Abstract: A remote water meter monitoring system is provided. A mesh network-type transceiver unit is coupled to a water meter housing having a water counting mechanism inside to transmit water consumption information as well as other sensor information, such as backflow detection, water pressure, and water metrics (e.g., residual chlorine and temperature) to a central server system via a bridge device and a corresponding mesh network. Mechanical energy from the water flowing through the water meter housing is converted to electrical energy via an energy conversion unit. An electrically powered shut off valve is remote addressable via the transceiver unit.

Abstract: A non-modal notification user interface element is displayed persistently but unobtrusively such that a user may easily determine that authentication credentials are required by a background synchronization process. The non-modal notification is configured such that it may be ignored by the user such that their workflow is not interrupted. The background synchronization continues to synchronize the data it can even though the background synchronization may require authentication credentials for a subset of the data to be synchronized. The user may select the non-modal notification user interface element at any point in time in order to supply the required authentication credentials. The non-modal notification is removed from the display when there are no further authentication credentials required.

Abstract: Content that is received by an application is delivered to a default location that may be dynamically updated. This default location for content may be updated without interfering with the functionality of a process or application that interacts with the default location. An API allows processes to request the current location of default location and then send and access content at the default location. A user interface allows a user to change the default location within a file system. The default location may be local to a computing device or remote from the computing device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for winding a towpreg having a spool winding machine having a rod-shaped body for mounting a core of a spool, wherein the core is shuttled on the rod-shaped body to allow the towpreg to maintain a straight path substantially normal to an axis of the rod-shaped body are disclosed.

Abstract: A large-tow fiber placement system having (1) a creel, (2) a tow feeding mechanism, (3) a tow cutting mechanism, and (4) a tow consolidation system, wherein the creel shuttles a spool to maintain a substantially fixed exit path of a large-tow exiting the spool, the tow feeding mechanism has a head that is cooled by a fluid to control integrity of the large-tow and the tow consolidation system has interlocking shoes to provide a continuous application of the head is disclosed.

Abstract: A phased array antenna system on an aircraft that incorporates a choke plate that significantly attenuates sidelobes of the antenna beam pattern at elevation angles that would cause RF interference with ground-based terrestrial wireless networks. The choke plate includes a plurality of choke grooves that substantially circumscribe the antenna aperture. The choke plate has an upper surface that is positioned generally coplanar with the upper surface of the antenna aperture. The grooves of the choke plate may be filled with a dielectric material. The choke plate provides a smooth aerodynamic component that significantly attenuates beam scattering, and thus the radiation pattern sidelobes of the antenna at or below the horizon, when the aircraft is in flight.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products disambiguate a globally universal identifier (GUID) within a file after the file is duplicated. The method involves generating a GUID for the file, generating a location identifier that defines a unique location of the file when the GUID was generated, and storing the location identifier in association with the GUID. The method also involves opening and examining the file, determining whether the location identifier matches a current location of the file, and in response to determining that the location identifier does not match the current location, generating a new GUID and replacing the GUID with the new GUID. Additionally, the method may also involve remapping references mapped to the GUID in the file to the new GUID and resetting the location identifier to match the current location.

Abstract: Many different users may access, revise and update the same shared object simultaneously through several different transports. Clients may communicate asynchronously by accessing the shared object through a physical server. Clients may also communicate synchronously by accessing the shared object through a peer-to-peer network. A manifest file associated with the shared object identifies the locations where other versions and instances of the shared object are stored. The shared object and the associated manifest file allow a client to transition seamlessly between local access, synchronous and asynchronous communication such that the user is not aware that the mode of communication has changed. A user may change location and any available data sharing transports are automatically identified. Thus, the user may access a shared object and collaborate with other authorized users through different mechanisms.

Abstract: Many different users may access, revise and update the same shared object simultaneously through several different transports. Revisions to the shared object are automatically synchronized such that all users can view the revisions to the shared object. Conflicting revisions are reconciled and merged into a current version of the shared object. A client may request the current version of the shared object from a store when the current version of the shared object is not available from the store. The current version of the shared object is synchronized with the client when the store receives the current version of the share object.

Abstract: An object tracking module establishes relationships between different types of data objects associated with application programs while a particular activity occurs. Contextual information associated with the data objects and the activity is collected to establish the relationship. The contextual information may include data objects that are accessed or created while the activity is in progress, or any other information associated with the activity. When an event related to the activity occurs, the object tracking module locates data relevant to the event based on the established relationships. The relevant data is presented in the same information space where the event occurs. A user may easily access the relevant information without manually searching for the data. The object tracking module may determine the degree of relevance between the data objects and the event such that only the most relevant objects are displayed.

Abstract: A system for validating communications between a plurality of processors is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of loop back paths, and each of the loop back paths is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of processors. In addition, each loop back path is configured to attenuate one of a plurality of signals transmitted from each of the corresponding ones of the plurality of processors so as to generate a plurality of loop back signals. A plurality of signal transmission paths are configured to carry a corresponding one of the plurality of signals from one of the plurality of processors to another of the plurality of processors, and a plurality of comparators compare the plurality of loop back signals to the plurality of transmission signals so as to enable the validity of each of the plurality of signals to be assessed.

Abstract: Methods and associated systems for automated auditing of agreements. Questions relevant to qualitative and quantitative measures of an agreement relative to selected criteria are retrieved from an audit template along with associated answer options. The questions and answer options are presented to a user and user input received to provide answers to the questions. An audit score is generated to measure a degree of compliance of the agreement with the selected criteria. Scores may be presented for individual questions, or may be aggregated for groups or categories of questions. Scores may be compared to desired threshold values and suggestions to improve the score may be provided. Summary presentations of questions and answers or categories of questions and answers may be presented to monitor compliance over a number of such audits.

Abstract: A system and method for synchronizing a plurality of main processors. At a first time and in response to a first time reference, a first rendezvous signal is sent from a first to a second of the plurality of main processors. At a second time, and in response to a second time reference, a second rendezvous signal is sent from the second of the plurality of main processors, to the first of said plurality of main processors. After the first rendezvous signal is received by the second of the plurality of main processors and the second rendezvous signal is received by the first of said plurality of main processors, substantially simultaneous scanning of control information is initiated by the first and second of the plurality of main processors. In variations, a difference between the first and second times signals a fault condition.

Abstract: Systems and methods for direct-to-digital holography are described. An apparatus includes a laser; a beamsplitter optically coupled to the laser; a reference beam mirror optically coupled to the beamsplitter; an object optically coupled to the beamsplitter, a focusing lens optically coupled to both the reference beam mirror and the object; and a digital recorder optically coupled to the focusing lens. A reference beam is incident upon the reference beam mirror at a non-normal angle, and the reference beam and an object beam are focused by the focusing lens at a focal plane of the digital recorder to form an image. The systems and methods provide advantages in that computer assisted holographic measurements can be made.