Abstract: A vehicle tracking system includes a vehicle tracking unit and a monitoring station communicating therewith. The vehicle tracking unit preferably includes a test switch, a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller. The controller is preferably for operating the at least one vehicle device and for cooperating with the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device to determine and send vehicle position information to the monitoring station. Moreover, the controller may be switchable to a test mode for test operation of the at least one vehicle device responsive to activation of the test switch. Accordingly, an installer, for example, can quickly check that the tracking unit has been properly installed.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a connection device (14, 15), particularly for the connection of a rigid duct to a flexible duct in a submarine system for petroleum exploration, comprising a base (16); a hub fixed on the base; a hoisting/launching device, and a tube (20) with its first end connected to the hub and its second end being free, the novelty basically consisting in that the hoisting/lauching device (22) is placed above the center of gravity of the connection device (14, 15) and the second end (21) of the tube (20) is movable.

Abstract: A computer user interface system and method arranges a set of information hosted on a computer into a set of books, where each book includes a subset of the set of information, labels each book with a respective portion of the subset of the set of information, and selects a book from the set of books. Selecting the book from the set of books includes steps of displaying the respective portions of the books as a book document image that includes pages which correspond to the respective portions of the books, generating a command for moving through the pages, displaying an animated image of the pages of the book document being at least one of flipped, scrolled, slid and flashed images, and selecting the book when a selected one of the pages containing a selection portion of the book is earlier displayed.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for a television guide. In one embodiment the apparatus includes a device for comparing a current time with at least one stored time period for extracting television guide data to determine if the current time is within the stored time period, a device for switching a signal output from a first television signal source to a second television signal source, if television guide data is not contained in the signal output from the first television signal source when the current time is within the stored time period, a device for extracting the television guide data from the signal output when the current time is within the stored time period, and a memory for storing the extracted television guide data.

Abstract: A three-way valve with self-supporting body for medical use has at least two ways which are controlled by way of unidirectional flow control elements and a third way which is constantly open.

Abstract: This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding a sulfate assimilation protein. The invention also relates to the construction of a chimeric gene encoding all or a portion of the sulfate assimilation protein, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the chimeric gene results in production of altered levels of the sulfate assimilation protein in a transformed host cell.

Abstract: The disclosure sets out a fire-retardant electrical cable including a metal conductor and at least a double layer polymer coating disposed to surround the metal conductor. The double layer coating defines an inner and an outer layer wherein the inner layer includes a polymer matrix, a predetermined first amount of a flame retardant inorganic filler and a predetermined amount of a coupling agent. The outer layer includes a polymer matrix and a predetermined second amount of a flame retardant inorganic filler. The inner layer employs the predetermined first amount of inorganic filler in an amount lower than the predetermined second amount of inorganic filler in the outer layer. The inner layer includes the predetermined amount of coupling agent in an amount such that upon placing the cable in water, it keeps the long term insulation resistance of the cable substantially constant.

Abstract: Cylindrical screen, particularly for paper pulp, of the type comprising at least one filtering element (10) positioned between two flanges (1, 2) by means of a number of bars (3). The filtering element is composed by wires (10) placed side by side and held by rings (11). This filtering element is rigid in the axial direction and is placed upstream from the above mentioned bars (3), in relation to the direction of flow of the pulp. The filtering element is held against the bars (3) through the rings (11) that are in contact with the bars without being attached to them, so as to maintain its shape by withstanding the pressure exerted by the pulp.

Abstract: A process for producing a high-purity optical silica preform, comprising (a) vaporization of an organosilicon compound; (b) thermal decomposition of the said organosilicon compound in the vapor state, to give amorphous fused silica particles; (c) deposition of the said amorphous fused silica particles on a support, in which the said organosilicon compound has the formula (I) in which R1, R2, R3 and R4 have the meanings given in the text.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing calcium sulfide is provided comprising a container housing one or more drums, each drum having a substantially horizontal longitudinal center axis and containing one or more screw conveyors therein. Multiple drums are connected by passageways, and passages are provided for passing material into and out of the container and the drum(s). A heater is provided for supplying heat to the material within the drum(s). The process comprises passing the reactants, gypsum and charcoal, into the container and drum(s), heating the reactants within the drum(s) thereby initiating a chemical reaction converting reactants to products (including calcium sulfide), moving the reactants and products substantially horizontally in the drum(s) through the use of the screw conveyor(s) contained therein, and passing the products out of the drum(s) and the container.

Abstract: A compact, lightweight latch (38) especially adapted for use with an emergency deployment oxygen mask container (20) is provided which is made up of a minimum of parts and which can be delatched in multiple ways. The latch (38) includes a latch assembly (40) designed to be mounted in the oxygen mask container box (22) and a cooperating latch pin (44) secured to a cover (24). The assembly (40) has a primary latch body (46) supporting a diaphragm (48), latch member (50) and shiftable piston (52); the latch member (50) includes a plurality of laterally displaceable, hook-shaped locking legs (86) configured to interfit with latch pin (44). The piston (52) is shiftable in opposite axial directions within latch member (52), and cooperating surfaces on the member (50) and piston (52) serve to positively displace the latching legs (86) in response to piston movement. During pneumatic operation, the piston (52) is shifted within latch member (50) under the influence of diaphragm (48).

Abstract: In a mobile communication system with space division multiple access, under channel re-use conditions, the channel to be assigned to a terminal is determined by evaluating a cost of the assignment of each channel already in use. This cost is a function of the mean time that elapses between two successive channel assignments to the terminal, and it allows identifying the channel that allows maximising that time. The evaluation is performed by using cost coefficients that take into account information on the topology of the cell and on the mobility of the terminals and are determined in a system initialisation phase by subdividing the cell into sectors and by detecting the instants of collision between terminals.

Abstract: A process of preparing poly(trimethylene terephthalate) containing less than 2.0 mole % of DPG comprising: (a) providing a molar amount of 1,3-propanediol:C1 to C4 dialkyl ester of terephthalic acid of 1.2:1 to 1.9:1, (b) reacting the 1,3-propanediol with the C1 to C4 dialkyl ester of terephthalic, acid to form bis(3-hydroxypropyl)terephthalate monomer in the presence of 10-100 ppm (as titanium metal) of an organic titanate catalyst, by weight of the poly(trimethylene terephthalate), and (c) polymerizing the bis(3-hydroxypropyl)terephthalate monomer to obtain the poly(trimethylene terephthalate); and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) produced by the process.

Abstract: Consistent with principles of the present invention, a method and system for delivering foreign exchange risk management advisory solutions to a designated marked is disclosed. For each user, the disclosed system generates an exposure model that is consistent with that user's risk management policy and a budget/pricing determination made in response to user information and external pricing information. The disclosed system may further operate to determine an appropriate measurement of risk and associated hedge alternative for a user, consistent with economic forecasts, and process a request for a hedge instrument from the user. Various hedge instruments may be analyzed and/or obtained through the disclosed system, including spot contracts, forward contracts, option contracts, and money market instruments. The disclosed system further provides extensive training, compliance and sales related features.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst for fuel cells which comprises a conductive carbon, platinum supported on the conductive carbon in an amount of from 20% by mass to 70% by mass based on the mass of the catalyst, and oxygen bonded chemically to the conductive carbon and present in the range of from 0.7 to 3 in atomic ratio to the platinum. The present electrode catalyst can attain a high activity because the platinum crystallite diameter has been kept small even when the platinum is supported in a large quantity in the amount more than 20% by mass. The catalyst is useful in fuel cells, e.g., solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

Abstract: This invention pertains to genes coding for phenol-induced proteins-Five phenol-induced proteins isolated from Thauera aromatica. Three dominant phenol-induced proteins called F1, F2, and F3 respectively were purified and sequenced to obtain the enzyme(s) that catalyze the 14CO2:4-hydroxybenzoate isotope exchange reaction and the carboxylation of phenylphosphate. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of these proteins as well as the N-terminus of the phenol-induced proteins (F4 and F5) were also determined.

Abstract: A stable partially oriented poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn suitable for use in subsequent drawing and/or draw-texturing operations characterized by an elongation to break of at least 110%, and a process for false-twist texturing a partially oriented poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn are disclosed.

Abstract: An optical fiber, a section of length (Lgr) which is modulated in refractive index so as to form a grating with a plurality of characteristics reflection wavelength channels, has a refractive index modulation comprising an amplitude modulation having an underlaying higher frequency component defining the shape of the reflection profile of each of the wavelength channels and, superposed thereon, a lower frequency component of period P imposing repeated envelopes over the higher frequency component and defining the separation of the wavelength channels. In one embodiment, the lower frequency component has the shape of a sinc-function with varying refractive index (&dgr;n) and with discrete &pgr;-phase shifts (&dgr;&phgr;) each envelope, to form a sinc-sampled grating. Chirped multi-channel optical fiber gratings may thus be provided for dispersion compensation in long-haul transmission links.

Abstract: By supplying a refrigerant utilized for cooling brine at a brine chiller unit (4) to a cooler (21) of a blast chiller (2), the internal space at the blast chiller (2) is cooled. In addition, the brine cooled at the brine chiller unit (4) is supplied to an ice heat storage tank (23) during the night and is supplied to a cold trap (7) during the daytime by switching a three way reversing valve (17). Thus, ice-making and chilled water storage are achieved at the ice heat storage tank (23) during the nighttime so that a tumble chiller (3) performs cooling during the daytime by using the chilled water that has been stored at the ice heat storage tank (23). Consequently, during the daytime, three coolers, i.e., the vacuum cooler (1), the blast chiller (2) and the tumble chiller (3), can be operated with a single brine chiller unit (4).

Abstract: For optically connecting according to a given connection diagram optical components in an optoelectronic rig, there is provision for the execution of a tape fusion bond between two series of end sections of fibers of the components, after having selected, ordered and prepared these sections in two series in a suitable manner, so as to establish—when fusion bonding is completed—the desired connections.