a signal transmission system (10) that can receive a non-electric input signal such as a mechanical shock, detonation, or pyrotechnic signal at an input terminus (12), convert that signal to an electrical signal, and convey the electrical signal to at least one output terminus (16a, 16b) at a remote location where the signal is converted to a non-electric output. To convert the non-electric input signal to an electrical signal, the input terminus (12) comprises a receiving transducer e.g., a piezoelectric, electrochemical, or photovoltaic element. The input terminus (12) is connected by transfer wiring (14) (e.g., an electrical wire harness or a flex cable) to the remote location, where it is received by the at least one output terminus (16a, 16b) and there converted to a non-electric signal that is used for a desired function.

Abstract: A bag is provided for containing a liquid intended to be supplied in a controlled manner to some other site, for example to a medical patient. The main bag portion has a pair of overlying side walls joined together around their edges, the side walls having integral extensions which together define an outlet region in communication with the interior of the main portion of the bag. The extensions are bonded together to define a tube-like passageway extending throughout the outlet region from the interior of the bag. The extensions are adapted to permit the connection thereto of a peristaltic pump device co-operable with the tube-like passageway to control the out-flow of liquid from the bag.

Abstract: A removable orthodontic appliance used to align the teeth of patient. The appliance is constructed to represent the patient's teeth in analigned position. The material the appliance is constructed of is characterized by flexibility allowing a single appliance to move the patient's teeth into an aligned position.. A single tooth may be moved with the appliance, but most commonly the appliance works best when teeth are mutually moved, most effectively, the six anterior teeth. The appliance may contain wires to widen or narrow the posterior width of the appliance and it also may contain a habit shield for tongue thrusting.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating a phase array antenna using a near-field probe and focused null and a signal coherent with the beam received or transmitted at the null location of the probe. In the transmit mode, a base-band phase comparator circuit is established by locating the first probe at the angular location of the null and the first probe measures the field at the null while an offset phase reference probe, or second probe, measures the field at one of the sum peaks of the difference lobes as the reference. In the transmit mode, the method uses the pattern characteristics of the difference pattern to allow direct measurement of the phase reference by the second probe that is located at one of the sum peaks of the difference pattern. In the receive mode, the signal source provides the reference and the second probe is not necessary.

Abstract: A lingual archwire forming appliance for adapting a wire to the lingual surfaces of a patient's teeth during the construction of a bonded lingual archwire retainer. The appliance is composed of a handle attached to an arch-formed wire. The combination of the handle and curved archwire are useful in fitting a bonded lingual archwire directly in a patient's mouth.

Abstract: A peristaltic pump mechanism comprises a base plate (11) having a generally planar surface for supporting a pump tube (12) to extend at least partially around a circular path defined on said surface, an operating section (10) connectable to the base member (11). At least one rotatable pumping element (21) is mounted on the operating section (10) locally to compress the pump tube (12) and roll around the circular path when the operating section (10) is connected to the base member. A power drive causes the pumping element (21) to roll around the circular path, the pumping element (21) being of conical shape and mounted on the operating section (10) so that the axis of the element is substantially co-incident with the centre of the circular path. In this way essentially no slippage takes place between the conical surface of the pumping element and the planar surface of the base plate.

Abstract: A synthetic slag is produced by a high temperature combustion reaction between coal ash having a high carbon content, and a source of lime such as cement kiln dust. The carbon content of the coal ash is oxidized by oxygen gas, which typically is derived from air or an air/oxygen combination in an exothermic reaction and the heat generated is exploited in the melting process. In this way the gaseous products will typically comprise nitrogen, unreacted oxygen and carbon dioxide, and heat energy can be readily recovered from the hot off gas products evolving during the combustion reaction. The synthetic slag may be pelletized and employed as lightweight mineral aggregate or milled to cement fineness to provide slag cement.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated DNA molecule encoding Malathion Carboxylesterase capable of hydrolysing at least one organophosphate selected from the group consisting of carboxylester organophosphates and dimethylol organophosphates. The DNA molecule comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 60%, preferably at least 80% and more preferably at least 95% homology with Lc?E 7, in which the protein encoded by the DNA molecule differs from E 3 at least in the substitution of Trip at position 251 with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Leu, Ser, Ala, Ile, Val, Thr, Cys, Met and Gly. The preferred substituents are Leu and Ser.

Abstract: The present invention relates to deletion and substitution mutant polypeptides of human chemokine &bgr;-7 (Ck&bgr;-7), as well as nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides and processes for producing such polypeptides using recombinant techniques. In one aspect, the invention also relates to uses of the full-length and mature forms of Ck&bgr;-7, as well as deletion and substitution mutants, in medical treatment regimens. In particular, the Ck&bgr;-7 polypeptides described herein may be employed to treat a variety of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation, respiratory diseases, allergy, and IgE-mediated allergic reactions.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating a phase array antenna using a near-field probe and focused null and a signal coherent with the beam received or transmitted at the null location of the probe. In the transmit mode, a base-band phase comparator circuit is established by locating the first probe at the angular location of the null and the first probe measures the field at the null while an offset phase reference probe, or second probe, measures the field at one of the sum peaks of the difference lobes as the reference. In the transmit mode, the method uses the pattern characteristics of the difference pattern to allow direct measurement of the phase reference by the second probe that is located at one of the sum peaks of the difference pattern. In the receive mode, the signal source provides the reference and the second probe is not necessary.

Abstract: A user interface and computer-implemented method for analyzing and displaying network traffic performance assessment data in a computer network. Packet trace data is organized into application-level threads for display in a visual thread diagram. The user can manipulate the visual thread diagram to configure it in a number of ways in a dynamic manner.

Abstract: An electric motor comprising a shaft 300 on which is mounted n motor modules (where n is an integer). Each motor module consists of two generally disc-shaped rotors 302 having a coil 304 sandwiched between them. Each rotor/coil module is separated from the adjacent module by an insulative spacer element 306 and a PTFE disc 308 which is mounted on the shaft 300 concentrically with the rotors 302 and the coil 304. The axis about which each coil 304 is wound is substantially in line with the axis of rotation of the respective rotors 302.

Abstract: A method of forming an isolation structure in a semiconductor substrate is described. A trench is first etched into a semiconductor substrate. A first oxide layer is then formed with the trench. The first oxide layer is subjected to a nitrogen-oxide gas ambient and is annealed to form an oxy-nitride surface on the first oxide layer and a silicon-oxynitride interface between the first oxide layer and the semiconductor substrate. A second oxide layer is then deposited over the oxy-nitride surface of the first oxide layer. The method and isolation structure of the present invention prevents dopant outdiffusion, reduces trench stresses, allows more uniform growth of thin gate oxides, and permits the use of thinner gate oxides.

Abstract: Obtaining Translation of Generic Code Representation An execution apparatus 10 such as a user PC identifies that translation of generic code representation is required (e.g. Java bytecode included or referenced as part of a web page downloaded from a content provider 20), and requests a translation of the generic code representation from a remote translation apparatus 30, i.e. a translation server. A translated native code version of the generic code representation specific to a particular execution environment 10 is identified and sent from the translation apparatus 30 immediately ready for native execution on the execution apparatus 10 at full native speed. This avoids perceived slow start-up and unresponsiveness associated with interpretation or compilation of generic code representation at the execution apparatus 10.

Abstract: The present invention relates to deletion and substitution mutant polypeptides of human chemokine &bgr;-7 (Ck&bgr;-7), as well as nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides and processes for producing such polypeptides using recombinant techniques. In one aspect, the invention also relates to uses of the full-length and mature forms of Ck&bgr;-7, as well as deletion and substitution mutants, in medical treatment regimens. In particular, the Ck&bgr;-7 polypeptides described herein may be employed to treat a variety of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation, respiratory diseases, allergy, and IgE-mediated allergic reactions.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises an object for display, a retro-reflector receiving light from the object, a beam-splitter in a path for light from the object to the retro-reflector, and a Fresnel lens (having no point of central symmetry) between the beam-splitter and the retro-reflector. The beam-splitter makes an oblique angle to the direction of propagation of the light, such that it transmits some light and reflects the rest. Light from the beam-splitter passes through the lens to the retro-reflector, which reflects it back through the lens to the beam-splitter. This retro-reflected light is reflected and/or transmitted by the beam-splitter to form a real image suspended in space. The type of Fresnel lens used in the apparatus improves viewability because unwanted reflections from the surfaces of the lens are shifted such that they are no longer visible when viewing the suspended image.