Abstract: A system and method for investigating rock formations outside a borehole are provided. The method includes generating a first compressional acoustic wave at a first frequency by a first acoustic source; and generating a second compressional acoustic wave at a second frequency by a second acoustic source. The first and the second acoustic sources are arranged within a localized area of the borehole. The first and the second acoustic waves intersect in an intersection volume outside the borehole. The method further includes receiving a third shear acoustic wave at a third frequency, the third shear acoustic wave returning to the borehole due to a non-linear mixing process in a non-linear mixing zone within the intersection volume at a receiver arranged in the borehole. The third frequency is equal to a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.

Abstract: In a valve cartridge for a plumbing fixture that comprises a cartridge housing that has one connection opening, each for the inflowing cold and hot water and at least one discharge opening for the outflowing water, a mixing valve with a control element/operating handle for selecting the mixing ratio of cold and hot water, and a rotary valve with a control element/operating handle for selecting the flow rate of water through the valve cartridge, wherein the mixing valve and the rotary valve and/or the control element of the mixing valve and the control element of the rotary valve are arranged in series on an axis of the cartridge housing. The control element of the rotary valve can take the form of a hollow cylinder that is coaxial to the control element of the mixing valve and is attached to the rotary valve in a rotationally fixed manner.

Abstract: A device for determining the presence and/or quantity of one or more analytes in a sample of human body fluid has a container for receiving a sample of body fluid, with an interior that is delimited by a base and by a circumferential surface. It further comprises at least one test strip and a holding element for receiving and holding the one or more test strips. The holding element is designed such that it has a shape corresponding and adapted to the peripheral circumferential surface of the container. The device further comprises an elongate sampling element having an absorbent sampler that takes up the sample of body fluid and by means of which the sample of body fluid is transferred into the container. The sampling element can include an indicator strip for determining whether the amount of liquid sample sufficient for carrying out an assay.

Abstract: A self-contained, port-closing trocar and method of use which may include an elongated body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a side wall between the first end and the second end, the body further including at least two channels therein, each of the channels originating near the second end, running parallel to the elongated body, and curving towards and forming an opening in the side wall near the first end. The self-closing trocar may also include at least two needles, each disposed within one of the at least two channels, and a handle insertable into the second end of the elongated body, the handle having at least two needle drivers coupled thereto, each needle driver being insertable into one of the at least two channels and engagable with an end of a needle.

Abstract: Technologies are presented that optimize graphics processing performance. A method of frequency scaling may include beginning a graphics workload with a starting geometry preprocessing frequency of a multiple of a streaming shader engine frequency where the multiple is non-zero; determining a primitive start pitch for a primitive of the graphics workload; comparing the determined primitive start pitch to a predetermined threshold and, if it exceeds the predetermined threshold: reducing the geometry preprocessing frequency, and, at the start of the next primitive, setting the geometry preprocessing frequency back to the starting geometry preprocessing frequency; and repeating the determining and comparing for each remaining primitive until an end of the graphics workload. Performance gain based on primitive start pitch information may also be determined.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor combining CMOS read-out integrated circuits (ROICs) and photodiode on active pixel (POAP) technology with quantum dot (PbS-CQD) detector material. This approach provides sensors and systems that are easily manufacturable with high yields The approach dramatically lowers the cost per pixel, reduces the pixel size, and increases the pixel count of SWIR sensors and cameras. The PbS-CQD detector material provides optical performance approaching that of InGaAs, and outperforms it in some respects. PbS-CQD detectors include multi-layered conformal thin-films, applied to the ROICs in liquid form. The films are perfectly suited for application over wide surface areas, limited only by wafer or substrate size.

Abstract: A system and method of characterizing properties of a medium from a non-linear interaction are include generating, by first and second acoustic sources disposed on a surface of the medium on a first line, first and second acoustic waves. The first and second acoustic sources are controllable such that trajectories of the first and second acoustic waves intersect in a mixing zone within the medium. The method further includes receiving, by a receiver positioned in a plane containing the first and second acoustic sources, a third acoustic wave generated by a non-linear mixing process from the first and second acoustic waves in the mixing zone; and creating a first two-dimensional image of non-linear properties or a first ratio of compressional velocity and shear velocity, or both, of the medium in a first plane generally perpendicular to the surface and containing the first line, based on the received third acoustic wave.

Abstract: An aircraft wing system for differentially adjusting a first deployable lift device and a second deployable lift device on a wing during take-off and landing, the system having a controller, which is programmed to determine desired positions for the first and second deployable lift devices, based on a desired position signal, and to activate high and low horsepower motors to move the first deployable lift devices to desired positions. The system has a controller which determines an adjustment amount for each motor, based on the system architecture.

Abstract: A mold for making dry cast concrete blocks includes a pair of vertical shoulder forming sections, one along each of the opposite sides of the mold to form vertical front shoulders of a block. Each shoulder forming section has a shoulder roughening arrangement to result in molded, roughened shoulders of the block. Methods of making such blocks and the resulting block are included.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides for an electrochemical cell comprising: a fuel electrode comprising a metal fuel, a second electrode, and an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes; the ionically conductive medium comprising hetero-ionic aromatic additives. The fuel electrode and the second electrode are operable in a discharge mode wherein the metal fuel is oxidized at the fuel electrode functioning as an anode, whereby electrons are generated for conduction from the fuel electrode to the second electrode via a load. An ionically conductive medium and methods of operating an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides for an electrochemical cell comprising: a fuel electrode comprising a metal fuel, a second electrode, an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes, the ionically conductive medium comprising at least two different additives, wherein at least one additive is selected from the group consisting of: macroheterocyclic compounds, phosphonium salts, hetero-ionic compounds and their derivatives; and, at least one additive is selected from the group consisting of: macroheterocyclic compounds, phosphonium salts, hetero-ionic compounds, and their derivatives. The fuel electrode and the second electrode are operable in a discharge mode wherein the metal fuel is oxidized at the fuel electrode functioning as an anode, whereby electrons are generated for conduction from the fuel electrode to the second electrode via a load. An ionically conductive medium and methods of operating an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

Abstract: A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a first sealing zone, and an adjacent weakening zone. The weakening zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire, or be disposed to create an auxiliary sealed area. The heating wire can have, connected thereto, a source of power that is at an adjustable voltage or magnitude, and/or pulsed, and/or a feedback loop. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire and make intermittent contact with the web and be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity, is a separating zone, or includes a heat film, a toothed blade, a row of pins, a source of air, or a source of vacuum. The sealing zones may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

Abstract: In position-only shading, two geometry pipes exist, a trimmed down version called the Cull Pipe and a full version called the Replay Pipe. Thus, the Cull Pipe executes the position shaders in parallel with the main application, but typically generates the critical results much faster as it fetches and shades only the position attribute of the vertices and avoids the rasterization as well as the rendering of pixels for the frame buffer. Furthermore, the Cull Pipe uses these critical results to compute visibility information for all the triangles whether they are culled or not. On the other hand, the Replay Pipe consumes the visibility information to skip the culled triangles and shades only the visible triangles that are finally passed to the rasterization phase. Together the two pipes can hide the long cull runs of discarded triangles and can complete the work faster in some embodiments.

Abstract: A composition for delivering an agent to a cell, comprising a bispecific affinity reagent and a pH-responsive, membrane destabilizing polymer. The bispecific affinity reagent may include a first affinity reagent covalently linked to a second affinity reagent, wherein the first affinity reagent binds to a molecule on the surface of a cell, and the second affinity reagent binds to an intracellular target.

Abstract: A workload manager is operable with a distributed transaction processor having a plurality of processing regions and comprises: a transaction initiator region for initiating a transaction; a transaction router component for routing an initiated transaction to one of the plurality of processing regions; an affinity controller component for restricting transaction routing operations to maintain affinities; the affinity controller component characterised in comprising a unit of work affinity component operable with a resource manager at the one of the plurality of processing regions to activate an affinity responsive to completion of a recoverable data operation at the one of the plurality of processing regions.

Abstract: A mold for making dry cast concrete blocks includes a pair of vertical shoulder forming sections, one along each of the opposite sides of the mold to form vertical front shoulders of a block. Each shoulder forming section has a shoulder roughening arrangement to result in molded, roughened shoulders of the block. Methods of making such blocks and the resulting block are included.

Abstract: A method and system for managing an instrumentation device include accessing an image of the instrumentation device. Based on the image, an identity for the instrumentation device is determined. The identity is used to register the instrumentation device by configuring a gateway at a multimedia content distribution network client location to access and communicate with the instrumentation device. The identity of the instrumentation device and the gateway may be stored for future configuration of the gateway.

Abstract: A workload manager is operable with a distributed transaction processor having a plurality of processing regions and comprises: a transaction initiator region for initiating a transaction; a transaction router component for routing an initiated transaction to one of the plurality of processing regions; an affinity controller component for restricting transaction routing operations to maintain affinities; the affinity controller component characterised in comprising a unit of work affinity component operable with a resource manager at the one of the plurality of processing regions to activate an affinity responsive to completion of a recoverable data operation at the one of the plurality of processing regions.

Abstract: A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The drum includes at least one seal bar, having a first sealing zone and an adjacent weakening zone. The weakening zone may be a heated perforator, heating wire, and/or may create an auxiliary sealed area. The heating wire is powered by a source of power at an adjustable voltage or magnitude, and/or pulsed, and/or with a feedback loop. The heating wire may make intermittent contact with the web and/or be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity, is a separating zone. The sealing zones may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.