Abstract: A method of modifying the growth of plant roots is provided in which the roots are grown in proximity to a membrane from which water is released during the growth of the roots, wherein the membrane is a hydrophobic porous membrane or a hydrophilic non-porous membrane. The method may also be used to collect materials exuded from plant roots by growing the plant roots in a growing medium that is surrounded by a membrane such that moisture is released into the growing medium from the membrane whilst materials exuded from the plant roots are retained within the growing medium by the membrane, wherein the membrane is a hydrophobic porous membrane or a hydrophilic non-porous membrane.

Abstract: Water vapor is introduced into an inlet air stream (16) of an engine (12), for example, by a pervaporation process through a non-porous hydrophilic membrane (18). A water reservoir (20), which can contain contaminated water, provides a vapor pressure gradient across the hydrophilic membrane (18) into the inlet air stream (16), while the rate of delivery of the water vapor to a cylinder (38-40) is self-regulated by the rate of flow of air across the membrane. The hydrophilic membrane (18) therefore also filters the water from the water reservoir (20) to an extent that pure water vapor is provided to the air inlet stream (16). Delivery of water vapor can nevertheless be controlled using a hood (26) that slides over the hydrophilic membrane to limit its exposed surface area.

Abstract: Benzotriazole UV absorbers substituted with an ultra long ester or amide moiety wherein the ester or amide group is a hydrocarbyl group of 25 to 100 carbon atoms or is a group of alkyl of 25 to 100 carbon atoms interrupted by 5 to 39 oxygen atoms and terminated with an omega—OH or an omega—OR group exhibit excellent stabilization efficacy while they concomitantly do not bloom when incorporated into polyolefin films. These benzotriazole UV absorbers also provide excellent protection to white, dyed, dipped, unscented and/or scented candle wax from discoloration and degradation.

Abstract: The confocal imaging apparatus includes first and second light sources (6, 7) located at opposite ends of a fibre optic bundle (1). One end of the fibre optic bundle (4) is located adjacent the object to be imaged the opposite end of the fibre optic bundle (2) is located adjacent a camera (3) that records the images received from the fibre optic bundle (4). An analyser (10) is used to extract a confocal image from the image of the object produced using the illumination from the first light source (6) and the image of the object produced using illumination from the second light source (7). The imaging apparatus is particularly suited to endoscopy applications and is able to provide video rate confocal images.

Abstract: The present invention provides compounds of the formula Ar1—Q—Ar2—Y—R—Z and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are optionally substituted aryl moieties, Z is an optionally substituted nitrogen-containing moiety which may be an acyclic, cyclic or bicyclic amine or an optionally substituted monocyclic or bicyclic nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic moiety; Q is a linking group capable of linking two aryl groups; R is an alkylene moiety; Y is a linking moiety capable of linking an aryl group to an alkylene moiety and wherein Z is bonded to R through a nitrogen atom. The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention are useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases which are mediated by LTB4 production, such as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, IBD and asthma.

Abstract: A flexible and self-adhesive repositionable dry erasable markerboard is disclosed, together with a method for making such repositionable dry erasable markerboard. The repositionable dry erasable markerboard is made of a second layer, comprising a paper layer, with a first layer, comprising a dry erasable layer applied to the upper surface of the second layer, and a third layer, comprising a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, applied to the lower surface of the second layer. The dry erasable first layer may be either a coating cured under the presence of a nitrogen blanket or a film. The pressure sensitive adhesive of the third layer may be applied to the entire surface of the second layer or selectively zone-coated. The pressure sensitive adhesive of the third layer may be covered with a fourth layer, comprising a removable liner. The paper second layer may be coated and/or printed. The repositionable dry erasable markerboard is flexible and may be rolled into a tube.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed in which contact can be safely distributed and protected in a manner that is viable in terms of bandwidth economy and ensures that clients can be identified by the content received. Copies of encrypted content can be provided such that unique watermarks can be added to the copies. Content can also be both watermarked uniquely for multiple clients and multicasted to the clients. As such, content can be distributed using the bandwidth efficiency of multicasting while providing reliable content protection and watermarking.

Abstract: A grinding pin (53) for grinding notches in the edges of disc workpieces, such as semi-conductor wafers, comprises a metal spindle (132) for mounting in a grinding machine, and an adjoining cylindrical region having axially spaced sections of fine grit (160) and rough grit (162), the latter being axially nearer the spindle (132). In use on a grinding machine having a rotatable forming wheel, similar profiled notch-grinding grooves (140) and (142) are formed by the wheel in the grinding sections (162) and (160) respectively.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for transmitting data to a facsimile presentation device is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the steps of receiving a presentation job comprising input data associable with at least one input grayscale value, retrieving at least one of a plurality of threshold matrices, each threshold matrix selected to control a grayscale rendering characteristic of the facsimile presentation device associated with the threshold matrix, applying the grayscale values to the retrieved threshold matrix to rasterize the input data, and transmitting the rasterized input data to the facsimile presentation device. This invention can be practiced in several embodiments, and permits the user to select the threshold matrix according to the presentation device and/or a selected presentation quality.

Abstract: Active device assembly comprising a substrate having at least a planar surface on which a plurality of electrical contact pads are formed, a chip having a surface on which at least one optical waveguide and a plurality of electrodes are formed. Said chip surface is in a facing relationship with the planar surface of the substrate, and said electrical contact pads are in electrical contact to said electrodes. Said contact pads and said electrodes provide mechanical connection between said chip and said substrate and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate is greater than or equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the chip in a length direction.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods of creating and deploying electronic forms for collecting information from a user using a browser, where the browser may be one of a plurality of browser platforms. Characteristics of forms are entered by a human designer using a form designer by using drag-and-drop operations, and stored in XML template files. The form may be previewed by the designer. When a user on the Internet (or an intranet) requests a form by a browser, the characteristics of the browser are sensed and a form appropriate for the browser is deployed to the browser by a form server. Information is then captured from the user. The form may also be saved or printed.

Abstract: An Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture includes a Technical Model, and a Technical Delivery Framework, and is designed to facilitate the development of complete enterprise service management solutions. The use of the Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture results in solution designs created to be independent of the technology platform being managed with a view that meets the overall business requirements that span the technology platforms within a business environment. An information technology infrastructure already in place for a customer is analyzed and broken down to its very lowest level building blocks. Then the building blocks within the model of the technical architecture are mapped with the building blocks of the customer's information technology infrastructure to determine which of the building blocks of the model are to be used for the customer's information technology operation. A specific technical delivery framework is developed for each customer.

Abstract: An Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture includes a Technical Model, and a Technical Delivery Framework, and is designed to facilitate the development of complete enterprise service management solutions. The use of the Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture as the framework for an enterprise systems management technical solution results in solution designs created to be independent of the technology platform being managed with a view that meets the overall business requirements that span the technology platforms within a business environment. An information technology infrastructure already in place for a customer is analyzed and broken down to its very lowest level building blocks. Then the building blocks within the model of the technical architecture are mapped with the building blocks of the customer's information technology infrastructure to determine which of the building blocks of the model are to be used for the customer's information technology operation.

Abstract: An Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture includes a Technical Model, and a Technical Delivery Framework, and is designed to facilitate the development of complete enterprise service management solutions. The use of the Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture as the framework for an enterprise systems management technical solution results in solution designs created to be independent of the technology platform being managed with a view that meets the overall business requirements that span the technology platforms within a business environment. An information technology infrastructure already in place for a customer is analyzed and broken down to its very lowest level building blocks. Then the building blocks within the model of the technical architecture are mapped with the building blocks of the customer's information technology infrastructure to determine which of the building blocks of the model are to be used for the customer's information technology operation.

Abstract: An Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture includes a Technical Model, and a Technical Delivery Framework, and is designed to facilitate the development of complete enterprise service management solutions. The use of the Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture as the framework for an enterprise systems management technical solution results in solution designs created to be independent of the technology platform being managed with a view that meets the overall business requirements that span the technology platforms within a business environment. An information technology infrastructure already in place for a customer is analyzed and broken down to its very lowest level building blocks. Then the building blocks within the model of the technical architecture are mapped with the building blocks of the customer's information technology infrastructure to determine which of the building blocks of the model are to be used for the customer's information technology operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a binding motif of a receptor. In particular, the binding motif is a cytoplasmic domain associated with stimulation of receptor mediated activities. The present invention further contemplates methods of using the motif in particular for mediating activities of receptors.

Abstract: An irrigation device is provided, the device comprising a container for water consisting of a plurality of surfaces, each surface substantially being either a hydrophilic membrane or impervious to water in all forms, and wherein at least one of the surfaces is substantially a hydrophilic membrane and at least one of the surfaces is substantially impervious to water in all forms.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for calculating in-place path metric addressing for a trellis processing arrangement are disclosed. An arrangement of cascaded multiplexers and stores receives a known input sequence of path metrics. The input sequence of path metrics is manipulated such that certain of the path metrics are delayed in the stores by a clock cycle, whilst the remaining path metrics are presented to the cascaded banks of multiplexers. In this manner, the input sequence of path metrics is continuously processed to produce a desired output sequence of path metrics. Advantageously, the apparatus and method of the invention may be practised on either a forward trellis or a reverse trellis.

Abstract: The invention provides devices, device configurations and methods for improved sensitivity, detection level and efficiency in mass spectrometry particularly as applied to biological molecules, including biological polymers, such as proteins and nucleic acids. Specifically, the invention relates to charged droplet sources and their use as ion sources and as components in ion sources. In addition, devices of this invention allow mass spectral analysis of a single charged droplet. Further, the charged droplet sources and ion sources of this invention can be combined with any charge particle detector or mass analyzer, but are a particularly benefit when used in combination with a time of flight mass spectrometer.

Abstract: An adjustable headrest for a seat backrest having a mounting system includes a frame structure adapted to be secured on the mounting system for up and down movement relative to the seat backrest. The headrest also includes a drive mechanism having a height adjustment drive system for controlling height adjustment of the headrest by moving a height adjuster section, and a fore/aft adjustment drive system for controlling fore/aft adjustment by moving the fore/aft adjuster section. The fore/aft drive system has an adjustment member constrained to up and down movement, and the adjustment member is engaged with the adjuster section so as to permit for/aft movement of the adjuster section relative to the adjuster section and the adjustment member.