Abstract: A centrifuge tube and adaptor apparatus is provided which facilitates separation of biological materials and permits easy extraction of a fraction after centrifugation. The tube is a deformable tube with a wide upper chamber and a narrowed lower portion. The tube is supported within the centrifuge rotor or within another container within the centrifuge by a liquid support medium, which surrounds and supports the narrow portion of the tube, and thus prevents the tube from collapsing during high speed centrifugations.

Abstract: An improved multi-unit analyzer is provided by virtue of the present invention. An analog-to-digital converter (A/D) digitizes a multi-unit signal, a pulse detector triggers when the multi-unit signal reaches a specified threshold, and a pulse sampler outputs a packet of samples of the signal around the point where the signal passes the threshold. The packet is then transformed into a point on a plane, the P-plane. The transformed point is compared to one or more rectangles in the P-plane, to determine if the point falls within any rectangle. If a point falls within a rectangle, a pulse is output on a line corresponding to the rectangle. This compare and output process is given a high priority. A low priority process displays the packet of samples in a window corresponding to the rectangle which encloses the point in the P-plane which results from the transformation of the packet of samples.

Abstract: This invention relates to novel oxetanes containing neopentyl difluoroamino groups. More specifically, mono- and bis-(difluoroaminomethyl)oxetanes are synthesized. These compounds are prepared by the direct fluorination of blocked neopentyl amines. These mono- and bis-(difluoroaminomethyl)oxetanes can be polymerized to form homopolymers and copolymers with load beating polyether backbones and highly energetic pendant groups. The homopolymers and copolymers of the present invention are useful as energetic binders in high-energy formulations, such as propellants, explosives, and gasifiers.

Abstract: A data processor, comprises: an instruction decoding unit which includes an encoding circuit encoding bit positions of "1" or "0" of a register list field represented by a bit string consisting of "1" and "0", in binary digits representing the register number from which or to which data to be transferred is transferred, and decodes the instruction to output a control code including the decoded result of an operation code field and the register number; an instruction executing unit which accesses a memory and executes the instruction; and instruction execution control unit which controls the instruction executing unit in accordance with the control code outputted from the instruction decoding unit to load data to the register indicated by the register number from a memory area, or to store data into the memory area from the register indicated by the register number, and is capable of executing the instruction for transferring plural data between the memory and register at high efficiency, by encoding the regis

Abstract: A technique for extending the data word size and the virtual address space of a pre-existing architecture so that hardware for the extended architecture also supports the pre-existing architecture. Extension of the data word size from m bits to N bits entails widening the machine registers and data paths from m bits to N bits and sign-extending entities of m or fewer bits to N bits when they are loaded into registers. Some of the m-bit instructions, when operating on N-bit sign-extended versions of m-bit entities, produce an N-bit result that may not correspond to the correct m-bit result, sign-extended to N bits. For these instructions compatibility requires that the instructions be further defined to guarantee a sign-extended result. This means that separate N-bit instructions corresponding to these m-bit instructions are needed. The support for up to an N-bit virtual address space is provided in part by widening the virtual address data paths.

Abstract: In a computer system having a central processing unit which employs software drivers as part of a host for controlling peripheral units and including a bus for connecting with adapters for the peripheral units, wherein each adapter has distributed intelligence means for interpreting simple command information and a nonvolatile storage element for storing default configuration information, including a default port address for communication, a method is provided for configuring such intelligent adapters connected to the bus.

Abstract: A catheter system is provided that includes an electrode array near the distal end of the catheter. High frequency current is supplied between the electrodes of the array and a common electrode to cause heating of material lying between the electrodes. The catheter may include means for steering it through the lumen. In a preferred embodiment, the steering means includes a plurality of steering wires in contact with the catheter body. The steering wires may be formed of a shape-memory alloy. Wires of such an alloy may be made to contract when heated above a preselected transition temperature. The wires may be heated by the selective conduction of electrical current through them. Conduction of current through the steering wires is controlled based on the current flowing through the electrodes of the array. An inflatable balloon may be included proximal to the electrode array for dilating the vessel after the occlusion has been penetrated by the electrode array.

Abstract: A test article for determining coagulation capability in a blood sample comprises a porous membrane having a coagulation initiator and substrate impregnated therein. The pore dimensions and composition of the membrane are selected so that only blood plasma can pass into the interior of the membrane, where coagulation is initiated. The substrate is activated by a component of the coagulation pathway, typically thrombin, and produces a detectable signal upon activation. By utilizing membrane matrix materials which are substantially free from interference with the coagulation pathway, accurate results can be achieved.

Abstract: A pill press (2), allowing the user to personally press pills (78) of a desired dose, includes a housing (4) having an interior (14) within which a supply of powdered pharmaceutical (36) is contained and a pill cavity form (22) mounted to the housing. Powdered pharmaceutical is transferred to the pill forming cavity (46) of the pill cavity form according to the dose desired. A manually operated pill ram (48) is used to compress the powdered pharmaceutical within pill forming cavity to create the pill. The pill ram is then withdrawn from the pill forming cavity and the pill is automatically ejected from the pill press through a pill outlet (82) formed in the housing by an ejector rod (56).

Abstract: An obturator (2) includes a hollow housing (4) with an obturator barrel (6) extending therefrom. The tip (172) of the obturator has a cutting element (40) and a safety shield (46). The safety shield is automatically rotatable from a cutting position, with the blade exposed, to a safe position, with the blade shielded, when the blade has passed through the tissue layer being pierced. The safety shield can be returned to the cutting position using a rearming device (128, 274) mounted to the housing at the proximal end of the obturator. The obturator barrel (6a) can be bent for use.

Abstract: A language processing system includes a mechanism for measuring the syntax trees of sentences of material to be translated and a mechanism for truncating syntax trees in response to the measuring mechanism. In a particular embodiment, a Score Function is provided for disambiguating or truncating ambiguities on the basis of composite scores, generated at different stages of the processing.

Abstract: Test articles comprise a solid phase membrane having dry thromboplastin immobilized thereon or within. The thromboplastin is substantially free from substances which might cause aberrant functioning intermediate transition states as the thromboplastin is rehydrated with liquid sample. Coagulation neutral agents which facilitate rehydration of the dry thromboplastin are also provided on the solid phase membrane.

Abstract: A robust technique for determining whether a field (43, 45, 47a-d) on a form (40'), which has been converted to a binary input image, contains a mark utilizes an approach of making an initial determination of the approximate location of the field, and then refining such determination. The form is assumed to have registration marks (fiducials) with the field at a known location relative to the fiducials. The fiducials are identified (50), and the approximate location of the field is determined (55) from the fiducial positions and the known relation between the fiducials and the field. At this point, a portion of the image (referred to as the subimage) is extracted (57). The subimage is typically somewhat larger than the field so that it can be assumed that the field is within the subimage. The field has machine-printed lines along at least part of the field perimeter.

Abstract: The fuel cell battery (10), comprising stacked modules (1) and using air and gaseous fuel as reactants, is arranged substantially axially symmetrically. A module comprises the following components: a three-layer, electrochemically active plate (2) which is free from holes and is composed of a solid electrolyte (20) conducting oxide ions as well as a gas and an air electrode (21 and 22); and a plate-shaped, metallic heat exchange element (5) for heating the reactants. According to the invention a porous layer (3) provides connection between the gas electrode (21) and the heat exchange element (5), the porous layer being electrically conductive and acting to equalize thermal stresses; this layer (3) forming further together with the electrochemically active plate (2) an integrated unit.

Abstract: An improved keeper pin mount and method for releasably locking an excavation tooth to an adaptor of an excavation bucket. The keeper pin has a wedge block and a wedge. The wedge block has a shear pin and a single replaceable tooth. The wedge has a series of teeth that progressively engage the single tooth of the wedge block. The single tooth has a spring steel projection bonded to a rubber block. This block is removably received in a recess in the wedge block. The rubber block bears against the adjacent inner surface of the recess of the wedge block. The wedge block is first put into place in the hole provided for the keeper pin; then the wedge is inserted in the hole, and the teeth progressively move past the single tooth of the wedge block. The resilience of the rubber block to which the single tooth is bonded allows the wedge block to be driven past the teeth of the wedge until the keeper pin is tightly in place. This causes the spring tooth of the wedge block to engage one of the teeth of the wedge.

Abstract: A new signal processing method solves the problem of fitting multiple lines in a two-dimensional image. The Subspace-Based Line Detection (SLIDE) algorithm formulates the multi-line fitting problem in a special parameter estimation framework such that a signal structure similar to the sensor array processing signal representation is obtained. Any spectral estimation method can then be exploited to obtain estimates of the line parameters. In particular, subspace-based algorithms of sensor array processing (e.g., the ESPRIT technique) can be used to produce closed-form and high resolution estimates for line parameters. The signal representation employed in this formulation can be generalized to handle both problems of line fitting (in which a set of binary-valued discrete pixels is given) and of straight edge detection (in which one starts with a grey-scale image).

Abstract: A method of removing fine contaminants from waste paper fibrous material (S) is described with solution (1) and pre cleaning (2) whereupon the fibrous material is first subjected to a washing treatment (3) and then to a flotation treatment (5). The washing filtrate (12) from the washing treatment (3) is cleaned in a filtrate-flotation treatment (4) so that a cleaned fraction (14) can be returned into the useful material (13) of the washing treatment. The so cleaned waste paper fibrous material can be passed to further treatment steps such as flotation, bleaching and/or dispersion. The reject material from the filtrate-flotation (4) is, in one embodiment, again subjected to a flotation treatment.

Abstract: A suture applying device comprises a shaft which carries a pair of needles near its distal end. The needles are joined by a length of suture, and the shaft is used to both introduce the needles into a lumen of a body structure and to push the needles back through tissue on either side of the puncture site. After the needles have passed through the tissue, they are captured on the shaft and drawn outward through the tract, leaving a loop of suture behind to close the puncture site near the body lumen. The suture can then be tied and the knot pushed back through the tract to complete the closure. Alternatively, a locking fastener formed of a resorbable material can be placed into the penetration over the sutures and the sutures tied over the fastener.

Abstract: Solid composite propellants are prepared by combining solid fuel and oxidizer particles, hydroxy-terminated prepolymers, and bonding agents which have polar functional groups to bond to the oxidizer particles and hydroxyl groups converted to isocyanate groups to bond to the binder. These bonding agents replace the non-reacted precursors as well as aziridine-type bonding agents in common use.