Abstract: A method of carbonizing cellulose-containing plants is disclosed. Wood is used as a precursor material which is carbonized under controlled temperature and atmosphere conditions to produce a porous carbon product having substantially the same cellular structure as the precursor wood. The porous carbonized wood may be used for various applications such as filters, or may be further processed to form carbon-polymer or carbon-carbon composites. The carbonized wood may also be converted to a ceramic such as silicon carbide. Additional processing may be used to form ceramic-metal or ceramic-ceramic composites.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified perpendicular magnetic recording head which generates a relatively small magnetic field in the soft underlayer of a magnetic recording disk in order to reduce unwanted noise from the underlayer. The noise-suppressing magnetic field is sufficiently strong to effectively drive magnetic domains out of the soft underlayer underneath the head.

Abstract: Magnetic recording media having a biased soft magnetic underlayer are disclosed. The soft magnetic underlayer includes at least two soft magnetic layers separated by a thin non-magnetic layer. Magnetostatic coupling between the soft magnetic layers causes the magnetizations in the layer to be anti-parallel. The biased soft magnetic underlayer is brought into a substantially single-domain state, thereby reducing or eliminating unwanted noise in the soft underlayer. In a preferred embodiment, the recording media includes a perpendicular magnetic recording disk.

Abstract: Materials including alternating magnetic layers and spacer layers for use as hard magnetic recording layers of magnetic recording media are disclosed. The spacer layers and the magnetic layers are treated in an oxygen-containing atmosphere in order to form oxidized boundary layers between adjacent granular columns extending through the layers. The columnar microstructure extends through the entire thickness of the multilayer structure to thereby exchange decouple the magnetic layers as well as the spacer layers. The spacer and magnetic layers may include additives which are present in grain boundary regions throughout the layers. The presence of the additives in the grain boundary regions may facilitate diffusion and oxidization between the adjacent granular columns. In a particular embodiment, the magnetic layers comprise Co, the spacer layers comprise Pd, and the additives comprise Cr, Pt, B, Ta, Nb or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A thromboembolic capturing system captures thromboemboli in the arterial and venous circulation. A vascular tube such as a guidewire includes a porous filter at is distal end. The filter is collapsible, capable of maintaining open and closed configurations when placed within a vessel. Opening and closing of the filter is controlled by strings or sutures running through the tube. The filter is able to retain captured thromboembolic material in conjunction with angioplasty or interventional cardiovascular procedure. When the tube comprises a guidewire, it is of sufficient strength, torquability and softness to be used for angioplasty, stent placement and other interventional procedures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compensated crystalline superlattice ferrimagnets. The ferrimagnets include multiple ferromagnetic layers having different magnetic disordering temperatures in combination with antiferromagnetically coupled layers. The crystalline ferromagnetic layers may include metals or alloys such as Ni, Co and Fe. The crystalline antiferromagnetically coupled layers may include metals or alloys such as Rh, Ir, Cr, Ru, Os, W and Mn. The superlattice ferrimagnets may be used in such applications as data storage or memory layers in thermally assisted magnetic recording media.

Abstract: Solid phase methods for the identification of an analyte in a biological medium, such as a body fluid, using bioluminescence are provided. A chip designed for performing the method and detecting the bioluminescence is also provided. Methods employing biomineralization for depositing silicon on a matrix support are also provided. A synthetic synapse is also provided.

Abstract: Magnetic recording disks having a composite soft magnetic layer are provided. The soft magnetic layer includes a relatively thick layer of low saturation moment soft magnetic material and a relatively thin layer of high saturation moment soft magnetic material. In a preferred embodiment, the thin layer of soft magnetic material is deposited over the thick layer, followed by deposition of a magnetically hard perpendicular recording layer.

Abstract: Kits containing the diagnostic systems and diagnostic systems that rely on bioluminescence for visualizing tissues in situ are provided. The systems include compositions containing conjugates that include a tissue specific, particularly a tumor-specific, targeting agent linked to a targeted agent, a luciferase or luciferin. The systems also include a second composition that contains the remaining components of a bioluminescence generating reaction. Administration of the compositions results production of light by targeted tissues that permits the detection and localization of neoplastic tissue for surgical removal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified perpendicular magnetic recording head which generates a relatively small magnetic field in a radial direction through the soft underlayer of a magnetic recording disk in order to reduce unwanted noise from the underlayer. The radial magnetic field is sufficiently strong to effectively drive the magnetic domains out of the soft underlayer underneath the head.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic recording medium has an improved structure permitting an unusually narrow trackwidth to be defined by a simple, cost-efficient manufacturing process. The main pole and opposing pole of the recording head are deposited on the side of the slider, so that the trackwidth is controlled by the thickness of material deposited to form the main pole. The dimension of the main pole along the direction of the track is not critical for permitting a recording head of the present invention to record at high densities. The opposing pole may be located in front of, to the side of, or behind the main pole.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a composition and method of preserving organs comprising exposing said organs to a preservation solution that includes at least an inhibitor or quencher of peroxynitrite. In its most easily formulated embodiment the present invention is a modified Wisconsin solution which includes the inhibitor or quencher as described herein.

Abstract: An improved shopping cart with a floating basket: The basket is moveable in response to downward and/or lateral forces applied against the basket. The ability of the basket to move in response to such forces reduces the tendency for the shopping cart to tip over. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the shopping cart basket moves downward as the basket is loaded. In another embodiment, the shopping cart basket pivots upon application of a lateral force to the basket. A further embodiment combines both the vertical movement and pivoting movement of the basket.

Abstract: The present invention provides perpendicular recording media having a soft magnetic underlayer and magnetic regions which generate an external magnetic field in the soft magnetic underlayer. The soft magnetic underlayer is brought into a substantially single-domain state by the magnetic field, thereby reducing or eliminating unwanted noise in the soft underlayer. In a preferred embodiment, the recording medium includes a ring-shaped soft magnetic underlayer positioned between concentric ring-shaped magnetic regions.

Abstract: A writer for perpendicular recording on bilayer media with suppressed skew angle effect on the width of the recorded track is disclosed. The writer has a wide and flat trailing edge and a narrow leading edge. In a preferred embodiment, the pole has a trapezoidal cross-section. To suppress the skew effect on the width of the recorded track, the slope angle of the pole sides may be greater than the maximum skew angle in a drive.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a non-invasive device for measuring physiological processes. More particularly, it concerns a device that can be applied externally to the body of an animal or human to detect and quantify displacement, force, motion, vibration and acoustic effects resulting from internal biological functions. Specifically, an inexpensive device is disclosed that is compact, light, portable and comfortable, and operates satisfactorily even with imprecise location on the body, ambient noise, motion and light.