Abstract: A system for determining the operability of a valve in active service which provides a user with real time information pertaining to the Safety Margin, the valve torque or thrust, and the percentage of valve MAST that is required for operation. The system employs a combination of an actuator package comprised of a primary actuator, a tandem force module, and a controller operatively connected to the output shaft of the primary actuator, the controller including a processor for calculating the above-described values and providing an output which can be visually, audibly, or electronically observed.

Abstract: A modular actuator assembly which can be used for partial stroke testing of a valve, the assembly having a force module and a tandem piston module. The force module has a primary piston and piston rod interconnected to a shaft which is movably mounted therein. The tandem piston module is connected to the force module and has a tandem piston and piston rod. An indicator plate is connected to the piston rod and is selectively positionable on the tandem piston rod. The tandem piston rod extends into the force module and acts as a pneumatically engaged hard stop for preventing spurious travel of the primary piston and hence spurious valve travel.

Abstract: A system for determining the operability of a valve in active service which provides a user with real time information pertaining to the Safety Margin, the valve torque or thrust, and the percentage of valve MAST that is required for operation. The system employs a combination of an actuator package comprised of a primary actuator, a tandem force module, and a controller operatively connected to the output shaft of the primary actuator, the controller including a processor for calculating the above-described values and providing an output which can be visually, audibly, or electronically observed.

Abstract: A modular actuator assembly which can be used for partial stroke testing of a valve, the assembly having a force module and a tandem piston module. The force module has a primary piston and piston rod interconnected to a shaft which is movably mounted therein. The tandem piston module is connected to the force module and has a tandem piston and piston rod. An indicator plate is connected to the piston rod and is selectively positionable on the tandem piston rod. The tandem piston rod extends into the force module and acts as a pneumatically engaged hard stop for preventing spurious travel of the primary piston and hence spurious valve travel.

Abstract: An adaptive coupling and method for joining a conduit to a barrier sheet through which the conduit passes are disclosed. The barrier sheet is movable axially relative to the conduit. A tubular member and an extensible boot are configured to allow passage of a portion of the conduit through an entirety of each. The tubular member is sealably joinable to the sheet and is sealedly joined to the extensible boot such that the first end of the extensible boot is movable in unison with the tubular member. The second end of the extensible boot is sealably and fixably joinable to the conduit such that the first end of the extensible boot is movable axially relative to the second end of the extensible boot when the tubular member moves axially. A substantially leakless seal is formed between the barrier sheet and the conduit.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium (12) and a magnetic recording apparatus (10) that makes use of the magnetic recording medium is disclosed. The magnetic recording medium includes an elongated magnetic base film that is significantly thicker than conventional magnetic tape and that presents opposed front (20) and rear faces (22) and opposed upper (24) and lower edges (26) extending between the front and rear faces. One or more layers of magnetic material is coated on both the front face and on the upper edge of the base film. Data is recorded on the front face of the base film in a conventional manner, and sequencing or locating information is recorded on the upper edge of the base film. This permits a read/write head (18) to hover over the base film to read the sequencing information on the upper edge of the base film for locating the position of desired data stored on the front face of the base film.

Abstract: A combination can be of L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine, preferably with pantothenic acid or ubiquinone, is administered orally or as a parenteral injection in domesticated animals, especially pet animals, and humans for prevention or treatment of syndromes or diseases arising from dysfunctional energy metabolism. Syndromes involving skeletal and cardiac muscle benefited from L-carnitine, and syndromes related to the central nervous system improved with acetyl-L-carnitine, are effectively treated. The cofactors L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine do not substitute metabolically for each other, and the effects of the combination are found to be synergistic.

Abstract: A foldable electrical cord assembly (10) that can be quickly and easily folded or unfolded to any length is disclosed. The electrical cord assembly includes an elongated electrical cord (12) having a plug end (14) and an opposed device end (18) and a plurality of alternating sections of hook and loop fastening material (20,22) attached to and spaced along the length of the cord between the plug end and the device end for permitting selective folding of portions of the cord. The cord can be folded between the sections of the fastening material so that adjacent sections of the hook and loop fastening material are interlocked to maintain the cord in its folded position. When it is desired to extend additional length of the cord, a selected number of the sections of the fastening material can be separated to unfold a desired length of the cord.

Abstract: A combination can be of L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine administered orally or as parenteral injection in domesticated animals, especially pet animals, and humans for prevention or treatment of syndromes or diseases arising from dysfunctional energy metabolism. Syndromes involving skeletal and cardiac muscle benefited from L-carnitine, syndromes related to the central nervous system improved with acetyl-L-carnitine. Although the two cofactors do not substitute metabolically for each other effects of the combination are found to be synergistic.

Abstract: A fastening assembly (10) that is weatherproof and that does not detract from the appearance of the object (16) into which it is driven is disclosed. The fastening assembly includes a fastening device (12) such as a nail that includes an elongated shank (18) and a head (20) on one end of the shank, and a cover (14) formed of water-tight material that can be positioned over the head of the fastening device for sealing the head from water, air, sunlight, and contaminates. This prevents the head of the fastening device from rusting when the fastening device is driven into an object. The cover can be colored the same color as the object that it is driven into so that it blends in with the object and does not detract the appearance of the object.

Abstract: A circuit component assembly and a method for forming the assembly as an annular body in a laminate, preferably between a trough-hole or via and a surrounding conductive layer in a PCB are disclosed, the circuit component assembly including one or more resistors/conductors, inductors and dielectrics/capacitors or combinations thereof, outer and inner peripheries of the circuit component preferably having substantially constant radii permitting simple determination of operative electrical characteristics for the circuit component from (a) the inner and outer radii, (b) an effective thickness for the circuit component and (c) its electrical characteristics determined by the material formed in the annular recess, the circuit component body preferably being formed from a liquid precursor forming conductive interconnections for the circuit component assembly at its outer and inner perimeters.

Abstract: A circuit component assembly and a method for forming the assembly as an annular body in a laminate, preferably between a trough-hole or via and a surrounding conductive layer in a PCB are disclosed, the circuit component assembly including one or more resistors/conductors, inductors and dielectrics/capacitors or combinations thereof, outer and inner peripheries of the circuit component preferably having substantially constant radii permitting simple determination of operative electrical characteristics for the circuit component from (a) the inner and outer radii, (b) an effective thickness for the circuit component and (c) its electrical characteristics determined by the material formed in the annular recess, the circuit component body preferably being formed from a liquid precursor forming conductive interconnections for the circuit component assembly at its outer and inner perimeters.

Abstract: A circuit board and method of forming a circuit board with signal and receptor pads arranged on layers spaced apart in a Z direction with a dielectric layer therebetween, parameters of a resulting AC signal transmitting circuit resulting wherein:capacitive reactance is defined by the equation (I) ##EQU1## where F is frequency and C is capacitance; inductive reactance is defined by the equation (II)X.sub.L =2.pi.FLwhere F is frequency and L is inductance;capacitance is defined by the equation (III) ##EQU2## where A is the effective mutual area of the signal and receptor pads, D is Faraday's constant, E is the dielectric constant, and .tau. is the thickness of the dielectric layer; andinductance is defined by the equation (IV)L=0.005 ln (4h/d).mu.H/in.where ln indicates the natural logarithm for the value 4h/d, where h is the distance above a ground plane, and d is the equivalent diameter of a conductor;wherein capacitance and inductance are established in equations I and II with X.sub.C and X.sub.

Abstract: A resistor and method of forming the resistor as an annular resistor body between a conductive pad surrounding a through-hole in the PCB and a surrounding conductive layer, the annular resistor body being formed from a conductive material having a selected resistivity, the outer and inner perimeters of the annular resistor body preferably being substantially constant radii whereby the operative resistance of the annular resistor body may be simply determined from the radii of its outer and inner perimeters, an effective thickness of the annular resistor body and its resistivity, the annular resistor body more preferably being formed from a liquid precursor facilitating formation of conductive interconnections at its outer and inner perimeters.

Abstract: A capacitor laminate is described either as an intermediate product for use in a capacitive printed circuit board or as part of the assembled printed circuit board in order to provide a bypass capacitive function for large numbers of devices mounted or formed on the printed circuit board, the capacitor laminate being formed from sheets of conductive material and an intermediate sheet of dielectric material forming the laminated capacitor as a structurally rigid assembly and facilitating its inclusion within the PCB, components of the capacitor laminate having selected characteristics whereby each individual device is provided with capacitance by a proportional portion of the capacitor laminate and by borrowed capacitance from other portions of the capacitor laminate, the capacitive function of the capacitor laminate being dependent upon random firing or operation of the devices. Methods of manufacture for the capacitor laminate as well as the capacitive PCB are also described.

Abstract: A capacitor laminate is described either as an intermediate product for use in a capacitive printed circuit board or as part of the assembled printed circuit board in order to provide a bypass capacitive function for large numbers of devices mounted or formed on the printed circuit board, the capacitor laminate being formed from sheets of conductive material and an intermediate sheet of dielectric material forming the laminated capacitor as a structurally rigid assembly and facilitating its inclusion within the PCB, components of the capacitor laminate having selected characteristics whereby each individual device is provided with capacitance by a proportional portion of the capacitor laminate and by borrowed capacitance from other portions of the capacitor laminate, the capacitive function of the capacitor laminate being dependent upon random firing or operation of the devices. Methods of manufacture for the capacitor laminate as well as the capacitive PCB are also described.

Abstract: A capacitor laminate is described either as an intermediate product for use in a capacitive printed circuit board or as part of the assembled printed circuit board in order to provide a bypass capacitive function for large numbers of devices mounted or formed on the printed circuit board, the capacitor laminate being formed from sheets of conductive material and an intermediate sheet of dielectric material forming the laminated capacitor as a structurally rigid assembly and facilitating its inclusion within the PCB, components of the capacitor laminate having selected characteristics whereby each individual device is provided with capacitance by a proportional portion of the capacitor laminate and by borrowed capacitance from other portions of the capacitor laminate, the capacitive function of the capacitor laminate being dependent upon random firing or operation of the devices. Methods of manufacture for the capacitor laminate as well as the capacitive PCB are also described.

Abstract: The invention is an air-to-subsurface missile system which has an acoustic oming torpedo and a directional sonobuoy held in the missile behind the torpedo by a cowling means which includes fins for aerodynamic stability. When the missile reaches the desired location in a body of water, the torpedo and sonobuoy are released. The sonobuoy has the ability to search for targets and to communicate both with the homing torpedo and with a tactical command station. Thus the torpedo can be guided to a target by the sonobuoy and command station, even at ranges at which the torpedo could not locate a target with its own homing system.

Abstract: An extruder for oilseed products, grain mash, and other materials includes an elongated screw rotatably disposed in a bore formed in a tubular housing. The screw is characterized by a plurality of separate threads of progressively decreasing pitch toward a discharge end of the screw. The separate threads are spaced apart and thread portions of constant pitch include gaps to provide clearance for radially inwardly projecting pins disposed in the housing and projecting into the material flow path for mixing the material to prevent solidification thereof and clogging of the extruder. The screw shaft includes spaced apart annular collars which comprise backflow dams for the material being conveyed through the extruder. The tubular extruder housing is of modular construction and is adapted to be used with various combinations of tubular inserts and a plurality of stacked annular rings forming the extruder bore.

Abstract: Stable aqueous solutions for substantially non-inflammatory, non-immunogenic parenteral administration to domesticated animals, especially livestock animals, comprising water-soluble organometallic complexes of ions of zinc, copper, manganese, chromium and selenium and including at least two organic, metal-ion-complexing agents. Stable solutions further including soluble organometallic complexes of iron and cobalt. Methods for restoring and/or maintaining normal micromineral-dependent metabolic function, increasing feed intake, increasing vigor, and facilitating resistance to infectious disease comprising administering such solutions to domesticated animals.