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The present invention relates to antigen binding molecules (ABMs). In particular embodiments, the present invention relates to recombinant monoclonal antibodies, including chimeric, primatized or humanized antibodies specific for human CD20. In addition, the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding such ABMs, and vectors and host cells comprising such nucleic acid molecules. The invention further relates to methods for producing the ABMs of the invention, and to methods of using these ABMs in treatment of disease. In addition, the present invention relates to ABMs with modified glycosylation having improved therapeutic properties, including antibodies with increased Fc receptor binding and increased effector function.

A method and apparatus for carrying our thermal ablation of target tissue is disclosed. The apparatus includes an RF ablation device having a multi-electrode electrode assembly designed to be deployed in target tissue, defining a selected-volume tissue region to be ablated, and having infusion channels for infusing a liquid into the target tissue during the ablation process. A control unit in the apparatus is operably connected to an RF energy source, for controlling the RF power level supplied to the electrodes, and to an infusion device, for controlling the rate of infusion of a liquid through the device into the tissue. During both electrode deployment and tissue ablation, impedance and or temperature measurements made within the tissue are used to control the RF source and infusion device, for optimizing the time and extent of tissue ablation.

Irrigation and drainage systems are disclosed, including a saturated zone and at least one pipe in communication with the saturated zone. The pipe(s) can be configured to comprise a tubarc porous microstructure for conducting water from the saturated zone to an unsaturated zone in order to drain the water from the saturated zone. The water can be delivered from the saturated zone to the unsaturated zone through the tubarc porous microstructure, thereby permitting the water to be harnessed for irrigation or drainage through the hydrodynamic movement of the water from one zone of saturation or unsaturation to another.

A method and apparatus for carrying our thermal ablation of target tissue is disclosed. The apparatus includes an RF ablation device having a multi-electrode electrode assembly designed to be deployed in target tissue, defining a selected-volume tissue region to be ablated, and having infusion channels for infusing a liquid into the target tissue during the ablation process. A control unit in the apparatus is operably connected to an RF energy source, for controlling the RF power level supplied to the electrodes, and to an infusion device, for controlling the rate of infusion of a liquid through the device into the tissue. During both electrode deployment and tissue ablation, impedance and or temperature measurements made within the tissue are used to control the RF source and infusion device, for optimizing the time and extent of tissue ablation.

The system provides an automatically targeted network for text and graphical advertising based on cost-per-action bidded pricing, wherein actions comprise any of acquisitions, purchases, downloads, registrations, donations, clicks, and impressions. Contextual, search and behavioral relevance features are integrated to optimize ad selection for advertisers, who enter action objectives, associated bids, and creatives or catalog assets. The assets are automatically analyzed and stored, and ads are automatically constructed for catalog assets. When an ad request is received from a user terminal in regard to a publisher asset, e.g. a web page, the ad request is matched to a stored contextual analysis of at least a portion the publisher asset if available, and preferably to a profile associated with the user of the user terminal. The best advertisements are determined, based upon a predicted response, and are then served, i.e. displayed, at the user terminal, based upon available ad space.

In one embodiment of the invention, a control system for a robotic surgical instrument is provided including a torque saturation limiter, a torque to current converter coupled to the torque saturation limiter, and a motor coupled to the torque to current converter. The torque saturation limiter receives a desired torque signal for one or more end effectors and limits the desired torque to a range between an upper torque limit and a lower torque limit generating a bounded torque signal. The torque to current converter transforms a torque signal into a current signal. The motor drives an end effector of one or more end effectors to the bounded torque signal in response to the first current signal.

An adaptive strobe illumination control process for use in a digital image capture and processing system. In general, the process involves: (i) illuminating an object in the field of view (FOV) with several different pulses of strobe (i.e. stroboscopic) illumination over a pair of consecutive video image frames; (ii) detecting digital images of the illuminated object over these consecutive image frames; and (iii) decode processing the digital images in an effort to read a code symbol graphically encoded therein. In a first illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the exposure time (i.e. photonic integration time interval) is automatically adjusted during subsequent image frames (i.e. image acquisition cycles) according to the principles of the present disclosure. In a second illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the energy level of the strobe illumination is automatically adjusted during subsequent image frames (i.e. image acquisition cycles) according to the principles of the present disclosure.

In one implementation, a method is disclosed in which a lock sensing mode is entered for a robotic surgical instrument. In the lock sensing mode, the degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument are switchably reduced. Further in the lock sensing mode, one or more end effectors of the robotic surgical instrument are switchably clamped together in the robotic surgical instrument. An increased level of torque may also be applied to the end effectors to increase a gripping force applied by the one or more end effectors in response to the reduced degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument.

Chimeric proteins, and methods for their production and use are disclosed. The chimeric proteins comprise a flexible linker between two zinc finger DNA-binding domains, wherein the linker comprises eight or more amino acids between the second conserved histidine residue of the carboxy-terminal zinc finger of the first domain and the first conserved cysteine residue of the amino-terminal zinc finger of the second domain.

The invention relates to a process for the production of acetic acid by carbonylation of methanol, and reactive derivatives thereof, in a reaction mixture using a rhodium-based catalyst in low water conditions. The process is used to achieve reaction rates of at least 15 g mol / l / hr. The high rate reactions proceed at water concentrations of less than 2.0 wt. %. Under certain conditions, the water concentration in the reaction mixture of the process is maintained at a desired concentration by at least one process step including adding a compound such as methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, acetic anhydride, or mixtures of these compounds to the reaction system. The process step of adding the components to the reaction mixture may be combined with other process steps for controlling water concentrations in reaction mixtures for the carbonylation of methanol.

Polynucleotides encoding chimeric proteins, and methods for their production and use are disclosed. The chimeric proteins comprise a flexible linker between two zinc finger DNA-binding domains, wherein the linker contains eight or more amino acids between the second conserved histidine residue of the carboxy-terminal zinc finger of the first domain and the first conserved cysteine residue of the amino-terminal zinc finger of the second domain.

A retail information network includes one or more POS scanning and checkout systems, each including (i) a bar code symbol reading subsystem, and (ii) a cash register computer subsystem interfaced with the bar code symbol reading subsystem and a network infrastructure, and each having access to product and price data maintained in a product / price database. The bar code symbol reading subsystem includes a local predictive error event (PEE) data store for logging and storing predictive error events (PEEs) detected within the bar code symbol reading system, wherein said PEEs are subsequently sent to POS information servers used to create predictive error alerts (PEAs) and corresponding instructions to maintain and / or repair certain aspects of the bar code symbol reading system.

In order to maintain the integrity of data stored in a flash memory that are susceptible to being disturbed by operations in adjacent regions of the memory, disturb events cause the data to be read, corrected and re-written before becoming so corrupted that valid data cannot be recovered. The sometimes conflicting needs to maintain data integrity and system performance are balanced by deferring execution of some of the corrective action when the memory system has other high priority operations to perform. In a memory system utilizing very large units of erase, the corrective process is executed in a manner that is consistent with efficiently rewriting an amount of data much less than the capacity of a unit of erase.

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”) transactions and solutions for a marketing company's products via the World Wide Web, including facilities for signing up new customers and recruiting, training and supporting new Independent Business Owners through an interactive online process. In another aspect, the present invention relates to the combination of a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity using both electronic commerce and face-to-face transactions. The present invention is also directed to a system and method for combining a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity, so that Independent Business Owners participating in the marketing plan can introduce customers to a membership buying opportunity and earn bonuses or commissions based on the purchases by those members, while Members in the buying opportunity can consume products or, at their option, qualify to become Independent Business Owners.

An electronic HVAC monitoring computer continuously monitors the general condition and efficiency of an HVAC system and notifies a central station computer via modem link or other signal transmission means, when the general condition or efficiency of the HVAC system falls below certain industry standard values by a pre-set amount.

Methods for producing modified polypeptides containing amino acid analogues are disclosed. The invention further provides purified dihydrofolate reductase polypeptides, produced by the methods of the invention, in which the methionine residues have been replaced with homoallyglycine, homoproparglycine, norvaline, norleucine, cis-crotylglycine, trans-crotylglycine, 2-aminoheptanoic acid, 2-butynylglycine and allylglycine.

Modified DNA polymerases have an affinity for DNA such that the polymerase has an ability to incorporate one or more nucleotides into a plurality of separate DNA templates in each reaction cycle. The polymerases are capable of forming an increased number of productive polymerase-DNA complexes in each reaction cycle. The modified polymerases may be used in a number of DNA sequencing applications, especially in the context of clustered arrays.

Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist, wrist articulation by linked tension members, mechanisms for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members interact with attachment features to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism includes a coupling member, coupling pins, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.

In a digital payment system, a sequence of random numbers is stored at a payment service. A set of digitally encoded random numbers derived from the stored sequence is issued to the user in return for payment. The tokens are stored in a Carnet. The user can then spend the tokens by transferring tokens to a merchant, for example, to an on-line service provider. The merchant returns each token received to the payment server. The payment server authenticates the token and transmits an authentication message to the merchant. The merchant, payment server and user may be linked by internet connections.

A method of treating spine disease including the steps of removing at least a portion of a natural facet joint from a vertebral body; implanting an intervertebral disc prosthesis and replacing the portion of the natural facet joint with a facet joint prosthesis. The removed facet portion may be a cephalad or a caudal facet or both. The replacing step may include the step of attaching the facet joint prosthesis to the vertebral body, such as at or near a pedicle and / or spinous process. The invention also provides spinal prostheses to treat spine disease. The spinal prostheses include an intervertebral disc prosthesis and a facet joint prosthesis having artificial facet joint structure adapted and configured to replace a removed portion of the natural facet joint (cephalad, caudal or both).

Secure, verifiable, computer-enabled, LAN / WAN / Wireless networked, facility emergency notification, rapid alert management, and occupant alarm systems for public, private, and government buildings, and outdoor areas for which there is a need for rapid alerts to occupants or attendees of the occurrence of impending or in-progress dangerous or threatening events. The inventive system is a highly flexible rapid alert initiation, management and archival system comprising computer-enabled and network-linked apparatus, software, and methods enabling rapid dissemination from a central station or decentralized location of alerts of the occurrence of threatening or dangerous events in a series of hierarchical, increasing levels of directed action to be taken by the occupants, and permits monitoring and controlling activity of occupants during the event, archiving event data, including audio or / and video recordings until the situation returns to normal and an all clear signal is given. Databases provide site plans to assist in the response planning and execution.

A data processing system for implementing transaction management of auction-based trading for specialized items such as fixed income instruments. The data processing system provides a highly structured trading protocol implemented through a sequence of trading paradigms. The system employs a distributed computer processing network linking together a plurality of commonly configured program controlled workstations. The protocol and its program controlling logic enhances trading efficiency, rewards market Makers, and fairly distributes market opportunity to system users.

A system and method for detecting the potential of non-cathode arcing in a plasma generation apparatus, such as a physical vapor deposition chamber. The system and method involve computing a statistical parameter of cathode-arcing event data in the chamber and performing a pattern recognition technique to a moving average of the statistical parameter.