[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27593]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 8, 1994]


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National Institutes of Health
 

Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health.

ACTION: Notice.

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    The inventions listed below are owned by agencies of the U.S. 
Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance 
with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results 
of federally funded research and development. Foreign patent 
applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage 
for U.S. companies and may also be available for licensing.

ADDRESSES: Licensing information and copies of the U.S. patent 
applications listed below may be obtained by contacting John Fahner-
Vihtelic, Technology Licensing Specialist, Office of Technology 
Transfer, National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, 
Suite 325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804 (telephone 301/496-7735 ext. 
285; fax 301/402-0220). A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will 
be required to receive copies of the patent applications. Issued 
patents may be obtained from the Commissioner of Patents, U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office, Washington, DC 20231.

Artificial Network For Temporal Processing
Wang, L., Alkon, D.L. (NINDS)
Filed 24 Jun 93
Serial No. 08/082,003

    This invention comprises a novel artificial network for learning, 
recognizing, and generating temporal (time-dependent) spacial 
processing that offers to improve simulations of natural and biologic 
systems including human learning processes. Previously developed 
artificial neural networks have limitations because they often do not 
recognize sequences for which they have not been pre-programmed and 
have great difficulty discriminating temporal spacial patterns. 
Furthermore, they have trouble processing images that are obscured by 
``noise.'' This newly developed system overcomes such limitations by 
incorporating time-delay signal circuits, comparator units, and a 
parallel array of subneural networks. It is capable of learning 
temporal-spacial sequences such as speech patterns, robotic and 
unmanned defense system control commands, and forecasts of multivariate 
stochastic processes (i.e., weather, stock market, etc.). The system is 
able to recall an entire sequence after being presented with only a 
small portion of the sequence, which may be obscured by noise and/or 
contain blank spacial patterns.

Automated Portrait/Landscape Mode Detection On A Binary Image
Le, D.X.D. (NLM)
Filed 5 Nov 93
Serial No. 08/147,798

    A software program that simply, efficiently, and economically 
detects the orientation of text in a binary image containing non-
textual information has been invented. Conventional page orientation 
systems often have problems determining the orientation (i.e., 
landscape or portrait) of images with a significant number of non-
textual elements (i.e., graphics, etc.). One reason such systems have 
performance problems is due to their emphasis on global variations in 
the characteristics of the image. This new apparatus overcomes such 
limitations by classifying each region of the page as either textual or 
non-textual according to the characteristics it exhibits. For each of 
the smaller regions classified as textual, the system then determines 
its orientation. Thereafter, the system groups the regions into 
successively larger and larger regions, determining the orientation of 
the successively larger groups, until it determines the orientation of 
the overall page.

Lift Task Analyzer
Waters, T.R. (CDC)
Filed 30 Nov 93
Serial No. 08/159,284

    Development of an apparatus for automatically determining the 
overall physical stress required for a particular lifting task is 
valuable for reducing work-related injuries. Back injuries due to 
lifting are one of the most common and costly work-related injuries in 
the U.S. today. There previously has been no method available to 
quickly and accurately determine if a particular lifting task is likely 
to result in injury. This newly developed lift task analyzer--which 
uses National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
equations to determine the overall physical stress of a particular 
lifting task--can quickly determine the ability of a lifting task to 
cause injury, with little error. A single physical measurement is all 
that is needed to provide enough data for calculating all of the NIOSH 
equation multipliers.

High Dissociation Constant Fluorescent And NMR Sensitive Calcium Ion 
Indicators
London, R.E., Levy, L.A., Murphy, E., Gabel, S. (NIEHS)
Filed 30 Dec 93
Serial No. 08/175,590

    Development of a novel class of calcium indicators offers to 
significantly improve understanding of the physiological role of this 
ion. Calcium is a key element in the regulation of numerous cellular 
processes, including contraction of muscle and excretion of hormones 
from gland cells and neurotransmitters from nerve synapses, as well as 
the regulation of cellular metabolism. Presently used methods for 
measuring calcium levels in the cytosol are not suitable for measuring 
calcium levels in organelles within cells. Also, conventional methods 
and agents do not work well at high levels of calcium ions, which are 
associated with some pathological conditions. The new class of calcium 
ion indicators, which are chromophoric or fluorescent dyes, are better 
able to measure high concentrations of calcium because they have high 
dissociation constants. Furthermore, because they can be measured by 
various techniques such as 19F NMR spectroscopy, flow cytometry, and 
quantitative fluorescence techniques, they are applicable to measuring 
calcium levels within organelles as well as in cytosol.

Solid-State Fluorescent Tipped Fiber Optic Dosimeter Probe With 
Isotropic Response For Measuring Light Levels In Tissue And Other 
Turbid Media
Merberg, G.N., Lilge, L. (FDA)
Filed 25 Jan 94
Serial No. 08/188,325

    This invention offers a more efficient and accurate photodynamic 
therapy delivery system that offers to improve the treatment of certain 
cancers. Presently available spherical-tipped fiber optic systems have 
fairly large diameters, making it difficult to accurately deliver the 
laser light to tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue; such probes 
tend to be fragile, as well. Although standard fluorescent-tipped fiber 
optic dosimeter probe designs are much smaller and, thus, offer a size 
advantage, they cannot deliver as much radiation to the tumor as the 
spherical-tipped models. However, this new fluorescent-tipped fiber 
optic system produces a strong but narrow response emission, giving it 
the advantage of being selective as well as effective. It is also more 
rugged than earlier fiber optic systems.

Photochemotherapy Dosimeter
Landry, R.J., Matchette, S., Merberg, G.N. (FDA)
Filed 25 Jan 94
Serial No. 08/188,331

    A newly developed device for measuring the dosage of 
photochemotherapy offers to significantly improve the effectiveness of 
such therapy. In photochemotherapy, a cancer patient is given a 
photosensitizing dye several days before treatment. Because the dye is 
retained for longer times in tumor tissue than normal tissue, by the 
time the optical radiation is administered, a far greater proportion of 
tumor cells will be killed by the radiation than normal cells; however, 
successful photochemotherapy is highly dependent upon the ability to 
deliver a sufficient amount of radiation to the entire tumor volume. 
Current dose-measuring devices, or dosimeters, have limitations because 
they do not provide a direct measure of the cumulative dose, or the 
intensity of the signal they produce for the purpose of measurement is 
often so low that it cannot be measured accurately. This newly 
developed dosimeter overcomes such limitations by attaching a chemical 
cell to the end of a fiber optic cable. This cell contains a 
photobleachable chemical that accurately measures the amount of energy 
being directed at the tumor and transmits a signal back through the 
fiber optic cable to a detection device. This system provides a direct 
measurement of cumulative dosages of optical radiation, making it 
easier to more accurately deliver a precise amount of radiation to the 
target cells.

Isolation Of Cellular Material Under Microscopic Visualization Liotta, 
L.A., Zhuang, Z., Buck, M.R., Stetler-Stevenson, W.G., Lubensky, I.A., 
Roth, M.J. (NCI)
Filed 1 Mar 94
Serial No. 08/203,780

    A unique method has been developed for identifying and extracting 
pure cell populations from tissue samples. This method may be 
particularly useful in the study of tumor cells. Previously, accurate 
assays of enzyme or MRNA levels of human tumors have been complicated 
by the fact that homogenates of tumors typically have mixed cell 
populations (i.e., they contain tumor cells as well as healthy cells). 
This obscures an interpretation of the pathophysiologic processes that 
may be occurring in the tissue. This new method for cell extraction 
allows for visualization of a precise field of cells, which can be 
labeled for identification by a variety of labeling methods. Only the 
cells of interest are then circumscribed and automatically extracted. 
Assays of the extracted cells are more informative because the cell 
population is homogeneous.

Low Pressure, Low Volume Liquid Pump
Hanus, J.P. (FDA)
Filed 1 Mar 94
Serial No. 08/203,781

    A new diaphragm pump may be particularly useful in automatic drug-
release testing systems. The presently accepted apparatus for measuring 
drug release from topical ointments and creams has several limitations 
and drawbacks because it requires the use of high pressures, whereas 
accurate testing must be done under atmospheric pressures. This system 
also tends to leak and can use only small alliquots. This new diaphragm 
pump, because it has a minimal internal volume and operates at low 
pressures, can give much more accurate results and does not absorb any 
of the material.

Top Down Preprocessor For A Machine Vision System
Vogl, T.P., Blackwell, K.T., Alkon, D.L. (NINDS)
Filed 2 Mar 94
Serial No. 08/204,943

    A novel image recognition and classification system has been 
developed that offers to improve the ability of researchers to develop 
models of human vision and other neural processes. Despite more than 40 
years of research in artificial neural networks, present artificial 
vision systems are quite crude compared to the visual ability of 
humans. Most of these systems use a bottom-up approach in which an 
image (consisting of a collection of pixels) is examined and processed 
a small area at a time, and the system tries to recognize features 
within the image by ascertaining the relationship between small groups 
of pixels. Such systems are plagued by problems with translation, 
distortion, and noise; however, this new system, which uses a top-down 
(beginning with examining large areas of an image) hierarchy, provides 
a biologically realistic processing method for extracting features and 
more accurately simulates human vision.

Ultrafast Burst Imaging Using Shifting Of Excited Regions
Duyn, J.H. (NCRR)
Filed 4 Mar 94
Serial No. 08/205,434

    This invention is a new three-dimensional magnetic resonance 
imaging device that will allow better imaging of biologic tissue. 
Conventional BURST technology excites a set of equally spaced, narrow 
strips in an object and creates an image from a single slice, 
perpendicular to the direction of the strips. In order to scan multiple 
slices or for three-dimensional imaging, repeated excitation of the 
same strips is required. For ultra-fast scanning, repetition times are 
short compared to longitudinal relaxation times, leading to saturation 
effects and, thus, inefficiency. In addition, when scanning in two-
dimensional mode, the commonly used slice selective RF refocusing pulse 
also leads to additional saturation. This new device utilizes BURST RF 
excitation pulses and shifts the excitation region after successive 
excitation repetitions, thus, minimizing saturation and increasing 
efficiency while improving the signal to noise ratio. This instrument 
allows three-dimensional data sets on a human brain scan to be 
collected within a few seconds using a standard clinical scanner.

Method And System For Multidimensional Localization And Rapid Magnetic 
Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging
Posse, S., Le Bihan, D. (CC)
Filed 8 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/224,942

    A newly developed method and system for multidimensional 
localization and rapid magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging allows 
for quicker, more accurate imaging of metabolites in biologic tissue. 
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques have long been used to 
obtain spectroscopic information about substances in order to reveal 
the substance's chemical composition. More recently, spectroscopic 
imaging techniques have been developed that combine magnetic resonance 
imaging (MRI) with NMR spectroscopic techniques, thus providing a 
spacial image of the chemical composition; however, previously 
available techniques for making such measurements have been hampered by 
limitations in prelocalization of samples due to long echo times as 
well as long data acquisition times. Most of these systems often 
generate spectral as well as spacial data due to the long echo times, 
and their localization techniques are not applicable to acquiring 
multiple-volume data from nuclei that have short T2 relaxation 
times. This new system circumvents these limitations by applying pulse 
sequence to a conventional MRI apparatus, which allows the rapid 
acquisition of data for generating spectroscopic images and greatly 
shortens the echo time. Spatial prelocalization of a volume of interest 
is achieved by providing a presuppression sequence before a stimulated 
echo (STE) sequence and a suppression sequence before the interval of 
the STE sequence.

Continuous Positive Airway System
Kolobow, T. (NHLBI)
Filed 22 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/231,718 (CIP of 08/085,948, CIP of 07/878,784, CIP of 07/
758,824)

    This invention is a novel method and apparatus for greatly 
improving and sustaining spontaneous breathing in patients with severe 
respiratory failure. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is 
widely used in the treatment of patients with mild respiratory failure. 
The constant back pressure in CPAP provides the force to expand some 
diseased parts of the lungs and, thus, improve oxygenation and carbon 
dioxide removal; however, presently available CPAP systems have 
limitations when used in patients with more severe respiratory failure 
who need endotracheal tubes, which have substantial airway resistance 
as compared to upper airway resistance. This resistance can lead to an 
increase in the work of breathing and cause fatigue. Too often, a 
patient with an ETT receiving CPAP treatment is eventually placed on a 
mechanical ventilator, increasing his or her risk of morbidity and 
mortality. The peak inspiratory and respiratory air flows in current 
CPAP systems also is severely limited. This contributes to patient 
discomfort and often becomes the motivation for switching a patient to 
a mechanical ventilator. This new CPAP system offers significant 
improvements over previous systems because it combines a passive CPAP 
apparatus with an intratracheal pulmonary ventilation (ITPV) system. 
The ITPV system has exceptionally low extrinsic resistance to air flow 
and greatly reduces dead-space ventilation. This system will permit a 
large fraction of the current patient population supported by assisted 
mechanical ventilation to switch to CPAP or a combination of CPAP and 
ITPV, significantly reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality.

Variable Axial Aperture Positron Emission Tomography Scanner
Green, M.V., Seidel, J., Gandler, W.R. (CC)
Filed 29 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/235,310

    Development of a unique system that can operate as both a 
scintillation camera and a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner 
offers to significantly improve the visualization of physiological 
processes in the human body and other biological systems. Single photon 
emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging--which utilizes one or 
more scintillation cameras rotated around a subject--is used in nuclear 
medicine facilities worldwide. More recently, an alternative to SPECT 
imaging has involved the development and use of positron emission 
tomography (PET) imaging, in which the subject is surrounded by rings 
of detectors that detect the emission of a pair of gamma rays from a 
radioisotopic tracer molecule after it is irradiated by positrons. One 
particular disadvantage associated with conventional PET ring designs 
is that they cannot image single-photon-emitting tracer compounds such 
as those used in SPECT imaging. On the other hand, scintillation 
cameras are effectively incapable of PET imaging. Previously, there has 
been no system available capable of both types of imaging. This newly 
developed system overcomes this problem by using a tiltable pair of 
scintillation cameras, which can be adjusted to be selectively 
sensitive to gamma rays of different energies, including those detected 
in PET imaging.

    Dated: October 29, 1994.
Barbara M. McGarey,
Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 94-27593 Filed 11-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P