Patent relating to an instrument, system and method for automated low cost atmospheric measurements.

An apparatus for determining the position of an x-ray beam relative to a desired beam axis where the apparatus is positioned along the beam path so that a thin metal foil target intersects the x-ray beam generating fluorescent radiation. A PIN diode array is positioned so that a portion of the fluorescent radiation is intercepted by the array resulting in a series of electrical signals from the PIN diodes making up the array. The signals are then analyzed and the position of the x-ray beam is determined relative to the desired beam path.

Patent relating to an apparatus and method for inducing electrical property changes in carbon nanotubes.

The invention is a door actuator and alignment apparatus for opening and closing the 15,000-pound horizontally sliding door of a storage overpack. The door actuator includes a ball screw mounted horizontally on a rigid frame including a pair of door panel support rails. An electrically powered ball nut moves along the ball screw. The ball nut rotating device is attached to a carriage. The carriage attachment to the sliding door is horizontally pivoting. Additional alignment features include precision cam followers attached to the rails and rail guides attached to the carriage.

An automated process defines and maintains connectivity regions within a dynamic network. The automated process requires an initial input of a network component around which a connectivity region will be defined. The process automatically and autonomously generates a region around the initial input, stores the region's definition, and monitors the network for a change. Upon detecting a change in the network, the effect is evaluated, and if necessary the regions are adjusted and redefined to accommodate the change. Only those regions of the network affected by the change will be updated. This process eliminates the need for an operator to manually evaluate connectivity regions within a network. Since the automated process maintains the network, the reliance on an operator is minimized; thus, reducing the potential for operator error. This combination of region maintenance and reduced operator reliance, results in a reduction of overall error.

A one-piece, composite open-bottom casting mold with integral withdrawal section is fabricated by thermal spraying of materials compatible with and used for the continuous casting of shaped products of reactive metals and alloys such as, for example, titanium and its alloys or for the gas atomization thereof.

Patent relating to an impact resistant device that can be worn as body armor to protect the wearer from high velocity projectiles.

This invention generally relates to the remote removal of pelletized samples from cylindrical containment capsules. V-blocks are used to receive the samples and provide guidance to push out rods. Stainless steel liners fit into the v-channels on the v-blocks which permits them to be remotely removed and replaced or cleaned to prevent cross contamination between capsules and samples. A capsule holder securely holds the capsule while allowing manual up/down and in/out movement to align each sample hole with the v-blocks. Both end sections contain identical v-blocks; one that guides the drive out screw and rods or manual push out rods and the other to receive the samples as they are driven out of the capsule.

Patent relating to the composition of epoxy resin, aliphatic amine curing agent and halogenated amine.

Patent relating to metal hydroxide derivatives containing chemically bound organophosphorus or polyphosphate species as flame retardants.

Patent relating to novel metal hydroxide derivatives containing chemically bound organophosphorus or polyphosphate species as flame retardants.

The method of determining the extent to which a nickel structure has been attacked by a halogen containing gas to which it has been exposed which comprises preparing a quantity of water substantially free from dissolved oxygen, passing ammonia gas through a cuprammonium solution to produce ammonia substantially free from oxygen, dissolving said oxygen-free ammonia in said water to produce a saturated aqueous ammonia solution free from uncombined oxygen, treating at least a portion of said nickel structure of predetermined weight with said solution to dissolve nickel compounds from the surface of said structure without dissolving an appreciable amount of said nickel and analyzing the resulting solution to determine the quantity of said nickel compounds that was associated with said said portion of said structure to determine the proportion of combined nickel in said nickel structure.

A self-anchoring mast for deploying a high-speed submersible mixer in a tank includes operably connected first and second mast members (20, 22) and a foot member 46 operably connected to the second mast member for supporting the mast in a tank. The second mast member includes a track (36, 38) for slidably receiving a bearing of the mixer to change the orientation of the mixer in the tank.

Patent relating to methods for extending the freshness of cut flowers, ornamental trees, and plant cuttings.

Patent relating to plant fatty acid amide hydrolases (FAAH) coding sequences.

Patent relating to a method of making integrated circuits using ruthenium and its oxides as a Cu diffusion barrier.

A method for forming a periodic dielectric structure exhibiting photonic band gap effects includes forming a slurry of a nano-crystalline ceramic dielectric or semiconductor material and monodisperse polymer microsphere, depositing a film of the slurry on a substrate, drying the film, and calcining the film to remove the polymer microsphere there from. The film may be cold-pressed after drying and prior to calcining. The ceramic dielectric or semiconductor material may be titania, and the polymer microsphere may be polystyrenemicrosphere.

A method and apparatus are provided for aligning the facets of a solar concentrator. A first laser directs a first laser beam onto a selected facet of the concentrator such that a target board positioned adjacent to the first laser at approximately one focal length behind the focal point of the concentrator is illuminated by the beam after reflection thereof off of the selected facet. A second laser, located adjacent to the vertex of the optical axis of the concentrator, is used to direct a second laser beam onto the target board at a target point thereon. By adjusting the selected facet to cause the first beam to illuminate the target point on the target board produced by the second beam, the selected facet can be brought into alignment with the target point. These steps are repeated for other selected facets of the concentrator, as necessary, to provide overall alignment of the concentrator.

A canister is provided for storing, transporting, and/or disposing of spent nuclear fuel. The canister includes a canister shell, a top shield plug disposed within the canister, and a leak-tight closure arrangement. The closure arrangement includes a shear ring which forms a containment boundary of the canister, and which is welded to the canister shell and top shield plug. An outer seal plate, forming an outer seal, is disposed above the shear ring and is welded to the shield plug and the canister.

The present invention relates to a containment canister for capturing hazardous waste debris during modifications to gloveboxes, or other radiological or biochemical hoods (generally termed gloveboxes therein), that require drilling and welding operations. Examples of such modifications include penetrations for pipe, thermowells, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved containment canister that eliminates the need for costly containment huts and additional man power while at the same time reducing the risk of radiation exposure or other biohazard exposure to workers during glovebox modifications. The present invention also provides an improved hole saw which enables a driller to remove metal shavings and replace the hole saw if there is tooth wear present on the hole saw prior to actually penetrating a glovebox during modifications.

A method for producing oxidation-resistant austenitic alloys for use at temperatures below 800 C. comprising of: providing an alloy comprising, by weight %: 14-18% chromium, 15-18% nickel, 1-3% manganese, 1-2% molybdenum, 2-4% silicon, 0% aluminum and the balance being iron; heating the alloy to 800 C. for between 175-250 hours prior to use in order to form a continuous silicon oxide film and another oxide film. The method provides a means of producing stainless steels with superior oxidation resistance at temperatures above 700 C. at a low cost

There is provided an apparatus and method for assisting speech recovery in people with inability to speak due to aphasia, apraxia or another condition with similar effect. A hollow, rigid, thin-walled tube with semi-circular or semi-elliptical cut out shapes at each open end is positioned such that one end mates with the throat/voice box area of the neck of the assistor and the other end mates with the throat/voice box area of the assisted. The speaking person (assistor) makes sounds that produce standing wave vibrations at the same frequency in the vocal cords of the assisted person. Driving the assisted person's vocal cords with the assisted person being able to hear the correct tone enables the assisted person to speak by simply amplifying the vibration of membranes in their throat.

A video toroid cavity imager for in situ measurement of electrochemical properties of an electrolytic material sample includes a cylindrical toroid cavity resonator containing the sample and employs NMR and video imaging for providing high-resolution spectral and visual information of molecular characteristics of the sample on a real-time basis. A large magnetic field is applied to the sample under controlled temperature and pressure conditions to simultaneously provide NMR spectroscopy and video imaging capabilities for investigating electrochemical transformations of materials or the evolution of long-range molecular aggregation during cooling of hydrocarbon melts. The video toroid cavity imager includes a miniature commercial video camera with an adjustable lens, a modified compression coin cell imager with a fiat circular principal detector element, and a sample mounted on a transparent circular glass disk, and provides NMR information as well as a video image of a sample, such as a polymer film, with micrometer resolution.

Patent relating to a method for using field emitter arrays in chemical and biological hazard mitigation and remediation.