VI
New Patents
an insulin pump, or as a portable device for use by a diabetic for home blood glucose monitoring. The glucose monitor measures the glucose level o f blood by utilizing a refractometer which measures the index of refraction of blood adjacent to an interface with a transparent surface of the refractometer, by directing light at the interface to measure the index of refraction of the blood by the amount of radiation refected by the interface, particularly light incident near the critical angle. In a preferred embodiment, polarized light is directed against an interface in an implant between a transparent material and the blood. As the glucose concentration in the blood changes, its index of refraction changes, as does the intensity of light reflected from the interface. The angle of incidence of the light is selected to be slightly less than the critical angle for total internal reflection, with the result that the reflected intensity varies dramatically with index of refraction and with glucose concentration. A differential amplifier compares the intensity of the light reflected from the blood and the intensity of the beam before reflection. The output signal from the differential amplifier indicates only a change in the intensity of the reflected light caused by a change in the glucose concentration from a standard setting.
4704531 M E T H O D A N D A P P A R A T U S FOR M E A S U R I N G THE R A D I O A C T I V I T Y IN C O L U M N ELUATES Fritz Berthold, Manfred Pfleger, Pforzheim, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Laboratorium Prof Dr Rudolph Berthold A method for measuring the radioactivity in eluates from liquid chromatography columns in which a portion of the eluate stream is split off and mixed with a scintillation fluid in a timed sequence wherein the volume of eluate and the volume of scintillation cocktail are quantitatively and reproduceably controlled. An apparatus for the practice of this method comprising a two-position valve on the affluent stream, a two-position valve on a pumped closed loop of scintillation cocktail a means for simultaneously setting the position of each valve and a mixing chamber discharging to a scintillation counter is also described. By the practice of this method, it is possible to determine the radioactivity of the eluate as well as to preserve a sample of the eluate for further analysis.
4705082 4704245 M E T H O D A N D A P P A R A T U S FOR M O N I T O R I N G BREAK OF ION ADSORPTION APPARATUS Yamato Asakura, Shunsuk Uchida, Katsuta, Japan assigned to Hitachi Ltd Ability of ion adsorption apparatus such as a desalting unit, etc. as used in an atomic power plant is continuously monitored, and any deterioration in the ability is detected in advance by a method and an apparatus for monitoring a break in an ion adsorption apparatus by detecting a break point of the ion adsorption apparatus using ion exchange resin, thereby determining a timing for regenerating or exchanging the resin, which comprises making an ion species having a weaker selective adsortability to the ion exchange resin as a sampling ion species than that of a target ion species to be adsorbed and present in water to be treated, and detecting leakage of the sampling ion species at the downstream side of the adsorption apparatus, thereby determining the break point of the ion exchange resin.
M E T H O D OF A N D A P P A R A T U S FOR FILLING A C O N T A I N E R W I T H GAS Hew D Fanshawe, John K Conway, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX8 2LS, United Kingdom A pump (18) draws liquefied carbon-dioxide from a reservoir (4 or 6) and delivers it via a controllable heater (20) and a filling valve (14) to a cylinder (26) to be filled to any required density. This receiver cylinder (26) is controllably warmed by a heater (32) while sensors (22, 24) are provided to indicate the pressure and temperature of its contents. For each required density a table of figures is provided relating pressures (above saturation pressure) to temperature, for that density. A temperature (which must be clear above the lowest temperature at which the receiver will be liquid-fill at the required density but which need not exceed the critical temperature) is selected, and the heaters (20 and 32) are controlled so that the receiver cylinder and its contents will converge at or near that temperature as filling is completed. During the final phase of filling the indicated temperature will