Abstract: A permeable barrier for decontaminating groundwater having two distinct components for increasing contaminant removal. Preferably, the barrier material is a mixture or distinct layers of bone-char phosphate material and iron oxide pellets. The barrier material can be incorporated as part of a shallow trenching decontamination system, or incorporated in a non-pumping well, or array of non-pumping wells, as part of a deep underground decontamination system. The system can be used for removing, among other things, a radionuclide, such as uranium, from water.

Abstract: An automated turnout system is provided for controlling water flow through a turnout gate. The system determines the water flow parameters of the open channel and adjusts the size of the gate opening accordingly. The turnout system includes a flow measurement structure such as weir or flume, a water level sensor for measuring the water level at the flow measurement structure, a flow control gate, an actuator for adjusting the gate and a position sensor for determining the gate setting. A controller determines the proper gate setting based on inputs from the water level sensor and position sensor. The system provides a low cost, practical way to control outflow under varying canal water levels so as to improve irrigation operations.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for detecting a void in backfill material such as soil surrounding a buried conduit such as a pipeline. The void is detected by monitoring an acoustic response from the conduit in response to acoustic excitation of the interior of the conduit. An analysis of changes in the acoustic response is then related to the presence or absence of a void in the backfill material.

Abstract: A method is provided for the manufacture of mineral power crystals having a uniform mean size. The method includes forming a solution which is highly supersaturated with respect to the crystals. The crystals of the solution are Ostwald ripened at a level of supersaturation that produces an Ostwald steady state crystal size distribution shape wherein the crystals are of a uniform size. After Ostwald ripening ceases, the crystals further grow by supply controlled growth which uniformly increases the size thereof. This enables the supply controlled growth to be terminated at a selected, controlled point so as to produce a desired mean crystal size.

Abstract: A surface effect drilling craft or hovercraft is provided for taking continuous core samples in normally inaccessible environmentally sensitive regions such as wetlands. The hovercraft includes an inner hull including an inner hull floor and a bottom hull disposed beneath the inner hull and a base mounting plate secured to the inner hull floor. A drill tube extends through the base mounting plate, inner hull floor and bottom hull. A drill rig including a multi-sonic drill is mounted on the base mounting plate adjacent to the drill tube. The drill rig includes a fixed lower section, and a pivotable upper section movable between an erected, operative position for drilling and a collapsed, inoperative position during maneuvering of the hovercraft. A drill cap is used to close off the drill tube during this maneuvering.

Abstract: A test fixture is provided for determining electrical characteristics such as the S-parameters of a MMIC package or interconnect. The fixture enables the measurement, in effect, of multiple standards using only the single test fixture and also accommodates variable port-to-port spacings. The test fixture comprises a U-shaped conductive ground plane having parallel arms defining a space therebetween. A center conductor is located in the space and is disposed in spaced relationship to the arms of the ground plane. A beam lead PIN diode is connected to the center conductor at one end thereof and to the ground plane at the other. An external variable DC voltage source is used to vary the bias state of the diode so that when the fixture is inserted into a package or interconnect, reflection coefficient measurements for the different bias states can be obtained by an automatic network analyzer for use in calculations for determining the characteristics in question.

Abstract: An iconic-to-iconic low-level image processor is provided which comprises a lurality of identical sequential intermediate stages located between an input stage adapted to be connected to image sources such as analog or digital television cameras, ranging devices and conformal mapping arrays and an output stage adapted to be connected, e.g. to monitors, robot vision systems, iconic symbolic mapping devices and image processing computers. The intermediate stages are provided with forward pathway connections which afford sequential image processing as well as retrograde (feedback) pathway connections between adjacent stages in reverse sequence and within stage, recursive pathway connections for each stage. The stages each include neighborhood operators and image buffers and a number of operations are supported including neighborhood operations on images within each stage and between-stage operations on each pixel such as threshold, boolean and arithmetic operations, function mappings and the like.

Abstract: A dual container apparatus is provided which enables two different materials to be contained in the same integral unit separately from one another and to be dispensed separately from their associated container, while that container is still connected to, or is separated from, the other container. Each container includes a detachable cover and these covers are hinged to a common cover member. The covers are also detachably connected together by the common cover member so that the containers can be stacked. A projection and socket arrangement is used to connect each of the covers to the common cover member. In one embodiment, the sockets are formed by a plurality of apertures in the covers which also serve to dispense the materials contained therein (e.g. salt and pepper) and the common cover member includes corresponding projections.

Abstract: A phase-locked demodulator for demodulating a phase-difference modulated carrier having a repeated phase offset increment introduced therein. The demodulator includes, in common with conventional phase locked demodulators, a mixer having a first input connected to receive the modulated carrier and a reference carrier generator such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) connected in a phase-locked feedback loop forming the second input to the mixer. In order to reduce the number of output levels, the VCO is tuned to a frequency Fr=Fc.+-.Fb[(.alpha.)/360] where Fc is the carrier frequency, Fb is the baud rate and .alpha. is the repeated phase offset. In this way the phase offset increment introduced into the modulated carrier is substantially cancelled out thereby leaving only the phase changes containing data information.