Abstract: The present invention discloses: (i) a non-pathogenic probiotic microorganism and its probiotic/therapeutic uses; (ii) a formulation comprising an. aqueous solution of a volatile fraction (VF) prepared from the extract of at least one plant derived material and its therapeutic uses; (iii) a process of manufacturing the formulation from the plant derived material; (iv) a probiotic composition comprising the non-pathogenic probiotic microorganism of the invention and/or other probiotic microorganism(s) and the formulation of the invention, and its probiotic/therapeutic uses; (v) a composition for industrial applications comprising the formulation of the invention and microorganism(s) of industrial applicability; and (vi) industrial processes and apparatuses in which the latter composition is used.

Abstract: A platinum complex is described to include a platinum(IV) metal center so positioned and oriented in the complex so as to complex in cis orientations with two hydride groups and with an alkyl group.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling the behavior of temporal expressions to be analyzed for the evaluation of such expressions. The process of evaluating such expressions ultimately results in the construction of a finite state machine, such that the set of non-deterministic functions for describing the behavior of dynamic and relativistic systems is reduced to such a system. The behavior of the finite state machine can then be examined and analyzed. The present invention is useful for such applications as the examination of the temporal behavior of a DUT (device under test), as well as for examining the behavior of dynamic systems.

Abstract: A method of producing silicon carbide (SiC) heating and lighting elements, by mixing a quantity of finely-divided particles of carbon in a binder; shaping the mixture; applying finely-divided particles of elemental silicon over the shaped mixture; and heating the shaped mixture in a furnace, while subjected to a vacuum, to vaporize and diffuse the silicon and to react the silicon vapor with the carbon in the binder, to convert the carbon to silicon carbide. The silicon particles includes a dopant to reduce the internal resistance of the produced silicon carbide to a value of up to a few hundred &sgr;hm-cms.

Abstract: Apparatus for treating waste, particularly all types of medical waste, to facilitate its disposition includes a treatment vessel having an open top pivotal within a housing to a waste-loading position with its open top aligned with the housing inlet for receiving the waste, a waste-treating position for shredding the waste by a shredder unit disposed within the treatment vessel, and a waste-removing position with its open top aligned with the housing outlet for removing the shredded waste. The apparatus further include a compactor head for compacting the waste within the treatment vessel, a water feed line, and a disinfectant feed line, for feeding water and a disinfectant into the treatment vessel, for mixing with the waste while it is being compacted and shredded.

Abstract: A laminate article of manufacture comprising a plurality of ceramic layers interposed by at least one metallic interlayer and which possess superior resistivity to thermal shock induced crack formation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for effecting rapid thermal cycling of samples, by producing a high-velocity air flow through a closed loop flow path, and energizing an electrical heater within the closed loop flow path to heat the air flowing therethrough to a desired temperature. A sample holder is introduced into the closed loop flow path for exposing the sample holder to the high-velocity heated air flowing therethrough for rapidly heating the sample. The sample is rapidly cooled to a desired temperature by de-energizing the electrical heater, and opening an air outlet from the closed loop flow path, while continuing to produce the high-velocity air flow therethrough.

Abstract: Optical apparatus includes a source light a reflector having a reflecting face on one side facing the source of light to receive light therefrom, a small interruption in the reflecting face, and a sampling device located on the opposite side of the reflector aligned with the small interruption for extracting a sample of the light received by the reflecting face.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for magnetically separating target particles of a selected type from a sample in order to produce a concentration of the target particles in the sample, or a depletion of the sample with respect to the target particles, by producing a sample mixture of the sample with magnetic particles having a selective affinity to magnetically stain the target particles; producing a flow of a buffer liquid through a tube which includes an inlet connectable to a source of buffer liquid, and an outlet for the buffer liquid; after a flow of the buffer liquid has been produced through the tube, introducing the sample mixture into the buffer liquid flowing through the tube such that the buffer liquid forms a continuous liquid carrier for the sample mixture as both are fed through the tube; and applying a magnetic field across the tube at a magnetizing station therein to cause the magnetically-stained target particles to be separated and retained in the buffer liquid within the tube at the magnetizing stat

Abstract: An improved method for depositing ferroelectric particles on a surface of a substrate to form films or stand-alone bodies. The improvement is based on electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of ferroelectric films by using a tri-functional phosphate ester additive having a concentration less than 10 volume percent in the EPD suspension, without the need for addition of a binder. The method includes preparation of the suspension by washing and dispersing ferroelectric particles, for example, commercially available PZT powder, in a polar solvent such as ethanol, followed by addition of the phosphate ester additive to the suspension, and an ultrasound treatment. The suspension is used in EPD of the ferroelectric particles on a prepared substrate. Following EPD, the green film is dried and sintered at high temperature.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining a distance of a target, the apparatus comprising a pulse transmitter, a gatable beam detector, and a comparator, the gatable beam detector being operable to obtain gated and calibration beam energy information of a pulse transmitted by the beam pulse transmitter for reflection from the target, and to pass the beam energy information to the comparator, thereby to obtain a ratio between the gated and the calibration beam energy, the ratio being inversely proportional to the distance. Also an array thereof for simultaneously obtaining distances of a multiplicity of points of a three-dimensional object in real time, in particular to obtain movement information of the target.

Abstract: Bacterial, yeast and animal cells and methods for overexpressing recombinant heparanase in cellular systems, methods of purifying recombinant heparanase therefrom and modified heparanase species which serve as precursors for generating highly active heparanase by proteolysis.

Abstract: A finger-guided suture device is disclosed. The device includes a thimble-like element to surround a portion of a finger and an ejectable substantially semi-circular surgical needle for collecting retaining and guiding a surgical suture via a distal portion of the needle upon contact. Also included is a mechanism for ejecting the needle from, and withdrawing the needle into, the thimble-like element, so as to place a suture. Also disclosed are surgical methods employing the device.

Abstract: A method for highly accurate, high speed, multi-slice density and moisture content measurements and calculations of homogeneous or non-homogeneous fibrous material, using a microwave resonator device and computer algorithms. The device is comprised of a cylindrical microwave resonator, including two cutoff waveguides, internal corrective pieces, a teflon tube, signal input and output ports, alternative microwave sources, alternative signal receivers, temperature sensor and optional moisture sensor, and computerized processing and display units. The method comprises passing fibrous material, located in-line of a production process, through the resonator, wherein the fibrous material is scanned with a sweeping range of microwave frequencies, in a continuous, real time, and multi-slice mode. The presence of the fibrous material causes resonance frequency shifts and changes in resonator quality, which are proportional to, and used in calculations of, material density and moisture content, respectively.

Abstract: A device for performing a biological modification of a fluid, the device includes (a) a chamber having an inlet for intake of the fluid and an outlet for outflow of the fluid; and (b) a collection of micro-organ cultures of at least one organ for performing the biological modification of the fluid, each individual micro-organ culture of the collection including cells and having dimensions, such that cells positioned deepest within the individual micro-organ culture are at least about 100 micrometers and not more than about 225 micrometers away from a nearest surface of the individual micro-organ culture, thereby in vivo organ architecture (organ structure) of organ units (e.g., acinus of liver) is maintained within each individual micro-organ culture, the collection of micro-organ cultures being located within the chamber and the collection of micro-organ cultures being in contact with at least a portion of the fluid flowing through the chamber.

Abstract: Method and device for non-invasively determining moisture content and uniformity of solid plant matter during on-line drying or cooling forced-air treatment featuring measuring primary operating parameters of temperature, humidity, and flow rate of forced-air entering and exiting the volume of solid plant matter moving through an on-line drying or cooling forced-air treatment device. Empirically determined data relating the influence of secondary operating parameters of volumetric bulk material transport rate of the solid plant matter, type of the solid plant matter, and physicochemical characteristics and properties of the solid plant matter, on the sensing and measuring of the primary forced-air operating parameters are used for process correcting raw temperature, humidity, and flow rate, parametric values of the forced-air entering and exiting the solid plant matter, leading to the determination of highly accurate and reproducible values of moisture content and uniformity of the solid plant matter.

Abstract: A pipe coupling includes a housing and a conical split ring which is compressed to firmly clamp a pipe received within the housing. The opposite ends of the split ring defining the split are laterally offset from each other such as to permit the split ring to be compressed to substantially decrease its internal diameter, by the offset ends moving in overlapping relation to each other, thereby enabling the split ring to clamp pipes having a wide range of outer diameters.

Abstract: A vehicle, particularly a VTOL air vehicle, includes a duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame; a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid, e.g. air, therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle; and a plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame. The vanes are selectively pivotal to produce a desired horizontal force component to the lift force applied to the vehicle. Various vane arrangements are disclosed for producing side, roll, pitch and yaw movements of the vehicle.

Abstract: A multi-band microwave antenna which is resonant and radiant at a high frequency band and at one or more lower frequency bands includes an electrically-conductive ground plane on one face of a dielectric substrate; an electrically conductive strip line on the opposite face of the dielectric substrate; a curved slot formed in the ground plane having a feed side electromagnetically coupled to the feed end of the strip line, and a load side electromagnetically coupled to the load end of the strip line, such that the slot is resonant and radiant at the high frequency band; and a further electrical conductor electrically connected to the ground plane to serve as a continuation thereof at the load side of the slot and electromagnetically coupled to the slot at the lower frequency bands such as to cause the slot to be resonant and radiant also at the lower frequency band or bands.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a dripper line by feeding the dripper units (DU) into the extruded tube (ET) at a linear velocity, at the instant of their initial contact with the inner surface of the tube, which is greater than the linear velocity of the inner surface of the tube where initially contacted by the dripper units. The dripper units are fed between a track (10) within the extruded tube and a moving backing surface (20) externally of the tube spaced from the track to determine the final thickness of the extruded tube and the dripper unit welded thereto.