Abstract: A single communication interface for controlling multiple smart appliances. The communication interface can be integral with an appliance and have a port for communicating with at least one other appliance or energy consuming devices. The communication interface can be a separate module connectable to a plurality of appliance or energy consuming devices. A wireless or wired connection can be established between the communication module and an energy management device for controlling the smart appliances or energy consuming devices connected to the communication module. One or more of the appliances or energy consuming devices can be wirelessly connected to the communication interface.

Abstract: The present invention is a wireless communication system and method. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a plurality of transceiver nodes arranged in a network and configured to communicate between transceiver nodes using an Orthogonal Domain Multiple Access (ODMA) frame structure, each of the plurality of transceiver nodes having neighboring nodes. Each ODMA structure may include a plurality of bootstrap slots for each of the plurality of transceiver nodes. Further, a plurality of correlation sequences may be defined within each of the plurality of bootstrap slots in which each correlation sequence included within the plurality of correlation sequences is located in a separate antenna sector and sub-sector. Addition of the plurality of correlation sequences to each of the plurality of bootstrap slots allows for recursive directional determination of which antenna sector and sub-sector is to be used to communicate with one of the plurality of transceiver nodes.

Abstract: The present invention features methods and compositions for treating a patient who has a neurological deficit. The method can be carried out, for example, by contacting (in vivo or in culture) a neural progenitor cell of the patient's central nervous system (CNS) with a polypeptide that binds the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and directing progeny of the proliferating progenitor cells to migrate en masse to a region of the CNS in which they will reside and function in a manner sufficient to reduce the neurological deficit. The method may include a further step in which the progeny of the neural precursor cells are contacted with a compound that stimulates differentiation.

Abstract: A method for generating a drive signal for a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) scanner is provided. The method includes generating the drive signal for the MEMS scanner using a direct digital synthesis, numerically-controlled oscillator. For a particular embodiment, the drive signal is generated by receiving a summation of (i) an initial control word and (ii) an accumulated correction signal generated based on a comparison of a horizontal drive signal for the MEMS scanner and a horizontal sensor signal received from the MEMS scanner. The summation is added to a phase accumulator output, an address is extracted from the phase accumulator output, and a digital lookup table output is addressed based on the extracted address. The digital lookup table output is converted into an analog signal with a digital-to-analog converter, the analog signal is filtered to generate the drive signal, and the horizontal drive signal is generated based on the drive signal.

Abstract: A septage treatment system and process designed to eliminate liquid discharge to groundwater. The system and process use primary treatment, secondary treatment, and tertiary treatment. The tertiary treatment uses a greenhouse system to reclaim septage waste after it has gone through primary and secondary treatment. The greenhouse system fosters ecologically sound usage of septage waste to minimize the environmental impact of septage waste.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method for solvent liquefaction of biomass to produce liquid products such as transportation fuel. The method uses a novel solvent combination that promotes liquefaction relatively quickly, and it reduces the need to transport large amounts of hydrogen or hydrogen-carrying solvents. It operates at lower pressure than previous methods, does not require a catalyst or hydrogen gas or CO input, and provides very high conversion of biomass into a bio-oil that can be further processed in a petroleum refinery. It also beneficially provides a way to recycle a portion of the crude liquefaction product for use as part of the solvent combination for the biomass liquefaction reaction.

Abstract: A water heater includes: an inner tank having an internal cavity configured to hold water therein; a heating device residing in the internal cavity; an outer lining that surrounds the inner tank, a gap being present between the outer lining and the inner tank; and insulation material located in the gap. The gap is under a vacuum of between about 5 and 200 microns. In this configuration, the water heater can have an R value in excess of 500. With this level of insulative capacity, water stored in the water heater may lose only 2° F. or less over a 24 hour period, thereby substantially outperforming conventional water heaters.

Abstract: A system for suppressing undesirable oscillations in a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) scanner is provided. The system includes a tunable notch filter and a MEMS scanner. The tunable notch filter is operable to receive an original drive signal and to generate a compensated drive signal based on the original drive signal. The MEMS scanner, which is coupled to the tunable notch filter, is operable to receive the compensated drive signal and to be driven by the compensated drive signal without oscillating at a first mode resonance frequency.

Abstract: A flexible barrier film has a thickness of from greater than zero to less than 5,000 nanometers and a water vapor transmission rate of no more than 1×10?2 g/m2/day at 22° C. and 47% relative humidity. The flexible barrier film is formed from a composition, which comprises a multi-functional acrylate. The composition further comprises the reaction product of an alkoxy-functional organometallic compound and an alkoxy-functional organosilicon compound. A method of forming the flexible barrier film includes the steps of disposing the composition on a substrate and curing the composition to form the flexible barrier film. The flexible barrier film may be utilized in organic electronic devices.

Abstract: A three-quarter bridge power converter includes a first switch configured to selectively couple a switch node to a higher voltage. The power converter also includes a second switch configured to selectively couple the switch node to a lower voltage. The power converter further includes a third switch configured to selectively cause a third voltage to be provided to the switch node when the first and second switches are not coupling the switch node to the higher and lower voltages. The third switch may be configured to selectively couple the switch node to an energy storage or energy source, such as a capacitor. The third switch may also be configured to selectively couple an energy storage or energy source to ground, where the energy storage or energy source is coupled to the switch node.

Abstract: The system herein disclosed automatically detects whether an engine control unit instance number of a multi-engine marine vessel needs changing. Each engine control unit is electronically paired with a respective servo controller. A vessel controller is in communication with the servo controllers. The vessel controller commands in turn each servo controller to switch on its paired engine control unit, read the instance number of its paired engine control unit, switch off its paired engine control unit, and convey the instance number back to the vessel controller. The vessel controller then compares the instance numbers of the engine control units. If at least two instance numbers of the engine control units are duplicates of each other, the vessel controller ascertains that at least one of the instance numbers of the engine control units needs to be changed and assigns a new instance number to one of the engine control units.

Abstract: A multisection quantum dot laser (7) comprising at least first (8) and second (9) sections, each section (8, 9) comprising a semiconductor substrate (2) comprising p (3) and n type (4) layers and a quantum dot layer sandwiched therebetween; the semiconductor substrate (2) comprising a back electrical contact in electrical contact with one of the p and n type layers and a tuning electrical contact (13, 14) in electrical contact with the other of the p and n type layers; the quantum-dot layers of the first (10) and second (11) sections being portions of the same quantum dot layer (12) forming a laser cavity.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for: a rectification circuit operating to convert a source of AC power into a final DC power source; a rectification filtering capacitance operating to at least partially smooth a voltage of the final DC power source, which exhibits a voltage sag and recovery characteristic in response to time-variant current drawn therefrom; a power amplification circuit drawing power from the final DC power source and producing an output signal, for driving a speaker, having audible characteristics influenced by the voltage sag and recovery characteristic of the final DC power source; and a control circuit operating to continuously vary, in response to user input, one or more parameters of the voltage sag and/or recovery characteristic of the final DC power source.

Abstract: A method for determining an angle-of-arrival for a detected signal. The method includes the steps of receiving the signal at a first antenna, receiving the signal at a second antenna, generating a plurality of spectral lines based on a complex multiplication of a complex conjugation of the signal received at the first antenna and the signal received at the second antenna, generating a delta phase difference for pairs of the spectral lines using frequency differences, and generating an angle-of-arrival for the detected signal based on an average of the delta phase difference.

Abstract: A valve for a personal auditory system is described. The auditory system is capable of converting between an acoustic signal and an electrical signal. The auditory system has an acoustic pathway through which an acoustic signal may travel between a first point exterior to the auditory system and a second point interior to the auditory system. The valve includes a free floating electrode and a second electrode adjacent to free floating electrode. An electric signal that is generated by the second electrode moves the free floating electrode to substantially open or close the acoustic pathway.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for determining if a system is compatible with an up-binning or down-binning to a hardware resource of the system through RFID tag communication, receiving instructions from a remote server to upgrade the hardware resource if the system is compatible, and programming the hardware resource based on the instructions. In one such embodiment, the hardware resource may be programmed by use of programmable fuses to enable circuitry of the hardware resource. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Provided are topical antimicrobial compositions for application to the epidermis, e.g., hands, arms, legs, face, scalp as well as other body areas which are characterized in being free of conventional anionic soaps and conventional anionic surfactants, which preferably exhibits an acidic pH. The compositions exhibit at least 3 log kill efficacy, preferably at least 4 log kill efficacy at 60 seconds contact time of at least two, preferably at least three and most preferably at least four of microorganisms selected from the group consisting of: S. aureus, E. coli. P. aeruginosa and E. hirae, according to the known-art protocols EN 12054 (Chemical Disinfectants and antiseptics—Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of antimicrobial activity), EN 1276 (Evaluation of Bactericidal Activity in Suspension—Dilution Neutralisation Method) and EN 1499 (Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics—Hygienic Handwash).

Abstract: An extended length strand take up device is presented that may be used to repair damaged guy wires in the field. The invention comprises two connecting bodies connected by a single tension rod that extends continuously between the two connecting bodies. Each connecting body slides over opposite ends of the tension rod and is held in place by a stop member, such as threaded nuts screwed onto the respective ends of the tension rod. The connecting bodies may further include an inwardly-facing pull tab or tabs that can be used for pre-tensioning the guy wire. An alternative embodiment of the invention comprises a single tension rod that is fixedly anchored to the ground and several connecting bodies that are fixedly mounted along the end of the guy wire at standard increments. The tension rod runs parallel to and overlaps the end of the guy wire. The connecting bodies slide along the length of the tension rod until the required tension and length is reached.

Abstract: A block-code-based structure that allows cross-packet coding of data using a sliding window. In this structure, each transmitted packet contains both information symbols and parity symbols generated by the information in previous packets. This code structure allows a receiver to recover lost packets without additional transmissions. If enough packets have been lost so that the receiver cannot recover one or more of them, new parity symbols can be generated and transmitted as additional packets. The parity symbols in these additional packets may be used by multiple receivers. Thus, the sliding window block code reduces retransmission overhead, particularly for multicast applications. Furthermore, the sliding window structure does not produce an encoding delay between the arrival of data and its transmission and reduces the decoding delay between the loss of a packet and its recovery.

Abstract: A reliable delivery protocol for wireless networks, where a source node applies network forward error correction coding such that no transmission is ever repeated, instead all retransmissions and relay transmissions use coded packets further out in the coding sequence so that intermediate and destination nodes can make maximal use of overheard transmissions.