Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture into a clothes drying environment includes a sponge-like core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein, a generally oblong-shaped cover substantially surrounding the core and retaining the core in a compressed condition, and a moistening substance retained within the core. The cover includes a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, a plurality of protuberances spaced generally evenly from one another, each protuberance having a generally conical shape, and one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening disposed at a distal end of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, and each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover. Furthermore, each of the dispensing openings is not positioned generally opposite the fill opening.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture into a clothes drying environment includes a core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The cover includes a plurality of protuberances, each protuberance including a flattened tip at a distal end thereof, a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, and one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening being disposed at the flattened tip of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover.

Abstract: An intravascular ultrasonic imaging catheter is provided with a flexible circuit electrically coupled to a transducer array mounted on the distal end of the catheter, a portion of the flexible circuit being helically wound about the catheter in order to enhance the flexibility of the circuit. The catheter may be a balloon catheter which is also provided with a stent mounted on the balloon, the stent carrying one or more drugs designed to be eluted or washed into a patient's blood stream after the stent has been delivered, by a the balloon catheter, into a target area within the patient's vascular system.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture to a clothes drying environment includes a core and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The core is comprised of a sponge-like material for retaining a moistening substance within the core, and the cover has at least one opening extending through to the core for permitting the release of moisture to the clothes drying environment.

Abstract: An intravascular ultrasonic imaging catheter is provided with a flexible circuit electrically coupled to a transducer array mounted on the distal end of the catheter, a portion of the flexible circuit being helically wound about the catheter in order to enhance the flexibility of the circuit. The catheter may be a balloon catheter which is also provided with a stent mounted on the balloon, the stent carrying one or more drugs designed to be eluted or washed into a patient's blood stream after the stent has been delivered, by a the balloon catheter, into a target area within the patient's vascular system.

Abstract: A method of automatically reducing power consumption in a load control system having a central controller and a plurality of load control devices controlling the amount of power delivered to a plurality of electrical loads, the method comprising the steps of configuring a load shedding tier defining a load shed parameter for each of the electrical loads; the controller determining the total amount of power presently being consumed by all of the plurality of electrical loads; the controller comparing the total amount of power to a threshold amount of power; the controller automatically transmitting a digital message to the plurality of load control devices if the total amount of power exceeds a threshold amount of power; and the load control devices controlling the amount of power delivered to the electrical loads in accordance with the load shed parameters of the load shedding tier in response to the digital message transmitted by the controller.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for deodorizing articles in a clothes drying environment includes a core configured to at least temporarily retain a moistening substance therein; a cover substantially surrounding the core, the cover including a plurality of protuberances, each protuberance including a flattened tip at a distal end thereof, a fill opening defined therethrough, the fill opening providing access to an interior of the cover from an exterior of the cover, one or more dispensing openings, each dispensing opening being disposed proximate the flattened tip of a protuberance of the plurality of protuberances, and each dispensing opening providing access to an exterior of the cover from an interior of the cover; and a deodorizing substance retained within said core.

Abstract: A dispensing vessel for introducing moisture to a clothes drying environment includes a core and a cover substantially surrounding the core. The core is comprised of a sponge-like material for retaining a moistening substance within the core, and the cover has at least one opening extending through to the core for permitting the release of moisture to the clothes drying environment.

Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention is a Zymomonas integrant and derivatives of these integrants that posses the ability to ferment pentose into ethanol. The genetic sequences encoding for the pentose-fermenting enzymes are integrated into the Zymomonas in a two-integration event of homologous recombination and transposition. Each operon includes more than one pentose-reducing enzyme encoding sequence. The integrant in some embodiments includes enzyme sequences encoding xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transketolase and transketolase. The Zymomonas integrants are highly stable, and retain activity for producing the pentose-fermenting enzyme for between 80 to 160 generations. The integrants are also resistant to acetate inhibition, as the integrants demonstrate efficient ethanol production even in the presence of 8 up to 16 grams acetate per liter media.

Abstract: A services gateway, which links client access by any technology to multiple service nodes, even if the client access technology is not directly compatible with the service node. The universal convergence border gateway (UCBG) utilizes the IP layer as a harmonizing layer to decouple standard services from their normally-associated access technologies. This is particularly advantageous with multifunction client devices because the best available wireless access technology can be used independently of the type of service being accessed. The UCBG uses a single encryption scheme to multiplex the traffic for various services with different characteristics into multiple data flows. The UCBG uses a single encryption scheme to converge the data flows to the client using a single control path without losing each traffic's characteristics such as QoS. The gateway also demultiplexes the converged traffic that it receives from the client in order for the data to reach the appropriate service node.

Abstract: An intravascular ultrasonic imaging catheter is provided with a flexible circuit electrically coupled to a transducer array mounted on the distal end of the catheter, a portion of the flexible circuit being helically wound about the catheter in order to enhance the flexibility of the circuit. The catheter may be a balloon catheter which is also provided with a stent mounted on the balloon, the stent carrying one or more drugs designed to be eluted or washed into a patient's blood stream after the stent has been delivered, by a the balloon catheter, into a target area within the patient's vascular system.

Abstract: An intravascular ultrasonic imaging catheter is provided with a flexible circuit electrically coupled to a transducer array mounted on the distal end of the catheter, a portion of the flexible circuit being helically wound about the catheter in order to enhance the flexibility of the circuit. The catheter may be a balloon catheter which is also provided with a stent mounted on the balloon, the stent carrying one or more drugs designed to be eluted or washed into a patient's blood stream after the stent has been delivered, by the balloon catheter, into a target area within the patient's vascular system.

Abstract: A drive and lock assembly for driving a window shutter includes: (a) a first rail assembly including a slidable slide rail, the slide rail being attachable to the window shutter panel; (b) a first drive assembly including a rotatable drive shaft and a drive wheel, the rotatable drive wheel being attached to a first end of the drive shaft, the drive wheel contacting the slide rail; and (c) a mounting bracket assembly for mounting the drive shaft, the drive shaft extending through an aperture in a mounting bracket of the mounting bracket assembly adjacent the drive wheel; wherein the first drive assembly actuates movement of the drive wheel and therefore the slide rail, thereby moving the shutter panel between an open position and a closed position.

Abstract: Cooling air to the blades and disks of a gas turbine may be modulated to provide a variable turbine cooling flow. A bellows may be extended by providing a high pressure compressor discharge flow to an interior of the bellows. The bellows may be compressed when the interior of the bellows communicates with ambient pressure air. The extension/compression of the bellows moves an arm over orifices in a cooling air flow path. The pressure inside of the bellows is metered to move the arm over at least one orifice, thereby restricting cooling air flow when the engine is running at low power. The pressure inside of the bellows is metered to move the arm to uncover all of the slots to provide maximum cooling flow when the engine is running at high power. The resulting variable cooling flow system results in less need for cooling air at low powers, thus reducing engine fuel consumption.

Abstract: A cooled shroud assembly includes an angled slot and a plurality of dilution jet openings. The shroud forward cavity is modified such that at least one recirculation zone is produced. The angled slot forces an axial change in momentum of the hot gas flow and increases radial and axial pressure variation attenuation. The cooled shroud assembly isolates the shroud structure and seals from the hot flow path and a cooling flow from the dilution jet openings dilutes the hot gas flow. A series of recirculation zones shields the shroud carrier and high pressure seals from the hot gas flow.

Abstract: The method includes the steps of pumping solvent under pressure into the mass of sludge, pumping the resultant mixture of solvent and dissolved sludge into the remaining mass of sludge until all or substantially all of the sludge is dissolved to a pumpable viscosity, pumping the dissolved sludge from the containment, and monitoring and controlling the aforementioned steps remotely. Apparatus for performing the method is also disclosed. This includes elements for pumping the solvent and dissolved sludge mixture into the remaining mass of sludge, elements for removing the dissolved sludge from the containment, elements for supporting and transporting the pumping elements through the dissolved sludge mixture and elements for monitoring and controlling the apparatus remotely.

Abstract: In an electric system that controls electrical or state variable devices through inputs received from device operators such as switches, buttons and the like, where some of the buttons control or set sequences for the electrical devices and others predefined “presets”, an automatic sequence tracking process monitors the system and adjusts the position of the sequence steps for buttons that are associated therewith, to ensure that they always track the current condition of the electrical devices. Thereby, actuation of sequence generating buttons will always choose the next step in a sequence for the corresponding electrical device.

Abstract: A container for transporting, storing and dispensing hydrocarbon fluids having a inner pouch and a rigid box in which the pouch is disposed. The inner pouch has a first opening in which a fitment is permanently affixed. The rigid box has at least one opening through which the fitment may protrude or be accessed.

Abstract: An article that includes substrate and a coating of the reaction product of a metal oxide composition, a solvent and a surfactant. A method of making such an article that includes applying the reaction product of a metal oxide composition, a solvent, and a surfactant to a substrate; and drying the reaction product on the substrate to form a hydrophilic coating over at least a portion of the substrate. In some embodiments, the article is a window and the method is used to coat a window.