Abstract: A dual heat source high-temperature regenerator to solve problems involved in two types of conventional high-temperature regenerators for carrying out heating by using a dedicated burner as the heat source and by using exhaust gas supplied from outside systems as the heat source; namely, the former type has a problem of higher running costs, and the latter a problem of narrower ranges for capacity control. The dual heat source high-temperature regenerator arranges two inner shells and inside an outer shell to form combustion and exhaust gas flues, respectively. The combustion gas flue has a sideways U shape as a whole. The lower end is equipped with a burner, and the upper end connected to an exhaust duct. The exhaust gas flue 62 has a horizontal, straight shape as a whole. One end is provided with an exhaust gas inlet, and the other end connected to an exhaust duct.

Abstract: A system for manipulating a transport container cover using a variable height gantry or other elevator mechanism. In one embodiment, a gantry supports an assembly for storing the cover including a winding mechanism, the gantry height being adjustable so that the cover may be raised above the top of the transport container for unfurling. In a second embodiment, the cover storage assembly is mounted on a dump truck body by a support which may include an elevator mechanism to raise the storage assembly above the container top. In a third embodiment, the storage assembly is mounted on the cab end of the tilt frame of a container truck. The tilt frame in its raised position, elevates the storage assembly above the container top. When the storage assembly is in the raised position the cover is unfurled over the top of the container and the cover is secured over the container by an attachment mechanism on the back end of the container or truck.

Abstract: A polymeric material which to form a stable, reproducible interface between the ionic and electronic domains of an ion selective sensor, or an ion selective field effect transistor, or the like is provided. When employed in an ion selective sensor, the polymeric material is advantageously provided over a solid internal reference electrode and an ion selective material is provided thereover. According to one embodiment, the polymeric material of the invention includes less than about 1.63×1021 immobilized charged sites per gram (less than about 2.72 millaequivalents/gram). According to another embodiment, the polymeric material includes immobilized sites of charge opposite that of mobile ions involved in the redox couple. A preferred polymeric material comprises a copolymer of methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammoniumchloride and methylmethacrylate.

Abstract: An electric injection apparatus comprising a hydraulic cylinder for back pressure control. The electric injection apparatus includes rear and front supports integrally coupled to each other by a tie bar with a predetermined spacing therebetween. A heating barrel having an injection screw arranged therein is attached to the front support. Between the supports, a screw thrust member having an injection screw rotatably coupled to its front center is movably arranged so that the tie bar penetrates therethrough. Besides, the cylinder in the hydraulic cylinder is isolated from the heating barrel. This eliminates thermal effects and allows stable back pressure control in long-hour use.

Abstract: A system for mostly concurrent compaction in a garbage collection system is disclosed. Objects that have been allocated to a program are relocated by first identifying those variables pointing to a selected set of objects that are in use within a subset of memory. As these pointers are identified, they are added to a data structure. The selection of the objects, identification of the pointers, and addition of the pointers to the data structure may all be performed concurrently with execution of the program. At the same time, a write barrier marks as “dirty” those memory regions in which one or more pointers are modified by the program. A number of locations outside the subset of memory are reserved to be used to store the selected objects. Execution of the program is then suspended. The memory regions marked as “dirty” are examined to identify any further variables pointing to the selected objects. Any such identified variables are added to the data structure.

Abstract: Permission based flow control is implemented in a computer network having at least a downstream, intermediate and upstream network device by receiving credits at the intermediate network device from the downstream network device and granting credits from the intermediate network device to the upstream network device based at least in part upon the credits received at the intermediate network device from the downstream network device. Credit chaining as described above is employed to permit the granting of the right to transmit downstream to be predicated upon buffer availability downstream of the next downstream network device. Via the use of credit chaining, high utilization of network resources is achieved with minimal loss of data traffic.

Abstract: A combined sheathing stripper and sheathing cutter tool for non-metallic sheathed cable. The tool includes a body that is used to retain a slitter-blade and a cutter-blade. The slitter-blade includes a first knife edge that is located on a first side of the tool body when the blade is mounted in the body and a second knife edge that is located on the other side of the tool body. The knife edges are oriented such that the first knife edge may be used for slitting a cable sheathing by pushing the tool while the first knife edge is engaging the sheathing and the second knife edge may be used for slitting a cable sheathing by pulling the tool while the second knife edge is engaging the sheathing. An opening is provided within the body and the cutter-blade includes a knife edge that faces the opening when the cutter-blade is mounted in the body. A cable sheathing that has been slit may be passed through the opening and cut off using the cutter-blade.

Abstract: A power supply having a transformer-coupled power converter cascaded with a buck power converter. The transformer-coupled power converter operates in a free-running mode at a nearly 100% maximum duty cycle to convert an input voltage to an intermediate voltage. The buck power converter produces a regulated output voltage from the intermediate voltage. The power supply further includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller employing leading-edge modulation of complementary control signals used to control buck switches in the buck converter. The PWM controller is synchronized to primary-side free-running switches of the transformer-coupled power converter by a synchronization signal that is fed-forward across an isolation boundary via a signal transformer. The power supply also may also employ a soft-switching technique to reduce switching losses.

Abstract: A resorbable interbody fusion device for use in spinal fixation is disclosed. The device is composed of 25-100% bioresorbable or resorbable material. The interbody fusion device of the invention can be in any convenient form, such as a wedge, screw or cage. Preferably, the resorbable device of the invention is in the shape of a tapered wedge or cone, which further desirably incorporates structural features such as serrations or threads better to anchor the device in the adjoining vertebrae. The preferred device further comprises a plurality of peripheral voids and more desirably a central void space therein, which may desirably be filled with a grafting material for facilitating bony development and/or spinal fusion, such as an autologous grafting material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for corrosion-resistant coating of metal substrates by means of plasma polymerization, wherein the substrate is subjected to mechanical, chemical and/or electrochemical smoothing in a pre-treatment step and is subsequently exposed to a plasma at a temperature of less than 200° C. and at a pressure of 10−5 bis 100 mbars, whereby in a first step the surface is activated in a reducing plasma and in a second step the polymer is separated from a plasma containing at least one hydrocarbon or silico-organic compound which can be vaporized in plasma conditions, optionally contains oxygen, nitrogen or sulphur and can contain fluorine.

Abstract: A transducer for a stringed musical instrument utilizes a coaxial structure. A thin layer of a piezoelectric polymer material is extruded about an inner, electrically conductive core. An outer conductor is formed about the piezoelectric polymer material. Polarization of the piezoelectric polymer material is accomplished in conjunction with the extrusion process. The piezoelectric polymer material has an optimized thickness for consistent responsiveness across a desired range of input stimuli, and is capable of maintaining the integrity of the transducer over time. The transducer configured for placement underneath the saddle in a bridge of a stringed musical instrument.

Abstract: A safety lighter uses a double release lock mechanism applied to a conventional construction of igniter and valve release. Before the lighter can be activated and a flame produced, a latching collar around the button normally pressed to cause operation of the lighter must be released from a locking position in which this button is locked from being pushed down by an interior set of fingers engaging a ledge. The latching collar is itself locked into the button by the restraint between a first tab and groove latch and is only released by a pressure which disengages this first tab and groove restraint therebetween. With this tab and groove latch released by a strong thumb pressure of the operator that can only be done by an adult, the collar can be slid down to a point where a second tab and groove latch is activated between the button and collar. At this point the latch fingers are forced off the ledge, but downward extending arms of the collar engage the same ledge.

Abstract: A signal lamp for a vehicle is composed of a plurality of LED lamps as a light source, a reflecting surface corresponding to the light-emitting surface of the signal lamp, a housing for accommodating the LED lamps and the reflecting surface, and an outer lens disposed in opposing relation to the reflecting surface. The LED lamps are arranged along the periphery of the light-emitting surface such that the illuminating direction thereof is toward the center of the reflecting surface. The reflecting surface is partitioned into segments corresponding in number to the LED lamps. Preferably, the reflecting surface has a circular configuration. The segments into which the reflecting surface is partitioned are arranged radially around the center of the reflecting surface. In this case, the LED lamps are arranged in an annular configuration along the periphery of the reflecting surface.

Abstract: A precision pumping device for aspirating and dispensing different volumes of fluid is presented. The precision pumping device comprises a housing with integral anti-rotation guides, a stepper motor which drives a fine pitch lead screw, a coupling for linking the piston to the leadscrew, an anti-backlash leadscrew follower, a split hub clamp nut, and a nut for securing the chamber to the housing. A seal is provided which seals around the piston and against the chamber, as is an o-ring that is set into a groove in the chamber and seals against a flange of the seal. The precision pumping device further includes a piston and a chamber for receiving at least a portion of the piston therein. The piston and chamber are of different sizes for aspirating and dispensing different volumes of fluid. The chamber can include a single port or multiple ports.

Abstract: A method of analyzing DNA fragments separated electrophoretically is presented. The method includes the use of an expert system that interprets raw or preprocessed signal from the separation. The expert system can be used for real-time base-calling, or applied offline after data acquisition is complete. The expert system is directly applicable to all types of electrophoretic separation used for DNA sequencing, i.e. slab gel, capillary and microchip. Each lane of a multiplex system can consist of 1 to 4 (or even more) different fragment labels. The expert system may also be used with other base-coding schemes, such as those in which more than one base is labeled with a given dye, but the amount of label is different for each base. When the presently disclosed method is applied to DNA sequencing, the resulting interpretation comprises a DNA base sequence with numerical confidences assigned to each base.

Abstract: A system (10) is provided for identifying a processing port (12) and a link (22) at which a cell (24) is received. The system (10) includes a logical link table (14) having a plurality of logical link entries (30). Each logical link entry (30), which corresponds to a particular link (22) of a processing port (12) associated with the logical link table (14), specifies a numerical value. The processing port (12) may receive the cell (24) at one of a plurality of links (22). The processing port (12) can convert the cell (24) by replacing a numerical value of an identification field, such as a virtual channel identification field (28), of the cell (24) with the numerical value specified by the logical link entry (30) corresponding to the link (22) at which the cell (24) is received. A switch control module (18), which is connected to the processing port (12), may receive the converted cell (38).