Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and compositions for identifying, selecting and/or producing a plant or germplasm having root increased drought tolerance and/or increased yield under non-drought conditions as compared to a control plant. A maize plant, part thereof and/or germplasm, including any progeny and/or seeds derived from a maize plant or germplasm identified, selected and/or produced by any of the methods of the present invention is also provided.

Abstract: Dynamic management of one or more portfolios of securities, in particular, portfolios of Periodic Auction Reset Securities (PARS) is disclosed. The dynamic management for the specification of rules for investor accounts by which optimization of this type of portfolio may occur and allows financial institutions or other wealth management entities to easily maintain and invest in PARS holdings for multiple accounts. For example, the dynamic management systems and methods can provide for the maintenance of a large number of separate accounts that contain PARS, centralize the maintenance of PARS positions, allow management of central PARS accounts in line with guidelines specified in one or more account profiles, allow sales traders to specify additional guidelines, and/or automate account analysis, trade generation and/or participation in the auction process.

Abstract: Synthetic surfaces capable of supporting culture of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells in a chemically defined medium include a swellable (meth)acrylate layer and a peptide conjugated to the swellable (meth)acrylate layer. The swellable (meth)acrylate layer may be formed by polymerizing monomers in a composition that includes hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-carboxyehylacrylate, and tetra(ethylene glycol)dimethacrylate. The conjugated peptide may include an amino acid sequence of XaanProGlnValThrArgGlyAspValPheThrMetPro, where n is an integer from 0 to 3 and where Xaa is any amino acid. Further, disclosed herein is a swellable (meth)acrylate synthetic surface which can be sterilized by gamma irradiation.

Abstract: Synthetic surfaces capable of supporting culture of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells in a chemically defined medium include a swellable (meth)acrylate layer and a peptide conjugated to the swellable (meth)acrylate layer. The swellable (meth)acrylate layer may be formed by polymerizing monomers in a composition that includes hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-carboxyehylacrylate, and tetra(ethylene glycol)dimethacrylate. The conjugated peptide may include an amino acid sequence of XaanProGlnValThrArgGlyAspValPheThrMetPro, where n is an integer from 0 to 3 and where Xaa is any amino acid. Further, disclosed herein is a swellable (meth)acrylate synthetic surface which can be sterilized by gamma irradiation.

Abstract: Dynamic management of one or more portfolios of securities, in particular, portfolios of Periodic Auction Reset Securities (PARS) is disclosed. The dynamic management for the specification of rules for investor accounts by which optimization of this type of portfolio may occur and allows financial institutions or other wealth management entities to easily maintain and invest in PARS holdings for multiple accounts. For example, the dynamic management systems and methods can provide for the maintenance of a large number of separate accounts that contain PARS, centralize the maintenance of PARS positions, allow management of central PARS accounts in line with guidelines specified in one or more account profiles, allow sales traders to specify additional guidelines, and/or automate account analysis, trade generation and/or participation in the auction process.

Abstract: The disclosure details of the implementation of an APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A PERIODIC AUCTION RESET SECURITIES OPTIMIZATION ENGINE (hereinafter “OPTIMIZER”). The disclosure teaches an OPTIMIZER, which provides dynamic management of one or more portfolios of securities, in particular, portfolios of Periodic Auction Reset Securities (PARS). The OPTIMIZER allows for the specification of rules for investor accounts by which optimization of this type of portfolio may occur. The OPTIMIZER allows financial institutions or other wealth management entities to easily maintain and invest in PARS holdings for multiple accounts. In one implementation, the OPTIMIZER provides for the maintenance of a large number of separate accounts that contain only PARS. In one embodiment, the OPTIMIZER centralizes the maintenance of PARS positions. In another embodiment, the OPTIMIZER allows management of central PARS accounts in line with guidelines specified in one or more account profiles.

Abstract: N-alkyl polyhydroxy alkyl amines such as N-methyl glucamine having a Gardner Color of less than 1 are reacted with sources of fatty acyl groups such as methyl esters, anhydrides, and/or fatty acids that have greater than 98% transmittance at 460 nm in organic hydroxy solvents such as methanol to prepare N-alkyl polyhydroxy amine amides with good color. The N-alkyl polyhydroxyamines can be purified by crystallization, and/or subjected to reductive bleaching, to provide superior color. The reaction is preferably carried out at low temperature for short periods of time and with low catalyst levels to minimize formation of cyclic products. The resulting amide product can be further purified by treatment with anionic and cationic exchange resins to remove soap and amine impurities. The anionic ion exchange resin can be readily regenerated by acidifying it followed by washing with an organic solvent.

Abstract: N-alkyl polyhydroxy alkyl amines such as N-methyl glucamine having a Gardner Color of less than 1 are reacted with sources of fatty acyl groups such as methyl esters, anhydrides, and/or fatty acids that have greater than 98% transmittance at 460 nm in organic hydroxy solvents such as methanol to prepare N-alkyl polyhydroxy amine amides with good color. The N-alkyl polyhydroxyamines can be purified by crystallization, and/or subjected to reductive bleaching, to provide superior color. The reaction is preferably carried out at low temperature for short periods of time and with low catalyst levels to minimize formation of cyclic products. The resulting amide product can be further purified by treatment with anionic and cationic exchange resins to remove soap and amine impurities. The anionic ion exchange resin can be readily regenerated by acidifying it followed by washing with an organic solvent.

Abstract: Differential correction signals for a global positioning system (GPS), which operates with signals from a plurality of orbiting satellites, are provided in a first standard format, such as a RTCM SC-104 format, for each satellite in view of a reference receiver station. The differential correction signals include range error correction signals and range rate error correction information. The differential correction signals are then encoded according to a second standard format, such as the RDS format. The transmission time of the signals in the second standard format are then prioritized. A broadcast transmitter, such as a broadcast FM transmitter, is then modulated by the prioritized signals in the second standard format and a receiver receives and demodulates the broadcast signal. The broadcast prioritized signals in the second standard format are then decoded to provide differential correction signals in the first standard format.

Abstract: A global positioning system (GPS) receiver having a radio frequency (RF) circuitry to receive position signals from a plurality of satellites and to provide an intermediate frequency (IF) signal to a correlator circuitry for generating a pseudo range and a Doppler measurement for calculating a position fix. The GPS receiver further has a power supply system which has at least one battery and an alternative external power connector for connecting to an external power source. The GPS receiver further has a microprocessor having a read only memory (ROM). The microprocessor is electrically connected to the RF circuitry and the power supply system. Since the GPS receiver does not need to constantly process all the GPS position signals that are available to it to provide a useful tool, the ROM includes a program for automatically controlling the power supply to the RF circuitry so that battery power is conserved.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention includes a GPS receiver capable of concurrently tracking up to eight GPS satellites. The GPS receiver comprises computer-implemented methods for parallel search, split search and precomputation. The parallel search method causes the apparent Doppler frequency spectrum to be sectioned into several segments and a first GPS satellite signal is searched for in parallel in each of the segments. When the first GPS fix is not found after a predetermined time has expired, a split search is begun.

Abstract: A system, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a coupler, a remote antenna, and a handheld GPS receiver. The remote antenna has a microstrip RHCP receiving element and a low noise amplifier (LNA) powered by the coupler over an interconnect cable. The coupler has a slotline antenna and a driver circuit. The coupler re-radiates GPS satellite signals received by the remote antenna with a slotline antenna to the GPS receiver. In a typical installation, such as a car, a user holds the GPS receiver while in the front seat. The coupler mounts to the windshield and the cable runs to remote antenna mounted on the roof of the car. The coupler can then re-radiate GPS satellite signals effectively to the GPS receiver even when the two are separated by as much as six feet. The shielding of GPS signals by the metal of the car is thereby avoided as a problem that can prevent operation of the GPS receiver.

Abstract: A wafer transfer mechanism used for transferring wafers between cassettes and a boat uses sensors to detect and to measure any offset of the actual center of each wafer being transferred with respect to the expected or precalibrated center of that wafer. An appropriate adjustment is made to effectively eliminate such offset so that each wafer can be transferred throughout the system without any edge contact between a wafer and the boat or the cassette. The system also includes a boat exchange unit having a rotatable turntable which is used in association with two boats. The boat exchange unit permits a continuous mode operation in which one boat can be undergoing a loading or unloading of wafers at one station on the turntable while another boat is at or is moving to or from a heating chamber loading or unloading station on the turntable.

Abstract: A spectrophotometer optical section is presented which employs a fine positioning beam director which corrects for any deflections of the output beam path and accurately positions the optical beam on the detector slit of the spectrograph. The detector slit is chosen to have a size slightly smaller than the size of the optical beam at the detector slit to have high slit throughput without introducing spurious absorption. The sample cells need not be rigidly mounted thereby enabling use of a sample cell and cell holder which allows quick, easy interchange of cells.

Abstract: A beam directing device is provided which employs one or more mirrors mounted on a single rotatable shaft. The orientation of the shaft controls the rotational orientation of these directing mirror(s) to direct the beam toward any of a number of sample or reference cells. Behind each cell is a cube corner which reflects the beam back to the directing mirror(s) for reflection toward the detector. In one embodiment, a shaft encoded senses the orientation of the shaft, the encoder output being servoed against a position signal to coarsely rotate the shaft in order to direct the beam to a sample cell and thence to a spectrograph slit. A pair of slit diodes detect the beam overlap on each side of the slit and their output is used to accurately position the beam on the slit to within one second of arc and correct for deviations in beam direction.