Abstract: Disclosed herein is a ligature providing secure contact between the reed and mouthpiece while at the same time allowing for faster adjustment of the reed location and contact point with respect to the mouthpiece cavity such that longer or shorter reed vibrations can be easily obtained if desired. The improved ligature is adaptable to fit a wide range of woodwind instrument mouthpieces. In addition, the ligature has limited points of contact with the mouthpiece, so as to eliminate or reduce abrasions to the mouthpiece assembly associated with the application of the ligature.

Abstract: A device for tightening an article about a limb includes a tension member that is guided about the article and that is tensionable to close or tighten the article about the limb. The device also includes a tightening mechanism that is configured to tension the tension member to close or tighten the article and that is further configured to maintain the tension of the tension member so that the article remains closed or tightened about the limb. The device further includes a tension limiting mechanism that prevents loosening of the tension member's tension beyond a determined threshold so that the article remains closed or tightened about the limb.

Abstract: A tension component for tightening a shoe is disclosed herein. The tension component is configured for use with a shoe that includes a plurality of cords that are connected to the shoe so that tensioning of the cords the shoe to conform to a foot of a user. The tension component includes a first coupling feature and a second coupling feature. The first coupling feature is configured to couple with at least two cords and the second coupling feature is configured to couple with a tension member that is positioned and routed along a tongue portion of the shoe. The tension component is positioned on one side of the shoe and is moveable laterally about the side of the shoe so that tensioning of the tension member causes the tension component to move toward an opposite side of the shoe and thereby tension the cords attached therewith.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a ligature providing secure contact between the reed and mouthpiece while at the same time allowing for faster adjustment of the reed location and contact point with respect to the mouthpiece cavity such that longer or shorter reed vibrations can be easily obtained if desired. The improved ligature is adaptable to fit a wide range of woodwind instrument mouthpieces. In addition, the ligature has limited points of contact with the mouthpiece, so as to eliminate or reduce abrasions to the mouthpiece assembly associated with the application of the ligature.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a ligature providing secure contact between the reed and mouthpiece while at the same time allowing for faster adjustment of the reed location and contact point with respect to the mouthpiece cavity such that longer or shorter reed vibrations can be easily obtained if desired. The improved ligature is adaptable to fit a wide range of woodwind instrument mouthpieces. In addition, the ligature has limited points of contact with the mouthpiece, so as to eliminate or reduce abrasions to the mouthpiece assembly associated with the application of the ligature.

Abstract: Apparatuses useful in and methods for positioning of an endotracheal tube within an airway by allowing manual articulation of the endotracheal tube while a patient is being intubated. The apparatuses and methods are of particular use in intubating patients with unique anatomical conditions that make standard stylets inadequate for intubation. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a stylet having a first end and a second end, with the second end of the stylet being insertable within a lumen of the endotracheal tube. First and second articulatable portions of the stylet may be independently articulated into respective primary and secondary arcuations to bend the endotracheal tube in conformance therewith as desired during the intubation procedure.

Abstract: Apparatuses useful in and methods for positioning of an endotracheal tube within an airway by allowing manual articulation of the endotracheal tube while a patient is being intubated. The apparatuses and methods are of particular use in intubating patients with unique anatomical conditions that make standard stylets inadequate for intubation. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a stylet having a first end and a second end, with the second end of the stylet being insertable within a lumen of the endotracheal tube. First and second articulatable portions of the stylet may be independently articulated into respective primary and secondary arcuations to bend the endotracheal tube in conformance therewith as desired during the intubation procedure.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a ligature providing secure contact between the reed and mouthpiece while at the same time allowing for faster adjustment of the reed location and contact point with respect to the mouthpiece cavity such that longer or shorter reed vibrations can be easily obtained if desired. The improved ligature is adaptable to fit a wide range of woodwind instrument mouthpieces. In addition, the ligature has limited points of contact with the mouthpiece, so as to eliminate or reduce abrasions to the mouthpiece assembly associated with the application of the ligature.

Abstract: Apparatuses useful in and methods for positioning of an endotracheal tube within an airway by allowing manual articulation of the endotracheal tube while a patient is being intubated. The apparatuses and methods are of particular use in intubating patients with unique anatomical conditions that make standard stylets inadequate for intubation. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a stylet having a first end and a second end, with the second end of the stylet being insertable within a lumen of the endotracheal tube. First and second articulatable portions of the stylet may be independently articulated into respective primary and secondary arcuations to bend the endotracheal tube in conformance therewith as desired during the intubation procedure.

Abstract: A decoding device may include a sequential convolutional code decoder, and a parallel convolutional code decoder. The decoding device may further include a controller for selectively processing a convolutionally encoded input signal via at least one of the sequential convolutional code decoder and the parallel convolutional code decoder. The selection of decoder may be based upon a signal-to-noise ratio or the passage of time, for example.

Abstract: The communication method includes the use of CRC codes for additional error correaction in addition to the error detection capability. The method is for error detection and correaction in a received message that includes N message bits and M Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) bits appended thereto. It is determined whether at least one bit error has occurred in the N message bits and M CRC bits of the received message based upon the M CRC bits, and when at least one bit error is determined, then K bits with a lowest quality metric are selected from the N message bits and M CRC bits. The bit error is corrected based upon possible bit error patterns and the selected K bits. Multiple bit errors may also be corrected.

Abstract: A communications system of the present invention includes a transmitter that is operative for combining an orthogonal Walsh modulation with a minimum shift keying or Gaussian minimum shift keying waveform to form a hybrid communications signal that carries communications data over a constant amplitude waveform that is spread in time and frequency. This communications signal can be transmitted to a RAKE receiver that has a plurality of correlators with output weights formed for processing this hybrid communications signal.

Abstract: A system communicates data and includes an encoder for encoding communications data with a forward error correction code. A data randomizer randomizes the communications data with a random bit sequence and a combining circuit combines the communications data with known symbols into frames. A modulator maps the communications data into minimum shift keying or Gaussian minimum shift keying (MSK or GMSK) symbols based on a specific mapping algorithm to form a communications signal having an MSK or GMSK waveform over which the communications data can be transmitted.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, the system and method removes interfering signals from a communications signal and includes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit for taking the FFT of a received signal and segmenting the signal into segments. A frequency shifting circuit can shift each segment in frequency to place an interfering signal within a single FFT band to be later substantially nulled. An inverse FFT circuit can place the segments of signals back within the time domain.

Abstract: A wireless communications device may include a wireless transmitter, a modulator connected to the wireless transmitter, and a white Gaussian noise generator connected to the modulator. The white Gaussian noise generator may include at least one pseudorandom number generator, and a fast Walsh transform module for generating white Gaussian noise based upon the pseudorandom numbers.

Abstract: The system and method characterize a communications channel with respect to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), time dispersion or multi-path, and frequency dispersion or Doppler spread. A probe signal demodulator receives a probe signal transmitted on a wireless communication channel and generates a demodulated probe signal, and a probe signal re-modulator generates a replica probe signal. A delay unit generates a delayed probe signal, and an adaptive canceller receives the delayed probe signal and the replica probe signal, and generates a residual noise signal and a channel characterization signal. A channel characterization block receives the channel characterization signal and the residual noise signal to generate channel measurements of the wireless communication channel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an inventive system and method for extracting signal energy from the guard time portion of a communication frame based on the amount of multipath interference experienced by that communication frame. In one embodiment, N blocks of samples are created from the received frame wherein the samples in the guard time portion of the received frame are included in one of more of the N blocks of samples. The estimated symbols, or estimated bits, determined from the received samples are checked for corruption due to multipath interference. For those blocks for which multipath interference is not detected, the estimated symbols, or estimated bits, are coherently added together so as to take advantage of uncorrupted signal energy from the guard time portion of the frame.