Abstract: An energy production device may include a core and a heat exchanger positioned over the core. The core may include one or more fuel rods. The core may further include a heat transmission fluid configured to flow through natural convection upwards through the one or more fuel rods and collect heat therefrom. The core may also include a reaction control device including a neutron-absorbing material. The heat exchanger may be configured to receive the heat transmission fluid and transfer the heat to an energy harnessing device positioned on an opposite side of the heat exchanger from the core.

Abstract: An energy production device may include a core configured to heat a heat transmission fluid, an energy harnessing device configured to convert heat into electrical energy and a heat transfer device positioned over the core configured to receive the heat transmission fluid and transfer the heat to the energy harnessing device. The energy production device may further include a vibration isolator positioned between the energy harnessing device and the heat transfer device. The vibration isolator may be configured to secure the energy harnessing device to the heat transfer device and substantially prevent the transmission of motion from the energy harnessing device to the heat transfer device.

Abstract: A system and method for providing personal computing device screensaver content from a central server, the system further utilizing membership in Active Directory groups to control the screensaver content, enabling screensavers to be remotely enabled for immediate display of urgent messages, utilizing distributed relay services to minimize public internet traffic in the distribution of content to workstations, providing the display of or interaction with a website within a screensaver, providing acknowledgement of displayed information by a user to build an audit trail, and centrally controlling the length of time that information is displayed on selective screensavers and to end users.

Abstract: A digital noise reduction for a radio frequency receiver communication systems that is field programmable to function with a large variety of signaling schemes or waveforms. The noise reduction arrangement includes circuits to convert the mulit bit digital signal (including noise impulses therein) into logarithmic form and uses exponential averaging to determine the presence of noise and the magnitude thereof. Various threshold circuits, the exponential averaging circuits and an exponential decay circuit are responsive to digital commands to set the thresholds for noise detection and control when the noise should be blanked and the duration of blanking.

Abstract: A uranium-free fuel for a fast nuclear reactor comprising an alloy of Pu, Zr and Hf, wherein Hf is present in an amount less than about 10% by weight of the alloy. The fuel may be in the form of a Pu alloy surrounded by a Zr--Hf alloy or an alloy of Pu--Zr--Hf or a combination of both.

Abstract: An interface for use with a multiprocessor computer system, having a host processor system and a graphics processor system. The interface permits extended functions to be developed on the host system or on another system, and subsequently loaded to the graphics processor system. The interface comprises software residing on both the host system side and the graphics system side, which operates at run time to permit the function to be called from a main program running on the host. The function's arguments are passed to the graphics system so that the function is executed by the graphics processor.

Abstract: A method of partitioning a software program, so that a main program may be executed on a first processor, and at least one designated function may be executed on a second processor. The subprogram to be executed by the second processor is selected from a main program associated with a first processor and identified globally to both processors. The subprogram is given a call from the main program that creates a software environment that is compatible to both processors. More specifically, the method entails creating an argument passing means, via the function call, so that relevant information about the subprogram parameters may be communicated to the second processor.

Abstract: A video monitoring device displays on the same CRT screen a picture format video signal and a graphic format of one or more selected horizontal lines in the video signal, the selected line being highlighted in the picture format. An intensity modulator, and vertical and horizontal deflection modulators are coupled to the beam generator and to the deflection circuits, the modulators also being coupled to a control device for changing functions from picture format display to graphic format display as the beam is deflected in a raster pattern. A video memory stores at least the video information of the line to be displayed, for reading out the information in the graphic format.

Abstract: A remapping apparatus and method dynamically map the endpoints of a manual control to scaled and shifted values of a controlled parameter magnitude, such that the full span of the control corresponds to transition of a controlled parameter between desired endpoints, normally over less than the full possible span of transition. The mapping is recalculated repetitively and accounts for constraints on the controlled parameter resulting from variations in related parameters. The apparatus and method are especially applicable to controlling transition effects produced by a video switcher. A digital computer senses the position of the control and registers the level of a controlled parameter (and preferably also the level of constraining related parameters).