Abstract: An improved screed plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a curved leading edge and a trailing edge adapted for attaching to a screed of a paving machine is disclosed. The improved screed plate comprises a tapered groove extended from the curved leading edge towards the trailing edge along the top surface and terminated in a groove end. The tapered groove is arranged deepest at the curved leading edge and shallowest toward the trailing edge so as to provide flexibility to the screed plate while not reducing screed plate lifetime due to increased wear and tear. The increased screed plate flexibility facilitates crowning and other adjustments that require bending of the screed plate, and allow harder steels to be used than are used in conventional screed plates.

Abstract: A system and method for providing remote access to an on-board aircraft system provides establishing communication between an aircraft server that is located within the aircraft and a remote computer that is located outside of the aircraft. In the aircraft, a request is received to establish a remote session between the remote computer and the aircraft server. A passcode is generated in the aircraft, and is transmitted from a first communication device that is collocated with the aircraft to a second communication device that is collocated with the remote computer. The passcode is then transmitted from the remote computer to the aircraft server and, upon receipt of the passcode by the aircraft server, the remote computer is provided with remote access to the on-board aircraft system.

Abstract: A system that implements a data storage service may store data on behalf of storage service clients. The system may maintain data in multiple replicas of partitions that are stored on respective computing nodes in the system. A master replica for a replica group may increment a membership version indicator for the group, and may propagate metadata (including the membership version indicator) indicating a membership change for the group to other members of the group. Propagating the metadata may include sending a log record containing the metadata to the other replicas to be appended to their respective logs. Once the membership change becomes durable, it may be committed. A replica attempting to become the master of a replica group may determine that another replica in the group has observed a more recent membership version, in which case logs may be synchronized or snipped, or the attempt may be abandoned.

Abstract: A system that implements a scalable data storage service may maintain tables in a data store on behalf of storage service clients. The service may maintain table data in multiple replicas of partitions that are stored on respective computing nodes in the system. In response to detecting an anomaly in the system, detecting a change in data volume on a partition or service request traffic directed to a partition, or receiving a service request from a client to split a partition, the data storage service may create additional copies of a partition replica using a physical copy mechanism. The data storage service may issue a split command defined in an API for the data store to divide the original and additional replicas into multiple replica groups, and to configure each replica group to maintain a respective portion of the table data that was stored in the partition before the split.

Abstract: An electrolytic cell includes at least one free-standing diamond electrode and a second electrode, which may also be a free-standing diamond, separated by a membrane. The electrolytic cell is capable of conducting sustained current flows at current densities of at least about 1 ampere per square centimeter. A method of operating an electrolytic cell having two diamond electrodes includes alternately reversing the polarity of the voltage across the electrodes.

Abstract: A system that provides services to clients may receive and service requests, various ones of which may require different amounts of work. An admission control mechanism may manage requests based on tokens, each of which represents a fixed amount of work. The tokens may be added to a token bucket at rate that is dependent on a target work throughput rate while the number of tokens in the bucket does not exceed its maximum capacity. If at least a pre-determined minimum number of tokens is present in the bucket when a service request is received, it may be serviced. Servicing a request may include deducting an initial number of tokens from the bucket, determining that the amount of work performed in servicing the request is different than that represented by the initially deducted tokens, and deducting additional tokens from or replacing tokens in the bucket to reflect the difference.

Abstract: A system that implements a data storage service may store data on behalf of storage service clients. The system may maintain data in multiple replicas of partitions that are stored on respective computing nodes in the system. The system may split a data partition into two new partitions, and may split the replica group that stored the original partitions into two new replica groups, each storing one of the new partitions. To split the replica group, the master replica may propagate membership changes to the other members of the replica group for adding members to the original replica group and for splitting the expanded replica group into two new replica groups. Subsequent to the split, replicas may attempt to become the master for the original replica group or for a new replica group. If an attempt to become master replica for the original replica group succeeds, the split may fail.

Abstract: A system that provides services to clients may receive and service requests, various ones of which may require different amounts of work. The system may determine whether it is operating in an overloaded or underloaded state based on a current work throughput rate, a target work throughput rate, a maximum request rate, or an actual request rate, and may dynamically adjust the maximum request rate in response. For example, if the maximum request rate is being exceeded, the maximum request rate may be raised or lowered, dependent on the current work throughput rate. If the target or committed work throughput rate is being exceeded, but the maximum request rate is not being exceeded, a lower maximum request rate may be proposed. Adjustments to the maximum request rate may be made using multiple incremental adjustments. Service request tokens may be added to a leaky token bucket at the maximum request rate.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product allow a user to annotate and manipulate a plurality of electronic documents. The user loads a first electronic document comprising electronic content, which content may be annotated or otherwise manipulated by the user and which annotations are made using a user-defined indication means. The annotated content is outputted to a second electronic document, wherein the content is automatically organized into a corresponding grouping defined by a user-selected identifying aspect. The user may subsequently reorganize any of the outputted annotations within the second electronic document. The method, system, and computer program product further utilize a file browser within which a plurality of electronic documents may be organized and maintained by the user and a client-server protocol for communicating data between a remote database and a local storage medium.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product allow a user to annotate and manipulate a plurality of electronic documents. The user loads a first electronic document comprising electronic content, which content may be annotated or otherwise manipulated by the user and which annotations are made using a user-defined indication means. The annotated content is outputted to a second electronic document, wherein the content is automatically organized into a corresponding grouping defined by a user-selected identifying aspect. The user may subsequently reorganize any of the outputted annotations within the second electronic document. The method, system, and computer program product further utilize a file browser within which a plurality of electronic documents may be organized and maintained by the user and a client-server protocol for communicating data between a remote database and a local storage medium.

Abstract: A system that implements a data storage service may store data on behalf of clients in multiple replicas on respective computing nodes. The system may employ an external service to select a master replica for a replica group. The master replica may service consistent read operations and/or write operations that are directed to the replica group (or to a data partition stored by the replica group). The master replica may employ a quorum based mechanism for performing replicated write operations, and a local lease mechanism for determining the replica authorized to perform consistent reads, even when the external service is unavailable. The master replica may propagate local leases to replica group members as replicated writes. If another replica assumes mastership for the replica group, it may not begin servicing consistent read operations that are directed to the replica group until the lease period for a current local lease expires.

Abstract: A drilling head for a tubular shank having an inside diameter and threads may comprise an axial body comprising a duct exiting through a first end; threads adjacent the first end corresponding to the threads on the shank and aligning the duct with the shank inside diameter; a bore from an outer surface of the body to the duct; and two axially extending approximately parallel and offset surfaces adjacent a second end; and an insert affixed between the offset surfaces, the insert comprising: a first face at least partially contacting one offset surface and a second face at least partially contacting the other offset surface; one or more cutting edges adjacent the first face, the second face, or both; and a cutting lip adjacent one or more cutting edges.

Abstract: A drilling head for a tubular shank having an inside diameter and threads may comprise an axial body comprising a duct exiting through a first end; threads adjacent the first end corresponding to the threads on the shank and aligning the duct with the shank inside diameter; a bore from an outer surface of the body to the duct; and two axially extending approximately parallel and offset surfaces adjacent a second end; and an insert affixed between the offset surfaces, the insert comprising: a first face at least partially contacting one offset surface and a second face at least partially contacting the other offset surface; one or more cutting edges adjacent the first face, the second face, or both; and a cutting lip adjacent one or more cutting edges.

Abstract: An apparatus has a hub including a water inlet for receiving source water, a water outlet for discharging ozonated water, and an interface between the water inlet and the water outlet. The apparatus also has a cartridge including an electrolytic cell for ozonating the source water. The electrolytic cell has a cathode, an anode comprising diamond, and a membrane between the cathode and the anode. The electrolytic cell is configured to flow source water through both the cathode and the anode. The cartridge further includes at least one cartridge port for removably coupling with the interface on the hub. The at least one cartridge port and the interface are configured to flow source water from the hub into the electrolytic cell and to flow ozonated water from the electrolytic cell into the hub.

Abstract: An apparatus has a tank with an interior for containing water, a nozzle for directing ozonated water out of the spray apparatus, and an electrolytic cell located between the nozzle and the tank. The electrolytic cell is configured to ozonate water as the water flows from the tank to the nozzle. The apparatus also includes a power source for providing electric potential to the electrolytic cell. The tank, nozzle, and electrolytic cell all are part of a single spray bottle or dispenser (e.g., like a soap dispenser).

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for distributing data items within a plurality of nodes. A data item update request is replicated from a master node in a plurality of nodes to a plurality of slave nodes within the plurality of nodes. The replicated data item update request is determined to be locality-based durable. Responsive to the determination that the replicated data item update request is locality-based durable, the data item update request is confirmed to a client, wherein the client had originated the data item update request. Upon failover of the master node to another node within the plurality of nodes, a fault-tolerant failover quorum ensures that all previously confirmed updates are found and recognized by the new master node.

Abstract: A system and method for disinfecting contact lenses produces ozone from the water in which the contact lenses are submerged, thus avoiding the need to supply ozone from an external source. Ozone is created by an electrolytic cell including a diamond electrode, which is submerged in the water with the contact lenses to be disinfected. The diamond electrode may include a number of fingers, and may be fabricated from a diamond blank.

Abstract: An electrolytic cell includes at least one free-standing diamond electrode and a second electrode, which may also be a free-standing diamond, separated by a membrane. The electrolytic cell is capable of conducting sustained current flows at current densities of at least about 1 ampere per square centimeter. A method of operating an electrolytic cell having two diamond electrodes includes alternately reversing the polarity of the voltage across the electrodes.

Abstract: An improved screed plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a curved leading edge and a trailing edge adapted for attaching to a screed of a paving machine is disclosed. The improved screed plate comprises a tapered groove extended from the curved leading edge towards the trailing edge along the top surface and terminated in a groove end. The tapered groove is arranged deepest at the curved leading edge and shallowest toward the trailing edge so as to provide flexibility to the screed plate while not reducing screed plate lifetime due to increased wear and tear. The increased screed plate flexibility facilitates crowning and other adjustments that require bending of the screed plate, and allow harder steels to be used than are used in conventional screed plates.

Abstract: Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to a cartridge for use with an electrolytic cell having an interface. The cartridge includes a reservoir for containing a catholyte solution. The reservoir is removably coupleable with the cell. The cartridge also includes at least one cartridge port that is removably coupleable to an interface on the electrolytic cell. The port of the cartridge is also configured to cycle a catholyte solution between the reservoir and the electrolytic cell when the cartridge port is coupled to the interface of the electrolytic cell.