A method for refining and casting metals and metal alloys includes melting and refining a metallic material and then casting the refined molten material by a nucleated casting technique. The refined molten material is provided to the atomizing nozzle of the nucleated casting apparatus through a transfer apparatus adapted to maintain the purity of the molten refined material. An apparatus including a melting and refining apparatus, a transfer apparatus, and a nucleated casting apparatus, in serial fluid communication, also is disclosed.

A coupling means (10) provided with a first member (20) suitable for being fastened to a first rotary part (2) and with a second member (30) suitable for being fastened to a second rotary part (3), the first member (20) being provided with a first diaphragm (22) and the second member (30) being provided with a second diaphragm (32) that is secured to the first diaphragm (22). An emergency torque transmission device comprises at least one bayonet system including a protuberance (50) secured to one member (30) and co-operating with an angled groove (60) secured to the other member (20) by being inserted in the angled groove (60) by a thrust-and-rotation movement, in the absence of said breakage said coupling means (10) including both axial clearances in compression (70') and in translation (70″) and also circumferential clearance between each protuberance (50) and walls defining the corresponding angled groove (60).

A phase control apparatus in a variable cam timing (VCT) system of an engine is described herein. The phase control apparatus includes a locking pin coupled to a vane, the locking pin extending into a locking pin recess in a cover plate in a locked configuration, the locking pin and locking pin recess having a backlash and a housing at least partially enclosing the vane and spaced away from the vane forming a gap in the locked configuration.

A system and methods are provided for controlling a motor of a rod pumping system using previous RPMs of the motor and predicting an RPM of the motor; correcting a power factor of a motor of a rod pumping system; allocating energy consumption and allocating energy generation for a set of wells connected to an electricity meter using an amount of energy generated by each well; and generating an alert if a set of data is beyond a threshold for the set of data.

A system and method is provided for energizing and managing digitally-controlled devices at different levels of granularity, to achieve desired power use characteristics. At the lowest level, a digitally-controlled device is energized using a variable load-sensing adaptive control (VLSAC). Operation of the device is controlled using digital signals input to the device, so that limits on parameters, such as power consumption are met. A plurality of VLSACs can be coupled to a power distribution unit (PDU), which is controlled to achieve desired levels for selected parameters, set for the PDU. Multiple PDUs can be coupled to a power conversion and regulation unit (PCRU), which can be controlled by a master control to achieve a desired power profile for an entire facility, enabling the facility to meet requirements of a utility supplying the power and thus, reducing operational costs. The VLSACs and PCRU include high efficiency power sources having low distortion.

A secondary or “sidebar” display within a process control environment may provide several small applications to allow business managers, engineers, maintenance personnel, or other non-operator personnel to organize and manage process control system information and to display selected diagnostics and summary information or “key operating parameters” for the process control system. Further, sidebar applications may communicate with other applications that are executing on a non-operator user's workstation to, thereby, retrieve information related to tasks that the user is currently completing. The sidebar application may then determine whether certain process control information may be useful for the main task the user is completing and display that process control information within the sidebar.

A method of controlling an operation of a robotically-controlled surgical instrument can include receiving a first input signal at a controller indicative of a user's readiness to actuate the surgical instrument to perform a surgical procedure, outputting an output signal from the controller to provide feedback to the user in response to the received first input signal, receiving a second input signal at the controller confirming the user's readiness to actuate the surgical instrument, outputting an actuation signal from the controller in response to receiving the second input signal, and actuating the surgical instrument to perform the surgical procedure based on the actuation signal.

A verification and control method for at least one water purification system is described, which includes a step of supplying, by a server embedded with the water purification system, an editing interface comprising a zone for selecting items of exploitation information representing physical quantities associated with the water purification system, a step of selecting, via the first remote browser, at least one item of exploitation information to constitute at least one exploitation interface page, a step of sending a request to access the exploitation page, by a second remote browser, to the server, a step of collecting the value of each physical quantity represented by a selected item of information to constitute the page, and a step of supplying, by the server, the page comprising each collected value.

Monitoring and optimizing a state of an electrical grid are provided. An approach for synchronizing state information and context information, associated with one or more electrical devices on an electrical grid, with time information is provided. The state information is from one or more phasor measurement units (PMUs) associated with the one or more electrical devices, and the context information is from one or more third party servers. The approach further includes notifying one or more subscribing devices of the synchronized state information and the synchronized context information such that the one or more subscribing devices monitors and controls the one or more electrical devices based on the synchronized state information and the synchronized context information.

Activities, actions and events during user performance of physical activity may be detected using various algorithms and templates. Templates may include an arrangement of one or more states that may identify particular event types and timing between events. Templates may be specific to a particular type of activity (e.g., types of sports, drills, events, etc.), user, terrain, time of day and the like.

Methods and compositions for the deposition of a film on a substrate. In general, the disclosed compositions and methods utilize a precursor containing calcium or strontium.

A cycloalkyl triamine pentacarboxylate compound coordinating to a metal ion to form a high stability metal complex in serum is provided. The metal complex of the present invention can be used as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Novel radiopharmaceuticals that are useful in diagnostic imaging and therapeutic treatment of disease characterized by over expression of CA-IX comprise a complex that contains a sulfonamide moiety which is capable of binding the active catalytic site of CA-IX, and a radionuclide adapted for radioimaging and/or radiotherapy:

It is an object of the present invention to provide antimicrobial metallodrugs comprising an antimicrobial peptide (“AMP”) and/or an antibiotic covalently bound to a metal binding moiety. These metallodrugs combine a metal binding domain which typically catalyzes oxido-reductase chemistry or acts as a Lewis-Acid catalyst, with a member of a diverse class of antimicrobial agents currently validated in preclinical and clinical settings for the treatment of a broad spectrum of pathogenic organisms.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide novel liquid crystalline compounds that are capable of inducing phase transition by a light stimulus and are useful in the display, optoelectronics, and photonics field. The present invention relates to the liquid crystalline compounds represented by general formula (1): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyloxy, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxyphenyl, and N-alkylaminocarbonyl, and n is an integer.

Chelators of the formulae (I), (II) and (III) and tricarbonyl complexes of radioisotopes of Tc and Re bound to them, for use in myocardial imaging.

A method for removing radioactive contaminants from a given surface. An acidic solution having a pH of less than 3.0, and preferably less than 1.5, of a complex substituted keto-amine, and a mixture of a saturated and unsaturated lower alcohol (e.g. isopropyl alcohol and propargyl alcohol), and concentrated acid is applied to a contaminated surface. The solution is left on said surface for a time sufficient to remove the radioactive contaminants into the acidic solution and then removed. The acidic solution containing the radioactive contaminants is preferably neuralized by an alkaline material to a pH of between 5.5 and 9.0. Removal of thorium contamination from railcars is one useful application of the invention. The method of the present invention has the effect of removing substantially all of the radioactive contaminants from a previously contaminated surface.

An apparatus and method for transporting radiopharmaceutical substances. The apparatus comprises a radiation shielding pig having an elongated sidewall that extends between two ends and that defines an elongated, interior chamber. The sidewall is thinner than each of the ends. A radiation shield defines at least one cavity. The shield has two open ends and a central area between the open ends that is thicker than each of the two open ends. Also, a method of assembling and disassembling the apparatus includes, placing a syringe filled with a radiopharmaceutical substance into the pig; placing the pig containing the filled syringe in the radiation shield; placing the pig and the shield into an ammunition can for transporting the radioactive substance contained in the syringe.

A method for removing radioactive contaminants from a given surface. An aqueous solution having a wetting agent and a complex substituted keto-amine is provided. The solution is left on the surface for a time sufficient to remove the radioactive contaminants into the aqueous solution which is then removed. Depending on the type and condition of the surface, a concentrated acid may be added to the aqueous solution to aid in the contaminant removal process. In such a case, a pH of less than 3.0, and preferably less than 1.5 is maintained. If a concentrated acid is used, the acidic solution containing radioactive contaminants is preferably neutralized by an alkaline material to a pH of between 5.5 and 9.0. Removal of thorium contamination from railcars is one useful application of the invention. The method of the present invention has the effect of removing substantially all of the radioactive contaminants from a previously contaminated surface.

A method for removing a wide variety of radioactive contaminants from a contaminated surface sufficient for the surface to be classified as a low-level waste or as free release. Contaminated surfaces may be classified as Class C, Class B, Class A, or high-level radioactive wastes prior to treatment. An aqueous solution having a wetting agent and a complex substituted keto-amine is provided. The aqueous solution is left on the surface for a time sufficient to remove the radioactive contaminants into the aqueous solution which is then removed. Depending on the type and condition of the surface, an acid may be added to the aqueous solution to aid in the contaminant removal process. However, typical metals surfaces may often be treated effectively without the use of concentrated acids or with dilute concentrations of such acids. The method of the present invention has the effect of removing substantially all of the radioactive contaminants from a variety of previously contaminated surfaces.

This invention is provided for improvement of corrosion-resistant property of a crucible and for promotion of safety in a pyrochemical reprocessing method for the spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is dissolved in a molten salt placed in the crucible. In a pyrochemical reprocessing method, the nuclear fuel is deposited, and the crucible (2) is heated by induction heating. Cooling media (5, 6) are supplied to cool down, and a molten salt layer (7) is maintained by keeping balance between the heating and the cooling, and a solidified salt layer (8) is formed on inner wall surface of the crucible.

In a chemical decontamination method of chemically decontaminating radioactive nuclides from a metallic material, oxalic acid and hydrazine are injected as a reductive decontaminating agent into water that is in contact with the metallic material. Injection of the hydrazine is stopped after a cation resin arranged in a circulation line connected to the metallic material breaks, and at least the oxalic acid and the hydrazine in the reductive decontaminating agent are decomposed using a decomposing catalyst.

A method for chemically decontaminating radioactive material. The method includes reducing-dissolving step for setting surface of radioactive material in contact with reducing decontamination liquid including mono-carboxylic acid and di-carboxylic acid as dissolvent; and oxidizing-dissolving step for setting the surface of the radioactive material in contact with oxidizing decontamination liquid including oxidizer. The method may include repeated pairs of steps, each pair including the reducing-dissolving step and the oxidizing-dissolving step. The mono-carboxylic acid may include formic acid, and the di-carboxylic acid includes oxalic acid. The oxidizer may be ozone, permanganic acid or permanganate.

A device for inspecting submersed plant parts is particularly suited for ultrasonic inspection of screws in the core baffle of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel. The device includes a remote-controlled underwater vehicle that is provided at its end face with a carrier that can be pivoted about a pivot axis oriented parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the underwater vehicle, and is provided with a holding device for an inspection head that is arranged on the carrier spaced apart from the pivot axis.

Materials and methods of synthesizing mixed-layered bismuth oxy-iodine materials, which can be synthesized in the presence of aqueous radioactive iodine species found in caustic solutions (e.g. NaOH or KOH). This technology provides a one-step process for both iodine sequestration and storage from nuclear fuel cycles. It results in materials that will be durable for repository conditions much like those found in Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and estimated for Yucca Mountain (YMP). By controlled reactant concentrations, optimized compositions of these mixed-layered bismuth oxy-iodine inorganic materials are produced that have both a high iodine weight percentage and a low solubility in groundwater environments.

Length adjustment can be performed in a simple manner and without impairment of the insulating effect in an insulation cassette for the heat insulation of elongated elements. A multilayer insulation includes flat reflection elements (21, 22). Each layer of the insulation has at least two of the flat reflection elements (21, 22), which overlap at least partly at their ends (24) facing each other.

Capture compounds and collections thereof and methods using the compounds for the analysis of biomolecules are provided. In particular, collections, compounds and methods are provided for analyzing complex protein mixtures, such as the proteome. The compounds are multifunctional reagents that provide for the separation and isolation of complex protein mixtures. Automated systems for performing the methods also are provided.

The invention concerns a soluble pharmaceutical formulation comprising an insulin derivative wherein the formulation further comprises more than 4 zinc atoms per 6 molecules of the insulin derivative, and a citric acid monohydrate and/or a histidine compound used in an amount sufficient to increase the tendency of the insulin derivative to self-associate into dodecamers. The invention further comprises a process for preparing the soluble pharmaceutical formulation.

Three conjugation methods for use with the capsular saccharide of Streptococcus agalactiae. In the first method, reductive animation of oxidized sialic acid residue side chains is used, but the aldehyde groups are first aminated, and then the amine is coupled to a carrier via a linker. In the second method, sialic acid residues and/or N-acetyl-glucosamine residues are de-N-acetylated to give amine groups, and the amine groups are coupled to a carrier protein via a linker. In the third method, linkage is via galactose residues in the capsular saccharide rather than sialic acid residues, which can conveniently be achieved using galactose oxidase.

The present disclosure relates to a Co-029 inhibitor for inhibiting the migration of cancer cells which express Co-029. The disclosure relates to a Co-029 inhibitor for the treatment of cancer and/or the prevention of cancer metastasis and pharmaceutical compositions comprising said inhibitor and provides Co-029 antibodies. The disclosure provides a method for predicting the response of a patient afflicted with or susceptible to be afflicted with cancer to a medical treatment with a Co-029 inhibitor, a method for diagnosing a cancer in a patient and a method for predicting the survival in a cancer patient.

The present invention relates to methods for forming dicarba bridges in organic compounds. This involves the use of a pair of complementary metathesisable groups on the organic compound, and subjecting the compound to cross-metathesis under microwave radiation conditions. In an alternative, the compounds contain a turn-inducing group between the pair of cross-metathesisable groups to facilitate the cross-metathesis.

This broadcasting receiver includes a receiving portion receiving a broadcast signal, a determination portion determining whether or not a user to be subject to parental control of the broadcast signal has entered a prescribed range, and a control portion performing control of enabling parental control corresponding to a user determined to have entered the prescribed range in the case where the parental control corresponding to the user determined to have entered the prescribed range is disabled when the determination portion determines that the user to be subject to parental control has entered the prescribed range.

In one embodiment, a broadcast transmitter includes: a viewer information memory configured to store viewer information regarding a viewer who signs up for a subscription; a generator configured to generate individual information regarding a conditional access of a content including a first expiration time indicating an expiration time of the individual information and a second expiration time set independently of the first expiration time for each the viewer who signs up for the subscription based on the viewer information; and a transmitter configured to transmit a broadcast signal including the generated individual information.

Example apparatus and methods concern selectively accepting or rejecting content based on ratings identifier information included in the content. Example apparatus and methods facilitate identifying a content fragment (e.g., f-MP4 fragment) to be rejected based on an identifier located in the fragment rather than information located in some external source (e,g., Event Information Table (EIT)). One example method includes identifying a fragment based on a ratings identifier encoded as a universally unique identifier (UUID) in the fragment and then selectively accepting or rejecting the fragment based on the rating. Rather than rely only on a predicted start time, a predicted end time, a predicted source, and a pre determined coarse-grained rating, example apparatus and methods may be better prepared to account for unanticipated start times, ending times, schedule changes, and source changes, and may provide finer grained user control based on ratings carried in content.

A digital television system is connected to a mobile computing and communication device through an ad hoc communication link. A program broadcasted by the television system includes a plurality frames delivered in a sequential manner. A user can freeze a frame by employing the mobile device. The frame can then be transmitted to the mobile device and be redisplayed on the mobile device. The redisplayed frame includes visible symbols pointing to displayed items associated with advertising messages. The frame can also be stored in a photograph folder for the user to view the frame and associated advertising messages in a later time.

Disclosed herein is a system and method for simultaneously broadcasting video components (VSs). In one example, a method includes an automation-system (AS) selecting a log entry including (i) a first identifier that maps to a first VC, and (ii) a second identifier that maps to a second VC; a recording-and-playout device (RAPD) retrieving the first VC; the RAPD sending the retrieved first-VC to an encoder; the encoder generating a first transport-stream (TS) having (i) program-identification (PID) data, and (ii) payload data including the sent first-VC; the encoder sending the generated first-TS to a first outbound-broadcast device (OBD); the encoder sending the generated first-TS to a transport-stream splicer; the AS loading the splicer with the second VC; the splicer generating a second TS having (i) the PID data of the generated first-TS, and (ii) payload data including the loaded second-VC; and the splicer sending the generated second-TS to a second OBD.

A virtual channel table for broadcasting protocol and a method for broadcasting by using the virtual channel table includes identification information identifying and permitting discrimination of active and inactive channels contained in the virtual channel table. At a receiver, the virtual channel table transmitted from the transmitting side is parsed, thereby determining whether the current received channel is an active or inactive channel.

An inflight entertainment (IFE) system preloads from head end equipment onto seat end video caches subsets of prerecorded video entertainment programs from a library of prerecorded video entertainment programs stored on the head end equipment. Preloading is done independent of play requests made by passengers using the IFE system. The selected subsets are selected using selection metrics such as program popularity, passenger demographics and/or passenger preferences. The same or a different subset may be selected for different passengers. As a result of the selective preloading of the seat end video caches, if the head end equipment or the distribution system becomes inoperable during the flight, the IFE system is able to continue to deliver a limited offering of popular, demographically indicated and/or passenger preferred video entertainment from the seat end video caches, without requiring a large multiplier in storage capacity or loading time.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for measuring multicast latency are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes emulating one or more Internet protocol television (IPTV) user devices by generating channel leave and join requests. The method further includes monitoring network responses to the channel leave and join requests and calculating, during a cycle of channel leave and join requests for a user device and prior to repeating the cycle, at least one metric of latency associated with the channel leave and join requests.

Systems and methods for optimizing system performance of capacity and spectrum constrained, multiple-access communication systems by selectively discarding packets are provided. The systems and methods provided herein can drive changes in the communication system using control responses. One such control responses includes the optimal discard (also referred to herein as “intelligent discard”) of network packets under capacity constrained conditions. Some embodiments inspect a video stream to determine priorities for various elements of the video stream. The elements may be discarding using the priorities. In various embodiments, the elements include frames, slices, macroblocks, and data partitions.

Disclosed herein is a receiving device for receiving AV contents, the receiving device including: an obtaining section configured to obtain a description document described in a program language for displaying contents from a server present on a network connected with the receiving device; a determining section configured to determine whether the obtained the description document is obtained from a first server managed on a broadcaster side broadcasting the AV contents; and a controlling section configured to control execution of the obtained the description document according to a result of determination by the determining section.

A digital broadcast receiver on a mobile body includes: a tuner that receives a broadcast signal of a physical channel; a signal intensity detector that detects a signal intensity of the broadcast signal; a current position detector that detects a current position of the mobile body; a movement direction detector that detects a movement direction of the mobile body; a reception judging unit that controls the tuner to judge whether the physical channel can be received; an area information storage unit that stores receivable area information indicating a receivable area of the physical channel; and an area information updating unit that determines, when it is judged that the physical channel can be received, a position apart from the current position in the movement direction according to the signal intensity as a receivable position, and updates the receivable area information to extend the receivable area to the receivable position.

A video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery system has a VOD Application Server which manages a database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content elements of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order. The templates include those for higher-order displays which have one or more links to lower-order displays of specific content. The VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request, displays a high-order templatized display, and in response to viewer selection of a link, displays the lower-order display of specific content. The hierarchical templatized displays enable viewers to navigate to an end subject of interest while having a unique visual experience of moving through a series of displays to the end subject of interest. For example, the higher-order display may be a product ad and the lower-order display may be an ad for a local retailer of the product. Similarly, a viewer can navigate from national product to local product ad, or classified ad category to specific classified ad, or bulletin board topic category to specific posting. In another embodiment, the VOD content delivery system is used to deliver consumer-generated classified ads on TV. A web-based Content Management System receives consumer-generated content uploaded online in industry-standard file formats with metadata for title and topical area, and automatically converts it into video data format compatible with the VOD content delivery system indexed by title and topical area. A User Interface for the system delivers listings data to the viewer's TV indexed by title and topical area, and displays a requested classified ad in response to viewer selection.

An electronic element includes a substrate, and a transparent conductive layer. The substrate includes a surface. The transparent conductive layer is formed on a surface of the substrate. The transparent conductive layer includes at least one carbon nanotube layer. Carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer are adhered together by the van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

Self-assembled silica condensates are described as well as their use in coating compositions. The self-assembled silica condensates can be formed from the hydrolysis of medium to long chain trialkoxy silane compounds. Coating compositions containing the self-assembled silica condensates can provide coatings having improved scratch and mar resistance and can have excellent recoat adhesion.

In some embodiments, an improved mechanical adhesion of copper metallization to dielectric with partially cured epoxy fillers is presented. In this regard, a substrate build-up film is introduced having epoxy material and a plurality of epoxy microspheres, wherein an interior of the microspheres is not fully cured. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

An optical film has a cellulose acylate film base material containing cellulose acylate and a plurality of sugar ester compounds having different ester substitution degrees in which an average ester substitution degree of the plurality of sugar ester compounds is from 60 to 94%, and an antistatic hardcoat layer formed from a coating composition containing at least an organic antistatic agent and a curable compound having a (meth)acryloyl group in a molecule of the curable compound.

A chimeric protein containing neutrophil inhibitory factor and hirugen, the chimeric protein having an amino acid sequence that includes FPRPGSGG (SEQ ID NO:21) Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising the chimeric protein, which can be used for treating or preventing cerebral injury and cerebral edema, or for inhibiting platelet aggregation.

Mono-pegylated arginase conjugate and method producing thereof. The mono-pegylated arginase is homogeneous in molecular weight and shows therapeutic effect for treating cancers and viral infections. The method of producing such arginase conjugate has a main step of genetically modifying the gene encoding an arginase so that the PEG moiety can attach to the enzyme at a predetermined, specific intended site. This is achieved by removing the PEG attaching amino acid residues at undesirable sites while keeping (or adding, if necessary) the one at the desirable site of the enzyme. Two exemplary mono-pegylated arginase conjugates so produced are human arginase I (HAI) where a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety is site-specific covalently bonded to Cys45 of the enzyme and Bacillus caldovelox arginase (BCA) where a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety is site-specific covalently bonded to Cys161 of the enzyme.

Whether the growth hormone (GH)/Insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-I) axis exerts cardioprotective effects remains controversial; and the underlying mechanism(s) for such actions are unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that growth-hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) directly activates cellular reparative mechanisms within the injured heart, in a GH/IGF-I independent fashion. Following experimental myocardial infarction (MI), rats were randomly assigned to receive, during a 4 week period, either placebo (n=14), rat recombinant GH (rrGH, n=8) or JI-38 (n=8; 50 μg/Kg/day), a potent GHRH-agonist. JI-38 did not elevate serum levels of GH or IGF-I, but markedly attenuated the degree of cardiac functional decline and remodeling after injury. In contrast, GH administration markedly elevated body weight, heart weight, circulating GH and IGF-I, but did not offset the decline in cardiac structure and function. Whereas, both JI-38 and GH augmented levels of cardiac precursor cell proliferation, only JI-38 increased anti-apoptotic gene expression. The receptor for GHRH was detectable on myocytes supporting direct activation of cardiac signal transduction. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that within the heart GHRH-agonists can activate cardiac repair following MI, suggesting the existence of a potential signaling pathway based on GHRH in the heart. The phenotypic profile of the response to a potent GHRH agonist has therapeutic implications.