Abstract: A radiographic fluoroscopic X-ray table including a rigid fluoroscopic staging apparatus where the spot film device is synchronized along the transverse axis with the X-ray tube by means of a telescoping shaft assembly. The telescoping shaft assembly engages a rack in the spot film device and drives a sprocket and chain system connected to the X-ray tube and collimator. The telescoping shaft also increases and decreases its length to accomodate the spot film device being moved up and down in the vertical direction above the table. The spot film device and the fluoroscopic staging aparatus are counterbalanced in the vertical direction and along the table's longitudinal axis through a system of pulleys, cables and counterweights. A power assist system is provided to drive the staging apparatus along the longitudinal axis of the X-ray table.

Abstract: An electrolytic apparatus is disclosed for recovering a metal from a solution in which the metal is present in ionic form. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes an elongated strip of plastic film coated on both sides thereof with conductive coatings to form anodic and cathodic surfaces. The film strip is located between two end plates to form a cell. The strip is formed into a spiral or helix so as to place the anodic surface opposite the cathodic surface. The cell is mounted within a canister and fluid passageways are provided to enable metal ion-containing solution to pass through the helical cell. Electrical leads are provided to equally distribute the plating current throughout the cell.

Abstract: A method and circuitry are disclosed for displaying the A-Trace of ultrasonic reflections on a video screen. The disclosed system provides means for writing pulse reflection data into memory, and means for selectively accessing the memory to place the data on the screen in graphical form. The data is stored and accessed in a format which is compatible with the scan pattern associated with the video display.

Abstract: In an affinity detection apparatus wherein the specific recognition of a first chemical for a second chemical is used to identify the presence of either, and being of the type normally including a receptical tray having at least one well sized to hold both an insertable member and a solution containing the first of said chemicals, andAn insertable member coated with the second chemical, the improvement comprising:The coated member and well being complimentary shaped so as to define a first thin passageway between the member and well along substantially all the well periphery.

Abstract: A novel housing structure for a high voltage power supply results in an easily replaceable electrical high voltage bushing. In this an elongated electrode is attached at an end to a support member and extends through an opening in a boundary plate, which is spaced from and supports said support member, and a hollow elongated electrical insulator, the "bushing," ensleeves said electrode and extends through said boundary plate opening to said insulating support means. A film coating is provided on the electrode and a like film coating is provided on the elongated insulator. The voids within the housing are filled with conventional "potting" material. The film coatings are moisture impervious to serve as moisture barriers and are indissoluble in, essentially, and nonadhesive with the potting material to allow detachment of the bushing.

Abstract: An unconventionally thin button-type primary electrochemical cell is described in which a pair of shallow, opposed, dished cover members formed of a conductive metallic material are positioned with an electrically insulating sealing gasket therebetween so that the respective cover members may act as terminals of the primary electrochemical cell. A thin preformed porous carbon cathode disc is fitted within and in mechanical and electrical contact with the inner surface of one of the cover members and a thin alkali metal anode disk is fitted within and in mechanical and electrical contact with the inner surface of the other of the cover members. A thin porous separator of electrically nonconductive material is interposed between the anode and the cathode. A quantity of an electrolyte solution comprising a solute dissolved in an inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent is diffused throughout the porous carbon cathode and the porous separator.

Abstract: A primary electrochemical cell is described in which a novel granular cathode material is utilized. The cathode is formed from about 40 to 99 weight percent of carbon black, at least 1 weight percent of a binder which is inert in the primary electrochemical cell and the remainder thereof is graphite. The cathode material may be formed by mixing the individual components together with a quantity of a suitable liquid to form a uniform slurry. The slurry is then dried at room temperature to remove the liquid. The dried mixture is crumbled into fine particles. The particles are cured at an elevated temperature to stablize the binder. The resulting material when utilized as the cathode material of a primary electrochemical cell provides a porous carbon structure of high surface area in which a network of large channels exists for continual diffusion of electrolytic solution to the carbon cathodic particles throughout the entire volume of the cell cathode regardless of the cell size.

Abstract: An ultrasonic dental scaler is disclosed having a handpiece which comprises an outer shell, housing an electromechanical vibrator. The vibrator consists of a magnetostrictive transducer positioned within an energizing coil located within the shell, an acoustical impedance transformer connected at one end to the transducer, and a dental work tool connected to the other end of the transformer. The transformer provides an acoustical transmission line between the transducer and the work tool. An o-ring is mounted inside the sleeve at the balance point of the transformer to form the sole support for the vibrator. The o-ring support causes the nodal plane of the vibrator to shift from its natural position to the supported position. This forced shift of the nodal plane from its natural position causes the frequency of the system to change from its otherwise induced frequency so that the transducer length may be shortened without forfeiture of the desired operating frequency employed by such scalers.

Abstract: A device for coupling a pair of optical fibers is disclosed comprising a resiliently compressible body for holding a pair of opposing protectively jacketed fibers in end-to-end abutment within an oversized bore. The body is symmetrically compressed about its central portion to reduce the bore cross-section to a fiber-engaging dimension around the bare fiber tips thereby securely aligning the fibers. Similarly, the body is compressed about its end portions to decrease the bore cross-section to a jacket-clamping dimension whereby stresses in the spliced region are distributed along the fiber jacket.

Abstract: A beam splitting system for use with a welding laser and having means for distributively directing an incoming welding beam along a pair of output optical paths is disclosed whereby a single welding laser may weld either sequentially or simultaneously at a pair of spatially-separated weld sites. For sequential welding, a bimodal beam switch is provided for alternatively switching the weld beam between a pair of alternate optical paths. For simultaneously welding, the bimodal beam switch is replaced by a dielectric beam splitter which divides the beam into transmitted and reflected beams simultaneously propagated along the pair of output optical paths.

Abstract: A tool for preparing the ends of optical fiber waveguides prior to such operations as splicing is disclosed. The tool is adapted for single-handed operation and comprises a pair of manually actuated handles, first and second fiber-supporting surfaces, and a third fiber-supporting surface interjacent the first and second. The optical fiber waveguide is secured to the first and second surfaces by a pair of clamps which are responsive to the squeezing of the handles.Once the fiber waveguide is secured to the surfaces, further squeezing of the handle produces separating rotation of a pair of jaw members to stress the fiber. A cutting blade, suspended above the third surface, is released by the manual actuation of a thumb latch positioned on the tool in alignment with the natural position of the operator's thumb when the handles are being squeezed.

Abstract: A laser beam intensity regulator is disclosed for independently regulating the relative intensities of the coaxial monochromatic beams eminating from a multi-wavelength laser. First, the monochromatic beams are spatially separated. Utilizing the shift of a dielectric mirror's pass band towards lower wavelengths as the angle of incident beam thereon increases, the regulator described herein includes a rotatable dielectric mirror placed in the path of the monochromatic beam to be regulated. The wavelength of the beam lies on the edge of the mirror's pass band so that the amount of light transmitted through the mirror changes as a function of the angle of incidence. The mirror is controllably rotated in response to the difference between the actual and desired beam intensities to maintain the beam at the desired intensity.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention comprises a method for stimulating organogenesis of explants in a tissue culture comprising the step of illuminating the explant culture during at least a portion of its differentiation stage with light having a predominate spectral emission of approximately 660nm.A second aspect of the invention includes the additional illumination of the explants with 740nm light, subsequent to an intervening period of preferably one to two weeks. The 660nm light primarily stimulates shoot formation while the 740nm light primarily stimulates root formation. The intervening period precludes photoreversibility of the initially obtained light effects.

Abstract: A primary electrochemical cell is described in which a novel granular cathode material is utilized. The cathode is formed from about 40 to 99 weight percent of carbon black, at least 1 weight percent of a mechanical binder which is inert in the primary electrochemical cell and the remainder thereof is graphite. The cathode material may be formed by mixing the individual components together with a quantity of a suitable liquid to form a uniform slurry. The slurry is then dried at room temperature to remove the liquid. The dried mixture is crumbled into fine particles. The particles are cured at an elevated temperature to stabilize the mechanical binder. The resulting material when utilized as the cathode material of a primary electrochemical cell provides a porous carbon structure of high surface area in which a network of large channels exists for continual diffusion of electrolytic solution to the carbon cathodic particles throughout the entire volume of the cell cathode regardless of the cell size.

Abstract: A continuous casting process is disclosed wherein a plurality of endless flexible belts converge and travel proximate to each other in a common vertical direction to define a travelling mold cavity between the belt faces. Bar shaped products are cast if molten material is poured into the top of a downward moving cavity. Tube shaped products are cast by injection of molten material into the bottom of an upwardly moving cavity.

Abstract: A hermetically sealed primary electrochemical cell is described together with a method for its production which is especially useful with electrochemical systems which include an electrolytic solution having a volatile solvent material. The hermetic seal is achieved by welding a glass-to-metal seal within a single opening in the outer casing of the primary electrochemical cell. In order to avoid volatilization of the solvent material during the welding process, a temporary seal is formed within the outer cell casing immediately above the elements forming the electrochemical system so the solvent material is insulated from the heat and any volatilized solvent material is effectively prevented from escaping during the time required to complete the weld. In a preferred form of the method, the entire assembly is chilled prior to the welding step to further reduce volatilization of the solvent material.

Abstract: A closed circuit TV camera with a fixed focus lens, is used to measure the vertical displacement from and longitudinal distance from an industrial robot arm to checkered-row target pattern, i.e., a row of alternate black and white squares. The pattern is located in a fixed spatial relationship with a targeted object and is identified by the appearance of a burst of pulses in the video output during the horizontal scan. The vertical displacement of the target pattern from the optical axis of the camera is obtained by averaging the vertical deflection voltages, when the pattern is first acquired and when the pattern is just lost. The longitudinal distance to the target plane is obtained from the pulse repetition frequency within the burst, which increases linearly with distance.

Abstract: A method for increasing the yield of recoverable sugar from sugar beets is disclosed, wherein the beets are illuminated during at least a portion of the night with light having a wavelength in the range of 560nm to 700nm.

Abstract: A tissue culture technique and a culture medium used therewith for asexually propagating a plurality of plants of the family Cruciferae are disclosed.According to one aspect of the invention, an excised portion of a donor plant is placed in a culture medium comprising organic and inorganic salts and a preferable concentration of 1 mg/l of Indoleacetic Acid, 0.5 mg/l of Kinetin and 40 mg/l of Adenine Sulfate. The medium induces the simultaneous initiation of buds and roots by the explant to form a plurality of plantlets which may be transplanted into soil for the timely initiation of food and medicinal crops.In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, the pre-culture storage of the requisite plant part in a convenient, disease-free, and pest-free manner is disclosed whereby callus from the excised portion of the donor plant is maintained on a first medium for subsequent transfer to the medium described above.