Abstract: An apparatus includes a charge pump array including multiple charge pump cells. The charge pump array is configurable into a first arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in series or a second arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in parallel. The apparatus can include reconfiguration circuitry configured to select the first arrangement of the charge pump cells or the second arrangement of the charge pump cells. The charge pump array is configured to alter a voltage level of a signal based, at least in part, on the selected arrangement of the charge pump cells.

Abstract: A socketing material (16), or mortar, for speltering wire rope, strand, and other tension members (14), comprising 35%-55% AL2O3; 32%-52% SiO2; 0%-20% CaO; and 0%-2% Fe2O3. The material (16) may have a continuous-use temperature of at least 1000 degrees, at least 2000 degrees, or at least 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. A speltered assembly (10) is produced by introducing the material (16) into and allowing it to cure within a cavity (24) of a terminal fitting (12) around the ends of a plurality of wires (31) of a tension member (16) which are arranged within the cavity (24) in a spaced-apart relationship.

Abstract: A circuit for generating a voltage is disclosed. The voltage has an amplitude greater than an available power supply. The circuit includes a driver to supply the voltage on an output terminal to an electrode of a touch sense array. The circuit also includes a charge pump array coupled to the driver. The charge pump array includes an array of charge pumps to supply an input voltage to the driver. The circuit also includes a feedback circuit coupled to the charge pump array. The feedback circuit is configured to measure the input voltage and to select different combinations of the array of charge pumps to maintain the voltage on the output terminal.

Abstract: An active integrator for sensing capacitance of a touch sense array is disclosed. The active integrator is configured to receive from the touch sense array a response signal having a positive portion and a negative portion. The response signal is representative of a presence or an absence of a conductive object on the touch sense array. The active integrator is configured to continuously integrate the response signal.

Abstract: One embodiment of the implant comprises a porous metal bone ingrowth portion (14) having a first side connected to a high density or solid (fully dense) metal portion (16) which in turn has an opposite side connected to a porous metal soft tissue ingrowth portion (12) thus forming a sandwich structure with the high density or fully dense portion in the middle. The implant may be made of a resorbable material such as an alloy of magnesium. Alternately, the alloy can be selected from the group consisting of calcium, iron, yttrium and lithium. The porous metal soft tissue ingrowth portion (12) has porosity characteristics allowing cartilage to interdigitate with the pores and extend outwardly beyond the platform of the metal surface towards a joint capsule. The solid or fully dense intermediate layer 16 may have some porosity, however that porosity prevents either bone tissue or cartilage tissue from migrating therethrough.

Abstract: A wall support mounting device and method use at least one drive surface that moves in a plane or about an axis contained between the wall hanging and the wall as it couples at least one wall support to the wall.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a wire rope having a blackened finish designed for theatrical productions. The wire rope includes a plurality of strands that have a closed spiral arrangement with each other and are compacted. Each strand includes a center wire spirally surrounded by a plurality of inner wires that are spirally surrounded by a plurality of outer wires so that the outer wires completely encompass the inner wires. The center wire and the inner wires are made from a galvanized material and coated with a lubricant. The outer wires are made from a non-coated steel material. Each strand is compacted so the outer wires create a tight mechanical seal to protect the inner wires. The blackened finish on the wire rope is due to a black oxide coating treatment and provides for low visibility of the wire rope during theatrical performances.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pre-engineered brick panel formed of first and second adjacent bricks, spaced apart by a grout joint. The surface of the first brick is adjacent to a surface of the second brick. Each of the adjacent surfaces includes a grout channel and the grout channels in adjacent surfaces are aligned with one another. Grout is disposed in both of the grout joint and the aligned grout channels. Also disclosed are methods for making and installing such pre-engineered panels.

Abstract: An interferometric measurement system includes a spun optical fiber including multiple optical waveguides configured in the fiber. Interferometric detection circuitry detects measurement interferometric pattern data associated with each of the multiple optical waveguides when the optical fiber is placed into a bend. Data processing circuitry determines compensation parameters that compensate for variations between an optimal configuration of the multiple optical waveguides in the fiber and an actual configuration of multiple optical waveguides in the fiber. The compensation parameters are stored in memory for compensating subsequently-obtained measurement interferometric pattern data for the fiber.

Abstract: Systems and associated methods for processing textures in a graphical processing unit (GPU) are disclosed. Textures may be managed on a per region (e.g., tile) basis, which allows efficient use of texture memory. Moreover, very large textures may be used. Techniques provide for both texture streaming, as well as sparse textures. A GPU texture unit may be used to intelligently clamp LOD based on a shader specified value. The texture unit may provide feedback to the shader to allow the shader to react conditionally based on whether clamping was used, etc. Per region (e.g., per-tile) independent mipmap stacks may be used to allow very large textures.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for recovering a desired gas such as xenon difluoride, xenon, argon, helium or neon, from the effluent of a chemical process reactor that utilizes such gases alone or in a gas mixture or in a molecule that becomes decomposed wherein the chemical process reactor uses a sequence of different gas composition not all of which contain the desired gas and the desired gas is captured and recovered substantially only during the time the desired gas is in the effluent.

Abstract: An interferometric measurement system measures a parameter using at least one optical waveguide. A memory stores reference interferometric pattern data associated with a segment of the optical waveguide. Interferometric detection circuitry detects and stores measurement interferometric pattern data associated with the segment of the optical waveguide during a measurement operation. A spectral range of the reference interferometric pattern of the optical waveguide is greater than a spectral range of the measurement interferometric pattern of the optical waveguide. A processor shifts one or both of the measurement interferometric pattern data and the reference interferometric pattern data relative to the other to obtain a match and to use the match to measure the parameter. An example parameter is strain.

Abstract: An interferometric measurement system suppresses cross talk between optical waveguides used to measure one or more parameters. A first interferometric measurement channel coupled to a first waveguide, and a second interferometric measurement channel coupled to a second waveguide. At least one of the channels includes a reference light path in addition to the first and second waveguides. A reference path optical delay is associated with the reference light path, a first optical delay is associated with the input portion of at least one of the first and second interferometric measurement channels, and a second optical delay is associated with an output portion of the one interferometric measurement channel. A value of the first optical delay and a value the second optical delay are chosen to suppress crosstalk associated with the other of the first and second interferometric measurement channels in the one interferometric measurement channel over a predetermined length of the first waveguide.

Abstract: An acoustic processing module receives an acoustic signal, and outputs an analog output signal. Microphone sensors are provided for generating a corresponding electrical signal in response to the acoustic signal. A signal processing circuit is connected to the microphone sensors, and processes the electrical signals according to one or more analog signal processing functions to generate the analog output signal. An integrated casing encapsulates the microphone sensors and the analog processing circuit, and prevents external interference from affecting any electrical signals within the integrated casing.

Abstract: A crew transfer system for transferring personnel from a vessel to a stationary platform, such as an oil rig, is disclosed. In the illustrative embodiment, the system includes a ramp that is coupled to the vessel and an interface that is attached to the stationary platform. The ramp is coupled to the vessel in such a way as to permit one translational and three rotational degrees of freedom at the vessel-end of the ramp. The ramp is coupled to the interface in such a way as to permit no translational and at least one rotational degree-of-freedom at the rig-end of the ramp with respect to the interface. The interface is rotatably coupled to the stationary platform in such a way as to permit a rotation of the interface about the yaw axis. Permitted rotation of the interface enables a range of acceptable angles of orientation between the vessel and the platform.

Abstract: An accurate measurement method and apparatus are disclosed for shape sensing with a multi-core fiber. A change in optical length is detected in ones of the cores in the multi-core fiber up to a point on the multi-core fiber. A location and/or a pointing direction are/is determined at the point on the multi-core fiber based on the detected changes in optical length. The accuracy of the determination is better than 0.5% of the optical length of the multi-core fiber up to the point on the multi-core fiber. In a preferred example embodiment, the determining includes determining a shape of at least a portion of the multi-core fiber based on the detected changes in optical length.

Abstract: Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is expressed in B lymphocytes and is involved in immune regulation. Mouse splenic B cells express three CB2 transcripts utilizing two different first exons. Human peripheral blood B cells express one CB2 transcript utilizing one first exon. Alignment of sequenced RACE products to either the mouse or human genome reveals that isolated transcripts contain previously unidentified transcriptional start sites (TSS). B cells from mouse and human preferentially express one transcript, exon 1a in mouse and exon 1 in human. Multiple CB2 TSSs are utilized in mouse splenic B cells and one TSS in human peripheral blood B cells. The defining of the receptor gene TSSs in these cells provides materials and methods for therapeutically regulating immune function, including antibody isotype switching, using compounds such as inhibitory nucleic acids that down-regulate expression of the B cell CB2 gene (e.g., RNAi molecules).