Abstract: The invention disclosed here is a moving headboard for use in connection with a reciprocating floor slat system. It is particularly well-suited for use in connection with load-hauling trailers that have built-in reciprocating floor slat conveyors for unloading the trailer. Trailers of this kind are used in lieu of hydraulic lifts and involve inching the load off the trailer. The moving headboard sweeps the trailer floor clean during the unloading process.

Abstract: An exercise machine can include a motivating and instructional user interface or display. The interface can include a virtual coach or other encouraging stimulus to provide key motivation for users of indoor exercise machines.

Abstract: A method and system for acoustic monitoring using a fiber optic cable. The optical fiber is used as a distributed interferometer that may be used to monitor activity, such as activity with respect to a conduit, wellbore or reservoir. The distributed interferometric monitoring provides for accurate detection of acoustic occurrences along the fiber optic cable and these acoustic occurrences may include fluid flow in a pipeline or wellbore, processes taking place in a wellbore or pipeline, fracturing, gravel packing, production logging and/or the like.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide compositions and methods for lining a wellbore. In certain aspects, the compositions and methods comprise providing a fluid composition that is solidifiable or gellable on exposure to actinic radiation of a predetermined wavelength at the wall of open-hole wellbore and providing actinic radiation at the predetermined wavelength to solidify or gel the composition. The predetermined wavelength lies in a range from 100 nm to 1500 nm.

Abstract: An echo-based single point imaging (ESPI) system (10) providing high-resolution oxygen images of a sample is disclosed. The ESPI system (10) employs spin echo detection of the resonance from a spin probe and concurrent Single Point Imaging (SPI) for spatial encoding of the oxygen concentration within the sample. Images are derived by comparing spin echo intensities of two images reconstructed at two time points selected at identical time intervals on either side of a refocusing pulse, eliminating artifacts associated with sample magnetic susceptibility and field inhomogeneity effects.

Abstract: A system and method for determining and providing one or more guest passes for temporary access to one or more video games to a first player that was previously granted membership to a platform that offers access to playing these video games. One or more different determinations are made on information related to the first player and/or available video games to generate one or more guest passes for a video game that is at least somewhat relevant to the first player. In at least one embodiment, one or more of the different determinations can be intrinsically and/or extrinsically weighted to further refine the generation of a guest pass for a video games that is at least somewhat relevant to the first player, and thereby more likely to be offered by the first player to a second player. Also, the platform enables the determining and generating of the one or more guest passes to the one or more video games for the first player.

Abstract: Optimising the operation of a hydraulically powered rotor and stator driven drill as it drills a wellbore into the earth is described. Drilling optimization is provided measuring a first set of rotor and stator operating parameters including the speed of rotation of the rotor and rotor torque for a first period of time, generating a first set of relationships from the first set of operating parameters to enable the rotor speed and rotor torque to be predicted over a range of operating parameter values, determining from the relationships a first more optimal mode of operation, and changing at least one operating parameter to move the operation of the rotor and stator towards the more optimal mode of operation.

Abstract: The invention provides rupturing devices for mitigating the explosive reaction of a casing (121), hollow tubular body or container, particularly a munition, when it is subject to an external thermal hazard threat. The devices are based on the use of shape memory alloys. The device comprises an element of shape memory alloy (123) which is joined together by a connector (122) to form an annulus, which may be located on an exterior surface of a munitions casing (121) or launch such that upon heating through its transition temperature range will cause the annulus to contract radially inwardly, thereby rupturing the munition (121), allowing any build up of pressure to be released quickly. Advantageously, the connector (122) is. reversible such that the device will be capable of being retro-fitted or removed during normal servicing of the munition (121).

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for lining a wellbore. In certain aspects, the systems and methods comprise providing a fluid composition that is solidifiable or gellable on exposure to actinic radiation of a predetermined wavelength at the wall of open-hole wellbore and providing actinic radiation at the predetermined wavelength to solidify or gel the composition. The predetermined wavelength lies in a range from 100 nm to 1500 nm.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards employing hidden secrets on a client device to detect and deter piracy of a computer application. The computer application is partitioned into components, where a subset of the components is initially provided to the client device. In one embodiment, the computer application is unable to execute properly within the removed or other set of components. The removed components not provided to the client device may then be modified based on hidden secrets information and a verification component and provided over a network to the client device. If the verification component is unable to locate an armed secret, or detects that an armed secret is modified, the computer application may be inhibited from installation and/or execution. In one embodiment, a secret might be unarmed, such that its presence, absence, and/or modification might be ignored.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrostatic beam blanker for a particle-optical apparatus, in which the blanker is used to generate a train of pulses with a fixed repetition rate. Such pulse trains with a sub-picosecond pulse length are for example used in the study of chemistry in the femtosecond scale. The beam blanker according to the invention uses a resonant structure, as a result of which the voltage is amplified by the quality factor Q of the resonant structure. During each zero-crossing of the signal, thus twice per period of the resonant frequency, the beam is transmitted, and the beam is blanked during the rest of the time. In a preferred embodiment the resonant structure comprises a transmission line. Impedance matching of signal source and resonant structure may be performed by tuning stubs.

Abstract: A stuffed toy 11 convertible to another stuffed toy, or a cushion 13. The stuffed toy 11 has a first shape formed by a first shell 35 and a second shape formed by a second shell 41, the shells being joined by a zip fastener 47 to form a contiguous hollow structure when unzipped. The structure contains a flowable stuffing that may be manipulated between the first shell 35 and the second shell 41. The stuffing can be entirely contained with the second shell 41, within the first shell 35 and the zip fastener 47 is done up to form the stuffed toy 11. By undoing the zip fastener, the stuffing can be manipulated to be entirely contained within the second shell 41 with the first shell 35, within the second shell 41, and the zip fastener 47 done up to form the other stuffed toy or cushion 13.

Abstract: An inflatable garment for applying to parts of the body such as the calf of the leg as a means of enhancing blood circulation in the body. The garment is of universal application in the sense that it comprises two wrap halves (8, 9) provided with inflatable bladders (4, 5, 6). The two wrap halves can be selectively coupled together in such a way as to provide a variable overall length of garment wrap to suit calf's of differing size while at the same time maintaining the integrity of fluid communication between the bladders on the respective wrap halves.

Abstract: A method of lining tubing within a wellbore comprises applying a polymerisable fluid composition containing a photoinitiator to the interior surface of that tubing and initiating polymerisation of the composition by exposing it to actinic radiation, suitably light or ultraviolet with wavelength 250 to 800 nm. The composition is preferably stable against heat but polymerises quickly when exposed to the actinic radiation. The composition may be spread onto the tubing and exposed to actinic radiation as soon as it has been spread into a layer, suitably with a tool which skims the tubing surface with applicator pads for dispensing and spreading the composition, immediately followed by exposing the spread composition to actinic radiation. A second option is that the composition is provided as a sleeve which is expanded against the tubing, exposure to actinic radiation preferably then being achieved using light guides or light emitting diodes within the sleeve.

Abstract: Acoustic monitoring is carried out using a fiber optic cable. Coherent Rayleigh noise generated by the transmission of a coherent beam of radiation through the fiber optic cable is detected, a phase of the coherent Rayleigh noise is measured and the measured phase is processed to identify an acoustic occurrence along the fiber optic cable. In certain aspects, an optical fiber serves as a distributed interferometer that may be used to monitor a conduit, wellbore or reservoir. The distributed interferometric monitoring provides for accurate detection of acoustic occurrences along the fiber optic cable and these acoustic occurrences may include fluid flow in a pipeline or wellbore, processes taking place in a wellbore or pipeline, fracturing, gravel packing, or production logging.

Abstract: A tool for use in wellbore drilling that is suitable for use with a drill string for drilling a wellbore having an inner wall. The tool comprises a cylindrical abrasion surface for contacting the inner-wall and generating particles of solid material, and a smearing device coupled with the drill string for applying radial and circumferential force to smear the generated particles onto the inner wall of the wellbore.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrostatic beam blanker for a particle-optical apparatus, in which the blanker is used to generate a train of pulses with a fixed repetition rate. Such pulse trains with a sub-picosecond pulse length are for example used in the study of chemistry in the femtosecond scale. The beam blanker according to the invention uses a resonant structure, as a result of which the voltage is amplified by the quality factor Q of the resonant structure. During each zero-crossing of the signal, thus twice per period of the resonant frequency, the beam is transmitted, and the beam is blanked during the rest of the time. In a preferred embodiment the resonant structure comprises a transmission line. Impedance matching of signal source and resonant structure may be performed by tuning stubs.