Abstract: A well construction method in which a drilled bore is lined with a plurality of successively smaller diameter sections of bore-lining tubing including casing sections a liner section is provided. A liner is provided with an inner string extending to a distal end of the liner. The liner and the inner string are run into a distal section of a drilled bore. Settable material is pumped from surface through the inner string and through the distal end of the liner to partially fill an outer annulus surrounding the liner. Fluid displaced from the outer annulus and a portion of the settable material is permitted to flow from the outer annulus through a port in the liner and into an inner annulus between the inner string and the liner.

Abstract: A downhole sealing apparatus for location in a downhole tubular includes a ball and a downhole seat. The ball may comprise a rigid core and a deformable covering. The ball is translatable downhole towards the seat, the ball and the seat having an open first configuration and a sealing second configuration. In the open first configuration the ball and seat are spaced apart such that fluid may flow through the seat. In the sealing second configuration the ball and the seat are in sealing engagement and the ball is deformed to maintain the sealing engagement with the seat in response to a differential pressure acting in a first axial direction and in response to a differential pressure acting in an opposite second axial direction.

Abstract: An engineered bacterial strain expressing dehydrogenases capable of oxidizing D- sorbitol to 2-keto-gulonic acid is provided by the present invention. Methods of using same in a one-pot synthesis of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are also described.

Abstract: A respiratory gas analyzer device (10), such as a capnograph device, is disclosed. A gas measurement component (28), such as a carbon dioxide measurement component in the case of a capnograph, is configured to measure at least one respired gas component (e.g. carbon dioxide). A pump (20) is connected to draw respired gas through the gas measurement component. A pressure gauge (30) is connected to measure pressure in an airflow pathway including the gas measurement component and the pump. An electronic pump controller (40) is programmed to start the pump in response to pressure measured by the pressure gauge satisfying a pump turn on criterion.

Abstract: An apparatus for ensuring proper location for a cutout in a sheet of construction material, to provide for access to an electrical box, includes an electrical box locator device with a body and at least one spike. The body mounts to the front opening of the electrical box and the spike projects perpendicularly relative to the plane of the electrical box opening such that it pierces the sheet of construction material and is visible on the side of the sheet of construction material opposite the side facing the electrical box once the sheet of construction material is positioned over the opening of the electrical box so as to help in locating a cutout in the sheet of construction material for the electrical box.

Abstract: A portable positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes a rotatable scan detector ring which can be rotated 90 degrees for imaging a patient in a vertical or horizontal orientation. In the vertical orientation, a patient can be standing or seating such that the aperture of the scan detector ring is raised to allow the patient to be within the scanning region and lower to perform the image scanning on the patient. In the horizontal orientation, a patient must be lying down on a platform whereby the platform is moved within the aperture of the scan detector ring to perform the image scanning on the patient. In this horizontal orientation, the scan detector ring is also stowed and secured to be moved to other scanning locations.

Abstract: A patient monitoring device includes a capnograph device (10) and a pulse oximeter (70). An electronic processor (84) is programmed to generate a capnography index (50) indicative of patient well-being from a capnogram measured by the capnograph device, and to generate an arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) index (90) indicative of patient well-being from SpO2 (72) measured by the pulse oximeter. A patient safety index (92) is computed from the capnography index and the SpO2 index. One or more clinical warnings are determined based at least in part on the patient safety index. A display component (82) is configured to display at least one of the computed one or more clinical warnings.

Abstract: A kit for forming and installing an electrical box for housing at least one electrical device. The kit comprises a front segment having a rear and a rear segment having a front. The kit may also comprise at least one cover that is capable of being attached to the front segment. The cover has at least one opening through which an electrical device is accessible. The kit may further comprise a plurality of intermediate segments each having a front and a rear having attachment means that allow the segments to be securely attached in series.

Abstract: A respiratory gas analyzer device (10), such as a capnograph device, is disclosed. A gas measurement component (28), such as a carbon dioxide measurement component in the case of a capnograph, is configured to measure at least one respired gas component (e.g. carbon dioxide). A pump (20) is connected to draw respired gas through the gas measurement component. A pressure gauge (30) is connected to measure pressure in an airflow pathway including the gas measurement component and the pump. An electronic pump controller (40) is programmed to start the pump in response to pressure measured by the pressure gauge satisfying a pump turn on criterion.

Abstract: A capnograph device (10) includes a carbon dioxide measurement component (20) and an electronic processor (30) programmed to generate a capnogram (40) comprising carbon dioxide level sample values measured as a function of time. End-tidal carbon dioxide (etC02) is determined from the capnogram, and an etC02 parameter quality index (etC02 PQI) (44) is computed using one or more quantitative capnogram waveform metrics computed from the capnogram. A respiration rate (RR) value is also determined from the capnogram, and a RR PQI (46) computed using the RR value and the etC02 PQI. A respiratory well-being index (RWI) (50) may be computed from the etC02 and RR values and the etC02 and RR PQI values. In some embodiments the one or more capnogram waveform metrics are computed from a capnogram histogram generated from the capnogram.

Abstract: A gas flow monitoring system (100, 200A, 200B, 400, 600, 700) for monitoring a patient gas flow and having pressure sensors (114), a pneumatic system (110), valves (120), and a pump (116), the system including a controller (112, 710) configured to: determine whether a test mode is selected; configure the pump and the valves to pressurize at least a portion of the pneumatic system when in a test mode; obtain sensor information indicating pressure within at least a portion of the pneumatic system, when in the test mode; and determine whether a leak test fails based upon at least the sensor information.

Abstract: An apparatus for ensuring proper location for a cutout in a sheet of construction material, to provide for access to an electrical box, includes an electrical box locator device with a body and at least one spike. The body mounts to the front opening of the electrical box and the spike projects perpendicularly relative to the plane of the electrical box opening such that it pierces the sheet of construction material and is visible on the side of the sheet of construction material opposite the side facing the electrical box once the sheet of construction material is positioned over the opening of the electrical box so as to help in locating a cutout in the sheet of construction material for the electrical box.

Abstract: An encapsulated zonal dual air and foam spring bed system with noise suppression wherein air zones are created for individual or multiple sleepers that permit costs saving by providing manifold controls to enable a single pump to serve multiple circuits simultaneously (both pressure level increase and pressure level decrease) that is contained within a complete noise deadening structure whose body is easily formed to reduce cost and provide sanitation. Through the reduction of stress by cycling air support between two areas that in unison and each at half pressure support subject fully.

Abstract: Double-edged knives for use in centrifugal-type cutting apparatuses, for example, the Urschel Model CC®, and transverse cutting wheel-type cutting apparatuses, for example, the Urschel TranSlicer 2000®, to produce uniform cuts in bulk quantities of food products. Such a knife has a longitudinal length defining oppositely-disposed first and second ends and defining oppositely-disposed edges between the first and second ends. Each of the edges has a cutting edge defined thereon adapted for slicing food products. As a result, the knife has two operational life spans and can be removed and reinstalled to utilize either of its cutting edges.

Abstract: An equipment management system includes a display and a processor. The processor may be configured to provide a first interface associated with an equipment planning and scheduling module, a second interface associated with a backlog management module, a third interface associated with a parts management module, and a fourth interface associated with a continuous improvement module.

Abstract: An optical transmission system has a directly modulated laser for modulating data directly on an optical signal, and a narrow band optical filter having a band center frequency offset from a central optical frequency of the optical signal, to reduce the phase difference between FM and AM of the modulated optical signal, the filter having a bandwidth sufficiently narrow to substantially remove frequencies outside a spectrum of adiabatic frequency chirp resulting from the modulation, combined with Fourier broadening caused by the data modulation. This is a cost effective way of improving the dispersion tolerance to give greatly improved system reach and to make it practical to use directly modulated lasers with existing NDSF. The narrow band filter can be located at the transmitter or the receiver, and can have a center frequency locked to a feature in the frequency spectrum of the laser.

Abstract: An optical amplifier arrangement comprises a splitter for providing an input WDM optical signal on at least first and second output paths. An optical amplifier is provided in at least one of the paths, and a signal routing arrangement is provided for routing individual channels or groups of channels of the WDM signal within the at least one of the paths. A switch selects the signal from one of the at least first and second output paths. In this arrangement, there are two paths between the input and output. Whilst one path is being used, the components in the other path can be upgraded. For example, a switching arrangement may be provided in the other path, and an amplifier may also be upgraded, without disrupting service in the path in use. This enables an amplifying node within an optical communications system to be incrementally upgraded.

Abstract: A battery pack includes a housing having first and second shell portions. The first shell portion includes a first base wall and a plurality of upstanding first side walls extending from the first base wall. The first base wall and the first side walls define a first cavity. The second shell portion is foldably connected to the first shell portion. The second shell portion includes a second base wall and a plurality of upstanding second side walls extending from the second base wall. The second base wall and the second side walls define a second cavity. The first shell portion and the second shell portion are formed of a polymeric material. At least one battery is disposed in the first and second cavities. At least one wire is operatively connected to the battery.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for efficiently regenerating an incoming data signal at a sampling point which is continually optimized independently of the regeneration process. While the incoming data signal is being regenerated in a regeneration unit, the invention uses a monitoring unit for concurrently optimizing the slicing threshold and sampling phase used in the regeneration unit without disturbing the on-going data regeneration. The invention uses a master-slave arrangement to regenerate the incoming data signal whereby the regenerating unit is updated with a new slicing threshold and sampling phase only after the new slicing threshold and sampling phase are fully optimized by the monitoring unit. In this way, the data regeneration can proceed unaffected by the optimization of the slicing threshold and sampling phase which, as a result can be continuously optimized without inducing any errors into the regenerated data.

Abstract: A retainer ring connector comprised of a ring situated between matching spokes on both the male and female members of a hose coupling. The ring is contained behind the outwardly extending spokes on the male member. When the male member is inserted into the female member, spokes on the inside of the female member pass between the spokes of the male member and are forced over the ring element which compresses sufficiently to allow the spokes to pass. After the spokes of the female member pass over the compressed ring member, the ring member expands and prevents the male and female members from disengaging and backing away from each other. The spoked retainer ring connector allows for complete rotational movement with preventing the male and female members from separating.