Abstract: An elevator system roller guide device (26) includes a plurality of rollers (32) that roll along a guide rail (28). Dampers (40) that have a selectively variable stiffness dampen lateral movements between the rollers (32) and roller guide device base (30) as the elevator car assembly (20) moves through a hoistway. In one example, the dampers include a magneto-rheo-logical fluid. A controller (50) selectively controls a magnetic field generated by an electromagnet (52) to selectively control the viscosity of the magneto-rheo-logical fluid and the stiffness of the dampers (40).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for splicing a first data flow inbound to an intermediate node and second data flow outbound from the intermediate node transforms the first data flow and the second data flow into a single composite data flow originating at the source of the first data flow and terminating at the destination of the second data flow. The method allows any other data flows associated with the first or second data flow, such as other data flows associated with connections that encompass either the first or second data flow, to remain unaffected by the splice. The method allows intermediate nodes in a network to influence data flow between a pair of nodes at or above the transport layer without incurring all the overhead commonly associated with transport and higher layer processing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, computer program product, and data processing system for efficiently recovering state and performing failover of a network offload engine. The present invention distinguishes between the hard state and the soft state of a protocol. Hard state is state information that, when lost, leads to incorrect protocol behavior. Soft state is state information that may be lost or become inconsistent without loss of correctness. The present invention ensures correctness by always being able to recover the hard state of the protocol. A preferred embodiment of the present invention performs a failover of a network offload engine by temporarily blocking the reception of network packets, recovering hard state from host information, resuming network operation using a substitute network offload engine, and recovering soft state from the subsequent network activity.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a roller (16) having a hardness that varies responsive to a magnetic field (20). The roller (16) rolls along a guide rail (28) to maintain a desired orientation of the elevator car (12). In one example, the roller (16) includes a membrane (30) defining a generally annular chamber (36) containing fluid (22) that changes viscosity responsive to changes in the magnetic field (20). The rollers (16) are associated with at least one magnetic field generator (18) that generates a magnetic field (20) of a selected strength. Varying the magnetic field varies the hardness of each roller (16) to control vibrations of the elevator car (12) to improve ride quality.

Abstract: A device and method is provided for transdermally stimulating selected body parts of a mammal. The device includes a first waveform generator adapted to generate a first waveform having a first frequency capable of stimulating a first predetermined body part, a second waveform generator adapted to generate a carrier waveform having a second frequency capable of passing through tissue of the mammal, and a third waveform generator adapted to generate a third waveform having a third frequency different from and out of phase with that of the first waveform, and capable of stimulating a second predetermined body part.

Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for electrically stimulating a predetermined body part of a mammal. The method includes placing at least one electrode in proximity to the mammal's skin, injecting an electrically conductive gel into the body of the mammal so as to form a conductive gel pathway extending at least partially along a distance between the at least one electrode and the predetermined body part, and stimulating the predetermined body part by applying an electrical signal via the electrode that travels, at least in part, through the conductive gel pathway.

Abstract: A medical implant and method for implantation of the same. One embodiment is an implant for use in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence that includes an implantable, elongated tape having a multiplicity of openings formed through the thickness thereof, the tape having a first end region and a second end region longitudinally opposite the first end region, and first and second bio-compatible fixation elements attached to the first and second end regions of the tape respectively. Each bio-compatible fixation element has a tissue adherence property greater than that of the tape.

Abstract: A system and method for stimulating a nerve, wherein the system includes a first waveform generator adapted to generate a first waveform having a frequency capable of stimulating a predetermined nerve of the mammal, a second waveform generator adapted to generate a carrier waveform having a frequency capable of passing through tissue of the mammal, a modulation device electrically coupled to the first and second waveform generators and adapted to modulate the first and carrier waveforms to create a modulated waveform, and an electrode electrically coupled to the modulation device and positioned substantially adjacent to skin of the mammal, and adapted to apply the modulated waveform thereto.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for transferring data objects. A request for a data object is received at a communication adapter. A determination is made as to whether the data object is stored in a memory in the communication adapter in response to receiving the request. The data object is transferred from the memory to a receiver of the data object through the communication adapter in which transfer of the data across a bus connecting the communication adapter to the data processing system is unnecessary in response to the data object being present in the memory.

Abstract: A system and method whereby a client can transfer data to a service on the same or another protection domain and obtain a handle to it, the handle being defined as any mutually agreed-upon token that refers to the data, and which is usually much shorter than the data. The handle may then be passed to a service in lieu of again transferring the data. For example, in the case of a client sending the same data to multiple destinations, the invention allows the data to be transferred from the client protection domain to the service protection domain once using the data transfer operation. The client can then call the communication service any number of times by passing a handle to the instance of the data in the service protection domain, thus obviating the need to repeatedly transfer the data between the client and the service.

Abstract: An implantable urodynamic system is provided one embodiment of which includes a power source, at least one sensor for sensing at least one physiological property, a data transmission device for transmitting data representing the at least one sensed physiological property to an exterior of the patient's bladder, and a collapsible housing containing the power source and the at least one sensor therein. The collapsible housing has a collapsed configuration sized for insertion through the patient's urethra and into the patient's bladder, and an expanded configuration sized to remain within the bladder, but be unable to pass from the bladder into the urethra.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, computer program product, and data processing system for efficiently recovering state and performing failover of a network offload engine. The present invention distinguishes between the hard state and the soft state of a protocol. Hard state is state information that, when lost, leads to incorrect protocol behavior. Soft state is state information that may be lost or become inconsistent without loss of correctness. The present invention ensures correctness by always being able to recover the hard state of the protocol. A preferred embodiment of the present invention performs a failover of a network offload engine by temporarily blocking the reception of network packets, recovering hard state from host information, resuming network operation using a substitute network offload engine, and recovering soft state from the subsequent network activity.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for transferring data objects. A request for a data object is received at a communication adapter. A determination is made as to whether the data object is stored in a memory in the communication adapter in response to receiving the request. The data object is transferred from the memory to a receiver of the data object through the communication adapter in which transfer of the data across a bus connecting the communication adapter to the data processing system is unnecessary in response to the data object being present in the memory.

Abstract: The force plate data acquisition system measures, processes and analyzes the vertical reaction forces and various weight shifts between the ground and a golfer's feet during a swing. Plates are supported on cantilever beams through ball bearings. The beams are attached to a rigid frame and instrumented with strain gauges configured in a Wheatstone half bridge arrangement. An eight-channel strain gauge data acquisition board in a central processing unit records strain information. Data collection can be independent or controlled by a motion analysis system to provide synchronous foot force and video information. A set of BASIC programs collect strain readings from the foot plates, process the data, relate beam deflections to applied load and plots reaction force and weight shift information to the computer screen. Graphs produced are total vertical reaction force, foot-to-foot weight shift, heel-to-toe weight shift, outside-to-instep weight shift and the speeds of each.