Abstract: A display arrangement comprises a banner, one edge of which is secured to a hollow, flexible rod. A spring arrangement is located within the rod. The spring arrangement comprises a spring that extends along a predetermined length of the rod and an elastic band that is looped through the length of the rod down the interior of the spring and around the exterior of the rod. The banner may be curved and posed by flexing the rod at the location of the spring. This curve is then retained in the banner by a balancing tension in the exterior portion of the elastic band between the ends of the rod. In some embodiments, the display arrangement is connected to one or more similar arrangements so that their banners form a continuous display.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating and prescribing lenses suitable for color blindness and dyslexia correction are disclosed. The corrective lens may be formed of an optically transparent base material, which is tinted to a desired color for correction by immersion in a colorant dye. The color tinted lens is then tinted by a neutral tint dye to render the lens observable as a regular corrective lens. Prescription of such lenses may be based on a dynamically balanced, or haploscopic, fashion of prescription that comprises selecting a first visual filter from a set of sixteen filters and a second visual filter from the remaining set of fifteen filters, the first for the dominant eye and the second for non-dominant eye.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computerized method, non-transitory machine-readable medium and computer system for ensuring that critical information, such as that allowing an ecommerce customer to activate purchased downloadable software, can be retrieved even if issues occur in the primary distribution center. The method receives a call for data (e.g. key) at a first endpoint associated with a first distribution center, determining that the call for the data cannot be fulfilled at the first endpoint, and shifting the call for the data to a second endpoint associated with a second distribution center. The computer system comprises a first and second distribution center system, including modules for: fulfilling a call for data, or key; determining if a call cannot be fulfilled, determining a plurality of error indications; and redirecting calls originally directed to one of a first computer or a second computer to the other of the first computer and the second computer.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an annular rotor that rotates about a rotational axis. A magnetic bearing system influences the position of the annular rotor in three-dimensional space and includes at least three actuators, wherein at least one actuator generates a force for lifting the annular rotor in a vertical direction, at least one actuator influences the position of the annular rotor in the radial direction of the annular rotor and at least assists in maintaining an annular gap between at least one non-magnetic bearing and the annular rotor during operation and at least one actuator influences the position of the annular rotor in an axial direction of the annular rotor. At least one radiation source may be fixedly mounted on the annular rotor.

Abstract: A display arrangement includes at least two banners adapted to be displayed side-by side to form a continuous display. Adjacent edges of the banners are adapted to overlap one another by a predetermined overlap area. The overlap area of one banner bears identical material to the overlap area of the other banner. Each banner is secured to a first rod along another edge and these rods are adapted to connect together in such a way that the banners are retained in a side-by-side relationship with said predetermined overlap banner areas overlapping one another. This forms a continuous display across the two banners so that the display arrangement gives the appearance of comprising only a single banner, the joint between the banners being difficult to discern. In some embodiments, one of the banners is secured to a roller-banner stand that is adapted to connect to and thereby support the other banner.

Abstract: A loop buffer is provided with a main store 26 and an auxiliary store 28. The main store 26 stores micro-operation instructions. The auxiliary store 28 has fewer entries than the main store 26 and stores target addresses for predicted taken branch instructions stored within the main store 26. Read control circuitry serves to control reading from the main store and from an auxiliary store such that target addresses are read from the auxiliary store in association with the predicted taken branch instructions read from the main store.

Abstract: An out-of-order processor 4 groups program instructions together to control their commitment to complete processing. If an instruction within a group has a source operand dependent upon a plurality of destination operands of other instructions then this is identified as a size mismatch hazard. When the program instruction having the size mismatch hazard reaches a commit point within the processor, then it is flushed together with any speculatively executed succeeding program instructions. Furthermore, the group of program instructions containing the program instruction containing the program instruction having the size mismatch is divided into a plurality of groups of program instructions each containing a single program instruction which are then replayed through the processing mechanisms.

Abstract: A processor 2 includes instruction decoding circuitry 8 and processing circuitry 16, 18, 20, 22, 24. The instruction decoding circuitry decodes at least one conditional program instruction in accordance with a conditional prediction as one of, in accordance with the condition prediction being a condition pass, one or more micro-operation instructions that control the processing circuitry to perform the processing action together with a condition resolution micro-operation instruction, or in accordance with the condition prediction being a condition fail, at least a condition resolution micro-operation instruction. Condition resolution circuitry 24 responds to the condition resolution micro-operation instruction to determine if the condition prediction is incorrect.

Abstract: An events management system coordinates the exchange of device alert or alarm information between an asset management system and one or more business systems within a process control system or plant. The events management system receives device alerts from the asset management system and uses a rules-engine and one or more state machines to send notifications containing device alert information to one of more of the business systems.

Abstract: An actuator has a rotatable input member coupled to a drive member such that rotation of the rotatable input member under an input load causes rotation of the drive member on a first axis. The drive member is coupled to a driven member such that rotation of the drive member causes rotation of the driven member on a second axis which is laterally offset from the first axis. A coupling between the drive member and the driven member is arranged to provide a rotational reduction from the drive member to the driven member. The driven member is arranged for connection to a wire of a Bowden cable having a sleeve seatable in relation to a housing for the actuator such that rotation of the driven member causes extension or retraction of the cable.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an annular rotor that rotates about a rotational axis. A magnetic bearing system influences the position of the annular rotor in three-dimensional space and includes at least three actuators, wherein at least one actuator generates a force for lifting the annular rotor in a vertical direction, at least one actuator influences the position of the annular rotor in the radial direction of the annular rotor and at least assists in maintaining an annular gap between at least one non-magnetic bearing and the annular rotor during operation and at least one actuator influences the position of the annular rotor in an axial direction of the annular rotor. At least one radiation source may be fixedly mounted on the annular rotor.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating and prescribing lenses suitable for color blindness and dyslexia correction are disclosed. The corrective lens may be formed of an optically transparent base material, which is tinted to a desired color for correction by immersion in a colorant dye. The color tinted lens is then tinted by a neutral tint dye to render the lens observable as a regular corrective lens. Prescription of such lenses may be based on a dynamically balanced, or haploscopic, fashion of prescription that comprises selecting a first visual filter from a set of sixteen filters and a second visual filter from the remaining set of fifteen filters, the first for the dominant eye and the second for non-dominant eye.

Abstract: A method and a data processing apparatus operable to process instructions from a plurality of instruction sets, the plurality of instruction sets each sharing a sub-set of common instructions and each having a remaining set of instructions is disclosed. The data processing apparatus comprises: a plurality of decode units, each decode unit being operable to only decode the remaining set of instructions from a corresponding one of the plurality of instruction sets; and a common decode unit operable to decode a number of the sub-set of common instructions from each of the plurality of instruction sets. This enables the common instructions from each instruction set to be decoded by the common decode unit. Hence, the logic which would otherwise be duplicated in each of the individual decode units for each instruction set can be removed from those decode units and provided just once in the common decode unit.

Abstract: A lens and a method of making lenses suitable for color blindness correction are disclosed. The corrective lens may be formed of an optically transparent base material, which is tinted to the desired color for correction by immersion in a colorant dye. The color tinted lens is then tinted by a neutral tint dye to render the lens observable as a regular corrective lens. If desired, the dyes may be heated during immersion.

Abstract: An out-of-order renaming processor is provided with a register file within which aliasing between registers of different sizes may occur. In this way a program instruction having a source register of a double precision size may alias with two single precision registers being used as destinations of one or more preceding program instructions. In order to track this data dependency the double precision register may be remapped into a micro-operation specifying two single precision registers as its source register. In this way, scheduling circuitry may use its existing hazard detection and management mechanisms to handle potential data hazards and dependencies. Not all program instructions having such data hazards between registers of different sizes are handled by this source register remapping. For these other program instructions a slower mechanism for dealing with the data dependency hazard is provided.

Abstract: A data processing system including multiple execution pipelines each having multiple execution stages E1, E2, E3 may have instructions issued together in parallel despite a data dependency therebetween if it is detected that the result operand value for the older instruction will be generated in an execution stage prior to an execution stage which requires that result operand value as an input operand value to the younger instruction and accordingly cross-forwarding of the operand value is possible between the execution pipelines to resolve the data dependency.

Abstract: Techniques for preventing the loss of trace information being transmitted via trace infrastructure are disclosed. A data processing apparatus for processing instructions is provided.

Abstract: A lens and a method of making lenses suitable for color blindness correction are disclosed. The corrective lens may be formed of an optically transparent base material, which is tinted to the desired color for correction by immersion in a colorant dye. The color tinted lens is then tinted by a neutral tint dye to render the lens observable as a regular corrective lens. If desired, the dyes may be heated during immersion.

Abstract: An actuator for use in adjusting a device by means of a Bowden cable includes a housing and an input shaft mounted in the housing and rotatable on a first axis. The shaft has an eccentric portion centered on a second axis laterally offset from the first axis, while a gear track defined by, or fixed in relation to, the housing is concentric with the first axis. A gear is rotatable on the eccentric portion and drivingly engaged with teeth of the gear track. A pulley member rotatably mounted on the input shaft is rotatable with rotation of the gear and is adapted for securing an end of a wire of a Bowden cable. With rotation of the input shaft on the first axis, the gear is caused by the eccentric to orbit around the first axis. In so orbiting the gear is caused by its engagement with the gear track to rotate on the second axis and thereby rotate the pulley member for longitudinally advancing or retracting the wire of the Bowden cable relative to the sheath of a Bowden cable.

Abstract: A bioreactor vessel has a biological support provided within the vessel to support bacteria and a drive system for agitating the biological support while it is it is immersed in the reaction liquor that is to be treated within the vessel. The drive system causes the biological support to oscillate with a reciprocating or rectilinear motion and the drive system is preferably located either outside the vessel or within a portion of the vessel that is above the level of reaction liquor present therein.