Abstract: Needle storage receptacle for safely storing and disposing of used suture needles in the operating room. The receptacle is lent a structure having a plurality of linked needle-storing units and having film-anchoring portions at both right-and-left ends, with each needle-storing unit being provided with a mounting pad for adhering a used suture needle, a lid part for covering the mounting pad, and a grip tab in order that the lid part may be grasped when the needle storing unit is to be open/closed, with the mounting pads being provided with adhesive surfaces on the front and rear sides, the lid parts having an adhesive surface on the front side, and on the rear side being printed with marks in such a way when the lid parts are overlaid onto and stuck together with the mounting pads numerals may be recognized through the front side.

Abstract: A combination of a membrane, such as a silicone rubber membrane, and a valve having a chamber within it, such as a solenoid valve. The present invention is suitable, for example, for use with a mass spectrometer. The membrane partitions the chamber into a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion. The valve has at least three passageways into it. The first two passageways lead to the first chamber portion. The third passageway leads to the second chamber portion. A solenoid plunger is used to close off the third passageway when desired. When used with a mass spectrometer, the third passageway is connected to the vacuum inlet of the mass spectrometer and a sample is flowed into and out of the first chamber portion via the first two passaageways. A component of interest in the sample can permeate across the membrane into the second chamber portion and can flow via the third passageway to the mass spectrometer. When desired, the plunger can be used to close the third passageway.

Abstract: The method includes guiding two systems of warp threads to the knitting needles by two systems of thread guides, and moving the latter to knit the main loop courses and additional loop courses which are made between the main loop courses and which are shorter than the latter, with the two systems of the thread guides being moved during the knitting of the additional loop courses along the front presented by the knitting needles, behind the backs thereof and, through steps which are longer than the steps through which these thread guides are moved during the knitting of the main loop courses. The apparatus of the invention comprises a circular warp-knitting machine having knitting members, a mechanism for actuating the annular thread guide bars along the front presented by the knitting needles, and a mechanism for positive feeding of the warp threads of each system.