Abstract: An analyzing a telecommunications network that receives environmental data, vendor data, and customer data related to a telecommunications transaction. A telecommunications transaction identifier is generated for each telecommunications transaction to determine attributes associated with each telecommunications transaction. The telecommunications transaction identifier and the attributes associated with the identified telecommunications transaction are mapped to a customer-specific parameter. The telecommunications network determines whether the transaction conforms to the parameters.

Abstract: An energy efficient process for converting biomass into a higher carbon content, high energy density slurry. Water and biomass are mixed at a temperature and under a pressure that are much lower than in prior processes, but under a non-oxidative gas, which enables a stable slurry to be obtained containing up to 60% solids by weight, 20-40% carbon by weight, in the slurry. The temperature is nominally about 200° C. under non-oxidative gas pressure of about 150 psi, conditions that are substantially less stringent than those required by the prior art. In another embodiment, the biomass water slurry can be mixed with a coal water slurry to further optimize the carbon content and pumpability of the biomass slurry.

Abstract: An energy efficient process for converting biomass into a higher carbon content, high energy density slurry. Water and biomass are mixed at a temperature and under a pressure that are much lower used in than prior processes, but under a non-oxidative gas, which enables a stable slurry to be obtained containing up to 60% solids, about 38% carbon by weight. The temperature is nominally about 200° C. under non-oxidative gas pressure of about 150 psi, conditions that are substantially less stringent than those required by the prior art.

Abstract: An energy efficient process for converting biomass into a higher carbon content, high energy density slurry. Water and biomass are mixed at a temperature and under a pressure that are much lower than in prior processes, but under a non-oxidative gas, which enables a stable slurry to be obtained containing up to 60% solids by weight, 20-40% carbon by weight, in the slurry. The temperature is nominally about 200° C. under non-oxidative gas pressure of about 150 psi, conditions that are substantially less stringent than those required by the prior art.

Abstract: An automatic blood pressure gauge generates a signal representing the instantaneous pressure levels in a blood pressure cuff. This pressure signal includes a slowly changing component representing a deflating cuff and a more rapidly changing component representing blood pressure pulses that are mechanically coupled to the cuff. The pressure signal is DC coupled to a microprocessor. The microprocessor filters the pressure signal using a minimum order-statistic filter coupled in cascade with a median order-statistic filter to generate an auxiliary signal having peaks at the starting points of the pulses. This auxiliary signal is used to generate a signal representing the slowly changing component of the pressure signal. The slowly changing component of the pressure signal is subtracted from the pressure signal, leaving only the blood pressure pulse signal. The microprocessor then generates a function representing peaks of the blood pressure pulses versus a corresponding cuff pressure at which they occur.