Abstract: A pipeline pumpable coal-water slurry having a novel combination of coal particles and carrier water is prepared by a method wherein the particle sizes and their distribution are controlled in accordance with a particle size distribution formula which is especially beneficial for providing a novel coal compact with a minimum amount of void space between particles and a maximum amount of particle surface area with an advantageous amount of colloidal sized particles present. These features combine to enhance the dispersing effects generated by electrolytes and/or dispersing agents selected and added to the coal compact and/or slurry to provide a near maximum zeta potential to the particles in the slurry and to provide low viscosity to the resulting yield pseudoplastic coal-water slurry. Brookfield viscosities obtained, e.g. 1000 cps, or less, at 60 rpm with 75 wt. % coal, dry basis, make the coal-water slurry especially advantageous for transport by pipeline over long distances.

Abstract: Simple arenes, aryl alcohols, aryl acids and aryl amides are reacted with an electrophilic thallium salt to provide arylthallium intermediates; and thereafter, the arylthallium compound is directly carbonylated by reacting with carbon monoxide in the presence of a noble metal carbonylation catalyst, such as palladium halide salts. The carbonylation reaction provides an excellent yield at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and is catalytic with respect to the noble metal salt.

Abstract: The rotary tiller slot planter of the present invention comprises a subsoiler shank positioned to engage the soil and make a trench therein. A pair of rotary tiller blades are rotatably mounted on the opposite sides of the sub-soil shank in planes parallel thereto. The centerlines of the rotary tiller wheels are located behind the subsoil shank. Each of the wheels have a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from the rotational axis thereof and terminating in outer radial ends which engage the soil slightly ahead of the subsoiler shank and adjacent the lateral edges of the trench. A seed tube shank is positioned behind the subsoiler shank and between the tiller wheels. The seed tube shank has a lower end positioned to extend below the soil surface. A seed tube is positioned behind the seed tube shank for depositing seed in the soil. The rotation of the blades on opposite sides of the subsoil shank causes the soil to be mechanically aggregated and aerated and helps prepare a seed bed for the seeds.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the combined biological-chemical detoxification of municipal sewage sludge. A slurry of thickened primary sludge and secondary waste-activated sludge is fed to an enclosed insulated reactor vessel. The slurry is aerated with ambient air by a self-aspirating aerator to achieve autoheating of the slurry to thermophilic temperatures by the conservation of the metabolic heat of microbiological oxidation of the biodegradable organic material present in the slurry. The slurry is retained in the reactor for a period of time sufficient to destroy pathogenic bacteria and to increase the oxidation reduction potential of the biological reactor contents for the conversion of heavy metals to their desired oxidation state, following which the autoheated slurry is acidified to pH 1.0-3.0 for 6 to 12 hours to solubilize the heavy metals. Conventional dewatering techniques are used to separate the detoxified, acidic sludge and the acidic, heavy-metal-containing water.

Abstract: Relatively dilute aqueous solutions of ethanol are concentrated by passage through a bed of a crystalline silica polymorph, such as silicalite, to adsorb the ethanol with residual dilute feed in contact with the bed, which is displaced by passing concentrated aqueous ethanol through the bed without displacing the adsorbed ethanol. A product concentrate is then obtained by removing the adsorbed ethanol from the bed together with at least a portion of the concentrated aqueous ethanol used as the displacer liquid. This process permits ethanol to be concentrated from dilute fermentation beers, which may contain from 6 to 10% ethanol, to obtain a concentrate product at very low energy cost having an ethanol concentration in excess of 95%, such as a concentration of from 98 to 99.5%.

Abstract: Homogeneous transition metal complex catalysts for organic industrial processes are converted to catalysts which are heterogeneous with respect to the reactants, and which have substantially equal catalytic activity to the homogeneous catalysts. This is done by reacting a normally homogeneous transition metal complex catalyst with a metal bridging ligand which substantially duplicates the ligand moiety of the metal complex, to provide a polymerized, normally solid, heterogeneous phase, transition metal complex catalyst.

Abstract: Chemically-modified quaternary-structured fiber collagens of minimum molecular length, diameter and periodicity, and containing a relatively high positive electrostatic charge are claimed as hemostatic agents. Specific examples are guanidinated, esterified, and guanidinated-esterified collagen fibers of the type described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to diamond targets for carbon K x-ray generators and to a method for exposing x-ray sensitive resists to carbon K x-rays using an x-ray generator with a diamond target. It has been discovered that diamond targets, preferably of Type IIb diamond, will dissipate considerably more power and thus produce higher intensity x-rays than graphite targets despite diamond's lower limiting temperature. Such x-rays allow one to expose an x-ray resist through a mask in only 67 seconds and achieve a resolution of 0.2.mu..

Abstract: A low-temperature grain drying/aeration system includes a controller having an initialization circuit which is programmed on the basis of long term computer simulation of the low-temperature drying process to respond to inputs representing initial conditions such as harvest date, harvest moisture and air flow rate, and control a dry down indicator to indicate the probability of drying success and the time of completion of the drying. The controller responds to control outputs provided by the initialization circuit to provide humidistatic control of fan and heater operation during the drying operation, and to permit heater operation only when supplemental heat is desirable. At the end of the normal drying season, the controller automatically transfers operation from the drying mode to an aeration mode to provide periodic ventilation of the stored grain, and effects shut down of the system when conditioning of the grain is completed.

Abstract: An improved camera shutter system which employs the principles of frustrated total internal reflection as a means for controlling transmission of light to a camera film. The shutter is comprised of at least two prism elements, one facing the other and one movable with respect to the other, to allow a common adjoining surface to move from a closed position to an open position wherein the surfaces have a space or gap therebetween. When the surfaces are open having a space or gap in between, the gap is at least just slightly larger than a wave length of light, with the result being that light is reflected rather than transmitted from one prism to the other. When the gap is closed, light is transmitted directly through one prism into the other and from there to a film positioned behind the second prism.

Abstract: A planter for seed crops, such as grains. A wheeled framework supports the apparatus for movement about a field. At the front of the framework is a row of transversely spaced chisels which produce tilled areas parallel to the path of movement of the framework and separated from one another by strips of untilled soil. Each chisel carries a roller that breaks up any resulting clods of soil. Liquid fertilizer is directed to the tilled areas by delivery conduits extending along the rear of each chisel to their respective lower ends. The rollers provide a cover of soil to the liquid fertilizer. A drill apparatus is mounted to the framework behind the chisels, with individual openers in longitudinal alignment with the respective chisels for planting seeds in the tilled soil at an elevation above the elevation at which fertilizer has been supplied and without the strips of untilled soil.

Abstract: A method and means of preventing heat convection in a solar pond is disclosed with the means comprising a liner element adapted to cover the sides and floor of a solar pond with the liner element having a bottom portion corresponding to the floor of the pond and side portions corresponding to the sides of the pond and a plurality of membrane elements extending between the sides of the liner element and sealably connected thereto so as to form a plurality of liquid layers with each said layer being fluidly sealed from the immediate adjacent layers and the membrane elements being of a transparent film material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for treating mammalian spermatozoa with amphipathic amines in order to induce loss of fertility and/or head-tail cleavage of the sperms under mild physiological conditions. In the presence of primary alkyl or cycloalkyl amines containing between 4 to 7 carbon atoms at concentrations of about 15 .lambda./ml, sperms are rapidly dissociated into heads and tails under physiological pH- and temperature-conditions. Further disclosed are topical contraceptive compositions containing amphipathic amines.

Abstract: A first circuit having resistive impedance R.sub.2 is to be electrically matched to a second circuit having resistive impedance R.sub.1 being at least twice as great as R.sub.2. To match them a transmission line transformer is provided with at least one partially reflecting characteristic impedance discontinuity. For instance, two cascaded sections of equal propagation delay length with characteristic impedances Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 are able to be employed. Then the input end of the Z.sub.1 transmission line is connected across the first circuit. The Z.sub.2 line has output conductors connected in series with the second circuit across the first circuit. Each line is advantageously wound in the form of a coil around its respective toroidal core. Energy from one of the two circuits acting as a generator passes into each end of the line and is reflected and transmitted at the discontinuity with the remarkable result that for properly selected Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.

Abstract: An efficient synthesis of quinone pyrano-gamma-lactone antibiotics such as kalafungin and the new compound 9-deoxykalafungin in four basic steps from readily available starting materials. The key step in which all of the carbon atoms present in the target molecule are assembled is the addition of an alkoxy furan to a two position functionally substituted 1,4 naphthoquinone. This is followed by alkylating to provide protecting groups, hydride reduction, removal of the protecting groups, internal cyclization and by oxidative dealkylation to provide practical overall yields of the desired antibiotics.

Abstract: Solvent pretreating coal fines prior to briquetting to provide coal briquettes which have no added binder and which will withstand weathering conditions better than binder containing briquettes. The solvents are generally described as organic Lewis base solvents which are capable of electron donor action, and include among others, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and ethylene diamine.

Abstract: The solids of whey permeate obtained by ultrafiltration are converted to a triglyceride oil-containing yeast cell mass by fermentation with fat-producing strains of Candida curvata. For maximum oil yield, the fermentation is continued until at least 90% of the lactose has been consumed, such as 98 to 99% of the lactose. The resulting oil-containing yeast cell mass can be further processed to prepare animal feed materials, and/or for recovery of the oil by extraction. The spent fermentation medium has relatively low COD indicating that the fermentation not only removes the lactose but also most of the other organic material.

Abstract: A micromethod for the determination of steroids in human body liquids, in particular blood, is disclosed. A small sample of the liquid is transferred to a sheet of absorbing material, e.g., filter paper. A disc of the impregnated paper, containing the dried sample, in eluted with an aqueous solvent, e.g., a buffer solution. Without separating the paper from the elute, the latter is extracted with an organic solvent. A steroid-containing residue is recovered from the organic extract and is subjected to a conventional radioimmunoassay. The method is particularly suited for the detection of disorders with elevated steroid levels such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia in newborn infants by determining the 17.alpha.-hydroxy-progesterone concentration in small blood samples.

Abstract: Non-porous, Alfred shale terra sigillata coated ceramic utensils, such as cooking pans, pots, plates, cups and heating and serving dishes, having non-sticking food-contacting surfaces are provided for use in the preparation and/or serving of foodstuffs. The ceramic utensils comprise a ceramic body and an Alfred shale terra sigillata coating on said body, both body and coating preferably being made from Alfred shale.

Abstract: A new cultivar of geranium plant distinguished by flowers that have a delicate pink coloration that intensifies under high temperature and light intensities, the very large size of its inflorescence clusters, and a continuous and abundant flowering habit throughout the year with adequate length of photoperiod. This new plant is more compact and free branching and, because of its greater number of stems and a consistent tendency to produce flowers on a 2-4 node cycle, has a greater flowering potential than its predecessors.