Abstract: An exchange of momentum wind turbine vane having a large area for exchange of momentum which is made rigid with buckleable wing columns capable of automatic self-feathering the vane to protect it from damaging high-speed wind. The large vane area provides very low windspeed startup. In the preferred embodiment the vane is plastic and very inexpensive to manufacture. Four embodiments are described and shown.

Abstract: A material that can be applied as implants designed to artificially replace or augment the cornea, such as an artificial cornea, corneal onlay, or corneal inlay (intrastromal lens) is provided. The artificial corneal implant has a double network hydrogel with a first network interpenetrated with a second network. The first network and the second network are based on biocompatible polymers. At least one of the network polymers is based on a hydrophilic polymer. The artificial cornea or implant has epithelialization promoting biomolecules that are covalently linked to the surface of the double network hydrogel using an azide-active-ester chemical linker. Corneal epithelial cells or cornea-derived cells are adhered to the biomolecules. The double network has a physiologic diffusion coefficient to allow passage of nutrients to the adhered cells.

Abstract: An exchange of momentum wind turbine vane having a large area for exchange of momentum which is made rigid with buckleable wing columns capable of automatic self-feathering the vane to protect it from damaging high-speed wind. The large vane area provides very low windspeed startup. In the preferred embodiment the vane is plastic and very inexpensive to manufacture. Four embodiments are described and shown.

Abstract: A material that can be applied as implants designed to artificially replace or augment the cornea, such as an artificial cornea, corneal onlay, or corneal inlay (intrastromal lens) is provided. The artificial corneal implant has a double network hydrogel with a first network interpenetrated with a second network. The first network and the second network are based on biocompatible polymers. At least one of the network polymers is based on a hydrophilic polymer. The artificial cornea or implant has epithelialization promoting biomolecules that are covalently linked to the surface of the double network hydrogel using an azide-active-ester chemical linker. Corneal epithelial cells or cornea-derived cells are adhered to the biomolecules. The double network has a physiologic diffusion coefficient to allow passage of nutrients to the adhered cells.

Abstract: The invention provides implants suitable for use as an artificial cornea, and methods for making and using such implants. Artificial corneas having features of the invention may be two-phase artificial corneas, or may be three phase artificial corneas. These artificial corneas have a flexible, optically clear central core and a hydrophilic, porous skirt, both of which are biocompatible and allow for tissue integration. A three-phase artificial cornea will further have an interface region between the core and skirt. The artificial corneas have a high degree of ocular tolerance, and allow for tissue integration into the skirt and for epithelial cell growth over the surface of the prosthesis. The use of biocompatible material avoids the risk of disease transmission inherent with corneal transplants, and acts to minimize post-operative inflammation and so to reduce the chance or severity of tissue necrosis following implantation of the synthetic cornea onto a host eye.

Abstract: The invention provides implants suitable for use as an artificial cornea, and methods for making and using such implants. Artificial corneas having features of the invention may be two-phase artificial corneas, or may be three phase artificial corneas. These artificial corneas have a flexible, optically clear central core and a hydrophilic, porous skirt, both of which are biocompatible and allow for tissue integration. A three-phase artificial cornea will further have an interface region between the core and skirt. The artificial corneas have a high degree of ocular tolerance, and allow for tissue integration into the skirt and for epithelial cell growth over the surface of the prosthesis. The use of biocompatible material avoids the risk of disease transmission inherent with corneal transplants, and acts to minimize post-operative inflammation and so to reduce the chance or severity of tissue necrosis following implantation of the synthetic cornea onto a host eye.

Abstract: The activation and deactivation of an outdoors, hose faucet-mounted valve unit to control the flow of water through a standard garden hose with attached sprinkler is remotely controlled from indoors rather than at the valve unit. This is accomplished without the use of unwieldy and unsightly electrical cables by means of radio frequency (RF) signals. A remote, programmable, controller unit located indoors with attached transmitting unit commands such transmitting unit to send signals in accordance with preprogrammed instructions in the controller unit. A receiver unit attached to the valve unit intercepts the transmitted signals and instructs the valve unit to open or close the water valve and flow of water based thereon. Direct connection of the controller to the valve unit is possible such that the transmitter unit and receiver unit are not used such as during pleasant weather conditions.

Abstract: Apparatus (1) for treating a fluid, in this case wastewater, comprising a vessel or tank (2), a conduit (3) to supply the wastewater in an alternating sequence to the vessel (2), and a source (4) for oxygenating the bed of granular media (5) to provide aerated filter media. The filter bed is aerated during operation by air, oxygen enriched air or other gas being introduced at or adjacent the base (as viewed) of the bed through the source (4), which may be a perforated manifold, diffuser or the like extending substantially over the whole surface area of the bed (5). Also, the bed (5) is a granular media such as natural minerals or blast furnace slag media to the surface of the discrete particles of which is attached bacteria and microorganisms (a biomass) which effects treatment of the fluid.

Abstract: Apparatus (1) for treating fluid, in this case wastewater, comprising a treatment vessel or tank (2), means (3) to supply wastewater to be treated in a pulsed sequence to the vessel, and means (4) to supply treatment fluid, in this case comprising oxygen to the vessel or tank (2) in a pulsed sequence opposite to the pulsed sequence of the supply of wastewater to be treated.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for on-site treatment of a fluid, such as sewage, utilize a plurality of self-contained, separately housed, and separately transporable modules (2a, 2b,2c) for carrying out one or a sequence of treatment operations on the fluid. There is an inlet (3) whereby the apparatus is connectible with a source of the fluid to be treated and an outlet (4) from the apparatus for discharge of the treated fluid. The apparatus may be moved between different sites.

Abstract: The system involves irradiating a performance zone with microwave energy of a frequency of the order of 10.69 GHz and placing a doppler effect sensor where it can pick up reflections from a moving performer and produce signals indicative of movement of any part of the performer. At the same time, other sensors arranged in a spatial matrix covering the performance zone produce signals indicative of instantaneous position. The outputs of all sensors are processed by a master control unit which in turn governs the output of a visual or audio channel, or both. The spatial matrix can be in the form of intersecting infrared laser beams or pressure or proximity sensors in the floor of the performance zone.

Abstract: An instruction execution accelerator for a pipelined digital machine with virtual memory. The digital machine includes a pipelined processor which on memory accesses outputs a virtual address to a data cache unit (DCU). On particular memory accesses, such as store or similar operations, the pipelined processor can be advanced or accelerated to the next instruction once the memory access is known not to cause a page fault. The pipeline accelerator includes a small associative memory which the page number of a target address of a store operation is compared. If there is a match, it is know that the target address relates to a page within the real memory and the instruction can complete asynchronously. Otherwise if there is no match, the page address is inserted in the associative memory to become the most recent addition. On the recognition of a page fault by the DCU, the associative memory will be cleared to make room for the new entry and others.

Abstract: A self-propelled rocket vehicle (1) in which ramp tabs (R1, R2, R3) are provided to control pitch and roll and vane tabs (V1, V2) provided to control spin. The ramp tabs comprise an array of generally symmetrically spaced tabs (R1, R.sub.2, R3) mounted on the vehicle and displaceable into the nozzle efflux (E) to control rotation of the vehicle about the roll axis (RA) and pitch axis (PA). The vane tabs (V1, V2) are placed symmetrically about the ramp tabs and are angled such that, when displaced into the nozzle efflux (E), spin in either direction about the vehicle longitudinal axis (SA) results. Overall control is achieved by an auto-pilot controlling actuators driving the ramp tabs and vane tabs to produce the desired thrust vectoring and spin control with the height of the vehicle being controlled by a height controller connected through a limiter to all ramp tabs to minimize loss of attitude control.