Abstract: A sensor based on optical fiber technology is described. The sensor includes an elongate core for propagating light having an excitation wavelength; an interaction region that includes a fluorescent material for excitation by the propagated light to produce fluorescent light; and an interface region defining a boundary between the elongate core and the interaction region. The elongate core of the sensor is adapted to increase an intensity of the propagated light at the interface region to increase the amount of captured fluorescent light in the elongate core.

Abstract: An advertisement management and display system includes marketing management software, a client advertisements database communicating with the marketing management software, at least one table and at least one content display device carried by the at least one table and communicating with the marketing management software. The client advertisements database is adapted to store at least one advertisement, the marketing management software is adapted to receive the at least one advertisement from the client advertisements database and the at least one content display device is adapted to receive the at least one advertisement from the marketing management software and display the at least one advertisement.

Abstract: A direct-burning grill smoking composition for imparting the flavor of a selected hardwood to a grilled food product contains a quantity of particles of the selected hardwood distributed in a solid matrix formed by partially dehydrating a slurry containing the hardwood particles and a binder dispersed in water. Following ignition, the grill smoking composition continues to smolder without the need for application of further heat until the grill smoking composition is reduced to ashes.

Abstract: A frozen aerated confection having an overrun of at least 40% and a fat component in an amount of 2 to 20% (by weight of the frozen aerated confection), said fat component comprising triglycerides of fatty acids wherein less than 70% (by weight of the fatty acids) of the fatty acids in the triglycerides are saturated, less than 8% (by weight of the triglycerides) of the triglycerides are SSS triglycerides; characterized in that the ratio of the percentage of fat that is solid at 5° C. to the percentage of the fatty acids in the triglycerides that are saturated (by weight of the fatty acids) is greater than 1 and in that the fat component comprises at most 60% (by weight) cocoa butter or shea nut oil.

Abstract: Preparation of an aliphatic carboxylic acid having (n+1) carbon atoms, where n is an integer up to 6, and/or an ester or anhydride thereof may be achieved by contacting an aliphatic alcohol having n carbon atoms and/or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide substantially in the absence of the halogens or derivatives thereof at a temperature in the range 250-600° C. and at a pressure in the range 10 to 200 bars, in the presence of a catalyst consisting essentially of a mordenite which has, as framework elements, silicon, aluminium and one or more of gallium, boron and iron, and which has been ion-exchanged or otherwise loaded with copper, nickel, iridium, rhodium or cobalt.

Abstract: A carbonylation process for producing a carbonylation product by contacting carbon monoxide with a feed comprising an alcohol and/or a reactive derivative thereof in the vapour phase using an heterogeneous heteropolyacid catalyst comprising one or more metal cations selected from Cu, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd and Pt and wherein there is at least 0.5 wt % water present in the feed.

Abstract: An athletic garment includes a user-selectable front panel, a user-selectable back panel and at least one fastener coupled to the user-selectable front panel and to the user-selectable back panel. The front panel displays indicia associated with at least one athletic affiliation and the user-selectable back panel displays indicia associated with at least one other athletic affiliation. For example, the athletic garment may be a jersey or a T-shirt such that the front panel is a front portion of the jersey and the back panel would be a back portion of the jersey. The athletic affiliation may be, for example, a professional sports team, a college sports team, a high school sports team, an amateur sports team or any other suitable athletic affiliation.

Abstract: An exemplary method controls the operation of a diskless client computer using a disk based operating system. The client computer is booted by fetching operating system modules through a network connection from a remote host computer. A ramdisk stores key operating system modules. The key operating system modules are locked in ramdisk to prevent swapping of the modules by the operating system. The loading of programs requiring real-time operation stored at the host computer are managed so that the programs are loaded as separate modules spaced-apart in time where the client computer is released between the loading of the separate modules to process other tasks.

Abstract: There is a requirement to remove oxygen from olefin-containing process streams which comprise relatively low levels of oxygen, carbon monoxide, a relatively large amount of hydrogen and optionally at least one alkyne, especially from the product streams from auto-thermal cracking of hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A system for recovering methylene chloride from an aqueous waste stream is disclosed. The system includes a distillation unit, at least one heat transfer unit, receptacles for methylene chloride and waste product, a temperature probe and a controller configured to selectively divert product flow from the distillation unit to either of the receptacles or to a recycle line back to the distillation unit depending upon the temperature measured by the probe. Also disclosed is a related process of recovering methylene chloride with such a system.

Abstract: A data visualisation system including a data value memory in which is maintained a finite set of data values, each data value having a corresponding time value, a display arranged to display a representation of each data value centered on respective data points, the position of each data point based on the time value of each data point, and a contour generator arranged to generate and display a contoured representation around each data point such that each data point is displayed as a local maximum. The invention encompasses a data visualisation method and program.

Abstract: The present invention is a retainer for use in a catalytic reactor that can retain and buttress an element subjected to forces applied substantially in one direction. The retainer defines a bearing surface for buttressing the element having a fluid flowing therethrough. The retainer is comprised of a plurality of members that if given the proper aspect ratio can condition the flow of a fluid through the reactor.

Abstract: An improved bidet device is set forth which includes a rotatable handle and capstan for positioning a spray tube and for opening the supply of water to the tube for spraying. A screw is received by the capstan to mount the handle and is further provided with a radial port. An actuator is coupled to the screw for rotation of the screw relative to the capstan to modulate the flow of water through the device. The actuator may be ergonometrically designed. As a further feature a sealing ball is provided which moves in response to water pressure to vent the spray tube and to seal the water supply against back flow from the tube.

Abstract: A process for the production of styrene is disclosed, comprising the steps of: a) feeding to an alkylation unit a stream of benzene and a stream of ethylene; b) mixing the outlet stream from the alkylation unit with a stream of ethane and a stream of oxygen; c) feeding the mixture obtained in b) to an oxodehydrogenation unit containing a catalyst capable of contemporaneously oxidatively dehydrogenating ethane and ethylbenzene to give ethylene and styrene respectively; d) feeding the product leaving the oxodehydrogenation unit to a separation unit to produce a stream containing styrene and a stream containing ethylene; e) recycling the stream containing ethylene to the alkylation unit.

Abstract: An authorisation server (11) is provided which attempts to classify messages as being wanted or unwanted messages. If a message is classified as an unwanted message it is stored in a black inbox (18) as part of an archive of unwanted messages If a message is classified as a wanted message it is sent to a user's grey inbox (19) where the message can be reviewed. For messages whose status as a wanted or unwanted message is unclear the authorisation server (11) delays dispatch of such a message so that the message's status can be reassessed using additional information received about similar messages. This further information is received either from honey pot computers (12,13) set up to receive unsolicited messages and also from user rejection of similar messages previously dispatched to users' grey inboxes (19) during the period of delay.

Abstract: A polymeric composite useful for producing large shaped articles such as railroad crossties comprisesa filler component having minimal reinforcing/structural characteristics; and a polymer blend including at least one polymeric stiffening component, at least one polymeric density component, and at least one polymeric flexibility component. The polymer blend can include post-consumer recycled thermoplastic polymers. To produce the composite, a multistage extruder brings a blend of polymer and filler materials to an extrudable threshold without completely liquefying the polymer blend. The extruded blend is cooled within a mold to form a shaped article such as a recycled composite crosstie. Exemplary recycled composite mixtures may include composite polymer materials, such as, polypropylene, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (HMW), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), ABS, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), and combinations of these polymers.

Abstract: A computer-based 3D modeling system for constructing a virtual 3D representation from a plurality of data images of 2D cross sections having a mutual spatial relationship. The plurality of data images and the associated orientation and positioning information are extractable from a data source module. A frame creation module constructs a rectangular frame for each image slice. A texture-mapping module maps the image slice onto the associated frame as a texture. A rotation transform module rotates each frame appropriately about one or more axes based upon the orientation information associated with each data image to achieve the correct orientation in 3D space. A translation transform module translates each frame based upon the positioning information associated with each data image to achieve the correct position in 3D space.

Abstract: A method for screening cellular tissue. An ultrasound probe is moved across the cellular tissue to generate sequentially adjacent, closely spaced images. The linear position and the angular orientation of the ultrasound probe is monitored and dynamically controlled as it is moved across the cellular tissue. The images and position and orientation data are collected with an ultrasound scanning device which is associated with the ultrasound probe. The images and position and orientation data are thereafter recorded.

Abstract: An improved bidet device is set forth which includes a rotatable handle and capstan for positioning a spray tube and for opening the supply of water to the tube for spraying. A screw is received by the capstan to mount the handle and is further provided with a radial port. An actuator is coupled to the screw for rotation of the screw relative to the capstan to modulate the flow of water through the device. The actuator may be ergonometrically designed. As a further feature a sealing ball is provided which moves in response to water pressure to vent the spray tube and to seal the water supply against back flow from the tube.

Abstract: A method of transmitting scan data from an ultrasonic scanning device to a computer. A desired number of individual scan images are acquired as frames within a buffer, after which the contents of the buffer are frozen. The number of frames in the frozen buffer are counted, and the dimensions and pixel format of each frame in the frozen buffer are determined. The frames from the scanning device are transmitted to the computer via a connection device, and the transmitted frames are written to an image file in a sequential manner.