Abstract: Provided is food component comprising cells of at least one bacterium, said cells comprising a crude protein concentration of at least 60 wt % of a total dry weight of said cells and nucleic acid at a concentration of less than about 5 wt % of a total dry weight of said cells, wherein at least 50% of a total number of said cells are dead cells. Further provided are food and beverages comprising such food components and methods of manufacture thereof.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes conductive male and female contacts and insulating inner and outer sleeves, and connects first and second electrical wires end-to-end. The contacts can be attached to corresponding conductors of the first and second wires. The male contact includes an elongated pin; the female contact includes a receptacle. Inserting the pin into the receptacle results in mechanical engagement of, and electrical continuity between, the assembled contacts. The assembled contacts can be positioned within the compressible inner sleeve, which extends beyond the ends of the assembled contacts. The inner sleeve, with the assembled contacts therein, can be positioned within the rigid outer sleeve, which extends at least as far as the inner sleeve. Compression of the inner sleeve by the ends of the outer sleeve frictionally engages the ends of the inner sleeve with the corresponding wires.

Abstract: A floating fiber optic pin contact including a ceramic ferrule defining a glass fiber channel for allowing light beams to pass therethrough. The ceramic ferrule has an end portion with a first diameter and a body portion with a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter. The floating fiber optic pin contact also including a multi-piece body having an inner body member in physical contact with the body portion of the ceramic ferrule and an outer body member not in physical contact with the body portion of the ceramic ferrule and spaced apart from the inner body member. The floating fiber optic pin contact also including a washer connected between the inner body member and the outer body member.

Abstract: A power distribution system and method, including a direct-current current source which is commutated among a number of distribution circuits which function as independent and modular power sources. Each distribution circuit includes a capacitor which is connected to the direct-current current source through a switch. The load is connected in parallel with the capacitor. The capacitor is charged to a predetermined level, generally matching the required load voltage, and periodically checked and recharged as necessary. There may be a plurality of distribution circuits to provide power to separate circuits or specific portions of a larger circuit. By varying the switch timing and logic, the output voltage of each distribution circuit may be varied, allowing a centralized power supply to provide power to a variety of electrical components with varying voltage requirements.

Abstract: A bipolar modulator and its associated control devices for use with a high-efficiency amplifier in an RF transmitter. The modulator receives an inverted reference signal that has passed through at least two comparators. The modulator output is filtered and then rectified and coupled to a high-efficiency power amplifier.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for accomplishing DC-to-AC power conversion that combine the AC outputs of n interleaved, time division multiplexed inverters and steer the secondary pulses positively or negatively, as commanded by the time varying reference signal, such that the effective switching, or sampled-data, frequency of any of the inverter or pulse-steering transistors. The n interleaved inverter system can, in turn, be paralleled such that, relative to a single inverter supplying all the power, the losses for any inverter transistor are 1/np, n due to time multiplexing and p due to paralleling.

Abstract: An AC-DC power converter includes a rectifying circuit for rectifying the AC signal. The AC signal is supplied to a switching mode power supply for regulation and final filtering to obtain the output DC signal. A baseline generator in series between the rectifying circuit and the switching mode power supply ensures that there is always a minimum voltage level present in the signal that is applied to the switching node power supply.

Abstract: An AC to DC converter utilizes a first power converter for converting an AC signal to a DC signal under the control of a control signal. The control signal is generated by a control circuit that includes a first analog generator that provides a first signal that is analogous to the voltage of the AC signal that is to be converted. A second analog generator generates a second signal that is analogous to the current of the AC signal that is to be converted and a third analog generator generates a third signal that is analogous to the voltage of the DC output signal. The third signal and the first signal are multiplied together to obtain a fourth signal. The control signal is generated from the fourth signal and the second signal and is used to control the power converter such that the waveform of the current of the AC signal is limited to a sinusoidal waveform of the same frequency and phase as the AC signal.

Abstract: An audio signal tracking power converter has a master converter and a slave inverter which are connected in parallel to a dc power source that is to be converted and provide a first and second ac output signal. The first ac signal and the second ac signal are combined and converted to a dc signal that tracks the input audio signal. The master inverter is controlled by a free-running pulse generator which pulse-width modulates the first portion of the dc power that is converted to the first ac signal. The slave inverter is pulse-width modulated by pulses that result from the comparison of the audio signal that is to be tracked and a reference signal generated from the pulses from the free-running pulse generator.

Abstract: A variable duty cycle ultrasonic inverter is used to invert unregulated direct current into a high frequency variable pulse width modulated signal that is applied to a low frequency inverter by means of a high frequency transformer. The output of the low frequency is applied to an output filter where a feedback signal is coupled back to the variable duty cycle ultrasonic converter which is controlled by a comparison of the feedback signal and a sinusoidal reference signal. The sinusoidal reference signal is also used to control the low frequency inverter.

Abstract: The method and apparatus of converting a sine-wave signal of one frequency to a sine-wave signal of a different frequency comprises a four port pass means that is controlled by at least two control signals. An error signal is generated by the difference between the rectified output signal and a locally generated reference signal. The error signal is compared to a high frequency sawtooth signal to provide a pulse width signal which generates a two state output signal. The first state is when the amplitude of the sawtooth signal is less than the error signal and the second state is when the amplitude of the sawtooth signal is greater than the amplitude of the error signal. The two state pulse width modulated signal is combined with the output from a polarity control means for obtaining the control signals.