Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming three-dimensional patterns by depositing a crystalloid material onto substrate in a layer by layer fashion. The apparatus includes a computer responsive for controlling the material depositing rate and the three-dimensional relative movement between the depositing head and the substrate. The controlling information comes from the sliced CAD model of the part. For each cross-section, the depositing head plots the boundary and the interior while the building material comes out of the head. The crystalloid material deposited on the substrate or previous layer of the part rapidly freezes forming a new layer of the part. The material can be deposited by a continuous extruding device or a drop-on-demand device. Where necessary, support structure is built in the same way but with material of a different melting point.

Abstract: A micromachined element mounted to a substrate, the element including a cantilever having a proximal portion attached to the substrate and a coilable distal portion terminating in a free distal end. The coilable distal portion, upon being heated, is capable of bending away from the substrate and at least partially coiling upon itself to form a coiled portion. At least part of the micromachined element may be electrically conductive. In various embodiments, the micromachined element may function as a mechanical microspring, an electrically conductive link, and/or a magnetic coil. A method of fabricating the microelement may include the steps of selectively depositing various layers upon the substrate.

Abstract: Provided herein is a wood substitute composition that utilizes in its production heretofore unused waste material produced in the reclamation of nylon from discarded carpet, along with processes for produced the wood substitute composition. The wood substitute composition shares similar properties to wood, and hence has numerous applications in the building and construction industries.

Abstract: Coater for coating particles is provided with a casing and a cylinder having apertures rotatably mounted within the casing. Gas is blown into the casing and onto the host particles through the slots of the cylinder. Guest particles may be inserted into the casing initially or subsequently after rotation of the cylinder begins. The particles are fluidized when a balance is attained between the centrifugal force from the rotation of the cylinder and the force exerted upon the particles from the air flow. The centrifugal force exerted on the particles within the cylinder in an operating state is at least about 25 gs so as to cause guest particles of different sizes to be coated onto the host.

Abstract: A vaporizable solute transfer system for transferring a vaporizable solute from a gas feed mixture to an absorbent liquid comprises an absorption module, a porous membrane which divides the absorption module into a gas-feed chamber and an absorbent chamber, a regeneration module, and a nonporous material which divides the regeneration module into an absorbent chamber and a vacuum atmosphere chamber. The absorption module has gas feed mixture inlet and outlet ports which communicate with the gas feed chamber, and absorbent liquid inlet and outlet ports which communicate with the absorbent chamber. The regeneration module has a liquid absorbent inlet and outlet port which communicate with the liquid absorbent chamber, and a vacuum outlet port which communicates with the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, there is a raised floor body having a plurality of parallel bottom arches, each arch defining a lower race thereunder, wherein the lower races are separated from one another by the arches. The raised floor body preferably includes at least one transverse top slot extending into the top surface of the body, thereby defining an upper race. The top slot may be disposed generally perpendicularly to the bottom arches. The body is further preferably provided with at least one vertical opening between the upper and lower races. A cover may be disposed over the top slot, and a liner may be disposed in the top slot. The body is preferably made at least partially from a cementitious material. The raised floor body may also include a mold for forming the cementitious material. The body may be cast in-situ or may pre-cast and installed as whole, by panels, or in individual modular blocks. The present invention also relates to a method for producing the raised floor.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a composite structural member having a pair of spaced apart longitudinally extending parallel flanges and a plurality of thermally insulative conductive web connectors intermittently disposed between the flanges, the web connectors having a pair of opposing ends, each end being attached to a respective flange, wherein at least two of the web connectors are longitudinally spaced apart from each other, thereby forming at least one open cavity defined by at least some portion of the flanges and the at least two web connectors, whereby the web connectors and the open cavity minimize thermal conductance between the flanges. The present invention includes a method of producing the composite structural member.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for simultaneously determining thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance of a sample which employs an transient method of taking data for use in such determinations, and an inverse method of determining the values using a methodology set forth herein. As a result, the present invention permits a more accurate, and economically efficient determination of thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance than methods presently used.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system and method utilizing a receiver architecture with a set of at least two antennae followed by a Rake demodulator at a mobile station for interference cancellation and diversity combining. Such a structure can work well only when the channel vector of desired signal is correctly estimated. The present invention makes use of the identifying spreading codes (as in IS-95 for example) to provide an adaptive channel vector estimate, to thereby cancel cochannel interference and improve the system capacity.

Abstract: A device and method for the continuous on-line or discrete off-line concentration and measurement of organic compound contaminants in a fluid sample stream is disclosed, in which an adsorbent trap means, which may be a tube of metal packed with an adsorbent composition such as a carbon-based composition, is used to adsorb the organic compound contaminants, while venting out permanent gases, such as CO, CO.sub.2, N.sub.2, O.sub.2, NO.sub.2, SO.sub.2, CH.sub.4, and H.sub.2 O. The adsorbent trap means is capable of rapid heating and cooling, and when a pulse of electrical energy or microwave energy is applied thereto, the adsorbed organic compound contaminants are rapidly desorbed therefrom; after which they are carried to a detector means for measuring the organic compound contaminants. Embodiments are included in which gas chromatography (GC) is not employed.

Abstract: The device for benign, non-surgical external shaping of corneal tissue to compensate, by refractive correction, for deviations from normal focussing. The jet is directed to erode corneal tissue to provide an increase in curvature to correct for far-sightedness i.e., to refocus a perceived image from beyond retina onto the surface of the retina.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recovering bioproducts from a feed solution. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a module housing, a membrane disposed in the housing for filtering the bioproducts from the feed solution, and an adsorbent bed disposed in the housing for retaining the bioproducts which permeate through the membrane, wherein the apparatus is adapted to allow fractionation and purification of the retained bioproducts from the bed by elution.

Abstract: An apparatus for pneumatically fracturing a soil formation, and thereafter utilizing or maintaining the fracture network thus formed by continuous injection of a gas stream into the fracture network, and introducing into that gas stream dry media which is entrained in the gas stream and thereby dispersed and distributed through the soil formation in substantially predictable or predetermined patterns, is described. The fracture network and/or the dry media contained therein create or enhance usefulness for a given purpose with respect to the soil formation.

Abstract: A pervaporation process for selectively removing a component from a multicomponent aqueous solution which is practiced with an assembly comprising a feed chamber for holding and introducting the multicomponent aqueous solution to be treated therein, the feed chamber having a pressure, an exit chamber having a pressure, and located adjacent to the feed chamber and downstream thereof; at least one membrane composite located between the feed chamber and the exit chamber and adapted for fluid registry therewith, the membrane composite comprised of a porous membrane having a first and second surface, and a nonporous membrane permanently disposed on the second surface of the porous membrane, and having a permeability selective to the component, the membrane composite aligned such that the nonporous membrane is connected to the feed chamber; and a vacuum pump connected to the exit chamber for evacuating the component from the chamber.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device for generating ultra-high precision rectilinear movement based on aerostatic suspension and magnetic traction, the device including a nut, a leadscrew, a thrust bearing, a contactless motor, and feedback drive electronics. The contactless motor provides the actuation by turning the leadscrew which is made of magnetically soft materials and has a pitched helical groove machined on its surface. The leadscrew passes through the core of the nut which is free to move in a rectilinear motion on a aerostatically suspended guide. The nut, also made with magnetic material, has a matching helical groove in its core so that a closed magnetic circuit is formed between the grooves of the leadscrew and the nut. The closed circuit in turn provides the necessary magnetic traction to move the nut in a rectilinear fashion. A primary aerostatic suspension is utilized to stabilize and center the leadscrew and nut transversally.

Abstract: In preferred embodiments, an apparatus and method for enhancing the in situ removal of at least one contaminant from a contaminated body, the body being provided with at least one interstice, by generating and focusing vibrations toward the interstice, thereby exciting the contaminant within the body, whereby transport of the contaminant out of the body is facilitated. Preferably, the vibrations are sonic or ultrasonic. Vacuum extraction or transformation of the contaminant may also be effected.

Abstract: A method and device for benign, non-surgical external shaping of corneal tissue to compensate, by refractive correction, for deviations from normal focussing. Corneal tissue is externally gently removed by erosion to a maximum 30% depth, within several seconds, by an imperceptibly felt, highly controlled and limited area, isotonic water jet, exerting a total force of at most several ounces. The jet is directed to erode corneal tissue to provide an increase in curvature to correct for far-sightedness i.e., to refocus a perceived image from beyond retina onto the surface of the retina. To correct for near-sightedness and to refocus a perceived image from in front of the retina onto the surface of the retina, the jet is directed to flatten out by eroding, a central portion of corneal tissue, to decrease curvature. The jet is either applied by a nozzle or array of nozzles. The jet is applied and directed, in a computer controlled, raster or similar type movement, until the desired diopter change is effected.

Abstract: A process is provided for removing the NO.sub.x from a fluid stream (e.g. a waste gas stream such as a flue gas stream produced during combustion). The process entails the contacting of the stream, prior to discharge into the atmosphere, with an aqueous alkaline solution containing an organic hydroperoxide such as cumenyl hydroperoxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide. The solution has a pH of greater than 7 to about 14 which is provided by an alkali such as calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate. The process is preferably carried out at a temperature of 50 to 95.degree. C.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method for selectively removing at least one target component from a multicomponent feed fluid using a removal system, the system including a feed chamber having an inlet and an outlet, a permeate chamber, and a membrane for separating the feed and permeate chambers. The membrane is selective for the at least one target component.

Abstract: A method for pneumatically fracturing a soil formation, and thereafter utilizing or maintaining the fracture network thus formed by continuous injection of a gas stream into the fracture network, and introducing into that gas stream dry media which is entrained in the gas stream and thereby dispersed and distributed through the soil formation in substantially predictable or predetermined patterns, is described. The fracture network and/or the dry media contained therein create or enhance usefulness for a given purpose with respect to the soil formation. The method utilizes novel apparatus, especially high velocity nozzles which are substantially planar or directional and can be used in combination with the borehole casing to achieve a variety of fracturing and dry media injection effects.