Abstract: A cooking appliance includes an oven body having an interior compartment and a door panel for accessing the interior compartment, wherein the interior compartment is sized to receive a food product; a removable heated tray positionable within the interior compartment, wherein the heated tray includes a top tray surface and a first heating source positioned below the top tray surface; and a second heating source positioned within the interior compartment.

Abstract: Preionization is achieved in transverse-discharge gaseous lasers by means of the Malter effect. In two embodiments, the preionization is achieved either with a metal electrode which is the cathode during preionization and then is the anode during the subsequent pumping phase, or by means of a separate set of preionization electrodes. These preionization cathodes are metal electrodes, such as aluminum or tantalum electrodes, exhibiting high secondary electron emission by the Malter effect. High-field electron emission from these preionization cathodes is inherently possible because of a thin insulating layer on the surface. This layer separates positive ions attracted to the surface from the conducting metal and thereby creates a very high field gradient over a very short distance.

Abstract: Particular apparatuses implement a method of breaking a rod of brittle material, such as a glass optical fiber, so as to yield a mirrorlike surface across the entire rod end. A decreasing tensile stress is achieved across the cross section of the rod, which at all points is greater than zero but less than the threshold stress at which a mist zone forms, by simultaneously applying longitudinal tension to the rod and bending it in a tool that laterally moves a section of the fiber while holding sections to either side in friction-type clamps. A convenient hand tool for breaking optical fibers uses pivoting clamps which serve to increase tensile stress as bending is increased. Scoring is done before or after the above-mentioned tool operations.

Abstract: A method of breaking a rod of brittle material, such as a glass optical fiber, so as to yield a mirrorlike surface across the entire rod end is described. This is achieved by establishing a decreasing tensile stress across the cross section of the rod which, at all points, is greater than zero but less than the threshold stress at which a mist zone forms. This is conveniently achieved by simultaneously applying longitudinal tension to the rod and bending it. A convenient hand tool for breaking optical fibers is also described.