omniomni/omni-engineering huggingface dataset:
Onyx (interception system). Onyx is a Swiss intelligence gathering system maintained by the Federal Intelligence Service - Nachrichtendienst des Bundes (NDB). The costs of the system are not public, but the amount of 100 million Swiss francs has been mentioned several times, in particular in 2000 by Werner Marti, SP deputy to the National Council (Switzerland). In March 2005, journalist Urs Paul Engeler estimated that the costs (hidden in various military construction budgets) reached 400 million CHF. The Onyx system was launched in 2000, originally under the name SATOS-3 (the SATOS 1 and 2 systems were started in 1992, in particular to intercept faxes), and was completed in late 2005.

Purpose
The goal of the system is to monitor both civil and military communications, such as telephone, fax or Internet traffic, carried by satellite. Onyx uses lists of keywords to filter the intercepted content for information of interest, and the choice of keywords by the intelligence community must be approved by an independent commission. The system is not supposed to monitor internal communications; however, the monitoring of a communication between a person in Switzerland and someone in another country is allowed. The Swiss Federal Council has indicated that Onyx is not linked to other foreign systems such as ECHELON; according to the Council, the confusion and rumours about this issue are due to the sale by Swisscom to Verestar (now SES Americom) of the ground satellite communication station of Leuk (next to the Onyx site) in 2000. The use of the system is controlled by an independent control authority composed of members of the federal administration.

Active sites

Active sites include the following:

 Zimmerwald (Canton of Bern) 
 Heimenschwand (part of the municipality of Buchholterberg, Canton of Bern) : 3 antennas.
 Leuk (Canton of Valais) : 4 antennas.

Intercepted black sites fax
On 8 January 2006, the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick (Sunday edition of the Blick newspaper) published a secret report produced by the Swiss government using data intercepted by Onyx. The report described a fax sent by the Egyptian department of Foreign Affairs to the Egyptian Embassy in London, and described the existence of secret detention facilities ("black sites") run by the CIA in Eastern Europe. The Swiss government did not officially confirm the existence of the report, but started a military judiciary procedure for leakage of secret documents against the newspaper on 9 January 2006. While the authenticity of the fax was implicitly confirmed during the trial, the reporter and newspaper were cleared of all charges on 17 April 2007.

Notes and references

External links
 Swiss Federal Council. Système d’interception des communications par satellite du Département fédéral de la défense, de la protection de la population et des sports (projet «Onyx») — Rapport de la Délégation des Commissions de gestion des Chambres fédérales du 10 novembre 2003 — Avis du Conseil fédéral 24 March 2004 .
 Other photos of the Heimenschwand and Zimmerwald sites

Legal basis for the system

Military of Switzerland
Espionage
Signals intelligence
Swiss intelligence agencies
Windows Driver Frameworks. Windows Driver Frameworks (WDF, formerly Windows Driver Foundation), is a set of Microsoft tools and libraries that aid in the creation of device drivers for Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows. It complements Windows Driver Model, abstracting away much of the boilerplate complexity in writing Windows drivers.

WDF consists of Kernel-Mode Driver Framework (KMDF) and User-Mode Driver Framework (UMDF). These individual frameworks provide a new object-oriented programming model for Windows driver development. The primary goals of WDF is conceptual scalability and reduced duplication, enabling developers to apply the same concepts across different driver types and reducing the code overhead required for drivers. This differs markedly from the Windows Driver Model (WDM) which requires driver developers to be fully familiar with many complex technical details to write a basic driver.

Part of the key to achieving conceptual scalability is that KMDF and UMDF use an "opt-in" model. This model allows the developer to extend and override the default behavior of a canonical "good driver". In contrast, Windows Driver Model depends on the driver writer to implement all aspects of the driver's behavior.

Varieties
There are three types of WDF drivers:

 Kernel-Mode Driver Framework, for writing standard kernel-mode device drivers
 User-Mode Driver Framework v1, for writing user-mode drivers using a C++ COM-based API
 User-Mode Driver Framework v2, for writing user-mode drivers with syntactic parity to KMDF

WDF also includes a set of static verification tools for use by driver writers. These tools examine driver code for common errors and/or simulate the code of a driver in order to identify problems that are both difficult to detect and difficult to test for.

Versions

Bold "Yes" means introduced with this version of Windows.

See also
Windows Driver Kit

References

External links
 
 Developing Drivers with the Windows Driver Foundation by Orwick and Smith
 Windows Driver Kit
 OSR Online, including many articles about WDF, KMDF, and Windows driver development
 , written by well-known Windows driver developer, Walter Oney
 Building and deploying a basic WDF Kernel Mode Driver, CodeProject
 Developing a WDF USB Kernel Mode Driver for the OSR USB FX2, CodeProject

2000 software
Device drivers
Free and open-source software
Driver Foundation
Microsoft free software
Software using the MIT license
Windows-only free software
PKP class ET41. ET41 (manufacturer's designation: HCP 203E) is the name for a Polish electric locomotive used by the Polish railway operator (PKP). Three such locomotives were briefly rented to the Croatian Railways between 1995 and 1996 and were given the designation HŽ series 1081 there.

History
ET41 is a modification of the EU07 locomotive, and was designed for the purpose of heavy cargo transport. It is made of two connected bodies of EU07, minus the cabs at the inner ends.

Introduction
The design for this machine was ready in 1976. Basically it consists of two EU07 locomotives but with two driver's cabs removed. Two locos are semi-permanently coupled in multiple operation. Because of this, the current collection must be done independently for each section.

Production
Production started in 1977 and continued until 1983. A total number of 200 double-locomotives were produced.

Notable events
For some time number 100 carried a special white-red livery and was used on the special PZPR (Polish communist party) trains.

Half-locomotives 036B, 088A and 116A have been rebuilt as PKP EU07-537, EU07-544 and PKP EU07-545 respectively. This has required cabs to be built at the back end.

Present day
ET41 are mainly used for coal transport from Upper Silesia to the ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Szczecin. Seldom are those locomotives used for hauling passenger trains. In 2016, PKP Cargo decided to send some ET41 locomotives for major repair and modernization to Ostrów Wielkopolski. The locomotives received overhauled electrical equipment, bogies, and traction motors, as well as revamped driver's cabs. The first locomotive to be modernized, ET41-006, was shown off on 14 October 2016.

See also
Polish locomotives designation

References

External links 
Modern Locos Gallery
Rail Service
Mikoleje
Chabówka Rail Museum

3000 V DC locomotives
Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′ locomotives
Polish State Railways electric locomotives
Standard gauge locomotives of Poland
Grafting wax. Grafting wax is a composition of rosin, beeswax, tallow, and similar materials, used in gluing and sealing the wounds of newly grafted trees or shrubs to protect them from infection. The current formulation typically used in the northwestern portion of the United States for fruit trees, is based on a mixture created by Albert Sak, a German-from-Russia immigrant. The exact original composition is a closely guarded family secret.

References

Waxes
Gardening aids
Extent of reaction. In physical chemistry and chemical engineering, extent of reaction is a quantity that measures the extent to which the reaction has proceeded. Often, it refers specifically to the value of the extent of reaction when equilibrium has been reached. It is usually denoted by the Greek letter ξ. The extent of reaction is usually defined so that it has units of amount (moles). It was introduced by the Belgian scientist Théophile de Donder.

Definition
Consider the reaction

A ⇌ 2 B + 3 C
Suppose an infinitesimal amount  of the reactant A changes into B and C. This requires that all three mole numbers change according to the stoichiometry of the reaction, but they will not change by the same amounts. However, the extent of reaction  can be used to describe the changes on a common footing as needed. The change of the number of moles of A can be represented by the equation , the change of B is , and the change of C is . 

The change in the extent of reaction is then defined as

where  denotes the number of moles of the  reactant or product and  is the stoichiometric number  of the  reactant or product. Although less common, we see from this expression that since the stoichiometric number can either be considered to be dimensionless or to have units of moles, conversely the extent of reaction can either be considered to have units of moles or to be a unitless mole fraction. 

The extent of reaction represents the amount of progress made towards equilibrium in a chemical reaction. Considering finite changes instead of infinitesimal changes, one can write the equation for the extent of a reaction as

The extent of a reaction is generally defined as zero at the beginning of the reaction. Thus the change of  is the extent itself. Assuming that the system has come to equilibrium,

Although in the example above the extent of reaction was positive since the system shifted in the forward direction, this usage implies that in general the extent of reaction can be positive or negative, depending on the direction that the system shifts from its initial composition.

Relations
The relation between the change in Gibbs reaction energy and Gibbs energy can be defined as the slope of the Gibbs energy plotted against the extent of reaction at constant pressure and temperature.

This formula leads to the Nernst equation when applied to the oxidation-reduction reaction which generates the voltage of a voltaic cell. Analogously, the relation between the change in reaction enthalpy and enthalpy can be defined. For example,

Example
The extent of reaction is a useful quantity in computations with equilibrium reactions. Consider the reaction 
2 A ⇌ B + 3 C
where the initial amounts are , and the equilibrium amount of A is 0.5 mol. We can calculate the extent of reaction in equilibrium from its definition

In the above, we note that the stoichiometric number of a reactant is negative. Now when we know the extent, we can rearrange the equation and calculate the equilibrium amounts of B and C.

References

Physical chemistry
Analytical chemistry
Edge device. In computer networking, an edge device is a device that provides an entry point into enterprise or service provider core networks. Examples include routers, routing switches, integrated access devices (IADs), multiplexers, and a variety of metropolitan area network (MAN) and wide area network (WAN) access devices.  Edge devices also provide connections into carrier and service provider networks. An edge device that connects a local area network to a high speed switch or backbone (such as an ATM switch) may be called an edge concentrator.

Functions
In general, edge devices are normally routers that provide authenticated access (most commonly PPPoA and PPPoE) to faster, more efficient backbone and core networks. The trend is to make the edge device smart and the core device(s) "dumb and fast", so edge routers often include quality of service (QoS) and multi-service functions to manage different types of traffic. Consequently, core networks are often designed with switches that use routing protocols such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) or Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) for reliability and scalability, allowing edge routers to have redundant links to the core network. Links between core networks are different—for example, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routers are often used for peering exchanges.

Translation
Edge devices may translate between one type of network protocol and another.  For example, Ethernet or Token Ring types of local area networks (LANs) or xDSL equipment may use an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) backbone to other core networks. ATM networks send data in cells and use connection-oriented virtual circuits.  An IP network is packet oriented; so if ATM is used as a core, packets must be encapsulated in cells and the destination address must be converted to a virtual circuit identifier. Some new types of optical fibre use a passive optical network subscriber loop such as GPON, with the edge device connecting to Ethernet for backhaul (telecommunications).

Multiservice units
An edge switch for a WAN may be a multiservice unit, meaning that it supports a wide variety of communication technologies, including Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), T1 circuits, Frame Relay, and ATM.  An edge device may provide enhanced services, such as virtual private networking (VPN) support, Voice over IP, and QoS services.

References 

Networking hardware
Internet of things
Ambient intelligence
Milwaukee Road class A. The Milwaukee Road Class "A" was a class of high-speed, streamlined  "Atlantic" type steam locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) from 1935 to 1937 to haul the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha express passenger trains. Numbered from No. 1 to No. 4, they were among the last Atlantic type locomotives built in the United States, and certainly the largest and most powerful. The class were the first locomotives in the world built for daily operation at over , and the first class built completely streamlined, bearing their casings their entire lives. Although partially supplanted by the larger class "F7" Hudsons from 1937, they remained in top-flight service until the end. Locomotive No. 3 was taken out of service in 1949 and cannibalized for spare parts to keep the other three running until 1951.

History

Designed for a  hour schedule between Chicago and St. Paul, the class proved capable of handling nine cars on a  hour schedule. The only change during their service life was the addition of a Mars Light beneath the winged emblem on the nose in 1947.

They hauled the fastest scheduled steam-powered trains in the world. Running at  or greater was required to keep these schedules; the class A locomotives were designed to cruise at over 100 mph and be able to achieve . A run with a dynamometer car behind the locomotive was made on May 15, 1935, by locomotive No. 2 between Milwaukee and New Lisbon, Wisconsin. Over a  stretch the speed of  was recorded. This was the fastest authenticated speed reached by a steam locomotive at the time, making No. 2 the record holder for steam traction speed and the first steam locomotive to top . There are reports that these locomotives could exceed . Such speeds would have put the class A in contention with the LNER Class A4 and German BR 05 for the title of fastest steam locomotive until that time, but no official records have been recovered. The successor Milwaukee Road class F7 was even more powerful, with a claimed top speed of .

The design was fairly conventional but unusual in some aspects. One goal was reducing reciprocating mass, which could not be completely balanced. This was the reason for the high boiler pressure of , which allowed smaller pistons. The reciprocating mass of the connecting rods was also reduced with the use of four driving wheels rather than six. The main rods connected to the first pair of driven wheels rather than the (more conventional) second; again, this reduced the reciprocating mass as well as providing more even power throughout the stroke. The large  diameter driving wheels reduced piston speed and made high speed less taxing on the machinery. The streamlined casings were designed to open easily for servicing; the front end had clamshell doors ahead of the smokebox.

References

External links

Streamlined steam locomotives
A
ALCO locomotives
4-4-2 locomotives
Passenger locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1935
Steam locomotives of the United States
Scrapped locomotives
Retarder (chemistry). A retarder is a chemical agent that slows down a chemical reaction. For example, retarders are used to slow the chemical reaction hardening of plastic materials such as wallboard, concrete, and adhesives.

Sugar water acts as a retarder for the curing of concrete. It can be used to retard the chemical hardening of the surface, so that the top layer can be washed off to expose the underlying aggregate.

See also
Accelerant

References 

Chemical reactions
Sorbothane. Sorbothane is the brand name of a synthetic viscoelastic urethane polymer used as a shock absorber and vibration damper. It is manufactured by Sorbothane, Inc., based in Kent, Ohio.

History
Sorbothane was invented and patented in 1982 by Dr. Maurice Hiles, a British inventor. It was prepared by mixing polyol and isocyanate. His research into the energy dissipation properties of human soft tissue disclosed a structure very similar to an interpenetrating polymer network. This led to his synthesis of the first commercial simultaneous interpenetrating network, now called Sorbothane. Dr. Hiles wrote in his patent "The resulting solid polymer behaves like a quasi-liquid, being readily deformed by an applied force and slow to recover, although in the absence of such a force it takes up a defined shape and volume". In 1976, he contacted the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) about his invention; the NRDC spent almost £10,000 in helping him to improve and patent the polymer. BTR Industries obtained the license from NRDC for selling them.

Properties
The material combines some of the properties of rubber, silicone, and other elastic polymers. It is considered to be a good vibration damping material, an acoustic insulator, and highly durable.  An unusually high amount of the energy from an object dropped onto Sorbothane is absorbed. The feel and damping qualities of Sorbothane have been likened to those of meat.

Sorbothane is a visco-elastic material, meaning that it exhibits properties of both liquids (viscous solutions) and solids (elastic materials), with a relaxation time of two seconds. Because visco-elastic behavior is desirable in shock and vibration applications, many materials claim to be viscoelastic; however, many of these materials have only trace viscoelastic properties.

Similar materials include polynorbornene, Noene, and Astro-sorb.

Uses
Sorbothane has many industrial applications, from acoustic shielding to machine mounts.  It has been used to quiet personal computers by being packed around the hard drive and other noisy spinning components.  Sorbothane damps vibration transmission from vibrating hardware.  In addition, Sorbothane has been used by NASA to isolate vibration, in the Air Force Memorial, and to transport the Liberty Bell.  It is currently used with insoles and heel pads to absorb impacts during sports activities such as football, cricket, and rugby. It is also used in recoil pads of guns.

See also 
 Acoustic foam
 Quiet PC
 Memory foam
 Neoprene
 Vibration isolation
 Bushing (isolator)
 Anechoic chamber
 Soundproofing
 D3o

References

External links 
 Sorbothane, Inc.

Polyurethanes
Elastomers
Ludwieg tube. A Ludwieg tube is a cheap and efficient way of producing supersonic flow. Mach numbers up to 4 in air are easily obtained without any additional heating of the flow. With heating, Mach numbers of up to 11 can be reached.

Principle
A Ludwieg tube is a wind tunnel that produces supersonic flow for short periods of time. A large evacuated dump tank is separated from the downstream end of a convergent-divergent nozzle by a diaphragm or fast acting valve. The upstream end of the nozzle connects to a long cylindrical tube, whose cross-sectional area is significantly larger than the throat area of the nozzle. Initially, the pressure in the nozzle and tube is high. To start the tunnel, the diaphragm is ruptured, e.g., by piercing it with a suitable cutting device, or opening the valve respectively. As always when a diaphragm ruptures, a shock wave propagates into the low-pressure region (here the dump tank) and an expansion wave propagates into the high-pressure region (here the nozzle and the long tube). As this unsteady expansion propagates through the long tube, it sets up a steady subsonic flow toward the nozzle, which is accelerated by the convergent-divergent nozzle to a supersonic condition. The flow is steady until the expansion, having been reflected from the far end of the tube, arrives at the nozzle again. For practical reasons, flow times are about 100 milliseconds for most Ludwieg tubes. For many purposes, this flow duration is sufficient. However, by taking advantage of multiple quasi-static flows between expansion wave reflections, experimentation times of up to 6 seconds can be achieved.

History
The Ludwieg tube was invented by Hubert Ludwieg (1912-2000) in 1955 in response to a competition for a transonic or supersonic wind tunnel design that would be capable of producing high Reynolds number at low operating cost. Professor Ludwieg was also responsible for the experimental demonstration and explanation of the large effect of sweep on the drag of transonic wings (his dissertation in 1937).

See also 
Shock tube
Supersonic wind tunnel
Hypersonic wind tunnel

References

External links
 Ludwieg Tube Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology
 Heated Ludwieg Tube at the ZARM in Bremen, Germany
 Operation of a transonic Ludwieg tunnel(Video)

Fluid dynamics
Aerodynamics
Wind tunnels