Abstract: High density, thermally stable, brine-based well fluids and methods of using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment a well fluid including water and a salt, the salt including at least one formate salt, wherein the weight-to-volume ratio of the well fluid is within the range of at least 120% to about 400% is disclosed. In another embodiment, a well fluid including water, a viscosifying agent, and a salt, the salt including at least one formate salt, wherein the weight-to-volume ratio of the well fluid is within the range of at least 120% to about 400% is disclosed. A method of treating a well using a well fluid, wherein the well fluid includes water and a salt, the salt including at least one formate salt, wherein the weight-to-volume ratio of the well fluid is within the range of at least 120% to about 400% is also disclosed.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for processing deleterious material on a floating vessel during transportation from a well to a disposal site. The vessel contains equipment for the slurrification and agitation of the deleterious material. Such equipment includes storage tanks, slurrification units, and agitation units, as well as transfer equipment such as flow lines and vacuum or pump means. The deleterious material is transferred from the drill site to the storage tanks on the vessel. The vessel then transports the material to a disposal site, such as an injection well. During transportation, the deleterious material is processed. Such processing can include slurrification and/or agitation of the deleterious material to maintain the slurry, adding fluid if necessary. Once at the disposal site, the deleterious material slurry is then transferred from the vessel to the disposal site.

Abstract: A knockout transgenic mouse containing a nonfunctional allele of the tumor suppressing gene, annexin VII. This mouse is used as a screening model for potential therapeutic agents useful in the treatment of tumors resulting from an annexin tumor suppressor disease.

Abstract: An apparatus for electromagnetic processing comprises a modulator for generating one or more elements representative of an input signal; a divider controlled by the one or more elements and receiving an electromagnetic wave to generate a modified signal; a comparator for comparing the modified signal to a reference signal and for generating a processed signal based upon the comparison; and a channel number calculator for selecting a channel for the processed signal, wherein the input signal incorporated the channel selection.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for multiband transmitter power amplification are provided wherein one or more amplifying devices, of which at least one may be one or more current sources, have impedances matched for different input and output frequencies by way of various impedance matching circuits.

Abstract: An apparatus for the section-wise autofrettage of gun barrels (22) by a hydraulic pressure generated inside the barrel. The apparatus (1, 1′, 1″) comprises a mandrel-shaped insert (2, 2′, 2″) inserted into the barrel (22) from the breech opening. A first sealing device (3) is disposed at one end of the insert (2, 2′, 2″), and has a seal packet (5) disposed on a seal seat (4) of the insert (2, 2′, 2″). The seal seat (4) is limited at the front by a threaded sleeve (7) screwed onto the insert (2, 2′, 2″), and an annular intermediate part (8) adjoining the threaded sleeve (7) at the rear. The seal packet (5) includes at least one O-ring (10) held by a shoulder (9) of the mandrel-shaped insert (2, 2′, 2″), and a high-pressure seal (15) formed by two partial rings (13, 14) that are connected to one another by a conical contact surface (16).

Abstract: A self-configurable system and method in a cellular telecommunications network for efficiently paging for mobile stations that last registered in a particular cell by automatically adjusting the size of an initial paging area on a per-cell basis. A plurality of sets of cells surrounding the particular cell are identified as Paging Depths (PDs) and are stored in a lookup table in a serving Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The PDs contain varying numbers of cells, and a first PD is selected to utilize for the particular cell's initial paging area. A plurality of paging attempts are then performed for mobile stations that last registered in the particular cell, and a statistical processor compiles statistics regarding the paging efficiency (percentage of mobile stations found versus total system resources used) and the success rate (percentage of paging attempts that were successful at locating mobile stations within the first PD).

Abstract: A substrate treatment process is disclosed to remove organic matter existing on a substrate such as a wafer, glass substrate or ceramic. The process comprises treating the substrate with ozone water and then with hydrogen water, or treating the substrate with ozone-hydrogen water or treating the substrate with ozone water and hydrogen water at the same time.

Abstract: An extensible table with its unextended tabletop formed by leaves that are slidably fixed on the supporting frame of the table. The sliding leaves are moved away from each other to reveal a hidden extension leaf that is raised by momentarily applying an initiating downward force. The extension leaf raises itself to the same level as the sliding leaves are to form an extended tabletop. The extension leaf is moved down to its original level by an applied downward force and allows for the sliding leaves to be slid toward each other to form the unextended tabletop. Latching is accomplished by a latching pin. The first end of the latching pin is in a pin housing. This allows the second end of the latching pin to move in the groove of the grooved block. A spring in the pin housing holds the second end of the pin in the grove.

Abstract: A method for imaging an object is provided that includes generating and directing optical energy onto a portion of an object. The portion of the object is cut while the optical energy is directed onto the portion. Reflected optical energy from the object is received by an optical element while the portion is being cut such that data relating to an image associated with the portion is communicated to the optical element.

Abstract: A portable storage device including a microprocessor and a secure user data area, the microprocessor operable to perform on-the-fly encryption/decryption of secure data stored on the storage device under a user password, the microprocessor also operable to exclude access to the secure user data area unless the user password is provided.

Abstract: A method of increasing shale formation stability with a water based drilling fluid, the method including: delivering to the shale formation a drilling fluid formulated to include an aqueous fluid; a first reactant which is a soluble monomer, oligomer, or polymer with exposed ketone, aldehyde, or aldol groups or with groups which can be shifted to ketone or aldehyde functionality; and, a second reactant which is a primary amine, diamine, or polyamine which by condensation reaction forms a semi-soluble or precipitated filming product with the first reactant.

Abstract: A screen includes three or four layers of woven metal screen cloth. The coarsest of these layers is a structural layer includes threads which are woven into the cloth with surfaces which are fusible below a temperature at which the other layers of screen cloth are heat affected. These woven threads include each of the threads in the coarse screen cloth with the coated threads being wire with fusible polypropylene or polyethylene coatings. The cloth could alternatively be coated or a fusible grid used between screens instead. A support layer above the structural layer may include a woven metal screen with woven elements which are either coated with fusible material or are solidly of fusible material woven periodically therethrough in at least one direction. A fusible grid could alternatively be employed. Screens are laminated with one or two fine mesh screens heated on the support woven screen cloth with fusible surfaces to locate the fusible material in the finer cloths.

Abstract: An appliance that includes a host device and a memory unit with a primary memory, and a method of operating the appliance. According to one aspect of the appliance, the primary memory is nonvolatile and the memory unit also includes a volatile memory a power sensor and a controller. When the power sensor detects interruption of power to the memory unit, the controller copies data selectively from the volatile memory to the primary memory. Power for this copying is provided by a secondary power source such as a battery or a capacitor. According to another aspect of the appliance, the appliance includes primary and secondary power sources, and the memory unit also includes a charge pump whose functions include both boosting power from the primary source for the primary memory and charging the secondary source.

Abstract: In a system for transmitting intensity modulated light waves (20) over an optical fiber (18), an optical data transmission apparatus (10) includes a cw laser (12) conformed to emit light at substantially a single frequency. A phase modulator (14) is connected in series with the cw laser (12), wherein the phase modulator (14) is conformed to cause the light from the cw laser (12) to vary in substantially a quadratic manner as a function of time during a time interval T. An intensity modulator (16) is connected in series with the phase modulator (14), wherein the intensity modulator (16) is conformed to transmit or block the light from the phase modulator (14) in accordance with an intensity modulation scheme for transmitting binary data, such that the transmitted light consists of pulses (22) of temporal width T during which the phase of the light varies in substantially a quadratic manner as a function of time.

Abstract: A method for thermoforming a cellular thermoplastic resin comprises exposing a cellular thermoplastic resin to a controlled humidity environment to obtain a conditioned cellular thermoplastic resin, molding the conditioned cellular thermoplastic resin to form a desired shape, and heating the conditioned cellular thermoplastic resin to cause the crystalline content of the thermoplastic resin to be at least about 20-30 percent. A method for conditioning a cellular thermoplastic resin comprises exposing a cellular thermoplastic resin to a controlled humidity environment to obtain a conditioned cellular thermoplastic resin.

Abstract: A microwave sensor is described, with a self-mixing oscillator (1), with a transmitting and receiving antenna (2), with an impedance (3) which is connected between the current or voltage supply (4) and the oscillator (2), and with an evaluation circuit (5), the self-mixing oscillator (2) producing both the transmitted signal and also mixing the transmitted signal with the received signal and the low-frequency mixed (Doppler signal) being tapped on the impedance (3) and supplied to the evaluation circuit (5).

Abstract: A flip-chip package uses a substrate having bond pad spacing that matches terminal spacing on a chip at an elevated temperature that is an expected operating temperature of the chip. The elevated temperature can be the midpoint of the desired temperature cycle of the chip so that deformations of the electrical connections in one direction balance deformations in the opposite direction during temperature cycling. Matching spacing at an elevated temperature, even a temperature less than the bonding temperature, permits a better alignment at the bonding temperature for formation of stronger bonds.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method, a service node and a system for providing IP redundancy between a first service node and a second service node being mutually redundant. The first and the second service nodes are connected via a virtual connection. The first service node has a physical network interface to an IP node and a virtual network interface to the virtual connection. The first service node comprises a routing table having a cost associated with the virtual network interface. The method comprises steps of detecting by the first service node that the second service node is unavailable, updating in the routing table the cost from a higher value to a lower value and informing the IP node connected to the physical network interface of the update of the cost so as to process at the first service node traffic addressed to the second service node.

Abstract: A method of making a polypropylene product for use in making films and preferably biaxially oriented films and more preferably biaxially oriented films wherein a tenter-frame processing line is employed. The method includes the addition of low concentrations of a nucleating system in a mini-random polypropylene that allows for better processability and improved tensile properties. In one embodiment the nucleating system comprises a blend of a monocarboxylic acid nucleating agent and dicarboxylic acid nucleating agent. The nucleating system is combined with the polypropylene material and the resultant hot melt blend is further processed into biaxially oriented film. Alternately, the hot melt blend is formed into a convenient raw material for later use in a biaxial oriented film production facility. The resulting films possess superior processing and material characteristics.