Abstract: Methods of connectivity encoding polygonal mesh representations of objects are described, along with methods of decoding encoded connectivity information for polygonal mesh representations of objects. In the encoding process, an active vertex queue is initialized with one or more vertices incident to a seed face. A vertex is selected from the queue, and the ring of the vertex traversed. If an unprocessed face is encountered during the traversal, the degree of the face, and the valences of any unprocessed vertices incident to the face are output. Any such unprocessed vertices are also entered into the queue. The method iterates until no more vertices remain on the active queue. In one implementation, an encoded data stream is output, which comprises two logical streams, one for face-degree information and the other for vertex-valence information. In the decoding process, the encoded data stream is received, and the connectivity of the mesh regenerated.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and sequences used to treat pain. Specifically, the methods and sequences include locally administering nucleic acid molecules that suppress the expression of amino acid sequences that encode for pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors to treat acute or neuropathic pain associated with sciatica.

Abstract: A method of subdividing a representation of an object surface comprising a tessellated mesh of polygons is provided. The surface may be bounded by one or more boundary curves. One or more polygons in the mesh may be each subdivided into child polygons, each having one or more vertices. The result is a second mesh representation which may have a finer level of resolution than the original mesh. The locations or parameters of the vertices of the child polygons in the second mesh may be determined using suitable weightings of the locations or parameters of adjacent vertices in the original mesh. The locations of the vertices in the second mesh may be further refined through application of detail vectors. The locations of boundary vertices are always constrained to lie on one of the boundary curves bounding the surface in question. The method may continue iterating until the surface as represented by the subdivided surface representation is fine enough for the intended application.

Abstract: A method of forming a hybrid mesh representation of an object surface is provided, along with the hybrid mesh representation and data structures corresponding to various polygons in the hybrid mesh representation. The hybrid mesh representation comprises a base mesh and one or more higher level meshes. At least one of the higher level meshes representing a patch is an irregular mesh. The method of forming the hybrid mesh representation comprises the steps of forming a base mesh, and then forming one or more higher level meshes from the base mesh through one or more regular refinement operations in combination with at least one irregular operation.

Abstract: A new progressive compression scheme for arbitrary topology, highly detailed and densely sampled meshes arising from geometry scanning. Meshes may have three distinct components: geometry, parameter, and connectivity information. The latter two do not contribute to the reduction of error in a compression setting. Using semi-regular meshes, parameter and connectivity information can be virtually eliminated. The semiregular meshes may be used with semi-regular wavelet transforms, zerotree coding, and subdivision based reconstruction.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for killing or knocking down pests selected from the group consisting of cockroaches, ants, bristletails, wasps, hornets, crickets, earwigs, centipedes, scorpions, sowbugs, pillbugs, and spiders. One sprays the pest directly with a solution that is at least 2.8% ester of a polyol (such as sucrose octanoate or sorbitol octanoate). The formulation is designed for use in kitchens, pantries and other areas of the home in which food items may be present. Spray bottle assemblies are also disclosed for delivering the material to the target pest in a desirable manner.

Abstract: The present invention relates to liquid formulations of human interferon-?. The formulations are characterized in that they have a buffer with a pH in the weakly acidic to neutral range of between 5 and 8, preferably between over 5.5 and 8, and that they exhibit high stability of the interferon-? in solution while retaining the molecular integrity.

Abstract: A method of trimming a mesh representation of an object surface comprising a tessellated mesh of polygons. A trim curve is projected onto the mesh representation to determine the trim area. Polygons within or intersecting the trim area are removed, and new polygons are introduced to attach the trimmed mesh to the trim curve projection. Detail data is formed for vertices of polygons near the trim curve, representing information about the object surface not present in the trimmed mesh representation. The detail data is applied to the vertices, thereby refining their locations. Any polygons near the trim curve which are outside a prescribed tolerance of the object surface are subdivided. The steps of forming and applying the detail data followed by the step of subdividing are iteratively performed until the trimmed mesh representation is within a prescribed tolerance of the object surface.

Abstract: Thin-shell finite-element analysis based on the use of subdivision surfaces: (1) describing the geometry of a shell in its undeformed configuration, and (2) generating smooth interpolated displacement fields possessing bounded energy. No nodal rotations are used in the interpolation. The interpolation scheme induced by subdivision is nonlocal, i.e., the displacement field over one element depends on the nodal displacements of the element nodes and all nodes of immediately neighboring elements. However, the use of subdivision surfaces ensures that all local displacement fields thus constructed combine conformingly to define one single limit surface.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for generating consistent parameterizations for a set of meshes each of which includes data points representative of a corresponding surface. The consistent parameterizations preferably share the same base domain, and are generated using a net tracing algorithm. The net tracing algorithm involves determining for each of the meshes a net of paths having a connectivity substantially the same as that of the base domain. In an illustrative embodiment, the net tracing algorithm as applied to a given one of the meshes includes determining, for each edge in the base domain, a tentative path for use in the net of paths corresponding to the mesh. The tentative paths are then prioritized based on length, and selected ones of the tentative paths are used to construct a spanning tree of the base domain.

Abstract: A method of forming detail data corresponding to a vertex of a polygonal mesh representation of an object surface. The mesh representation has a limit surface, and the vertex has a limit point on the limit surface. The detail data for the vertex relates to the shape of the limit surface near the limit point corresponding to the vertex, and may capture detail about the object surface which is not captured by the mesh representation. The method may involve forming difference or detail data for one or more vertices from the group comprising the vertex in question and one or more neighboring vertices, weighting the resulting difference or detail data with prescribed weights, and deriving the detail data for the vertex in question from the weighted difference or detail data. The difference data for a vertex is the difference between the vertex as mapped onto the object surface and the limit point for the vertex on the limit surface.

Abstract: A method of updating in real-time the locations and velocities of mass points of a two- or three-dimensional object represented by a mass-spring system. A modified implicit Euler integration scheme is employed to determine the updated locations and velocities. In an optional post-integration step, the updated locations are corrected to preserve angular momentum. A processor readable medium and a network server each tangibly embodying the method are also provided. A system comprising a processor in combination with the medium, and a system comprising the server in combination with a client for accessing the server over a computer network, are also provided.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for generating consistent parameterizations for a set of meshes each of which includes data points representative of a corresponding surface. The consistent parameterizations preferably share the same base domain, and are generated using a net tracing algorithm. The net tracing algorithm involves determining for each of the meshes a net of paths having a connectivity substantially the same as that of the base domain. In an illustrative embodiment, the net tracing algorithm as applied to a given one of the meshes includes determining, for each edge in the base domain, a tentative path for use in the net of paths corresponding to the mesh. The tentative paths are then prioritized based on length, and selected ones of the tentative paths are used to construct a spanning tree of the base domain.

Abstract: An irregular connectivity mesh representative of a surface having an arbitrary topology is processed to generate a parameterization which maps points in a coarse base domain to points in the mesh. An illustrative embodiment uses a multi-level mesh simplification process in conjunction with conformal mapping to efficiently construct a parameterization of a mesh comprising a large number of triangles over a base domain comprising a smaller number of triangles. The parameterization in this embodiment corresponds to the inverse of function mapping each point in the original mesh to one of the triangles of the base domain, such that the original mesh can be reconstructed from the base domain and the parameterization. The mapping function is generated as a combination of a number of sub-functions, each of which relates data points in a mesh of one level in a simplification hierarchy to data points in a mesh of the next coarser level of the simplification hierarchy.

Abstract: The subject matter comprises shaped mixtures of valuable materials for the stimulation and cultivation of plant growth, said materials containing plant nutrients and/or plant-protective agents in admixture with a thermoplastic binder. According to the invention the mixtures of valuable materials, which mixtures have in particular been shaped as fertilizer rods, are characterized in that they contain, as the binder, a starch that has been thermomechanically digested at elevated pressures and temperatures.The invention further relates to the process for producing these multi-component mixtures and to the use of thermomechanically digested starch, optionally in admixture with inferior amounts of further biologically compatible binder components, as a biologically degradable binder for mixtures of valuable materials of the type described.

Abstract: A method for treating plants to control plant pests by applying to the locus of the pests an alkyl glycoside or an alkyl glycoside and an additional plant pest-control agent.