Described herein are embodiments of microgrid systems which may be used as stand-alone systems or may be connected to a larger, integrated power supply system. In some embodiments, a system comprises a smart microgrid system comprising at least one electrical power bus connectable to at least one input power source by one or more switchable connections, a communication network coupled to the smart microgrid system, and a controller coupled to the communication network. In some embodiments the controller comprises logic to monitor power outputs from the at least one input power source, to monitor one or more power loads coupled to the at least one electrical power bus, and to selectively connect one or more of the input power sources to the at least one electrical power bus.

The subject matter described herein relates to electrical power distribution, and more particularly to intelligent microgrids which may be deployed alone or in combination to distribute electrical power.
Existing microgrid distribution systems are essentially disconnected islands at a facility or in an electrical distribution system that contain at least one distributed resource and associated loads. These microgrids may be connected to a broader utility grid, but in instances like blackouts, these microgrids switch to backup mode, disconnect from the utility, and continue to generate electricity to specific loads.
For such microgrids to work properly, a switch opens during upstream conditions, and the energy resources must be able to carry the load on the islanded section. This includes maintaining suitable voltage and frequency levels for all loads in the island served by the microgrids. Depending on the switch technology utilized, momentary interruptions may occur during transfer from grid-connected to power back-up mode.
More recent applications include hybrid islanded microgrids which combine renewable energy sources and diesel generators, with or without storage batteries. However, injecting renewable energy resources on a diesel-powered isolated grid does not yield a large positive impact, as diesel generators perform poorly at partial load. One alternative is to allow the renewable energy resources, with energy storage components, to stop the generators periodically. This approach will immensely reduce both the cost and the carbon footprint of the generator in the environment.
In short, existing microgrids are not intended to work in an isolated grid architecture where two or more of these resources are paralleled and one of these resources acting as the primary power source. The drawback is a technically complex power interface associated with load sharing, power quality, and synchronization of power supplied.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an innovative power interface and associated control system for a smart, robust microgrid architecture that provides a high level of flexibility and adaptability, and that can operate in either grid-tied or isolated grid mode.


Methods and arrangements for processing a signal using a digital processor having a given word length. The signal is pre-processed using a pre-processor which reduces the word length and performs an operation which is invariant with respect to a process being performed by the digital signal processor. This means that if the pre-processor operated with infinite accuracy, it would have no effect on the subsequent process. If such a pre-processor operates with infinite accuracy, it will reduce the guantization noise. In the digital signal processor, the pre-processed signal may be transformed into frequency coefficients which are normalized directly thereafter.

It is well known that common digital signal processing (DSP) operations like Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT), convolutions, Discrete Cosine Transforms (DCT), etc., often require large dynamical ranges for the variables employed in such algorithms. This leads to implementations using floating point arithmetic rather than with fixed point arithmetic, because the latter yield larger rounding noise at equal word-length. Let us first recall the distinction between integer or fixed-point arithmetic on the one hand and floating point arithmetic on the other.
Our goal is to represent numbers in the memory or registers of a computer or digital circuit in the form of binary digits ('0's and '1's). Because of their discrete nature we can only represent a finite set of numbers, all other numbers are "rounded" or "truncated" to one of the representable values, leading to quantization noise. For the sake of the argument let us focus on numbers between −1.0 and 1.0, and say that we have 16-bits available to represent numbers in this range.    for fixed point numbers, all representable numbers are of the form: n·2−15, where n is an integer in the range [−215. . . 215−1]. The representable numbers are uniformly spaced. The dynamic range, which is the ratio of the largest to the smallest representable number is 215≈105.    for floating point numbers, all representable numbers are of the form s·(0.5+m/2a+1)×2e−b, where m is an a-bit integer, and (0.5+m/2a) is called the "mantissa" and obviously lies between 0.5 and 1. s is a 1-bit "sign", and e is called the "exponent", a (15-a)-bit number, and b is the exponent-bias. As an example take a 7-bit mantissa and an 8-bit exponent. Then the range 0.5 . . . 1 (set e=b) contains 128 representable numbers 1/256 apart. The range 0.25 . . . 1 (set e=b−1) also contains 128 representable number 1/512 apart, etc. We see that the representable numbers are packed closer together, the closer we get to 0, in a logarithmic fashion. The exponent bias b sets the origin of this quasi-logarithmic scale. In this example the dynamic range is about 2256≈1077.
Floating point numbers are a trade-off between a large dynamic range, and locally uniform distribution of representable numbers. This meshes nicely with the idea that in many relevant computations we need to represent small numbers with a small granularity and large numbers with a large granularity. Another way to say this: the floating point representation matches the "natural distribution of numbers", which is roughly logarithmic, much more closely. For that reason, in practice floating point calculations almost invariably lead to much more accurate results than fixed point calculations with words of the same size (number of bits).
The major drawback of floating point numbers is that they require more complex hardware to perform additions, multiplication etc. E.g. for a floating point addition, both operands have to be normalized to the same exponent, followed by an ordinary addition, and a final re-scaling of the exponent. In software floating-point operations are therefore usually much slower.
In the case of watermark detection, DSP operations like FFTs must happen accurately: a watermark is carefully hidden in the content (often in the least significant bits) and so the signal processor must proceed with care so as not to lose it. However for watermarking in copy-protection or tracing applications, cost is a major issue: it is not a feature which can warrant a higher price in the store. A manufacturer of watermark detectors has two choices to control the accuracy:    use a floating point implementation with relatively high hardware cost (or high CPU-load for software)    use a fixed point implementation, but considering the statements about accuracy above, one is forced to use much longer words for an integer implementation than for a floating points. This also drives up the cost if many memory words are needed for storage, and consequently a lot of memory bandwidth is needed.
Applicant's International Patent Application WO 99/45707 discloses a watermark embedding system (hereinafter referred to as JAWS) to which the invention is particularly applicable. A watermark, which is typically a pseudo random noise sequence or pattern, is added to a motion video signal in the spatial signal domain. For complexity reasons, the same watermark is embedded in every image (field or frame) of the video signal. To reduce the complexity even more, a small watermark pattern is tiled over the image. A typical tile size is 128×128 pixels.
As in many watermark schemes, the watermark detection method is based on correlating the suspect signal with the pseudo random noise sequence. If the correlation exceeds a given threshold, the watermark is said to be present. In the JAWS watermark detector, the tiles of a number of images are folded into a 128×128 buffer. Detection is then performed by correlating the buffer contents with the small watermark pattern.
FIG. 1 shows the signal processing steps of the watermark detection process. The contents of the 128×128 fold buffer 11 is applied to a two-dimensional FFT 12. In a Symmetrical Phase Only Matched Filtering (SPOMF) step 13, the phase of the frequency coefficients is extracted and subsequently correlated (14) with a frequency domain representation of the watermark 15 to be detected. An inverse FFT operation 16 on the results of this correlation process yields a 2-dimensional array of correlation values. If a significant peak is found in this array (17a), the contents is considered to be watermarked. Optionally and advantageously, the contents is also watermarked with a spatially shifted version of the same watermark. In that case, a further peak is searched for (17b). Their relative positions represent an embedded payload, which is decoded by a payload decoder 18.
Since for algorithms like JAWS, memory is the largest cost-factor, a floating point implementation with 17-bit words (8-bit mantissa, 8-bit exponent) was initially developed. For instance, in the 2D FFT-step 12, if one wanted to use integers, one would need about 20 . . . 24 bits (depending on the video-content) to get similar accuracy to the 17-bit floating-point implementation.
From the literature there are many methods known which can help to reduce the word-length for integer FFTs e.g.:    insertion of guard-bits (shifting the input to the right by k bits, if the signal processing step is expected to increase the dynamic range by k-bits). An FFT on N=2n points increases the dynamic range by N (worst case), so the required insertion of n guard bits is like pre-dividing the input by a factor of N.    using block floating points. Block floating points are really (e.g. 16-bit) fixed points which represent a different range of numbers (like [−1 . . . 1], or [− 1/4 . . . 1/4 ]or [−8 . . . 8]) at different stages in the processing step, depending on the required dynamic range. For instance in an FFT one would choose a new range for the 16-bit variables to represent, after every one of the n stages.
Although these methods are helpful, in general they still cause too much quantization noise to allow e.g. robust watermark detection.

Method and arrangement for processing a signal using a digital processor having a given word length


A tie exchanger assembly is mounted upon a truck and is used for removal and insertion of ties in a railroad roadbed. A boom is mounted to a rail clamp table which is vertically movable between an upper stored position and a lowered operable position. The boom is mounted to the center of the rail clamp support table and is rotatable 180.degree. about a vertical axis so that the boom may be used for manipulating ties on both sides of the vehicle. Rail clamps and rail engagement wheels are mounted to the underside of the rail clamp table. The boom is pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis. A tie clamp is mounted at a distal end of the boom. A self-aligning tie clamp may advantageously be used so as to clamp concrete ties or other ties with irregular or concave surfaces.

This invention relates to a tie exchanger with a self-aligning tie clamp for replacing ties in a railroad track bed. More specifically, this invention relates to such a tie exchanger mountable on the back of a vehicle such as a truck or other road vehicle. (As used herein, a road vehicle is a vehicle which is designed for normal operation along roads, as opposed to vehicles limited to movement along rails and vehicles such as tractors, bulldozers, or backhoes designed for normal operation off of roads.)
In order to maintain railroad tracks in safe operating conditions, it is necessary to replace the ties periodically. The ties (made of wood, metal, or concrete) underneath the rails tend to wear out after an extended period of use.
Among the various machines which have been used for removing and inserting railroad ties is the machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,573 issued Aug. 28, 1990 to Harry Madison, one of the present inventors, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. That patent, hereby incorporated by reference, describes a tie remover/inserter machine which uses the vehicle of a conventional backhoe with various modifications.
Various other rail-bound vehicles having tie remover and inserter mechanisms mounted thereon have been used. Such vehicles are quite appropriate for use when replacing the ties over a relatively large section of rail roadbed. However, it may be expensive or difficult to bring in such a vehicle if a relatively small number of ties need replacement. For such situations, a railroad often has used a truck equipped with rail guide wheels and various hand tools to remove and insert ties. The rail guide wheels may be lowered so that a road vehicle, such as a truck, may travel along the rails until it reaches the location in need of repairs. Such a truck has often been equipped with a crane and winch to assist with handling the ties. Disadvantageously, exchanging ties in this manner is very labor intensive and slow.
Tie inserters have traditionally had clamps which may be used to grip the ties so that old ties may be removed from the roadbed and new ties may be inserted into the roadbed. Unfortunately, such tie clamps have had a great tendency to damage concrete ties because of the concave surfaces on such ties. In particular, tie clamps have had difficulty securely gripping ties, such as concrete ties, with concave surfaces or with irregular surfaces without damaging the ties.

Truck mounted tie exchanger with self-aligning tie clamp


A planetary drive head for treating floors having a hub that rotates in one direction and attached media gears that rotate in the opposite direction.

The apparatus used for sanding, polishing, grinding, or other floor treatment operations contain a drive mechanism, which, for example, could be an electric or a hydraulic motor. This drive mechanism causes a floor treatment disc to rotate or vibrate on the surface of the floor while the apparatus is guided across the surface to be treated either manually or as part of a ride-on vehicle.
Because of the force needed to operate the drive mechanism, a disadvantage of conventional floor treatment devices is that the force includes a strong sideward component during the operation, making controlled floor treatment possible by the operator's use of a sufficient counter force. Otherwise, the machine tends to pull to one side. In addition, there also is the resulting disadvantage that, because of dynamic forces, the perimeter of the floor treatment disc always tries to penetrate into the floor or surface, thereby representing a severe impediment when treating a softer floor surface, like wood or cork floors. A conventional floor treatment device, when placed in operation, will tend to wander from the starting position unless the operator remains vigilant and maintains control of the apparatus with sufficient counter-force.
There exists a number of U.S. patents directed to drive heads for grinding, polishing, and similar operations including U.S. Pat. No. 862,747 issued to Miller on Aug. 6, 1907. Miller teaches a drive head with a stationary central gear that is concentric with a head that is directly connected to a drive motor. Planetary gears, meshing with the central gear revolve about the center axis of the head as it rotates. Therefore, according to the disclosed configuration, the planetary gears rotate in the same direction as the head. Discs having the abrasive material are attached to the planetary gears and thus also rotate in the same direction as the head. This causes a sideways force on the machine and a noticeable pattern in the treated floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,707 issued to Palushi on Jun. 22, 2004 teaches a power sanding machine with three circumferentially spaced cogged belts to drive three discs that are rotatably mounted on an inner bowl. The inner bowl is rotatably mounted to a housing, which, in turn, is connected to an operating handle. The belts drive the discs in a direction opposite to the direction of the inner bowl. However, belts tend to be too weak to drive the discs at a rate high enough for grinding operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,241 issued to Rottschy on Jan. 26, 1999 teaches a floor sanding or polishing device including a housing that can be guided across a floor. The housing carries a motor which rotates a plate in a first direction about a vertical axis. The plate carries a plurality of sanding or polishing discs that are rotatable in the same second directions which are opposite to the first direction of rotation of the plate. The discs are displaceable radially relative to the plate by centrifugal force to bring a gear of the disc into engagement with a ring gear affixed to the housing, whereby the discs are rotated about their respective axes in response to rotation of the plate. Such outer ring gear drives, however, are vulnerable to damage.
A robust planetary drive head that can perform in polishing, grinding, and cleaning applications with reduced transverse forces is therefore desired.

Planetary drive heads for grinding/polishing pads


An Internet protocol (IP) packet switching communication system using real time transport protocol (RTP). Control packets map group identification codes to a multicast address on a network. Control packets are distributed on the network using simple object access protocol (SOAP) messages with extensible markup language (XML) payloads. Mapping may include dynamic or static functions. Multicast address data is distributed among routers. A message from a caller is multicast by the routers, based on the multicast address, to one or more destinations.

Among the biggest users of land mobile two way radio systems are the members of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, Inc. (APCO). APCO includes state and local government employees involved in the management, design, and operation of police, fire, emergency medical, local government, highway maintenance, forestry conservation, disaster relief and other public safety communications systems.
Land mobile two way radio systems include analog communication systems and digital communication systems. In addition, radio systems may be described as conventional or trunked systems, each having a wide variety of different standards or protocols, many of which operate using manufacturer specific proprietary protocols.
This varied landscape of radio systems has created problems that have been identified by APCO and other radio users and system administrators. For example, local emergency medical service providers may encounter radio communication problems when faced with multiple emergency situations. Multiple emergencies occurring at geographically different locations of a city may lead to confusion and unnecessary delay which can result in life-threatening consequences for victims as well as responders. In addition, major natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods are typically handled by several different public safety agencies where the ability to communicate between agencies is a necessity. Using current two way radio technology, responding rescue personnel from federal, state, and local public safety agencies may discover that coordinating their rescue efforts is difficult because the radios from the different agencies each may use different frequencies and signaling techniques. It has been reported that some on-scene commanders have been forced to borrow radios from one another to coordinate their emergency crew activities. In some cases, the radio systems are unable to communicate with each other.
APCO, with support from the U.S. Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), has set forth Project 25 (P25) to address the interoperability shortcomings of land mobile two way radio systems. Radio equipment manufacturers have been instrumental in developing the standards adopted by the P25 steering committee.
What is needed is a system and method that meets the interoperability standards of APCO P25, and yet allows a caller to quickly and reliably establish a multicast group, communicate a radio message to the selected group, and then allow those same recipients to further establish and communicate in yet other multicast groups.

System and method for multicast communications using real time transport protocol (RTP)


An aircraft cargo carrier restraint device that is constructed so that it cannot be accidentally moved from extended, pallet locking position to a retracted position. The device embodies locking pawls of unique design that positively preclude movement of the pawls into a retracted position unless a specific sequence of operation is followed. One of the locking pawls includes a locking notch and the other of the locking pawls includes a locking protuberance, which is closely received within the locking notch so as to positively prevent accidental downward movement of the pawls into their lowered position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for restraining cargo carriers such as pallets and containers within aircraft cargo bays. More particularly, the invention concerns a foot-operated restraint device comprising spring-loaded, fully retractable, interlocking pallet restraining pawls that are operable by the foot of the user, but are uniquely constructed so as to positively prevent accidental retraction.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Transport of cargo by large commercial aircraft is performed by placing the cargo into containers or onto pallets and then loading the containers or pallets into the cargo bay of the aircraft. For commercial cargo operations, the pallets weigh between about 2,000 lbs. to 13,000 lbs. Provided within the cargo bay are various mechanisms that are used to move pallets into and out of the aircraft and to restrain the pallets for ground and flight operation of the aircraft. Restraint of the pallets in flight is always a key safety requirement. Should any of the pallets shift in flight, a serious and unsafe out of balance condition could occur and serious damage to the cargo bay could result.
A key aspect of the cargo loading system is the pallet lock or end restraint. The purpose of the end restraint is to provide forward, aft and upward restraint of the pallets during flight and to fold down and out of the way during loading and unloading of the pallets. The typical prior art end restraint consists of a base, two transverse shafts connected to the base, an inner and outer pawl rotatably connected to the shafts, torsion springs to urge the pawls into an upward position, and either pins or plungers to connect the assembly to the aircraft floor. The typical end restraint operates by lifting the outer pawl to a vertical position. One of the torsion springs will then lift the inner pawl and snap both pawls into an upright position. The conventional prior art end restraint is collapsed by applying a downward force to the inner pawl. During normal cargo loading and unloading operations, the pawls are collapsed by the ground crew with foot pressure.
The end restraint design as described in the preceding paragraphs and specifically the pawl design dates back to the middle 1960""s and a number of different manufacturers currently manufacture and sell these types of devices. As a general rule the pawls of the various manufacturers are interchangeable and it is very common to find in operation an end restraint with an inner pawl manufactured by one company and an outer pawl manufactured by a different company.
It has recently been discovered through testing that under certain conditions, the end restraints can accidentally collapse during flight as a result of a pallet striking the backside of the inner pawl when there is no adjacent forward pallet within the cargo bay. It is the solution of this very serious problem that is at the heart of the present invention.
As will be better understood from the discussion that follows the end restrained apparatus of the present invention comprises a pair of interlocking pawls that are of a unique design so that they cannot be moved into a collapsed position by any initial pressure being exerted on the inner pawl from any direction. The pawls are released by the predetermined, considered sequential action of pushing the outer pawl down to an intermediate position, and then pushing down on the inner pawl. Unless this precise sequence is followed the pawls will remain securely locked in an upright position.
Another approach to solving the problem of accidental collapse of the end restraints is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,789 issued to Lent et al. This patent discloses a cargo latch, particularly for securing pallets or containers within aircraft compartment of the kind comprising two pivotal latch arms movable between an operative position in which one arm engages an item of cargo to be secured and the collapsed position in which the item of cargo is freed. In the Lent et al. construction, a catch element is provided in the base of the device for preventing the inadvertent movement of the latch arms from the operative to the collapsed position
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,278 issued to Harshman et al. also discloses a locking device for securing air cargo units within aircraft cargo bay. The Harshman locking device comprises two pivotal latch arms of a relatively complex configuration only one of which is biased by spring means. The first pawl is held down in the retracted position by the weight of the second pawl. The outer or locking pawl is generally xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped having a pair of spaced apart legs and a foot shaped outer crossmember for engaging the cargo carrier. The legs are pivotally mounted at their innermost extremities by means of pivot pins connected to the side members of the device base. The inner locking pawl has an inner base portion terminating in end portions, which are also pivotally mounted on the base by means of a transversely extending shaft. As the first and second pawls move into their upright position angularly extending surfaces provided on the two legs move into close proximity and function to lock the pawls in the upright position.
As will be understood from the discussion which follows, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a substantial improvement over the prior art and overcomes the various drawbacks of the prior art devices by providing an apparatus that is of a simple construction which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. The apparatus is highly reliable in operation and includes novel locking means, which positively and effectively prevent accidental collapse of the cargo engaging pawls during flight. The locking means can be released only by the operator following a prescribed sequence of steps, which involves an initial downward movement of the outer pawl to an intermediate position. In this intermediate position, a locking protuberance of one of the pawls has been moved out of engagement with a locking notch on the other pawl so as to permit the sequential downward movement of the inner pawl into the lower position against the urging of a biasing means. When the pawls are in their upstanding position, a second biasing means continuously urges the locking notch into secure engagement with the locking protuberance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft cargo carrier restraint device that is uniquely constructed so that it cannot be accidentally moved from extended, pallet locking position to a retracted position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a restraint device of the aforementioned character which embodies locking pawls of unique design that positively preclude movement of the pawls into a retracted position unless a specific sequence of operation is followed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a restraint device of the character described in the preceding paragraphs in which one of the locking pawls includes a locking notch and the other of the locking pawls includes a locking protuberance which is closely received within the locking notch so as to positively prevent accidental downward movement of the pawls into their lowered position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a restraint device of the aforementioned character in which the inner locking pawl includes a cam surface and in which the outer locking pawl includes a cam surface engaging shoulder which engages the cam surface of the inner pawl in a manner two urge the inner pawl into the lowered position as the outer pawl is moved toward the lowered position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a restraint device of the class described which is lightweight, compact, reliable in use and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.


The present invention features a self-contained, programmable, telephone-activated emergency visual alert system. Low energy consumption LED visual alert "strobe" signal is directly powered from the inventive control unit. Multiple emergency telephone numbers may be programmed into the control unit making the inventive system highly effective for use in areas without standard "911" emergency dispatch service. In an alternate embodiment, the visual indicator may be located some distance away from the controller unit and be activated by means of an rf or other wireless control link. A small, inexpensive battery at the remote indicator may power the receiver and indicating lamp for long periods of time without the need for battery replacement. Programmable integrated circuits form the basis of the control circuitry allowing low component count, low power consumption and, ultimately, low cost and long term, reliable operation. An audible alert device such as a siren may also be attached to and activated by the inventive system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to emergency visual locator systems. More particularly, the invention comprises a telephone-activated, high-intensity light for installation outside a structure to aid emergency personnel in locating the site of the emergency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Emergency visual signaling systems for activation by a telephone are known. Typical examples of these prior-art systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,058, issued to Edward W. McMinn, et al. on Feb. 12, 1991; RE 34,677, issued to Donald K. Ray et al. on Jul. 26, 1994; 5,621,379, issued to Sean Collins on Apr. 15, 1997; and 5,748,706, issued to Samuel D. Morgan et al. on May 5, 1998, all relating to phone-activated, visual signaling systems.
Specifically, McMinn discloses an illuminated house number display incorporating a high-intensity, conventional strobe-type lamp. The McMinn apparatus works only with the dialed number sequence 9-1-1 or, for test purposes, the four-digit dialed number sequence #-9-1-1. The power for the strobe lamp must be provided by the circuitry and, because of the large amount of energy required by conventional strobe lamps, any emergency battery backup would be both expensive and bulky. In contradistinction, the inventive phone-activated visual emergency signal system features multiple, programmable digit sequences (phone numbers) to which the unit will respond. These programmable sequences are easily installed in the inventive control system using a learn mode of operation. The multiple number sequences are particularly useful in areas which have not yet implemented a 911 emergency dispatch system and multiple phone numbers are required to selectively summon fire, police and/or medical emergency aid. The controller of the inventive system responding to any one of the pre-programmed numbers. In addition, the indicating signal for use with the inventive system uses a high-efficiency, LED-based strobe signal requiring substantially less power than conventional strobe-type lamps. This allows a compact and inexpensive battery backup system to maintain the visual signal in operation in the event of a power failure. Also, in an alternate embodiment of the inventive system, a radio-frequency (rf) link is employed to activate the visual signal which may be located at a point remote from the structure (e.g., at a mailbox by the road away from a rural dwelling). A small, inexpensive battery at the remote signal will power the receiver and activate the strobe signal lamp for extended periods of time. The inventive controller also provides an optional audible alert, for instance a siren, which is not taught by McMinn.
Ray, et. al. teach another phone-activated emergency visual signal responsive to the dialing of the 911 emergency telephone number. The system is only responsive only to the 911 code which precludes its use in areas without 911 service. Conventional, analog DTFM-decoding and control circuitry are used throughout the device resulting in a relatively expensive, bulky and power-consuming device. The inventive control system, on the other hand, employs digital circuitry based on a programmable logic chip which results in low component count, lower power consumption and ultimately, lower initial cost and longer, more trouble-free life.
Collins teaches still another phone-activated, visual emergency signal. The Collins apparatus utilizes a two-way interface wherein the actual display is initiated and configured by emergency personnel receiving a 911 or similar emergency call. The Collins display may exhibit different colors and/or flashing display patterns based on the nature of the emergency. The inventive system differs significantly in that no remote, human-initiated activation is required. Nor does the inventive system rely on expensive, complex, multi-lamp displays or complicated controls including a two-way interface. The inventive system uses a low-power, LED visual alert strobe lamp which may be located at a point remote from the initiating phone and activated by means of a wireless interface.
Finally, Morgan, et al. teach an emergency visual display activation system for use in cooperation with a telephone. The Morgan system recognizes only the 9-1-1 sequence or its inverse, 1-1-9 and, unlike the inventive system, has no provision for programming multiple, diverse telephone numbers. Morgan, et al. utilize the popular "X10" carrier current control system for activating the alert signal lamp. This system is totally dependent on the presence of AC line voltage unlike the system of the instant invention which operates effectively from battery power and is not dependent upon the AC lines for transmission of its control signals.
In each one of these prior art inventions, a phone-activated, visual alert signal is described. However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to suggest or describe the instant invention as claimed.

Phone-activated emergency visual signaling system with low power consumption signal light


A stand used for supporting spools of wire and the like includes a cam which is operable to increase the length of a leg to thereby raise the spool of wire off of the ground. The stand is adjustable to allow its use with different sizes of spools of wire. The stand allows a single person to raise a spool of wire weighing thousands of pounds off of the ground and support the same to allow the spool to rotate freely upon an axle.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to jacks and support stands. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved jack and support stand for holding a spool of electrical wire or the like while working with the wire.
2. State of the Art
Installing electrical wires in commercial, industrial, or municipal applications typically involves wires of significantly greater length and diameter than in an ordinary home. The wires are typically installed by pulling the same through a previously installed electrical conduit. As such, these wires are typically available on large spools. Spools of wire for these types of applications are often three feet or larger in diameter, and may weigh more than a thousand pounds.
To facilitate installation of the wire, the spool of wire is mounted on a stand by placing an axle (such as a steel pipe) through the axis of the spool and placing the axle ends on the stand. The spool rotates about the axle as the wire is pulled from the spool into the conduit. Existing stands are undesirable as they require a person to exert a large amount of force to lift the spool off of the ground and onto the stand to thereby allow the spool to spin freely. Larger spools of wire may require multiple persons or even machinery to lift on to the stands. Available stands are also undesirable as there is some danger of the axle falling off of the top of existing stands due to the lateral forces which may be applied when installing the wire into a conduit. Thicker wires will often require a relatively high force to pull the wire from the spool, and this force may displace the spool from the stand. It will be appreciated that this creates a safety danger for persons working around the spool of wire, especially where the spool of wire is heavy and not easily moved by a single person.
There is thus a need for an improved stand for supporting spools of wire during installation. There is need for a stand which incorporates a lifting mechanism which allows a person to lift a spool of wire off of the ground with minimal effort. There is need for a stand which securely holds the axle while allowing the axle and spool of wire to turn freely while dispensing wire. There is also a need for a stand which is stable, minimizing the risk of accidents while in use.

Combination stand and jack for wire spools


The present invention relates to a yoga cushion-padded sock in which a cushion pad is attached through mold pressing instead of needlework so as to adjust a thickness of the cushion pad and to simultaneously attach the cushion pad to both sides or one side. Particularly, as a yoga-exclusive sock, the cushion pad is attached to a part of a frictional surface during yoga moves so as to strengthen grip with a floor and complexly provide a shock absorption function and a nonslip quality, and the cushion pad includes air holes to be smoothly ventilated.

Generally, since yoga or Pilates, which are popular as healing exercise, are forms of indoor exercise and need stability and maintenance in posture and the like, mobility of toes is important and it is necessary to practice yoga with bare feet in order to prevent feet from slipping and to be balanced. As described above, yoga or Pilates is a bare-foot exercise in which it is important to support feet to not slip in order to maintain a pose. During such exercise activities, socks are not worn and a yoga mat and the like are utilized to prevent contamination caused by exercise with a great deal of contact with feet.
However, yoga socks have been on the market due to grip with a floor, contamination of feet, and inconvenience of exercising in the winter caused by cold feet. Recently, most popularly known yoga socks are formed as toe socks having a single-side nonslip structure.
Since there is a limitation in aesthetics of weaving knitted toe socks, actually, yoga socks providing a decorated bottom nonslip design while simultaneously being functional have received attention on the market. However, current yoga toe socks are limited to only an external nonslip design. As an example, Korean Design Registration No. 30-0837396 discloses a yoga sock which includes openings through which toes are exposable in a front part, an opened instep part, and a nonslip part formed on a bottom surface to prevent a slip and is worn during indoor exercise such as yoga, Pilates, and the like.
An existing single-side nonslip bottom has an effect of strengthening a grip between a floor and a sock by attaching a nonslip member to an outer side of the sock but can not resolve slipping between the sock and a foot. Also, there are problems such as a phenomenon wherein the sock is pulled backward and a phenomenon wherein the foot and sock slip due to the grip between the floor and the sock, and in a severe situation, the sock is folded.
Also, since the nonslip member is attached to a desired position on an outer side of the sock using a conventional method such as a sticker type patch, silk printing, silicone-coating or the like, it is structurally impossible to firmly attach the nonslip member to the sock such that the nonslip member is easily detached. Accordingly, there is a problem that the nonslip member is easily separated from the sock while being washed.
Also, since a conventional nonslip part is not ventilated, the foot sweats a great deal and becomes wet. When the nonslip member is wet with sweat, a water membrane is formed and slipping occurs such that a nonslip function is destroyed.
Also, conventionally, since the nonslip member is manufactured with a uniform thickness and a uniform area and is attached or the nonslip member is attached through silk printing or silicone coating with a uniform thickness and a uniform area, it is structurally impossible to adequately adjust a thickness and a size of the nonslip member.
Meanwhile, pile weave is considered to be essential in exercising socks for hygroscopicity and feet protection. However, it is impossible to apply pile weave to toe socks due to a problem of a current knitting skill.
Due to the above reason, generally, a point sock (linking) formed by separately knitting a toe part and a body part and then connecting the same is the only toe pile sock. However, it is difficult to produce the point sock.
To remedy such problems, as an alternative to a toe sock which is incapable of being pile-weaved, a cushion pad is attached to a toe part using needlework to increase a nonslip effect and a cushioning property. However, in the case of needlework type attachment, durability and grip are low and it is uncomfortable to wear.
Related Design Document: Korean Design Registration No. 30-0837396 (registered on Jan. 26, 2016)


In an initial state, a key control switch for adjusting opening degrees of ink keys and a display changeover switch are displayed on a display screen of a touch sensitive control panel. The key control switch is a collection of key control switches individually arranged in areas corresponding to the ink keys, and for each ink color. The individual key control switches indicate color densities of control strips on a print measured by a color density measuring device and the opening degrees of the ink keys. When the changeover switch is operated in this state, the control panel simultaneously displays the key control switches and an image of the print being processed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printing machine for controlling an ink feeding rate by measuring the color density of prints produced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a printing machine includes ink feeders for adjusting the rates of feeding inks to ink rollers. Each ink feeder has a plurality of ink keys juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to a printing direction (i.e. a direction for transporting printing paper at printing time). Each ink feeder adjusts the rate of feeding ink to the ink rollers by varying the opening degree of each ink key. In this way, the rate of feeding ink ultimately to a printing plate is adjusted. For manually adjusting the opening degree of each ink key, a construction is provided for operating key control switches displayed on a control panel and corresponding to the ink keys, respectively.
The ink keys, 10 to 20 in number, are arranged in the direction perpendicular to the printing direction. It is difficult to correlate the key control switches corresponding to these ink keys with an image actually being printed.
It is thus conceivable to use a control panel such as a touch panel (also called a touch sensitive screen) for displaying the key control switches as well as an image actually being printed. However, where the control panel has a limited display space (area), it is difficult to display simultaneously the key control switches and the image actually being printed.

Printing machine with a control unit that displays a plurality of key operation switches to control ink keys


An imaging device (1) includes a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner (10) including radiation detectors (12) and coincidence circuitry for detecting electron-positron annihilation events as 511 keV gamma ray pairs defining lines of response (LORs) with each event having a detection time difference At between the 511 keV gamma rays of the pair. At least one processor (30) is programmed to reconstruct a dataset comprising detected electron-positron annihilation events acquired for a region of interest by the PET scanner to form a reconstructed PET image wherein the reconstruction includes TOF localization of the events along respective LORs using a TOF kernel having a location parameter dependent on At and a TOF kernel width or shape that varies over the region of interest. A display device (34) is configured to display the reconstructed PET image.

Image reconstruction is a key component in the development and application of advanced positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging. Commercial time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanners have improved lesion detectability, reduced scan time or injected dose, and more accurate and precise lesion uptake measurement compared to non-TOF scanners. In TOF PET, the difference in the arrival times of the two photons is measured, which helps localize the event along the line of response (LOR). The uncertainty in this localization is determined by the system coincidence timing resolution. The most likely location of the event derived from such timing differences is assumed to follow a Gaussian distribution (or, more generally, a TOF kernel which may be Gaussian or some other distribution). The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the TOF kernel is determined by the timing resolution of the detectors.
In principle, if the timing resolution is high enough, the location of the annihilation event can be precisely determined and there is no need for tomographic reconstruction. State of the art PET scanners currently offer 300 ps to 500 ps timing resolution that is associated with 90 mm to 150 mm event localization. Any improvement in the timing resolution is likely to provide a noticeable improvement in image quality, signal-to-noise ratio, or the like. Thus there is a desire to continue to reduce the timing resolution by employing higher-speed electronics in the PET detectors, which is an expensive endeavour.
The following discloses a new and improved systems and methods that address the above referenced issues, and others.

Time-of-flight (TOF) PET image reconstruction using locally modified TOF kernels


A method and an apparatus for controlling virtual machine (VM) migration is presented, where the method includes obtaining information about an application running on a first VM, where the first VM runs on a first host; determining, according to the information about the application, whether an application associated with the application running on the first VM runs on a second VM, where the second VM is any VM running on a second host; and if no application associated with the application running on the first VM runs on the second VM, migrating the first VM to the second host. The embodiments of the present disclosure can ensure that reliability of an application is not affected during a VM migration process.

In a virtualization technology, a virtual layer is added between software and hardware to virtualize a physical machine (PM) at a bottom layer into multiple virtual machines (VM), and all virtual machines are centrally scheduled using the virtual layer to implement multiplexing of the PM. Virtual machine migration is a main feature of the virtualization technology. The virtual machine migration refers to that a virtual machine of two or more physical hosts is migrated between the physical hosts, that is, an operating system and memory data of the virtual machine, and a status of the virtual machine are transferred in a case of ensuring that an application is not interrupted, which features zero downtime, and can ensure full utilization of hardware resources on different physical platforms and improve the operating efficiency of a system.
Current migration processing of a virtual machine is generally considered from a hardware (for example, a memory or a network) perspective. For example, there is a double-machine application A. In an original situation, a master machine and a slave machine of the double-machine application A run on a VM A and a VM B respectively, and the VM A and the VM B run on a PM A and a PM B respectively. When the PM A is abnormal, an active/standby mechanism is enabled, and the VM A running on the PM A is migrated to the PM B by means of a virtual machine migration operation. In this case, both the VM A and the VM B run on the PM B. If the PM B becomes abnormal, the active/standby mechanism cannot be enabled, which reduces reliability of the application. Similarly, when the application is a cluster application, a similar problem also exists. If multiple VMs in a same cluster exist on one PM after migration is performed, the reliability of the application is also reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new method to resolve the foregoing problem.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Controlling virtual machine migration based on the type of application within the virtual machine to be migrated, target resource availability, and affinity information


A system and method that facilitates entities acting as agents to manage plural domains for plural registrants includes a domain manager capable of direct attachment to the shared registry system. The domain manager resides on a server of an accredited registrar or on a server of a partner website that has made a server of an accredited registrar authoritative for at least plural domain names. A variety of DNS or zone file information can be altered using simple graphical user interfaces to enter change information and pass that change information to the domain manager server. The domain manager server passes the change information to the DNS servers either directly through the SRS or through an accredited server that passes the change information through the SRS and to the root servers. Most preferably, the domain manager has substantially direct access to the shared registry system, which asynchronously updates the DNS servers. The domain manager may also provide a variety of utilities that allow an operator to perform diagnostics on the domain, its name and its registration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the Internet and more specifically to a method of managing aspects of an Internet domain, such as registration and modification of domain names and their associated records.
2. Description of the Related Art
Each computer on the Internet is identified by a unique Internet protocol ("IP") address. This address is a 32-bit number organized as four 8-bit values separated by periods such as 126.96.36.199. Such a numerical system, while useful as a routing address system for computer-to-computer communication, is not human user-friendly. Consequently, domain names are used to allow users to more easily identify and connect to a target computer on the network. These user-friendly domain names (or "host names"), such as "register.com", are easy for users to remember and, since they map to a unique IP number, accurately identify the computer's IP address.
As with the underlying Internet address, domain names typically have a hierarchical organization, with the trailing portion of the domain name, such as .com, .net, .org, .us, .uk or .jp, representing the top-level domain. Top-level domains include global top-level domains (gTLD) and country specific or country code top-level domains (ccTLD). The global top-level domains include .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov and .mil. Of these, .edu, .gov and .mil gTLD's are restricted to use by entities meeting specific qualifications. Country code top-level domains are country specific in that they identify registrations within a given country. The specific country governs registration for the country code top-level domains. Some countries are "open" in that they allow any entity to register a domain name within its ccTLD. Other countries are "closed" and only allow entities that meet restrictions such as residency to register domain names in that ccTLD. Most domain users presently use one or more of the .com, .net or .org gTLDs.
The domain name entered by a user is sent over the Internet to a global network of servers called the "domain name system" (DNS), which receives the domain name as a request and translates the domain name into the target computer's numerical IP address. The numerical IP address is returned to the user's computer to enable it to connect to the target computer. Typically, after the user enters the domain name, the rest of the process is invisible to the user until the user connects to the target computer. The domain name system consists of a collection of root servers or DNS Servers that provide a directory linking domain names with corresponding IP addresses. There are presently thirteen root servers worldwide that contain authoritative databases listing all top-level domains. The collection of root servers is centrally managed for all global top-level domains to ensure that each computer on the network can be uniquely identified by unique domain names and numerical addresses.
A "registry" is an international organization or entity that is responsible for assigning domain names and Internet protocol addresses. Each country maintains its own registry, generally through a company or organization. The registry has the responsibility to record and update domain names and Internet protocol addresses, as well as the information associated with them, on the root servers. A registry is under contract from its respective government to control domain name registration. The registry may authorize other entities, known here as registrars, to conduct domain name registration and other aspects of the management of domain names and IP addresses.
A "registrar" is an organization or company that is authorized to provide registration services for all users of certain top-level domains, such as the .net, .org and .com global top-level domains. Registrars are presently authorized either by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers, a U.S. governmental organization under the Department of Commerce, or by the registrar's respective government to control domain name registration. A registrar is authorized by the registry to act as an agent of the registrar to process domain name registration. The registrar has the responsibility to create and maintain a Whois database and zone files for its customers. Examples of registrars presently include Register.com and Network Solutions, Inc., both of which are authorized by ICANN.
A "registrant" is the individual or organization to whom a specific domain name is registered with the registry. Once a registrant has registered a domain name, paid the associated fees and met certain conditions, the individual or organization holds the domain name for use for a specific period of time. The registrant can use the domain name for such purposes as web hosting and e-mail. In many cases, the registrant may incorporate one or more domain names into an organizational identity or business. As such, a registration to use a particular domain name can be viewed as a significant asset for certain registrants.
The "shared registry system" (SRS) is a system that permits multiple registrars to provide registration services for the .com, .net and .org domains. The system is a shared database that holds information about domain names and their authoritative name servers. The shared registry system updates the root servers with information about the domain names within the .com, .org and .net gTLDs about every twenty-four hours in typical operation. The SRS allows accredited registrars to enter information about newly registered domain names into the SRS, and the information about the newly registered domain names is then uploaded to the root servers. Accredited registrars can update name server information within the SRS for domain names for which they are recognized as registrar. Accredited registrars are registered with the SRS and access the SRS through a secure and authenticated communication channel, such as through a secure socket level encrypted communication link.
The SRS facilitates the updating of domain name and IP address information and also provides a utility for identifying the registrar that registered a domain name, when the entry to the SRS was created and the authoritative name servers for the domain name.
Different entities may be responsible for registering and managing a significant number of domain names. It is consequently desirable to provide a management system that can allow an agent to register and manage a plurality of domain names for a plurality of different registrants.

Domain manager for plural domains and method of use


A dish rack has a wireframe, a drip tray having a base and a dish-receiving region provided on the base, and a drain channel that is removably coupled to the bottom of the base at the location of the dish-receiving region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dish racks, and in particular, to a dish rack having a removable drip tray. The drip tray can include an adjustable spout.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dish racks are commonly used on kitchen countertops for positioning plates, bowls, cups and utensils to let them dry after they have been washed. The water from the washed plates, bowls, cups and utensils will typically drip on to the base of the dish rack, and the water can be drained to the kitchen sink by tilting the base.
Unfortunately, these conventional dish racks suffer from several drawbacks. First, they lack an effective way of draining the water collected on the base to the kitchen sink. Tilting the base can be difficult (and dangerous) if the dish rack is fully loaded with dishes, bowls, utensils and other items.
Second, the conventional dish racks are typically positioned on a countertop adjacent the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, if the dish rack is inadvertently pushed or rattled (e.g., by a user, a child or a pet), the water that has collected on the base may be splashed out of the base on to the countertop or the floor.
Thus, there remains a need for a dish rack that can effectively drain the water collected on the base.

Dish rack with adjustable spout and removable drip tray


An absorbent personal care article, such as a sanitary napkin or incontinence pad is described having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline and including a pair of opposed first and second wings extending along the longitudinal sides of the article. The article further includes first and second protective strips attached to the sides of the article such that when the wings are folded under the article and around the wearer's undergarment, the first and second protective strips extend laterally outboard of the article and the edges of the wearer's undergarment to provide additional protection against leakage of body fluids deposited onto the absorbent personal care article.

Absorbent personal care articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners and incontinence pads commonly utilize a pair of wings or flaps which are used to help secure the article in place to the wearer's undergarments. Generally, the wings are folded around the outside of the wearer's undergarment and either attach to the outside of the undergarment or to themselves via adhesive, mechanical fasteners or other fastening means. Once secured to the undergarment the wings help reduce the likelihood that the article will become dislodged and move out of position. Examples of such foldable wing fasteners are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,876 Van Tilberg; EP051190B1 Pigneul; U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,268 Rodier; and EP1208823A1 Hohmann. In addition to securing the article to the wearer's undergarment, the wings or flaps are also designed to assist in the prevention of side leakage of body exudates received by the article. Unfortunately, it has been determined that these two functions can be at odds with one another.
One advantage of wings or flaps is the sense of security they provide to the wearer of the product that the product will stay in place. As a result, the users will often tighten the wings to an excessive degree. This in turn tends to pull the wings downwardly which is counterproductive to leakage protection as it distorts the intended flat or preferably upwardly curving nature of the product to a point that the lateral side edges start to curve downwardly which then facilitates run-off of body fluids that have been deposited onto the topsheet or body-contacting surface of the product.
Conversely, if the wing tension is reduced by not wrapping the wings as tightly about the crotch region of the undergarment, leakage protection will increase but at the expense of the secure feeling the wearer achieves by a tighter wrapping procedure. One possible solution is to increase the size of the wings. While this can increase protection against leaks, it also can cause the product to become more uncomfortable to wear. Yet another solution is to increase the overall dimensions of the base product by making it longer and/or wider. This can cause the product to become more uncomfortable to wear.
There is therefore a need for an improved product design that results in a product that allows the wearer to wrap the wings about varying sizes of undergarments worn by the wearer to the desired degree to provide the security that the product will remain in place during use and not shift during periods of increased activity. At the same time, there is also the need for a product that will still provide the necessary body-contacting surface area that would normally be provided at the side margins of product despite the wings being attached in a manner that causes a downward pull on the sides of the product.

Absorbent personal care article having wings and protective strips


A method of facilitating a match between an employer with at least one job opening and job seekers is provided. The employer has a set of position preferences related to the job opening. The job seekers have suitability data, resumes, etc., that are provided to the employer. The suitability data includes normalized assessment data. The method includes the steps of: determining a position quotient based on the position preferences; deriving a performance quotient for each job seeker, the performance quotient including normalized assessment data; comparing each the performance quotient to the position quotient; and ranking each the job seeker based on the comparison of the performance quotient to the position quotient.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed and claimed concept relates to a method of matching job seekers and employers and, more specifically, to a method wherein a limited number of highly compatible job seekers are matched to an employer.
2. Background Information
Traditional methods of employers finding new employees, or for job seekers to find employers, typically consisted of the employer advertising a position and job seekers responding to the advertisement. The advertisement typically included a brief description of the minimal job requirements, e.g. a certain degree or a minimum experience requirement. The job seekers typically responded with a resume having a limited amount of information. If the applicant met the minimum requirements, a job interview may have been set up.
Today, employers have more tools at their disposal for determining whether a job seeker would benefit the employer. That is, in addition to resumes and interviews, various assessments and tests have been developed that provide an additional understanding as to how a person may function in general, at a particular task, how a person functions with others, etc. A job seeker may take these assessments independently and include such information along with a resume. That is, job seekers provide potential employers with "suitability data" which may include a resume, assessment results, references, and/or other information that indicates suitability for an available position.
Two drawbacks to this system are that (1) the various assessments are not standardized and, typically, produce dissimilar results, and (2) the elements of the suitability data are in different formats. With regard to the first point, one assessment may provide a result in the form of a score, e.g. a leadership score of 85 out of 100, whereas another assessment may provide a result in the form of a code, e.g. a personality type such as ANTJ or AXFP. Thus, it is likely that a job seeker may not have the right assessment as part of their suitability data. Additionally, employers may not rely on a specific assessment(s) but rather may have a list of position preferences that do not align with any specific assessment(s). With regard to the second point, even if all job seekers have been tested using the same assessment, employers may not know how to compare the value of an assessment score to the value of other suitability data, e.g. school pedigree or the ability to speak another language.
Further, with the advances provided by electronic communications, the number of job seekers aware of a given opportunity has increased dramatically. Thus, employers may be inundated with applicants. Conversely, when a job opening is not posted and the employer performs a search, on-line databases of resumes and other suitability data has vastly increased the number of job seekers that an employer may review. Accordingly, it is often difficult for employers to focus a search on the best candidates for a specific job.
It is noted that assessments, even those that produce a result in the form of a code, rely on multiple choice questions or questions involving ranking. For example, typical questions may be, "on a scale of 1-5, with 1 meaning strongly disagree and 5 meaning strongly agree, rank the following statements: (1) I work well in a group; (2) I like to work outside; (3) I like to work on a computer, etc." As many job seekers may try to guess the "right" answer, the assessments typically have more subtle questions. The point, however, is that such assessments often have raw data in the form of numerical data; this raw data is often easier to manipulate and/or convert to other formats.
Further, one exemplary assessment that is discussed below is a DISC assessment. The DISC assessment is not part of this invention, but an understanding of the assessment is helpful in understanding the disclosed invention. A DISC assessment requires a person to answer a series of questions, typically ranking questions such as those discussed above and/or a person's preferences in word associations. DISC is an acronym for: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. Dominance relates to a person's preference for control, power and assertiveness. Influence relates to a person's style in social situations and how they communicate. Steadiness relates to a person's patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness. Compliance relates to a person's preference for structure and organization.
The DISC assessments are typically structured so that people who score high in the "D" category (Dominance) are very active in dealing with problems and challenges. Conversely, people with low "D" scores tend to want to research and gather data before committing to a decision. High "D" people are often identified as determined, ambitious, and pioneering. Alternatively, high "D" people may be described as strong willed, demanding, forceful, and egocentric. People with low D scores are typically described as mild, agreeable, low keyed, and cooperative, while also being conservative, and calculating.
People with high "I" scores (Influence) have the ability to influence others through talking and activity. Such people are often charismatic and convincing. They are also known to be trusting, optimistic, and may be demonstrative. Those with low "I" scores still have the ability to influence others; they just prefer to do so using different tools. That is, a low "I" score person would try to influence others by presenting data and facts, and would not rely on feelings. Low "I" score people are described as thoughtful, calculating, logical, and matter of fact. Such people also can be seen as critical, pessimistic, and skeptical.
People with high "S" scores (Steadiness) prefer predictability. Such people tend to be relaxed, patient, possessive, stable, unemotional and consistent. People with a low "S" score are those who like change and variety. Such people tend to be eager, impulsive, and restless.
People with high "C" scores (Compliance) like structure and play by the rules. They prefer to do a job once and do it well. Thus, people with high "C" scores tend to be careful, exacting, neat, and systematic. They are also known to be diplomatic and tactful. Those with low "C" scores are more rebellious and tend to challenge the rules. They prefer independence and are unconcerned with details.
Such assessments rate the subject as "possessing" or "lacking" with regard to a particular attribute being measured. For example, a certain position may be identified as a positive fit for someone who possesses a Dominant/Influencing style, e.g. a sales position. Someone who rates above the norm in the Dominant/Influencing categories probably possess the natural ability to succeed as a salesperson. A person who lacks these two attributes would probably have to work very hard to adapt and succeed as a salesperson. Further, the subjects can be rated as being "strong" or "weak" in their result. It is noted that some assessments choose to describe results with two different names, e.g. intellectual vs. emotional, as the nomenclature may produce a descriptive result that appears as an oxymoron. For example, a person who scores a "strong negative" on the influence scale of a typical DISC assessment is probably a person who relies on facts, rather than emotion, to make a point. The "strong lacking" does not mean the person lacks the ability to influence others, although that is what the description of a "strong lacking influence score" seems to imply.
As a short example, a DISC assessment may have the following three statements wherein the subject provides a scaled answer, e.g. with 1 meaning "strongly disagree," 3 meaning not sure or does not matter," and 5 meaning "strongly agree." Statement 1; I always use maps. Statement 2; I follow assembly instructions. Statement 3; I use a ruler to draw a straight line. Each of these statements relate to the "C" scores (Compliance). A person who answers with a 4 or 5 to these statements is probably a cautious, rule abiding personality and who would have a high "C" score. Conversely, a person who answered with low numbers is probably more radical. Someone who answered with 5's in both directions, or with middling ratings, is someone who is adaptable or unsure. Another way of scoring DISC assessments is to provide a series of sentences or statements and require the candidate to pick one statement that most resembles their behavior and one statement that is least like their probable behavior. Typically, DISC assessments used in the workplace provide 24-28 grouping of 4 statements each where the candidate is forced to choose the most/least applicable answer for each of the 24-28 groups.
The results of a DISC assessment are typically provided in the form of a line on a graph, as shown in FIG. 1. Just as there are no right or wrong answers on the assessment, there is not a "good" or "bad" line on the graph. As discussed above, the line on the graph relates to the strength and style of the subject. That is, the y-axis of the graph shows the intensity of the subject's results; the intensity may be "above" or "below" a neutral point. History has shown that, in many instances, people with similar results perform well in the same occupation or at similar tasks.
Further, the results of the separate attributes rated by such assessments may be combined to better evaluate the subject. As a simplified example, a person with high "D" and low "C" scores would probably be happier as a leader of an innovative company than as a military officer. That is, both are leaders, which is tied to a high "D", but a person who has a low "C" would probably dislike military regulation. As a further example, a person with a low "I" score and a high "S" or "C" score would probably be happier as a scientist than as an artist. Thus, in a DISC assessment, there are no wrong answers, but a person's answer may demonstrate that they are, or are not, a good fit for a particular job.
The fit between the subject of an assessment and an occupation is, typically, determined by plotting the DISC scores on at least one, and typically two or three graph(s). For example, one chart may plot a "public perception" of the subject. A public perception plot relates to those questions/statements that the subject favored; i.e. the attributes the subject is likely to reveal in public. A second graph plots a "stress perception" and relates to those questions/statements that the subject disfavored. A subject would not typically disclose attributes that are not favored and would be stressed if placed in a situation wherein those attributes must be used. The two graphs may be combined, or averaged, in a third "self perception" graph.
The plots on the graphs establish a "performance line." That is, typically, employees, or satisfactory employees (as defined below), who perform well at a particular task or occupation have similar graphs. Moreover, when a number of subjects are assessed, it is possible to plot a standard deviation for each performance line. That is, it is unlikely that all the satisfactory employees are exactly alike, so the performance line may be expressed as a range of acceptable scores. On the graphs, this range is shown as shading, or another marking, about the performance line. That is, FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C show a Public Perception graph, a Stress Perception graph, and a Self Perception graph, respectively. The vertical axis relates to the intensity of the subjects' scores while the horizontal axis is merely divided into the DISC categories. As shown, each graph has a performance line 1. About the performance line 1 is an expanded area 2 representing the standard deviation. The standard deviation may be narrow, indicating that most subjects scored about the same for that particular category, or wide, indicating there was a broader range of answers from the subjects. When evaluating a job seeker, it is preferable that the job seeker has a score that falls within the standard deviation.
Finally, it is noted that there are many different DISC assessments which, while following the same basic structure, are developed independently of each other. Thus, DISC assessment scores, or any other type of assessment scores, may need to be normalized before the scores can be compared.

Method of matching employers with job seekers


A detector receives optical radiation interacted with the measured sheet and is responsive to a predetermined optical absorption band of lignin, a predetermined optical absorption band of dry matter and two or more separate optical bands. The measuring unit measures a lignin dependent value on the basis of attenuation in the absorption band of lignin, and a dry matter dependent value on the basis of attenuation in the absorption band of the dry matter, and determines a general dependence of attenuation with respect to wavelength by measuring attenuations in the separate optical bands. The measuring unit forms a value representing a dry matter content on the basis of the lignin dependent value, the dry matter dependent value and the general dependence of attenuation.

Cellulose is one of the dry matters in paper and its percentage in the paper may be measured by directing infrared light from an optical source to the paper. Interaction between the paper and the infrared light causes the attenuation of the infrared light to depend on both wavelength and the percentage of cellulose. Cellulose attenuates strongly at known, narrow absorption bands in infrared region. When an attenuation of an absorption band of cellulose is measured, it is possible to determine cellulose content of the measured paper.
When paper comprises a plurality of dry matters and lignin the amount of which is usually unknown the measurement faces serious problems and fails to provide reliable results. Hence, there is a need for a better measurement.


A method, computer program product, and computer system for determining, by a computing device, a weight of an indirect block page. The weight of the indirect block page may be compared to a threshold. It may be determined that the weight of the indirect block page is greater than the threshold. A copy of the indirect block page may be created as a backup page based upon, at least in part, determining that the weight of the indirect block page is greater than the threshold.

Some storage systems may not have backup copies for each logic page used to locate data. As such, in case there are multiple corruptions, to bring the system offline for the recovery, a file system check may be relied upon to validate consistency of metadata in multiple locations, and remove any inconsistency by correcting any corrupted metadata. Generally, the check may find all of the connected space that is visible to the user volumes. Depending on the corruption type and corrupted objects, the check may encounter scenarios where recovery is not possible, as corrupted pages are not able to make a connection with the rest of the data structure during/after the browsing, hence that all the data represented by the corrupted pages may be required to be removed from the data structure.

System and method for weight based data protection


Provided are an integrated circuit chip device and related products. The integrated circuit chip device is used for performing a multiplication operation, a convolution operation or a training operation of a neural network. The device has the advantages of small calculation amount and low power consumption.

ANN (Artificial Neural Network) is a research focus emerged in 1980s in the field of artificial intelligence. ANN abstracts the human brain neuron network in terms of information processing to establish a simple model, and then builds different networks with different connection methods. ANN is often referred to as neural network in engineering and academia. Neural networks are a type of computational model. They are formed by a large number of interconnecting nodes (or may be referred to as neurons). Existing neural networks rely on CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to realize neural network operations which often require a large amount of computations and cause high power consumption.

CAMBRICON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION LIMITED


An apparatus for forming a flexible package can include a forming box having a first, second, and third portions that cooperate to define first, second, third, and fourth walls of the forming box, and one or more forming box actuators operatively coupled to the forming box to actuate the forming box between a first position for receiving a package, a second position for retaining a package, and a third position for releasing the package. The apparatus can also include a first flap folding bar disposed upstream and adjacent a first end of the forming box, and one or more first flap folding bar actuators operatively coupled to the first flap folding bar to actuate the first flap folding bar in a direction substantially transverse to a transport path of a flexible material.

Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for making a flexible package.
Brief Description of Related Technology
Vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) packaging machines are commonly used in the snack food industry for forming, filling, and sealing bags of nuts, chips, crackers and other products. Such packaging machines take a packaging film or flexible material from a roll and form the flexible material into a vertical tube around a product delivery cylinder. One disadvantage of these packages is that the resulting filled package is not rigid enough to allow the stacking of one package on top of another in a display. Additionally, such conventional packages do not retain their shape, particularly after the package is opened and product is removed.

Apparatus and method for making a flexible package


A ball-and-socket joint comprising an inner hub (1) and an outer hub (6) inside which tracks are disposed that are associated with each other in pairs. At least one ball is arranged in each track in order to transmit torque between the inner hub and the outer hub. The ball-and-socket joint further includes at least one diaphragm which seals the outer hub with respect to a joining element that can be connected in a torsion-proof manner to the inner hub. The outer hub is provided with a metallic interior element encompassing the tracks, a dampening element which embraces the interior element in at least some areas, and a cap that embraces the damping element in at least some areas in order to connect the outer hub to a driving part or a part to be driven. The damping element is made of a material having a modulus of elasticity lower than the modulus of elasticity of the metallic material of the interior element and/or the cap of the outer hub while being greater than the modulus of elasticity of the diaphragm.

The invention relates to a ball joint, which can be used for torque transmission in the driveline of a car. Further, the present invention relates to a drive shaft with a ball joint of this type.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,021 (=DE 198 31 015) discloses a drive configuration with a constant velocity fixed joint, the outer part of which has a flange extending outwards away from this part, it being possible to connect the flange to an annular damping element. The damping element is positioned between the flange and a connecting part and should be made from an aluminum material, the elastic modulus of which is significantly different from that of the outer part, so that mechanical vibrations, originating in the drive side, for example, in the drive assembly of a car, cannot be fed into the drive line by the connecting part. This known drive configuration assumes a large installation space in the area of the joint, e.g. on the gearbox output. In addition, the time taken up by assembly work increases, due to the additional damping element to be inserted. Further, the damping properties are also regarded as having potential for improvement, since the connecting section and the flange of the outer part of the joint are firmly connected to each other using screws.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,057 (=DE 22 40 436) proposes a rotary ball joint, in which the joint is surrounded by a sealing boot made from synthetic or natural rubber. In the area of the joint, this sealing boot is also surrounded by a cap or the like, whereby the outer surface of the outer part of the joint and the inner surface of the sealing boot, as well as the outer surface of the sealing boot and the inner surface of the cap have corresponding profiles for torque transmission. Assembling this rotary ball joint is particularly labor intensive, since the joint must be inserted into the sealing boot. In addition, the soft, elastic material of the sealing boot is unsuited to transmitting high torque transmission.

Ball-and-socket joint and universal shaft


A method for producing a connecting device for connecting films with conductor tracks includes the steps of laying a first film with conductor tracks onto a forming die, applying a first lower shell of a plastic material onto a first end portion of the forming die, producing a cut-out and shifting the first film so that the cut-out lies completely on the first lower shell, applying upper conductor tracks of a conductive material onto the first lower shell so that the upper conductor tracks overlap with the conductor tracks of the first film, and applying a first upper shell of a plastic material onto the first lower shell so that the first film, the first lower shell and the first upper shell connect together by substance bonding to form a first connector. In this way, an integral connector can be provided on each film.

Electrical lines which are printed directly onto components or films connected thereto are found in large numbers in modern aircraft construction. These can easily be exchanged for upgrading. The weight of such a solution is significantly lower than that of a conventional cable. Areas of application include instrument panels or trim elements in motor vehicles. Using the technology, at least some cable connections can be omitted.
For example, DE 40 36 592 A1 describes a flexible circuit on a flexible plastic film carrier, wherein the electrical circuit is configured in the form of a metal layer only a few microns thick.

Method for producing a connecting device


The invention provides methods and compositions for treatment of bacterial infections. Methods of the invention include administration of dalbavancin for treatment of a bacterial infection, in particular a Gram-positive bacterial infection of skin and soft tissue. Dosing regimes include once weekly administration of dalbavancin, which often remains at therapeutic levels in the bloodstream for at least one week, providing prolonged therapeutic action against a bacterial infection.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nosocomial bloodstream infections are a leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately five percent of the seven million central venous catheters (CVCs) inserted annually in the United States are associated with at least one episode of bloodstream infection (approximately 350,000 a year). Catheter-related bloodstream infections occur when bacteria enter the bloodstream through an intravenous catheter and can be life threatening.
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a common medical condition and often the consequence of trauma or surgical procedures. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes are the pathogens most frequently isolated from patients with deep tissue infections, although any pathogenic organism, including those found on healthy skin, may cause infection. Many SSTIs are mild to moderate in severity, permitting successful treatment with oral antimicrobial agents and local cleansing. In contrast, more severe or complicated infections, which frequently occur in patients with underlying risk factors (e.g., vascular compromise, diabetes) and/or infections caused by difficult-to-treat or multiply-resistant bacteria, may require potent intravenous antimicrobial therapy and aggressive surgical debridement.
Staphylococci are a clinical and therapeutic problem and have been increasingly associated with nosocomial infections since the early 1960s. The coagulase-positive species methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has long been problematic in both community-acquired and nosocomial infections, and several coagulase-negative staphylococci have been recognized as opportunistic human pathogens, especially in the treatment of critically ill patients in intensive care units. Another major cause for clinical concern is the increasing isolation of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains in many parts of the world.
The glycopeptide antibiotics vancomycin and teicoplanin have been used against serious nosocomial infections caused by multi-drug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens, particularly MRSA, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and enterococci. Vancomycin and teicoplanin are used for infections caused by MRSA, and until recently, all isolates were uniformly susceptible. However, the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus strains with intermediate susceptibility or resistance to teicoplanin as well as vancomycin has now been reported with increasing frequency. A number of vancomycin-resistant strains, classified "VanA," "VanB," or "VanC," based on the mechanism of resistance, have been reported. Thus, alternative treatment options are needed.
Teicoplanin is at least as active as vancomycin against most Gram-positive bacteria and appears to cause fewer adverse events. Both forms of treatment require at least once daily dosing to effect complete recovery. Currently, the therapeutic options for severe infections caused by some of these pathogens is quite limited. The emerging resistance of Gram-positive pathogens to vancomycin makes the availability of new antibiotics with potential for increased effectiveness highly desirable.
In addition, less frequent dosing regimens than currently-available therapies would be desirable to enhance patient comfort, especially for parenteral, e.g., intravenous or intramuscular, antibiotic administration. Hospital stays are sometimes necessitated by the need for multi-daily antibiotic administration by parenteral means, and less frequent dosing would be advantageous to permit such treatment to be done on an outpatient basis.
Although less frequent dosing is a desirable feature of an antibiotic administration regimen, the "pharmaceutical window," i.e., the toxicity profile, of the administered antibiotic must be sufficiently acceptable to permit a large single dose to be administered without jeopardizing treatment by causing severe adverse reactions in the treated patient. Further, even when an antibiotic exhibits a suitable pharmaceutical window, less frequent dosing is possible only if the antibiotic exhibits a suitable serum half-life to maintain therapeutic effectiveness over the dosing interval desired. The serum half-life of an antibiotic dictates both the longevity of a drug in vivo and the length of time after administration when the serum level will reach a minimum trough level which is still bactericidally effective. The serum trough level over time after administration of a first dose of antibiotic dictates when a further dose must be administered to retain a minimum bactericidal level of the antibiotic in vivo.
In view of the above, an antibiotic possessing activity against one or more antibiotic resistant bacterial strains, particularly MRSA, which could be administered at a dosing interval of once every 5–7 days or longer, would be of commercial value and would satisfy a long-felt need in the art.

Stable pharmaceutical compositions of dalbavancin and methods of administration