Abstract: Provided herein are solar collectors having reflective sheets which are slidably insertable and/or removable for quick installation, construction, removal, repair, and/or replacement. Also provided are solar collectors having reflective sheets under tension. Further provided are methods for constructing solar collectors. In another aspect, provided herein are guide rails for guiding and/or retaining slidably removable reflective sheets and holding the reflective sheets in a prescribed shape.

Abstract: A space frame connector is provided for attaching an oblique strut tube to an axial chord of a space frame. The space frame connector includes a collar adapted to fit over an axial chord. The collar is equipped with one or more attachment flanges. The space frame connector also includes a strut tube having an extrusion flange formed in at least one of its ends. The extrusion flange is made up of two parallel leaves that define a slot between them. The slot is sized and shaped to fit over an attachment flange on the collar that is positioned over the axial chord. The extrusion flange can be formed using simple press and punch tools. Space frames used to support solar energy collector arrays can be assembled in the field, including formation of the extrusion flanges on the oblique strut tubes, or multiple strut tubes can be attached to axial chords and compactly packed and transported to the field for use in constructing space frames, for example for supporting large parabolic trough solar collectors.

Abstract: A tubular reactor useful for converting biomass to char has walls projecting into its interior. The walls are hollow. Cavities in the walls are in fluid connection with the outside of the reactor by way of openings. The reactor may be deployed in a furnace chamber. Hot gases from the furnace chamber may enter the cavities through the openings to heat the walls from within. Biomass may be pyrolized as it passes along the reactor.

Abstract: Provided herein are solar collectors having reflective sheets which are slidably insertable and/or removable for quick installation, construction, removal, repair, and/or replacement. Also provided are solar collectors having reflective sheets under tension. Further provided are methods for constructing solar collectors. In another aspect, provided herein are guide rails for guiding and/or retaining slidably removable reflective sheets and holding the reflective sheets in a prescribed shape.

Abstract: Provided herein are solar collectors having reflective sheets which are slidably insertable and/or removable for quick installation, construction, removal, repair, and/or replacement. Also provided are solar collectors having reflective sheets under tension. Further provided are methods for constructing solar collectors. In another aspect, provided herein are guide rails for guiding and/or retaining slidably removable reflective sheets and holding the reflective sheets in a prescribed shape.

Abstract: Provided herein are solar collectors having reflective sheets which are slidably insertable and/or removable for quick installation, construction, removal, repair, and/or replacement. Also provided are solar collectors having reflective sheets under tension. Further provided are methods for constructing solar collectors. In another aspect, provided herein are guide rails for guiding and/or retaining slidably removable reflective sheets and holding the reflective sheets in a prescribed shape.

Abstract: A space frame connector is provided for attaching an oblique strut tube to an axial chord of a space frame. The space frame connector includes a collar adapted to fit over an axial chord. The collar is equipped with one or more attachment flanges. The space frame connector also includes a strut tube having an extrusion flange formed in at least one of its ends. The extrusion flange is made up of two parallel leaves that define a slot between them. The slot is sized and shaped to fit over an attachment flange on the collar that is positioned over the axial chord. The extrusion flange can be formed using simple press and punch tools. Space frames used to support solar energy collector arrays can be assembled in the field, including formation of the extrusion flanges on the oblique strut tubes, or multiple strut tubes can be attached to axial chords and compactly packed and transported to the field for use in constructing space frames, for example for supporting large parabolic trough solar collectors.

Abstract: Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is an integral part of normal physiological and developmental processes as well as several pathologies, ranging from tumor growth and metastasis to inflammation and ocular disease. Methods and compositions are provided for controlling normal angiogenesis and for treating angiogenesis associated or mediated diseases as well as for preventing cancer progression and metastasis through the use of a prostrate secretory protein (PSP) family member.

Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in morphogenesis, angiogenesis, wound healing, and in certain disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, tumor invasion and metastasis. MMPs are thought to be regulated by a variety of cytokines, growth factors, hormones and phorbol esters. This regulation occurs on three levels; alteration of gene expression, activation of the latent zymogen and inhibition by the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP). We report here a new agent that regulates the level of MMPs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a stemming plug (10) which is made from a suitably resilient plastic material and comprises two cup-shaped members (12,14) which face each other with their rims (22) in abutment and means, which extends between the centres of the base portions of the cups (20) in the plug (10), which is adapted to move the bases of the cups (20) towards each other to compress the cups (10) and cause a circumferential zone of the plug (10) on either side of the abutting faces of the cups (20) to increase in radial dimension to be brought into load bearing contact with the side of a predrilled hole (38) in which the plug (10) is to be located, in use, and to enable the bases of the cups (20) to be moved away from each other to allow the plug (10) to be withdrawn from the hole (38) in the event of a misfire of the explosive in the hole (38).

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of regulating the expression in a human or animal subject of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which is immunogenic in the subject; the method comprising introducing into a mammal a cell comprising the nucleic acid sequence encoding the immunogenic polypeptide, said sequence being operably linked to a drug-regulatable promoter; and altering the concentration of regulatory drug to which the cell is exposed.

Abstract: A composite item is fabricated in a device for infusing a layup. The device include a mandrel, vacuum cup and bagging film. The mandrel is to receive the layup. The mandrel includes a reinforcement receiving zone and a resin receiving zone substantially adjacent to the reinforcement receiving zone. The vacuum cup is in cooperative alignment with the resin receiving zone. The bagging film is to generate a gas tight envelope surrounding the reinforcement receiving zone and the resin receiving zone. The vacuum cup is sealed upon the bagging film to generate a chamber above the resin receiving zone.

Abstract: A power transmission assembly for an agricultural machine includes a gearbox having an input shaft, and a torque sensing assembly having an axially fixed sheave, an axially movable sheave, a cam assembly interposed between the axially fixed sheave and the axially movable sheave, and a spring assembly coupling the axially movable sheave to the axially fixed sheave. The axially fixed sheave includes a hub portion having a tapered face extending increasingly outward from an inside diameter to engage a beveled shoulder of the input shaft. A nut is engaged with a threaded end of the input shaft, such that when tightened the nut forces the tapered face of the axially fixed sheave into engagement with the beveled shoulder of the input shaft.

Abstract: A system and method for restoring health data stored in a database includes storing the healthcare data in a database located in a central server connected to a community of independent sources of the healthcare data for a first plurality of patients; replicating at least a portion of the database in at least a two servers networked to the central server, the at least two servers networked as a function of coverage of at least one electrical power grid providing service to the central server such that the at least two servers receive service from at least one electrical power grid outside of the coverage of the at least one electrical power grid providing service to the central server; replicating the at least a portion of the database in a second central server connected to a second community of independent sources of healthcare data for one or more patients, the second central server including a second database of healthcare data for a second plurality of patients; and enabling access by a client machine to

Abstract: A system and method for use with a graphical user interface, includes but is not limited to organizing the healthcare data for one or more patients in a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface configured to be altered according to one or more documentation preferences of a user of the graphical user interface; separating the healthcare data in the graphical user interface to enable manipulation of the healthcare data within the graphical user interface according to predetermined healthcare-related criteria; displaying by the graphical user interface the one or more updates to the healthcare data received via a network connection to a server connecting one or more healthcare information participants; and in response to a triggering event on the graphical user interface, transmitting one or more updates to the healthcare data to a database connected to a network accessible by the one or more healthcare information participants to enable near real-time access to the one or more updates.

Abstract: A system and method for disseminating healthcare data in a database includes storing the healthcare data in the database located in a central server connected to a community of independent sources of the healthcare data for a plurality of patients; incorporating one or more updates to the healthcare data in the database from one or more of the independent sources to enable one or more healthcare providers, including rarely-used healthcare providers, to receive current data concerning the plurality of patients, the current data including demographic data on the plurality of patients; coding the healthcare data in the database to enable on-the-fly transmission of the healthcare data to one or more healthcare service providers outside the community of independent sources.

Abstract: A system and method for receiving health data from a community of independent sources of health data related to one or more patients, the health data being selected from the set including oral data, written data and/or electronic data; formatting the health data to enable creation of a universal patient record for each of the one or more patients by tagging of the health data to enable extraction of pertinent portions of the health data for coding of health encounters with the one or more patients; and enabling controlled access to the formatted health data via a network connecting the community of independent sources of health data, the network including at least one central server including a central database storing the formatted health data and at least two on-site servers, each on-site server located at one of the independent sources of health data and each on-site server configured to hold a database replicated from the central database.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a laminated composite body including a metal foil and a plurality of fiber plies. The method includes perforating a sheet of metal foil, stacking the perforated metal foil sheet and the plurality of fiber plies in face to face relation in a predetermined order and orientation, and infusing resin into the stacked sheet and plies so that resin flows through the perforations in the metal foil sheet and intersperses between the plurality of fiber plies to form the laminated composite body.

Abstract: A quick coupler for attaching implements, such as buckets or other tools, to heavy equipment, such as backhoes and excavators, which includes two recesses or channels for receiving a pair of machine pins of an implement. A hydraulic piston actuates a first locking lever to enclose one of the pair of machine pins in one recess and a second locking lever to enclose the other one of the pair of machine pins in the other recess.

Abstract: A mechanism for powering a combine header unit at infinitely variable speeds. A primary motor is coupled to a primary input shaft via a clutch, a variable-speed secondary motor is directly coupled to a secondary input shaft, and the header unit coupled to a header output shaft. A planetary gear-train couples the primary input shaft, the secondary input shaft, and the header output shaft to each other. A primary brake is coupled to the primary input shaft, and a secondary brake coupled to the secondary input shaft. A control circuit is employed to command the operation of the clutch, the secondary motor, the primary brake, and the secondary brake in response to operator commands.