Abstract: A thin film slider with an on-board multi-layer integrated circuit includes a substrate with an air bearing surface and a substantially parallel upper surface spanned by a deposit end. A magnetic head being formed at the deposit end, positioned to magnetically exchange data with a magnetic recording medium that passes beneath the air bearing surface. The upper surface bears an integrated multi-layer accessory circuit, which may be prepared using the CUBE process. Hence, components and vias of the different circuit layers are attached by interconnections that span the edges of the circuit layers. The accessory circuit preferably includes one or more memory devices, such as a cache memory, a DRAM circuit, an EPROM circuit, or another memory circuit appropriate to the application. In embodiments where the magnetic head is a magnetoresistive ("MR") head, the accessory circuit may also include a pre-amplifier and a sensing circuit to support operation of the MR head.

Abstract: An MR head receives ESD protection from a mechanism that automatically and releasably shorts the MR head whenever a suspension assembly on which the head is mounted is not installed in an HDA. The suspension assembly includes a flexure underlying a load beam, which is connected to an actuator arm. The MR head is mounted to a distal end of the flexure, leads from components of the MR head being brought out in the form of MR wire leads running along the load beam and the support arm to a nearby terminal connecting side tab. The conductors are separated and exposed at a designated point along the flexure to provide a contact region. A shorting bar, which comprises an electrically conductive member attached to the actuator arm, automatically connects the MR wire leads at the contact region when absence of support for the MR head permits the load beam to bend sufficiently toward the shorting bar.

Abstract: A monitoring apparatus is provided for determining permeabilities of a vacuum-deposited second pole piece of a magnetic head at the wafer level by providing wafer-mounted monitors which have layers formed by the same masking and deposition steps employed in making the magnetic heads so that the layers of the monitors are replicated layers, except for a shaping layer on top of a replicated second pole piece of some of the monitors. Each monitor is a transformer wherein each of a primary winding and a secondary winding comprises essentially a replicated magnetic head. The first and second pole pieces of the replicated magnetic heads are joined so as to magnetically couple the primary and secondary windings that constitute the transformer.

Abstract: A storage media for linear, serpentine recording is pre-formatted for data storage operations by recording partition format information in a single pass along the length of the storage media by recording partition format information for all storage media tracks at regular partition intervals defined by index locations alternately in both storage media directions before moving the storage media to the next partition interval. At each index location, partition markers are recorded in successive parallel tracks first in one media direction and then the other until markers are recorded across the entire width of the storage media. The steps of moving to a next partition index location, recording partition information in successive parallel tracks in first one direction and then the other, and moving to a next index location one partition length away, are repeated until all partitions of the storage media are pre-formatted.

Abstract: A child educational system comprises a support member having a generally flat rectangular support face having a top edge, a row of numbers disposed in a horizontal row along the top edge, a vertical column disposed below each of the numbers, each column having multiple pairs of position indicators therein, a permanent magnet disposed behind each of a plurality of the position indicators, and a plurality of magnetic responsive markers for positioning on the position indicators, whereby the markers are retained by the permanent magnets.

Abstract: An ultrasonic dental tip that is hardened by a novel process that includes roughing the tip and then applying a metal nitride coating, such as titanium nitride (Ti--N) or zirconium nitride (Zr--N). The roughing is preferably accomplished by sandblasting the tip with a microblaster. Optionally the tip may be heat treated after it has been roughened and prior to being coated in order to further increase its hardness.

Abstract: A transaction processing system, adapted for use in a computer system having a host computer running applications and user terminals connected to the host computer, determines the transaction attributes for each transaction received by the host computer and dynamically associates a transaction protocol to be used in processing that particular transaction. The transaction protocol specifies such attributes as synchronization paradigm and flow control. The synchronization paradigm and flow control are used only for as long as the transaction remains in the system and are used only for that transaction.

Abstract: In a relational database management system (RDMS), a method and system for constraint checking of bulk data after storage in a base table. This invention generates a "dummy" INSERT inquiry to cause the compiler constraint rule engine to generate code for checking for constraint violations. After construction of a Query Graph Model by the compiler, a logic module replaces the INSERT inquiry with a SELECT inquiry to create code that when executed will select records from the bulk data table. Constraint violations are handled in several ways by this invention, including merely reporting that a constraint error exists or listing those records that violate constraint conditions. The logic also enforces referential integrity constraints by applying the SQL CASCADE command to the violating records to expand the violation list to include children records that would be orphaned when their parent records are later removed.

Abstract: An electroporation apparatus for introducing molecules into cells at a selected location within a cavity in the body of a patient includes an elongated catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and a guide wire extending from the proximal end to the distal end, an inflatable balloon carried by the distal end, the balloon having an inner inflatable bladder and an outer perforated bladder defining a chamber between the two bladders, a first electrode on an outer surface of the outer perforated bladder, a second electrode spaced from the first electrode, a remote electrode, a lumen for delivering a predetermined quantity of a fluid medium carrying preselected molecules into the chamber to be infused into the body cavity at the predetermined location; and a source of power for applying a voltage pulse between selected pairs of the electrodes for transport of the molecules by iontophoresis and/or repeatedly generating electric fields of a predetermined amplitude and duration inducing the walls of a plurality

Abstract: A neural network system and unsupervised learning process for separating unknown source signals from their received mixtures by solving the Independent Components Analysis (ICA) problem. The unsupervised learning procedure solves the general blind signal processing problem by maximizing joint output entropy through gradient ascent to minimize mutual information in the outputs. The neural network system can separate a multiplicity of unknown source signals from measured mixture signals where the mixture characteristics and the original source signals are both unknown. The system can be easily adapted to solve the related blind deconvolution problem that extracts an unknown source signal from the output of an unknown reverberating channel.

Abstract: An electrode apparatus for the application of electroporation to a portion of the body of a patient, comprises a support member, a pair of electrodes adjustably mounted on the support member for movement toward and away from one another for positioning on opposite sides of a body portion to be electroporated, a sensing element for sensing a distance between the electrodes and generating a distance signal proportionate to the distance between said electrodes, and means responsive to said distance signal for applying pulses of high amplitude electric signal to the electrodes proportionate to the distance between said electrodes.

Abstract: A prosthetic wrist implant and method for implanting the wrist implant. The prosthetic wrist implant is disposed between a patient's radius and carpal complex bones. It includes a radial implant component having an elongated concave articulate front surface and a post member projecting from the back of the radial implant into the cavity of the radial bone. A carpal bone implant includes a planar member with a front face and a flat rear face and a second post member projecting from the rear face into a cavity of the carpal bone complex. An articulating bearing member has a flat bottom surface fastened to the front face of the planar member and an elongated convex surface slidingly engaging the concave articular surface of the radial implant to permit articulation between the radial and carpal bones.

Abstract: A lift arm is pivotally supported between its upper and lower ends on the outer ends of a pair of horizontal support rails. The support rails slide beneath the body of the refuse collection vehicle across its width. A pair of opposing refuse container grippers are mounted on a carriage that reciprocates along the length of the lift arm to a curved upper portion for dumping refuse from the container into a hopper section of body. The opposite sides of the curved upper portion of the lift arm are pivotally connected to the vehicle body adjacent the hopper section. A hydraulic piston and cylinder drive assembly is mounted between the horizontal rails beneath the vehicle body for extending and retracting the lift arm from the side of the body. The lower end of the lift arm follows a curvilinear or arcuate path during extension and retraction.

Abstract: An insulator is designed to mount 3/8, 1/2 or 3/4 inch pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud. The pipe insulator includes a generally cylindrical body that fits within a circular hole pre-punched in the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud. The body has a circular, radially extending mounting flange which is held against the periphery of the hole in the sheet metal stud by a plurality of axially extending, circumferencially spaced mounting fingers formed in the cylindrical body. These mounting fingers momentarily deflect out of the way and then snap back into position when the cylindrical body is forced into the hole in the sheet metal stud. The pipe insulator further includes axially spaced sets of pie-shaped pipe gripping segments which extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and bend a sufficient amount to permit passage of the pipe through the center of the cylindrical body while holding the pipe rigidly in position.

Abstract: A method and means to control the degree to which the presence of covert information may be reduced, eliminated or corrupted in documents created on a computer device (particularly complex documents) before the document is transmitted outside a secure environment in which the document is created. The process of handling a document in a secure environment comprises the preferred step of displaying the document or a predetermined portion thereof in a manner which conforms to the rule that no pixel of the display is written to more than once for the current portion of the document being displayed.

Abstract: A sprinkler unit having a system of nozzles for a wide range of conditions, comprises a housing having an inlet for connecting to a source of water, an outlet, a passage connecting the inlet to the outlet, the outlet having a nozzle receiving socket, a nozzle for detachably mounting in the outlet, a latching device in the socket for latching engagement with the nozzle for retaining the nozzle in the socket.

Abstract: An improved method of manufacturing is provided for making an improved merged MR head. The method employs a photoresist mask with appropriately-sized openings for simultaneously etching numerous vias to various depths over a set time period. After formation of the vias, a single photoresist mask is employed to pattern in one step gap layers G3, G2, G1 and a first shield layer S1 to the desired lateral configuration for the merged MR head. Subsequent to patterning these thin film layers, double insulation layers I2 and I3 are individually soft baked on top of the coil structure of the head followed by patterning of the layers I2/I3 by a single photoresist mask. These layers are then hard baked to retain the desired smooth configuration of the layers. The improved merged MR head has a smooth configuration to its top pole piece P2 because of the smooth configuration of the I2/I3 layer so that flux leakage and saturation problems are minimized.

Abstract: Bone fractures are stabilized by submerging a bone-lock mending key into the bone, avoiding detection of the key through the skin. A fractured bone typically includes two bone segments having complementary surfaces that mate at the fracture site. Bone repair begins by forming respective gripping channels in the two bone segments. The gripping channels are positioned such that, when the segments are mated at the fracture site, the channels form a continuous gripping socket that spans the fracture. The gripping socket is shaped to provide a longitudinal passage with multiple extensions proceeding outward from the passage. The extensions may comprise fingers, branches, and other apertures channeled outward from the longitudinal passage, thereby forming gripping features such as ridges, flanges, and other protuberances of bone.

Abstract: A thermal blanket including an inflatable covering having a plurality of apertures for delivering a thermally-controlled medium to a patient sitting in a chair. The inflatable covering includes an upper sheet and a base sheet connected at a periphery. The periphery includes a shoulder-facing head section proximate to the head of the patient, a foot section opposite thereto, a first side section extending from the head section to the foot section, and a second side section opposite thereto. A non-inflatable shoulder drape is formed in the head section. The shoulder drape includes an aperture for accommodating the head of the sitting patient so that the thermal blanket is affixed to the sitting patient. An uninflatable first side drape is formed in the first side section and an uninflatable second side drape is formed in the second side section. An uninflatable foot drape may also be formed in the foot section of the inflatable covering.