Abstract: A device and method for isoelectric focusing of ampholytes in a buffer uses a cone-shaped capillary with a positive electrode connected at a narrow end and a negative electrode connected at the wide end of the capillary. The electrical potential across the buffer creates a temperature gradient which, in turn, creates a pH gradient. The electric current also creates an electric field gradient which focuses the ampholytes. Previous devices and methods use carrier ampholytes or use temperature baths to create a temperature gradient.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a piston reciprocating in a cylinder within an engine block. A piston rod extending from the piston is rotatably connected to a crankshaft. The engine block has two stationary gears mounted thereon, one at each side. The crankshaft has two orbital gears mounted thereon, the orbital gears being located so that each orbital gear intermeshes with one of the stationary gears. As the piston reciprocates, the orbital gears move around the stationary gear and the crankshaft rotates about its longitudinal axis. Preferably, the size ratio of the stationary gear to the orbital gear is 2:1 respectively. With that ratio, the crankshaft rotates about its longitudinal axis three times during each stroke of the engine. The piston stops approximately midway through the downstroke and midway through the upstroke and the movement of the piston to and from top dead center is much faster than the movement of the piston with conventional engines.

Abstract: A CCD camera system has reconfigurable hardware and is controlled by a computer having reconfigurable software. The computer can receive and transmit signals between the system and a ground station. The hardware and software are reconfigurable based on signals from the ground station.

Abstract: A dental floss holder has a casing containing a cartridge that is slidable within said casing through various sequential positions. The cartridge contains a plurality of U-shaped segments with each segment containing a length of dental floss held across a mouth of the segment in a taut position. As the dental floss is used, the cartridge can be advanced to extend a first segment beyond the cartridge and sever the first segment from the cartridge. The severed first segment is then discarded and the dental floss in the next segment is used. The method is repeated until all of the segments of the cartridge have been used and discarded and a new cartridge is then inserted into the casing.

Abstract: A microwave filter has a plurality of resonant cavities with each cavity containing a dielectric resonator. There are self-equalizing probes or self-equalizing apertures located between some of the cavities. A circulator is connected to an output of the filter. The circulator has an input/output which is connected to an equalizer. The equalizer contains a dielectric resonator that is slightly different from the dielectric resonators of the filter to permit the equalizer to be tuned at a slightly different frequency from the filter. The equalizer and self-equalizing probes or apertures are capable of being operated to reduce a dispersive slope of the filter. The filter can operate in a single mode or a dual mode. The electrical performance of the filter is superior to prior art filters, particularly in the wideband versions because the dispersive slope is reduced.

Abstract: A device for carrying out solid phase microextraction is a fiber contained in a syringe. The fiber can be solid or hollow. The syringe has a barrel and a plunger slidable within the barrel, the plunger having a handle extending from one end of the barrel. A hollow needle extends from an end of the barrel opposite to the plunger. The fiber is contained in the needle. When the plunger is depressed, the fiber extends beyond a free end of the needle and when the plunger is in a withdrawn position, the fiber is located within the needle. The syringe protects the fiber from damage. When it is desired to analyze a sample in a bottle having a septum, the needle is inserted through the septum and the plunger is depressed so that the fiber will extend into the sample. After one or two minutes, the plunger is moved to the withdrawn position so that the fiber will return to the needle and the syringe is withdrawn from the sample bottle.

Abstract: A process for making organic slow release nitrogenous fertilizers from pyrolysis products obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass uses a chemical reaction to combine a nitrogen compound containing the --NH.sub.2 group with the pyrolysis products to form a mixture. The mixture is heated to form organic nitrogen compounds. Various sources of biomass can be used. The mixture can be heated to remove water and to cause polymerization and solidification to occur. The mixture can also be combined with an absorbent. Previously, nitrogenous fertilizers had been produced using an ammoxidation process requiring long reaction times of up to several hours.

Abstract: A flow controller for the hopper of a self-unloading ship controls the flow of particulate material from the hopper. The controller is a throat having an opening and a movable gate to open and close the opening. The gate has a sloped central surface that blocks the opening. When the gate is open, particulate material in the hopper flows out of the hopper through the opening and onto the central surface. From the central surface the particulate materials flow onto the conveyor system of the self-unloading ship. The throat has a seal surrounding the opening with a corresponding bead surrounding the central surface on the gate. When the gate and throat are in a closed position, the gate is water-tight. When the gate is open, the seal is located away from the flow of material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a single mode multi-cavity microwave filter that includes a housing formed with a plurality of walls which define at least two rows of side-by-side dielectric loaded cavities, wherein sequential cavities are coupled to one another via slots formed in the walls therebetween and at least one pair of non-sequential adjacent cavities are coupled via a probe. The coupling via the slots is defined mathematically as positive coupling. The probe is selectively configurable to provide positive or negative coupling relative to the sign of the slot coupling. Further, at least one non-adjacent, non-sequential pair of cavities is coupled via a second probe that may be configured to provide either positive or negative coupling relative to the sign of the slot coupling. The filter housing supports a plurality of adjustable fins which extend into the slots, one fin to each slot, to selectively adjust the size of the slot.

Abstract: Multi-mode waveguide filters are temperature compensated using dielectric material contained within at least one cavity of a filter. The variation in operating frequency of the filter that would otherwise result from changes in temperature is substantially balanced by a change in operating frequency with temperature caused by a change in a dielectric constant of the dielectric material so that the operating frequency of the filter remains substantially constant with temperature. The filter can have one or more dual-mode or triple-mode cavities. In a method of constructing and compensating a filter, the amount of dielectric material is selected so that the dielectric material does not resonate at the operating frequency of the cavity, the amount of dielectric material in the cavity being adjustable after each cavity is constructed.

Abstract: Microwave bandpass filters contain dielectric resonators mounted in dielectric blocks, which are in turn mounted in cavities. There can be more than one dielectric resonator per cavity. Significant size reduction has been achieved over prior art filters. The filters can be operated at cryogenic temperatures and since the results attainable at cryogenic temperatures are repeatable, the filters can be tuned at cryogenic temperatures and returned to room temperature before being returned to cryogenic temperatures for operating purposes. When operated at cryogenic temperatures, the filters contain shorting plates having high temperature superconducting material thereon. The filters can be constructed with various configurations and can be operated in either a single mode or a dual-mode. Previous single mode or dual-mode dielectric resonator filters are larger in size and mass than the filters of the present application.

Abstract: A method and device for moving an occupied wheelchair between two levels involves tracks mounted on stairs and a pull cable that is substantially aligned with the center of gravity of the chair and is anchored above the upper level. The tracks have a transition section between the lower level and a main slope of the tracks. The device can be used by a wheelchair occupant to ascend or descend the stairs without assistance from any other person. The cable has a winch which can be manually operated by the wheelchair occupant or power operated and controlled by a remote control in the hands of the wheelchair occupant. Previously, wheelchair occupants are moved between two different levels by ramps or elevators.

Abstract: An anti-theft mounting for radios, stereos and similar audio equipment used in motor vehicles has several features to discourage and possibly prevent the theft of equipment. The audio equipment is mounted within an opening in a dash of a motor vehicle. The equipment is partially mounted within a housing which moves forward so that a front of the equipment extends out of the opening when the equipment is desired to be used and moves rearward when the equipment is not desired to be used. When the equipment is in the rearward rest position, a door closes the opening. When the equipment is desired to be operated, the door opens and the equipment protrudes at least partially from the opening for easy access. The opening is sized so that while the equipment will fit snugly through the opening, the housing will not. The door and the equipment are controlled by worm gears. One worm gear controls the forward and rearward movement of the housing and audio equipment and two additional worm gears control the door.

Abstract: A radio frequency switch operates by permanent magnets located in a rotatable actuator. The permanent magnets of the actuator are arranged in groups so that there is at least one magnet in each group that has an opposite polarity to another magnet in the same group. The permanent magnets within the same group are located adjacent to one another. Conductors within an RF cavity have permanent magnets mounted thereon where all of the magnets have the same polarity. The switch can be moved from a first position to a second position by moving the actuator a distance not exceeding 40.degree. and, preferably from 10.degree. to 30.degree.. In the first position, one permanent magnet of one group interacts with the magnet on the conductor to move the conductor. In the second position, another magnet of the same group interacts with the magnet of the conductor to move the conductor.

Abstract: Microwave bandpass filters contain dielectric resonators mounted in dielectric blocks, which are in turn mounted in cavities. There can be more than one dielectric resonator per cavity. Significant size reduction has been achieved over prior art filters. The filters can be operated at cryogenic temperatures and since the results attainable at cryogenic temperatures are repeatable, the filters can be tuned at cryogenic temperatures and returned to room temperature before being returned to cryogenic temperatures for operating purposes. When operated at cryogenic temperatures, the filters contain shorting plates having high temperature superconducting material thereon. The filters can be constructed with various configurations and can be operated in either a single mode or a dual-mode. Previous single mode or dual-mode dielectric resonator filters are larger in size and mass than the filters of the present application.

Abstract: A device and process for increasing analyte concentration in a sorbent from a source of analytes contained in a sample uses means for increasing a temperature differential between the sample and the sorbent. The sorbent can be a polymeric coating on a substrate. The sorbent is located in a headspace of the sample and has internal cooling means such as liquid carbon dioxide so that the sorbent can be cooled relative to the sample. Preferably, the sample is heated to further increase the temperature differential between the sample and the sorbent. As the temperature differential increases, a partition coefficient of the sorbent/sample also increases. Preferably, the sorbent is located in a headspace of the sample. Previously, for certain analytes, the partition coefficient was too low and the concentration of analytes extracted into the sorbent from the sample was insufficient to provide an accurate measurement of concentration.

Abstract: A railing support post has various positions that are readily repeatable by using retainers of different sizes that can be inserted onto the post. When it is desired to run bottles of a different type along the conveyor line, the posts can be readily adjusted by replacing all of the spacers with new spacers. Once a particular bottle has been run the first time, the adjustment is repeatable simply by reinserting the same spacers that were used for the first run. Previous railing support posts are adjustable but the adjustment is not readily repeatable and is not as fast or as simple as the adjustment of the present invention.

Abstract: A process and a device for the continuous extraction and analysis of chemical substances from solute fluid using membrane is characterized by passing solute fluid 14 through housing 20 on one side of a semipermeable structure 19 and simultaneously passing extracting fluid 11 through the housing on the other side of the semipermeable membrane structure. Substances passing from solute fluid through the semipermeable membrane structure into the extracting fluid are delivered by the extracting fluid as carrier, into a sorbing phase 27. Cooling 28 and heating 24 of the sorbing phase allows substances to be concentrated and detected by detector 50 and to be continuously monitored. Extracting fluid may be a gas or a pressurized dense gas. Extraction using pressurized dense gas and membrane is achieved by maintaining the pressure of the solute fluid and the pressurized dense gas within a high pressure housing substantially equal.

Abstract: A power divider has a microstripline circuit with bandpass filters at each output that are lumped element printed bandpass filters. The filters widen the isolation bandwidth of the divider. Power dividers can be reversed for use as power combiners.