Abstract: System and method for reproducibly analyzing, both qualitatively and quantitatively, trace amounts of a large number of organic volatiles existing in a gas sample. Applications include (1) analyzing the headspace gas of body fluids and comparing a profile of the oganic volatiles with standard profiles for the detection and monitoring of disease, (2) analyzing the headspace gas of foods and beverages and comparing a profile of the organic volatiles with standard profiles so that flavor and aroma can be monitored and controlled, and (3) similar analysis for determining the organic pollutants in samples of water and air.The system includes a novel means (sample trap) for capturing and enriching the organic volatiles, a novel injector port for directly injecting the entrapped organic volatiles to a cryogenic percolumn to provide a sharply defined plug, and a novel capillary separating column. Various detectors may be utilized to identify the separated volatiles.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for obtaining electronic chroma signals with a single scanning-type image device by optically producing a color multiplexed light signal using an arrangement of dichroic filter stripes. In the particular embodiment described a two-layer filter system is used to color-modulate external light which is then detected by an image pickup tube. The resulting time division multiplexed electronic signal from the pickup tube is converted by a decoder into a green color signal, and a single red-blue multiplexed signal, which is demultiplexed to produce red and blue color signals. The three primary color signals are capable of being encoded as standard NTSC color signals.

Abstract: A tape record/playback system is tested by first deriving an analog test signal and a band-limited digital reference signal from a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence generator driven by a clock signal and recording said signals on respective tracks of the system during operation thereof in a record mode. During the playback mode of operation of the system, a delayed analog reference signal without time base variations is reconstructed from the played back reference signal and compared with the played back test signal in order to obtain an error signal that is a measure of the performance of the system.

Abstract: A frequency modulated push-pull oscillator in which the non-linear characteristic of varactors producing frequency modulation is compensated for by an opposite non-linear characteristic of a field effect transistor (FET) providing modulating bias to the varactors.

Abstract: A signal transformation network which is uniquely characterized to exhibit a very low input impedance while maintaining a linear transfer characteristic when driven from a voltage source and when quiescently biased in the low microampere current range. In its simplest form, it consists of a tightly coupled two-transistor network in which a common emitter input stage is interconnected directly with an emitter follower stage to provide virtually 100 percent negative feedback to the base input of the common emitter stage. Bias to the network is supplied via the common tie point of the common emitter stage collector terminal and the emitter follower base stage terminal by a regulated constant current source, and the output of the circuit is taken from the collector of the emitter follower stage.

Abstract: A thermocouple assembly which includes a plug having a pair of small diameter holes near one end thereof which are spaced a small distance apart to leave a thin quantity of plug material between the holes, and a pair of thermocouple wires extending through the different holes and with the outer ends of the wires joined to the thin quantity of plug material which lies between the holes to form a thermocouple junction.

Abstract: A device for enhancing the detection of malignant tissue in the breasts of a woman comprises a brassiere-like garment which is fitted with a pair of liquid-perfused cooling panels which completely and compliantly cover the breasts and upper torso. The garment is connected by plastic tubing to a liquid cooling system comprising a fluid pump, a solenoid control valve for controlling the flow of fluid to either the cooling unit or the heating unit, a fluid reservoir, a temperature sensor in the reservoir, and a restrictor valve to control the pressure in the garment inlet cooling line.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer (MS) with unique magnetic pole pieces which provide a homogenous magnetic field across the gap of the MS magnetic sector as well as the magnetic field across an ion-type vacuum pump is disclosed. The pole pieces form the top and bottom sides of a housing. The housing is positioned so that portions of the pole pieces form part of the magnetic sector with the space between them defining the gap region of the magnetic sector, through which an ion beam passes. The pole pieces extend beyond the magnetic sector with the space between them being large enough to accommodate the electrical parts of an ion-type vacuum pump. The pole pieces which provide the magnetic field for the pump, together with the housing form the vacuum pump enclosure or housing.

Abstract: The sensitivity of an opto-acoustic absorption detector is increased to make it possible to measure trace amounts of constituent gases (approaching 0.01 parts per billion) in a sample by creating a second beam radiation path through the sample cell identical to a first path except as to length, alternating the beam through the two paths and minimizing the detected pressure difference for the two paths while the beam wavelength is tuned away from the absorption lines of the sample. Then with the beam wavelength tuned to the absorption line of any constituent of interest, the pressure difference is a measure of trace amounts of the constituent. The same improved detector may also be used for measuring the absorption coefficient of known concentrations of absorbing gases.

Abstract: An electron microscope including an electron source, a condenser lens having either a circular aperture for focusing a solid cone of electrons onto a specimen or an annular aperture for focusing a hollow cone of electrons onto the specimen, and an objective lens having an annular objective aperture, for focusing electrons passing through the specimen onto an image plane. The invention also entails a method of making the annular objective aperture using electron imaging, electrolytic deposition and ion etching techniques.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing a phase-modulated waveform having a high degree of linearity between the modulating signal and the phase of the modulated carrier signal. Two signals representing finite odd and even power series transformations of the modulating signal are produced and multiplied with two quadrature components of the input carrier signal, respectively. One of the multiplied signals is subtracted from the other and the resulting signal is hard-limited to produce a phase-modulated output signal. The means for producing the two signals representing the odd and even power series of the modulating signal includes means for varying the coefficients of the two power series. By means of an existing computer program, the coefficients of the two power series are selected such that there is an extremely high degree of linearity between the modulating signal and the phase of the modulated carrier signal.

Abstract: Cermet composition having high temperature oxidation resistance, high abrasion and corrosion resistances, and good thermal shock resistance, and particularly adapted for production of high temperature resistant cermet insulator bodies, comprising a sintered body of particles of stainless steel or molybdenum, in a ceramic phase comprised of a ceramic oxide, particularly a ceramic mixture of chromium oxide and aluminum oxide, and forming a coating of chromium oxide as an oxidation barrier around the metal particles, to provide oxidation resistance for the metal particles.The cermet compositions are designed particularly to provide high temperature resistant refractory coatings on stainless steel or molybdenum substrates.

Abstract: An improved guide for use in aligning within a typewriter a sheet of paper preparatory to an application of typed indicia to a space thereof. The guide is characterized by a bellcrank lever, pivotally supported by a swatch of flexible material adhesively secured to a typewriter adjacent the V-guides thereof, and supporting at its distal end a space sight including a pair of orthogonally related legs positionable into and out of the path of a type slug for framing a targeted space to be struck by a slug in response to a depression of a selected key.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for determining the mass of a fluid comprising: a housing having an inlet and outlet for receiving and dumping the fluid, a rotary impeller within the housing for imparting centrifugal motion to the fluid and a pressure sensitive transducer attached to the housing to sense the rotating fluid pressure. In the method the fluid may be drawn into the housing by entrainment within a gas stream. The resulting mixture is then separated into two phases: gas and liquid. The gas is removed from the housing and the pressure of the liquid, under centrifugal motion, is sensed and correlated with the mass of the fluid.

Abstract: A space communication system incorporating a concatenated Reed Solomon Viterbi coding channel is disclosed for transmitting compressed and uncompressed data from a spacecraft to a data processing center on Earth. Imaging (and other) data is first compressed into source blocks which are then coded by a Reed Solomon coder and interleaver with parameters J=8, E=16, I=16, followed by a convolutional encoder of parameters k=7, .nu.=2. The received data is first decoded by a Viterbi decoder, followed by a Reed Solomon decoder and deinterleaver. The output of the latter is then decompressed, based on the compression criteria used in compressing the data in the spacecraft. The decompressed data is processed to reconstruct an approximation of the original data-producing condition or images.

Abstract: An interface logic circuit permitting the transfer of information between two computers having asynchronous clocks is disclosed. The information transfer involves utilization of control signals (including request, return-response, ready) to generate properly timed data strobe signals. Noise problems are avoided because each control signal, upon receipt, is verified by at least two clock pulses at the receiving computer. If control signals are verified, a data strobe pulse is generated to accomplish a data transfer. Once initiated the data strobe signal is properly completed independently of signal disturbances in the control signal initiating the data strobe signal. Completion of the data strobe signal is announced by automatic turn-off of a return-response control signal.

Abstract: A method of planar mapping defects in a window having an edge surface and a planar surface. The method comprises of steps of mounting the window on a support surface. Then a light sensitive paper is placed adjacent to window surface. A light source is positioned adjacent the window edge. The window is then illuminated with the source of light for a predetermined interval of time. Defects on the surface of the glass, as well as in the interior of the glass are detected by analyzing the developed light sensitive paper. The light source must be in the form of optical fibers or a light tube whose light transmitting ends are placed near the edge surface of the window.

Abstract: A method of producing single-class and multi-class composite classification maps from multispectral data is provided. The multispectral data is transformed into a binary matrix format which is then encoded on an optical medium such as photographic film. The encoded data is holographically correlated with coded patterns representing selected spectral signatures to produce signal-class classification maps. Several single-class maps are optically superimposed to produce multi-class composite classification maps.

Abstract: Boost, buck and buck-boost dc-to-dc converters employing a plurality of parallel staggered-phase power switches with two-loop control. A switched inductor voltage is coupled to a sense winding in each phase, and all sense windings are connected in series to one of two feedback loops to provide a signal that indicates when one of the power switches is on as the principal determinant of switching instants. A sequencer is triggered each time a pulse generator is triggered to turn on a different power switch in sequence at each switching instant.

Abstract: A system for remotely measuring velocities present in discrete volumes of air in which a CO.sub.2 laser beam is focused by a telescope at such a volume, a focal volume, and within the focusable range, near field, of the telescope. The back scatter, or reflected light, principally from the focal volume, passes back through the telescope and is frequency compared with the original frequency of the laser, and the difference frequency or frequencies represent particle velocities in that focal volume.