Abstract:
An oil containment boom is provided herein. It includes an elongated member of generally V-shaped cross-section, which is provided by a front wall section and a (preferably higher) rear wall section, joined together along respective lower edges. Ballast means are provided for normally maintaining the elongated member upright with the joint between the front and rear walls at the bottom. Float means (preferably inflatable) are provided, which are disposed between the front wall and the rear wall at a predetermined and preselected level above the joint. Drainage means are provided within the front wall to permit polluted liquid which has rolled over the front wall and is trapped in the V-shaped member constituted by the front and rear walls to escape therefrom to an area upstream of the front wall. A novel method of containing oil spills in ice infested water is also provided.
Abstract:
One or more pellicles protect a cathode, the pellicles comprised of a thin layer of material that allows electrons to pass while preventing contamination of the cathode from elements originating beyond the pellicle or contamination of an outside apparatus from elements originating on or near the cathode. The pellicle can be supported by an insulator, the insulator in turn supported by a deflecting layer. The pellicle can be maintained at a positive voltage relative to the cathode, such that a voltage gradient is created between the cathode and the pellicle that accelerates electrons emitted by the cathode away from the cathode. The pellicle is located at an appropriate distance from the cathode to allow electron transmission matching the energy of the electrons at that distance.
Abstract:
A device for the switching of electrical current comprising a photo-cathode, an anode, one or more light sources positioned to illuminate the photo-cathode to stimulate the emission of electrons from the photo-cathode, an electrical circuit connected to and supplying a voltage across the photo-electric cathode and the anode, and a vacuum chamber enclosing at least the photo-cathode and the anode in a vacuum and holding the photo-cathode and the anode in position such that a gap exists between them.
Abstract:
An engine preheating system supports starting industrial and/or diesel engines in cold weather, eliminating the need for cold weather idling. The system preheats the engine coolant, bringing the entire machine up to a warm starting condition. This provides good lubrication and immediate heat availability. The system is fully portable and does not rely on commercial power, operable at any location. The system utilizes propane fuel, which is widely available. The propane fuel burns quietly and cleanly as opposed to fuel oil. The system includes numerous safety features, such as flow indicators and modern microprocessor technology to ensure safe operation.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are methods for bonding refractory substrates, such as zircon substrates, without the use of a bonding agent. Exemplary methods include (a) providing a plurality of refractory components, each component having at least one surface to be bonded, (b) polishing each surface to be bonded to a surface roughness (Ra) of 200 nm or finer, (c) contacting the surfaces to be bonded to form an unbonded refractory substrate, (d) firing the unbonded refractory substrate, and (e) subjecting the surfaces to be bonded to a compressive force during firing. Methods for making refractory forming bodies are also disclosed herein.
Abstract:
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate relocating an IP buffer from a conventional location in a user device handset to a radio-access network (RAN) interface in order to reduce acquisition delay in the user device. By performing IP buffering at the transmission side of a forward link transmission, acquisition time can be reduced by approximately 5-7 seconds. Additionally, a physical layer aware encoder can be employed, which has knowledge of transmission constraints associated with, for example, a conventional DVB-H transmission protocol, and can parse streaming media into 1-second segments that can be pre-packaged in a current superframe for display at a subsequent time.
Abstract:
A quantum memory component including a quantum dot molecule having first and second quantum dots provided in respective first and second layers separated by a barrier layer; an exciton comprising an electron and hole bound state in said quantum dot molecule, the spin state of said exciton forming a qubit; first and second electrical contacts respectively provided below the first quantum dot and above the second quantum dot; a voltage source to apply an electric field across said quantum dot molecule; a controller to modulate the electric field across the quantum dot molecule, including an information acquiring circuit to acquire information concerning the relationship between fine structure splitting of the exciton and the applied electric field and a timing circuit to allow switching of the exciton from an indirect configuration to a direct configuration at predetermined times derived from the fine structure splitting.
Abstract:
An aircraft-mounted base transceiver station (mBTS) for providing intermittent coverage in a cellular radio network. The mBTS utilizes the existing protocol of its terrestrial counterparts, thereby avoiding dual-mode devices and enabling common usage of terminal monitoring and device management systems for devices connected to a single radio access network even when outside terrestrial coverage areas. The aircraft follows a transient flight pattern, providing intermittent flyover connectivity for remote radio device such as machine-type devices. Connectivity may be store and forward. Channel usage may be adjusted to avoid interfering with terrestrial communication cells during flyover. Doppler effects due to aircraft speed may be accounted for. The mBTS may be configured to service in-range radio devices which are outside a Doppler-inhibited region and/or to prioritize communication with devices based on expected time outside the Doppler-inhibited region. An aircraft mounted antenna may have a radiation pattern focused toward devices outside the Doppler-inhibited region.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for transferring identity information for temporary use by a wireless device, visiting a foreign operator network, is provided. A user is presented, at a kiosk, with an opportunity to download a temporary identity which is recognized by the operator network as belonging to a local subscriber, and the user may make a request for service. In response to the user-generated request for service, local identity information is transferred to the wireless device for use thereby. The transfer is short-range wireless communication from the kiosk to the wireless device. The temporary identity, once installed on the wireless device, makes the wireless device appear as a local subscriber. Upon termination of use, the temporary identity is returned to a pool and usable for another wireless device.