Abstract: A thermostat for a building zone includes at least one of a model predictive controller and an equipment controller. The model predictive controller is configured to obtain a cost function that accounts for a cost of operating HVAC equipment during each of a plurality of time steps, use a predictive model to predict a temperature of the building zone during each of the plurality of time steps, and generate temperature setpoints for the building zone for each of the plurality of time steps by optimizing the cost function subject to a constraint on the predicted temperature. The equipment controller is configured to receive the temperature setpoints generated by the model predictive controller and drive the temperature of the building zone toward the temperature setpoints during each of the plurality of time steps by operating the HVAC equipment to provide heating or cooling to the building zone.

Abstract: A multiple heater control system includes cables, connectors, and junction boxes for user-friendly daisy chain connections of heater controllers and heaters in various configurations or combinations of individually controlled heater series and/or master and slave heater series. The heater controllers include process control of AC power to the heaters and upper-limit safety shutoff that is substantially independent from the process control. The heater controllers also have variable levels of control, adjustment, display, and communications functionality in a base module that is expandable to various levels with expansion modules that are attachable to and detachable from the base module. Connector, cable, and junction configurations, adapters, and latch features enhance user friendliness.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for requesting genomics services from a service provider over the Internet and providing genomics services to a client over the Internet. The client provides biological samples and identifies genome sequences of interest. The service provider obtains the biological samples and genome sequences, provides microarrays containing the identified genome sequences, and applies the biological samples to the microarrays. The client receives the results of the analysis over the Internet. The genomics services provided include genotyping, gene expression, and proteomics. The Client is able over the Internet to obtain the current status of the samples and the experiments and to modify the requested experiments based, for example, on the analysis of previously obtained results.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for requesting genomics services from a service provider over the Internet and providing genomics services to a client over the Internet. The client provides biological samples and identifies genome sequences of interest. The service provider obtains the biological samples and genome sequences, provides microarrays containing the identified genome sequences, and applies the biological samples to the microarrays. The client receives the results of the analysis over the Internet. The genomics services provided include genotyping, gene expression, and proteomics. The Client is able over the Internet to obtain the current status of the samples and the experiments and to modify the requested experiments based, for example, on the analysis of previously obtained results.

Abstract: An improved plate leveller comprising a housing, a rigid top beam and a bottom beam mounted on the housing, a flexible beam disposed between the upper rigid beam and the bottom beam and connected at the ends thereof to secondary bending cylinders mounted on the rigid top beam, upper back-up roll assemblies mounted on the flexible beam, lower back-up roll assemblies mounted on the lower beam, upper and lower work rolls disposed between the back-up roll assemblies, and a primary bending cylinder mounted on the rigid top beam and bearing on an upper surface of the flexible beam and, with the secondary bending cylinders, bending the flexible beam to counteract deflection of the bottom beam under load, thereby to maintain the upper and lower work rolls in parallel relationship to each other and providing uniform dimensions of plate passed therebetween.

Abstract: A sizing press has a pair of opposed rotatably supported pressing tools for reducing the width of a flat metal slab. Piston cylinder assemblies rotatably oscillate the pressing tools relative to each other. Each pressing tool has first and second slab-contacting surfaces which extend in different planes. The invented method of this invention includes the steps of moving the pressing tools toward each other against the sides of a metal workpiece and reducing the width of an initial workpiece length. Thereafter, rotating the pressing tools to further reduce the width of only a portion of the initial workpiece length and to reduce the width of an adjacent workpiece length.

Abstract: The distribution of tension in flat products is measured by a bendable roll engaged by segmented rolls. The bendable roll has a peripheral surface which engages the width of workpiece and is elastically bendable along its axis under the tension in the workpiece. The elastic deformation of the solid roll exerts loads on the segmented rolls and one or more sensors detect the transmitted loads.

Abstract: An arrangement for winding material onto a coiler drum along a passline of a hot reversing mill comprising an apparatus having two pivotal arms mounted on a common shaft and movable in a different arcuate path toward and away from the coiler drum. Rollers at the end of the arms tightly enwrap the material around the drum when the arms are positioned against the drum as the material is being underwound onto the drum. The roller of one of the arms may act as a deflector roller when positioned away from the drum as the material is being overwound onto the drum. The other arm consists of two wrapper rollers on a pivotal mounting for their proper orientation around the drum and for flat passes of the material through the mill. This other arm is positioned away from the drum below the passline to allow a retractable table roll assembly consisting of a plurality of table rolls to be positioned in the passline for supporting the material.

Abstract: A hot or cold leveler is provided having conventional high loaded driven work rolls backed up longitudinally across their face by a plurality of short backing rolls. A series of lower work and backing rolls are cassette mounted on the lower main frame of the leveler. The upper backing rolls are mounted on an intermediate support frame designed for limited flexure and which in turn is supported across its length by a plurality of hydraulic piston-cylinder assemblies fixed in the top main frame of the leveler for contouring of the leveling action. Each cylinder is controlled by a servo valve which can be operator-adjusted to work the sheet material across its width dependent on sheet flatness. Buckling at the center, quarter, or edges of the sheet can be removed by a corrective positioning of the piston-cylinder in the location of the buckle. Entry and delivery rollers are similarly servo-controlled. The entry roll is backed off to permit the sheet product to enter the machine and it acts as an anvil roll.

Abstract: A back up roll assembly for supporting an intermediate roll and an upper work roll consists of a plurality of rotatable rollers spaced apart on a common shaft by fixed saddles and in engagement with the intermediate roll. The number of saddles exceeds one more than the number of rollers so that the back up roll assembly begins and ends with a saddle, each saddle being engaged by a piston cylinder assembly mounted in a frame, which frame takes up all of the rolling load and adds rigidity to the compensating system. Each piston cylinder assembly controls the positioning of its saddle and its neighboring rollers to exert a localized influencing effect onto the intermediate roll to compensate for, and/or control roll deflection.

Abstract: A shearing apparatus for performing several modes of operation on travelling or stationary material. Two cooperative knife drums, which can be rendered rotatable or non-rotatable, form a gap whose spacing is varied by hydraulic piston cylinder assemblies, one mounted on opposed ends of the upper or bottom drum. The adjustable knife drum is held in a parallel or non-parallel positioning or caused to rock with or without additional high frequency oscillations by controlling and regulating the pressure in the cylinders, while simultaneously moving the upper drum towards the lower drum and/or rotating both drums.