Abstract: A hybrid plasmid comprising at least the DNA of a bacterial plasmid, all or part of the DNA of the 2.mu. plasmid of yeast and a segment of DNA including the gene URA.sub.3.sup.+ of yeast. These plasmids are useful as vectors of exogenous DNA in yeasts.

Abstract: A method and a digital computer for providing the result of a calculation performed upon data having a floating point representation, with the number of exact significant figures in this result. With every mantissa of initial data is associated an item of error information having a floating point representation and which has a value of zero when the real value of the initial data and the value thereof in its digital representation coincide and which does not have a value of zero when the real value of the initial data and the value thereof in its digital representation do not coincide. The first operation is carried out by employing the digital representation and the item of error information of the mantissa in order to calculate a mean value of the mantissa of the result and the item of error information associated with the mean value.

Abstract: The invention relates to a selector device for the remote control of the position of a member 4 relative to a support 3 through a control means 8 acting at one end of a flexible traction coupling, particularly a cable 11, whose other end is connected, through connection means L, to said member 4. The connection means L comprise:a piece p provided with notches c whose number is at least equal to the number of positions to be given to said member 4;and means E, G, for moving the piece p, adapted to cooperate with the notches of this latter in response to the movements of the control means.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device sensitive to a temperature gradient or to a heat flow comprising at least one elementary cell formed by a thin layer made from a first electric conductor or semiconductor, such as constantan, coated with a very thin electrolytic layer of a second electric conductor or semiconductor, such as copper.It has been discovered that induced electric currents flow through the surface separating the conductors, the electric voltages observed in each of the conducting or semiconducting layers being proportional to the instantaneous spatial mean of the surface thermal gradient.The invention also relates to the application of such cells for measuring temperature gradients and heat flows and for converting heat energy into electric energy.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous method and device for obtaining from a long length of tubular knitted element, a sleeve with a turned back edge.The method consists in guiding the knitting by way of a tubular guide, with one end of said element projecting from the said guide, in turning back said projecting part by means of air jets and lateral gripping tongs, and in pulling forward the whole knitted element and cutting across the said element with a knife.The invention finds a particular application in the production of garment elements or trimmings, such as wrist-bands for gloves, cuffs for sleeves or polar necks.

Abstract: An internal combustion apparatus is disclosed having a linear output. A metered quantity of gas fuel is transferred between a cylinder head and the disc of a plunger reciprocable in a principal chamber between top and bottom end of stroke positions. In the displacement of the plunger to its bottom end of stroke position air and fuel are intimately mixed in a one-way flow path around the disc including nonparallel and/or burred orifices in a perforate plate attached to the plunger. The fuel may be liquefied gas fuel in which case it may be vaporized by the combustion gases exhausted from the principal chamber to the surroundings through an annular exhaust zone coaxial of throttle passageways for carrying fuel from the metering piston to the principal chamber. Alternatively, a pressurized gas fuel may be used in which case the pressurized gas is utilized in the operation of the plunger.

Abstract: A gas scintillation proportional counter, with a photosensitive layer, is coupled, through a UV transparent window, to a multi-anode proportional chamber filled with a gas mixture (for instance an argon triethylamine-methane mixture) having a large quantum efficiency for the UV photons. When detecting incident photons, there is obtained the good efficency of photosensitive layers and the satisfactory two-dimensional coordinate localization of multiwire proportional chambers.

Abstract: The same assembly is used to first record the homodyne spectrum from the light diffused from a single beam FL.sub.2, with a mask D.sub.1 masking the beam FL.sub.1. On the passage of a critical frequency f.sub.c, mask D.sub.1 is removed, the aperture of a diaphragm D.sub.2 is reduced, and the heterodyne spectrum produced by FL.sub.1 and FL.sub.2 is recorded as received by a photomultiplier PM and a spectrum analyzer AS.

Abstract: A handling device and installation for bringing to a second station, in a predetermined and fixed orientation and position, a piece, and in particular a supple piece in sheet form such as a fabric, situated in a first station in an approximative position. The installation includes photoelectric edge detectors for locating the position of the piece at the first station, drive motors for bringing and positioning a carriage opposite so-called gripping zones which are predetermined locations on the piece, and shoes for gripping the piece at the first station at the gripping zone and moving the piece to the second station whereby pieces of fabric are supplied in a predetermined orientation to a sewing station.

Abstract: Method for molding articles from agglomerated particles utilizes a press and a plurality of molds mounted to circulate in a closed path. After the pressing step a mold is aligned at one end of a row of molds, the row is placed under pressure and the articles therewithin caused to set. Simultaneously a mold is withdrawn from the other end of the row. The latter mold is then emptied, and the emptied mold returned to the press. The aligned molds are fastened together during the setting step. The invention includes apparatus for carrying out this process.

Abstract: With every numerical data there is associated an item of truncation information (TA1, TB1, . . . ) which is true or false according to whether its value is or is not truncated in the representation employed, the calculation is carried out a number of times while disturbing the development of at least one procedure independently of the others, the disturbance consisting during the course of each elementary operation of adding on occasion and at random a bit of the lowest significance to the mantissa of each number the associated item of truncation information of which is positive, and the mean value and the standard deviation of the different results provided are worked out in order to determine the number of exact significant figures in one of these results.

Abstract: A process for artificially modifying atmospheric precipitation wherein a liquid composition containing dimethyl sulfoxide as the principal ingredient is dispersed into the atmosphere from a container in microdroplet form having an average diameter ranging from 1 to 10 microns.

Abstract: A vehicle for the exploration of the atmosphere comprising an infra-red and olar montgolfier (hot-air balloon) capable of being piloted reversibly. The vehicle comprises a gas-tight envelope in which the upper part of the envelope is either transparent to or slightly absorbent of infra-red radiation, the outer face of the upper part of the envelope is slightly emissive in the infra-red region of radiation and the inner face of the upper part absorbs infra-red radiation so that ascending forces which act on the montgolfier are only obtained as a result of the heating of the gas contained in the envelope which is produced by the absorption of infra-red radiation.

Abstract: Gas adsorbents comprise at least one paracyclophane (or PCP) derivative, constituted by cyclic oligomers formed of mer-units which are interlinked so as to define a rigid structure with a substantially cylindrical intramolecular cavity. The dimensions of the cross-section of said cavity correspond substantially to those of the one or more types of gas molecules that it is desired to introduce therein.

Abstract: A biodegradable bone prosthesis or implant is made of a coherent material comprising calcium carbonate in crystalline form. The prosthesis or implant is in the form of a filler or replacement part for bone substance. It can also be in the form of a pin or screw.

Abstract: An improved fibrous scouring material is disclosed, that material comprising a fibrous band in the form of a three-dimensional lattice of drawn irregular fibers obtained from a plastic bilaminar film, those fibers being helically crimped and self-bonded together at their mutual contact points, the helically crimped fibers exhibiting sharp corner-edges and being interconnected by helically crimped fibrils. The thickness of the fibers is typically between 100 and 200 microns. The process for manufacturing such scouring material is also disclosed, which process includes steps of extruding a bilaminar film, drawing and fibrillating the film, stacking the fibrillated lattice and thermally treating same to induce crimping and self-bonding.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for positioning a supple piece in sheet form on a support surface and to a handling installation applying this process, whereby the piece on the storage support is gripped by two so-called gripping points, these points are displaced along parallel paths above the support surface so that one end of the piece trails on this surface, and each of said gripping points is released independently of each other, as soon as the trailing free edge of the piece passes through a respective point of alignment of the support surface. The invention is particularly applied to the automatic supply of a sewing station.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging device comprises transducers distributed along a line and operable at a frequency f. A generator delivers electrical pulses to time delay means which provide, in response to each electrical pulse, a plurality of low level pulses delayed by increased time delays in a number lower than the number of transducers. The distribution of the time delays between the transducers is stored in memory means and corresponds to focusing at a point located at a predetermined distance from the line. A plurality of amplifiers are each associated with an individual one of the transducers and deliver an energizing pulse to the associated transducer in response to a particular one of the low level pulses appearing on an associated channel of a bus line which is selected by the memory.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for handling sheet-like pieces, whereby a swell is made on a zone of a piece in sheet form by pressing the latter between the support and a pressing member, the piece is gripped at the level of this zone, between the pressing member and a finger, and the piece thus gripped is displaced with respect to the support. The invention is more particularly applicable to the handling of pieces of material stacked in a pile.

Abstract: The invention relates to new chemical compounds.They are compounds corresponding to formula Ia. ##STR1## in which: R'.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy radical; R'.sub.5 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy radical; or R'.sub.3 and R'.sub.5 together represent an epoxy bridge or a double bond; R".sub.5 represents a hydrogen atom or an ethyl radical; R'.sub.7 and R'.sub.8 are the same or different and represent a hydrogen atom or a methyl, hydroxymethylene, alkoxymethylene, aryloxymethylene, aminomethylene, monoalkyl or dialkyl aminomethylene, acylmethylene, arylaminomethylene, hydroxyethyl aminomethylene, alkylthiomethylene, aryloxythiomethylene or cyanomethylene radical; R.sub.1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl, formyl or acyl radical: R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkoxy radical; R.sub.7 represents an alkanoyloxy radical, the broken line representing an optional double bond.These compounds can be used as drugs.