Abstract: There is provided a metered dose inhaler port for a ventilated patient where the port has a critical distance (as defined herein) sufficient to allow a metered dose inhaler to discharge into the port when the metered dose inhaler has a dose counter attached to it. The port must also have a stiffness sufficient to avoid bending upon insertion of the metered dose inhaler stem. The disclosure discusses an elongation of the metered dose inhaler actuator port to allow for use with metered dose inhaler canisters with and without dose counters. This solution maintains the original drug path length and so minimizes changes that might change the drug dispersal characteristics of the port and require governmental approval or re-education of medical personnel.

Abstract: In the invention, a method is provided for producing a composite nonwoven fabric. A polymer is extruded into heated continuous filaments, possibly elastic, from the die head to a first chilled roller, wherein the extruder is configured to provide the continuous filaments to the chilled roller in a canted direction that is at a tangent or angle to the surface of the first chilled roller. The filaments are conveyed in a downward direction by way of chilled rollers to a nip. In a next step, the nonwoven web is sprayed with an adhesive and is laminated on the continuous filaments in the nip to form a composite nonwoven fabric. The continuous filaments move vertically downward approximately in line with the lamination process, facilitating automatic re-threading of filaments when they are broken or interrupted in their travel downward onto the chilled rolls.

Abstract: In the invention, a method is provided for producing a composite nonwoven fabric. A polymer is extruded into heated continuous filaments, possibly elastic, from the die head to a first chilled roller, wherein the extruder is configured to provide the continuous filaments to the chilled roller in a canted direction that is at a tangent or angle to the surface of the first chilled roller. The filaments are conveyed in a downward direction by way of chilled rollers to a nip. In a next step, the nonwoven web is sprayed with an adhesive and is laminated on the continuous filaments in the nip to form a composite nonwoven fabric. The continuous filaments move vertically downward approximately in line with the lamination process, facilitating automatic re-threading of filaments when they are broken or interrupted in their travel downward onto the chilled rolls.

Abstract: A method of fabricating electrically isolated photovoltaic modules arrayed on a substrate by forming overlying front contact strips, photovoltaic strips, and back contact strips on a flat transparent substrate, laser scribing between modules to electrically isolate adjacent modules for the simultaneous testing and electrical curing of the modules on a single substrate, and plasma etching the inter-module grooves formed by the laser isolation step to improve the percentage of modules on a single substrate that pass minimum performance criteria.Also disclosed is an array of electrically isolated, thin-film semiconductor devices fabricated on a single substrate, wherein adjacent semiconductor devices are separated by laser-scribed grooves extending through the devices to the substrate and the walls of the grooves have been etched by plasma etching.

Abstract: A jet engine having outer and inner tubular casings with an annular fluid passage therebetween, a combination motor fan and compressor mechanism having fluid driven vanes and compressing vanes which are used to compress the incoming fluid charge to an engine burner located in the inner casing; each of the casings defining at their outflow ends a nozzle orifice; the fluid driven vanes being part of a motor fan and radially overlying the compressor vanes and having an average mean diameter greater than that of the compressor vanes. The compressor vanes discharge fluid under pressure into the burner area of the inner tubular casing while the fluid driven vanes communicate with the annular space between the inner and the outer tubular casings.