Abstract: Productivity prediction technique and system, in which user input defining workforce capability parameters is received and a prediction model is accessed. The prediction model quantifies an impact of workforce capability on productivity. The model was generated by applying statistical analysis on historical workforce data for projects and historical process metrics data for the projects. The prediction model is used to calculate a distribution of productivity for a given set of workforce capability parameters and the predicted productivity range for the workforce capability parameters is provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for accurately determining a pore pressure of a subsurface formation (20) penetrated by a wellbore (40). The systems and methods provide for measuring pressure and temperature at a measuring location proximal to the wellbore for a predetermined amount of time, storing the measurements, communicating the measurements and processing the pore pressure from the pressure and temperature measurements. The measuring location may be a location in a channel (50) drilled from the wellbore into the formation.

Abstract: An environmentally safe additive and vehicle system are provided for water-based and oil-based printing inks, paints, coatings and adhesives which can be rapidly transferred, dispersed, dispensed, spread, dried and cured. The low cost, stable additive and vehicle system enhance multiple color, high speed printing with sharp, highly defined images and superior quality, and can be used on many different types of substrates, such as paper, paperboard, cardboard, clay coated board, foil, plastic, glass, metal, wood and composites. The additive may be formed by the reaction product of a photoinitiator, such as an UV-activated polyelectrolyte, and a monomer, such as an acrylate or a methacrylate in an aqueous solution. In other embodiments, the additive is formed from a carboxylic acid or anhydride and alkylalkanolamine monomer or a dialkylaminoalkyl acrylate or methacrylate monomer in an aqueous solution.

Abstract: A piston cooling nozzle including a nylon body having a hub and a pair of integral legs extending from the hub and a tube for delivering coolant to a piston. The pair of legs are formed relative to the hub and the tube to ensure that when the body is mounted to an engine block, the legs engage a cylinder liner to thereby position the tube between a skirt of the piston and a connecting rod coupled to the piston.

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 munitions casing including an annulus of a shape memory alloy disposed around said casing where the shape memory alloy has been subjected to a combination of mechanical and thermal treatments so as to impart a memory, and a cutter located between the annulus and the casing wherein heating of the shape memory alloy to a predetermined temperature causes said annulus to contract radially inwardly and rupture the said munitions casing.

Abstract: A machine for automatically orienting railroad tie plates includes a sensing region having at least one optical sensor adapted to sense a physical feature of a tie plate. An electronic controller is connected to the optical sensor and is disposed to receive a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of the tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region. The electronic controller further determines an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal, compares it to one or more predetermined or possible orientations, and provides a command to at least one actuator adapted to perform at least one tie plate orientation operation to change the orientation of the tie plate based on the comparison of the orientation of the plate with the predetermined orientation.

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: The present invention provides a conveyance tool and a tool string having one or more sensors or cameras for detecting the performance of pre-existing perforations in a cased wellbore, and one or more perforation intervention tools mounted on the tool string and capable of performing remedial actions directed at most one perforation and its nearest neighbors or at a single perforation.

Abstract: One embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes using a portable computing device to remotely control devices and/or systems wirelessly. Specifically, a software timer application operating on the portable computing device enables its user to predefine the time, date, and the operation(s) that one or more properly enabled devices and/or systems perform in the future. That is, the timer software operating on the portable computing device is able at some predefined time to wirelessly trigger an action or a sequence of actions from devices and/or systems. For example, a user of the portable computing device is able to utilize the timer software to program a predefined date and time that the portable computing device will turn on a favorite radio program and turn up the thermostat. The wireless communication of the portable computing device may occur using a radio frequency (RF) technology like Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, or HomeRF.

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: 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: A machine for automatically orienting railroad tie plates includes a sensing region having at least one optical sensor adapted to sense a physical feature of a tie plate. An electronic controller is connected to the optical sensor and is disposed to receive a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of the tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region. The electronic controller further determines an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal, compares it to one or more predetermined or possible orientations, and provides a command to at least one actuator adapted to perform at least one tie plate orientation operation to change the orientation of the tie plate based on the comparison of the orientation of the plate with the predetermined orientation.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer usable program product for document link security are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A link is created to a document stored in a data storage device accessible from a data processing system. A characteristic of the document is encrypted in the link. The link with the encrypted characteristic forms an encrypted locator. The encrypted locator may be embedded into another data, such as a page, which may be transmitted with the embedded encrypted locator. A request for the document may be received. The request may include encrypted information. The encrypted information may be the encrypted locator, the encrypted characteristic, or a combination thereof. The encrypted information is decrypted. The document is accessed using the decrypted information. The document is provided in response to the request.

Abstract: A steerable drilling system comprises a rotary drill bit 14 secured to a housing 16, a secondary rotary drill component 22 carried by the housing and rotatable therewith, the second rotary drill component 22 having a gauge dimension greater than that of the rotary drill bit 14, and a drive arrangement operable to displace the secondary rotary drill component 22 relative to the housing 16 while maintaining an axis 24 of the secondary rotary drill component 22 substantially parallel to an axis 18 of the housing 16.

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.

Abstract: An environmentally safe additive and vehicle system are provided for water-based and oil-based printing inks, paints, coatings and adhesives which can be rapidly transferred, dispersed, dispensed, spread, dried and cured. The low cost, stable additive and vehicle system enhance multiple color, high speed printing with sharp, highly defined images and superior quality, and can be used on many different types of substrates, such as paper, paperboard, cardboard, clay coated board, foil, plastic, glass, metal, wood and composites. The additive may be formed by the reaction product of a photoinitiator, such as an UV-activated polyelectrolyte, and a monomer, such as an acrylate or a methacrylate in an aqueous solution. In other embodiments, the additive is formed from a carboxylic acid or anhydride and alkylalkanolamine monomer or a dialkylaminoalkyl acrylate or methacrylate monomer in an aqueous solution.

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: An environmentally safe additive and vehicle system are provided for water-based and oil-based printing inks, paints, coatings and adhesives which can be rapidly transferred, dispersed, dispensed, spread, dried and cured. The low cost, stable additive and vehicle system enhance multiple color, high speed printing with sharp, highly defined images and superior quality, and can be used on many different types of substrates, such as paper, paperboard, cardboard, clay coated board, foil, plastic, glass, metal, wood and composites. The additive may be formed by the reaction product of a photoinitiator, such as an UV-activated polyelectrolyte, and a monomer, such as an acrylate or a methacrylate in an aqueous solution. In other embodiments, the additive is formed from a carboxylic acid or anhydride and alkylalkanolamine monomer or a dialkylaminoalkyl acrylate or methacrylate monomer in an aqueous solution.

Abstract: A designer tool that facilitates design of an object model. The tool takes as input a computer-readable representation of a graph of objects (e.g., classes), and creates automatically one or more diagrams that depict these classes as editable trees showing their relationships and properties. These graphs naturally have a tree-like structure which is exploited by the approach. The design tool system includes a layout component that receives as input one or more of the graphs, and converts the one or more graphs into the editable treelike structure. The system further comprises a presentation component that presents the editable treelike structure as a treelike structure diagram, and facilitates user interaction therewith. The tool can be used for opening, editing and saving existing object model files or to create new ones.