Abstract: Devices and method are provided for removing toxins, including protein-bound toxins, from blood. The device includes a housing having a receiving space and at least one hollow fiber extending through at least a portion of the receiving space. The at least one hollow fiber is operable to receive the stream of blood. The device further includes a plurality of beads disposed within the receiving space and external to the at least one hollow fiber. The at least one hollow fiber includes a plurality of pores operable to retain the one or more cellular elements of the stream of blood within the hollow fiber and to allow the one or more plasma elements of the stream of blood to pass from the hollow fiber to the receiving space of the housing. Each of the plurality of beads is configured to receive a toxin molecule from the one or more plasma elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing bioimpedance analysis are provided. In certain aspects, equivalent circuit frequency response models are provided which lead to improved correlations with MRI data. The frequency response models take account of body composition, including the fat component of a body segment. Data obtained by performing bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and MRI on the calves of subjects illustrates the improved correlations achieved compared to single frequency analyses at 50 kilohertz and analyses performed using the conventional Cole-Cole model.

Abstract: A method and device for continuously calculating the circumference of a body segment is based on the continuous measurement of the extracellular resistance of the body segment. Also disclosed is a method and device for determining the dry weight of a dialysis patient wherein the time at which the dry weight of the patient has been achieved is identified as the time at which the patient's normalized resistivity as a function of time (?N(t)) is greater than or equal to a minimum level of normalized resistivity in healthy subjects (?N,H).

Abstract: A method of peritoneal dialysis includes introducing a dialysis solution into a peritoneal cavity; allowing the dialysis solution to dwell in the peritoneal cavity for a period of time to provide diffusion through an inner lining of an abdominal cavity with exchange of components between a microcirculation of a peritoneum and a dialysis fluid; withdrawing the dialysis solution from the peritoneal cavity with toxins; passing the dialysis solution with toxins through an absorbent polymeric material which has a size, shape, and structure selected so as to remove the toxins in a molecular range of 300-30,000 Dalton from the spent dialysis solution; and returning the thusly purified peritoneal dialysis solution to the patient.

Abstract: An audio encoding system includes quantization, phase matching, compressed domain processing and other improvements enabling high fidelity, low bit rate encoding systems to be formed. In a preferred embodiment a novel transient detector is used to divide an audio source into transient, low frequency non-transient and high frequency non-transient regions. Low frequency non-transients are sinusoid modeled and the residual is low frequency noise modeled. Transients are transform coded and high frequency non-transients and transform coded residual is high frequency noise modeled. The preferred embodiment also includes novel sinusoid, transform coded and noise quantization, among other methods for providing high fidelity data reduction and for interfacing sinusoid modeling and transform coding. Compressed domain time compression and expansion are further achieved with no detrimental effect on transients.

Abstract: A method for reprocessing dialyzer cartridges used with kidney dialysis machines is provided. The method involves filling the blood and dialysate compartments of the dialyzer with an aqueous solution containing citric acid at a concentration of 1.0-5.0 wt. %, e.g., 1.5 wt. %, and then subjecting the dialyzer to an elevated temperature above 90.degree. C. and below 100.degree. C., e.g., 95.degree. C., for a period of at least 15 hours, e.g., 20 hours. Although citric acid is non-toxic and the temperature used is below the boiling point of water, the process has been found to produce a fully sterilized dialyzer. After reprocessing, the aqueous citric acid solution is preferably left in the dialyzer where it acts as a bacteriostatic agent during storage. Essentially no damage to the dialyzer and, in particular, to its semipermeable membrane results from either the reprocessing or storage procedures.

Abstract: A method for reprocessing dialyzer cartridges used with kidney dialysis machines is provided. The method involves filling the blood and dialysate compartments of the dialyzer with an aqueous solution containing citric acid at a concentration of 1.0-5.0 wt. %, e.g., 1.5 wt. %, and then subjecting the dialyzer to an elevated temperature above 90.degree. C. and below 100.degree. C., e.g., 95.degree. C., for a period of at least 15 hours, e.g., 20 hours. Although citric acid is non-toxic and the temperature used is below the boiling point of water, the process has been found to produce a fully sterilized dialyzer. After reprocessing, the aqueous citric acid solution is preferably left in the dialyzer where it acts as a bacteriostatic agent during storage. Essentially no damage to the dialyzer and, in particular, to its semipermeable membrane results from either the reprocessing or storage procedures.

Abstract: A new latch box for stop motion apparatus for knitting machines of the type wherein the stop motion acts to automatically stop the machine when there is an undesirable amount of excess tension in the yarn being fed to the machine. The new latch box is of non-electrically conductive material and cooperates fully with the other parts of the apparatus as completely as the replaced latch box. A trigger is added to the new latch box in addition to its latch. Both the latch and the trigger are under the control of the yarn feeding arm of the apparatus in such manner that when there is excess yarn tension the trigger is actuated before the latch is actuated thereby to actuate the stop motion to stop the machine sooner than it would be stopped by the prior art latch boxes.

Abstract: A yarn tensioning device for the continuous application of uniform tension to yarn of indefinite length as it runs through the device, the latter being of the type in which a freely rotatable ball serves to apply the tension to the yarn. The device has a housing with a cylindrically shaped yarn passageway extending vertically therethrough and in which a pair of spaced yarn eye guides of ceramic material are positioned. A ball is disposed in the passageway between the inserts so as to be seated atop the opening in the lower yarn eye guide. The diameter of the passageway is uniform and the wall of the housing is provided with a slot extending therethrough so that the yarn may be threaded through the slot and through each of the inserts thereby to thread the device with the yarn extending through the passageway and around the ball. The housing is provided with horizontal and vertical extending brackets by means of which the device may be mounted upon similarly extending surfaces.

Abstract: A yarn tensioning device for the continuous application of uniform tension to yarn of indefinite length as it runs through the device, the latter being of the type in which a freely rotatable ball serves to apply the tension to the yarn. The device has a housing with a cylindrically shaped yarn passageway extending vertically therethrough when the device is in use and in which a pair of spaced ceramic yarn eye guides are positioned. A ball is positioned in the passageway between the inserts so as to be seated atop the opening in one of the inserts. The diameter of the passageway is uniform between the inserts and the wall of the housing is provided with an aperture extending therethrough so that the yarn may be threaded through the aperture and through each of the inserts thereby to thread the device with the yarn extending through the passageway and around the ball.

Abstract: The invention provides a cloth forming jig for use with a conventional clothing press in the formation of garment parts such as pockets and collars in preparation for their being stitched into position. The jig broadly comprises a base plate formed with a cut-out corresponding in shape to a part to be formed, a forming plate corresponding to said cut-out and pivotal in, and out of, said cut-out, and a forming arm or arms displaceable on said base plate from a position or positions clear of said cut-out to a position or positions overlapping said cut-out.