Abstract: A crop harvesting header includes a reel mounted on a pair of forwardly and downwardly extending arms carried on a header frame above a table and cutting knife. The reel is rotatable about a longitudinal axis and includes angularly bats. The arms can be raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders to raise and lower the reel. A linkage including a cable and bell crank is provided which is responsive to the forward and downward sliding movement of the main elongate beam along the support arms for simultaneously and automatically causing a raising movement of the reel support arms. The cable is slack over a rearward part of the movement so that no lifting occurs. The linkage is arranged relative to a forward and downward slope of the arms such that, over the forward part of the movement, the beam moves substantially horizontally to cause the reel to move forwardly of the knife without moving downwardly into engagement with the ground, for operating with the knife at ground level.

Abstract: A grain storage bin has a circular bin floor structure and a cylindrical bin wall upstanding from the floor. A bin aeration system includes a perforated air discharge tube mounted diametrically across the bin supported on a frame above the floor from one side with an air supply duct for supplying air from a fan through the wall. The floor structure is divided diametrically into two separate half sections. A rectangular discharge duct extends from a feed opening at a center of the bin horizontally under the horizontal support surface to a discharge outside the wall of the bin with a belt having parallel runs along the duct, a first opening at the center of the bin and a second opening adjacent the wall so that the material within the bin can fall onto the upper run of the belt to be carried to the side for discharge.

Abstract: A multipurpose tool is provided for use in levering materials relative to one another in the renovation and construction of building structures. The tool includes an elongate shaft having a gripping end and a working end. A pair of elongate blades are mounted spaced apart and perpendicularly to the shaft with the working end of the shaft therebetween. Each blade extends longitudinally from first penetrating end to a second engaging end in the form a steel plate which is oriented parallel to the shaft. A plurality of fulcrums are defined on a outer side of the blades opposite the gripping end of the shaft. An additional fulcrum is formed on the working end of the shaft between the blades.

Abstract: A novel near infrared spectroscopic technique was used to characterize the joints in arthritis with comparison against normal joints. A beam of near infrared light was passed to joints through a fibre optic cable. Scattered light was collected by the same fibre bundle and a spectrum of the joint computed. Multivariate pattern recognition techniques identified regions of the spectrum which allowed discrimination between healthy and affected joints. Linear discriminant analysis resulted in correct classification of 74% of the joints. The high degree of similarity between mean spectra representing the early, late and control groups along with the significant between—subject variability in the data make diagnosis based on visual assessment of the spectra impossible. Linear discriminant analysis was therefore applied to spectra to determine if spectra could be classified by statistical methods as arising from early or late RA. Application of LDA resulted in correct classification of 74% of the joints.

Abstract: The dressing chair is a bedside chair designed especially for elderly people to help them make a safe and easy transition from a prone position in their bed to (including dressing) that point in time at which they are ready to grasp any ambulatory device that they may use to continue with their daily activities. Likewise, it helps them make a safe and easy transition from their ambulatory device to (including undressing) a prone position in their bed, ready for a good nights sleep. The dressing and undressing activities in the aforementioned transitions are made safe by providing a sturdy seat to sit on during certain dressing tasks, and by rails on three sides for grasping during movements, or for leaning against during other dressing tasks. Dressing and undressing are made easy by the combined seat and rail designs which make it easy to transfer from a sitting to a standing position and vice versa, without the need for any artificial lifting devices.

Abstract: An underwater turbine arrangement is herein described. The water driven turbine comprises a housing having a shaft mounted for rotation about an axis therein. The shaft includes a plurality of flights arranged to drive rotation of the shaft. Mounted onto the housing is a funnel having a mouth greater in size than the housing and a discharge of similar size as the housing. Thus, water entering the funnel is constricted before being passed onto the housing, thereby increasing the force with which the shaft is rotated, thereby increasing the amount of energy produced.

Abstract: A tail set is provided for supporting a horse's tail thereon such that the tail is supported in a raised elevational and aligned straight with the horse's back for improved appearance of show horses. The tail set of the present invention is arranged to be secured to conventional bustle harnessing on the horse. The tail set includes a support member arranged to position the tail set on the horse's hindquarters and a curved trough rigidly supported on the support member for supporting the tail therein. The trough secures the tail between respective side members thereof to correct the tail of undesirable lateral deviations.

Abstract: A method of extracting cannabinoids, cannflavins, and/or essential oils from hemp and/or of producing a whole hemp extract lacking &Dgr;9-THC is herein described. The industrial hemp is harvested and the chaff is threshed from the seeds. The chaff is then ground and the ground chaff is extracted with an organic solvent. The extract is then loaded onto a chromatographic column selected to fractionate specific cannabinoids, cannflavins, and essential oils. In one embodiment, &Dgr;9-THC is fractionated out of the extract, producing a whole hemp extract lacking &Dgr;9-THC. In other embodiments, specific cannabinoids and related compounds of interest are fractionated out, thereby producing purified cannabinoids, cannflavins, and related compounds.

Abstract: An excavator and a method of use of the excavator is provided for use in excavating a trench having a pipeline extending along one side thereof in a longitudinal direction of the trench. The excavator is positioned adjacent the pipeline opposite the trench and includes a hydraulic arm arranged to extend over the pipeline and into the trench. A hydraulic clam bucket is mounted on a free end of the hydraulic arm for excavating earth from the trench. The arm includes articulation joints about both horizontal and vertical axes such that the base of the excavator adjacent the pipeline may remain fixed in relation to the pipeline as the bucket is guided within the trench.

Abstract: To perform multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging, a coil with a high signal-to-noise ratio and spatially uniform B1 field that covers the same volume of interest at several frequencies is preferred. A radio frequency surface coil probe that produces a homogeneous field within the same volume for both 31P and 1H is described. The probe provides signal to noise characteristics close to those of a single frequency double ring assembly. It acquired excellent proton images and 31P spectra from an image selected voxel in rat liver at 7 T. The probe uses a double ring construction where each ring is tuned by a parallel LC trap to two or more different frequencies. A calculation of the values of the inductance and capacitance allows the double coil arrangement to be tuned to the required frequencies with a peak of the homogeneity at each frequency occurring at the same distance from the coil and with good Q. The probe is powered by a driver coil adjacent to the probe by mutual inductance.

Abstract: An apparatus for deterring woodpeckers from tapping on and excavating within a utility pole or the like includes a housing having mounting flanges for direct attachment to the pole so as to receive vibrations therefrom. A transducer is attached to the mounting wall so as to convert the vibrations preferentially over airborne sounds into signals. A circuit compares the vibrations with a long term average and emits an output in response to detection above a threshold, whereupon the outputs are counted and if the number within a predetermined time exceeds a preset minimum a sound transmitter is actuated for emitting a deterrent sound externally of the housing. A memory contains a plurality of separate audible deterrent sounds including some of the same species and some of predators which act as a deterrent to the woodpeckers and these are selected sequentially and transmitted after a delay to avoid habituation.

Abstract: A display rack for displaying a plurality of rugs includes a plurality of generally upright elongate support posts connected side by side by a support frame with each post having mounted thereon for sliding movement therealong a respective one of a plurality of rug support assemblies. Each support post has a cable and winch inside the respective post for driving sliding movement of the respective rug support assembly between a lowered loading position and a raised display position with a motor mounted permanently on the post or on the mounting assembly and a manually operable switch for operating the motor. Each rug support assembly includes a front plate member in front of the post and a plurality of pivotal arms side by side across the plate member. A divider post is provided between each support post and the next upright at a position in front of the support posts so as to engage rug support arms to prevent side to side movement of the arms sufficient to cause interference therebetween.

Abstract: Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes are manufactured by continuously extruding polypropylene to form a web which is cooled and set and slit at transversely spaced positions into a plurality of side by side continuous tapes. After slitting each tape is drawn longitudinally and heat set to effect monoaxial orientation of the tape. A release coating to the first tape surface and a coating of a pressure sensitive adhesive to the second tape surface. Each continuous tape with the release coating and the adhesive coating thereon is wound into a series of cylindrical tape spools each containing a length of the tape.

Abstract: A wheelchair system is provided for use with conventional passenger vehicles. The system includes a wheelchair frame for supporting a conventional seat of the vehicle thereon for rolling movement along the ground. The wheelchair frame includes a lift frame which permits the seat to be supported thereon at various heights and inclinations relative to the ground. A portable ramp permits the wheelchair frame to be rolled in and out of the vehicle. A docking system mounts in place of conventional existing floor anchors in the floor of the vehicle for securing the wheelchair frame thereon in a transport position. The use of the wheelchair frame and the docking system permits a vehicle such as a mini-van to be adapted to transport a disabled person requiring the use of a wheelchair, with no structural modification required to the vehicle while providing a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing seat for the disabled person.

Abstract: There is described a quadrature radio frequency (RF) coil design to be used with appropriate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hardware to obtain images of the human body. The design provides good RF field homogeneity over a volume suitable for thoracic diagnostic imaging, and operates in quadrature mode as a transmit and/or receive coil. The design is for use with a 0.33 tesla permanent, C shaped magnet with a vertical main field but is of general applicability. The coil includes two parallel annular coils connected at top and bottom by two plate conductors. The plates are split longitudinally and transversely and connected across the splits by capacitors to define two modes of resonant oscillation which can be tuned separately and independently to the same frequency, where the modes define fields which are mutually orthogonal. The fields are at right angles to the magnetic field and to the plate conductors so that the sample can be inserted through the openings at right angles to the plates.

Abstract: A machine for forming helical coil comprises an elongate cylindrical mandrel which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, a stationary helical guide coil wrapped around the mandrel and defining a helical guide path around the mandrel between turns of the guide coil into which path the material is guided. At least two drive rollers parallel to the axis of the mandrel which are rotatable each about a respective longitudinal axis. A drive coupling member at one end of the mandrel for receiving a drive from a rotatable drive member. A mounting boss for supporting the mandrel so as to allow rotation of the mandrel while holding the mandrel against longitudinal movement, a coil support plate having one edge attached to the turns of the helical guide coil so as to support the helical guide coil along its length with the plate extending outwardly of the axis of the mandrel.

Abstract: An ostomy belt is described herein. Specifically, the belt is arranged to be worn around the waist of the patient and includes an aperture portion which extends in a downward direction from the line of the belt for connecting an ostomy bag thereto. The aperture portion includes a support member, in one embodiment, a concave steel plate which provides support for the ostomy bag and also supports the abdominal wall, thereby preventing the development of hernias. In one embodiment, the belt is constructed of leather, meaning that the belt is somewhat rigid and will not stretch, meaning that the belt provides greater support and comfort.

Abstract: A diverter is provided for use on an air seeder having fertilizer and seed conduits for conducting respective particulate material fertilizer and seed therethrough. The diverter includes a pair of tubes and coupling means for mounting the tubes in series with the respective fertilizer and seed conduits. A diverter tube is coupled between the pair of tubes for diverting a portion of the fertilizer from the fertilizer conduit into the seed conduit. A starter fertilizer is thus deposited with the seed while a remaining portion of the fertilizer is deposited spaced therefrom. The diverter can be installed in the conduits of an existing air seeder with minimal cost or tooling requirements.