Abstract: A method of inhibiting excitotoxicity by indirectly activating ?4?2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) which indirectly activate synaptic AMPA and NMDA receptors is disclosed Inhibitors of ?7 nACHRs, such as macrocyclic diterpenoids, more specifically cembranoids or methyllycaconitine (MLA), indirectly activate ?4?2 nAChRs and can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson Disease, AIDS related dementia and the delayed effects of stroke. They can also be used to treat diseases associated with neuronal impairment, including, but not limited to glaucoma caused by optical nerve damage, delayed effects of epilepsy; and multiple sclerosis.

Abstract: A paintball marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs, comprising an inlet end for coupling relative to a paintball hopper, an outlet end for coupling relative to a paintball marker body, and a contained path between the inlet and outlet, the feed conduit being arranged to house a plurality of paintballs in single file and supply said paintballs in succession from the hopper to the paintball marker body inside which a foremost one of said paintballs rests ready for firing from the marker, wherein the feed conduit includes a light mounted to shine light directly onto said foremost paintball to charge the paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body.

Abstract: The initiator device receives requests from and issues transaction requests to a recipient device via an interconnect. A barrier generator generates barrier transaction requests indicating to the interconnect that an ordering of some transaction requests within a stream of transaction requests passing through the interconnect should be maintained by not allowing reordering of some of the transaction requests that occur before the barrier transaction request in the stream of transaction requests with respect to the barrier transaction request. In response to a synchronize request querying progress of a subset of transaction requests, the initiator device actions any pending transaction requests within the subset of transaction request and the barrier generator generates and issues a barrier transaction request to the interconnect. In response to receiving a response to the barrier transaction request, the initiator device issues an acknowledge signal as a response to the synchronize request.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus and method are provided for arbitrating access to a shared resource. The data processing apparatus includes a plurality of requester elements sharing access to the shared resource, and arbitration circuitry which is responsive to requests asserted by one or more of the requester elements for access to the shared resource, to perform a priority determination operation to select one of the asserted requests as a winning request. Each of the asserted requests has a priority level associated therewith, and the apparatus further comprises relative priority ordering circuitry for attributing relative priorities to the plurality of requester elements. The arbitration circuitry is responsive to the asserted requests to perform the priority determination operation in order to select as the winning request the request asserted by the requester element with the highest relative priority whose asserted request has a priority level not exceeded by any other asserted request.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for tethering an electrode lead to an anatomical structure within a patient using a coupling member are provided. An anchor configured to be secured to the anatomical structure and an electrode lead suitable for neuromuscular stimulation of spinal muscles and/or nerves innervating one or more muscles that contribute to spine stability may be used. The electrode lead is configured to be coupled to the anchor via the coupling member by securing a first end of the coupling member to the electrode lead and securing a second end of the coupling member to an eyelet of the anchor to place the electrode lead at a desired anatomical site within the patient.

Abstract: An illustrative embodiment of a computer-implemented process for scalable group synthesis receives a group definition, applies a sub-set of conditions to the group definition to form a conditioned group definition, receives a set of entities and populates group membership using the received set of entities and the conditioned group definition, wherein each member responds in the affirmative to the sub-set of conditions.

Abstract: Embodiments for generating search shortcuts and inline auto-complete entries are described herein. An embodiment includes, detecting text input in a browser, determining if the text input corresponds to an identifier from where a search was initiated and presenting one or more identifiers and an option to search content based on the determining step. Another method embodiment includes, determining if a user attempted to navigate to an identifier or if the user provided a search query, presenting one or more search results based on the search query, providing a HTTP request concurrently with the presenting step to retrieve content associated with the identifier, and presenting a user interaction area to determine if the user intended to navigate to the identifier.

Abstract: Datacasting systems may include one or more compound carousels each managing one or more elementary carousels, and managed by a bandwidth manager. Subsets of compounds carousels may be identified, for example, according to priority levels. Bandwidth allocations may be determined for the compound carousels. For example, the bandwidth manager may utilize multiple bandwidth allocation cycles to determine the bandwidth allocations. The multiple bandwidth allocation cycles may form a sequence. Each bandwidth allocation cycle may at least partially allocate an available datacasting bandwidth resource to at least one of the identified subsets of the compound carousels. The allocations may be based at least in part on desired bandwidths determined by the compound carousels and/or one or more bandwidth guidelines of datacast sessions associated with the compound carousels.

Abstract: A pump assembly and estimation and control system therefor, the pump adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular form, the pump is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller is entirely sealed within the pump housing and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein against movement in three translational and two rotational degrees of freedom as the impeller rotates within the fluid urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller having deformities therein such as blades with surfaces tapered from the leading edges to the trailing edges of bottom and top surfaces thereof.

Abstract: A hose shroud (10) comprising a plurality of expanded sections (12) and clamping sections (22), arranged to engage a bundle of hoses or lines, wherein in use, the hose shroud (10) is arranged such that an outer wall (18) of the hose shroud (10) is placed under an inner wall (20) of the hose shroud (10) defining a reservoir (28) therein, the inner wall (20) and outer wall (18) are held in close contact by a plurality of raised protuberances (16) on the outer wall surface (18), the spaced apart inner (20) and outer wall (18) surfaces of the hose shroud (10) are arranged such as to form a lumen (14) to allow fluid communication of fluids leaked within the reservoir (28) and the exterior of the hose shroud (10).

Abstract: A high efficiency shell and tube heat exchanger coupled to a hydraulic thermal engine includes an insulated cylindrical shell having first and second ends for conveying a coolant and a plurality of tubes passing through at least one of the ends for conveying a working fluid. A plurality of spaced-apart generally-transverse baffles are disposed in the shell. Each baffle is truncated along one edge defining a slot for passage of coolant along the shell inner wall and past the baffle. Successive of the baffles are rotated with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shell to cause the coolant flowing therethrough to follow a non-axial path. Multiple coolant inlets and outlets may be provided. The heat exchanger is optimized for a use wherein the second working fluid is liquid CO2 in a supercritical fluid state. The heat exchanger tubes have an inside diameter of 0.26 inches or less.

Abstract: A pump assembly 1, 33, 200 adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular from the pump 1, 200 is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller 100, 204 is entirely sealed within the pump housing 2, 201 and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein as the impeller rotates within the fluid 105 urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity 106, 203. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller 100, 204 having deformities therein such as blades 8 with surfaces tapered from the leading edges 102, 223 to the trailing edges 103, 224 of bottom and top edges 221, 222 thereof.

Abstract: A method of imaging printing plates uses a single imaging device having at least one laser delivering, in an imagewise manner, pulsed electromagnetic energy of pulse duration not greater than 1×10?6 seconds. Such an imaging method permits the imaging of a plurality of types of printing plates irrespective of any sensitised imaging chemistry contained in their coatings.

Abstract: A memory controller for a slave memory that controls an order of data access requests is disclosed. There is a read and write channel having streams of requests with corresponding barrier transactions within the request streams indicating where reordering should not occur. The controller has barrier response generating circuitry located on the read and said write channels and being responsive to receipt of one of said barrier transactions: to issue a response to the received barrier transaction such that subsequent requests in said stream of requests are not blocked by the barrier transaction and can be received and to terminate the received barrier transaction and not transmit the received barrier transaction further; and to mark requests subsequent to the received barrier transaction in the stream of requests with a barrier context value identifying the received barrier transaction.

Abstract: A printing form precursor comprises a printing surface which comprises an anodic layer which is hydrophobic and capable of being made hydrophilic by fast laser pulses but capable of becoming hydrophobic again, preferably for re-use, if desired. These changes are influenced by thickness of the anodic layer, and by alloying elements in the anodic layer. Benefit is gained also from using a darkly coloured anodic layer and by permitting the change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic to take place in a carbonaceous or siliceous atmosphere. By such means the invention achieves the goal of providing a printing form precursor which does not need a chemical developer, and which can be used multiple times, to print different images.

Abstract: A system that includes an imaging device for effectively positioning a probe for testing a semiconductor.

Abstract: Analysis and graphical rendering of subscriber data is provided. A data analysis component is provided that obtains a set of subscriber data, correlates various subsets of the subscriber data to determine a plurality of data relationships, and graphical renders the subscriber data as a heat map, a fractal map, a tree map, a three dimensional plot, a three dimensional map, a graph, a chart, etc. based on a scale associated with the data relationships. In addition, the data analysis component can obtain a set of line number portability data that can be correlated with the various subsets of the subscriber data to determine the data relationships.

Abstract: An epoxy resin composition having a curing component and an epoxy component is disclosed. The curing component includes an amount of about 8% to about 70% by weight of the composition of a primary curing agent and about 0.001% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a secondary curing agent. The epoxy composition also includes about 30% to about 92% by weight of the composition of the epoxy component. A number of equivalents of reactive curative groups in the curing component is from about 0.50 to 0.98 times the number of epoxide equivalents present in the epoxy component. An epoxy product formed from the epoxy resin composition is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a mail certificate is described. A client determines whether the client possesses a certificate. If a certificate is needed, the client sends a request to a certificate responder for a new certificate in response to the determination. The certificate responder generates and sends the new certificate back to the client.