Abstract: A captive panel fastener includes a retractable screw having a thermal plastic cap molded around its head. The cap includes slotted skirt with resilient fingers. When the retractable screw is forced downward through the bore of the ferrule having divergent sides, the fingers of the cap spread apart by the wedging action against the outside surface of the ferrule, thus providing a biasing force urging the screw in an upward retracted direction. The ends of the cap fingers include inward facing ribs which fall into a circumferential groove around the outside surface of the ferrule adjacent its bottom end. The groove may further include plurality of radial extending teeth which engage inward facing protrusions located on the fingertip ribs to resist unwanted loosening of the screw.

Abstract: The process for data transmission between two stations by means of data blocks each having a synchronization pattern field (SYNC), a header field (HEADER) and an information field (INFORMATION) following the header field includes providing a header control field (HEX) following the header field (HEADER) in each of the data blocks for reconstruction of the header field when a transmission of the header field contains errors.

Abstract: In the process for data transmission via data blocks between a transmitting station and receiving station the data blocks each have a synchronization pattern field (SYNC), a header field (HEADER) and an information field (INFORMATION) following the header field. The process includes providing a fixed information field (FIXINFO) in each data block for information to be immediately transmitted without delays for error detection and correction following the synchronization pattern field (SYNC); immediately transmitting each fixed information field (FIXINFO) to the receiving station without information from the header field and independently of any occurring transmission errors after a receiver-side synchronization and testing a remaining portion of each data block for at least one error within a predetermined error detection range in the receiving station and, when the at least one error is detected within the detection range, performing an error correction only for that remaining portion of the data block.

Abstract: The invention concerns a diagnostic test carrier (1) containing a supporting layer (2) with a detection layer (3) arranged thereon containing reagents required for the determination of an analyte in a liquid sample and an inert layer (4) covering the detection layer (3) wherein the inert layer (4) is arranged at such a distance (5) from the detection layer to enable a capillary active liquid transport between the detection layer and inert layer (3,4), characterized in that the inert layer (4) extends beyond the detection layer and wherein the area (10) that extends beyond the detection layer is attached to the supporting layer (2) in such a way that a continuous capillary active liquid transport between the inert layer and detection layer (4,3) and between the inert layer and supporting layer (4,2) is possible and in addition the inert layer (4) contains several holes (7) in the area of the detection layer (3) through which the sample to be examined and the components contained therein can be applied to the d

Abstract: A fixed-bed bioreactor with porous carrier bodies (14) for microorganisms. The carrier bodies are sheet-like structures with a small thickness in comparison with the carrier body surface. The carrier bodies are kept spaced apart by means of spacing bars (28), defining flow paths (36) between the carrier bodies. In a process for producing porous carrier bodies for microorganisms, plastics particles (70) are introduced into a moulding space (52) and bonded together therein by application of heat. With this process, an endless extrudate (46) of carrier body material may be produced, from which the individual carrier bodies may be cut off. Alternatively, the process may be carried out by means of a series of pairs of mould halves passing through a mould filling station and a heat supply station.

Abstract: The pictures of a video signal (a1) are coded and quantized in data blocks by a hybrid coder (4). A quantizer (404) is controlled in dependence upon the filling level of a buffer memory. To improve the bit rate reduction without any loss of picture quality in a standardized hybrid coder, circuitry is provided with which in special cases the usual control of the quantizer (404) is replaced by another type of control. There is such a special case when a data block is recognized as being associated with the background of a scene. This data block is then transmitted with high accuracy (very fine quantization), whereas the data blocks of the subsequent video pictures associated with the same background are not transmitted at all (coarsest quantization).

Abstract: A system for generating documents. A text file representing a document is encoded using a marking code. This marking code is encoded into the document by altering elements of the contents of the text file. Preferably the spaces between words are altered to be short and long spaces. The marked version therefore indicates, in an encoded fashion, the marking code that is applied.

Abstract: The video signal to be coded is coded in data blocks by a hybrid coder (4) which comprises a picture memory (410A) and a motion estimator (410B) for calculating motion vectors (v). The filter circuit comprises a multiplexer (S1) having two inputs (a1, f1) which applies either the video signal to be coded (a1) or a filtered signal (f2) to the input of the hybrid coder (4) and to the input of a further picture memory (F4). The further picture memory (F4) is arranged in the feedback path of a recursive filter (F) with which the video signal to be coded (a1) is temporally filtered. The multiplexer (S1) is controlled by a control device (S), which multiplexer receives as input data the video signal to be coded (a1), the motion vectors (v) and the data (a410) from the picture memory (410A) of the hybrid coder (4).

Abstract: A test carrier for the determination of ions containing a test layer which has a liquid-resistant, organic phase which contains a hydrophobic polymer in a homogeneous mixture with a hydrophobic, organic liquid of low volatility and an ionophore, as well as a substance which changes its colour in the presence of the ion to be determined. The test carrier is characterized in that the test layer contains particles with an oil number of 80-200 and the ionophore is homogeneously dispersed in the hydrophobic, organic phase. A second test layer contains a buffer capable of maintaining the pH therein at a value of between 5-10.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device and its use for separating plasma from whole blood by means of a fibre-containing layer which contains an erythrocyte-aggregating substance and is characterized in that the fibre-containing layer contains glass fibres which are coated with polyvinyl alcohol or with polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl acetate. The invention also concerns a test carrier for the determination of a blood component as well as a process for separation from whole blood in which the device according to the present invention is used.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining an ion in an aqueous sample. The method involves contacting the sample with a water immiscible material including an ionophore, a pH indicator and a compound which stabilizes sensitivity of the assay. The ion reacts with the ionophore in the water immiscible material, releasing a proton which reacts with the pH indicator generating a color change which is representative of the ion to be measured. The stabilizing compound stabilizes this change. Also described are compositions including the three recited elements, and various new compounds useful as the stabilizer.

Abstract: The invention concerns a test carrier for the determination of ions containing a test layer which has a liquid-resistant, organic phase which contains a hydrophobic polymer in a homogeneous mixture with a hydrophobic, organic liquid of low volatility and an ionophore, as well as a substance which changes its colour in the presence of the ion to be determined. The test carrier is characterized in that the test layer contains particles with an oil number of 80-200 and the ionophore is homogeneously dispersed in the hydrophobic, organic phase.

Abstract: The subject matter of the present invention are naphthol derivatives having the general formula I ##STR1## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 are the same or different and each represents hydrogen, an alkyl or alkoxy group, in which at least one of the residues is a (C.sub.8 -C.sub.30)-alkyl or alkoxy residueR.sup.4 is hydrogen or an alkyl groupR.sup.5 is a nitro group, an alkyl group substituted by halogen, a cyano group, a sulfonamide group or an alkylsulfonyl groupX is nitrogen or the residue CR.sup.6 andY is sulphur or the residue CR.sup.7 =CR.sup.8in which R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8 are the same or different and each denotes hydrogen, halogen, a nitro group, a cyano group, an alkyl or an alkyl group substituted by halogen or an alkylsulfonyl group, a process for their production and their use as a pH indicator or in methods and agents for the determination of an ion in an aqueous liquid.

Abstract: In a quilting machine for quilting or stitching textile formations of cover-material webs and filler-material webs, the material webs to be stitched together are loosely withdrawn from stock rollers and sewn together along lengthwise edges or marginal portions of the material webs prior to entering a tenter device. Sewing the lengthwise edges or marginal portions includes simultaneously sewing on respective bands or ribbons which laterally extend beyond a workpiece to be quilted and serve for holding or accommodating the latter in the tenter device. It is thus possible to substantially provide the entire width of the cover-material webs and filler-material webs with a quilt pattern. In this manner, the length of waste cuttings of expensive cover material is substantially reduced.

Abstract: The source encoder for video pictures described includes a preprocessing unit (PP) which supplies block-sequentially the data of a video picture. The video picture is then transferred to an encoding unit (C) via a controllable switch (S). The encoding unit includes inter alia a picture store and a controllable quantizer; it is followed by a buffer store (PS). A control unit (K) supervises the buffer store (PS) and controls in dependence on the filling level thereof the controllable switch (S), the encoding unit (C) and the quantizer included therein. In order to obtain a good picture quality, measures have been taken to ensure that the control unit (K) additionally controls the quantizer in dependence on the time elapsed after the maximum filling level of the buffer store (PS) has been reached and/or in dependence on the actual value of the quantization stepsize, such that during the entire operation the value of the quantization stepsize only passes through adjacent values.

Abstract: A system for transmitting video pictures includes a hybrid encoder which encodes the incoming data of a video picture in blocks. Preferably, at the receiver end a hybrid decoder cancels the encoding steps of the hybrid encoder. The incoming blocks of a video picture are transformed inter alia by a transform unit (T) and quantized by a quantizer (Q). In order to adapt the system to transmission bit rates of between 64 kbit/s and 2 Mbit/s in an optimum manner, a structuring unit (SE) is provided which combines a plurality of blocks, which represent a coherent section of a video picture, to one macro-block. It assigns a macro-attribute to each macro-block from which attribute it can be derived which properties are identical for all sub-blocks of the macro-blocks and which are not. Such properties are, for example, records about the motion vector of each sub-block, which vector may be the same, for example, for all sub-blocks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coding a signal for transmission in order to achieve improved reduction in the bit rate. A signal is a transform coded in order to form a sequence of zero coefficients and non-zero coefficients, and run lengths of zero coefficients together with preceding or subsequent non-zero coefficients are grouped as events and coded.

Abstract: In the quilting machine the loosely superposed cover material webs and at least one filler material web, while being drawn into the quilting machine, are joined along their marginal portions by means of joining devices which are arranged laterally of the superposed webs. The web sections or selvedges lying outside the formed seams are separated and removed.

Abstract: In the hybrid encoder for video signals described the picture elements of a video picture are arranged into equally large data blocks and each newly entered data block, is compared with a data block of the previous video picture by means of a subtractor (SR). The data blocks of the previous picture are stored in a picture store (BS). In order to maintain the transmission bit rates as small as possible, the data blocks are conventionally subjected to a transformation (for example, a Fourier transformation) (F) and a subsequent quantization (Q). For the required strong bit rate reduction a rough quantization is necessary, which leads to a strong quantization noise. To eliminate the quantization noise a blockwise adaptive low-pass filtering (T,FTI) is performed in two signal paths of the hybrid encoder. The quantizer (Q) may then have a refined design or it may be omitted altogether.

Abstract: A device for separating plasma or serum from whole blood and analyzing the same, wherein the device includes a layer of glass fibers with an average diameter of from 0.2 to 5 microns and having a density of from 0.1 to 0.5 g./cm.sup.3 and an adsorption volume at least twice that of the plasma or serum to be separated and, preferably, more than 3.3 times the volume.