Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus for isoelectric focusing. A fluid is employed which contains buffering compounds capable of establishing a pH gradient in an electric field. A plurality of ion non-selective permeable membranes are used to streamline the flow of fluid while allowing interchange of fluid constituents therebetween. Electrodes establish an electrical potential transverse the flow of fluid to establish a gradient of pH steps as between successive channels defined by the membranes.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are disclosed for determining properties of subsurface formations surrounding a borehole by induction logging. The properties which can be determined include the formation dip angle and dip azimuth angle. Indications of formation anisotropy can also be obtained. An array of individually energizable transmitter coils is provided, preferably including three coils having mutually orthogonal axes. Electronic transmitter steering circuitry is provided for controlling the energizing means to electronically steer the direction of the magnetic moment resulting from the magnetic field components generated by the transmitter coils. An array of receiver coils is also provided along with receiver processing circuitry for processing signals induced in the receiver coils. The array of receiver coils preferably includes three receiver coils having mutually orthogonal axes.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a microprocessor-based apparatus and method for determining the distance between an object and a reference position. An embodiment of a graphical digitizer is set forth in which a microprocessor system is adapted to generate and store a count that depends upon the number of instruction cycles that the microprocessor system performs during a time interval that is a function of the travel time of acoustic wave energy traveling between the object and the reference position. In a disclosed embodiment, acoustic receivers are mounted with their axes parallel, and each receiver has a generally circular receptivity pattern.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for determining the bound-water-filled porosity of formations surrounding a borehole. Bound-water-filled porosity is the fraction of the formation unit volume (matrix plus fluid) which is occupied by bound water, bound water being the portion of the total water which is adsorbed or bound to, or impermeably held by, the matrix. In one embodiment, means are provided for deriving a first quantity which is a measure of the attenuation of microwave electromagnetic energy passed through the formations of interest. This first quantity may be, for example, the attenuation constant determined for the microwave electromagnetic energy passing through the formations. Means are provided for generating a second quantity which is substantially proportional to the square of the first quantity. The second quantity is indicative of the bound-water-filled porosity of the formations.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided on a contaminated water source that readily effects chemical purification of the water by providing an automatic means of manufacturing a stock solution of chemicals, storing the stock solution, and then injecting the solution into the line. The injector is set to operate at peak efficiency, and accuracy is obtained by controlling the strength of the stock solution. A relatively small amount of water is chemically treated and then is mixed with a large quantity of contaminated water.

Abstract: A speech recognition technique is disclosed for recognizing words that are spoken at speeds that approach the speed of continuous speech.To avoid the cost of a rigorous approach wherein all possible words of stored vocabulary are correlated against each group of speech samples, this invention uses relatively long duration inter-string pauses to detect string boundaries, and relatively short duration inter-segment pauses to determine speech segment boundaries which are used as a limited number of start or end points.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an ultrasonic apparatus for imaging sections of a body, including a reflective scanner. Two transducers are employed, one for transmitting and the other for receiving. The transducer used for transmitting is mounted in conjunction with the reflective scanner, and is closer to the body being examined than is the transducer used for receiving ultrasound reflected from the body being examined.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for generating a two-dimensional back-projected image of a slice of an object, and also to an optical filtering apparatus and method which, inter alia, is useful therein. Successive beams of light are generated, each having a narrow elongated cross-section with an optical intensity that is a function of the density characteristic of the slice of the object as measured at a particular relative rotational angle. The beams are optically filtered and spread in a direction transverse to their length. Optical filtering with a filter function having both positive and negative components is preferably performed using a single-channel time modulated technique. A television camera receives the spread filtered beams. Relative rotation is effected between the beams and the camera, the rotation being related to the relative rotational angles of the object associated with the generation of the successive beams of light.

Abstract: An improved ultrasonic scanning head is disclosed for use in an apparatus for imaging sections of a body by transmitting ultrasonic energy into the body and determining the characteristics of the ultrasonic energy reflected therefrom. The scanning head includes a scanning window which comprises an acoustic lens for converging the scan of the ultrasound beam. This serves to reduce geometrical distortion.

Abstract: An improved method of sealing and attaching, in a weathertight manner, a mounting support, such as a mounting support of an equipment, to a roof surface. A flared hole is formed in a sheet of metal flashing. The flashing is placed on the roof with the flared hole thereof aligned with a hole in the roof and protruding upward from the roof. A resilient pad is applied to the roof flashing over the flared hole, with a hole in the pad surrounding the flared hole in the roof flashing. The mounting support is then bolted to the roof surface by passing a bolt through the mounting support, the pad, and the aligned holes. The bolt engages the mounting support and the underside of the roof surface so as to secure the mounting support to the roof surface with the flashing and resilient pad pressed therebetween. This sealing technique provides a reliable water-tight seal through which water cannot readily penetrate, even over long periods of time.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method for producing relatively uniform hollow spheres of a substance, the hollow spheres being formed with a gas therein as a result of the production process. The spheres, formed for example of hydrogen isotopes, are particularly useful as a fuel target for laser fusion applications. In accordance with the method of the invention, a jet of the substance of which the spheres are to be formed is provided in liquid form. Relatively uniform gas bubbles are injected into the liquid jet. In this manner, the bubbles break up or separate the liquid jet into relatively uniform hollow spheres of the substance, each with a bubble of the gas inside. The hollow spheres can be visualized as liquid droplets, each having a relatively uniform gas bubble therein.

Abstract: A method of merging and rewriting information contained in related data records recorded on first and second sections or files of storage media. (Typically, the "sections" may be individual magnetic tapes.) In accordance with the invention there is provided the step of reading the data records recorded on the first section and rewriting the data records in alternating relationship with dummy data records on a third section of storage media. Related data records recorded on the second section and the third section are read and the information contained therein is merged. The merged information is then written onto the dummy data records on the third section of storage media to obtain merged data records therein. The procedure is repeated sequentially for each related pair of data records on the sections of storage media under consideration.

Abstract: The error rate performance of a digital radio system which is deteriorated due to inband interference components can be effectively improved by adopting the present digital signal reception technique. According to the present invention, a narrow band band-elimination filter removes the interference, and after the digital signal is regenerated, the spectrum, which is removed by said band-elimination filter, is recovered from the regenerated digital signal. The recovered digital signal is added to the original one, and is applied to the regenerator. Thus, even though an interference component interfers with the digital signal in the same pass-band, said interference component is removed by the present invention and one can obtain the digital signal without the interference component.

Abstract: In this speech recognition system the array formed by a timewise sequence of speech signal feature vectors includes digital data at each time slot representing both presence/absence and consistency of occurence.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus for scanning an object with a beam of ultrasound energy and for formulating image-representative signals from the ultrasound reflected from the object. An ultrasound reflector is disposed in the path of the ultrasound energy, the reflector typically being disposed in a suitable fluid, for example water. The reflector is mechanically driven and means are provided for sensing the relative angular position of the reflector and for generating a first clock signal as a function of the sensed position. Means, responsive to the ultrasound reflected from the object are provided for generating echo-representative electrical signals. These echo-representative electrical signals are stored at a line rate which depends upon the first clock signal.

Abstract: A speech control circuit is disclosed for use in a loudspeaker telephone or a handsfree telephone having a microphone and a speaker, and provides the correct switching of the transmission mode and the reception mode in spite of acoustic coupling between the speaker and the microphone. The disclosed circuit reduces errors in the switching operation and helps to prevent the problem of "noise block".

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for determining the velocity of a material within a body, and which is also capable of simultaneously imaging sections of the body. In the velocity-determined method, a focused beam of ultrasound is directed, over a given aperture, toward the skin of the body, the central ray of the focused ultrasound beam being oriented substantially normal to the skin. The ultrasound beam reflected from the body is received over the same aperture. Preferably, the steps of directing and receiving the ultrasound employ the same single transducer, and focusing is achieved using a focusing lens. Beat frequency signals are detected in the received beam, these signals resulting from the beating of Doppler effect components reflected from the moving material, for example, blood corpuscles of moving blood within the body. Velocity-representative indications, for example, audio or video presentations, are then generated as a function of the detected beat frequency signals.

Abstract: A system for controlling an original image scanning for use in a slit exposure type image recording apparatus adapted to project an original image through slit exposure over an image recording medium moving at a predetermined speed, which comprises an oscillating means for generating an output of a predetermined frequency, a first pulse counting means supplied with the output from said oscillating means and a magnification data corresponding to a desired image magnification ratio and generating output pulses of a predetermined frequency, a power amplifying means receiving said output pulses from said first pulse counting means and generating a power output of a predetermined frequency corresponding thereto, and a synchronous motor for conducting the original image scanning while driven by the power output from said power amplifying means.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus for collecting solar energy. A housing is provided with an open top, and a solar radiation-transmissive cover is removably mounted on the top of the housing. A plurality of elongated open-ended troughs are mounted side-by-side in the housing, the troughs having reflective inner surfaces. A fluid-carrying tube system is provided, and has a plurality of branches which respectively extend along each trough near the bottom thereof. A pair of end panel assemblies are mounted in the housing at opposing ends of the row of troughs and form the ends of the troughs. Each of the end panel assemblies includes adjacent elongated upper and lower end panels which are removably coupled to each other and have a common elongated edge. The surface of each of the upper end panels which faces the troughs is reflective of solar radiation. Preferably, the surface of each of the lower end panels which faces the troughs is also reflective of solar energy.