Abstract: A non-lethal self defense device which applies a disabling electric shock to personnel desired to be disabled employs fluid cartridges for containing an electrically conductive fluid. The fluid cartridges each have a reservoir for holding electrically conductive fluid and a nozzle through which is expelled the electrically conductive fluid during operation of the device. A compressed gas cartridge supplies the force required for expelling the electrically conductive fluid as a pair of continuous streams. The cartridges are supported by a frame whereby the nozzle portions of the two of the fluid cartridges are aimed in substantially the same direction. A displaceable linkage responsive to release of the compressed gas from the gas cartridge causes the electrically conductive fluid to be expelled. An electrification system, which may include an oscillator and coil arrangement powered by a standard battery, supplies electrical energy to the streams of electrically conductive fluid.

Abstract: A system for removing the effects of Compton scattering in systems such as tomographic scanning and radioisotope imaging arrangements, which detect gamma rays, utilizes the smoothness of the Compton component over the image to reduce computing time. Data responsive to energy states of the photons which are detected are received and values corresponding thereto are stored in at least one memory location. In some embodiments, where imaging is the ultimate function of the gamma ray detection system, the data correspond to predetermined image grid points. Also, the data which is stored is processed so as to be separated into a first data set corresponding to unscattered ones of the detected photons and a second data set corresponding to scattered ones of the detected photons. Such processing utilizes least squares fitting analysis, such as the known Golub method. The first data set is summed within specified limits, for determining a number of the unscattered ones of the detected photons.

Abstract: A drum of the type having first and second drum heads on opposite ends thereof is provided with first and second bearing hoops, each such bearing hoop being associated with a respective one of the first and second drum heads. Each bearing hoop is provided with an annular bearing ring member which communicates with a respectively associated one of the drum heads, and a bearing hoop coupling means, which is affixed to the annular bearing ring member, and has a plurality of through-holes therein. The drum is further provided with first and second counter hoops, each such counter hoop being associated with a respective one of the drum heads, and provided with an annular counter hoop ring member having an annular bearing edge for communicating with an outward side of the annular drum head ring of its associated drum head. Counter hoop coupling means are affixed to the annular counter hoop ring member and are also provided with a plurality of through-holes therein.

Abstract: An insert for a roller bottle of the type used in cell culture for vaccine manufacture is formed of a polymeric resilient material whereby it can be bent or rolled so that it can pass through the opening of the roller bottle. Once the insert is inside the bottle, it is released so that its resilient characteristic causes it to unbend or unroll. The insert is wider than the diameter of the roller bottle, and therefore it is urged against the interior wall of the roller bottle. Apertures and/or notches are provided in the insert to increase the turbulence of a fluid and to decrease the fluidic shear forces in the roller bottle as it is rotated in conventional operation. A significant increase in productivity is achieved because particles, which may be microcarrier beads, are maintained in suspension, and prevented from sinking to the bottom of the fluid medium where cells cannot grow. The roller bottle system is thereby transformed into a microcarrier suspension culture system.

Abstract: A system for controlling muscular responses in living beings utilizes electrical stimulation of the muscle and acoustic monitoring of muscle performance. In one aspect, muscle functioning during a physical activity can be monitored acoustically, and the resulting signal compared against predetermined signal characteristics. Deviation of the muscle function from the desired characteristic can be corrected by applying a responsive electrical signal. Additionally, the response of a muscle to electrical stimulation can be monitored acoustically and an appropriate responsive correction to the electric signal, such as in its amplitude, frequency, spectral composition, duty cycle, can be made. In this manner, the invention permits control of muscle functions in dynamic and static states.

Abstract: A filter bag enclosure for containing a laboratory animal and a carrier therefor during transportation is provided with lateral and top seals which prevent gaseous communication with the laboratory animal therewithin except through the filter medium which forms the lateral sides of the filter bag. In accordance with the invention, the lateral edges of the filter bag are sealingly joined to one another by the application of acoustic energy. A length of sealing material, which may be polyethylene, is advantageously interposed between the edges prior to the application of the acoustic energy so as to enhance the reliability of the lateral seals. The top portion of the filter bag is provided with polyethylene strips joined thereto, illustratively by the use of ultrasonic acoustic energy. After the laboratory animal and its carrier is installed inside of the filter bag, the filter bag may be closed by conventional heat sealing of the polyethylene top strips.

Abstract: Heparin in an extracorporeal blood flow circuit is removed from the blood flow with the use of a filter which contains immobilized protamine on a blood-compatible support. In medical procedures where blood is processed in an extracorporeal device, such as an artificial kidney, or a heart-lung machine, the blood is heparinized to prevent clotting thereof in the channels of the extracorporeal device, and the formation of thrombi. In accordance with the invention, the processed, heparinized blood is conducted to a filter arrangement wherein protamine is held immobilized on a support formed of a blood-compatible material. Such an arrangement actually removes heparin from the blood rather than merely negates the anticoagulation effects of the heparin, as is the case in conventional protamine infusion therapy. In the present invention, the extracorporeal blood which is returned to the patient is substantially free of both heparin and protamine.

Abstract: The amount of time required to produce a luminant output signal at the rear of a vehicle in response to the application of a brake is reduced by preheating the filament of the brake lamp and applying an overvoltage thereto when a brake switch is closed in response to the application of the brake. In accordance with the invention, preheating of the filament is achieved by switching a transistor in series with the filament at a fairly high frequency. The duty cycle of the switching operation can be adjusted to conduct a preheat signal through the lamp which results in little or no radiation of light from the filament. This corresponds to a filament temperature of approximately 2000.degree. K., and an increase in temperature of only approximately 800.degree.0 K., is required to produce a normal steady state rated illumination for the lamp.

Abstract: A belt filter press-type apparatus receives a partially dewatered "cake" comprising a liquid/solid suspension which has been processed by conventional liquid/solid separation equipment; the apparatus removing additional moisture from the cake. The apparatus comprises two liquid-permeable belts which are driven by belt driving means along respective predetermined paths. The belts, however, share respective portions of their paths substantially in common. The cake is sandwiched between the two belts and driven through the common portions of the respective belt paths. The combination of the belts with the the cake interposed therebetween meanders around a plurality of rollers which create tension and pressure on the belt and the cake, thereby driving part of the liquid content out of the trapped suspension.

Abstract: A liquid scintillation counter system utilizes multiplexing to achieve monitoring of a plurality of scintillation samples using relatively few sensors, such as photomultiplier tubes, each such photomultiplier tube, in a specific embodiment, receiving light generated by scintillation events in a plurality of the scintillation samples. Each scintillation sample, which may be contained in a vial, is coupled by means of light guides to at least two of the photomultipler tube. Some background noise is eliminated by use of discriminators which establish a predetermined threshold level for the magnitude of the outputs of the photomultiplier tube, above which the pulses are countable. Coincident circuitry is used to determine the presence of a scintillation event, and thereby issue a coincidence pulse which is counted. In accordance with the invention, n photomultiplier tubes can be used to monitor (n/2)(n-1) samples.

Abstract: A robust model reference controller which supplies manipulated variables for controlling a multi-input multi-output process of the type which may not be modelled perfectly consists of a pre-compensator, a diagonal filter, and a post-compensator. The input signals to the robust model reference controller are first projected dynamically into decoupled signals by the pre-compensator. The diagonal filters then filter the decoupled signals individually. The filtered signals are projected back dynamically to the manipulated variables for the controlled process. The filter can easily be tuned to attain the optimal response of the closed-loop system with a given bound of model uncertainty.

Abstract: Chemiluminescence is detected in a luminol solution free of metal ions flowing through a porous material to indicate the presence of certain nitrogen-containing gases. Continuous monitoring of atmosphoric gases is possible through use of the described methods and related apparatus.

Abstract: A system for examining the color vision response of a human being utilizes substantially identical multicolor LEDs to function as reference and comparison color light sources. In one embodiment, the colors emitted by the LEDs are controlled by respectively associated voltage dividers. The voltage divider which cooperates with an LED to produce a reference color, is provided with a switching arrangement whereby one of a plurality of reference color compositions can be selected. The comparison color light is controlled by a voltage divider which is substantially continuously adjustable.

Abstract: Very large dynamic RAM integrated circuits are rendered self-testing by using on-chip generation of data test patterns with very high fault coverage, and concurrent testing of storage cell subarrays to reduce overall testing time. A test generator, which may operate in combination with the refresh control and timing system of the RAM integrated circuit, supplies the initial data test pattern which is loaded into the storage arrays. The conventional sense amplifier array is modified, and coupled with a gate control system for shifting data in each column of each storage subarray to an adjacent column. Alternatively, a two-terminal bilateral storage cell may be used to effect the shifting function, which effectively converts the memory into a shift register. The use of complementary data test patterns will permit detection of symmetrical faults within storage arrays.

Abstract: Acoustic signals generated by muscles during contraction are used, in accordance with the invention, to generate signals responsive to muscle activity, measure muscle fatigue and excitation-contraction decoupling, provide a biofeedback response, control cybernetic systems, and control prosthetic devices. Such myoacoustic signals, when compared against myoelectric signals permit the extent of contraction of muscles to be compared against the excitation thereto. Moreover, a plurality of such myoacoustic signals can be compared synchronously against one another in a multichanneled recorder to analyse dynamic muscle problems, such as situations which result in poor posture and improper gait. These myoacoustic signals can also be used to drive prosthetic devices which are currently driven by myoelectric signals. It is an advantage of the present invention that myoacoustic signals can be analyzed using circuitry which is currently available and in use for analyzing myoelectric signals.

Abstract: A sensor arrangement for monitoring ionic concentrations in fluids uses anion-selective membrane formed of N,N'-dibenzyl-N,N'-diphenyl-1,2-phenylenedioxydiacetamide suspended in an inert carrier, such as PVC having a high molecular weight. The membrane is disposed on a porous ceramic plug which permits wetting of the side of the membrane facing the plug with an internal fluid of the system, such as saline. The other side of the membrane communicates with the fluid to be assayed, which in certain intravenous embodiments may be the blood of a patient. In one embodiment, the system is provided with a reference electrode which is arranged to communicate with the fluid being monitored via a dialysis membrane. High impedance electronic circuitry produces a signal indicative of the ionic concentration in response to a potential appearing across the reference and sensor electrodes.

Abstract: Modified clay is a general purpose sorbent for the removal of trace organic pollutants from process effluent streams. An expandible smectite clay, such as montmorillonite, is placed in an aqueous suspension to expand the layers. The expanded clay is then treated with an excess of a solution of hydroxy-aluminum, in particular, a hydroxy-aluminum solution having an OH.sup.- /Al ratio of about 2.54 and a pH in the vicinity of 4.5. The weight of clay to volume of hydroxy-aluminum solution may vary from about 1:10 and 1:25. The treated clay is filtered, washed, dried, and powdered by techniques well known in the art, and then the entire treatment sequence is repeated. The modified, powdered clay removes organic pollutants from industrial effluent in the ppb-ppq range. In particular, the modified clay is useful in removing traces of PCBs and Dioxin.

Abstract: Methods for modulating and demodulating digital data streams utilize a quadrature-quadrature phase shift keying data transmission arrangement to acheive a 100% increase in the bandwidth efficiency over known systems, such as minimum shift keying. Known arrangements utilize two dimensional data transmission. However, Q.sup.2 PSK, in accordance with the invention, provides four dimensional transmission which doubles the rate of data transmission for a given bandwidth, at the expense of approximately 45% increase in the average energy per bit. The input data stream is demultiplexed to form four demultiplexed data streams which are formed of demultiplexed data bits, each such stream being coded to form a stream of data words formed of a predetermined number of data pulses and a parity check bit. Each such data stream is combined with a signal having carrier and data pulse-shaping components.

Abstract: Functional electrical stimulation of regions of the skin of disabled individuals is achieved by delivering an energizing electrical signal via an electrode located in the region where the development of pressure sores is desired to be inhibited. Such electrical stimulation produces pressure variations as a result of tissue undulation at the interface where the skin of the human being meets a surface, such as the seat of a wheelchair. Additionally, blood flow is increased, muscles operate as blood pumps, and tissue bulk is increased. Electrical stimulation can be used to improve the conditioning of muscles of individuals who have been disabled for a long period of time, and the muscles have consequently atrophied, so that the beneficial effects of electrical stimulation to prevent or reduce the possibility of pressure sores is achieved.

Abstract: A new cultivar of Dieffenbachia characterized by a dark green, irregular margin, enclosing an almost white to delicate light green interior, sprinkled with irregular spots of dark green. Midrib and veins show a prominent white coloration in vivid contrast to interveinal areas. Type of growth is erect, compact, and vigorous.