Abstract: Disclosed herein are glass pharmaceutical vials having sidewalls of reduced thickness. In embodiments, the glass pharmaceutical vial may include a glass body comprising a sidewall enclosing an interior volume. An outer diameter D of the glass body is equal to a diameter d1 of a glass vial of size X as defined by ISO 8362-1, wherein X is one of 2R, 3R, 4R, 6R, 8R, 10R, 15R, 20R, 25R, 30R, 50R, and 100R as defined by ISO 8362-1. However, the sidewall of the glass pharmaceutical vial comprises an average wall thickness Ti that is less than or equal to 0.85*s1, wherein s1 is a wall thickness of the glass vial of size X as defined by ISO 8362-1 and X is one of 2R, 3R, 4R, 6R, 8R, 10R, 15R, 20R, 25R, 30R, 50R, and 100R as defined by ISO 8362-1.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a space rental marketplace are provided. In some embodiments, space providers list spaces available for rent with a space management system. Each space may be associated with one or more activities to be performed during the rental. Each type of activity may include pre-activity, during-activity, and/or post-activity services that may be scheduled through the space management system at the time of scheduling the rental. Space providers may add new types of activities to the space management system to be associated with their rental space. Recurring rentals may be scheduled. In some embodiments, the space management system automatically ensures that complex scheduling requirements, such as predetermined amounts of certain types of renters, may be fulfilled.

Abstract: Programming and development infrastructure for an autonomic element is provided. The system includes a control plane (ISAC), a host server, a management console, and a module development environment. The ISAC contains an Autonomic Controller Engine (ACE) and management module(s). The management module is comprised of a set of scenarios. The ISAC is embedded in a control plane.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a space rental marketplace are provided. In some embodiments, space providers list spaces available for rent with a space management system. Each space may be associated with one or more activities to be performed during the rental. Each type of activity may include pre-activity, during-activity, and/or post-activity services that may be scheduled through the space management system at the time of scheduling the rental. Space providers may add new types of activities to the space management system to be associated with their rental space. Recurring rentals may be scheduled. In some embodiments, the space management system automatically ensures that complex scheduling requirements, such as predetermined amounts of certain types of renters, may be fulfilled.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for promoting dispersal of, or preventing formation of microbial biofilms, comprising: exposing a biofilm to an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent; treating a surface or medium susceptible to biofilm formation with an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent; incorporating an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent in a surface or medium susceptible to biofilm formation; or inducing the accumulation of one or more reactive oxygen or nitrogen species within microorganisms within said biofilm or capable of forming a biofilm. The invention also relates to methods for maintaining or enhancing or maintaining and enhancing the functioning of a biofilm, comprising exposing a biofilm to at least one nitric oxide scavenger, at least one antioxidant or at least one nitric oxide scavenger and at least one antioxidant.

Abstract: A palette-based graphical user interface for a computer-implemented system. The palettes can be customized in a number of different ways to make them more user-friendly. More specifically, methods, computer readable media, and systems for dragging and dropping a stack of palettes onto another stack of palettes to create a combined stack of palettes are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the discovery of a toxin-antitoxin system in opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and to the applications of this discovery including the stabilization of plasmids useful in the field of recombinant DNA technology for production of genes and their products. The Phd-like (prevent host death) antitoxin protein and ParE-like toxin protein of the invention are shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 15.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture of the invention provide for collapsing a dialog window of an application. A complete dialog window of a currently active application is displayed on a display device. A location of a cursor with respect to the dialog window is determined. A collapsed version of the dialog window is displayed when the cursor moves outside of the complete dialog window, wherein the collapsed version of the dialog window consumes a smaller area of the display device than the complete dialog window. A complete version of the dialog window is displayed when the cursor moves within the collapsed version of the dialog window.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for promoting dispersal of, or preventing formation of microbial biofilms, comprising: exposing a biofilm to an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent; treating a surface or medium susceptible to biofilm formation with an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent; incorporating an effective amount of nitric oxide or at least one nitric oxide generating or releasing agent in a surface or medium susceptible to biofilm formation; or inducing the accumulation of one or more reactive oxygen or nitrogen species within microorganisms within said biofilm or capable of forming a biofilm. The invention also relates to methods for maintaining or enhancing or maintaining and enhancing the functioning of a biofilm, comprising exposing a biofilm to at least one nitric oxide scavenger, at least one antioxidant or at least one nitric oxide scavenger and at least one antioxidant.

Abstract: Microphones are used in acoustically insulated masks, headsets, phones and personal digital assistants. Frequently, the microphone provides an input to speech recognition software. The working environment is often humid and the speaker's mouth is in close proximity to the microphone. Frequently the signal suffers from clipping and distortion caused by the large signals and nonlinear response of the microphone circuitry. The claimed invention uses a resistor connected in parallel with the signal source to reduce its sensitivity and to produce a signal suitable for use with speech recognition software. The resistor can be varied for different speakers.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for filtering an optical signal by wavelength. An initially polarised signal is passed through a DGD element effective to alter the polarisation state of the components of the signal according to wavelength. A polarisation filter (polariser) is then provided to attenuate light having given polarisation states from the signal, thereby attenuating the wavelengths associated with said polarisation states. The invention finds particularly utility in the domain of vestigial sideband filtering, allowing the bandwidth of signals within a wavelength division multiplexed system to be reduced without introducing the deleterious effects associated with conventional wavelength filters.

Abstract: A palette-based graphical user interface for a computer-implemented system. The palettes can be customized in a number of different ways to make them more user-friendly.

Abstract: Microphones are used in acoustically insulated masks to prevent the speaker's voice from being overheard by others. Frequently, the microphone provides an input to speech recognition software. The environment inside the mask is often humid and the speaker's mouth is in close proximity to the microphone. The shape of the mask's shell and the restricted volume within the shell introduce distortion and the signal suffers further from clipping and distortion caused by the large signals and nonlinear response of the microphone circuitry. The use of an electret microphone is particularly troublesome due to its high sensitivity. This invention uses a resistor connected in parallel with the microphone to reduce the sensitivity of an electret microphone used in these conditions and produces a signal suitable for use with speech recognition software. The resistor can be varied for different speakers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to projection systems where one or more projectors are utilized to project a video, a still image, or combinations thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of calibrating and operating such systems. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating an image display system is provided. According to the method, one or more image sensors acquire respective overlapping portions I1, I2 of a projected image. Screen position coordinates for image fiducials in the first and second portions I1, I2 of the projected image are identified and used to establish first and second sets of distance metrics D1, D2 for the first and second portions of the projected image. A global point set is constructed from the first and second sets of distance metrics D1, D2. Global points within a region where the first and second portions I1, I2 of the projected image overlap are derived from only one of the first and second sets of distance metrics D1, D2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to projection systems where one or more projectors are utilized to project a video, a still image, or combinations thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of calibrating and operating such systems. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of calibrating an image display system is provided. The system comprises one or more projectors oriented to project an image on a projection screen and one or more image sensors oriented to acquire an image projected on the projection screen. According to the method, the projector is operated to project a calibration image comprising one or more image fiducials on the image projection screen. The image sensor acquires the projected calibration image including the image fiducials.