Abstract: A method for improving air entrainment comprising the steps of: providing a compound selected from an amphoteric, an alkyl polyglycoside, an ester, a triglyceride, a triglyceride derivative, a fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated polyhydric fatty alcohol, and mixtures thereof; dispersing the compound on a finely particulate carrier to form a treated carrier; and adding the treated carrier to a cementitious mixture is provided. A composition for improving air entrainment, including a compound selected from an amphoteric, an alkyl polyglycoside, an ester, a triglyceride, a triglyceride derivative, a fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated polyhydric fatty alcohol, and mixtures thereof, wherein the compound is dispersed on an organic particulate carrier and added to a cementitious mixture, is also provided. The composition may be incorporated into a concrete structure.

Abstract: A method is provided for reducing the amount of ammonia evolved from a cementitious or pozzolanic mixture containing contaminated fly ash, including: providing fly ash contaminated with ammonia or ammonium-containing compounds; and adding a halogenated hydantoin to the contaminated fly ash, wherein upon the formation of a slurry, the halogenated hydantoin reacts with ammonia to reduce the evolution of ammonia gas from the slurry. Another method includes adding a halogenated succinimide to the contaminated fly ash, adding sodium dichloroisocyanurate to the contaminated fly ash, or adding a halogenated sulfamate to the contaminated fly ash.

Abstract: A method is provided for reducing the amount of ammonia evolved from a cementitious or pozzolanic mixture containing contaminated fly ash, including: providing fly ash contaminated with ammonia or ammonium-containing compounds; and adding a halogenated hydantoin to the contaminated fly ash, wherein upon the formation of a slurry, the halogenated hydantoin reacts with ammonia to reduce the evolution of ammonia gas from the slurry. Another method includes adding a halogenated succinimide to the contaminated fly ash, adding sodium dichloroisocyanurate to the contaminated fly ash, or adding a halogenated sulfamate to the contaminated fly ash.

Abstract: A method for improving air entrainment comprising the steps of: providing a compound selected from an amphoteric, an alkyl polyglycoside, an ester, a triglyceride, a triglyceride derivative, a fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated polyhydric fatty alcohol, and mixtures thereof; dispersing the compound on a finely particulate carrier to form a treated carrier; and adding the treated carrier to a cementitious mixture is provided. A composition for improving air entrainment, including a compound selected from an amphoteric, an alkyl polyglycoside, an ester, a triglyceride, a triglyceride derivative, a fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated fatty alcohol, an alkoxylated polyhydric fatty alcohol, and mixtures thereof, wherein the compound is dispersed on an organic particulate carrier and added to a cementitious mixture, is also provided. The composition may be incorporated into a concrete structure.

Abstract: A system and method for predicting the wait time of a caller to a call center is disclosed. The call center associates a set of agents to which the caller may be queued. This set of agents selected may depend on the skills that each agent possesses, the type of service request made by the caller, caller priority, time of day, day of week and other conditions. An initial wait time estimate may then be given to the caller who is just queued. As a caller's conditions may dynamically change, a caller's position in the queue may also change as well as the pool of available agents. Periodic wait time estimate updates may also be given to the queued caller. A caller's wait time may be estimated based upon mean inter-arrival times for recently past calls into the call center. An average inter-arrival time may be calculated for the last several calls. Alternatively, a caller's wait time may be estimated based upon calls that are recently queued and dequeued.

Abstract: Sulfur and soap contaminants are removed from carboxylic acid esters by a process comprising the steps of: (1) contacting a carboxylic acid ester with an aqueous base at a temperature of from about 225° F. to about 280° F. while removing water to form a dry, crude ester; (2) contacting the dry, crude ester with an absorbent selected from the group consisting of silica gel, hydro-silica gel and mixtures thereof; (3) separating the absorbent from the ester.

Abstract: A method for dynamically allocating the capacity of a computer network. All users of the network are classified as low or high priority users. High priority users may broadcast a delay message to the low priority users that cause the low priority users to delay before attempting to use the network. The length of delay can be adjusted if the high priority users are not able to utilize the network as required. In addition, if a low priority user does not receive a broadcast delay message within a predetermined amount of time, the delay period is reset to avoid unnecessary slowing of the network.

Abstract: An adjustable gamma correction circuit that is operative to adjust grey scale distortion in a projected video signal by dynamically changing the gamma transfer function without the need to reset projector high and low amplification thresholds. The circuit includes both a linear amplification stage and a non-linear amplification stage that function to reshape the projector transfer function. At the non-linear stage consists of two pairs of emitter coupled amplifiers set at different voltage thresholds. The two pairs of emitter coupled transistors allow adjustment of the grey level of the circuit transfer function to thereby compensate for mid-level variations in the projector transfer function, thereby resulting in improved projected image quality.

Abstract: Audio bus receiver includes a pair of bipolar transistors each having a base coupled via a respective resistor to a respective bus receiver input terminal, each having an emitter that is diode coupled to a respective current source and each having a collector coupled via a respective load resistor to a source of reference potential. The emitters are coupled together via a gain control resistor and the collectors are coupled to an output terminal via a differential amplifier. Advantageously, the receiver avoids loading the bus under power-down conditions without requiring the use of stand-by power supplies. Additionally, high common mode rejection is achieved without need for precision matching of components and only a single supply voltage is required for operation.

Abstract: A driver circuit especially for driving scan velocity modulation (SVM) coils or similar loads is characterized by low quiescent current loading and high peak output. The driver is coupled to an input signal varying between a quiescent signal level and a peak signal level. A transistor is coupled to a power supply and to the input signal, so as to conduct according to the input signal. A nonlinear element such as a diode is coupled in series with the emitter-collector junction of the transistor, and is biased to a voltage slightly less than a forward biased conducting diode voltage drop. Thus the diode has a higher resistance when the transistor is conducting at the quiescent signal level, and a lower resistance when the transistor is conducting at the peak signal level. The quiescent bias conditions are maintained by resistors in series and parallel with the diode. The driver may be configured as a complementary push-pull stage.

Abstract: Method for multiplexing inbound and outbound calls from a call center to improve the efficiency of call center agents since an idle agent can sometimes place an outbound call rather than wait for another inbound call. A parameter k is used to have an ACD agent place an outbound call instead of waiting to receive an inbound call. Specifically, if more than k agents in an inbound/outbound ACD call group are idle, and no calls are in the inbound call queue, then, in accordance with the present invention, callback or outbound calls are assigned to idle ACD agents until k agents are idle. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, callback calls will be assigned to an ACD agent before outbound calls. Note that, in accordance with the present invention, at any instant, at most k agents will be idle, because as soon as k+1 agents are idle, an agent will be assigned to a callback or to an outbound call.

Abstract: A driver for a cathode ray tube includes a black level compensation circuit which generates an offset voltage which tracks the current flowing to the output of the driver and therefore the average picture level (APL). The offset voltage is added as a component of the output voltage so as to increasingly shift the output voltage toward black as the APL increases. This compensates for CRT gamma non-linearities and for light scattering effects which might otherwise cause the loss of perceived detail and sharpness in dark areas of a high APL image. In the disclosed embodiment, the driver comprises a cascode amplifier and the offset voltage generating element includes a capacitively bypassed resistor connected in a reference voltage network connected to the emitter circuit of the lower (common emitter configured) transistor of the cascode amplilfier.

Abstract: In a video display system including a cathode ray tube (CRT) as a display device and video output amplifiers for amplifying relatively low level red, green an blue video input voltages to produce respective relatively high level video output voltages suitable for application to the CRT, a "black tracking" circuit is coupled to the inputs of video output amplifiers. Voltage to current converters are utilized as preamplifiers for the video output amplifiers. The "black tracking" circuit includes terminating resistors connected at one end to respective outputs of the voltage to current converters for converting output currents of the converters to respective ones of the low level video input voltages, and a common resistor connected between the other ends of the terminating resistors and a signal ground point. A filter capacitor is connected in parallel with the common resistor.

Abstract: A differential current source (50) provides first and second complementary output currents (I1, I2) responsive to a video input signal (S1) which are coupled via respective load networks (52,54) to a common supply terminal (22) and develop first and second complementary video output signals (V1,V2). A first output circuit (56) applies the first output signal to a first output terminal (16) via a voltage follower transistor (Q6) and applies the second output signal to the first output terminal via a current source transistor (Q8). A second output terminal (18) is similarly driven by a second voltage follower transistor (Q5) and a second current source transistor (Q7), all transistors being of the same conductivity type. A tri-state control circuit (Q1,Q2) coupled to the differential current source enables the differential current source in a first operating mode to produce the first and second complementary currents whereby push pull output signals are produced at the output terminals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for recovering multiphase modulated data. A signal pulse of a fixed duration is generated upon the transition of a first phase component of a multiphase modulated signal transmitted at a fixed bit rate. A data clock signal having a frequency in synchronism with the bit rate is generated in response to an error signal. The data clock signal is delayed by a delay of approximately one half the duration of the signal pulse. The delayed clock is gated using the signal pulse to provide the error signal that establishes the data clock frequency. Components of the multiphase signal are sampled using the phase locked data clock to recover data.

Abstract: A method selects a storage system, performed by assigning values to preselected parameters relating to each storage system under review. Several performance factors are calculated, each performance factor being based upon one or more of the selected parameters. The performance factors are multiplied to derive a product which represents a single figure of merit.

Abstract: A baseband television signal having a video portion with a suppressed horizontal sync pulse is descrambled by using a variable attenuator. The attenuator shifts the level of predetermined portions of the signal to restore the suppressed horizontal sync pulse to a normal unsuppressed level with respect to the rest of the signal. A reference voltage is derived from a blanking level potential and sync level potential of the signal, and is equal to the zero carrier level of the video portion of the signal. The reference voltage is utilized to maintain the level of the restored sync pulse at a proper value.

Abstract: A preamplifier for use in an imaging system including a charge-injection device employs an amplifier, at least a first switch and a clamping loop. The switch is capable of grounding the amplifier reference outside the blanking interval and is open during at least a portion of the blanking interval, thereby preventing the amplifier from entering saturation during the charge injection performed by the charge-injection device. The clamping loop serves to maintain the output of the preamplifier at a predetermined constant level during that portion of the blanking interval in which the amplifier is disabled. The inventive preamplifier has a reduced input impedence and capacitance, and thus operates with less overall noise.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically and/or manually controlling setup of a device such as a color television camera. The system includes a closed loop automatic setup system which provides at least one setup control signal to the camera and, during a specific automatic setup operation, responds to at least one video signal provided by the camera to automatically adjust the level of the setup control signal. A manual control is also provided which permits manual variation of the level established by the auto setup system. In addition, apparatus is included for disabling the manual control during the automatic setup operation so that at that time the setting of the manual control does not influence the level of the setup control signal. The apparatus is also operable in fully automatic and fully manual modes.

Abstract: A system for automatically setting up a color television camera. Register error is detected by correlating the times of occurrence of level transitions in two video signals. A unipolar pulse is provided in response to a level transition in one of the video signals, and a pulse having a positive and a negative lobe is provided in response to a level transition in the other of the video signals. The two pulse signals are multiplied. The product of the two pulse signals is integrated to produce a signal whose amplitude and polarity varies with register error. A microprocessor control system detects size and centering errors by measuring register error at different spots on the raster. Before correcting setup errors, the microprocessor verifies that there are adequate level transitions in the imaged scene by methodically adjusting the setup controls over a range of values and noting whether the measured register or size errors change accordingly.