Abstract: In a method of removing acidic compounds, color, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and for removing or converting hydrocarbons containing heteroatoms from petroleum distillates, phase transfer catalyst is employed to facilitate the transfer of inorganic or organic bases to the substrate of the distillate. An inorganic or organic base, a phase transfer catalyst selected from the group including quaternary ammonium salts, polyol ethers and crown ethers, and used oil distillate are mixed and heated. Thereafter, contaminants are removed from the used oil distillate through distillation. A solvent is then mixed with the resulting distillate to extract contaminants therefrom. The solvent is recovered and distilled to separate the contaminants therefrom, and is then reused. The petroleum distillate having the contaminants separated therefrom is also distilled to remove any remaining solvent therefrom, with the recovered solvent being reused.

Abstract: In a method of removing acidic compounds, color, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and for removing or converting hydrocarbons containing heteroatoms from used oil distillate, phase transfer catalysts are employed to facilitate the transfer of inorganic or organic bases to the substrate of the oil distillate. An inorganic or organic base, a phase transfer catalyst selected from the group including quaternary ammonium salts, polyol ethers and crown ethers, and used oil distillate are mixed and heated. Thereafter, contaminants are removed from the used oil distillate through distillation.

Abstract: In a method of removing acidic compounds, color, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and for removing or converting hydrocarbons containing heteroatoms from used oil distillate, phase transfer catalysts are employed to facilitate the transfer of inorganic or organic bases to the substrate of the oil distillate. An inorganic or organic base, a phase transfer catalyst selected from the group including quaternary ammonium salts, polyol ethers and crown ethers, and used oil distillate are mixed and heated. Thereafter, contaminants are removed from the used oil distillate through distillation.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel methods and materials for detecting the presence of a fungus in a biological sample. The inventive methods and materials exploit the fact that the amino acid sequence of the saccharopine dehydrogenase molecule is highly conserved in fungi. Inventive hybridization probes, nucleic acids, PCR primers, antibodies, epitopes, reagents and methods are provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides materials and methods for sensitively and selectively screening biological samples for the presence of Candida albicans, a fungal pathogen of increasing clinical concern. Specifically, nucleic acids, reagents, and primers for DNA amplification are provided that will allow amplification of a 526 base pair oligonucleotide from DNA containing Candida albicans. Methods for using such primers in DNA amplification are also provided.

Abstract: Ice nucleating agents are introduced into or on invertebrates. They elevate the supercooling point of such invertebrates. Where such invertebrates are freeze-intolerant, they may be killed or made susceptible to freezing by subjecting them to temperatures at or below the elevated supercooling point. Food sources treated with ice nucleating agents can be used to introduce the agents effectively to the invertebrate.

Abstract: A method for controlling the addition of cationic additive materials to a paper mill slurry used to neutralize the anionic contaminants in a papermaking process is disclosed which utilizes total organic carbon measurements of samples of the slurry as an indicator of the cationic demand of the paper mill slurry. The method of the present invention discloses the discovery that measurements of the total organic carbon taken from filtered samples of the papermaking slurry correlate very well to cationic demand measurements of a papermaking slurry. Therfore, measurements of the total dissolved organic carbon content may be used to determine the desired addition rate of cationic additives in a more convenient and reliable manner than prior control measures. According to the method of the present invention, monitoring of the papermaking slurry by total organic carbon measurements as a cationic additive control parameter provides improved control of such factors as machine drainage and retention.

Abstract: Chromogenic aza-12-crown-4 ethers which can be used for the spectrophotometric determination of lithium ion in aqueous solutions are disclosed. The compounds of the invention are particularly useful for the analysis of Li.sup.+ in the presence of Na.sup.+, a situation common in biological and geological systems. The compounds [e.g., 1-(2-oxy-5-nitrobenzyl)-1-hydro-1-aza-4,7,10-trioxacyclododecane], their methods of manufacture, and methods of utilizing the compounds for the analysis of lithium are disclosed.

Abstract: Two novel trifluoromethyl-substituted chromogenic crown ethers are disclosed, 4'-(2",6"-dinitro-4"-trifluoromethylphenyl) aminobenzo-15-crown-5 and 4'-(2",4"-dinitro-6"-trifluoromethylphenyl) aminobenzo-15-crown 5. These compounds are useful as reagents for the extraction and spectrophotometric determination of potassium in the presence of sodium. Reagent solutions of these compounds and methods of utilizing the reagents for the analysis of potassium are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Chromogenic aza-12-crown-4 ethers which can be used for the spectrophotometric determination of lithium ion in aqueous solutions are disclosed. The compounds of the invention are particularly useful for the analysis of Li.sup.30 in the presence of Na.sup.+, a situation common in biological and geological systems. The compounds [e.g., 1-(2-oxy-5-nitrobenzyl)-1-hydro-1-aza-4,7,10-trioxacylclododecane], their methods of manufacture, and methods of utilizing the compounds for the analysis of lithium are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Two novel trifluoromethyl-substituted chromogenic crown ethers are disclosed, 4'-(2",6"-dinitro-4" trifluoromethylphenyl) aminobenzo-15-crown-5 and 4'-(2",4"-dinitro-6"-trifluoromethylphenyl) aminobenzo-15-crown-5. These compounds are useful as reagents for the extraction and spectrophotometric determination of potassium in the presence of sodium. The compounds, their methods of manufacture, and methods of utilizing the compounds for the analysis of potassium are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Electromagnetic radiation (10) is provided in a gas mixture (12) including helium in the X(1) state and nitrogen in the Y(1) state.