Abstract: Mortar mixes comprising as a major part, Class F fly ash and fluidized bed combustion ash in amounts and proportions sufficient to reduce the negative effects of the presence of unburned carbon in the Class F fly ash and the presence of sulfate in the fluidized bed combustion ash and which mortar mixes also include, as a minor part, a cementitious material. The mortar produced by mixing the mortar mix with water can include a density reduction material and can be formed into support members for use in mines.

Abstract: A bearing retainer ring having a compliant tab is mounted on a motor shaft between a C-ring mounted on the shaft and one or more washers and a bearing mounted on the shaft. After completion of the construction of the electric motor, the shaft is loaded axially, deforming the projecting tab and providing axial end play between the bearing and its adjacent washer.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes a container, a spigot, a lid, and a food support. The container has a bottom surface and a side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom surface to a top edge of the side wall. The spigot is attached to the container side wall and has a valve member that is selectively positionable between opened and closed positions. The spigot valve member allows liquid contents of the container to drain from the container when in the opened position, and prevents the contents from draining out of the container when in the closed position. The food support is comprised of a perforated horizontal member with a perforated side wall extending upwardly from the horizontal member. A plurality of vertical members spaced around the periphery of the horizontal member extend upwardly from the horizontal member.

Abstract: Apparatus for inserting a corner member into channel-shaped flanges of a duct. The corner member has first and second legs. The duct includes longitudinally extending duct panels. The channel-shaped flanges of the duct extend laterally from at least one end of the duct panels. The apparatus a corner member support mechanism adapted for supporting the corner member, a duct moving mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The duct moving mechanism has a duct pusher moveable between a first position and a second position. The duct pusher imparts a moving force against the duct upon movement of the duct pusher from its first position to its second position.

Abstract: A bearing retainer that holds a bearing in a bearing seat of an electromagnetic device has a unique construction that reduces its cost of manufacture. The bearing retainer has a peripheral edge with a plurality of radially extending tabs centered in gaps in the peripheral edge. The tabs connect with tabs of adjacent bearing retainers, allowing a plurality of interconnected bearing retainers to be nested on a steel sheet from which the retainers are stamped, thereby optimizing material use and reducing costs. The bearing retainers are composed of martensite which eliminates a heat tempering process required of prior art retainers and further reduces costs.

Abstract: A waste photopolymer plate washout fluid solvent distillation apparatus includes a single enclosure enclosing a waste washout fluid container, a recovered solvent container, and a distillation unit in which waste washout is distilled by application of heat and vacuum pressure to the waste washout, and by supplying a metered supply of a surrogate solvent to the distilled waste washout as a desired solvent is distilled from the waste washout. The apparatus, by supplying the surrogate solvent to the waste washout as the desired solvent is distilled from the waste washout, enables a greater percentage of the desired solvent to be recovered from the waste washout than has been heretofore possible with prior art apparatus, and also enables the waste washout to be disposed of as a liquid.

Abstract: A pair of gloves includes one of the two gloves having a reversible storage pocket or bag affixed between an exterior shell and an inner liner with a zippered closure. When stored within the glove, the gloves may be used as is normal. When the user is ready to remove and store the gloves, the zipper may be opened and the storage bag reversed out from between the shell and liner to form a storage bag within which the same glove as well as its matching free pair member may be folded into and the same zipper re-closed to carry both gloves within the storage bag. One or more belt straps or loops may be provided on the exterior of the storage bag to allow it to slipped onto a belt or the like.

Abstract: Apparatus for playing a game, particularly a simulated sports game, comprises a set of opaque cards, each card having two opposite faces carrying markings used in playing the game. Each face of each card is subdivided into discrete regions with the number and arrangement of the regions being the same on all faces of all cards. The cards are divided into two sets, one for each opposing team. One face of each card carries, inter alia, a representation of a ball, and the opposite face carries, inter alia, a representation of a defending player.

Abstract: A novel growth factor, persephin, which belongs to the GDNF/neurturin family of growth factors, is disclosed. The human, mouse and rat amino acid sequences have been identified. Human, mouse and rat persephin genomic DNA sequences have been cloned and sequenced and the respective cDNA sequences identified. In addition, methods for treating degenerative conditions using persephin, methods for detecting persephin gene alterations and methods for detecting and monitoring patient levels of persephin are provided. Methods for identifying additional members of the persephin-neurturin-GDNF family of growth factors are also provided.

Abstract: A dunnage infeed station is designed to receive generally planar dunnage objects such as tier sheets and tier sheet picture frames from a forklift and to deposit a stack of the dunnage objects onto a conveyor which transports the stack out from the infeed station.

Abstract: Fast, scalable methods and devices are provided for layer four switching in a router as might be found in the Internet. In a first method, a grid of tries, which are binary branching trees, is constructed from the set of routing filters. The grid includes a dest-trie and a number of source tries. To avoid memory blowup, each filter is stored in exactly one trie. The tries are traversed to find the lowest cost routing. Switch pointers are used to improve the search cost. In an extension of this method, hash tables may be constructed that point to grid-of-tries structures. The hash tables may be used to handle combinations of port fields and protocol fields. Another method is based on hashing, in which searches for lowest cost matching filters take place in bit length tuple space. Rectangle searching with precomputation and markers are used to eliminate a whole column of tuple space when a match occurs, and to eliminate the rest of a row when no match is found.

Abstract: A double lobed seal comprises first and second annular seals, each having a radially inwardly projecting annular lobe that engages against a sealing surface of a valve element in a valve housing to seal the valve element in its closed position. With increasing fluid pressure exerted on the dual lobe seal, the upstream seal is compressed and moves radially away from the valve element sealing surface. This movement allows the fluid under pressure to enter a void between the two annular seals. The increasing fluid pressure in the void exerts a compressive force on the downstream annular seal that causes its annular lobe to move radially inwardly increasing the force of its sealing engagement with the disk valve sealing surface. In this manner, the dual lobe seal increases its sealing effectiveness when subjected to increasing fluid pressures.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for inhibition of the intracellular activation of a signal transducing protein comprising phosphoserine containing peptides derived from the Raf-1 protein are disclosed. The peptides bind to 14-3-3 protein and thereby prevent its association with the signal transducing peptide to block signal transduction. Also provided is an assay method for identifying a pharmacologic agent that can bind 14-3-3 protein and block signal transduction.

Abstract: Unilateral neglect is treated using a computer-controlled therapy system and method, and a stored computer program. A patient requiring therapy is placed in front of a computer controlled display. Stimuli are displayed on the screen to the patient, and responses to the stimuli on the side of the patient subject to neglect are solicited. The stimuli may be presented in the form of an age-appropriate activity or game. The responses are quantitatively evaluated and the difficulty of the activity or game is adjusted in accordance with the evaluation. Various audio and video distractions may be provided to adjust the level of difficulty, and the evaluations may include measurement of the number of correct stimulus responses within a predetermined period of time, the length of time a patient neglects a stimulus appearing on that patient's neglected side, or both.

Abstract: A sleeve valve comprises a sleeve and a gate. The sleeve includes an intake, a discharge nozzle section, and a clean-out section. The discharge nozzle section includes a plurality of nozzles. The sleeve is adapted for fluid flow from the intake through a fluid passage and out the nozzles. The clean-out section includes at least one access port. The gate is adapted for sliding within the sleeve in sliding sealing engagement with the interior surface of the sleeve between closed, throttling, open, and clean positions. The gate and sleeve are configured so that the gate, when in the closed position, prevents fluid within the fluid passage from flowing out the nozzles and the access port. The gate and sleeve, when in the throttling position, permits fluid within the fluid passage to flow out some of the nozzles but prevents fluid within the fluid passage from flowing out the access port of the clean-out section and others of the nozzles.

Abstract: A sheet metal processing apparatus comprises a stretcher-leveler and a surface conditioner in combination. The stretcher leveler has an input end, an output end, and a stretching mechanism between the input and output ends. The input end of the stretcher-leveler is adapted to receive at least a portion of a metal sheet to be processed. The stretching mechanism has a plurality of gripping members. The gripping members are adapted for gripping the metal sheet and stretching the portion of the metal sheet between the gripping members past its yield point to eliminate internal residual stresses therein. The stretcher-leveler is adapted to then discharge the stretched portion of the metal sheet from the output end of the stretcher-leveler. A surface conditioner is positioned adjacent the output end of the stretcher-leveler. The surface conditioner is adapted to receive the portion of the metal sheet discharged from the output end of the stretcher-leveler.