Abstract: An example method involves determining an expected demand level for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the first type of transport tasks associated with a first payload type. Each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first and a second configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second payload type, respectively. The method also involves determining based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration. The method further involves, at or near a time corresponding to the expected demand level, providing one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks, including at least the first number of UAVs.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides laminates, which include adhesive materials and methods that allow for the removal of contaminants, e.g. particulate contaminants, from a substrate surface. In one embodiment, the laminates include (i) a substrate with contaminant disposed on its surface, (ii) a liquid, adhesive precursor and (iii) a film layer. The liquid, adhesive precursor is disposed between the substrate and the film layer. In another embodiment, the laminates include (i) a substrate with contaminant disposed on its surface, (ii) a cured adhesive layer and (iii) a film layer. The cured adhesive layer is disposed between the substrate and the film layer. The laminates may be used to remove contaminant from the substrate surface by removal of the film layer and the cured adhesive layer, which entraps the contaminant therein.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including creating a new disk file at a reference point-in-time, wherein an original disk file is a backing file of the new disk file, copying the original disk file to a disk snapshot file, in response to the original disk file being copied to the disk snapshot file, merging the original disk file and the new disk file to form a merged file, wherein a virtual machine is to continue to perform disk operations using the merged file, and determining whether the merged file is synchronized with the original disk file and the new disk file by determining whether entries of a bitmap for the merged file match corresponding entries of a bitmap for the new disk file.

Abstract: A method for heat-treating a metal strip, where the metal strip is pre-heated continuously in a pre-heating zone with the aid of hot gas and subsequently undergoes further heat treatment in a directly fired furnace in a reducing and/or oxidizing atmosphere. The metal strip is pre-heated in the pre-heating zone with hot inert gas and further heated with an electric heating system before entering the directly fired furnace. A furnace plant for implementing the process and a related heat recovery system are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating metal strip in a directly fired furnace through which the metal strip is guided. The furnace is fired directly by gas burners and has a non-fired zone through which the exhaust gases from the fired zone flow and thus heat the metal strip. After leaving the non-fired zone, the exhaust gases from the furnace undergo post-combustion in an afterburner chamber. According to the invention, methane is injected into the non-fired zone, which causes nitrogen oxides contained in the waste gas to be converted into hydrogen cyanide.

Abstract: A target intercept system for guiding an interceptor to a target using passive ranging includes an EO/IR sensor that provides target azimuth and elevation angles, target irradiance, target area and target length. A dual Kalman Filter architecture is implemented where, prior to a target image becoming resolved, i.e., prior to endgame, a first Kalman Filter provides guidance as a function of target azimuth and elevation angles and target irradiance measurements. After the target image becomes resolved, i.e., at endgame, a second Kalman Filter provides guidance as a function of target azimuth and elevation angles, target area and, optionally, target length, instead. The dual Kalman Filter approach improves the estimates of time-to-go by optimizing the on-board EO/IR sensor measurements at the optimal times.

Abstract: A target intercept system for guiding an interceptor to a target using passive ranging includes an EO/IR sensor that provides target azimuth and elevation angles, target irradiance, target area and target length. A dual Kalman Filter architecture is implemented where, prior to a target image becoming resolved, i.e., prior to endgame, a first Kalman Filter provides guidance as a function of target azimuth and elevation angles and target irradiance measurements. After the target image becomes resolved, i.e., at endgame, a second Kalman Filter provides guidance as a function of target azimuth and elevation angles, target area and, optionally, target length, instead. The dual Kalman Filter approach improves the estimates of time-to-go by optimizing the on-board EO/IR sensor measurements at the optimal times.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating metal strip in a directly fired furnace through which the metal strip is guided. The furnace is fired directly by gas burners and has a non-fired zone through which the exhaust gases from the fired zone flow and thus heat the metal strip. After leaving the non-fired zone, the exhaust gases from the furnace undergo post-combustion in an afterburner chamber. According to the invention, methane is injected into the non-fired zone, which causes nitrogen oxides contained in the waste gas to be converted into hydrogen cyanide.

Abstract: A method for treating a metal strip, where the metal strip undergoes heat treatment in a directly fired furnace and is subsequently heat-treated further in a radiant tube furnace. At least part of the exhaust gases from the radiant tubes is fed to the directly fired furnace.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving, by a hypervisor of a host computer system, an entropy request from a guest operating system running on the host computer system. The method further includes identifying, by the hypervisor, an entropy source. The method further includes determining, by the hypervisor, an expected entropy usage at the host computer system. The method further includes providing, in response to the request, entropy from the entropy source to the guest operating system in view of the expected entropy usage.

Abstract: A method for heat-treating a metal strip, where the metal strip is pre-heated continuously in a pre-heating zone with the aid of hot gas and subsequently undergoes further heat treatment in a directly fired furnace in a reducing and/or oxidizing atmosphere. The metal strip is pre-heated in the pre-heating zone with hot inert gas and further heated with an electric heating system before entering the directly fired furnace. A furnace plant for implementing the process and a related heat recovery system are also disclosed.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including creating a new disk file at a reference point-in-time, wherein an original disk file is a backing file of the new disk file, copying the original disk file to a disk snapshot file, in response to the original disk file being copied to the disk snapshot file, merging the original disk file and the new disk file to form a merged file, wherein a virtual machine is to continue to perform disk operations using the merged file, and determining whether the merged file is synchronized with the original disk file and the new disk file by determining whether entries of a bitmap for the merged file match corresponding entries of a bitmap for the new disk file.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving a request to create a live snapshot of a state of a virtual machine including a memory and an original disk file. The method further includes copying, by a hypervisor, data from the memory to a storage device to form a memory snapshot. The method further includes pausing the virtual machine and creating a new disk file at a reference point-in-time. The original disk file is a backing file of the new disk file. The method further includes resuming the virtual machine. The virtual machine is to perform disk operations using the new disk file after the reference point-in-time. The method further includes copying the original disk file to a disk snapshot file. The method further includes providing the live snapshot including the disk snapshot file and the memory snapshot.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving a request to create a live snapshot of a state of a virtual machine at a reference point-in-time. The virtual machine can have a memory and an original disk file. The method further includes creating, at the reference point-in-time, an overlay disk file to copy data from the original disk file. Data modifications after the reference point-in-time are performed in the original disk file but not in the overlay disk file. The method also includes creating a memory snapshot at the reference point-in-time. The method includes providing the live snapshot corresponding to the reference point-in-time. The live snapshot includes the overlay disk file and the memory snapshot.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving a request to create a live snapshot of a state of a virtual machine including a memory and an original disk file. The method further includes copying, by a hypervisor, data from the memory to a storage device to form a memory snapshot. The method further includes pausing the virtual machine and creating a new disk file at a reference point-in-time. The original disk file is a backing file of the new disk file. The method further includes resuming the virtual machine. The virtual machine is to perform disk operations using the new disk file after the reference point-in-time. The method further includes copying the original disk file to a disk snapshot file. The method further includes providing the live snapshot including the disk snapshot file and the memory snapshot.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving a request to create a live snapshot of a state of a virtual machine at a reference point-in-time. The virtual machine can have a memory and an original disk file. The method further includes creating, at the reference point-in-time, an overlay disk file to copy data from the original disk file. Data modifications after the reference point-in-time are performed in the original disk file but not in the overlay disk file. The method also includes creating a memory snapshot at the reference point-in-time. The method includes providing the live snapshot corresponding to the reference point-in-time. The live snapshot includes the overlay disk file and the memory snapshot.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method including receiving, by a hypervisor of a host computer system, an entropy request from a guest operating system running on the host computer system. The method further includes identifying, by the hypervisor, an entropy source. The method further includes determining, by the hypervisor, an expected entropy usage at the host computer system. The method further includes providing, in response to the request, entropy from the entropy source to the guest operating system in view of the expected entropy usage.

Abstract: A single-point temperature control system is used with a multi-section furnace to control the exit temperature of a metal workpiece discharged from the furnace. The furnace consists of at least first, second and third sections. The temperature is sensed at the single temperature set point in the second section and compared with a desired set point temperature. The power to the second section is adjusted in order to maintain the desired set point temperature so that the metal workpiece exits the furnace at the required temperature.