Abstract: An article adapted to be dispensed from aircraft onto large surface areas for the purpose of beneficially influencing the environment which employs a hollow casing having at least one opening whereby when at least one item for producing such influence is stored in the casing, the item will be released through the opening to the adjacent surface areas to initiate the influence on the environment after the casing is in landed position. At least one of the items is disposed in the casing. A structural arrangement is secured to the casing to prevent the casing when in landed position from being in direct contact with the surface area, thus shielding the item from the adverse influence of local weather.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improved process and apparatus to produce a filter cake formed by retained solids collected on a filter cloth during filtering. Accordingly, the filter cake is sub-divided into a plurality of filter cake elements which are kept separate from each other at predetermined distances. Further, impermeable zones on the filter cloth are formed around the filter cake elements. The filter cake elements and the impermeable zones are of a size that the filter cake elements can freely contract in any plane without cracking, while the filter cloth between the filter cake elements is covered by the impermeable zones.