Abstract: An improved incinerating commode for the disposal of human waste through injection of a combustible fluid into the chamber where the waste is incinerated, separation of the urine component from the fecal component of human waste, and use of the urine component mixed with a cleaning fluid to steam clean and cool the chamber that incinerates the waste.

Abstract: A method for automatically selecting oligonucleotide hybridization probes for detecting a mutation causing a mismatch in a DNA duplex is based on a thermodynamic nearest-neighbour model for calculating a melting point, which is a temperature at which a predetermined percentage of a multitude of identical hybridized pairs of a certain hybridization probe and a DNA strand is in an annealed state. Using this model a first melting point of the respective probe hybridized with its complementary mutant DNA strand or opposite sense mutant DNA strand, a second melting point of the respective probe hybridized with its complementary wild-type DNA strand or opposite sense wild-type DNA strand, respectively, and a temperature difference between the first and second melting points are calculated for all possible hybridization probes. Then, the possible hybridization probes are ranked with regard to the calculated temperature difference.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cover arrangement for industrial equipment in which individual cover elements are telescopically arranged and one cover element has a groove running in the direction of relative movement of the cover elements with respect to each other and the head portion of a guide element is fixed on the adjacent cover element and the head of the guide element engages in the narrowed inner region of the said groove. Such a cover arrangement is distinguished above all by very simple assembly and dismantling.

Abstract: An oxygen-fuel burner of the rocket burner type includes a graphite burner block for direct exposure to the interior of a furnace, and a cylindrical combustion chamber formed through the hot face of the burner block and extending into the burner block. An oxygen supply conduit delivers oxygen to the combustion chamber along the center line of the combustion chamber and fuel supply ducts deliver fuel to the combustion chamber at the concave surface of the combustion chamber. A plurality of rectilinear cooling bores extend into the burner block and are arranged in a parallel array about the combustion chamber. A liquid coolant header moves cooling liquid through a plurality of parallel supply tubes which are telescopically received within the cooling bores, thereby maintaining the burner block at a reduced temperature. The nozzle that supplies the oxygen to the combustion chamber is movable along the length of the combustion chamber so as to change the shape of the flame emitted from the burner.

Abstract: An electronic device such as a multi-turn trimming capacitor and potentiometer has two conductive elements and means for rotating one element with respect to the other. The rotating means includes a drive member coupled with one conductive element such that an angular displacement of the drive member with respect to the other conductive element imparts less angular displacement to the one conductive element with respect to the other conductive element. Rotation of the one element is achieved while sealing both elements from ambience.

Abstract: Resiliently deformable safety covering tiles have a base 2 made of rigid material such as concrete, and a cover body 3 provided on the top side of the base made of resiliently deformable material such as rubber. These safety covering tiles should be easy to lay while exhibiting no corrugation or bulging on their top side 5 during changes in temperature. To achieve this, on a continuous edge portion 10 of a covering tile portion 4 of the cover 3, at the height of a ledge 15 of the base 2, one or more lateral projections 18 are distributed over the periphery of the cover. The continuous edge portion 10 has a gap-forming reduced portion 19 at the height of spacers 7 and of the covering tile 4 and has at the height of the spacers 7 a reduced cross-section 22 which permits lateral movements.

Abstract: Sheet material 14, such as a continuous supply of terry cloth towel 16, is moved along its length through a path and toward a cutting station 15 where it is cut into lengths 139. The sheet material is formed with bands 166 extending across its length, such as bands of reduced thickness, and the sheet material is cut in these bands. The bands are detected by rollers 144, 145 at opposite edges of the sheet material as the bands approach the cutting station 15, and each edge portion of the sheet material is fed by feed rollers 51, 52 independently of the other edge portion into the cutting station so as to cause one side of the sheet material which may lag the other side to be properly located at the cutting station prior to cutting the sheet material.

Abstract: A clamp assembly 11 holds two frame elements 2, 3 in a common plane and in angled abutment to form a mitered joint 1. A fastener tool 13 is held with its discharge opening 125 positioned on one side of the location where the mitered joint is to be formed, and a brace 88 is positioned on the other side, with the brace being movable toward and away from the location of the mitered joint. A toggle lock 87 locks the brace against the mitered joint. Control means fire the fastener tool in response to the frame elements being clamped and braced. The fastener 168 is inserted into the mitered joint at an angle to draw the mitered joint together.

Abstract: Several ladles 11-14 for receiving hot metals are preheated by applying a lid 40, 42 to the rim of each ladle and directing an open flame through the lid into the ladle. The hot exhaust gases move back through the lid and through a heat exchanger 35-38 to heat the oncoming combustion air, and the exhaust gases from the ladles being preheated are combined and directed through a lid 41 applied to a ladle at a drying station to dry the ladle.

Abstract: A film support defines an x-ray permeable path and indicia such as the letters L and R are carried by an indicia support and the indicia support is movably mounted to the film support and overlies the x-ray path. The indicia are opaque to x-rays and the indicia support is arranged to alternately locate one indicia in the x-ray path and the other indicia out of the x-ray path so that when film is placed in the film support and is exposed to x-rays and later is developed, the film will have the image of one of the indicia imposed thereon.

Abstract: Dough which is to be formed into small volumes for later baking into bread, etc. is moved from a mass of dough in the lower portion of a hopper by a pair of helical screws, through a conduit, first to a metering means and then through a dispensing nozzle. A paddle reciprocates through an arc adjacent the dispensing nozzle and on its downward stroke is oscillated so that its lower edge abuts the dispensing nozzle to sever the dough moved through the dispensing nozzle away from the oncoming dough, and then oscillates away from the dispensing nozzle as it returns to its ready position. The downward severing movement of the paddle is initiated by the metering means.

Abstract: A self-centering shock dampening stabilizer is connected between a fixed point on a vehicle main frame member and a moving point in the steering linkage which interconnects the vehicle steerable wheels and steering gear. The stabilizer embodies an hydraulic cylinder in conjunction with a coil spring snubber which includes two opposing coils of equal tension acting on the opposite ends of the snubber and also acting on fixed elements at one end of the hydraulic cylinder and at the center of the snubber.

Abstract: A chuck is mounted to the hub of an out-of-balance wheel and an indicator stem is connected by means of a ball joint to the chuck. When the wheel is rotated and reaches a velocity such that it tends to oscillate, the indicator stem is moved to an attitude where it extends across the axis of oscillation and is balanced in this position. The rotation of the wheel is then stopped and the position of the indicator stem indicates the location where a weight is needed on the wheel and the approximate amount of weight needed at this position.

Abstract: Poultry gizzards with gut and stomach attached thereto are moved in sequence along a processing path, first along a pair of helically threaded conveyor rolls which supports the gizzards and permits the stomach and gut to hang freely below the gizzards between the conveyor rolls and then along a pair of engaging cutting rolls which separate the gut and stomach from the gizzard. The gizzards are transferred to a trough where a water flume transfers the gizzards to a chain conveyor. The chain conveyor transports the gizzards beneath a stationary elongated knife which progressively cuts into the upper surfaces of the gizzards and a presser fork straddling the knife spreads the cut apart portions of the gizzards as the gizzards move along the knife, and rotary brushes further spread the cut apart portions of the gizzards to remove the debris. The gizzards are dropped to peeling rolls for removing the lining from the gizzards.

Abstract: The glue pot is attached to a glue applicator to supply a continuous flow of hot liquid glue to the applicator rolls of the glue applicator. The glue pot comprises an upright cylindrical glue container with an opening formed in the central portion of its bottom wall, and a water stack extending from said bottom wall opening upwardly through the glue container to form an annular glue reservoir. A water tank is positioned below the bottom wall of the glue container in open communication with the water stack, and water is supplied to the water tank and water stack. Heating means heats the water in the water tank and in the water stack, so that the glue in the glue reservoir is heated from inside out and from bottom up.

Abstract: As a series of birds are conveyed in a suspended, inverted attitude through a poultry processing plant the neck of each bird is received in a rotating helical rotor formed by a pair of helical bars arranged in overlapping, coaxial relationship and which form a helical path therebetween. The helical rotor is rotated in timed relationship with respect to the bird conveyor so as to progressively grasp and move the heads of the birds with the conveyor. The feathers at the neck of each bird are wiped across the length of the neck, and the jugular vein of each bird is severed without severing the spinal cord or trachea of the bird.

Abstract: A putty dispenser including a disposable cylindrical container is closed after being filled with putty and not opened again until after the container has been shipped and the putty has been dispensed from the container. A separator float is positioned inside the container and separates the putty from the air in the top of the container. A dispensing spout is centered in the bottom wall of the container and an air inlet spout is located off center in the topwall of the container. A non-drip putty dispensing valve is connectable to the dispensing spout, and air pressure is supplied to the container through the air inlet spout. A support frame is provided for supporting the container in an elevated position above a table top, or on a wall, etc., where the dispensing valve beneath the container is accessible.