Abstract: An electric generating system uses a zeppelin filled with helium or hydrogen, and a spinnaker sail, to provide pulling power that will lift a heavy railcar to an elevated height on a track, such as on a hill or mountainside, or in an elevator-type shaft in a tall building. When the heavy car reaches the top of the track, it is released, and its descent drives an electric generator. The generator can be carried by the car, and can send the power to batteries on the car, or to conductive rails. Alternately, if the car is inert weight, cables can drive stationary generators. The zeppelin will be inflated and deflated repeatedly, using equipment to recapture energy during each gas expansion, to help drive subsequent recompression into high-pressure tanks. The spinnaker sail will use a cable-handling device and spreader bars to deploy the sail and keep it at an elevated height. Various advantages are provided compared to wind turbines and pumped-storage hydroelectric facilities.

Abstract: Spiral coils generate very powerful electromagnetic fields by operating with two different but simultaneous resonant behaviors. Quarter-wave resonance is established by adjusting the frequency (and wavelength) of a radiofrequency (RF) voltage source until the length of the spiral conductor is equal to ¼ of the wavelength of the alternating voltage. This generates an electromagnetic standing wave with at least one peak node and at least one null node. Inductive-capacitive (L/C) resonance is established by optimizing the thickness and width of the wire ribbon used to make the spiral coil. When inductance and capacitance are balanced, the current response will synchronize with the voltage input, creating in-phase behavior, minimal total impedance, and maximal power output.

Abstract: A semi-permeable membrane can be used to promote the surgical repair of cartilage in a damaged or diseased joint, such as a knee, hip, or shoulder. In one method, the semi-permeable membrane is secured to the “articulating” surface (the exposed surface, as opposed to the “anchoring” surface which rests on a condyle) of a resorbable fibrous matrix that has been seeded, before implantation, with chondrocyte or similar cells that generate cartilage. A membrane used in this manner can help protect the cells as they grow, reproduce, and secrete new cartilage inside the resorbable matrix. In another method, the semi-permeable membrane is secured to a slightly damaged surface of a cartilage segment that is suffering from a condition known as chondromalacia, without using an underlying implanted matrix or other device.

Abstract: Anhydrous processing to convert methane into oxygenates (such as methanol), liquid fuels, or olefins uses an initiator to create methyl radicals. These radicals combine with sulfur trioxide to form methyl-sulfonate radicals. These radicals attack fresh methane, forming stable methane-sulfonic acid (MSA) while creating new methyl radicals to sustain a chain reaction. This system avoids the use or creation of water, and liquid MSA is an amphoteric solvent that increasing the solubility and reactivity of methane and SO3. MSA from this process can be sold or used as a valuable chemical with no mercaptan or halogen impurities, or it can be heated and cracked to release methanol (a clean fuel, gasoline additive, and chemical feedstock) and sulfur dioxide (which can be oxidized to SO3 and recycled back into the reactor). MSA also can be converted into gasoline, olefins, or other valuable chemicals.

Abstract: Electronic devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for remote and/or automated monitoring of temperature, humidity, or other factors in a building during a remediation project, such as after a flood or mold infestation. These devices comprise sensors devices that can be distributed around a room or building, for transmitting data to a processor such as a laptop computer. Using telephone, cell phone, or internet connections, the processor can transmit compiled data to a website or remote computer, for analysis and use by a project supervisor. Sensor-switch devices also are disclosed for turning fans, dehumidifiers, or other equipment on or off. Using a telephone, cell phone, or internet connnection, a project supervisor at any location can download information, obtain current status information, and turn equipment on or off as needed.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for lifting a rocket into the upper atmosphere and establishing forward flight at several hundred miles per hour, before the rocket engines are ignited and the rocket is released from the lifting system. The main subassemblies of this lifting system comprise: (1) an array of large helium-filled dirigibles, of a size that can provide hundreds or thousands of tons of lifting force; (2) a tank-holding assembly that will be tethered to the dirigibles, and that will contain pumps and high-pressure tanks, to recapture and store the helium for use in subsequent launches; and, (3) a winged platform, with wings that can be rotated vertically during liftoff, and horizontally to establish forward flight after a desired altitude has been reached, and having conventional aircraft engines on each wing. This system enables safer, less expensive, and more efficient launching of rockets and heavy payloads into space, using easily reusable subassemblies.

Abstract: Zeaxanthin (ZX) or other medically or commercially important carotenoids can be prepared in microcrystalline form, in an oily carrier liquid, to increase their bioavailability following oral ingestion. Initial processing is carried out to prepare a “rough” or “coarse-grained” carotenoid preparation containing relatively large particles of the ZX or other carotenoid, in a suitable form such as a lyophilized stable powder. The coarse-grain preparation is dissolved in a suitable solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, and mixed with a carrier liquid comprising a digestible oil (such as a vegetable oil) and an emulsifying agent. The resulting oil-and-solvent mixture is injected, along with inert gas such as nitrogen, into a vacuum chamber, where a suitable vacuum and temperature combination is used to remove the solvent in a rapid “flash” manner which does not give the carotenoid crystals time to grow larger through accretion or aggregation.

Abstract: An aqueous douche or enema is disclosed, containing a water-soluble zinc salt at an anti-viral concentration, designed for use shortly before and/or shortly after intercourse. Unlike a lubricant for use during intercourse, this type of rinsing liquid will not contain glycerine or similar lubricating components, and will be designed to not leave behind a film-type residue. However, this type of “pericoital” rinse (i.e., intended for pre-coital or post-coital use) will leave behind positively-charged zinc ions. Due to electrostatic attraction, these Zn++ ions will cling to negatively-charged canyons and other “binding sites” in proteins that are exposed and accessible on the surfaces of cells and virus particles. The binding of Zn++ ions to negatively-charged sites in these surface proteins will alter and disrupt the ability of viruses (including herpes and HIV) to bind to and infect human cells.

Abstract: A device for surgical implantation to replace damaged tissue in a joint (such as a meniscus in a knee) is created from a hydrogel that is reinforced by a three-dimensional flexible fibrous mesh. In a meniscal implant, the mesh is exposed at one or more locations around the periphery, to provide anchoring attachments that can be sutured, pinned, or otherwise securely affixed to tissue that surrounds the implant. The fibrous mesh should extend throughout most of the thickness of the hydrogel, to create an “interpenetrating network” (IPN) of fibers modelled after certain types of natural body tissues. Articulating surfaces which will rub and slide against cartilage should be coated with a hydrogel layer that is completely smooth and nonabrasive, and made of a material that remains constantly wet. This composite structure provides a meniscal implant with improved strength, performance, and wettability compared to implants of the prior art.

Abstract: A surgical rod-and-screw kit is disclosed, for use in ankle arthrodesis in patients who suffer from severe bone defects in their ankles. This assembly has a vertical intramedullary rod that is inserted through the bottom of the calcaneum (i.e., the heel bone), and driven upward into the tibia (the shin bone). The assembly also has a threaded pin, referred to herein as an oblique screw, which is positioned at an acute angle with respect to the vertical rod. This oblique screw is inserted through the lower rear surface of the calcaneum, and passes through a slanted hole in the vertical rod. The screw has external threads in the tip region, and this threaded tip enters the lower end of the tibial bone. When this screw is tightened, it compresses the lower end of the tibia bone against the talus and/or calcaneum, which improves the stability of the ankle fixation.

Abstract: A load-sharing resorbable scaffold is used to help transplanted chondrocytes or other cells generate new cartilage in a damaged joint such as a knee, hip, or shoulder. These scaffolds use two distinct matrix materials. One is a relatively stiff matrix material, designed to withstand and resist a compressive articulating load placed on the joint during the convalescent period, shortly after surgery. Due to the requirement for relatively high stiffness, this material must be denser and have less pore space than other matrices, so it will not be able to support highly rapid cell proliferation and cartilage secretion. The second material comprises a more open and porous matrix, designed to promote maximal rapid generation of new cartilage. In one preferred geometric arrangement, the stiffer matrix material is used to provide an outer rim and one or more internal runners, all of which can distribute a compressive load between them.

Abstract: A method of treating Alzheimer's disease is disclosed, not just with palliatives, but in a manner that prevents the progressive degeneration caused by Alzheimer's disease. Certain types of “safener” drugs, which can reduce the neurotoxic damage caused by a potent NMDA antagonist drug such as dizocilpine maleate (also known as MK-801) can also retard the type of corticolimbic damage which, in the brain of a patient who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, results from over-excitation of corticolimbic neurons. This over-excitation is caused or aggravated by NMDA receptor dysfunction in neuronal circuits which normally limit and control excitatory neurotransmitter release within those corticolimbic regions. Safener drugs include various known drugs that can suppress activity at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, sigma receptors, kainic acid receptors, or AMPA receptors. They also include various drugs which can stimulate activity at alpha-2 adrenergic or 5HT-2A serotonin receptors.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for using a waste product which remains when various types of algae (such as Crypthecodinium cohnii) or non-yeast fungi (such as Mortierella alpina) are used to manufacture essential fatty acids. This waste product is a biomass which includes the cell carcasses that remain after one or more essential fatty acids (such as docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) have been extracted from lysed (ruptured) cells. In one preferred embodiment which forms a biscuit-type treat for dogs or cats, algal biomass is mixed with a combination of brewer's yeast, a grain product such as whole wheat, and burnt residues that collect on the interior walls of drying vessels used for spray-drying of yeast extracts. These ingredients are mixed with water to form a dough-like substance, which is made into a desired shape for a dog, cat, or other pet treat. The dough is then cooked to form a pleasant-smelling biscuit-type treat which dogs and cats find highly appealing.

Abstract: This invention relates to the use of water-soluble zinc salts as anti-viral agents in condom lubricants. Such zinc-containing anti-viral lubricants can be coated onto condoms during manufacture and enclosed in sealed watertight packages containing the lubricated condoms. Preferred lubricants contain at least one water-soluble lubricating agent, such as glycerin or polyethylene glycol, and a suitable zinc salt, as well as some quantity of water to promote ionization of the salt and release of zinc ions (Zn++). If water is used, such lubricants may also contain a thickening or suspending agent, such as a cellulose derivative, a natural gum compound, or a hydrophilic polymer, to provide a gel; alternately, the carrier may be a different type of water-containing formulation, such as a cream, emulsion, or ointment. Suitable zinc salts include water-soluble organic salts having relatively low molecular weights (including zinc acetate, butyrate, gluconate, glycerate, glycolate, lactate, propionate, etc.).

Abstract: Patients can be helped to break free of addictive or habit-forming narcotics and anti-depressants, by treatment using two drugs. One drug is dextromethorphan (DM), which has been used for decades as an anti-tussive (cough-suppressing) drug in cough syrups. The other drug is an oxidase inhibitor which suppresses activity of a liver enzyme called cytochrome P450-2D6 (also called debrisoquin hydroxylase, sparteine monooxygenase, cytochrome P450-DB, and CYP2D6). In most patients, this oxidase enzyme rapidly degrades DM and converts it into a metabolite called dextrorphan. An oxidase inhibitor (such as quinidine) which suppresses cytochrome P450-2D6 activity increases the half-life and concentration of DM in the circulating blood. When this combined treatment was administered orally to patients who had become dependent on morphine and anti-depressant drugs because of chronic intractable pain, it initially helped the patients reduce their dosages of morphine and other drugs, including anti-depressants.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for using leukotriene (LT) antagonist drugs to prevent and treat recurrent primary headaches, which includes migraine headaches and cluster headaches. LT antagonist drugs (such as montelukast and zafirlukast) are commercially available, and they are safe for long-term chronic use without problems of tolerance or dependence. These drugs, taken daily in pill form, are conventionally used for treating asthma. In a clinical trial, LT antagonists taken orally each day reduced the frequency, duration, and severity of migraines, and reduced sensitivity to perfume as a triggering factor. LT antagonists were also found to increase the effectiveness of “triptan” drugs (such as sumatriptan) when used to treat acute migraine headaches.

Abstract: A flexible "scaffold" envelope is disclosed which can be used to replace damaged cartilage in knees, shoulders, or other joints of a mammalian body. Designed for use in arthroscopic surgery, the envelope is sufficiently flexible to allow it to be rolled up or folded and inserted into a knee or other joint via a small skin incision. Before insertion, a segment of damaged cartilage is removed from a bone surface, and the bone surface is prepared, using various tools and alignment guides disclosed herein. After the envelope is inserted into the joint, it is unfolded, positioned properly, and anchored and cemented to a bone surface. After anchoring, the envelope is filled via an inlet tube with a polymeric substance that will set and solidify at body temperature. During filling and setting, the surgeon can manipulate the exterior shape of the scaffold envelope, to ensure that the implant will have a proper final shape after the polymer has cured into fully solidified form.

Abstract: Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) is used to treat patients who are undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Before cardiopulmonary bypass begins, a liquid that contains FDP is intravenously infused in the patient, preferably for about 10 to 30 minutes, to allow the FDP to enter the heart and lung tissue while the heart is still beating. FDP can also be added to cardioplegia solution; in addition, FDP can be injected after bypass is terminated, but if post-bypass injection is used, steps should be taken to avoid excess lactic acid accumulation, which appears to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. To prevent or control lactic acidosis, a buffering or alkalizing agent, such as sodium bicarbonate, or an agent which reduces lactic acid formation, such as dichloroacetate, can be used.

Abstract: Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) has been shown, in double-blinded controlled clinical trials on patients with sickle cell anemia, to substantially reduce the pain suffered by such patients during the recurrent ischemic crises that are caused by red blood cell sickling. Tests on patients who have been hospitalized for such crises demonstrated that when they received an intravenous injection of FDP, they reported substantially lower pain levels during their hospital stays than control groups that received identical treatment without any FDP. Apparently, FDP has never previously been used or even tested in human clinical trials, to treat sickle cell anemia. In addition, FDP has never previously been reported to have any analgesic (pain-reducing) activity.

Abstract: Neuroprotective drugs are disclosed with at least 3 branches extending outwardly from a center atom or group, each branch having a guanidino group at its terminus. All branches preferably should be identical, and distributed around the center atom or group in a radial manner. Three branches can be bonded to a nitrogen atom, or four branches can be coupled to a carbon atom; other center groups include stable aromatic, cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, or bicyclic structures. Starting reagents are disclosed with a center atom or group, and with reactive groups (such as primary amines or hydroxyl groups) at the ends of short "spacer chains" bonded to the center atom or group. Reagents derived from arginine (an amino acid having a terminal guanidino group) can be bonded to these center components, using protective groups on the arginyl reagents to ensure desired final products with accessible guanidino groups at the ends of spacer chains.