Abstract: A claw/rake tool attachment for use with a powered digging or material moving machine. The attachment is for clearing undergrowth and timber and consists of spaced parallel tines mounted onto a support means that is affixed to the work arm of a machine. The undergrowth and timer are held by the tines while unwanted material such as soil and the like passes through the space between the tines and is not carried with the undergrowth and timber being cleared.

Abstract: A novel encapsulation method is provided in which liposome dispersions are dried in the presence of a material to be encapsulated. As drying occurs, the individual liposomes fuse to form multilamellar structures which capture the material between lipid lamellae. Upon rehydration, lipid vesicles form which efficiently encapsulate the material.

Abstract: Apparatus for reducing unmasked quantizing noise modulation in adapting differential digital coding systems. In the digital encoder low frequency signals are boosted in the presence of dominating high frequency signals that are controlling the quantizing step size. The decoder has complementary cutting of low frequency signals. Optionally, unmasked high frequency noise modulation is reduced by variable pre- and de-emphasis.

Abstract: Improvements in compressors, expanders and noise reduction systems are disclosed which reduce the susceptibility of such circuit arrangements to undue control by signals outside the pass-band(s) (i.e., stop-band signals) in which the circuits are active. Level dependent circuitry operates, particularly by means of non-linear processing, to reduce the circuit response to the effect of stop-band signal components at high input signal levels.

Abstract: Circuit arrangements for cross-coupling series connected bi-linear compressors and expanders are disclosed including the coupling of signal path signal components in one circuit to a signal path in another circuit, the coupling of control circuit signal components in one circuit to a control circuit in another circuit and cross-coupling by way of employing a common control circuit for series connected devices.

Abstract: One or more high speed programmable digital signal processors, particularly for audio processing such as mixing, sound effects and synthesizing, are supported by one or more slower speed computers that provide timed and untimed update commands to the high speed processors. Untimed commands are originated as by real-time operator gestures. Timed commands are originated by a master support computer. A queue of update commands is maintained in the high speed processor such that untimed commands are placed at the head of the queue for immediate execution and timed commands are placed at the end of the list. New timed commands are interleaved in time order with timed commands already in the queue.

Abstract: In order to reduce the effect of modulation of the quantizing error (noise) by the signal in an adaptive digital audio system and to increase the dynamic range of the system, the adaptive analog to digital converter is preceded by a frequency dependent network that changes the shape of its characteristic in response to a control signal. The control signal is derived from the variable scaling factor in the adaptive converter. After transmission via a transmission channel or record/playback process, complementary operations are performed by a digital to analog converter followed by a further frequency dependent variable response network.

Abstract: A radiation level measuring system having a Geiger-Muller gas ionizing tube as a detector. The inherent dead-time of the Geiger-Muller tube that follows a discharge pulse is compensated by the pulse counting electronic measuring circuit. A signal pulse of varying duration is formed from the detector output pulses in a manner that corrects for this dead-time. Measurement of this generated signal pulse duration give the actual radiation level that would be measured if the detector dead-time did not exist.

Abstract: In a first aspect of the invention, compressor and expander circuits are arranged in series, the dynamic actions of the circuits being substantially separated with respect to level. The changing gain portions of the characteristics are staggered among the series circuits such that the resulting overall characteristic has a maximum compression or expansion ratio substantially no greater than that of any single circuit while providing more compression or expansion than for any of the circuits individually. A second aspect, referred to as "spectral skewing", effects a reduction of the influence of signals in the high and/or low frequency extremes of a signal transmission system on the action of a compressor feeding the transmission channel. Consequently, a complementary expander fed by the channel is less likely to be controlled by signals at frequencies subject to transmission channel errors. A third aspect provides an anti-saturation effect.

Abstract: A special reset function is provided in the CPU, using the same control input to the CPU as the normal reset, to reset only the program counter to facilitate the use of a single CPU in a microprocessor development system.

Abstract: This invention reduces crosstalk interference components without a significant increase in recorded bandwidth of the modulated audio signals and without a significant degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio of the reproduced audio signals. According to the invention, the nominal carrier frequency of the modulated audio signals in adjacent tracks or scans is offset by an amount sufficient to shift the crosstalk interference components outside the desired audio pass band for substantially all modulating amplitudes and frequencies. At the same time, the modulated audio frequency spectra of the adjacent tracks substantially overlap so that additional overall bandwidth requirements are minimized. A satisfactory offset from track to track is in the order of twice the maximum audio response frequency. As the offset is reduced or as occasional high frequency high amplitude audio occurs in adjacent tracks, crosstalk distortion components will tend to appear beginning at the high frequencies.

Abstract: A video computing system is disclosed having an automatically refreshed memory. The computing system includes a dynamic memory connected to a cathode ray tube. A cathode ray tube controller is also connected to the memory and is capable of sequentially generating addresses, corresponding to locations in the memory. A central processor is connected to the dynamic memory and operates on an alternating, two phase fetch and execute cycle. During the fetch phase, the central processor has access to the dynamic memory, while during each execute phase, when computing operations are carried out, access to the dynamic memory is prevented. In contrast, during the execute phase, the cathode ray tube controller is permitted direct access to the memory enabling the video information stored therein to be supplied to the cathode ray tube. The sequential and continuous reading of the memory during each execute phase functions to continually refresh the dynamic memory.

Abstract: A 4800 bit-per-second full duplex modem is described which utilizes the full bandwidth of ordinarily available dial-up telephone circuits for transmission of data in both directions in different pass-band portions thereof. The two pass-bands overlap in about the middle of the telephone band in order to fully utilize that bandwidth for high speed data transmission. The overlap is less than that which will cause a greater error rate than desired from remote echos of transmitted data. Local echos, which are much stronger, resulting from the overlap bandwidth portion are cancelled by an echo cancelling technique. Local echo cancelling is accomplished at the baud rate, generated in each modem, for substraction from a received signal; a cancellation signal is generated from a time varying system that depends upon the modulating and demodulating carrier signals.

Abstract: A method is provided for treating high blood pressure and disturbances of cardiac function by administering a therapeutically effective dosage of dynorphin-related opioid peptides, such as dynorphin(1-13) and dynorphin(1-10) amide, having at least ten amino acids linked sequentially by peptide bonds and with the five amino acids from the N-terminal end being the same as, or mimicking, Leu-enkephalin. Administration may be over a period of time, as for individuals with chronic high blood pressure, and may be by dispensing the medicament in aerosol form.

Abstract: A technique for reducing the nonlinear frequency characteristics of a carbon granule microphone of the type generally used in telephone handsets wherein a tone outside the voice range is applied to the microphone simultaneously with the audio signal desired to be transmitted. This technique has particular advantages with telephone modems, especially those where the sending and receiving frequencies are hamonically related.

Abstract: Dynorphin(1-13) has been previously reported to antagonize the analgesia induced by narcotics in naive hosts. Novel compounds are provided which differ from dynorphin(1-13) by neither potentiating nor antagonizing narcotics, such as morphine, in naive animals. In tolerant hosts the new compounds potentiate narcotic or peptide induced analgesia, and in addition are less susceptible to degradation than dynorphin(1-13).Particularly preferred of the new compounds are polypeptides having ten amino acids with nitrogen containing moieties at both termini.

Abstract: An optical system for exciting a temperature dependent phosphor with radiation and detecting independently emissions therefrom in optically isolable first and second wavelength ranges that gives an indication of the temperature of the phosphor. The optical system is carried by a heat-insulating housing disposed between a heat generating light source and the heat sensitive detectors. Dichroic mirrors are utilized to separate the two wavelength ranges emitted by the phosphor and to allow the sharing of a common optical path by three different radiation wavelength ranges without an undue loss of radiation intensity in any of the wavelength ranges. The light source may be of a helically shaped filament that is tilted with respect to an imaging optical axis so that the side of the helix is imaged with a minimum amount of the space between the turns showing, thereby maximizing the optical energy imaged from the light source.

Abstract: An improved technique in Auger electron spectroscopy which uses a standard detector which emits a voltage signal proportional to the number of electrons emitted from a surface of material under investigation at a particular energy level to which the detector is set. An improvement is in the manner of processing this voltage signal in order to ascertain the desired reading of number of electrons. The processing circuitry is electrically isolated from the rest of the system but is directly coupled to the detector. A baseline voltage signal is established at a lower edge of electron energy range of interest and that range has been scanned to determine the difference between detector signal output and the baseline output. The result is a faster and more accurate determination of detector voltage signal outputs over the region which can then better be used to determine the characteristics of the surface from which the electrons are being emitted.

Abstract: A satellite communications system, which is inherently power limited, employing spread spectrum techniques in order to trade-off bandwidth for small ground station antennas. In a one-way system embodiment a central station transmits data to a satellite for relay to a large number of small antenna receiving stations, the transmissions being spread spectrum encoded with spreading code lengths selected to provide adequate data recovery at the least sensitive station to which the transmissions are directed. Spreading codes may also function to address particular stations. In a two-way system embodiment, the central station additionally functions as a terrestrial relay station.

Abstract: A temperature probe measures temperature changes within biological material while the tissue is being irradiated with microwaves. In order to measure tissue temperatures accurately a probe must be designed to function in a microwave field while causing minimum perturbation to the microwave field. This generally requires a probe being constructed of dielectric (non-metallic) material which utilizes physical phenomena which are thermally dependent yet unaffected by electromagnetic fields at the field strength and frequencies of interest. In one embodiment the structure of the probe basically includes an optical fiber bundle for conducting light both toward and away from a temperature sensitive luminescent element located at one end of the optical fiber bundle, the source for exciting the temperature sensitive element and a light responsive detection element located at the output end of the optical fiber bundle for detecting light emitted from the temperature sensitive element which is temperature dependent.