Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for dredging a watercourse or body of water, the device includes a watercraft (105) which supports a grinder, the grinder (110) for grinding plants found in the watercourse or body of water comprising an inlet (115) for plants and an outlet (120) for ground plants, and a floating receptacle (125) which is connected to the outlet of the grinder in order to collect the scraps of ground plants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nucleic acids and variants thereof, as well as uses thereof. The present nucleic acids are useful for detecting indels (insertions and deletions) as small as 1 nucleotide in a target nucleic acid. They have a broad applicability for detecting indels following genome editing and can also be used in methods for amplifying a target nucleic acid.

Abstract: A method of processing seismic data including measurement data and their gradients to obtain gradients of move-out corrected data, comprising deriving gradients of the measurement data, deriving a first term comprising applying a move-out correction function to the measurement data; deriving a second term by applying the move-out correction function to the gradients and deriving gradients of move-out corrected data by adding the first term and the second term. The gradients of move-out corrected data are used to process physical properties of the earth's interior. The method may be used prior to any data processing algorithm which uses measurement gradient data in which move-out correction is applied prior to the algorithm, either because the algorithm makes a zero offset assumption or because it is beneficial for the algorithm to operate on move-out corrected data to reduce aliasing.

Abstract: A nonwoven geotextile includes: crushed plant stems (305) more than five millimeters in diameter; plant stem fragments (310); and plant fibers (315) partially attached to the crushed stems, wherein the plant stems and the plant stem fragments are interwoven by element of mechanical connections produced by spraying water. In preferred embodiments, the plants include hemp. The device for producing such a nonwoven geotextile includes: elements for arranging plants into a mat including crushed plant stems more than five millimeters in diameter, plant stem fragments and plant fibers partially attached to the crushed stems; and elements for spraying water onto the mat so as to form mechanical connections between the crushed plant stems, the plant stem fragments and the plant fibers of the mat.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining inline skew of one or more seismic streamers are disclosed. One system embodiment includes a seismic streamer including a plurality of receivers, a skew detector adapted to detect inline skew of the streamer, and a receiver selector adapted to select which receivers in the streamer to use in data acquisition based on the detected streamer inline skew. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Methods and systems for estimating one or more orientation parameters of a seismic apparatus are described. One method comprises initiating an acoustic signal from an acoustic transmitter in a marine seismic spread comprising a streamer, the streamer having at least two nodes separated by a fixed distance; measuring a first and a second difference in acoustic arrival times at the nodes for the acoustic signal; and using change in the second difference from the first difference to estimate orientation of the streamer. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for a segmented antenna system. The method includes determining an orientation of a first antenna, the first antenna including a plurality of segments for transmitting and receiving signals, determining a direction from the first antenna to a second antenna capable or at least one of transmitting and receiving signals, and selecting at least one of the plurality of segments of the first antenna using the determined orientation of the first antenna and the determined direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to processing seismic data that contains both a desired signal and swell noise. The method is applicable to seismic data is in the frequency-space domain method and comprises determining a signal-only prediction filter from the seismic data at a first frequency at which swell noise is not present, and applying the prediction filter to seismic data at a second frequency at which swell noise is present. This attenuates swell noise in the seismic data at the second frequency. In one embodiment, the prediction filter for a frequency fL, the lowest frequency at which swell noise is present, is determined from seismic data at frequency fH+1, where fH is the highest frequency at which swell noise is present. The prediction filter for a frequency fL+1 is determined from seismic data at frequency fH+2, and so on, so that the prediction filter for frequency fH+1 is determined from seismic data at frequency f2H?L+1.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for positioning seismic streamers are described, one apparatus comprising a body, the body adapted to be connected to a seismic streamer, the body defining at least one flow passage there through, and a diverter adapted to selectively adjust flow through the flow passage. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: A method, comprising: generating a macro P-wave velocity model, including resolution of residual moveout errors, using reflection tomography from a seismic data set; generating a diffraction response from the macro P-wave velocity model for a given common image gather location therein assuming a locally laterally invariant model; converting the generated diffraction response for the given common image gather location to a migrated reflection response to yield a modeled data set; comparing the modeled data set to the given common image point from the seismic data set; updating the macro P-wave velocity model based on the result of the comparison; and iterating the diffraction response generation, the diffraction response conversion, comparison, and update until the modeled data set converges to the common image gathers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for wave field separation. The method includes determining a first operator using marine seismic data acquired at a first depth and receivers deployed at a second depth, determining a second operator using marine seismic data acquired at a second depth, wherein the second depth is greater than the first depth, and forming a de-ghosted data set from the marine seismic data set based upon the first and second operators.

Abstract: It is described a method for spatially filtering 3D seabed seismic data acquired in a cross-line geometry including methods of how to decompose the data using a filter with two spatial components.

Abstract: A housing for a seismic sensing element (3) for use on the earth's surface comprises connecting means (5) for connecting the housing (3) to a support cable (2) so as to allow relative movement between the sensor housing (3) and the cable (2). This de-couples the sensor housing from the support cable, and improves the fidelity of the sensor. The connecting means (5) preferably comprises resilient connecting elements, to prevent the transmission of vibrations between the support cable and the sensor housing. The sensor housing (3) preferably has a flat base (1), so that there is good coupling between the sensor housing and the earth. Alternatively, the sensor housing can be fitted with a base member ((24a, 24b, 24c) that has at least one flat face (26, 26a, 26b, 26c).

Abstract: A method of seismic surveying comprises emitting seismic energy at two or more different depths during a sweep. In one embodiment, the depth of a seismic source is varied during a sweep, by raising or lower the source while it is emitting seismic energy. In another embodiment, an array of two or more marine vibrators is used as the source of seismic energy, with the vibrators in the array being disposed at different depths. The invention allows notch frequencies in the amplitude spectrum to be eliminated, and allows improvements in both the spectral flatness and the amplitude at low frequencies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating acquired seismic data for the presence of dipping events are disclosed. The method includes migrating the acquired, unstacked seismic data; and spatially mapping the migrated seismic data to correct their respective offsets while maintaining the angle of incidence to a dipping event. The method may be performed by a programmed computing device or encoded as instructions for a computing device on a program storage medium.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and article of manufacture of processing seismic data and provides techniques for building and verifying velocity fields using velocity worms in a visualization environment.

Abstract: A method of performing a seismic survey of earth formations beneath a body of water is disclosed. The method includes: (a) deploying a seismic cable having a plurality of seismic sensors distributed therealong in close proxmity to elongate locating means provided at the bottom of the body of water; (b) operating an acoustic source in the body of water to produce seismic signals which enter the formations; (c) detecting seismic signals which return from the formations with said sensors; and (d) removing the seismic cable from the bottom of the body of water.

Abstract: A method of seismic surveying using one or more vibrational seismic energy sources activated by sweep signals. The highest order harmonic that has sufficient strength to cause significant harmonic distortion of a sweep segment is determined. A number of sweep segments in excess of the number of sources is selected. Initial phase angles are selected for each sweep segment of each seismic energy source so that substantially all harmonics up to and including the highest order harmonic are suppressed. Using cascaded sweeps, seismic data are acquired and processed to substantially attenuate harmonics upto the selected order.

Abstract: A gel-filled seismic streamer containing a hydroplane housing which isolates a hydrophone element from shear waves and mechanical forces but sensitive to pressure waves. In one embodiment, the gel-filled streamers contains a hydrophone housing with an air pocket at each end for isolating a pressure sensitive hydrophone element from mechanical noise generated by cable movement during seismic data acquisition operations. The hydrophone housing further provides a protective case to isolate a pressure-sensitive hydrophone element from shear waves. An inlet formed in the protective hydrophone housing enables pressure waves to be communicated to the pressure sensitive hydrophone element inside of the housing. In one embodiment, the pressure sensitive hydrophone element is a hollow gel-filled cylinder that expands radially outward into a second air gap formed in the housing. A protective case is also provided to isolate the hydrophone housing from shear waves.

Abstract: A rear view mirror for a vehicle has a reflective member mounted for angular movement about a pivot axis perpendicular to a plane containing both a first line and a second line. The first line bisects the angle between an incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a first end of the major axis of a vertical section through the eyellipse, and the second line bisects the angle between said incident ray and a reflection of said incident ray extending to a second end of said major axis.