AN ANNULAR WING NASA Case No. NPO-11007 Address inquiries to: NASA Resident Legal Office Corresponding to U.S. Patent Application No. 043,911 Filed 5-30-79 An annular wing suited for supporting an aircraft. The wing comprises a rigid annular body of a substantially uniformly symmetrical configuration characterized by an annular positive lifting surface and cord line coincident with the segment of a line radiating along the surface of an inverted truncated cone whereby a decalage is established for the leading and trailing semi-circular portions of the body, relative to instantaneous line of flight, and a dihedral for the laterally opposed semi-circular portions of the body, relative to the line of flight, the direction of flight and climb angle or glide slope angle being established by selectively positioning the center of mass of the wing ahead of the aerodynamic center along a radius coincident with an axis for a selected line of flight. Illumination control apparatus for supplementing light from solar radiation with light from an artificial light source to compensate for periods of insufficient levels of solar light to maintain a desired illumination level within an interior space comprising an artificial light source connected to an electrical power source with switch means for selectively energizing said light source, actuator means for controlling the on-off operation of the switch means, a light sensor connected to the actuator means for controlling the actuator means in response to the illumination level of the interior space, and a limit switch carried adjacent the actuator for limiting the movement of the actuator within a predetermined range so as to prevent further movement thereof during detection of erroneous illumination conditions. *Japanese manufacturing rights exclusively licensed to Japan Engineering Development Company. See page 23 for address. All other foreign patent rights available from NASA. BACTERIAL ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE AS A NASA Case No. GSC-11092-2 Address inquiries to: Inventor: Emmett W. Chappelle, et al. Goddard Space Flight Center Canada Attn: Patent Counsel Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,745,090 Filed 4-80-71 Issued 7-10-73 A method is provided for determining bacterial levels in urine samples, which method depends on the quantitative determination of bacterial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the presence of non-bacterial adenosine triphosphate. After the removal of nonbaterial ATP, the bacterial ATP is released by cell rupture and is measured by an enzymatic bioluminescent assay using an enzyme obtained from the firefly. An apparatus for locating electrical shorts while an electrical circuit is being fabricated or assembled. A ring counter derives input pulses from a squarewave oscillator. The outputs of the counter are fed through transistors to an array of light emitting diodes. Each diode is connected to an electrical conductor, such as a bus bar, that is to be tested. In the absence of a short between two electrical conductors the diodes are sequentially illuminated. When a short occurs, a comparator/multivibrator circuit triggers an alarm and stops the oscillator and the sequential energization of the diodes. The two diodes that remain illuminated identify the electrical conductors that are shorted. Gel tray and lid assemblies for use with slotted electrophoretic membranes which include a multisample applicator capable of applying up to 10 samples consecutively or simultaneously, and a temperature control plate for dissipating the heat produced by electrophoresis in a gel. The trays and membranes can be marketed ready for use as electrophoretic media or impregnated with various specific substrates and dyes which can develop the electrophoretic patterns of up to 30 individual protein samples in up to 10 tray or membrane compartments. |