Abstract: Methods and systems for diagnosing a bone disease related to collagen pathology in a subject are provided. These include providing a bone sample from the subject and determining a quantitative collagen morphology value of the bone sample. A reference value is provided from a non-affected control subject where the reference value is a quantitative collagen morphology value from the same type of bone sample obtained from a population of non-affected control subjects. The quantitative collagen morphology value of the subject's bone sample is compared to the reference value. If the collagen morphology value is altered versus the reference value, the subject is diagnosed as having a collagen related bone disease. The collagen morphology value can include mean fibril spacings and distributions of the fibril spacings taken from a subject's bone sample.

Abstract: Methods and systems for diagnosing a bone disease related to collagen pathology in a subject are provided. These include providing a bone sample from the subject and determining a quantitative collagen morphology value of the bone sample. A reference value is provided from a non-affected control subject where the reference value is a quantitative collagen morphology value from the same type of bone sample obtained from a population of non-affected control subjects. The quantitative collagen morphology value of the subject's bone sample is compared to the reference value. If the collagen morphology value is altered versus the reference value, the subject is diagnosed as having a collagen related bone disease. The collagen morphology value can include mean fibril spacings and distributions of the fibril spacings taken from a subject's bone sample.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for secure transaction processing. A secure processor may include an integrated wireless card reader and optionally a secure memory. When a request for payment information associated with an on-line transaction is received, the integrated wireless card reader reads data from the payment card. The secure processor may retrieve a set of transaction identifiers from the payment card issuer or optionally a trusted third party. The secure processor transmits one of the retrieve transaction identifiers to the on-line merchant instead of payment card data. The on-line merchant communicates the transaction identifier to the payment card issuer or the trusted third party for validation. Alternatively, the secure processor may encrypt the read payment card data utilizing the payment card number as the shared secret required by the cryptographic algorithm. The secure processor then forwards the encrypted payment card data to the on-line merchant.

Abstract: An improved roller shaft for a food peeling machine that allows for an improved method of changing abrasive sections that are on the shaft, the improved shaft having a first and second end with removable retaining elements and the method involving the use of a hydrostatic cylinder to place a new abrasive section on the roller shaft thus causing the most worn section to slide off the shaft.

Abstract: An improved discharge gate for a food peeler having an S-shaped portion edge such that a food item is able to uniformly flow from the peeling chamber out of the discharge gate and at the same time, the gate causes efficient flow within the peeling chamber of the peeling device such that all of the food items within the peeler are uniformly peeled.

Abstract: An improved peeling machine for controlling the removal of a peeling from a food product, the peeling machine having a hopper with a supply auger that pushes a food item to a peeling chamber, the peeling chamber having a plurality of parallel longitudinal rollers arranged in an arcuate juxtaposition relation, as the food item moves through the plurality of rollers, the food item is peeled and moved toward the discharge gate of the peeling machine, the improvement is the use of an abrasive material on the rollers that is formed using electrostatic charges to align the abrasive particles onto an epoxy layer and adhering this epoxy layer onto the exterior surface of the roller.

Abstract: An improved roller shaft for a food peeling machine that allows for an improved method of changing abrasive sections that are on the shaft, the improved shaft having a first and second end with removable retaining elements and the method involving the use of a hydrostatic cylinder to place a new abrasive section on the roller shaft thus causing the most worn section to slide off the shaft.