Abstract: A lighter than air apparatus is provided with a gas impermeable sheeting material having a pathway either extending through the apparatus itself or adjacent to the apparatus. One or more control surfaces are provided proximately to an aperture in the pathway for deflecting air passing through the pathway. A propulsion unit with the pathway propels air through pathway. The pathway, the control surfaces, and the control unit allow the lighter than air apparatus to control its bearing and efficiently maintain its position over the Earth.

Abstract: Method and device for stunning poultry (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d), which poultry are taken into a first chamber (23) by means of a conveyer (2, 6), which chamber contains a first straining gas or gas mixture which is mixed with oxygen, and are subsequently taken into a a second chamber (33) which is essentially separated from the first chamber as regards gas and which contains a second stunning gas or gas mixture for increasing the stunning achieved in the first chamber.

Abstract: A woodturning scraper burnisher and method of burnishing woodturning scrapers. The burnisher is a cast aluminum carrier having a substantially flat face penetrated by three unequally spaced holes into which a conical fulcrum pin and burnishing rod having a protruding truncated conical surface are slip fit. With the carrier fixed in place on a work surface, the underside of a turning scraper is pressed against the face of the carrier while a side of the scraper is positioned against the fulcrum pin and the scraper bevel is forced against and slid relative to the conical surface of the burnishing rod to form a "hook" on the working edge or arris of the scraper.

Abstract: A method for the treatment of a cutaneous, ocular, or mucosal pathological condition which is associated with immune response in a human or other mammal, that includes topical application of an effective amount of spiperone or a spiperone derivative or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, in a pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier for topical application.

Abstract: Neolignan derivative compounds of the 2,4-diaryl-1,3-dithiolane and futoenone variety exhibit both PAF and 5-lipoxygenase antagonist activity.

Abstract: A method for the topical or systemic treatment of disorders mediated by proteases which result in skin or mucosal lesions, and in particular, pemphigus, cicatricial pemphigoid, bullous pemphigoid, lichen planus, and canker sores, is disclosed wherein the host is treated with an effective amount of N-acetyl ysteine or a derivative thereof, or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, optionally in a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier for systemic or topical delivery.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a maximum value storage sensor when detecting the maximum strain by generating an invariable electrical resistance change correlative to the strain of the detection object in a conductive body having a plurality of conductive elements. The maximum value storage sensor of the present invention has; a conductive body having a circuit which gives correlative resistance changes corresponding to the sequential cutoff of a plurality of conductive elements each having a given electrical resistance arrayed in parallel; a cutting means for cutting the conductive elements of the conductive body; and a structure for allowing one of the conductive bodies and the cutting means to move relatively to each other.

Abstract: A method for the treatment of a cutaneous, ocular, or mucosal pathological condition which is associated with an immune response in a human or other mammal, that includes topical application of an effective amount of buspirone or a buspirone derivative or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, optionally in a pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier for topical application.

Abstract: A temperature resistant material consisting of fiber-reinforced glass and fiber-reinforced ceramics, respectively, is described as asbestos substitute in devices for handling hot glass, glass ceramics and ceramics objects.

Abstract: Automated tracking devices for counting, sorting, weighing, and containing articles, such as sponges that contain fluids from patients undergoing surgery. Devices according to the present invention employ a suspended container for receiving and sorting the articles. The cumulative weight of the container contents is sensed accurately and registered reliably after an appropriate settling period via a load cell structure which is aimed at eliminating bending moments and non-vertical force components imposed by the container and its contents. Automatic sensing of the presence of the container allows continuous, rather than solely end-point, fluid monitoring during the surgical procedures and allows this monitoring to continue as successive containers are changed during an operation. Appropriate warnings occur after a predetermined number of articles have been introduced into the container, in order to indicate that a container change is due.

Abstract: Novel poly(arylester-carbonate)s of the formula ##STR1## are disclosed, as well a process for preparing such poly(arylester-carbonate)s.

Abstract: A home automation system comprises a number of sub-systems for controlling various aspects of a house, such as a security sub-system, an HVAC sub-system, a lighting control sub-system, and an entertainment sub-system. The network comprises a host computer connected through a host interface to a plurality of nodes. The network is in a free form topology and employ asynchronous communication. The host computer polls each node on the network to determine system configuration and to perform a diagnostic check on the system. The messages that are transmitted between the nodes are comprised of a source address, a destination address that uniquely identifies the location of each piece of hardware on the system, a message type field, and a data length segment. Each hardware device has a mirror image software object in the host computer to which messages are directed. The user interfaces for the various sub-systems share a common interfacing method whereby use of the system is greatly simplified.

Abstract: A device for determining from one or more different directions the geometrical pattern of a mark being randomly shaped in three dimensions and being embedded in a transparent material and securely fixed to an object. A radiation source is designed to emit radiation to a matrix of radiation detectors. The object is placed with the mark in the path of the radiation for projecting a silhouette of the mark onto the matrix of radiation detectors by the radiation sources.

Abstract: A hydrodynamic bearing which includes a carrier and a plurality of bearing pads circumferentially spaced about the carrier. The carrier is formed with a series of circumferentially spaced groups of pad support openings. Each group of pad support openings includes two or more pad support openings each of which is capable of supporting a pad, but only one of which supports a pad at any one time. The carrier is designed such that the openings formed therein are supported as sets of supports such that each group of openings includes one opening of each set of openings. The carrier supports the openings such that the support of each opening within each set is substantially identical to that of the other openings in its set, but different than the support of the openings of other sets such that each set of bearing pad openings is adapted to support bearing pads for a distinct characteristic deflection.

Abstract: A smoke detection and alarm system including one or more low cost battery operated smoke alarms fitted with internal non-rechargeable standby batteries, a reactive primary power supply derived from mains supply, and connecting means for connecting the reactive power supply to each of the system's smoke alarms, the system being characterized in that said reactive primary power supply comprises: means for providing a DC supply of slightly higher than the smoke alarm standby battery voltage; and means for detecting the higher than quiescent current supplied by the reactive power supply when any of the smoke alarms connected as part of the system is in alarm or in self-test mode; and means of lowering the DC supply voltage made available to power the system's smoke alarms when a higher than quiescent current is detected; and said smoke alarms comprise: means by which all the current required under quiescent condition, with primary power available, is supplied by the reactive primary power supply; and means by whi

Abstract: As a device used to paint a pattern such as a band, stripe or streak on the surface of an elongate and thin base material continuously supplied, a painting device is composed of at least a painting groove provided across the moving direction of the base material continuously supplied and having an opening formed along its both ends with a width wider than the width of the above-described base material in a manner not to be closed by the base material, a primary pipe communicated with the painted groove and a secondary pipe linked with the primary pipe, so that different kinds of paints are filled into the painting groove through the primary and secondary pipes to paint a pattern such as a band, stripe or streak over the whole surface of the base material in motion.

Abstract: A time totaling meter and an unit thereof for internal combustion engines comprising a part of an ignition device to lead ignition pulses toward outside of the ignition device, pulse induction means to electromagnetically induce said ignition pulses, waveform shaping means to shape this electro-magnetically induced pulses, and judging means to determine whether this waveform shaped output pulses are derived from operation of the internal combustion engine or not, and capable of counting and storing total operation time of the internal combustion engine from initial operation thereof to said count memory means based on said output pulses selected by said judging means and displaying this counted operation time on display means.

Abstract: A composite spin lock prepulse method compensates for magnetic field inhomogeneities in objects or materials under study using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The effective magnetic field seen by an object or material under study using NMR often is characterized by an off-resonance component, which results in the magnetization of the object or material having a component that diverges from the intended orientation after RF pulses. The method according to the present invention recognizes and utilizes the observation that aligning the off-resonance component of the magnetization in the x-z plane can be achieved when the amplitude of a preceding 90.degree. y flip pulse is known, and that the effective field can be placed in alignment with the resulting magnetization, if necessary or desired, by adjusting the amplitude of the locking pulse as a function of the amplitude of the flip pulse.

Abstract: A transducer system for an acoustic instrument such as a guitar or violin including a receptacle for mounting on the instrument coupled electronically to an output jack for mounting in a remote location on the instrument and a transducer or pickup assembly that plugs into the receptacle.