Abstract: The removal of liquids from the reservoir and/or the fracture-proppant pack of gas wells is described. Water that is trapped by capillary and viscous forces in areas of low velocity are mobilized by the application of an abrupt flowing-pressure reduction or shock. Liquids are then recovered from the wellbore to prevent hydrostatic back-pressure restrictions on the gas well. Flow at the reduced pressure is continued until liquid recovery from the wellbore reaches a minimum. The well is then returned to the normal operating pressure.

Abstract: A method of simultaneously determining the concentrations of cardiovascular risk markers selected from the group consisting of High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol, triglycerides and oxidized LDL using infra-red and/or near infrared light is described.

Abstract: A water treatment apparatus includes a mixing tube through which the waste water passes for mixing into the waste water a plurality of chemicals for causing flocculation of contaminants. The mixing tube is connected to a settling chamber for allowing settling of the flocculated contaminants and for supplying clarified water at an outlet of the settling chamber. The mixing tube has a plurality of injection members at spaced positions along the duct, each including a pump and a chemical supply for injecting a selected quantity of a selected chemical into the duct and each including a respective mixing member and drive for mixing the chemical into the water in the duct. An electrical separation section is provided in the system before or after the settling and includes a duct, into which the water is introduced and a plurality of amorphous metal plates across the duct arranged to be charged at low voltage.

Abstract: A composition for managing blood glucose levels is herein described. The composition comprises decocted tea and vanadate and does not cause the same side effects as vanadate and water mixtures known in the prior art. Specifically, the vanadate suspended in decocted tea does not cause diarrhea and in some cases stabilizes blood glucose at normal levels for several weeks after only a few treatments.

Abstract: Production of and uses for flax seed having a linolenic acid content of greater than 65% based on total fatty acid content are described.

Abstract: A holder and method of use are provided for storing a ball mount having a stem and a ball supported on the stem in a ball hitch in which the stem is slidably received within a receiver supported on a vehicle. The holder includes a pocket for slidably receiving the stem therein and mounting means for mounting the pocket on a supporting surface of the vehicle, for example a side wall of a truck box. The use of a pocket with suitable mounting means for mounting to a supporting surface of the vehicle while securing the stem of a ball mount therein provides proper storage for ball mounts which are not in use. The result is that potentially damaging or annoying sliding movement of the ball mounts within a moving vehicle can be prevented.

Abstract: A window latch for use with a window frame comprises a main body having a top portion and a bottom portion. A locking member extending through the main body pivotally mounting therein having a lock arm extending out the bottom portion and a manually operable handle exposed at the top portion. A shoulder separating the top and bottom portion so that the bottom portion projects downwardly from the shoulder. A flange portion at one end of the bottom portion projecting along the main body generally parallel to the shoulder and spaced from the shoulder leaving a recess therebetween. Wherein the bottom portion is arranged to be inserted into a hole cut into a top wall of a window frame such that shoulder sits on a top surface of the top wall and the flange engages underneath a lip of the top wall with the lip being received in the recess thus supporting the respective end of the main body to the frame and a fastener for holding an opposed end of the main body within the hole in the frame.

Abstract: In a farrowing pen which includes a pit and over the pit a first floor section on which the sow can stand and lie and two further floor sections on each side of the first floor section for receiving piglets of the sow and confining walls for locating the sow on the first floor section there is provided an apparatus for lifting the sow away from the piglets to prevent crushing. The apparatus includes a base carries above the pit either on legs or on a cradle and a gas bag lift mechanism carried on the base above the manure and arranged to raise a plate carrying two parallel rails with the first floor section thereon. An air valve extends through the flooring and is operated by pressure from contact with the sow for actuating the controlling the flow of the air. The rate of lifting is faster than the rate of lowering. Extendible legs around the base support and guide the floor on the bag.

Abstract: A pipe aligning tool is provided for providing proper alignment and spacing between two piping components to be welded together in an end to end abutted relationship. The tool includes a spacer lying in a single plane for positioning between the ends of the piping components to provide the proper spacing. A pipe locator in the form of two projections, projects perpendicularly outwardly from each side of the spacer for concentric alignment of piping components on opposing sides of the spacer when abutted with the respective pipe locators. The simple construction of the tool permits two piping components to be both concentrically aligned and properly spaced for welding in a simple task which can be manually performed without depending upon visual alignment by the user.

Abstract: A slurry of particulate ore material is concentrated to form a smeltable concentrate on a re-concentrator table arranged to separate concentrate ore at a concentrate discharge from middlings and tailings. The table is set such that the concentrate forms a smeltable concentrate and thus at least the middlings contain significant quantities of the concentrate to be collected. The ore to be concentrated is fed to a feeding system including a bin in batch form and carried from the bin by a screw through a screen to the table. The table is operated in processing of the batch for a first period of time during which both the middlings and tailings are returned to the feeding system for recirculation to the table. The period of time is such that the material is circulated over the table repeatedly to separate out the concentrate.

Abstract: An ice skate comprising a boot arranged to receive a person's foot, a skate blade assembly and a blade heating arrangement mounted within a blade mounting arrangement. The blade heating arrangement is arranged to use a field-effect transistor controlled by a microprocessor to operate in the non-linear range to heat skate blades from a power source. The blade is formed as a two part structure with a central core plate within the steel blade part of a higher thermal conductivity material such as copper. The circuit controlling the heating includes a charging component which uses as a contact for the charging current the blade itself.

Abstract: A draper header includes two side drapers each running from an outer end guide roller at a first end of the header to an inner end guide roller adjacent the discharge location of the header and a central feed draper located at the discharge location and including a front guide roller just behind the cutter bar and running to a rear guide roller in front of the feeder house of the combine harvester. An auger is located between the discharge rollers with a front edge of the flight forward of the rear end of the discharge rollers to feed the material inwardly and underneath the auger to the inlet of the feeder house. The feed draper carries cleats which are angled to the rollers in two sections converging to a central leading apex to reduce forces on the cleat as they pass over the front guide roller which is of reduced diameter to fit within a small space adjacent the cutter bar.

Abstract: A shelving rack includes a frame structure including two generally vertical rear legs and two generally vertical front legs and a plurality of shelves formed of welded wire mesh arranged one above the next with a width substantially equal to the width of the rack and a depth between a front edge and a rear edge substantially equal to but greater than the depth of the rack. Each shelf is supported at the front edge either on a wire of the shelf attached across between the front legs or on a transverse beam of the frame so the weight from the front edge is carried by the front legs. Each shelf is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front edge toward the rear edge which is elevated with each shelf having an element forming part of a rear stiffener thereof at the rear edge in engagement with a respective one of the rear legs or a transverse beam across the rear legs.

Abstract: A composite reinforcing rod is formed by providing a reinforcing material supply of fiber strands rovings; a resin supply bath, and a puller for pulling the resin-impregnated reinforcing material through the resin bath. A hot compression (or autoclave) apparatus includes two half autoclave molds, which can be arranged in a reciprocating die autoclave or a tractor die autoclave process. A mandrel or plastics tubing core may be used to form a hollow shape of the composite materials to get an external threaded composite tubing. The two autoclave molds have an internal thread and clamp to form the threaded section in the outer of the resin-impregnated reinforcing material. The molds press and squeeze the resin out of the impregnated fibers to the mold internal surfaces, and push the outer fibers longitudinal roving fibers toward the crest of the thread of the molds so that the thread when formed is reinforced by fibers extending into the core of the rod.

Abstract: A high pressure air supply duct is terminated by a termination receptacle defining a cylindrical housing with an inlet pipe connected to the duct and generally at right angles to the axis. The housing has one end closed and a mounting flange member at the open end for attachment of the housing to a mounting surface. A generally cylindrical damper sleeve has an open discharge end connected to a vent plate and an insertion portion extending to the bottom of the housing for receiving the air therefrom. The vent plate has a plate portion with a central perforated discharge area which is perforated for the passage of air therethrough and a peripheral surrounding flange and can be rotated about the axis of the housing to rotate the damper sleeve. The damper sleeve has a projecting notch engaging into a slot in the housing to hold it in place.

Abstract: Cathodic protection of an existing concrete structure, including a steel member at least partly buried, such as steel rebar, in the concrete structure, is provided by embedding anodes into a fresh concrete layer applied over an excavated patch and/or as a covering overlay. The anodes are embedded at spaced positions or as an array in the layer and connected to the rebar. A corrosion inhibitor is added into the fresh concrete at least at the interface and more preferably in admixture with the fresh concrete which acts to reduce the flow of ionic current to the steel or between the anode member and the steel in the fresh covering material without significantly increasing the resistivity of the fresh covering material and without inhibiting the ionic current between the anode member and the fresh covering material. In this way the current to the steel in the existing concrete is maximized to maximize the cathodic protection to the existing steel which is the primary target.

Abstract: A method of storing semen includes a series of carrying trays mounted on a rack mounted within a refrigerated container. Each tray supports a plurality of tubes containing the semen with the tubes having a main body being cylindrical in shave. The rack is arranged to store the samples in a manner such that the samples are continuously mixed. The rack provides movement to the tubes for mixing. The housing may rotate about an axis such that the tubes are moved about the axis or the housing may tilt the tubes such that the sample mixes that samples end to end. The tubes can be removed from the rack on the trays for use.

Abstract: A scheduling system which is arranged for automated schedule entry, revision and reporting is described.

Abstract: A Smart Parking Meter System makes it possible to track whether or not a vehicle occupies parking meter stalls and whether or not the time has expired. The system uses a wireless communication protocol which may be of the type known under the trade mark “Bluetooth” and provides the portability of embedded systems and the convenience of personal digital assistants with the powers of the C and Java programming languages. There are two main components to the Smart Parking Meter System, the handheld device, or the PDA, and the actual parking meters. Each device has the Smart Parking Meter System application installed in it, as well as the wireless modules, such as Bluetooth to use as a communication medium. The parking meters also have a motion sensor to detect any movement within it view range. The handheld device is able to extract all the parking states for each parking meter within a block or street depending on user configuration of system.

Abstract: A vibration monitor is mounted on a vehicle for monitoring vibrations in the axles and wheels of the vehicle which may indicate some type of failure associated with the wheels. The monitor includes sensors mounted on the axles which are connected to a control box for disabling the vehicle in response to receipt of a vibration signal from the sensors. The control box is arranged to vent the air brake circuit of the truck for applying the brakes of the truck if the control box receives a vibration signal from the sensors having a magnitude which exceeds an acceleration threshold and a duration which exceeds a time threshold determined by the control box. In one embodiment, electrical acceleration sensors are provided which transmit the vibration signals to the control box using an intermittent RF signal having a unique identification signal for indicating which sensor has recorded each vibration signal.