Abstract: A system and method for evaluating one or more interventions having a direct or indirect impact on a disease identification or a disease progression incorporating a causal framework to establish relationships among the disease, complications, and comorbidities. The system and method determines population groups and risk factors for the disease, complications, and comorbidities. The system and method structures and calibrates a simulation model of the relationships, population groups, and risk factors and characterizes interventions. The system and method analyzes the characterized interventions to determine the direct or indirect impact of the interventions on the disease identification or progression using the simulation model. An indication of the impact of the interventions is provided on an electronic display or to a memory device.

Abstract: A handling and packaging system for utensils comprised of a device for packaging the utensils; and a device for obtaining the utensils and moving them to the packaging device. Preferably, the obtaining device includes N specialized end-effectors which seize the utensils, where N.gtoreq.1 and is an integer. A method for utensil handling and packaging. The method comprises the steps of obtaining the utensil and packaging the utensil. Preferably, the obtaining step includes the steps of moving an end-effector in proximity to the utensil. An end-effector for a robot comprising a structure and a device for producing magnetic force to seize objects made of metal. The producing device is supported by the structure. A bin for holding utensils. The bin is comprised of a base; and a container wherein the utensils are stored. The container is supported by the base such that one end of the container is higher than the other end of the container. A bin for holding utensils.

Abstract: An optical multiplex system has an LED which supplies broad band optical radiation to one end of a fiber-optic cable that extends, via displacement transducers connected in series, to a receiver. Each transducer has a movable filter plate with a neutral region and a region that attenuates radiation in different respective narrow bands of wavelengths. The receiver includes a detector that receives radiation from the other end of the cable via a filter. The filter has a variable narrow band transmission characteristic so that radiation in either one of the narrow bands can be selected and supplied to the detector which thereby gives an output representative of the state of the selected transducer.

Abstract: An optical displacement transducer is supplied via a fibre-optic cable with broad band radiation from an LED driven at reduced power. The transducer has a movable plate one half of which is neutrally transparent and the other half of which is coated with a filter the transmission characteristic of which varies sharply in the band width of the LED. A second fibre-optic cable receives radiation passing through the plate and supplies it to two detectors that are responsive respectively to two different wavelengths. The relative outputs of the two detectors varies according to the proportion of radiation passing through the transparent and filtering regions of the plate. A comparator compares these outputs to indicate the position of the plate.

Abstract: An optical transducer has an optical head mounted above an optically encoded reflective disc. Broad band radiation is supplied to the head via a single fibre cable. This head is a solid glass block with a curved reflecting surface that collimates and reflects radiation onto a diffraction grating. Radiation is dispersed by the grating and reflected back onto the curved reflecting surface. This causes the radiation to be focussed onto the disc as a spectrum. The head combines radiation reflected from the disc and focusses it onto the end of an output fibre. A wavelength decoder at the other end of the output fibre disperses the received radiation so that an array of photodiodes provides an output representing the location of the reflective parts of the disc from which the position of the disc is determined.

Abstract: An acousto-optic scanner comprising at least two optical sources the outputs of which differ in frequency, a common acousto-optic deflector, a scan lens, and scan correction means. The output of the light sources are directed through the common acousto-optic deflector and the outputs of the common acoustic-optic deflector are directed through the scan correction means which comprises a plurality of optical elements. The effect of the optical elements on optical beams is dependent upon beam characteristics.