This new concept allows analytes that are clinically important to be sensed without requiring a blood sample. It is an optical sensor combined with a hand held computer or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that contains sufficient software to gather and analyze the incoming data, provide historical time tracking, and display analyte levels over any desired period. The data could be relayed to other PHA devices or remote computers to allow physicians to track their patient's medical parameters, and to monitor the effects of medications.

The user could monitor his/her own blood glucose levels non-invasively, and with the appropriate sensors, he/she could monitor blood pressure, pulse, temperature, etc. A PHA has vast commercial potential for health care monitoring. Potential users may include diabetics, pregnant women, post operative patients, pediatric patients, etc.

Synthetic polymers have become an integral part of modern society, serving a variety of functions. There has been considerable interest in developing new polymer sources for several reasons. Traditional synthetic processes are coming under scrutiny because the production steps are often hazardous. Petroleum (a non-renewable resource) is used to produce the majority of polymers. Synthetic polymers represent 20% of the input to landfills. This has stimulated research to develop recyclable and biodegradable polymers.

Pre-formed natural polymers are readily available and are used as 'building blocks' to synthesize useable polymers. To obtain the appropriate functional properties for pre-formed polymers, it is necessary to chemically alter (i.e. functionalize) the polymer.

Chitin and chitosan have been recognized as potentially interesting natural polymers and recent research efforts have examined how to tailor the properties of these polymers. Chitosan is derived from chitin, which is the second most abundant natural polymer on earth. One source of chitin is crab shells (they contain approximately 20-25% chitin on a dry shell basis). The technology indicated here is a method for enzymatically functionalizing chitosan.

Researchers are developing an artificial antibody that will recognize Beta amyloid peptides. These peptides aggregate and may form plaques around nerves. This could be of significant interest to the area of Alzheimers disease research. The reason for developing an artificial antibody as opposed to a monoclonal antibody is two fold. Artificial antibodies are smaller and can diffuse more easily into the brain; and it is possible to add a second function to an artificial antibody. The ultimate goal is to construct a divalent Ab that will bind and cleave the peptide.

The device is a highly concentrated solution of negatively charged collagen molecules and a negatively charged flexible polymer at neutral pH. Rigid polymers (such as collagen) generally tend to reduce diffusion rates more effectively than flexible polymers when mesh sizes are similar. However, it is usually possible to obtain much smaller mesh sizes with flexible polymers because they can fill space more effectively than rigid polymers when they are concentrated. The principle feature of this invention is that the combination or mixture of rigid-rod (collagen) and flexible coil polymers gives unique benefits in controlling the release of protein drugs.

This delivery system is easily injected and is naturally resorbed. The unique molecular architecture in the mixed matrices yields beneficial effects (in terms of sustaining drug release) over a rigid-rod or flexible-polymer-only matrix. Due to the physical geometry of the collagen rod (very long and very thin) these matrices become more effective at sustaining the duration of release of a drug, the larger the drug is.

Applications: This device has been licensed for use in humans. We are looking for a licensee in the veterinary drug market.

Glucoamylase is used industrially primarily for the production of high fructose corn syrups. The standard reaction to hydrolyze glucose from maltodextrins can take up to two days to reach completion. The technique described here has been shown to increase the glucoamylase rate constant up to 80% over normal levels. The increased activity can reduce reaction times, reaction volumes, and/or cost.

Applications: In addition to the increase in the glucoamylase rate constant, there may also be other applications to related starch hydrolases such as alpha-amylase and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase.

A type of bacteria that inhibits the adhesion of aquatic bacteria known to cause biofouling and other problematic microbial growth in aqueous environments has been discovered. A novel substance was isolated from gliding bacteria that prevents them from spreading on agar gel plates. This compound has been determined to be an extracellular polymer that blocks the adhesion of bacteria to many surfaces.

This discovery has many applications. It can be used as an additive to paint and coatings for submerged surfaces to prevent development of biofilms or as an additive to closed cooling water systems to prevent biofouling. Current methods of biofilm prevention are toxic and removal of fouling material is difficult and costly. The bacteria provide a biological, and therefore ecologically safe and non-toxic approach to the control of sensitive marine environments and closed water systems.

B. subtilis may be the safest bacterium in which to achieve expression of foreign genes whose products will be purified and subsequently injected into humans. There are several advantages of using this gram positive bacterium for a host as opposed to E. coli. Bacillus subtilis is non-pathogenic. It is eaten daily by millions of Japanese as part of a fermented soybean dish. E. coli is known to produce endotoxins which may contaminate genetic products and induce endotoxic shock in humans.

Potential applications for this technology would include those in which the use of a very safe host is preferred, such as drug development for human use. Another possibility is the use of B. subtilis for scientific educational purposes, such as in a high school biology lab setting.

One of the goals of crop genetic engineering is the introduction of new traits that add to, enhance, or modify the natural properties of a given crop. This can be achieved by controlled expression of special purpose genes. In most agronomically important plants, seed storage proteins and oil-body proteins are encoded by "gene families", sets of several to hundreds of genes. In order to effect significant changes in seed protein or oil composition, it is necessary to simultaneously alter the activity of potentially large numbers of genes at once. This presents an obstacle to genetic engineering of seed crops that can be overcome with the use of appropriate trans- acting factors, such as Pv Seed Factor-1 and Vicilin Binding Protein-1.

PvSF-1 and VCB-1 are the first transcription factors to be cloned from a legume crop that are expressed in developing seeds and whose target genes are seed storage proteins, lectins and oil-body proteins. There are several possible applications for these genes. They could be used as molecular probes to isolate equivalent genes from related species such as soybean, bean , broad bean, and pea. Another possibility is to introduce additional copies of PvSF-1 and/or VBP-1 in the desired orientation in order to reduce or enhance the expression of seed storage protein and oil-body protein genes in transgenic plants.

A transcription factor identified as Phaseolus vulgaris AB13-like factor (PvAlf) has been isolated. PvAlf is the first transcriptional activation factor to be cloned from a legume crop that is expressed in developing seeds and whose target genes are seed storage proteins and lectins. Genetic engineering of seed crops can be facilitated with the use of factors like as PvAlf, which has the ability to coordinately regulate entire sets of genes. PvAlf could be used to construct 'custom' transcriptional activators for increased expression of commercially important genes and their protein products in crop plant species.

A novel chemotherapeutic approach to cancer treatment based on a metabolic pathway that is dramatically different between cancer cells and normal cells has been proposed. This method involves inducing higher steady - state concentrations of cytotoxic methylglyoxal by inhibiting the enzymes that catalyze the conversion of methylglyoxal to D-lactate. Cancer cells have a reduced ability to hydrolyze the inhibitor. The patented Carbothione Anti Cancer Agent relates to a class of glutathione (GSH) derivatives which have been designed as potential antineoplastic agents.

An exciting discovery involving the synthesis of planar, ring expanded nucleosides that represent a new family of chemicals not synthesized before and not occurring in nature has been made. Molecular modeling studies have indicated that the compounds of this type have excellent potential to act as "chain terminators" in viral replication processes. These compounds have potential applications as: Anti-viral agents, DNA and RNA chain terminators, Chemotherapeutics, and Anti-bacterial agents.

At present, all drugs (nucleoside analogs) used for the treatment of AIDS use ribose modifications. This is the first example of aromatic, ring-expanded, planar nucleosides.

A novel organic compound that is specifically designed for cross-linking hemoglobins to be used as blood substitutes for emergency transfusions has been found. Molecular modeling studies performed show that these new molecules have excellent potential. This invention is a new process that uses entirely new reagents that differ in both structure and function from any other used before.

Cross-linking hemoglobins to prepare blood substitutes is not a new idea. No scientist has been able to successfully prepare a satisfactory blood substitute by cross-linking alone. The currently produced modified hemoglobins only stay in circulation for several hours as they are prone to excretion by the kidneys. Researchers have been trying to increase the size of these modified hemoglobins by polymerizing them with various reagents. These processes have only yielded random polymers which have a number of problems including facile oxidation to methemoglobins, which have no capacity to carry oxygen, and are highly antigenic.

The novel reagents described here were designed not only to cross-link at specific sites of hemoglobin subunits, but also to polymerize in a specific manner. One is able to produce specifically designed polymers with absolute control over polymerization.

It has been known for some time that aspirin considerably improves blood circulation, but the mechanism by which it does this has largely been a mystery. The research performed by the inventors is beginning to unravel that mystery.

The narrowing of arteries resulting from the build-up of fatty acids, cholesterol, and scar tissues inside the walls of arteries, is one of the major factors responsible for inadequate blood supply. The reduced circulation leads to major pathologies of the industrialized world, such as heart attack, stroke, cramping pain of the leg and calf muscles, recurrent chest pain, and dry gangrene. It has been speculated that ingesting aspirin might assist in the prevention of heart attacks and other coronary complications. The recent discovery regarding the mechanism of action of aspirin and aspirin analogues has implications in the development of therapies to treat diseases which have origins in poor blood supply or circulation. The analogues suggested here are capable of enhancing blood circulation even better than aspirin.

A re-usable solid phase extractant suitable for the selective removal of aqueous lead ions in the form of Pb 2+ (aq), has been produced. The reagent is supported and chemically bound to a cross-linked polystyrene-divinyl benzene copolymer. The enhanced selectivity of the resin is acquired by using the lead ion as a template during synthesis of the resin. This approach is similar to the molecular recognition afforded by biological systems. The resin is chemically and physically stable and can be re-used many times with little loss in selectivity. The reagent can be fashioned into a variety of structures or forms depending on the expected end use.

The selective binding ability of the reagent should allow development of a variety of products for environmental, biological, and medical cleansing as well as applications in new sensor development. The reagent is specifically designed to complex and remove lead ions from near-neutral solutions without any need for pretreatment of the aqueous solution, as is required to get selectivity from currently available chelating ion exchange resins. The reagent has other advantages over current separation methods such as: it takes place in a simple, single-stage operation involving no elaborate apparatus; it requires no pre-treatment of the aqueous phase (except for in vivo fluids); it involves an agent which would be very insoluble in the aqueous phase; and it is rapid and entails minimal cost.

Several novel properties of a recombinant protein with respect to its effect on DNA secondary structure have been demonstrated. Depending on the ionic conditions and temperature, the protein will effect rapid denaturation (ds to ss DNA) and rapid renaturation (ss to ds DNA). At low ionic strength, it lowers the Tm of DNA by 55-60 ^o C. The gene for this protein has been cloned into an overexpressing plasmid allowing for facile production of large quantities of highly purified protein by transformed E. coli.

Applications: This protein's nucleic acid renaturation activities may be of use in a variety of methodologies including oligonucleotide-directed amplification of DNA sequences via temperature cycling at low temperatures. This would allow for the use of a much wider spectrum of enzymes with properties more optimal for specific research applications. At present this type of reaction must be performed at temperatures at which most enzymes denature. In addition, other techniques that could be areas of application are; ligase chain reaction, DNA extension reactions, Southern blotting, Northern blotting, colony hybridizations, or any other method utilizing nucleic acid hybridization.

The invention provides for a means of tuning or adjusting (i.e. changing) the color of visible light. It improves the efficiency of the frequency doubling process. The frequency doubling process converts light for the laser diode to its second harmonic which will be primarily visible light in the envisioned applications.

This invention may be used as a light source for optical storage, printing, imaging, display, and bio-sensing. It provides a small, compact, efficient, and manufacturable visible light source for many applications.

TRICOGNITRON is a hierarchical neural network developed for handwritten text, document, target pattern and speech recognition, with an ability to recognize deformed visual patterns, and achieve shift, scale, deformation, and distortion invariance. Software designed to run TRICOGNITRON on PCs has been developed and tested successfully for 35 alphanumeric characters.

Some examples of applications are; handwritten character recognition, target pattern recognition, speech recognition, and fingerprint recognition and verification. This process would allow for almost complete automation of processing and handling services such as U.S. Postal and commercial mail/package routing as well as tax, mail order, and insurance forms processing, thus significantly reducing labor costs and processing time in bulk document processing.

This technology is a progressive image/data transmission and compression coding method which decomposes a signal into multiple stages and reconstructs the original signal based on decomposed signals. In particular, the technique can be used for digital image transmission such as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) currently being used in many hospitals and medical centers, and for medical communication and teleradiology.

X-ray images are widely handled in digital form but there are peculiar problems in radiographic data reduction. The cost of storage and transmission is high. MPC has been very successful achieving both high data compression ratios with suitable image transmission. There are potential applications in the video compression and HDTV (High Definition Television) areas as well.

This is a technique for arbitrary signature detection and discrimination. The technology represents a new practical method of determining and classifying the identity and abundance of surface materials. It demonstrates the utility of hyperspectral imaging through the acquisition and analysis of high quality hyperspectral data, utilizing an orthogonal subspace projection approach to classifying materials contained in each image picture element (pixel) as well as detecting low probability subpixels. The detection and classification techniques have been very effective in analyzing simulated data and imaging spectrometer data.

Medical imaging and linearly constrained adaptive beam forming are examples of applications of this technology. In particular, hyperspectral imaging can be used to detect premalignant stage cervical cancer. This technique offers accurate, low cost monitoring of environmental conditions, detection of mineral deposits and military targets. It has exceptional potential for cancer cell detection.

Aluminum-containing compound semiconductors are an integral part of many high performance electronic and opto-electronic devices such as laser diodes and light emitting diodes (LEDs). One compound that is commonly used in the production of these semiconductors is aluminum gallium arsenide. The efficiency and performance of devices which contain aluminum-based semiconductors are adversely affected by the presence of impurities such as oxygen and germanium. Aluminum-containing semiconductor crystals are grown by a wide variety of known techniques, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

The present methods for producing high-purity Al containing semiconductors contain steps to purify all source materials used in the growth process. The new method involves a process that does not include any purification of any sources. By adding certain amounts of selenium in the crystal growth process, it is possible to deactivate all deep level impurities and to obtain the purest material yet which cannot be achieved by any other current method.

The invention provides simple and effective methods for extracting/eliminating features, signatures and artifacts from noisy/dirty images. Applications for this technology include the following; subpixel feature extraction from satellite remote sensing images, extraction of white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid from magnetic resonance brain images, eliminating artifacts such as veins in liver MR images created by patients respiration, and removing unwanted features while enhancing the desired features such as angiography. Other possible users are in the remote sensing community such as geologists and military analysts.

This invention uses the concept of principal components analysis as a base to design automatic neural network systems for recognizing or classifying various types of gray-level patterns. Preliminary results show that a software package written based on a portion of this invention works with 100% accuracy.

Applications: This new pattern recognition process can be used for any type of gray-level target pattern recognition, including documentation or text recognition, such as character pattern (handwritten or printed), fingerprint verification, speech recognition, and vehicle identification.

The device is composed of passive waveguides and active semiconductor optical amplifier switches. It is designed to be used in a photonic switch to align optical cells before they enter the switch fabric. It also functions as an electrical control optical delay line. This device offers the most compact form of an optical synchronizer and is inexpensive to make.

Applications: The optical cell synchronizer can be used with optically controlled phase array antennas to control the direction of the phase array radar beam. There are also numerous uses in the telecommunications and optical networks areas. It can be used for optical time-division-multiplexing or demultiplexing in optical communication and optical time domain reflectometry in sensor and measurement applications.

This is an optoelectronic device that can do wavelength conversion - convert an optical signal from one wavelength to another. The device is composed of an integrated 3-section tunable semiconductor laser and an integrated wavelength converter. It is the basic component of a photonic switch.

It is the most compact wavelength converter to be proposed and has a good potential to be low cost with its fully integrated structure. The tunable laser output and the input signal interact in such a way that prevents any feedback from going to the source of the input. This device does not utilize inline isolators which is the bulky and expensive part of other wavelength conversion setups

Applications: This device can be used in WDM (wavelength division muliplexing) systems for wavelength conversion and switching. It can also be used in photonic logic applications. Telecommunications carriers and optical signal processing groups can utilize the integrated wavelength converter in all their optical networks.

This invention is a new type of fiber loop memory. Previously demonstrated fiber loop memories store packets in a long fiber at different time slots. Packets in the memory can not be read out until they are circulated to the switching position. The new WDM memory uses short fibers with only one cell length and each cell stored at different wavelengths. This makes the memory work like a random access memory (like a disk) instead of a first-in-first-out memory (like a tape). The access time of the memory is reduced and the switching service is of higher quality. Higher priority cells can be dumped out first.

Applications: Wavelength-Division-Multiplexed cell memories have numerous applications in the optical data storage and optical signal processing areas. These devices can also be used in photonic packet switches for optical cell buffering.

Coherent receivers have high receiving sensitivity and densely spaced wavelength-division-multiplexing capability. The invention has the simplest structure and highest sensitivity among all reported integrated coherent receivers due to the special cavity design. It can be used for receiving downstream and upstream signals, and for transmitting signals with either frequency-shift-keying or amplitude-shift-keying formats. This device has the potential to provide the lowest cost components with the highest performance broadband local access available.

Applications: The potential uses of this transceiver include; high performance AM and FM transmitters, high performance tunable filters, and high performance transceiver functions at each side in a WDM network where close to one thousand channels need to be covered in the tuning range of the tunable laser. It is possible that this device will be utilized by homeowners like radio and TV tuners in every radio and TV set.

The invention is a new concept of laser operation that uses two or more laser media in a single laser cavity and utilizes the good and complimentary properties of different laser media to achieve better mode locking performance than by a single laser medium. It offers a new approach to generating ultrashort laser pulses.

Conventional lasers contain a single laser medium in their resonators. The properties of the laser medium fundamentally influence the performance of the laser. Some lasers contain more than one laser medium, but they lase independently. The novel feature of this invention is the combination of two laser media that interact coherently so that their complementary properties are combined to produce better performance that is not easily attainable by a single medium laser.

Applications: The lasers can be pumped with laser diodes, thus having the features of compactness, high efficiency, and low cost. They have wide applications in high speed optoelectronics, remote sensing, biomedical surgeries, and laser fusion.

Light pulses (solitons) that propagate in an optical fiber experience timing jitter that limits both the bit rate and the information transmission distance. Jitter is caused by several factors, the dominant, limiting one in long-distance soliton communication lines at bit rates in excess of 10 Gbit/sec per channel, is the acoustic effect. This new approach to information transmission should suppress acoustically-induced timing jitter and enhance the performance of the systems with bit rates higher than 20 Gbit/sec per channel.

Applications: The next generation of all optical, long-distance fiber undersea communications links may use this invention to increase the information capacity and improve the quality if information transmission.

Expressing anything except the simplest of queries in a standard query language such as SQL is a challenging task for the user who has little knowledge of that language. When the target databases are heterogeneous the task is even more challenging.

This invention is software that allows the user to query simply by selecting the entities, relations, tables etc. in a point-and-click fashion. The Graphic Query Generator (GQG) has been designed and implemented as a front-end to Carnot, which integrates heterogeneous databases.

Applications: This software can be used as a graphical querying interface that enables the user to formulate most of the queries that can be formulated with a standard query language such as SQL.

A robotic actuator/motor has been developed that could influence the design of a new generation of industrial robots. Currently, industrial robots are generally being used for non-contact related tasks such as spray painting. They are limited in the range of tasks they can perform due to grasping limitations. The Angular Positioning Actuator has overcome this limitation and will allow robots to perform more human-like, contact requiring work. It is the mechanical equivalent of the human capability to control the position and orientation of its skeleton. This new technology allows the operator to control the force placed on an object and to change the amount of force applied at any given time. The actuator is capable of greatly increasing the number of applications suited for industrial robots.

Garages and oil-changing franchises are currently paying for filter disposal by volume. There are oil filter crushers on the market that reduce the volume of the filter and as a result help the retailers reduce their filter disposal expenses. This system goes a step beyond this by enabling retailers to recycle the various parts of the oil filter, and as a consequence make money.

This invention offers a method to lower the cost of recycling and disposal of used automobile and light truck oil filters. It is an automated apparatus which severs the cap of the oil filter; effects separation of the cap, the canister and the filter element; crushes the canister and the filter element; and separately dispenses the cap and crushed filter element and canister into underlying recycling containers. It is an economical recycling and disposal method for the hazardous wastes accumulated by garages and oil-changing stores.

This device is capable of providing 21 different exercise protocols and has a programmable computer that will control the amount of force applied. It is the most versatile machine currently available. It will enable a user to work against a force that is active or passive, variable or constant, uni-directional or bi-directional. The machine will allow the user to obtain the correct physical conditioning effect by performing isotonic, isometric, isokinetic, and isotonic/isokinetic exercises. It can also provide a negative force, allowing the resistance of the machine to diminish during a particular exercise. The device itself can be placed on the ceiling or on a wall for space conservation.

While this invention has obvious applications in the health club and rehabilitation/physical therapy areas, it can have applications in other areas as well. It can be used as a control device, such as in a robotic arm in a manufacturing setting when pushing and pulling motions are required. The invention can monitor the material being manipulated and can change the magnitude and profile of forces applied accordingly.

Currently, the trend in the electronics industry has been toward miniaturization. This trend has led to the development of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) as a semiconductor material. GaAs wafers, unlike silicon wafers, are extremely brittle and are subject to breakage during the manufacturing process. The three primary inventions described here include the following: a video inspection and data collection system for GaAs Wafers; compliant tweezers for delicate wafer handling; and a manual method for loading brittle materials.

At present, manual inspections and post-processing of generated breakage data has only marginally addressed the low manufacturing yields of the GaAs industry. The video inspection and data collection system suggested records the images of wafer edges and top and bottom views, as well as the angular positioning, wafer ID, route and operating numbers. This information is used for identifying the causes and sources of wafer breakages. Only minimal operator attention is required.

The second invention is the development of compliant tweezers for use in the production of the brittle GaAs wafers. Excessive deformation during misalignment of the wafer will be partially absorbed by the tweezers and not fully transferred to the wafer. The new design will allow fabrication with minimal changes to available existing tweezers; it requires minimal changes to existing equipment and the design is flexible enough to accommodate new materials and new wafer geometries.

The third invention is the development of a plasma stripper station loader, a mechanical loading tray that should eliminate breakage of wafers while being loaded and unloaded into the plasma stripper. This approach will reduce the risk of misalignment by replacing it with an accurate, repeatable device and technique for alignment.

The SIID technology is a novel materials surface modification method that employs new plasma and ion beam techniques wherein thin films and modified surface layers of a wide range of designer materials can be synthesized and atomically bonded to many kinds of substrate materials.

Industrial applications of SIID include; the plating industry, aircraft and aerospace materials bonding, reactor coolant flow channels, medical prosthesis construction, and glass and plastic optical coatings. SIID is environmentally friendly, highly efficient, scalable for large or small production and capable of synthesizing an exceptionally wide range of materials, including metals, ceramics, chemical compounds and multi-layer structures.

This invention is a device that is specifically designed for low load fatigue testing of polymeric biomaterials. It can be modified to accommodate different materials and can be tailored to wear testings. Currently available testing machines of this sort are expensive and are limited in performance due to design restrictions. These products use either compressed air or hydraulics to drive the actuators, thus coupling the frequency and the stroke. The new technology introduces a device, methodology, and a control scheme that decouples the frequency and the stroke.

A device has been constructed that is specifically designed to measure extremely small loads and displacements on line. A separate video tracking system is integrated for on - line, real time strain measurements. The operation of any experiment is software controlled through either a load feedback or displacement- feedback scheme.

The device was designed to test Atherosclerotic plaques found in blood vessels, but it is versatile and can be set up to test other biological tissues or man-made materials such as semiconductor chip materials, fibers/composites or elastomers.

This device is an on line scale designed to continuously measure the weight of flat rectangular objects (originally intended for parcel packages) at a rate of approximately three items per second. The objects can be transported to the scale by a conveyer at a known velocity. An incoming object is detected by a photo-sensor, which also activates the electronics. The on-line scale is a passive system which has no moving parts. Noise, inaccuracy, and instability usually created by motors and other moving parts is reduced. The prototype was designed to weigh parcels, but it can be easily modified to accommodate other objects at various speeds as well.

This new modular taper design is an improvement to the existing modular hip/knee taper technology which uses a standard Morse taper to secure the ball to the prosthesis. The Morse taper allows small relative motion between the head and stem, the resulting rocking motion of the ball relative to the taper leads to fretting corrosion of both surfaces. The new design assures simultaneous proximal and distal contact which will prevent the rocking, and hence reduce or eliminate fretting corrosion.

Applications: This new design can be used with any prosthetic that uses the Morse taper, such as hip and knee replacements.

The current technologies to destroy toxic chemicals are incineration and wet chemical processing. An ambient temperature process has been developed to destroy toxic organic materials. The process takes place in a closed vessel to initiate chemical reactions between the toxic material and appropriate reagents. It is performed in the solid state or in a sludge, the generation of gaseous by-products is avoided. The method is useful to treat organic materials which are toxic due to their molecular structure, not their elemental or isotopic composition. The process can be performed on materials containing heavy metals or radioactive isotopes, but the method alone is not capable of destroying heavy metal waste or radioactive waste. Consequently, it may be possible and beneficial to use mechanochemical activation as one step of the treatment in those cases.

This process can replace incineration and wet chemical methods with a more economical and environmentally friendly technology. It can be utilized in mobile systems for on-site processing or incorporated into stationary systems. Since the process is carried out at low temperature, the hazard associated with the release of toxic gases is minimal. The products are solid or a sludge, making further processing unnecessary or minimal. The process is flexible; it can be adapted to different materials by choosing appropriate reagents. Mobile systems mounted on trucks or railway cars can be constructed.

This device could be used in numerous optical signal processing and interconnection architectures. Some examples of applications include the following. Optical signals, such as telephone and cable TV, need to be periodically amplified in order to overcome losses as the signal travels. Currently this is done by changing the optical signal into an electric signal, amplifying it, and then changing it back into an optical signal. An all optical amplification would be more efficient and less costly. In order to perform some optical signal processing tasks like associative memory, a source of gain is needed. Since this device acts as an amplifier, it can act as that gain source. Another application is in the area of image processing. Images transmitted through optical fibers become distorted after traveling short distances. This new device can reverse the effects of the distortion more efficiently than competing technologies.

One area in which this device provides tremendous potential is that of optical interconnection. Electrical circuits on a computer motherboard, backplane, or in a multichip module are reaching their limit in terms of speed. These circuits will be replaced in the future with optical signals but before that is possible a method for steering, switching, and amplifying those beams must be developed. Currently all of these functions are done in the electrical regime. The necessity to make the electrical-optical-electrical conversion limits the current architectures. An all optical interconnection would allow much faster computing. This device could serve to solve the problems hindering the implementation of optical interconnection in computers.