Abstract: The invention relates to spinal fusion implants or grafts and to apparatus for the installation thereof. More specifically, the invention is a serrated cutting or abrading tool designed to be pushed into an intervertebral space and thereby remove and partially penetrate the cortical bone layer that defines the endplates of the respective mutually adjacent vertebral bodies.

Abstract: A device for use in detecting an event in a structure includes a sensor encapsulation, the encapsulation containing a sensor, an actuator positioned substantially in-plane to the sensor within the housing and a printed circuit board in communication with at least one of the sensor and the actuator. The printed circuit board includes a microprocessor constructed and arranged to collect data from at least one of the sensor and the actuator, a signal generator constructed and arranged to provide excitation to at least one of the sensor and the actuator, and an amplifier to condition the excitation.

Abstract: An emulsion is useful in allowing a wide variety of gene products to be expressed via eukaryotic in vitro expression. The emulsion comprises a silicone based surfactant, a hydrophobic phase and a hydrophilic phase; wherein the hydrophilic phase comprises a plurality of compartments containing a functional in vitro eukaryotic expression system.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to monitoring and providing information regarding usage or presentment of a driver's license, passport, or other government-issued identification documents. One claim recites: a method of operating a data repository including storing data relating to use or presentment of a person's identification credential in first and second different contexts; analyzing the data for evidence of fraudulent usage based on at least predetermined criteria; and if there is evidence of fraudulent usage, notifying the person to the fraudulent usage. Another claim recites: obtaining information from a government-issued identification document for a person, the information initially gathered from the government-issued identification document during presentation at a first location; providing the information to a data center or data repository; and providing a notification to the person concerning said presentation, the notification including data identifying the first location.

Abstract: A dermal, transdermal, mucosal or transmucosal delivery device includes a backing layer overlying an ingredient containing reservoir, and having a microprotrusion array attached thereto, a cover for the reservoir having at least one opening therethrough, an adhesive layer and a liner layer. Upon removal of the liner layer, the device may be placed over the desired area of the skin or mucosa and adhesively applied thereto allowing the ingredients to flow from the reservoir through the at least one opening to the skin or mucosa.

Abstract: 7-substituted fused ring tetracycline compounds, methods of treating tetracycline responsive states, and pharmaceutical compositions containing the 7-substituted fused ring tetracycline compounds are described.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for diagnosing and prognosing Inflammatory Bowel disease or Crohn's disease (CD) by measuring levels of antibodies to glycans in a biological sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of preparing a target nucleic acid fragments to produce a smaller nucleic acid which comprises the two ends of the target nucleic acid. Specifically, the invention provides cloning and DNA manipulation strategies to isolate the two ends of a large target nucleic acid into a single small DNA construct for rapid cloning, sequencing, or amplification.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with fusions of dendritic cells and antigen presenting cells. Also provided are methods of making and using these cell fusions, including methods of adoptive immunotherapy. The fusions according to the invention can also be used in methods for antigen discovery.

Abstract: The present invention pertains, at least in part, to novel 7-substituted tetracycline compounds. These tetracycline compounds can be used to treat numerous tetracycline compound-responsive states, such as bacterial infections and neoplasms, as well as other known applications for minocycline and tetracycline compounds in general, such as blocking tetracycline efflux and modulation of gene expression.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for diagnosing Crohn's disease (CD) or anti-phospholipid syndrome by measuring levels of antibodies to glycans in a biological sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for transferring a set of files. Metadata and stub files associated with the set of files are received at a destination fileserver, a location component in the destination fileserver is updated to maintain a list of repository nodes associated with each file in the set of files, and each stub file is replaced with the full content of the file associated with the stub file. The replacing includes receiving a client request for a specified file in the set of files and replacing the stub file associated with the specified file with a full content of the specified file if the full content of the specified file has not yet been transferred. Replacing the stub file associated with a requested file is a higher priority task than replacing a stub file associated with a non-requested file.

Abstract: Nonmetallic organic catalysts are provided that facilitate the enantioselective reaction of ?,?-unsaturated ketones. The catalysts are chiral imidazolidinone compounds having the structure of formula (IIA) or (IIB) or are acid addition salts thereof, wherein, in one preferred embodiment, R1 is C1-C6 alkyl, R2 is phenyl or 2-methylfuryl, R3 and R4 are hydrogen, and R5 is phenyl optionally substituted with 1 or 2 substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, hydroxyl, and C1-C6 alkyl. The chiral imidazolidinones are useful in catalyzing a wide variety of reactions, including cycloaddition reactions, Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions, and Michael additions.

Abstract: The invention is directed to olefin copolymers composed of nonhydrolyzable monomer units and hydrolyzable monomer units, the latter resulting from copolymerization of monomers containing a linkage that is hydrolytically cleavable in the presence of aqueous base or aqueous acid. Generally, the hydrolyzable monomer units represent a significant fraction of the copolymer, such that upon hydrolysis, a substantial portion of the copolymer is degraded into low molecular weight fragments. Also provided are degradable articles that are at least partially composed of a degradable copolymer in which hydrolyzable monomer units represent at least 20 mole % of the copolymer.

Abstract: A cage assembly adapted to be implanted in a spinal column for treating degenerative or ruptured discs and replacing damaged vertebral bodies. The assembly includes one or more rigid cages formed in an annular configuration and having opposed upper and lower perimeter surfaces, an annular side wall extending between said surfaces, a transverse inner wall extending across said cage, a plurality of raised ridges projecting outwardly from each of said perimeter surfaces for engaging the spinal column and securing the assembly therein. Apertures are provided in the side wall for use in positioning said cage in the spinal column and a pair of aligned openings extend axially through the cage for packing the cage with bone graft material. At least one spacing element having the same annular configuration as the cages can be provided to effect the stacked attachment of one cage with another in rigid axial alignment.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for enhancing transport of biologically active compounds across biological membranes and across and into animal epithelial or endothelial tissues. The composition includes a biologically active agent and a transport moiety. The transport moiety includes a structure selected from the group consisting of (ZYZ)nZ, (ZY)nZ, (ZYY)nZ and (ZYYY)nZ. Subunit “Z” is L-arginine or D-arginine, and subunit “Y” is an amino acid that does not comprise an amidino or guanidino moiety. Subscript “n” is an integer ranging from 2 to 10. The method for enhancing transport involves the administration of the aforementioned composition.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating acute stroke patients and for determining whether a stroke patient will benefit from the use of thrombolysis therapy includes obtaining measurements of the cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume of the brain of a stroke patient, determining ischemic areas of the brain where the ischemic areas comprise the measurements of cerebral blood flow which are less than a first value and creating a penumbra-infarct map of the ischemic areas of the brain using the measurements. The infarct area corresponds to the area of the brain where cerebral blood volume is less than a second value. The penumbra area corresponds to the area of the brain where cerebral blood volume is greater than this second dvalue. The method also includes determining a ratio of penumbra size to the total of penumbra size and infarct size. When the ratio is greater than a predetermined value, the stroke patient is a candidate for thrombolysis therapy.

Abstract: Network resources allocated for particular application traffic are aware of the characteristics of L4+ content to be transmitted. One embodiment of the invention realizes network resource allocation in terms of three intelligent modules, gateway, provisioning and classification. A gateway module exerts network control functions in response to application requests for network resources. The network control functions include traffic path setup, bandwidth allocation and so on. Characteristics of the content are also specified in the received application network resource requests. Under request of the gateway module, a provisioning module allocates network resources such as bandwidth in optical networks and edge devices as well. An optical network resource allocation leads to a provisioning optical route.

Abstract: In a network device such as a network switch having a port coupled to a communications medium dedicated to a single virtual local area network and another port coupled to a communications medium shared among multiple virtual local area networks for transmitting data frames between the dedicated communications medium and the shared communications medium, a method of identifying the virtual network associated with each data frame received by the network switch when transmitting the data frames over the shared communications medium. The method comprises receiving data frames from the dedicated communications medium coupled to one port, and, with respect to each data frame so received, inserting a new type field and a virtual network identifier field. The contents of the new type field indicate the data frame comprises a virtual network identifier field.