Abstract: An ophthalmic instrument for fixating a patient's eye during an ophthalmic procedure. The instrument includes a speculum securable against the patient's bony orbit, and a fixation ring attachable to the patient's eye, the ring including both a mechanism for fixating the ring with respect to the eye, and a mechanism for adjustably attaching the ring to the speculum. The instrument may include one or more bubble-type levels carried on the fixation ring for indicating the orientation of the ring and assisting the surgeon in orienting the eye of the patient before securing the ring to the speculum.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for removing VOC's from soil, particularly soil contaminated with gasoline, diesel fuel, or the like. The apparatus includes a burner-heated drum for substantially vaporizing the VOC's (the drum desirably is of the type used in hot mix asphalt plants, to which the apparatus of the invention is particularly suited to be adapted). The vaporized VOC's are then ducted to an air scrubber where the VOC's are substantially entirely absorbed into the scrubber water, along with any airborne soil particulates. The VOC and particulate-laden water is then conducted to a settling basin where the particulates are allowed to settle out. Particulate-free VOC-laden water is withdrawn from the basin and transported to an air stripper where the VOC's are vaporized. The vaporized VOC's are then conducted to the drum burner, where they are burned to help heat the drum and additional soil that is being processed.

Abstract: A row crop cultivator having rolling shields adjacent each of the cultivator shovels to protect the crop from soil thrown by the shovels. The cultivator typically has three or more shovels per furrow, the shovels being spaced laterally and longitudinally from one another. Shields are provided on each side of the centrally located shovels, and, for each off-center shovel, a shield is provided between that shovel and the closest adjacent row of crop. Some of the shields, particularly for the centrally located shovels, may be located closer to the center of the furrow than adjacent shields, allowing close spacing of both shovels and shields to provide the required crop protection. The cultivator allows increased cultivating speed, even for narrow row precision cultivation and even in mellow soils, and also eliminates the clogging problem suffered by conventional tunnel shields in fields having significant trash or crop residue.

Abstract: A punch assembly for use in a punch press including a pair of elongated rods having mating respective male and female threaded ends, a head on one end of the female portion for being engaged by a ram of the press, a compression spring, a punch tip at the end of the male portion for action with a workpiece, a punch guide encompassing part of the punch assembly to act as a stripper in relation between the punch tip and the workpiece and a wire clip co-acting between the male and female threaded portions for adjustment of the overall punch length. After sharpening, the wire clip is disengaged and the male and female rods are axially rotated in oposite directions to compensate for the ground-off length. The wire clip is then reengaged and the punch assembly is reassembled for use.

Abstract: Base alkyd resins are modified to provided increased hydrolytic stability by reacting them with a polybasic acid composition containing one or more cycloaliphatic polybasic acids, the resulting modified alkyd having an acid number in the range of 25-100 and having pendent carboxy-functional monoester groups derived from the cycloaliphatic polybasic acids.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for removing VOC's from soil, particularly soil contaminated with gasoline, diesel fuel, or the like. The method includes the steps of heating the soil in a burner-heated drum to substantially vaporize the VOC's. The vaporized VOC's are then ducted to an air scrubber where the VOC's are substantially entirely absorbed into the scrubber water, along with any airborne soil particulates. The VOC and particulate-laden water is then conducted to a settling basin where the particulates are allowed to settle out. Particulate-free VOC-laden water is withdrawn from the basin and transported to an air stripper where the VOC's are vaporized. The vaporized VOC's are then conducted to the drum burner, where they are burned to help heat the drum and additional soil that is being processed. The air stripper water, from which the VOC's have been removed, is returned to a clean water reservoir for re-use in the air scrubber.

Abstract: An elongated guide for use in medical procedures is provided, the guide having a flexible metal core and a forward portion comprising an elongated, helically wound wire coil providing a flexible tip. A flexible safety wire extends forwardly within the coil and terminates forwardly in an integral, enlarged diameter portion defining a plug carried adjacent the forward end of the coil, the plug having a diameter at least approximately equal to the inner diameter of the coil at its forward end and substantially filling the lumen of the coil. A bonding agent such as a polymeric resin, solder or the like is employed to adhere the plug to the coil.

Abstract: A vial for holding a biological specimen during a cryogenic freezing procedure. The vial includes a wall of a material having a predetermined coefficient of thermal conductivity K.sub.1 defining a specimen-receiving internal cavity, and a pin extending in to close proximity with the internal cavity from outside the container. The pin has a coefficient of thermal conductivity K.sub.2 substantially greater than K.sub.1, and defines a path of increased thermal conductivity from the interior to the exterior of the container to cool a specimen carried therewithin. The container includes an upper open end including a sealing cap, and the pin desirably extends sealingly through the container wall at the bottom end portion of the container.

Abstract: A cardiac output measurement device for the real-time, non-invasive measurement of cardiac output that can be effectively operated by relatively unskilled personnel on a routine monitoring basis in a wide variety of office and hospital conditions. To accomplish this task, the system utilizes a pulsed Doppler ultrasound transducer directed through the suprasternal notch of a patient axially towards the blood flow in the ascending aorta. The device automatically searches the ascending aorta at various predetermined depths to find the depth at which the greatest quality blood velocity reading is detected. An examination is performed at that chosen depth and the device automatically calculates a patient's cardiac output from the Doppler measured velocity combined with an aortic diameter estimation made from the patient's height, weight, and age. The device automatically calculates cardiac velocity, cardiac index, stroke distance, heart rate, and stroke volume.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for filling a bag with a commodity without contaminating a sealable region of the bag near its opening. The apparatus includes a mechanism for forming a cuff in the bag and holding the bag as it is being filled. A frame associated with the cuffing mechanism assists in positioning the commodity adjacent the cuffed bag and for facilitating insertion of the commodity into the bag. Desirably the frame includes a platform on which the commodity may be prepared prior to insertion of it into the bag. Preferably the platform is movable between a first position oriented to facilitate preparation of the commodity and a second position oriented to facilitate insertion of the commodity into the bag. The device and method is particularly useful in packaging commodities which may be emulsion-laden, including meats such as poultry.

Abstract: A printing ink fountain having a disposable liner made of paperboard or the like for use with flexographic printing presses. The liner, which is supported in a liner retainer, is generally upwardly open to receive therein a metering roller of the printing press. The liner includes a flexible drain hose attached to the bottom thereof for draining ink from the liner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a snowmobile with a reverse-shift lever. A shift cable extends between a transmission which is shiftable from a forward condition to a reverse condition and a lever means of the invention. The lever means is mounted on the snowmobile and includes a lever arm having first and second sides which may be moved from a first, forward position displaying its first side and second, reverse position displaying its second side. So moving the lever arm causes the cable to move, thereby shifting the transmission between its forward and reverse conditions. The first side of the lever arm may include an indicator indicating a forward condition of the transmission and the second side of the lever arm may be provided with an indicator indicating a reverse condition.

Abstract: An alkyd resin coating composition having reduced solvent requirements and excellent physical and cure properties is obtained by blending together a fatty acid-modified polyester resin and an addition-polymerizable monomer or oligomer characterized by vinyl unsaturation and capable of undergoing addition polymerization under free radical initiating conditions.

Abstract: A multiple driven axle vehicle, such as a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle having its front, steerable wheels being optionally driven by providing double acting overrunning clutches in the hubs of the front wheels. A transmission mechanism is provided for driving the front, optionally driven wheels slower than the driving surface otherwise drives those wheels so that the slower driven wheels overrun and do not engage when the steerable wheels are turned as the vehicle is driven through a turn, thereby eliminating the need for a differential between the steerable wheels and between the front and rear wheels. The overrunning roller clutches of the optionally driven hubs desirably include an intermittent friction apparatus operative between the roller cage and the vehicle chassis to intermittently exert a force tending to retard rotation of the cage with respect to the chassis, thereby indexing the roller cage and rollers to the forward or reverse engagable position.

Abstract: An implant prosthesis and method for replacing a full or partial thickness of a cornea. The prosthesis includes a transparent lens portion, and a carrier of preserved tissue, preferably cornea. The lens is attached to the carrier which in turn is adapted for attachment to the eye wall.

Abstract: The invention comprises a method of reducing rash formation and itching of skin caused by poison ivy. The method comprises breaking up a plant of the genus Plantago, preferably broadleaf Plantain, to release the sap therein and to form a fibrous pulp containing sap and applying an effective amount of the sap-containing pulp to the affected area of the skin.

Abstract: A method wherein surfaces are provided with desired characteristics of a polymer by covalently bonding polymer molecules to the surface through external activation of latent reactive groups carried by the polymer molecules is disclosed. The initial surfaces are free of chemical groups added by surface pretreatment and which chemically participate in the covalent bonding process.This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 223,149, filed July 22, 1988 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 138,226, filed Dec. 24, 1987 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 920,567, filed Oct. 17, 1986 now abandoned and of U.S. Ser. No. 108,765, filed Oct.15, 1987 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,493 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 428,074 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,906 filed Sept. 29, 1982, and of U.S. application Ser. No. 920,567 filed Oct. 17, 1986.