Abstract: A method for augmenting blood circulation in the limb of a patient is provided by customizing the compression cycle based upon patient venous characteristics. The method measures the venous refill time of the patient for use with an intermittent pneumatic compression device. A limb such as a leg is wrapped with a compression sleeve having at least one pressurizable chamber. The chamber is pressurized for a predetermined period of time to compress the limb and cause blood to flow out of the limb. The chamber is depressurized until the pressure in the chamber reaches a lower value, and the chamber is closed. The pressure in the chamber is sensed and the venous refill time, the time for the limb to refill with blood, is determined by sensing when the pressure reaches or will reach a plateau. The venous refill time is used as the basis for the time between subsequent compression pulses of the compression device.

Abstract: A fiber preform is made from a fiber block by forming at least one cut in the block, so as to make a gap between two portions of the preform corresponding to segments of a spring that is to be made, and the preform is densified by a material for constituting the matrix of the thermostructural composite material. The gap between two portions of the preform is provided either by removing material, preferably after the preform has been consolidated, or else by forming a slot and then spacing apart the lips of the slot and holding the preform in the spaced-apart state.

Abstract: A drawer guide of the over-extendible type, including a movement-control element or elements for controlling the movements of the sections of the drawer guide relative to one another. During operation, the movement-control element or elements remain in connection with multiple sections of the drawer guide. Movements of the control element or elements are dynamically coupled, in such a manner that control is maintained during the complete path of movement of the sections of the drawer guide.

Abstract: A closure system which provides a lubricated lock ring on a hinged door assembly rather than proximate a pressure vessel is provided. The configuration of this system removes lubricants from the region immediately adjacent a pressure vessel entrance to be sealed by the door assembly. A shorter entrance tunnel for access to the pressure vessel interior is also provided by this configuration. A clamp ring having radially extending lugs is rigidly affixed proximate to and partially defining the pressure vessel entrance. The door has a continuous thread about an outer circumferential surface thereof. A lock ring having a complementary interior continuous thread is in rotational communication with the threaded circumferential surface of the door. The lock ring also has plural, inwardly projecting lugs which are capable of passing between the clamp ring lugs when the door is swung toward the clamp ring.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing virtual connection merging in an output port of a network switch are disclosed. In the event no completely assembled packets have been received and scheduled for transmission, a partially received packet is selected for cut-through transmission prior to receipt of all cells comprising the packet. Transmission of the selected packet is initiated and a timer is started. If the timer expires prior to the receipt of an end of packet indication for the packet for which transmission has commenced, and end of packet signal is generated and transmitted and the transmission of additional cells for the cut-through packet is aborted. In this manner, delays associated with packet reassembly may be avoided and buffer sizes of reassembly buffers may be reduced.

Abstract: A system and method for performing event-based rate policing using varying window start times. Rate policing overhead, including counter and timer monitoring and resetting, is performed only as needed and in response to actual received traffic on each connection. As the last bit of a data unit is received from an external network, an “event time stamp” is generated and associated with the data unit, for example as part of an internal header or trailer attached to the data unit. To determine if a rate policing window was active when the frame was received, the event time stamp is compared with a sum of a window start time and a window period value stored in association with the connection on which the data unit was received. If the associated event time stamp indicates a time prior to the sum of the associated window start time and window period, then a rate policing window is determined to have been active when the frame was received.

Abstract: A cache line index for an address cache entry is calculated by organizing an address such as a Media Access Control (“MAC”) address into a plurality of intermediate elements, barrel shifting the bits of at least one of the intermediate elements in accordance with predetermined criteria, and folding the intermediate address elements together with an exclusive-OR function. A Virtual Local Area Network (“VLAN”) index may also be included in cache line index calculation. The VLAN index enables segmentation of the cache into virtual tables. The tag portion of the cache entry includes a subset of the complete set of intermediate elements. The intermediate elements in the cache entry can be employed in conjunction with the cache line index to recover the original MAC address. Hence, the size of the tag portion of the address cache entry is reduced relative to the full MAC address without a reduction in the information content of the entry.

Abstract: A flash illumination system is provided which is especially useful for high-speed photography. In one embodiment, the invention provides a surface discharge lamp which produces an intense broadband burst of light having an intended spectrum. Another embodiment of the invention provides a surface discharge lamp which produces multiple pulses of intense broadband illumination at very high pulse repetition rates. The lamp in either embodiment is fabricated in a relatively inexpensive manner and can be compactly constructed and of modular construction to suit various applications. The lamp is composed of a gas envelope in which is provided a dielectric substrate and electrodes at respective ends of a surface of the substrate. The substrate is preferably a portion of the enclosure. A backplane is disposed outside the enclosure and confronting the opposite surface of the substrate between the electrodes.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory cell comprising a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) fabricated to read back a logic level “one” state and programmable by a gate to drain fusing to read back to a logic level “zero” state. The drain is patterned to enhance the formation of a localized hot spot during device lateral NPN transistor snapback for a controlled meltdown of gate oxide and the creation of an ohmic gate to drain path. A metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit typically includes a plurality of memory cells composing a programmable array. The drains of each memory cell are tied together in parallel and connected to a high-level programming voltage, and the sources are tied to ground.

Abstract: A tubular structure comprising reinforcing fibers impregnated with a thermosetting polymer and a sheet of matrix material filled with an additive suitable for improving tribological and heat conductivity characteristics of the tubular structure. The reinforcing fibers alternate with the matrix material. The tubular structure is formed by winding the reinforcing fiber fabric and the matrix sheet material, wherein the fabric and the matrix sheet material have first and second ends and the first ends are located in the interior of the winding and the second ends are radially outwardly displaced from the first ends.

Abstract: An electro-surgical forceps has a recessed irrigation channel. The forceps includes a pair of blades mounted in a cap portion. A groove is recessed in the inner surface of a first blade of the pair of blades. Tubing is disposed in the groove. The tubing terminates at a location spaced from the termination of the groove to provide an outlet from the groove. The depth of the groove and the outer diameter of the tubing are selected such that the tubing is substantially recessed below the inner surface of the first blade sufficiently that a surgeon's view of the inner faces of the tips of the blades is not obstructed by the irrigation channel. The blades may be covered with an insulating material if desired.

Abstract: A biaxially stretched bottle made of a thermoplastic resin having a carrying handle formed by integrally injection molding on the side of a lower neck portion of a preform at the same time when the preform is molded and applied as-formed as a carrying handle of a thin-wall bottle formed by stretch blow molding, wherein the carrying handle is formed with its arm portions extending across the both sides of the neck portion, enabled to rotate up and down with respective joining portions of base portions and the arm portion which are formed in symmetrical positions on both sides of the neck portion as its axis. This enables the change in the position of a gripping portion, which has been difficult in conventional integral forming, even in a bottle made of a material resin like PET resin which lacks in flexibility.

Abstract: Permanently or detachably mounted on a container (1) is a dosing and metering device that contains a pressure bellows (3), through which a valve-plate holder (8) passes. The valve-plate holder (8) essentially has the shape of a hollow cylinder and exhibits gaps or lateral openings (18), to enable communicating contact between pressure bellows (3) and container (1). The valve-plate holder (8) is arranged in a transition zone between pressure bellows (3) and container (1), in a fixed position relative to the container or container neck. The valve plate (7) attached to the end of the valve-plate holder (8) forms a valve seat (4) together with the constriction (31) between pressure bellows (3) and the metering chamber (5) that follows it. Axial pressure upon the metering chamber (5) allows the metering chamber to be entirely or partly filled or drained back into the container, as desired, in which case the contents of the metering chamber can be poured out when the cap is removed.

Abstract: A yarn is formed from discontinuous parallel fibers which are not twisted and which are held together by a covering yarn of sacrificial material wound around the fibers. The fibers comprise an intimate mixture of fibers of at least two different natures selected from carbon fibers or pre-oxidized polyacrylonitrile based carbon precursor fibers, or anisotropic or isotropic pitch based carbon precursor fibers, or phenolic or cellulosic based carbon precursor fibers, and ceramic fibers or ceramic precursor fibers. The mixture of fibers comprises, in its carbon state, at least 15% by weight of high strength fibers, having a tensile strength of at least 1500 MPa and a modulus of at least 150 MPa, and at least 15% by weight of fibers with a low Young's modulus of at most 100 GPa.

Abstract: A network data switch includes a transmit buffer memory containing transmit buffers allocated to temporarily store data frames being transmitted on attached network links. Multicast frames are replicated into different transmit buffers as necessary for transmission on the corresponding network links. Multiple-cycle write and read phases of the transmit buffer memory are defined, and the transmit buffer memory is operated in different modes for unicast and multicast operation. For a unicast frame, multi-word segments of the frame are written into the correct transmit buffer during successive write phases. Each segment is written during a write phase as a burst of data words at a high data rate. For a multicast frame, words of the frame are written in a time-slice manner into the transmit buffers for the network links on which the frame is to be transmitted. The words are written during successive write phases.

Abstract: An asymmetric optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer has first and second optical fibers connected at a first coupling region and a second coupling region. The first and second optical fibers form two interfering arms between the first and second coupling regions. To form the asymmetry, the propagation constant in a portion of the first optical fiber in one of the coupling regions differs from the propagation constant in a portion of the second optical fiber in that coupling region. The asymmetric structure provides 30 dB isolation over a greater wavelength span.

Abstract: The redundant regulation valve for controlling fluid flow comprises a valve body defining a passage for the flow of the fluid, a main throttle element movable by means of a main control device to selectively obstruct the passage, and a redundant throttle element movable by means of a redundant control device. When the valve is in its closed position in normal operation, the main element and the redundant element are in contact with each other. In this normal closed position, the main element is close to its fully-extended position in the closure direction and it obstructs only about half of the passage, while the redundant element is in a position of medium extension. The stroke of the redundant element is such that the redundant element can be controlled to obstruct the entire passage even when the main element is in its fully-open position.

Abstract: A sensor system preferably for use in a vehicle airbag deployment system employs spatial shading techniques and centroiding analysis to calculate an equivalent point load in two dimensional space. The location of the equivalent point load, as well as the weight of the passenger as determined from the sensors, are used to construct a set of fuzzy set logic boundaries defining different modes of deploying the airbag. The filmy set logic boundaries may include a full deployment, soft deployment, no deployment and other intermediate deployment zones. In the event of a vehicle airbag incident, the airbag is deployed in accordance with the fuzzy set logic boundary in which the weight and equivalent point load of the vehicle occupant are located.

Abstract: A material handling device comprising first and second upper arm members having respective proximal and distal end portions and first and second forearm members having respective proximal and distal end portions. The proximal end portions of the first and second forearm members are pivotally coupled to the distal end portions of the respective first and second upper arm members by respective first and first and second pivot assemblies. The distal end portions of the first and second forearm members are attached together. A material handler is carried by the distal end portions of the first and second forearm members. The first and second forearm members have a retracted position in which the first and second forearm members extend linearly along an imaginary line passing through the first and second pivot assemblies with the distal end portions of the first and second forearm members being disposed approximately midway between the first and second pivot assemblies.

Abstract: The fluid transfer device comprises a stator assembly incorporating a plurality of return channels which pick up the high speed fluid flow leaving a centrifugal impeller of one stage of the turbomachine for the purpose of rectifying, slowing down, and conveying said flow to the inlet of another centrifugal impeller of an adjacent stage of the turbomachine. Each return channel is constituted by a continuous shaped individual tubular element. A first continuous return channel is defined by a set of varying sections defined by parameters and extending normally to a mean line situated in a predefined plane (P1P2P3) containing the axis of the machine. The mean line has a rectilinear first portion, a curved second portion forming a circular arc of radius Rco2, and a rectilinear third portion. The various return channels are identical and can be derived one from another by rotation about the axis of the turbomachine.