Abstract: Decontamination systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system comprises a first adsorption/desorption subsystem that is configured to receive a contaminated gaseous solution and remove substantially all of the contaminants from the contaminated gaseous solution during an adsorption cycle, while a second subsystem is configured to purge captured contaminants during a desorption cycle. An evacuator is configured to drive potentially flammable gas compositions from the subsystem operating in a desorption cycle back into the system such that potentially flammable gas compositions are purged from the subsystem operating in the desorption cycle at the beginning of the desorption cycle. A heat source is configured to heat contaminants adsorbed in the adsorption/desorption subsystems to remove the contaminants from the adsorption/desorption subsystems in a gaseous state during their respective desorption cycle.

Abstract: A system and method for remotely measuring the temperature of an object using microwave radiometry that may be used in hostile environments. A single pole-single throw reflective PIN diode switch is operable in a PASS mode and a BLOCK mode. In the PASS mode, the switch passes the power received from the object to a low-noise block converter (“LNB”) for amplification. In the BLOCK mode, the switch blocks the object power and reflects the load noise power of an ambient temperature load to the LNB. A detector diode detects the amplified power output during both the BLOCK and PASS mode and the AC signal from the detector is converted to an output signal proportional to the difference in the noise powers detected in the PASS and BLOCK modes.

Abstract: A molecular sieve is made by reacting an ammonium-exchanged low silica X-type zeolite precursor with lithium hydroxide, at a pressure of about 200 millibar or less, and at a temperature of about 60° or less. The zeolite precursor is preferably an X-type zeolite, in which the silicon to aluminum atomic ratio is less than about 1.02. The lithium is provided in an amount which is stoichiometrically equivalent to the amount of ammonium present. The molecular sieve is especially useful in separating air into components using PSA or VPSA processes, and has improved productivity and yield as compared with materials of the prior art. The advantages of the molecular sieve enable it to be provided in the form of beads having relatively large diameter, which reduces the pressure drop across the adsorber bed, and reduces required energy consumption.

Abstract: This invention relates to a food ingredient, comprising a heat-set protein gel and a polysaccharide hydrocolloid which is present in an amount sufficient to influence the structure and texture of the gel, and a process for the preparation of the food ingredient.

Abstract: Quantization unit (108) comprises evaluator (120) and comparator (122) in signal processing for identifying an utterance in system (100). The evaluator (120) weights a first intermediate result of an operation on a first set of a plurality of speech parameters (104) differently than a second intermediate result of an operation on a second set of the plurality of speech parameters (104) in a weighted representation of the plurality of speech parameters (104). The comparator (122) employs the weighted representation of the plurality of speech parameters (104) to determine a vector index to represent the plurality of speech parameters (104). The quantization unit (108), in one example, can employ split vector quantization in conjunction with the weighted representation to determine a vector index to represent the plurality of speech parameters (104).

Abstract: New antibacterial agents produced by fungal culture 07F275, of which the compound designated 07F275 alpha having the following structure: ##STR1## is representative. Methods for the fermentation, recovery and purification from crude solutions are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling a computer system to cascade from the suspend state to the zero volt suspend-to-disk state. The system and method uses the computer system's real time clock (RTC) to provide an alarm indicating when the computer system should enter the suspend-to-disk state. The RTC is used because this device is active even when the computer system is in an ultra low power state, such as the suspend state. The present invention also includes a method which prevents the power management or system management software from interfering with other application's use of the RTC alarm.

Abstract: Cymbal drum (10) includes a drum (12) having a plurality of openings (22) for receiving portions of a pair of cymbals (24) of cymbal assemblies (14), which cymbals (24) are adapted to clash together in response to the beating of the drum (12). The cymbals (24) are slidably mounted on a spindle (26) and separated by a compression spring (52). The level of the force used to beat the drum which is required to cause the cymbals to clash together may be selectively altered by varying the engagement of wing nut (48) with spindle (26). The nominal relative face-to-face alignment of the cymbals (24) may be selectively changed and the nominal relative tilting orientation of the two cymbals (24) may be selectively altered to vary the tones produced by the cymbal drum (10) of the present invention.

Abstract: Epoxide materials suitable for use in flexible adhesives are prepared by reacting a diene, such as butadiene or isoprene, with an electron donor, typically an alkali metal, in the presence of a polyepoxide normally in a molar ratio diene:polyepoxide of less than 3:1. The polyepoxide is typically a conventional epoxy resin such as DGBA. The product normally separates into two phases, the upper of which comprises epoxy-terminated diene oligomers with degrees of polymerization of about 6 to 14. This separation may be avoided by incorporating a minor proportion of acrylonitrile into the product by addition to either the original diene or the anionic living polymer immediately before hydrolysis. The products may be cured with conventional epoxide curing agents to give an internally flexibilized adhesive having useful combinations of tensile and shear strengths.

Abstract: A water activated primary battery in which each cell includes a cathode manufactured largely from an oxy-halogen material and an anode of aluminum, magnesium, zinc or alloys thereof, the electrodes being separated and insulated from one another by a porous membrane; the main feature of the invention being the sandwich construction of the cells and design of the anode which is perforated to provide access of the electrolyte to the cathode and escape of gas from the cell and dimpled to facilitate uniform compaction of the cathode material and to provide cooling water/electrolyte passageways in each cell.