Abstract: The disease scoliosis is a rotational deformity of the spine and ribs, characterized by both lateral curvature and vertebral rotation. Idiopathic genetic scoliosis occurs about seven time more frequently in the female than in the male and accounts for about 80% of all cases of the disease. The deformity first appears in infants, juveniles or adolescents generally, and many school health programs in this country have screening programs for the early detection of the disease. On detection, the patient is referred to a specialist for treatment. Presently, however, over-referral of great numbers of children with very mild curvatures which do not require treatment is causing a large number of unnecessary x-rays and needless lost time and expense. The invention disclosed herein is a simple and convenient device for measuring the clinical deformity in patients with scoliosis which establishes objective criteria for screening and which can significantly reduce the number of over-referrals.

Abstract: The disclosure of this application is directed to a clean air tube which provides a constantly renewable source of purified air for loading into a medicament syringe prior to use of the syringe for withdrawing liquid medicament from a multi-dose vial. The tube is fitted with a clean-filtering membrane, through which ambient air is filtered upon being drawn into the tube. The disclosure also describes the sequence of steps involved in loading the syringe with clean-filtered air.

Abstract: A dimensionally stable, composite membrane of a microporous film in laminar contact with a continuous perfluoro ion exchange resin layer is provided. The composite membrane comprises a continuous perfluoro ion exchange polymer layer which has an original, as-prepared, length, width and thickness, the ion exchange polymer layer being in laminar attachment to a film of a microporous material, preferably porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE), the microporous film having essentially the same length and width as the as-prepared continuous perfluoro ion exchange layer. The perfluoro ion exchange layer is swollen with a hydrophilic liquid to an extent that the hydrophilic liquid exceeds 20% by weight of the swollen, continuous perfluoro ion exchange layer. The swollen ion exchange layer exhibits less than a 5% increase in either length or width from its original, as-prepared, state, but it exhibits a substantial increase in thickness over its original, as-prepared, state.

Abstract: A device for holding glass workpieces while they are shaped by a glassblower is provided. The device includes a hollow shaft handle to one end of which is affixed a clamping means. The clamping means is adjustable longitudinally along the shaft handle, and it may be rotated with respect to the long axis of the shaft handle and about the shaft handle. The clamping means is spring-loaded to provide to secure holding of the workpiece when in use.

Abstract: An improved cutting tool is provided, especially useful for hand shears. The cutting edge of the tool is made of a wear-resistant material of either: (a) 85% to 96% tungsten carbide and 15% to 4% cobalt, (b) 60% to 89% tungsten carbide, 4% to 28% tantalum carbide, 4% to 25% titanium carbide and 3% to 30% cobalt, or (c) 34% to 51% cobalt, 25% to 32% chromium, 14% to 21% tungsten, 2% to 4% carbon and one or more of the metals nickel, silicon, columbium, manganese and iron which, together, comprise no more than 16% of the material. For material "b", preferably the composition contains about 5% to 13% cobalt, 65% to 89% tungsten carbide, titanium carbide and tantalum carbide which, together, are present in an amount no greater than 30% of the composition of the material.

Abstract: A rotary lawn mower having a trimming attachment for trimming around fence posts and the like is provided. The trimming attachment assembly includes an auxiliary trimming blade mounted in a housing and attached to a swing arm assembly mounted on the primary mower housing. In the forward position, the trimming attachment extends outwardly from, but slightly overlaps, the mowed path of the primary mower. The trimming blade preferably is driven by the primary mower motor. As a fence post or the like adjacent the primary mower is encountered by the trimming attachment assembly, the trimming attachment assembly is pushed rearwardly by the obstruction and swings into the mowed path of the primary mower, during which process the grass near the fence post is cut. As the fence post or other object is passed, an actuator assembly forces the trimming assembly back into its original forward auxiliary cutting position.

Abstract: An integrated circuit element is provided, which may be an active or passive element, comprising a planar dielectric layer having a thickness 25 micrometers or less and a dielectric constant less than 3.4. The dielectric layer is preferably a fluoropolymer film coated or impregnated with a low ionic content resin. The preferred fluoropolymer is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and the preferred resin component is a low ionic content polymer having a low dielectric constant, high thermal stability, and low thermal expansion, formed by addition polymerization. "Planarity" is defined as the ratio of the height of the dielectric at a point where there is no feature beneath the layer divided by the height of the dielectric over a feature, including the thickness of the feature. All products according to the invention have planarity exceeding 0.8.

Abstract: Liquid degassing apparatus is provided wherein one or more porous, hydrophobic tubes are installed inside a vacuum chamber, each such tube having an atomizer located near its inlet end. As liquid to be degassed enters the tube, it is atomized and gas in the liquid passes out of the atomized liquid, through the porous tube and exits the vacuum chamber. The remaining degassed liquid exits the porous, hydrophobic tube through the downstream end of the porous tube and exits the chamber.

Abstract: Portable, lightweight apparatus for beach use is provided in which a generally tubular housing holds a wound up beach blanket on a convolute, spring-actuated roller wind-up mechanism. The housing has means for anchoring it into sand, pockets affixed thereto for carrying various items needed at the beach and handle means for ease of carrying. A user can carry the apparatus to the beach, anchor it into the sand, pull the towel out of the housing for use during sunbathing, use the various and sundry items carried in the pockets and, when finished, the user can roll the blanket back into the housing, detach the anchor and carry the apparatus away for use another day.

Abstract: A flexible housing for use in protecting one or more transmission lines in a pressurized environment is provided comprising a conduit contained within a protective outer jacket. The conduit is constructed of a plurality of conduit segments, each segment having an opening therethrough, the segments being arranged in series and caused to abut adjacent segments in such a way that the opening through each segment is in communication with the openings through each of the adjacent segments so as to provide a passage to contain a transmission line. Each segment is flexibly linked to its adjacent segments by coupling means.

Abstract: Liquid leakage detection apparatus is provided comprising: (a) a long detecting component wherein there are the following components bundled together: (i) a first conductor having a leading end and a trailing end, the first conductor covered by insulation, (ii) a second bare conductor having a leading end and a trailing end, the second conductor positioned parallel to the first conductor, the trailing end of the second conductor being connected with the trailing end of the first conductor, and (iii) a third conductor covered by a porous insulation and positioned parallel to the second conductor, (b) the leading end of the first conductor and the leading end of the second conductor being connected by the detecting means which detects and indicates a potential difference between the first and second conductors; (c) the leading ends of the first and second conductors also being connected, respectively, to one of the electrodes of a power supply, each through respective, known resistances; and (d) the third condu

Abstract: A composite semipermeable membrane is provided comprised of:(a) a flexible film of microporous hydrophobic material having a polar molecule vapor transmission rate in excess of 10,000 gms/m.sup.2 .multidot.24 hours, preferably 100,000 gms/m.sup.2 .multidot.24 hours, and an advancing polar liquid contact angle exceeding 90 degrees, and(b) a continuous, crosslinked amorphous hydrophilic layer penetrated to an extent into the face of the hydrophobic layer. The hydrophilic layer, when appropriately located in the structure of the microporous hydrophobic material provides a composite membrane having a polar vapor transmission rate of the complete ensemble comparable to or even exceeding that of the hydrophobic material alone, and simultaneously offering two mechanisms of separation; that imposed by the microporous layer and that imposed by the continuous, dense amporphous polymer layer, and as such is capable of numerous separation operations.

Abstract: Apparatus useful in practicing a karate kick is provided. The apparatus includes a frame, a vertically adjustable platform affixed externally to the frame, a rotatable slide assembly having a forward end and a rear pivot end, the rear pivot end being affixed to the frame adjacent the platform, the slide assembly extending internally within the frame. A foot slide block assembly is slideably engaged in the slide assembly so as to slide from an initial rest position adjacent the rear pivot end to a final fully-extended position adjacent the forward end of the slide assembly.

Abstract: An abrasion-resistant, tear-resistant, multilayer composite membrane, useful in electrolysis, is provided comprising a continuous perfluoro ion exchange polymer film attached to a reinforcing fabric by means of a porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE) interlayer. The fabric and EPTFE are rendered hydrophilic and non-gas-locking by coating the interior and exterior surfaces thereof with a perfluoro ion exchange resin of equivalent weight less than 1000. The composite preferably is treated with an ionic perfluoro surfactant. Also provided is a multilayer composite according to the above in which the continuous perfluoro ion exchange film is itself a multilayer construction of a perfluorosulfonate polymer and a thin layer of perfluorocarboxylate polymer in which the perfluorosulfonate polymer interfaces with the EPTFE and the interior and exterior surfaces of the EPTFE and fabric are coated with perfluorosulfonate polymer.

Abstract: A moisture-sensing hygrometric element is provided comprising an electrolytic moisture-sensing mechanism integrally formed on the surface of a porous substrate, the porous substrate being resistant to oxidation and reduction and resistant to acids, wherein the moisture-sensing mechanism comprises a pair of platinum group metal electrodes constituting an anode and a cathode and having a fluororesin-type cation exchange resin membrane layer thereover. The porous substrate may be porous ceramic or a porous fluororesin such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. The hygrometric element may have an additional covering layer thereover of porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. Also provided is a method for manufacturing the moisture-sensing hygrometric element.

Abstract: The invention comprises a unitized system of garments that prevents particulate matter from passing from the body of the person wearing the garments into the surrounding atmosphere or vice versa. Water vapor or other gases such as air are free to pass through the garment fabric which is a laminate of expanded, porous and gas permeable polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bonded to a porous and gas permeable backing material. Particulate matter is blocked by the very fine pores of the garment. The person is totally enclosed in the garments preferably presenting virtually a 100% external surface of nonlinting PTFE, and passage of water vapor or water vapor and air through the laminate is sufficient to allow breathability. In order to make practical putting the garment on and taking it off, and to eliminate gaps in the garment, separate pieces are required and particulate-proof barriers are required where the separate sections are joined.

Abstract: This invention provides a filter cloth assembly for use on a filter plate of a center-feed filter press, which comprises a two-part filter cloth with fittings for rapid and easy assembly on the filter plate, one cloth on each side. Methods of manufacture of the novel assembly and its parts and a new method for bonding otherwise incompatible plastics and elastomers are disclosed.

Abstract: A composite sheet material is provided comprising a porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene base sheet impregnated with a first resin that has a lower heat-shrinkability than the base sheet, the impregnated base sheet having a covering layer which has a thickness of at least three (3) micrometers and which comprises a second resin whose hardening rate is lower than that of the impregnating resin. The present invention is useful in printed circuit boards wherein prepregs according to the invention are laminated with a metal sheet, a resin sheet, or another printed circuit board.

Abstract: A process is provided for making a laminated board useful in printed circuitry. The process involves laminating a metal layer to at least one side of a sheet of porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene using an adhesive followed by compressing the polytetrafluoroethylene sheet to increase its density. The metal layer may be a metal foil or it may comprise electrical circuitry. Also provided are printed circuit boards produced by the aforesaid process.