Abstract: A method for producing a carbon fiber, the method comprising: (i) subjecting a continuous carbon fiber precursor having a polymeric matrix in which strength-enhancing particles are incorporated to a stabilization process during which the carbon fiber precursor is heated to within a temperature range ranging from the glass transition temperature to no less than 20° C. below the glass transition temperature of the polymeric matrix, wherein the maximum temperature employed in the stabilization process is below 400° C., for a processing time within said temperature range of at least 1 hour in the presence of oxygen and in the presence of a magnetic field of at least 1 Tesla, while said carbon fiber precursor is held under an applied axial tension; and (ii) subjecting the stabilized carbon fiber precursor, following step (i), to a carbonization process. The stabilized carbon fiber precursor, resulting carbon fiber, and articles made thereof are also described.

Abstract: An alloy composition is composed essentially of Hf2-XZrXCo11BY, wherein 0<X<2 and 0<Y?1.5. Moreover, an alloy composition is composed essentially of ferromagnetic Hf2-XZrXCo11BY, wherein 0?X<2 and 0<Y?1.5, and has a nanoscale crystalline structure comprising at least one non-equilibrium phase. The alloys can be melt-spun with in-situ and/or ex-situ annealing to produce the nanoscale crystalline structure.

Abstract: A method for producing a carbon fiber, the method comprising: (i) subjecting a continuous carbon fiber precursor having a polymeric matrix in which strength-enhancing particles are incorporated to a stabilization process during which the carbon fiber precursor is heated to within a temperature range ranging from the glass transition temperature to no less than 20° C. below the glass transition temperature of the polymeric matrix, wherein the maximum temperature employed in the stabilization process is below 400° C., for a processing time within said temperature range of at least 1 hour in the presence of oxygen and in the presence of a magnetic field of at least 1 Tesla, while said carbon fiber precursor is held under an applied axial tension; and (ii) subjecting the stabilized carbon fiber precursor, following step (i), to a carbonization process. The stabilized carbon fiber precursor, resulting carbon fiber, and articles made thereof are also described.

Abstract: A method of generating a generic framing procedure hierarchy comprising processing a first generic framing procedure frame to determine the overall length of the generic framing procedure frame, mapping the frame into the generic framing procedure payload area of a second generic framing procedure frame at the next level of the generic framing procedure hierarchy, whereby information enabling the size of the generic framing procedure payload remaining after that frame has been extracted is captured in the header fields of the generic framing procedure frame into which the first frame is encapsulated, and wherein the generic framing procedure header indicates whether there are more frames left in the mapping hierarchy when de-encapsulating (i.e., running down) the generic framing procedure frame stack by providing an indicator at level N of the hierarchy that at the level N?1 there is a generic framing procedure frame to extract.

Abstract: A method of reducing the bandwidth required to send a plurality of client traffic frames over a plurality of carrier communications networks is disclosed. Related communications system, data stores and boundary nodes are also disclosed.

Abstract: An alloy composition is composed essentially of Hf2-XZrXCo11BY, wherein 0<X<2 and 0<Y?1.5. Moreover, an alloy composition is composed essentially of ferromagnetic Hf2-XZrXCo11BY, wherein 0?X<2 and 0<Y?1.5, and has a nanoscale crystalline structure comprising at least one non-equilibrium phase. The alloys can be melt-spun with in-situ and/or ex-situ annealing to produce the nanoscale crystalline structure.

Abstract: A communications network provides a carrier Ethernet service without requiring the client signal to be identified by an Ethertype in a carrier Ethernet frame. A plurality of differing types of client signals can thus be encapsulated within the same carrier Ethernet service channel by using a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping the client signal within a generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping the generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into the carrier Ethernet signal. As the client signal is identified within said generic framing procedure signal only a generic framing signal Ethertype is required. The mapping protocol enables a single Ethernet frame to carry a plurality of client signals.

Abstract: A method of partitioning the header stack of a data packet, the header stack conforming to a label switching protocol, the method comprising: receiving the packet at an edge mode of a routing domain in the communication system; and processing the label header stack at the edge node to add a new stack entry having a label field comprising a value which delimits the header stack entries between a stack domain configurable by the node belonging to a first routing domain of the label switching protocol and at least one other stack domain configurable by a node belonging to another routing domain of the communications system.

Abstract: A method of implementing a p-cycle protection scheme for a communications network comprising a plurality of nodes and interconnecting communications links along which Ethernet traffic is forwarded in a connection-oriented manner. The method comprises for each said Ethernet node in the communications network determining a label associated with each connection-oriented Ethernet path along one or more links in said communications network for which an entry exists in a forwarding table of Ethernet switching apparatus located at said Ethernet node and mapping a plurality of said paths individually identified by said respective labels, to another path defining a p-cycle between logically adjacent nodes in said communications network, wherein each said p-cycle is provisioned in the same layer as said Ethernet traffic.

Abstract: A communications system in which carrier Ethernet conveys a plurality of differing types of client signals encapsulated with a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping the client signal within an generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping the generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into the carrier Ethernet signal, the client signal being identified within the generic framing procedure signal.

Abstract: A method of reducing the bandwidth required to send a plurality of client traffic frames over a plurality of carrier communications networks.

Abstract: A method of reducing the bandwidth required to send traffic comprising a payload and a header originating in a first communications network over another communications network.

Abstract: A communications network provides a carrier Ethernet service without requiring the client signal to be identified by an Ethertype in a carrier Ethernet frame. A plurality of differing types of client signals can thus be encapsulated within the same carrier Ethernet service channel by using a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping the client signal within a generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping the generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into the carrier Ethernet signal. As the client signal is identified within said generic framing procedure signal only a generic framing signal Ethertype is required. The mapping protocol enables a single Ethernet frame to carry a plurality of client signals.

Abstract: A method of generating a generic framing procedure hierarchy comprising processing a first generic framing procedure frame to determine the overall length of the generic framing procedure frame, mapping the frame into the generic framing procedure payload area of a second generic framing procedure frame at the next level of the generic framing procedure hierarchy, whereby information enabling the size of the generic framing procedure payload remaining after that frame has been extracted is captured in the header fields of the generic framing procedure frame into which the first frame is encapsulated, and wherein the generic framing procedure header indicates whether there are more frames left in the mapping hierarchy when de-encapsulating (i.e., running down) the generic framing procedure frame stack by providing an indicator at level N of the hierarchy that at the level N?1 there is a generic framing procedure frame to extract.

Abstract: A method of implementing a p-cycle protection scheme for a communications network comprising a plurality of nodes and interconnecting communications links along which Ethernet traffic is forwarded in a connection-oriented manner. The method comprises for each said Ethernet node in the communications network determining a label associated with each connection-oriented Ethernet path along one or more links in said communications network for which an entry exists in a forwarding table of Ethernet switching apparatus located at said Ethernet node and mapping a plurality of said paths individually identified by said respective labels, to another path defining a p-cycle between logically adjacent nodes in said communications network, wherein each said p-cycle is provisioned in the same layer as said Ethernet traffic.

Abstract: A method of partitioning the header stack of a data packet, said header stack conforming to a label switching protocol and comprising a plurality of headers each of which comprises a label field to which a label value is assignable to enable a label switching node to route said packet in a network routing domain of label switching protocol in a communications system comprising a plurality of networks, the method comprising the steps of: receiving said packet at an edge node of a routing domain in said communications system; and processing the label header stack at the edge node to add a new stack entry having a label field comprising a value which delimits the header stack entries between a stack domain configurable by said node belonging to a first routing domain of said label switching protocol and at least one other stack domain configurable by a node belonging to another routing domain of said communications system, whereby a MPLS transport network scheme can be implemented.

Abstract: A communications system in which carrier Ethernet conveys a plurality of differing types of client signals encapsulated with a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping said client signal within an generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping said generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into said carrier Ethernet signal, whereby said client signal is identified within said generic framing procedure signal.

Abstract: A communications network including nodes which permit networks to be tunnelled across intermediate networks. The present invention has application, in particular, to SDH networks, SONET and OTN. The content of entities for transportation across an existing network are mapped into a series of subframes and are virtually concatenated across the network. Each subframes is assigned a sequence indicator, which allows the original entity to be assembled at a remote node.

Abstract: A communications scheme for configuring a network comprising a plurality of connected switching apparatus, each switching apparatus having functionality for implementing connectionless forwarding of received communications traffic to selectively provide a connection-oriented service for said received communications traffic, the scheme comprising: determining in a control plane index header field values to identify connectionless traffic received at switching apparatus for which a connection is to be established between a source node and a destination node; providing each switching apparatus necessary to implement the connection with information from the control plane, the information enabling the data forwarding tables of the switching to be populated with said index header field values in association with egress ports of the switching apparatus; and disabling all other functionality on said switching apparatus capable of populating the data forwarding tables with index information associated with said egress

Abstract: A communications network including nodes which permit networks to be tunnelled across intermediate networks. The present invention has application, in particular, to SDH networks, SONET and OTN. The content of entities for transportation across an existing network are mapped into a series of subframes and are virtually concatenated across the network. Each subframes is assigned a sequence indicator, which allows the original entity to be assembled at a remote node.