Abstract: A dosing spout for mounting on a container has a liquid outlet valve which, at placing of the spout in an electric field, can be actuated by the field for opening of outflow of liquid directly from the container and out through the mouth of the spout, and an air inlet valve which can let air from the surroundings directly into the container as compensation for the quantity of liquid flowing out. The armature of the liquid outlet valve and the armature of the air inlet valve are arranged consecutively in their longitudinal direction of displacement.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for automatically creating animated 3-D scenarios from human position and path data are provided. The method and system may include immersive and non-immersive virtual reality technologies for the training and mental conditioning of trainees such as football players with a focus on visual perception skills. The method and system may include a unique combination of commercially available hardware, specially developed software, data sets, and data libraries, as well as commercially available software packages.

Abstract: An integral self-leveling gas shock strut with dual spring rates as a structural load support between a vehicle chassis and wheel. When the vehicle is driving at an inclined longitudinal pitch a gravity sensitive device within the strut governs a pilot valve which opens to allow a pressure input signal from strut piston compression deflection to close a high flow volume slave valve located between primary and secondary volumetric chambers, trapping gases within the primary chamber to provide a hard spring rate for the strut mounted on the vehicle's downhill side. Contrarily, a similar valve sequence in a companion strut mounted on the vehicle's uphill side opens gas flow communication to combine its primary and secondary chamber volumes, thus providing a soft spring rate and consequent leveling effect of the vehicle using only the pumping action of the strut pistons as a power source, requiring neither external power nor inputs.

Abstract: An automated process control system configured for controlling a plasma processing system having a chamber, the chamber being configured for processing a substrate. The automatic process control system includes a first sensor disposed within the chamber, the first sensor being configured for making a first plurality of measurements pertaining to a first parameter associated with a structure disposed at least partially within the chamber. The performing the first plurality of measurements is performed during the processing of the substrate. The automatic process control system further includes first logic coupled to receive the first plurality of measurements from the first sensor. The first logic is configured for analyzing using SPC methodologies the first plurality of measurements during the processing.

Abstract: In a process for producing a profile by profile extrusion, a melt of a polyester composition is extruded through a die to form a profile. The processability of the polyester composition is improved by the addition of a branching agent, which provides increased melt strength and increased high shear thinning. The polyester composition has an inherent viscosity of at least 0.65 dl/g. The diacid component of the polyester composition has from 100 to 98.0 mole percent of residues of a primary acid selected from terephthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, isophthalic acid and mixtures thereof. The glycol component of the polyester composition has from 100 to 98.0 mole percent of residues of a primary glycol selected from ethylene glycol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, diethylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, and mixtures thereof. The polyester composition has from 0.05 to 2.

Abstract: In a loading platform system for mounting on a vehicle, especially a truck provided with a loading platform mounted to the vehicle by a lift support structure which is operated by a lift actuator for lifting and lowering loads onto, and from, a vehicle loading bed by way of the loading platform, a locking structure is provided for locking the loading platform in its raised position in which its surface is in planar alignment with the vehicle loading bed, thereby preventing exposure of the lift actuator to the stresses generated by heavy loads disposed on the loading platform during loading and unloading of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of repeater insertion in a hierarchical integrated circuit includes defining an initial floorplan for a parent macro at a parent level in a hierarchical circuit design; passing outline and pin locations from the parent macro to a child macro sharing a common area with the parent macro; defining or modifying a floor plan for the child macro at a child level in the hierarchical circuit design in response to the outline and pin locations passed from the parent macro; passing physical restrictions in the child macro from the child macro to the parent macro; determining a location for a cell at the parent level of the hierarchical circuit design in an area of the parent macro shared by the child macro in response to the physical restrictions passed from the child macro; passing physical constraints in the parent macro associated with placement and routing of the cell from the parent level to the child macro; and generating an abstract representation for the child macro at the child level that includes an

Abstract: A method of separating a sheet of print media from a stack of sheets, the sheets being porous, includes blowing fluid on to a top surface of a topmost sheet of the print media on the stack so that the fluid passes through at least the topmost sheet of the stack and capturing at least a part of the topmost sheet for conveyance to a printing station of a printer.

Abstract: A system and method for providing access to a unified message store logically storing computer telephony messages is disclosed. A multiplicity of heterogeneous storage objects corresponding to computer telephony messages are stored in a unified message store. An application software layer exchanging the heterogeneous storage objects with a computer telephony server is exported. The computer telephony server is interfaced via a container subsystem defining encapsulated methods including organization strategy methods and storage strategy methods. A unified inbox generating an indicator for at least one of the computer telephony messages is provided. The unified inbox exports user controls for accessing the corresponding heterogeneous storage objects stored in the unified message store.

Abstract: A system for switching television channels provides a first tuner by which a first television channel is received and a second tuner by which a second television channel is received once a channel selection is made while the first channel is being viewed. The current channel being viewed is immediately switched to the selected second channel once the second tuner has acquired that channel.

Abstract: A device for reducing the effects of leakage current within electronic devices is disclosed. In one form, a high voltage driver includes a high voltage source coupled to at least one high voltage transistor and a leakage offset module coupled to at least a portion of one of the high voltage transistors. The leakage offset module includes a diode connected MOS device operable to generate an offset voltage and an MOS shunting device coupled in a parallel with the diode connected MOS device. During operation, the diode connected MOS device generates an offset voltage based on a sub-threshold leakage associated with using the high voltage source and the MOS shorting device is operable to short the diode connected MOS device when sub-threshold leakage current is relatively low.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a stable, high pressure plasma column with long length, and high axial uniformity. Rotating a gas-filled tube about an horizontal axis creates a vortex with minimal, or no shear flow. Such a vortex provides a stable equilibrium for a central column of high temperature gas and plasma when, for a given rotation speed, the centrifugal force dominates over the gravitational force inside the smallest radial dimension of the containment envelope. For gas pressures sufficiently high that the particle mean free path is short compared with the thickness of the gas layer between the central plasma column and the wall, thermal transport across this sheath layer is small and its temperature is low. High pressure discharges inside a rotating envelope may be sustained by a variety of means, including electrical, electromagnetic and chemical; they may find application in plasma torches, light sources, etc.

Abstract: The present invention relates to antifungal and antibacterial activity of processed Morinda citrifolia products, as well as from various fractions of extracts from these processed products and the Morinda citrifolia L. plant, and related methods to determine mean inhibitory concentrations. In particular, the present invention relates to ethanol, methanol and ethyl acetate extracts from Morinda citrifolia L. and their inhibitory activities on common fungi and bacteria and the identification of mean inhibitory concentrations.

Abstract: A ball grid array mounted circuit includes a stress relief substrate having spaced conductive vias extending between its surfaces and connection pads at the surfaces. Solder connections formed from solder balls connect between pads at the top surface and connection pads at an electronic component. Solder connections formed from solder balls connect between pads at the bottom surface and connection pads at a printed circuit board (PCB). The solder connections absorb at least a portion of the stress due to differences between the thermal coefficient of expansion of the electronic component and the PCB.

Abstract: A plant for generation of information indicative of the depth and the orientation of an object positioned below the surface of the ground is adapted to use electromagnetic radiation emitted from and received by an antenna system associated with the plant. The plant has a transmitter and a receiver for generation of the electromagnetic radiation in cooperation with the antenna system mentioned and for reception of the electromagnetic radiation reflected by the object in cooperation with the antenna system, respectively. The antenna system includes a plurality of individual antenna elements such as dipole antennas, having substantially linear polarization. The antenna elements are positioned in relation to the geometric center of the antenna system, with the various centers of the antenna element displaced in relation to the geometric center of the antenna system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing an encoded signal with an encoder. The encoder includes an encoding stage and a selection stage. The encoder receives a first external encoded signal, a first external unencoded signal and an external selection signal. The encoding stage encodes the first external unencoded signal to generate a first internal encoded signal. The selection stage internally routes within the encoder one of the first external encoded signal and the first internal encoded signal to an output of the encoder in response to the external selection signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging apparatus and method are described for imaging nonlinear response objects such as contrast agents at greater depths. Transmit pulses include two fundamental frequency components, one of which is to produce harmonic components at the fundamental frequency of the other component. In the presence of a contrast agent these harmonic components are used for imaging the contrast agent. When the contrast agent is not present imaging is performed using the fundamental echoes of the other echo frequency. Preferably the harmonic frequency of the first fundamental component is aligned with the second fundamental frequency. The technique is especially useful when imaging contrast agents at low MI and at significant depths in the body.

Abstract: An integrated system and method for removing excess nutrients from water, for removing the nutrients from the removal site, for enhancing soil, and for producing pulp and paper products includes bioremediating water to be treated with cultured algae or another suitable plant matter in an attached periphyton bed, harvesting the algae/plant matter to produce a wet algal biomass, and mixing the wet biomass with a shredded fibrous material to produce a pulp. The pulp can be molded into a biodegradable package that can be utilized as a delivery vehicle to a site having nutrient-enrichable soil, where the package can be used as a soil amendment after being used as a delivery vehicle. The pulp can also be made into a paper product that is biodegradable and has the characteristic of enhancing soil quality.

Abstract: A flashing apron for use in grain bins roofs which has apron segments comprised of a single sheet of metal with a plurality of spaced crease lines therein wherein the crease lines create a plurality of truncated areas in an upper surface of the apron segment. Each apron segment has a side edge comprising a downwardly bent lip which fits underneath a side edge of an adjacent apron segment which is planar in shape and which lies on or above the bent lip. Suitable fasteners are provided to secure the apron segments together to create a composite flashing apron for mounting around the circular ring at the apex of the grain bin roof.

Abstract: A new miniature rose plant which has abundant, orange-red colored flowers and attractive foliage. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for year round production in commercial glass houses as a flowering pot plant. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.