Abstract: This is a toy that involves weaving thin plastic strips through notches in a variety of fun shapes. It is designed for young children to develop finger dexterity as they manipulate the plastic strips to go in and out of the notches. The shapes vary in size, color, theme and complexity. Toy difficulty is graded by the number and sizes of notches and number of sides each strip has. The easiest toys designed for younger children have larger, less notches and simple strips. The more complex shapes have smaller and more notches and use strips that may have 2 or more sides or complex curves. In addition, some shapes and corresponding strips have holes so that after the strips are woven and aligned they can be laced with string. The types and themes of shapes that are woven with one or more strips are limitless.

Abstract: Acid-stable and cationic-compatible reticulated bacterial cellulose compositions, containing co-agents and/or cationic surfactants, that are useful rheological modifying agents and stabilizing agents for suspensions, emulsions and foams, and their methods of preparation are disclosed.

Abstract: This application relates to a method for preparing specimens for viewing particles and/or fibers captured upon membrane filters with a TEM. The method comprises mounting a section of the membrane filter on a glass slide with a quick drying liquid applied between the filter membrane and the slide which liquid will not release the filter membrane when the slide is immersed in a selected solvent and such that the liquid will not render the filter membrane resistant to the selected solvent. Next, the filter section surface is coated with carbon to replicate the surface of the membrane filter and the particles and fibers thereupon. The coated membrane is then immersed in the selected solvent which will attack the filter material causing the carbon film squares to float off of the memberane filter.

Abstract: Data communications neworks may be composed of many different physical devices linked together in various layers and using various protocols for communication. The multiple physical elements that make up such communication networks or links are often supplied by diverse vendors. As a result, isolation and diagnosis of communication failures becomes an extremely difficult and cumbersome process. The present system and method simplify the process greatly by premitting a system control operator or control application program to issue generic, non-device-specific problem isolation, control or diagnostic commands to the communication neetwork by identifying the link and target node for which problem isolation and diagnosis is required.