Abstract: Many types of artificial reefs have been deployed in the world's oceans, bays and estuaries. These range from sinking ships to dispersing old building debris. In most approaches, the material placed in the marine environment lacks any nutrients needed for growth or concern regarding proper chemical conditions necessary to start and sustain life. In this discovery, concrete is made from both inorganic and organic components. The inorganic components are selected to include species that will be used to create a receptive surface to start and sustain life. Moreover, other conditions such as pH, chemical toxicity, nutrient levels and biodegradability are considered in the formulation. Additionally, there is an organic component that is part of the concentration mixture which provides trace nutrients and serves to weaken the structures so it will biodegrade over time. The biodegradable concrete slowly releases small quantities of resources (over months and years) providing a steady flux of essential nutrients.

Abstract: An immersive headset device is provided that includes a display portion and a body portion. The display portion may include microdisplays having a compact size. The microdisplays may be movable (e.g., rotational) relative to the body portion and can be moved (e.g., rotated) between a flipped-up position and a flipped-down position. In some instances, when the microdisplays are flipped up, the headset provides an augmented reality (AR) mode to a user, and when the microdisplays are flipped down, the headset provide a virtual reality (VR) mode to the user. In certain implementations, the headset includes an electronics source module to provide power and/or signal to the microdisplays. The electronics source module can be attached to a rear of the body portion in order to provide advantageous weight distribution about the head of the user.

Abstract: A positioning system is provided for orienting a payload. The system may continuously orient the payload relative to another object without twisting connections of the payload. The positioning system may be provided with a base, a rotating member, a pivoting member, an anti-twist member, and a coupling apparatus. The rotating member may be rotatably mounted to the base such that the rotating member rotates about a first axis. The pivoting member may be pivotably mounted to the rotating member such that the pivoting member pivots about a second axis. The anti-twist member may be rotatably mounted to the pivoting member. The coupling apparatus may rotationally couple the anti-twist member to the base such that the rotational orientation of the anti-twist member relative to the base remains constant regardless of a rotational orientation or a pivoting orientation of the pivoting member relative to the base.

Abstract: A field tillage system that reduces soil compaction, fuel consumption, and dust pollution includes a pair of wheeled support assemblies, a pair of booms connected to the wheeled support assemblies so that the booms can be moved up and down with respect to the wheeled support assemblies and in and out with respect to one another, a pair of carriages connected to the booms so that the carriages can be moved hack and forth along the booms, a set of implements connected to the carriages for tilling a field as the carriages move back and forth along the booms, and a drive system connected to the carriages for simultaneously moving the carriages and implements in opposite directions creating opposing forces thereby producing their own traction as they move along the booms.

Abstract: A mounting assembly is configured for mounting electronics in a ceiling or wall without requiring access to interior portions of the ceiling or wall. The mounting assembly comprises a collar, at least two arms and at least two threaded screws. The collar fits around and attaches to the electronics housing. The at least two arms are each independently compressed to engage the ceiling and are coupled to the collar to support the collar in the ceiling.

Abstract: A positioning system is provided for orienting a payload. In some embodiments, the system may continuously orient the payload relative to another object without twisting connections of the payload. The positioning system may be provided with a base, a rotating member, a pivoting member, an anti-twist member, and a coupling apparatus. The rotating member may be rotably mounted to the base such that the rotating member rotates about a first axis. The pivoting member may be pivotably mounted to the rotating member such that the pivoting member pivots about a second axis. The anti-twist member may be rotably mounted to the pivoting member. The coupling apparatus may rotationally couple the anti-twist member to the base such that the rotational orientation of the anti-twist member relative to the base remains constant regardless of a rotational orientation or a pivoting orientation of the pivoting member relative to the base.

Abstract: A system, architecture and model for facilitating extensible messaging and interaction are provided. The message system may use a messaging architecture that includes a domain message model, and open message model and a wire format. The wire format may implement primitive data types that may be used by the open message model to define additional and/or more complex data formats. The open message model may further specify interaction paradigms, generic messages, and message and transport attributes. The generic messages may include payload data whose meaning and context may be defined using the domain message model. The domain message model may include a content definition model and an item type model for building data and object types and specifying data context and relationships. As such, the message system may use generic messages and formats to create different message and item types.

Abstract: A system, architecture and model for facilitating extensible messaging and interaction are provided. The message system may use a messaging architecture that includes a domain message model, and open message model and a wire format. The wire format may implement primitive data types that may be used by the open message model to define additional and/or more complex data formats. The open message model may further specify interaction paradigms, generic messages, and message and transport attributes. The generic messages may include payload data whose meaning and context may be defined using the domain message model. The domain message model may include a content definition model and an item type model for building data and object types and specifying data context and relationships. As such, the message system may use generic messages and formats to create different message and item types.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods particularly suited for drying tissue grade paper. In certain embodiments, a wet web, such as a web exiting a tissue manufacturing machine, is transferred to an air floatation dryer with specially arranged air bars and impingement nozzles described herein where the wet web is dried while still at least partly supported by an air-permeable belt. In certain embodiments, the specially arranged air floatation dryer comprises one or more air floatation dryer units through which the wet web is conveyed by way of a supporting endless loop or belt of air-permeable construction. The air bars and opposing impingement nozzles are so arranged as to force the web into contact with the belt and then subsequently lift the web from the belt surface in a repetitive and alternating fashion as the web and belt travel through the dryer.

Abstract: The apparatus and method herein provide a means for actively monitoring a communications node for datapath disruptions caused within the node. It was developed to address linecard failures that were detected in the field and for which traditional error detection mechanisms such as CRC and OAM CC checks are not feasible. According to one implementation, statistics are collected over a preset time interval. If any egress cell counts are zero over a full interval, then the ingress interface for that datapath is determined, e.g. using the node's cross-datapath information, and the corresponding linecard of that ingress interface is contacted to determine the ingress cell count. If the ingress cell count is non-zero then the datapath is alarmed since the complete lack of cells transmitted at the egress indicates a datapath disruption.

Abstract: A system, architecture and model for facilitating extensible messaging and interaction are provided. The message system may use a messaging architecture that includes a domain message model, and open message model and a wire format. The wire format may implement primitive data types that may be used by the open message model to define additional and/or more complex data formats. The open message model may further specify interaction paradigms, generic messages, and message and transport attributes. The generic messages may include payload data whose meaning and context may be defined using the domain message model. The domain message model may include a content definition model and an item type model for building data and object types and specifying data context and relationships. As such, the message system may use generic messages and formats to create different message and item types.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for unwinding yarns with: (1) a drive roll with a polished metal finish to ensure good fiber/metal contact; (2) a drive roll/separator roll combination that enables multiple wraps of yarn on the drive roll; (3) pivoting yarn holding arms for the active and standby packages that provide for easier access to the packages on a frame; and (4) in combination with the pivoting yarn holding arms, one or more pivoting legs extending from a frame so that the apparatus has a relatively small footprint and simplified yarn threading/string-up as compared to background art OETO apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus (21) is provided for recovering a reference clock generated by a master clock (22) in a sender (20). The sender (20) sends timing packets over a network (3). The apparatus comprises a controllable slave clock (27) and a control circuit (25, 26, 28) which determines the slave clock error and controls the slave clock (27) so as to reduce the error. The error is determined as a function of (m×N)−Ca(n), where 1 C a ⁡ ( n ) = ( ∑ i = 0 q - 1 ⁢   ⁢ C ⁡ ( n - i ) ) / q .

Abstract: A data buffer is disclosed which organizes data packets received from a data link. Each data packet has an associated index number indicating both the order in which the data packet was sent and the order in which that data packet is to be read out from the buffer. The data buffer is made up of plural memory areas, each area being capable of storing a single data packet at a time. Each received data packet is stored in one of the memory areas in accordance with the index number associated with the data packet. The data buffer may be used in conjunction with a data transmitter and a data processor that processes the data packets in real time.

Abstract: Apparatus provides information to a mobile user. The apparatus includes a mobile communications system having a fixed part and one or more mobile parts for communicating with the fixed part. The fixed part is adapted to receive one or more requests for user-specific information from the mobile part, and to provide the user with information relating to the or each request. Preferably the mobile user has access to permanent user-specific information and/or non-permanent user-specific information, and the mobile part is adapted to send said permanent user-specific information and/or non-permanent user-specific information to the fixed part.

Abstract: The jump rope device employs DC motors to rotate two ropes and a dual closed loop control system is used to synchronize the turning movements of the two ropes. An infrared beam is used to monitor the use of the machine by a user. Each motor housing is mounted on a tripod support which can be collapsed for ease of transportation and storage. A floor mat with sensors may be employed for various exercises.

Abstract: The jump rope device employs DC motors to rotate two ropes and a dual closed loop control system is used to synchronize the turning movements of the two ropes. An infrared beam is used to monitor the use of the machine by a user. Each motor housing is mounted on a tripod support which can be collapsed for ease of transportation and storage. A floor mat with sensors may be employed for various exercises.

Abstract: An interactive information delivery system server delivering text or other visual data to a display unit is accessed by a user by means of his own telephone, through an interface unit. The interface unit interprets key pad presses and/or voice commands, and in response to these it controls the server. This allows the expensive and vulnerable hardware (which may be a conventional PC and modem) to be positioned in a secure location, but still be usable by members of the public. As the location of the display unit (which may be a conventional PC and modem) may make audio output impractical, the interface unit may pass an audio channel from the server to the user's telephone. In response to appropriate commands from the telephone, it can also divert the call to a predefined call centre.