Abstract: System and method for channel-dependent scheduling wherein data is stored indicating previous channel conditions between a transmitting node and at least one destination node. Additionally, data packets to be transmitted to at least one destination node are queued for later transmission. A determination of the present channel conditions between the transmitting node and the at least one destination node is made and transmissions of the queued packets are scheduled from the transmitting node to the at least one destination node responsive to the present channel conditions and the previous channel conditions.

Abstract: A method is provided for increasing the net present value of fuel production while reducing the sulfur content of one or more fuel products produced in a refinery. The method includes converting at least one existing reformer into a hydrodesulfurization system; and replacing the at least one hydrocarbon reformer with a continuous catalytic reformer.

Abstract: A method of managing the erasure of units of a flash memory. An indication is provided that an erasure of one or more units is pending, either before the units are erased or, in case of power loss, during the erasure. Subsequent to a completed erasure, an indication provided before an erasure is either erased or offset by an indication of a completed erasure. Upon powering up, or, in some embodiments, also prior to writing, the indications are inspected and units not completely erased are erased again. The present invention may be implemented in hardware, in firmware, in software, or in any combination of the three. In embodiments not totally reliant on software, appropriate non-volatile registers are provided, for storing the indications as erase pending flags and erase completed flags, and also for storing corresponding unit numbers.

Abstract: A system comprises a wireless master unit and one or more wireless slave units, each having a unique identifier. When a wireless slave unit is active, it is addressed by one of a limited number of temporary addresses. A PARK mode enables a wireless slave unit to be in an idle state during which its temporary address is deallocated, enabling that address to be assigned to another wireless slave unit. To page a parked slave, a paging beacon packet is broadcast to, and received by, each of the wireless slave units at fixed intervals during a master-to-slave time slot. Each wireless slave unit determines whether the received paging beacon packet includes its unique identifier. If so, the wireless slave units retrieves a temporary address from the paging beacon packet. The wireless unit transmits a response to the wireless master unit during a subsequent slave-to-master time slot if the received paging beacon packet included the unique identifier belonging to the wireless slave unit.

Abstract: An oxide-confined vertical cavity surface emitting laser having reduced parasitic capacitance. The VCSEL includes a substrate having a first mirror stack grown epitaxially thereon. The first mirror stack includes a plurality of semiconductor layers and is doped with a first doping type. An active region is grown epitaxially above the first mirror stack for generating a lasing emission. A control layer is grown epitaxially above the first mirror stack, between first mirror stack and the active region or above the active region, and includes a central non-oxidized conducting portion and an outer, laterally oxidized insulating portion. A second mirror stack is grown epitaxially above the active region and the control layer. The second mirror stack includes a second plurality of semiconductor layers doped with a second doping type. The second plurality of semiconductors layers includes pairs of high index and low index materials.

Abstract: A medical implant having at least a portion thereof made of a formable, pyromellitic, dianhydride (PMDA)-free, non-halogenated, aromatic polyimide is disclosed. Further disclosed are a process of manufacturing the implant and a method of implanting the implant in a subject in need thereof.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically adjusting charges to a pre-paid account in a telecommunications or distributed processing network following a failure in the network. After a service that is chargeable against the pre-paid account is initiated in the network, a failure in the network is detected. The failure prevents a charging node from receiving event data relating to the pre-paid account. After recovery from the failure, a message is sent to the charging node containing service status information. The charging node adjusts the account balance in accordance with the service status information.

Abstract: A microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography system and method is provided to image biological tissue. Short microwave pulses irradiate tissue to generate acoustic waves by thermoelastic expansion. The microwave-induced thermoacoustic waves are detected with an ultrasonic transducer or transducer array. Each time-domain signal from the ultrasonic transducer is converted to a one-dimensional image along the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic transducer. Scanning the system perpendicularly to the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic transducer generates multi-dimensional images in real time without computational image reconstruction.

Abstract: This invention relates to androgen-regulated nucleic acids, a polynucleotide array containing these androgen-regulated nucleic acids, and methods of using the polynucleotide array in the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Abstract: Control is exercised over a tap connection made for law enforcement agency monitoring of mobile station communications in response to an inter-exchange hand-off. Where such a tap connection does not yet exist at hand-off, pre-hand-off actions taken at the target exchange trigger an analysis of whether a party to that communication is marked for monitoring followed by an establishment of the tap connection at hand-off if the party is so marked. If the tap connection is already in place, pre-hand-off actions taken at the target exchange trigger an analysis of whether law enforcement agency monitoring of that communication is lawfully authorized with respect to the target exchange followed by instructing the anchor exchange to terminate the tap connection at hand-off if monitoring is not lawfully authorized.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method and composition for cleaning and inhibiting solid, bitumin tar, and viscous fluid deposition in well equipment used in conjunction with a water-based well fluid which includes mixing an effective amount of a miscible terpene in the well fluid. In one embodiment, a method for cleaning and inhibiting deposits in and on well equipment used in conjunction with a water-based well fluid which includes mixing an effective amount of d-limonene into the well fluid is disclosed.

Abstract: A receiver having a digital automatic gain control (AGC) circuit is disclosed for use in a cellular communication system, including a Hierarchical Cellular System. The receiver includes a controller which switches between gain control values depending on system operational mode. In this way, the AGC can be optimized for different types of receive processing operations, e.g., traffic reception and measurement of other channels.

Abstract: A method of coating a metal surface, particularly an inner surface of a gun barrel, with a chromium layer, includes the following steps: electrolytically precipitating on the metal surface a plurality of partial chromium layers in a superposed relationship by electric current pulses equaling the number of the partial chromium layers; and selecting the duration of each pulse such that a crystallite growth of individual partial chromium layers is stopped prior to a natural termination thereof for obtaining a globular polytropic structure of the entire chromium layer.

Abstract: A ruggedized file system, which provides ruggedness to non-volatile storage media at the device driver level. The ruggedized block device driver implementation provides ruggedness at the device driver level, thereby allowing atomic sequences of operations by the file system. Accordingly, the device driver is told that the current data state is a “fall-back” consistent state, into which the system should wake up if interrupted prior to completion of the sequence, following which operations are executed as required by the file system, including erasing, writing or overwriting blocks. The device driver is further told when the atomic sequence is complete, such that a new consistent state is thereby defined. It is, accordingly, the responsibility of the device driver to ensure that either the sequence completes and the file system reaches the target consistent state, or if power is lost or any other failure occurs in the middle, the file system will wake up in the initial fallback state.

Abstract: A ruggedized file system, which provides ruggedness to non-volatile storage media at the device driver level. The ruggedized block device driver implementation provides ruggedness at the device driver level, thereby allowing atomic sequences of operations by the file system. Accordingly, the device driver is told that the current data state is a “fall-back” consistent state, into which the system should wake up if interrupted prior to completion of the sequence, following which operations are executed as required by the file system, including erasing, writing or overwriting blocks. The device driver is further told when the atomic sequence is complete, such that a new consistent state is thereby defined. It is, accordingly, the responsibility of the device driver to ensure that either the sequence completes and the file system reaches the target consistent state, or if power is lost or any other failure occurs in the middle, the file system will wake up in the initial fall-back state.

Abstract: A process for forming a polyurea coating on a wood composite substrate comprises the steps of applying an isocyanate to an edge of the wood substrate to form a pretreated edge and applying a polymer latex to the pretreated edge to form the polyurea coating. This polyurea coating provides excellent protection against the penetration of water through the edges and into the interior of the wood composite material and wood composite materials having this polyurea coating have significantly less edge swelling and adsorb considerably less water than wood composites that have no such protective coatings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enables a Network Access Server (NAS) in conjunction with a telecommunications switch to combine computer protocols with telecommunications signaling. For instance, a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is combined with B-Answer and B-on-Hook signals. When a subscriber dials into an NAS to access a private network (e.g., the Internet), the various phases of a PPP are addressed. The network phase provides communication throughput from the subscriber to the Internet. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a B-Answer signal is sent to the telecommunications network after the network phase is entered. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a B-on-Hook signal is sent to the telecommunications network approximately as the “Closing” transition of the PPP occurs. Telecommunications network billing therefore occurs as a result of, and in direct proportion to, Internet communication provided to the subscriber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of making pourable, plastic-bound explosive charges or rocket propellants, to which a metal powder having essentially spherically shaped grains is added. To avoid an increase in the viscosity of the explosive charge or the rocket propellant through polar groups attached to the surface of the metal powder, it is suggested according to the invention that the polar groups of the metal powder be saturated with SiR3 groups (Si=silane; R=organic residue) before the metal powder is added to the explosive mixture. As a result, the polar groups can no longer react with the isocyanates of the explosive charge or the rocket propellant and the specific surface of the respective metal powder, as well as the viscosity of the charges, is reduced.

Abstract: A planar MESFET transistor includes a plurality of FET elements. Each FET element includes a doped planar channel, and source and drain coupled to the ends of the channel. A gate conductor extends over a portion of the channel at a location lying between the source and drain, a first predetermined distance from the drain. A field plate is connected to the gate conductor, and extends toward the drain a second predetermined distance, isolated from the channel except at its gate conductor connection by a dielectric material.