Abstract: An interactive voice response (IVR) platform running a voice application for use with a voice client is extended to support text messaging clients and other clients of other media types on other channels. An application-to-text messaging interface interfaces with text messaging clients via a text messaging protocol transport and interfaces with the IVR via an API. It includes a user/application manager to handle user and application accounts and a state/session manager to handle state information required by the text messaging operations and to handle sessions maintained by the IVR. Text modules are implemented having text synthesis and text recognition with a dictionary/grammar. These allow voice-specific application scripts to be interpreted in a text channel. The extended multi-channel platform supports an open source text messaging network and also through a transport gateways to other types of text messaging clients.

Abstract: A combustor liner for use in a gas turbine engine includes a first liner section and a second liner section. They are joined together by welding or a mechanical fixing along a common join line or weld. A heat shield extends along the join line to protect it from the high temperatures and thermal stresses that are experienced by the combustor liner during the operation of the gas turbine engine. The heat shield is spaced apart from the joint line to define a passage between the heat shield and the first and second liner sections for the introduction of a cooling fluid such as air. The heat shield and the exposed surfaces of the liner sections are coated with a thermal barrier coating.

Abstract: A turbine blade assembly, in particular for a gas turbine, is provided. The turbine blade assembly includes a disc with a rotation axis, turbine blades, each turbine blade including an airfoil, a blade root and a platform between the airfoil and the blade root by which it may be fixed to the disc, locking plates and bent seal strips. The turbine blades are arranged adjacent to each other on the disc, such that gaps are present between the platforms of adjacent turbine blades and root cavities are present between the portions of the roots of adjacent turbine blades. The turbine blades are secured axially to the disc by the locking plates. The seal strips are arranged in the gaps between the platforms of neighbouring turbine blades to seal the gap and protrude axially over the blade root and over the locking plate.

Abstract: A gas turbine rotor blade and rotor disk arrangement is provided. The rotor blade and the rotor disk includes a coating in order to seal the gap which normally exists between the bottom part of the blade root and the bottom part of the disk slot. The coating may be applied to the blade root or to the disk itself on the bottom part of the disk slot. The coating is preferably an abradable nickel-alloy Bentonite coating. The coating may also be applied to only a portion of the areas being sealed, omitting a portion at the start of the slot or at the start of one of the lobes of the blade root, so that a lead-in is formed, whereby the blade can more easily be inserted into the slot.

Abstract: A turbine rotor with a rotor disc, a plurality of slots arranged on the rotor disc, a plurality of blades having blade roots and arranged in the slots, and a plurality of locking plates fitted in a position between the rotor disc and the blades are provided. The first gaps on radially outside edges and second gaps on radially inside edges, relative to an axis of rotation of the rotor disc, are formed between neighboring locking plates. At least one of the first gaps is smaller than the corresponding second gap, wherein at least one first gap and corresponding second gaps are intentionally introduced.

Abstract: A reduced weight enhanced strength jewelry piece. In the preferred embodiment, the piece is comprised of a left section and a right section, each preferably containing a substantially hollow channel. A central section is also provided. All three sections are preferably formed of the same precious metal, though different metals could be used if contrast is desired in the finished piece. In the preferred embodiment, the central section is a substantially solid piece fitted to match both the left section and the right section. The three sections are joined together to form a jewelry piece. The resultant jewelry piece will have two substantially hollow chambers transected by a substantially solid piece. The substantially solid piece will serve as a brace to the hollow chambers, such that if a force were applied to the jewelry piece transverse to the hollow chambers of the piece, the central section would resist deformation.

Abstract: Axisymmetric birefringent materials are incorporated into a deep UV imaging system by exploiting axial symmetries. A polar orthogonal polarization pattern is relayed conjugate to a pupil of a telecentric imaging system to avoid birefringence of axisymmetric birefringent optics located in telecentric object or image space.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for analyzing an episode stored by an implantable medical device (IMD) using prior probability and conditional probability information to determine the likelihood of a particular diagnosis for a given stored episode. Certain embodiments include retrieving information about a stored episode from an IMD, including an episode metric, and retrieving domain expert information about potential diagnoses and episode metrics to determine the likelihood that the stored episode was due to a particular potential diagnosis. Certain embodiments also include retrieving patient information including a patient metric, such as patient demographics, or patient history. Certain embodiments of the invention include the ability to automatically or manually update or change the domain expert information.

Abstract: The invention features a doublet at one end of a high numerical aperture imaging system. The doublet includes two members coupled together by a fluid medium. The first member is arranged for receiving converging rays within a region of medium power density, and the second member further converges the rays through a region of higher power density. The second member can be made to withstand the higher power density by being made of a more durable material or in a form that is easily replaceable.

Abstract: A circuit and method are provided for performing built-in test of output signal magnitudes of integrated differential signal generator circuitry. In accordance with one embodiment, first upper and lower reference voltages and second upper and lower reference voltages are received via a plurality of reference electrodes, wherein: a difference between the first and upper and lower reference voltages comprises a first difference magnitude; a difference between the second upper and lower reference voltages comprises a second difference magnitude; and the first difference magnitude is greater than the second difference magnitude. Test signal generator circuitry provides a plurality of binary signals with respective successions of opposing signal states.

Abstract: A water treatment system for treating coal-bed-methane (CBM) water. The CBM water treatment system includes a pump system for pumping CBM water from one or many CBM wells into a common reservoir and a solid-based sulfurous generator that produces aqueous sulfurous acid to treat the CBM water and an injection system that increases the amount of calcium contained in CBM water. In one embodiment, the injection system is a gypsum injector that injects soluble gypsum into the CBM water. Moreover, in one embodiment, the solid-based sulfurous generator includes a hydraulic air inlet shut off valve safety system for automatically reducing the combustion air to the sulfurous generator when water is not delivered to the solid-based sulfurous generator.

Abstract: A nerve-stimulation device and method using light to provide a source of precise stimulation on one or more nerve fibers. In some embodiments, this simulation is provided through a device and method wherein a laser- or LED-light-generating source is operatively coupled to an optical fiber, which in turn is coupled to a plug in the end of a holder in a sheath. Light is then passed from the light source through the optical fiber to the holder and out a selected optical tip on the sheath to provide an efficacious amount of light to simulate nerves. In some embodiments, the device is constructed from non-magnetic material such as glass, plastic or ceramics. In some embodiments, the light emanating from the optical tip can be controlled manually or automatically. Some embodiments omit the fiber and use light directly from the laser diode.

Abstract: A water treatment system for treating water. The water treatment system includes a primary water treatment station and a solid-based sulfurous generator downstream from the primary water treatment station for producing aqueous sulfurous acid for further treatment of the water. In one embodiment, the solid-based sulfurous generator includes a hydraulic air inlet shut off valve safety system for automatically reducing the combustion air to the sulfurous generator when water is not delivered to the solid-based sulfurous generator. Also, in one embodiment, the water treatment system includes a control system that monitors the pH of the treated water to control the water flow rate through the solid-based sulfurous generator to achieve the desired concentration of sulfurous acid in the water being treated.

Abstract: A multi-processor system in which each processor receives a message from another processor in the system. The message may contain corrupted data that was corrupted during transmission from the preceding processor. Upon receiving the message, the processor detects that a portion of the message contains corrupted data. The processor then replaces the corrupted portion with a predetermined bit pattern known or otherwise programmed into all other processors in the system. The predetermined bit pattern indicates that the associated portion of data was corrupted. The processor that detects the error in the message preferably alerts the system that an error has been detected. The message now containing the predetermined bit pattern in place of the corrupted data is retransmitted to another processor. The predetermined bit pattern will indicate that an error in the message was detected by the previous processor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for remotely programming implantable medical devices. The apparatus includes a server adapted to receive and store at least one request to modify the behavior of an implantable medical device provided by a programmer adapted to allow a clinician to create the at least one request at a first selected time. The apparatus further includes a monitor adapted to receive the requests from the server and transmit the requests to the implantable medical device at a second selected time and a bi-directional communications system adapted to couple the server and the monitor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to allow program steps in an issue queue to be sent to the execution queue in a non program order provides reduced stall by allowing out of program order steps to be executed as needed resources become available. The method uses a modulus operation to preassign locations in the execution queues, and keep the entries in proper program order. The method employs an additional bit to represent the modules result (value) and may also utilize a load store number mapping memory to increase execution speed. With such an arrangement a computer system may decrease the lost performance due to waiting for required resource (i.e., memory or bus) availability for the current instruction, by issuing instructions for which the memory or bus resource is available even though the instruction is not the next one in the original program order. Thus the present invention allows memory reference instructions to issue as resources are available.

Abstract: Managing the status of documents in a distributed storage system is disclosed. Upon determining that a first version exists and a second version having a predecessor version identifier exists, the predecessor version identifier is used to determine that the second version is related to the first version. Based upon the existence of the related second version, the status of the first version is updated.

Abstract: A care provider is able to remotely program a pacemaker, drug pump, neurostimulation device or other an implantable medical device (IMD) by operating a browser application communicating with a server. Following successful authentication to the server, the care provider's browser receives information about one or more operating parameters of the IMD from the server. The care provider provides an instruction from the browser application to the server to modify one or more operating parameters. The server formats a digital program request from the instruction that includes a digital signature or other identification code uniquely identifying the server. The digital program request is then forwarded to the IMD via a remote monitor (IRM) for subsequent verification of the digital identification code and wireless transmission the verified digital program request from the IRM to the IMD.

Abstract: A chassis assembly for containing a plurality of electronic units includes a cabinet including top, bottom, and opposite side walls, the front and rear of the cabinet being open. A pair of opposing vertical columns of spaced-apart stops projects from the interior surfaces of the side walls adjacent to the rear edges thereof, the corresponding stops in the pairs of columns being located opposite one another at the same elevation in said cabinet. The assembly also includes pairs of similar brackets each bracket pair adapted for securement to the opposite sides of an electronic unit to be contained in the chassis assembly. The brackets of each pair have rear ends shaped to interfit with corresponding stops in the columns of stops to set the elevation in the cabinet of the unit to which they are secured. The front ends of the brackets are releasably secured to the adjacent cabinet side walls so that said brackets are parallel to said top and bottom walls.

Abstract: A system for enhancing brightness and resolution while correcting certain types of convergence, geometry, color and luminance errors caused by the display device, the viewing position or both. This system involves merging images from two or more sources, overlapping and offsetting pixels, or overlapping scanning lines ‘merged raster’ in a CRT or several (3) ‘merged rasters’ in color CRTs, and adjusting video content and timing, to compensate for the current viewing position and/or device distortion. Display and/or viewing perspective distortion characteristics are measured from the observers viewing position for the raster or each non-converged raster and stored as correction factor data in non-volatile memory. This data is used to modify the digital addressing of video image memory, to read and to correct pixel data for each image, adjust color, modify magnitude, and to drive the displays video amplifier at the correct time with the corrected amplitude and image data.