Abstract: A tear resistant film comprises more than five layers situated one on the other in a parallel array. The layers are individually selected from a stiff polyester or copolyester, a ductile polymeric material, and optionally, an intermediate material. The stiff polyester or copolyester is oriented in at least one direction. Tear resistance may be measured in a Graves area test and reflects the ability of the film to absorb energy. The films of the invention are useful in many articles including security control laminates for glazing members.

Abstract: A polymer concrete pipe liner is formed from a fluidized, but substantially waterless cement containing mixture applied to the pipe interior. The mixture contains inorganic cement particles, a liquid styrene mixture and one or more poly-olefinically unsaturated co-monomers in a greater amount than the styrene. The mixture substantially excludes acrylonitrile and acrylamide. The co-monomers are preferably selected from a group including trimethylolpropane-trimethacrylate, trimethylolpropane-methacrylate, divinyl benzene, and hexadiene. Mixing liquid and solid aggregate components forms a slurry which is transferred to a pipe interior and centrifugally cast to form the liner. The composition avoids the need for high temperature curing the toxic reactive unsaturates to co-polymerize and cross-link polystyrene.

Abstract: A vehicle steering system having a rack and pinion housing, a steering shaft assembly, a driven rack assembly, and an idler lever. The housing has a unitary idler lever mount. The steering shaft assembly has a pinion gear located in the housing. The driven rack assembly is operably connected to the pinion gear and extends out of the housing. The idler lever is pivotally mounted to the housing at the idler lever mount. The driven rack assembly is attached to the idler lever.

Abstract: A rejuvenator for lead acid batteries powered by a multi-solar cell unit and/or a rectified a.c. source, the output of which is applied to a capacitor. The output of the capacitor is in turn connected across the primary of a transformer. A switching circuit connects and disconnects the primary coil to and from the capacitor to produce in the secondary coil of the transformer a fast rise time current pulse for application to a battery. A positive temperature coefficient resistor is connected in series with an output terminal of the rejuvenator to protect the rejuvenator components in the event the output terminals, through accident or mistake, are connected to battery terminals of opposite polarity.

Abstract: An inflatable pneumatic plug useful for expediting the hydrostatic testing of bathtub and water plumbing installations. The pneumatic plug has a semi-rigid handle tube with an air valve at one end and an inflatable tube attached to its opposite end. The inflatable tube and the handle are of sufficiently small diameter to pass through the overflow drain in the bathtub, past the drain stopper assembly and into the drain trap without disassembly of the plumbing. The inflatable tube, such as a latex tube, is chosen with a length and wall thickness such that the inflatable tube is relatively stiff and will tend to deflect laterally around a solid obstacle when advanced into the plumbing rather than flattening axially. The inflatable tube is inflatable to a diameter at least five times greater than its deflated diameter for making a water-tight seal in a plumbing conduit.

Abstract: Cathodic/anodic vacuum arc sources with plasma ion implantation deposition system for depositing high quality thin film coatings of complex compounds on a workpiece. Both cathodic and anodic vacuum arc deposition sources, CAVAD, are used to create a plasma vapor from solid materials composing the cathode and/or anode in the cathodic and/or anodic arc respectively. Gases, e.g., hydrogen or nitrogen can be in the deposited films by creating a background plasma of the desired gas using either RF energy, thermionic emission, or consequential ionization of the gas passing through the arc or around the substrate. Application of highly negative pulses to the substrate to extract the ions and provide them with the appropriate energy to interact with the other species in the thin film formation on the substrate to form the desired films. The substrate is bombarded with the ionized particles to form carbon nitrides with variable [N]/[C] ratios, referred to as CN.sub.x.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for caulking a large surface area with a large caulking apparatus is provided. A caulking tank is mounted on a frame which is connected to a source of air and to a nozzle assembly. The caulking tank includes a lid, an air inlet, a pressure release vent and an outlet. A valve is operatively connected between the caulking tank and the air source, which is a compressor and an air tank, for opening and closing the air pathway. The caulking material is dispensed by opening the valve and allowing air to enter the caulking tank and force the caulking material through the opposite end of the tank where it communicates through a hose to a nozzle assembly. The nozzle is pivotally mounted to the frame and it contains an adjustment rod for adjusting the angle of the nozzle.

Abstract: A multi-piece, pipe joint seal has a slidable interface between seal pieces. The slidable interface allows for slippage between pieces during pipe joint assembly and disassembly, minimizing rotational and other stresses on the seal pieces and pipe sealing surfaces which may damage or endanger the deformable seal. The slidable interface seal is especially useful for joining brittle-lined pipe sections handling harsh fluids.

Abstract: Methods and compositions for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are disclosed, in which amounts of a haloperoxidase, such as myeloperoxidase or eosinophil peroxidase, and a semen substrate-specific oxidase are administered to a human or animal subject in the environment of sexually transmitted fluids. In the presence of semen, the semen substrate-specific oxidase catalyzes the production of hydrogen peroxide, which in turn is utilized by the haloperoxidase to selectively inhibit pathogenic microbes present in the sexually transmitted fluids. At high concentration levels, the compositions additionally exhibit spermicidal properties.

Abstract: A diffuse infrared communication link provides for communication directly between nodes each having a transceiver. A repeater may be present to facilitate communication. Each node is automatically reconfigurable between operation with or without a repeater. When a repeater is present each node automatically ignores any transmission by another node.

Abstract: A highly sensitive chemiluminescent indicator system is disclosed for determining the presence or amount of an analyte in a liquid sample. The new acid optimum chemiluminescent indicator system comprises haloperoxidase (halide:hydrogen peroxide oxidoreductase), halide, oxidant and chemiluminigenic substrate. The indicator system acts as a synthesizer of highly reactive singlet molecular oxygen (.sup.1 O.sub.2), which reacts with the chemiluminigenic substrate to yield an excited state, oxidized reaction product. The excited state reaction product then relaxes to a lower energy (e.g., ground) state with the emission of measurable light in an amount related to the amount of each of the reaction participants present in a reaction solution. Known, non-rate limiting amounts of three of the reaction participants are provided in an assay solution to determine the presence or amount of the fourth participant in a test sample.

Abstract: An improved method of manufacturing a piston is provided. The piston includes a substantially cylindrical member having a first end and a second end. The cylindrical member includes an open cavity extending axially from the second end to adjacent the first end such that the second end has an inner annular surface defined by an inner diameter. The piston further includes a disk having a radially outer surface defined by an outer diameter fixedly secured to the second end of the cylindrical member. The outer diameter of the disk is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner annular surface of the second end of the cylindrical member. A circumferentially extending recessed area for receiving particles produced while fixedly securing the disk to the second end of the cylindrical member is provided on either the radially outer surface of the disk or the inner annular surface of the second end of the cylindrical member.

Abstract: A solidified waste is formed from a difficult-to-compact hydraulic cement slurry for use in the disposal of hazardous waste. The slurry contains inorganic non-compactible hydraulic cement particles, a concrete superplasticizer compound, water, and filler particles containing radionuclide and/or toxic contaminants. The slurry is then transferred to a storage vessel, such as a subterranean formation, to cast a stronger, denser solidified waste than a comparable solidified waste containing no superplasticizer.

Abstract: A burner for combusting gas and/or liquid fuel and air in an enclosure includes a burner block of non-combustible material, such as ceramic material, having a central opening therethrough communicating with a combustion zone. The burner block has a plurality of spaced apart recirculation gas passageways paralleled to and spaced from the central opening, each of the recirculation gas passageways having an injection passageway communicating with the block member central opening. Fuel, which may be liquid and/or gas, is injected into said burner block central opening. Venturi action causes furnace gas to be drawn from the cool fringes of the combustion zone through the recirculation gas passageways for passage back into the central opening wherein air and fuel are thoroughly mixed and cooled for combustion within the enclosure. This recirculation system serves to reduce the temperature and oxygen content of the local combustion process to thereby reduce NO.sub.x production.

Abstract: A concrete pipe liner is formed from a difficult-to-compact hydraulic cement slurry applied to a pipe interior. The slurry contains inorganic non-compactible hydraulic cement particles, a concrete superplasticizer component, water, and optionally and preferably filler particles. The pipe is then spun to centrifugally cast a stronger, denser pipe liner than a comparable liner containing no superplasticizer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a compressively resistant and resilient fibrous nonwoven web which is suitable for a wide variety of uses including, but not limited to, a portion of a personal care absorbent product which is located on the side of the absorbent core of the product which faces the wearer. The nonwoven web can include bicomponent fiber and has a thickness of 2.5 mm or greater at a pressure of 68.9 pascal, a specific volume of 14 cc/g or greater at a pressure of 6,895 pascal, and a Frazier air permeability of 100 cubic meters per square meter per minute or greater.

Abstract: Problems with prior OSI (Open Systems Interconnected) event forwarding discriminators (EFD) are solved in accordance with this invention by creating a new type of EFD, called a notification forwarding discriminator (NFD). An NFD works just like an EFD in that it receives notifications emitted by managed objects and determines what types of notifications should be forwarded. However, the forwarding mechanism in an NFD is completely different. An NFD has two operations that a management application can use to control subscription to notifications, "start" and "stop". An NFD forwards notifications via responses to a solicited "start" operation without signaling the end of the "start" operation. Hence, a "start" operation will always be pending completion. The manager and agent track this pending status of operations between a manager and an NFD. Both the manager and agent maintain a pending completion list for each link between a manager and agent.

Abstract: Information on GDMO managed objects, including class hierarchy and the name binding templates, is compiled into a naming table. This naming table is built from an inheritance table and the name binding template information. The inheritance table indicates the inheritance hierarchy of the managed object classes. The compiler builds the inheritance table as a square matrix with a row and column for each class, and the classes arranged in an ordered list from highest to lowest in hierarchy. The compiler enters a one at each position in the inheritance table to indicate that the managed object class in the row inherits from the managed class in the column.With the inheritance table as a ready reference, the compiler builds the naming table from the name binding templates available as listed in the GDMO source files. The naming table is a square matrix identical to the inheritance table except the entries in the naming table are not ones and zeros.

Abstract: A sighting device for use with a projectile launcher having a sighting element that is adjustable in height and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the sighting element's height to match substantially the height of a target as apparent at the sighting device in the line of sight to the target. The sighting device further comprises a targeting mechanism that, in response to the height adjustment, automatically displaces the position of the sighting element in a generally vertical plane so that maintenance of alignment of the target in the sighting element requires the user to adjust the elevation of the launcher and, consequently, the launch angle. In one embodiment, the sighting device comprises a pair of opposed rotatable disks, the disks having respective predetermined irregular peripheries. The sighting element comprises an aperture formed between selectable portions of the peripheries along the line of sight.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for killing or inhibiting the growth of yeast or sporular microorganisms by contacting the microorganisms, in the presence of a peroxide and chloride or bromide, with a haloperoxidase and at least one antimicrobial activity enhancing agent. Suitable antimicrobial activity enhancing agents include certain .alpha.-amino acids, and are preferably compounds of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen, an unsubstituted, or hydroxy or amino substituted, straight or branched chain alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an unsubstituted, or hydroxy or amino substituted arylalky group having from 7 to 12 carbon atoms, and R.sub.2 is hydrogen or a straight or branched chain alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms.