Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction through the measurement of the level of marinobufagin-like immunoreactivity in the blood of patients suspected of this diagnosis; a method for treating patients with acute myocardial infarction with antibody to marinobufagin, a bufodienolide, to prevent the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias; antibodies which specifically recognize marinobufagin or other bufodienolides; hybridomas producing these antibodies; a process for preparing such antibodies; and an immunoassay method for marinobufagin for research purposes using its specific antibody.The antibodies of the present invention make it possible to conveniently measure bufodienolides with specificity and high sensitivity. This is useful in determining the existence and degree of hypertension and myocardial infarction, and in treating myocardial infarction.

Abstract: A system for extracting a high power beam from a vacuum in which a beam is generated into atmosphere, which system is formed of: (a) a thin foil window of a material having good heat dissipation properties positioned adjacent the vacuum to permit the beam to pass therethrough; and (b) an air dynamic window between the foil window and the atmosphere. The foil window and air dynamic window are designed such that most of the pressure ratio drop from vacuum to atmosphere is across the foil window and most of the pressure drop in psi is across the air dynamic window.

Abstract: A target is bombarded with high energy particles to generate a radioisotope, and the radioisotope is preferably extracted by one of the following: combusting the target in oxygen, stopping the bombardment and heating the target, or heating the target by induction. Bombardment may take place through a windowless path, and the radioisotope may be used for PET. The particles used may be deuterons or protons, and .sup.13 N may be generated. .sup.11 C may also be generated from either .sup.11 B or .sup.10 B using protons or deuterons. Combustion may be performed by induction heating and may be controlled by the quantity of oxygen available or the temperature. Combustion may be primarily confined to a surface layer and the target may be reused. The beam energy may be 2.2 MeV or less. Another general aspect includes trapping the oxides of .sup.13 N in a trap. The oxides may be converted into .sup.

Abstract: A high power electromagnetic pulse driver for generating sub-microsecond rise time pulses having energy contents greater than 1 joule includes an electromagnetic pulse compressor and an electromagnetic shock line for compressing the leading edges of those pulses. The shock line may use non-linear materials whose permeability or permittivity vary greatly with varying field strength. One material whose permeability varies by a useful amount is metglass, an amorphous alloy of silicon and iron. The high power electromagnetic pulse driver may drive gas discharge lasers.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the generation of isotopes, and in particular radioisotopes, from a target material which is not normally a solid and which, when bombarded by selected high energy particles, produces the selected isotope. A surface is provided which is preferably of a thermally-conductive material, which surface is cooled to a temperature below the freezing temperature of the target material. A thin layer of target material is then frozen on the surface and the target material is bombarded with the high energy particles. The beam of high energy particles is preferably at an angle to the surface such that the particles pass through a thickness of the target material greater than the thickness of the layer before reaching the surface. When the desired quantity of isotope has been produced from the target material, the target material, which has now been altered nuclearly to contain the selected isotope, is removed from the surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for performing non-invasive measurements, and in particular in vivo non-invasive measurements of the total body content of a particular element, or of the content of such elemetn in a particular body area, by use of resonant gamma ray detection. More particularly, gamma rays are generated at the resonant gamma absorption energy level for the element on which measurements are to be made and are passed through the portion of the patient's body for which measurements are to be made. Detected gamma rays passing through the patient's body may be utilized as an indication of the content of such element. The effect of non resonant gamma absorption may be subtracted by also passing gamma rays of non-resonant absorption energy through the same body part and utilizing detected gamma rays at this energy passing through the body to determine the non-resonant absorptions.

Abstract: Window constructions for use in particle accelerators to separate an evacuated accelerator beam chamber from a gas or liquid filled target area, which window structure enhances cooling of the foil covering the window opening and reduces stresses on the foil. For preferred embodiments, the window opening is shaped and dimensioned to provide high length-to-width aspect ratio and a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The openings should generally be as narrow as possible while still being wide enough to assure efficient transmission of the ion beam. Stresses in the foil is reduced by providing controlled bowing of the portions of the foil covering the window. This may be accomplished by providing some slack in the foil, at least in one dimension, but is preferably accomplished by pressing the foil between mating curved surfaces selectively extending from the edges of the window openings, resulting in the desired bow in the foil in the window area.

Abstract: A high energy, high voltage pulsed power source is provided which is capable of operating at high repetition rates while not having significantly high voltages appearing at any point in the circuit except on the output line. This eliminates the need for Freon cooling the source, permitting conventional water cooling and/or air cooling techniques to be utilized, and also permits air to be used as a dielectric in the source. These advantages are achieved by commutating the voltage across a charged capacitor, using a solid state SCR or other suitable switching device, passing the resultant signal through at least one compressor stage, which reduces the pulse duration and increases the pulse voltage, and applying the output from the compressor in parallel to a primary winding on each of a plurality of transformer coils having a single wire passing therethrough. The output on the wire is equal to the compressor output voltage multiplied by the number of cores.

Abstract: A high energy, charged particle accelerator, and radiation sources utilizing such accelerator are provided. More particularly, a high yield neutron generator and apparatus for the use of such generator are provided. The generator utilizes an ion source, a target adapted to generate neutrons when bombarded by high energy ions and an accelerator tube between the source and target. A multistage cascade rectifier is paraxial with the accelerator tube and has a voltage gradient which substantially matches that of the accelerator tube. The cascade rectifier preferably surrounds the accelerator tube and has equipotential metal plates on each side of each stage, the potential gradients between each pair of plates being substantially uniform and being substantially equal to the voltage gradient in the adjacent section of the accelerator tube. Generator elements may be enclosed in a pressure vessel and a moderator may be provided in the vessel, near the target to thermalize neutrons emitted from the target.

Abstract: This invention relates to a laser amplifier which achieves substantially enhanced gains by diverging the laser beam in a gain medium having a substantially rectangular shape. In particular, at least one laser beam is passed through a lens or other suitable means to cause it to diverge at a predetermined angle and the diverging beam or beams are caused to pass through the gain medium in a manner such that a beam makes only a single pass through any section of the medium, with the total number of passes through the medium by the beam(s) applied to the medium being an even number. The angle at which the beam diverges should be such as to maintain a near optimum laser power extraction efficiency for the beam. If a single beam is supplied to the medium, it makes an even number of passes through the medium with mirrors, prisms, or other suitable means being provided as the beam exits the medium after each pass except the last pass to fold the beam back into the medium for a subsequent pass.

Abstract: A high voltage multistage cascade rectifier power supply is provided which maintains uniform potential between the stages of the rectifier, and thus uniformly grades the electric potential, by providing equipotential conductor plates on each side of each stage of the power supply. The plates include both AC and DC plates, with capacitors being provided between each pair of plates defining a stage. Discrete capacitors may be provided between each pair of plates or the plates may form part of the capacitors with dielectric material being provided between the plates. The plates are selectively interconnected by diodes to form the cascade rectifier. Stray capacitance in the cascade rectifier is compensated for with an inductor across the input to the rectifier, which inductor is selected to tune out the stray capacitance. The frequency of the input drive may be automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in the system, including changes in stray capacitance.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for generating a pulsed RF power signal is provided. A DC pulse signal is generated which is compressed to increase its power to a predetermined level. The compressed pulse signal is applied to rapidly charge capacitive elements of a frozen wave generator. The capacitive elements may for example be lumped capacitors or transmission line segments. The charging step is accomplished in a manner such that the level and/or polarity of the charge for alternate stages are different than the level and/or polarity for the remaining stages. This may be accomplished by initially charging all stages to the same level and polarity and then either flipping the charge for alternate stages or otherwise altering the charge for such alternate stages or by initially charging alternate ones of the stages to a different level and/or polarity than the remaining stages.

Abstract: An energy substraction medical imaging system which is used for imaging a body part impregnated with a radio-opaque dye such as iodine is provided. The system includes an electron beam target having a target surface which, when excited by a high-energy electron beam, generates radiation having strong K.sub..alpha. at energy levels slightly above and slightly below the K-edge energy level of the dye. The target surface is preferably formed of a compound containing lanthanum, such as lanthanum oxide. The target may also be formed of a compound containing a material having a K.sub..alpha. line at an energy level slightly above the dye K-edge and a material with K.sub..alpha. line slightly below the dye K-edge or with separate sections containing such materials which are alternately excited. The target is excited by a high-energy electron beam from a suitable source, the electron beam having sufficient energy to provide a high photon yield at the K.sub..alpha.

Abstract: A high current (0.2 to at least 2 milliamperes), low-energy (2.2 to 4 MV) ion beam is generated and is utilized to produce clinically significant quantities of medical isotopes useful in applications such as positron emission tomography. For a preferred embodiment, a tandem accelerator is utilized. Negative ions generated by a high current negative-ion source are accelerated by an electrostatic accelerator in which the necessary high voltage is produced by a solid state power supply. The accelerated ions then enter a stripping cell which removes electrons from the ions, converting them into positive ions. The positive ions are then accelerated to a target which is preferably at ground potential.