Abstract: An abrasive water-jet cutting machine, comprising pumping means, fluidly connectable to a water source, a cutting head, comprising a mixing chamber, a dispensing system of powdered abrasive material, comprising a tank, a supply tube and an actuator interposed between the tank and the supply tube, which delivers the powdered abrasive material contained in the tank into the mixing chamber, through the supply tube; wherein the cutting head mixes, in the mixing chamber, the abrasive material with the water jet forming a water-abrasive material mixture jet, and said cutting head delivers the water-abrasive material mixture jet; wherein the powdered abrasive material delivered into the mixing chamber is homogeneously dispersed in suspension in a water-based gelatinous fluid; and wherein the actuator is a peristaltic pump.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and an article of manufacture for estimating risk of impact of a natural disaster on a populated area. The method includes using dynamic natural disaster modeling information to estimate a spatio-temporal distribution of a parameter of a potential natural disaster, wherein the modeling information is input to an instance of a weather forecast model which computes simulation results for natural disaster parameters for an area at a given time interval and the results produced on each time step within the time interval the estimate of the spatio-temporal distribution, and using static demographic data to estimate risk of impact of the parameter of the natural disaster on a populated area based on the estimated spatio-temporal distribution, wherein the demographic data is overlayed with the estimated spatio-temporal distribution via applying a weight to each populated area based on historical natural disaster incidents and related impact for each area.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and an article of manufacture for estimating risk of impact of a natural disaster on a populated area. The method includes using dynamic natural disaster modeling information to estimate a spatio-temporal distribution of a parameter of a potential natural disaster, wherein the modeling information is input to an instance of a weather forecast model which computes simulation results for natural disaster parameters for an area at a given time interval and the results produced on each time step within the time interval the estimate of the spatio-temporal distribution, and using static demographic data to estimate risk of impact of the parameter of the natural disaster on a populated area based on the estimated spatio-temporal distribution, wherein the demographic data is overlayed with the estimated spatio-temporal distribution via applying a weight to each populated area based on historical natural disaster incidents and related impact for each area.

Abstract: Use of additives of the classes of mono- and/or di-hydroxypolyfluoroethers comprising the fluoropolyoxyalkylenic repeating units chosen from the following ones: (C.sub.3 F.sub.6 O); (CFXO) wherein X=F, CF.sub.3 ; (CH.sub.2 CF.sub.2 CF.sub.2 O); (CF.sub.2 (CF.sub.2).sub.z CF.sub.2 O) wherein z is an integer equal to 1 or 2; (C.sub.2 F.sub.4 O), in curable compositions of fluoroelastomers to improve the coefficient of friction without lowering the adhesion with bonding agents to metal reinforcements.