Abstract: Disclosed is a “tracker system” that includes implanted electrical leads which are part of an implanted cardiotracker plus external equipment that includes external alarm means and a physician's programmer. The tracker system is designed to monitor the degradation of a patient's cardiovascular condition from one or more causes. These causes include the rejection of a transplanted heart and/or the progression of a stenosis in a coronary artery. As one or more stenoses in a coronary artery become progressively more narrow thereby causing reduced blood flow to the heart muscle coronary circulation, the tracker system can alert the patient by either or both internal and/or external alarm means to take the appropriate medical action. The physician's programmer can be used to display histograms of key heart signal parameters that are indicative of the patient's cardiovascular condition.

Abstract: An embolic protection device includes a guide member having a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending from the distal end to the proximal end. Additionally, the embolic protection device includes a filter assembly having a plurality of struts extending from the distal end of the guide member. The filter assembly further includes a filter media adapted to filter material from a blood stream coupled to at least two of the plurality of struts. The filter media can have an open proximal end and a closed distal end. The device can also include a sleeve at least partially surrounding the plurality of struts and the filter media for restraining the filter device in a collapsed position during an insertion procedure. The embolic protection device can also include additional loops of material surrounding the struts and a tether wire securing the sleeve and loops in the collapsed position.

Abstract: Disclosed is a constraining mechanism that enhances the strength of a medical device, while also preventing over expansion of the device, during a procedure. The medical device includes a plurality of biased struts to which a constraining mechanism is coupled. The constraining mechanism includes a spine, which couples to one of the plurality of struts, and one or more branches extending from the spine. The branches have a curvature enabling the branches to substantially surround the plurality of struts while at the same time avoiding contact with the wall of the blood vessel of the patient when the medical device is deployed.

Abstract: A farm animal product comprising probiotic Enterococcus bacteria and the use of this product to reduce the number of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells in farm animals such as cattle.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for the automatic recovery from errors encountered during an automated Licensed Internal Code (LIC) update on a storage controller. The present invention functions with a concurrent or nonconcurrent automated LIC update. The automated recovery from many error conditions is transparent to the attached host system and on-site service personnel, resulting in an improvement in the LIC update process.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided to perform an automated concurrent licensed internal code (LIC) update and an automated nonconcurrent LIC update on a storage controller. The automated concurrent LIC update is performed on a storage controller by sequentially updating each cluster while maintaining operation of the storage controller. The automated concurrent LIC update allows multiple hosts to continue to access data via the storage controller while the system is actively undergoing the LIC update. The automated nonconcurrent LIC update is performed during the time the storage controller in not operating. The automated nonconcurrent LIC update allows service personnel to perform the update in an efficient and timely manner. When the update has completed, the storage controller becomes available to process data and the system is operating at the latest LIC level.

Abstract: Techniques for monitoring optical waveguides are disclosed.

Abstract: A photonic crystal includes a plurality of photonic crystal slabs that is suited for confining TE polarizations and TM polarizations. The photonic crystal slabs include alternating slabs of dielectric rods and air holes. The alternating slabs create a lateral symmetry plane. The alternating slabs of dielectric rods and air holes further include planar line defects resulting in the formation of defect bands inside the bandgap of the photonic crystal.

Abstract: A brace assembly supports an outlet box that receives an electrical fixture. A first brace member has a first base. A second brace member has a second base and is adjustably received by the first brace member. A first mounting surface extends from the base of the first brace member. The first mounting surface forms a first angle greater than 90 degrees with the first base. A second mounting surface extends from the second base of the second brace member. The second mounting surface forms a second angle greater than 90 degrees with the second base. The angled mounting surfaces provide a compression fit between the brace assembly and supports to which the first and second brace members are secured.

Abstract: An air filter assembly for removing particulate matter from an incoming dirty air stream. The assembly includes a housing having an inlet, an outlet, a dirty air chamber and a clean air chamber and a non-cylindrical shaped elongated filter element arranged within the dirty air chamber constructed to remove particulate matter from an incoming air stream. A plurality of non-cylindrical filter elements are preferred. The non-cylindrical filter elements provide a decreased incoming air stream velocity when compared to conventional cylindrical filter elements having the same surface area. Alternately, the non-cylindrical filter elements allow an increase in the volume of incoming air when compared to conventional cylindrical filter elements having the same surface area.

Abstract: A storage device includes memory cells each including a magnetic element, where the memory cells include a first memory cell connected between a first voltage and a sense node, and at least second and third memory cells connected in parallel between the sense node and a reference voltage. A sampling circuit is coupled to the sense node, with the sampling circuit configured to receive a first voltage sample corresponding to an original state of the first memory cell, and to store a second voltage sample corresponding to a known state of the first memory cell after the first memory cell has been written to the known state. A differential amplifier compares the first and second voltage samples in their analog forms.

Abstract: A device for converting frequency of electromagnetic radiation includes a nonlinear medium that forms a moving grating in the nonlinear medium by introducing at opposite ends of the nonlinear medium a first set of electromagnetic radiation having varying frequencies. Electromagnetic radiation is inputted into the nonlinear medium at a first frequency and extracted at a second frequency from the nonlinear medium. The moving grating in the nonlinear medium allows for electromagnetic radiation to be converted into the second frequency.

Abstract: Object-oriented data storage. A system and method is disclosed for enhanced data storage. A system for object-oriented data storage may comprise an intelligent object editor capable of accessing data content and a destination storage device coupled to the intelligent object editor. The intelligent object editor can link associated information to data content to create a storage object. The storage object can then be stored to the destination storage device.

Abstract: This invention relates to a brake component having a coating material applied thereto adapted for use in a vehicle brake assembly, method for producing such a brake component, and a vehicle brake assembly including such a brake component. The brake component is selected from the group consisting of brake shoe and a brake rotor. The brake shoe includes a friction lining having an outer surface having surface irregularities and the brake rotor including an inner cylindrical braking surface having surface irregularities. The surfaces of the brake components are disposed adjacent one another and adapted to frictionally engage one another when the brake assembly is actuated. The brake component surface having the surface irregularities prevents complete contact between the adjacent surfaces of the brake components prior to any burnishing or other contact or wear of components.

Abstract: A system and method for erasing a high-density non-volatile fast memory is presented. In one embodiment the high-density non-volatile fast memory is a modified flash memory having modified flash cells. One embodiment of the system comprises ultra-violet (UV) light windows that permit exposure of the modified flash cells to UV light. The exposure of UV light onto the modified flash cells erases the modified flash cells.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for treating hyperkinetic movement disorder, including dystonic tremor.

Abstract: A system for eliminating wafer protrusion includes one or more shelves stacked vertically in a stocker system. The system also includes one or more cassettes disposed on the shelves. The shelves support the one or more cassettes such that the cassettes are stacked vertically in the stocker system. Each cassette stores a plurality of wafers. One or more sensors are associated with the one or more cassettes. A wafer press is activated by the one or more sensors associated with the one or more cassettes. The wafer press is operable to apply a force to reposition one or more wafers protruding from the one or more cassettes.

Abstract: This invention describes a method for increasing the speed of the parabolic marching method by about a factor of 256. This increase in speed can be used to accomplish a number of important objectives. Firstly, the speed can be used to collect data to form true 3-D images or 3-D assembled from 2-D slices. Speed allows larger images to be made. Secondly, the frequency of operation can be increased to 5 MHz to match the operating frequency of reflection tomography. This allow the improved imaging of speed of sound which in turn is used to correct errors in focusing delays in reflection tomography imaging. This allows reflection tomography to reach or closely approach its theoretical spatial resolution of ½ to ¾ wave lengths. A third benefit of increasing the operating frequency of inverse scattering to 5 MHz is the improved out of topographic plane spatial resolution. This improves the ability to detect small lesions.