Abstract: A comparator 10 has a first stage differential amplifier 11 coupled to a second stage, single ended differential amplifier 12. The output of the second stage is coupled to a latch input stage 15 of a latch 16. A latch replica bias circuit 20 operates the second stage at a clamp voltage corresponding to the threshold voltage of latch 16. A clock signal clk switches the second stage 12 between gain and clamp modes.

Abstract: The use of a thermally curable composition as dental material or constituent of a dental material is described, which composition contains one or more .beta.-dicarbonyl compounds and one or more .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, the curing of the composition taking place in the presence of a catalyst base.

Abstract: An electroluminescent lamp driver system for driving or powering an electroluminescent lamp to illuminate the display in an electronic watch, such as a quartz analog watch, uses the counter in a CMOS timekeeping chip which counts down the quartz oscillator frequency to one Hz for an analog quartz watch. The counter provides a plurality of pulse trains which are combined in digital logic to provide switching signals. The digital logic is included in the timekeeping chip and is implemented in low voltage bulk CMOS. A high voltage is required to drive the lamp and it is provided in a separate chip containing a high voltage inverter in which current is switch through an inductor in response to the switching signals from the timekeeping chip.

Abstract: A binder for binding reinforcement materials is provided in which an aluminum and/or Group IIa-containing compound is combined, in a liquid, with a phosphorus-containing compound wherein said binder has a ratio of phosphorus to aluminum and/or Group IIa ions of 14 to 34, preferably 20 to 30. The binder is useful in binding reinforcement materials, particularly suited for preparing preforms for making metal matrix composite materials.

Abstract: A neural network provides both linearly separable and non-linearly separable logic operations, including the exclusive-or operation, on input signals in a single layer of circuits. The circuit weights the input signals with complex weights by multiplication and addition, and provides weighted signals to a neuron circuit (a neuron body or some a) which provides an output corresponding to the desired logical operation.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a support having an outer surface and an inner surface that is shaped to conform substantially to a human female breast and having a protrusion with a substantially flat, nipple-contacting surface which extends away from the support and is positioned to align substantially with and contact a nipple of a human female breast prevents a human female breast from lactating when placed over the breast. The present invention also provides a method for controlling human lactation which utilizes the present apparatus and includes the steps of placing and positioning the apparatus over the breast and applying pressure on the apparatus sufficient to prevent lactation.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of detecting dioxin-like compounds in a test sample. The test sample is contacted with a heteromer formed from a plurality of proteins, one of which is an inactive Ah receptor. If dioxin-like compounds are present in the test sample, they will bind to the Ah receptor causing it to dissociate from the heteromer as a complex containing active Ah receptor bound to a dioxin-like compound ligand. The presence of the complex is then detected. The process of the present invention can be practiced utilizing solid phase capture, competitive, and sandwich immunoassay test kit formats.

Abstract: A method for bonding CVD diamond to silicon. The first step of the method involves subsequently depositing a transition lawyer 48 on a diamond layer 46 of a composite wafer 40. Once the transition layer 48 has been deposited, wafer layer 50 comprised of silicon, is bonded or deposited to the transition layer 48. In this method, the transition layer 48 comprises carbon and silicon, with the portion of the transition layer 48 adjacent the diamond layer 46 being comprised of substantially carbon and the portion of the transition layer 48 adjacent the wafer layer 50 being comprised of substantially silicon. With the method, sharp interfaces and poor thermal matches between the layers in the composite wafer can be minimized. As a result, the layers in the composite wafer are less likely to delaminate and the composite wafer is likely to warp or bow due to mismatched film stresses.

Abstract: In a switching inverter where transistor switches are controlled so as to provide current through an inductor which is connected in series with the switches across a battery so as to power a capacitive load (such as an electroluminescent lamp) with higher voltage than the battery voltage, control current for the switches and particularly the emitter to base current therethrough is shared by connecting the bases of these transistors via a current limiting resistor. Using the same base current reduces the battery drain and improves the efficiency (power applied to the load versus battery power drawn) of the inverter.

Abstract: In a mail sorting system 10, output pixel intensities of an optical scanner 18 have their contrast locally enhanced. A contrast enhancer 24 uses statistical methods (averaging, standard deviation) coupled with empirical stretch and offset data stored in a ROM 25, to enhance pixel contrast in a pipelined processing operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to proteins associated with human bone marrow cell membranes for adhering hematopoietic cells to human bone marrow cell membranes. These proteins are soluble in lithium dodecyl sulfate but insoluble in 2% nonaethylene glycol octylphenol ether (e.g., 2% Triton.RTM. X-100) solution. These proteins and antibodies raised against them are useful in the treatment and diagnosis of blood disorders. The DNA molecules encoding these proteins have use in gene therapy regimes. Also disclosed is a method for detecting binding between cell adhesion membrane proteins and cells having a potential to be bound to such proteins.

Abstract: A toner receiver sheet having excellent adhesion to toner particles, optical clarity and physical properties that reduce or eliminate sheet feeding problems in automatic copying machines is prepared by coating on a plastic support a thin layer of a dilute aqueous colloidal solution of an acrylic polymer, an electrically conductive organic compound and a small concentration of transparent, non-light scattering polysiloxane beads. The coating is dried and cured to form on the support a water-insoluble acrylic layer of less than 2 .mu.m thickness and affixed thereto a distribution of widely spaced apart transparent polysiloxane spherical beads of 10 to 15 .mu.m diameter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the rate of replenishment of chemical solutions in a photographic processing apparatus used for copying a photographic negative having a transmittance onto photographic material includes a number of steps and an apparatus for carrying out those steps. First, light is exposed onto the photographic negative to form a latent image of the photographic negative on the photographic material. Next, the latent image formed on the photographic material is developed by placing the photographic material in chemical solutions. The photographic material reacts with the chemical solutions to form an amount of dyes on the developed photographic material. The exposure given to the photographic material is measured and then the amount of dyes on the developed photographic material is obtained from the measured exposure.

Abstract: Low temperature wafer bonding using a silicon-oxidizing bonding liquid permits introduction of radiation hardening dopants and electrically active dopants as constituents of the bonding liquid. Oxidizers such as nitric acid may be used in the bonding liquid. Dielectric layers on the device wafer and the handle wafer may be used when additional silicon is provided for the oxidative bonding. Integrated circuits fabricated from such bonded wafers may have buried layers and radiation hardening with device silicon too thick for implantation.

Abstract: A low noise logic (LNL) family is disclosed. An inverter 10 has a pair of load devices NL1, NL2 coupled to the drains of NMOS transistors N 1, N2. The input signal is coupled to the gate of N 1. The drain of N 1 is coupled to the gate of N2. A constant current source 12 is coupled between V.sub.ss and the sources of the transistors N1,N2. Trickle current devices NTR1, NTR2 are coupled to the drains of N 1, N2, respectively to insure input control of the output states. A high logic signal on the gate of N1 steers the constant current to the load NL1 and turns NL2 off. A low logic signal on the gate of N1 turns N1 off and applies a high voltage to the gate of N2, turning N2 on. N2 steers the constant current to NL2.

Abstract: A system for recognizing handwritten words of cursive script by extracting temporal information from static text is described. The temporal information consists of the shape, location and temporal sequence of the segments, or "primitives", constituting the word and is translated from bit maps images of the words into digital information format. By comparing the digital information with formatted digital information for a plurality of known words, as may be stored in computer memory, a list of words having a relatively high probability of matching the static text is generated, and used for word recognition by a process of selecting the most likely match.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing photosensitive material 10. The photosensitive material 10 is conveyed through a low volume process chamber 160 defining a transport path 150 that reverses direction. The tank section has a U-shaped cavity 380 with smooth inner walls 370 and 370'. The complimentary shaped rack section 100 with smooth outer walls 110 and 110' fits inside the U-shaped cavity 380 of the tank section 300 and is separated from the tank section 300 by a narrowly spaced distance. The inner walls 370 and 370' of the tank section 300 and the outer walls 110 and 110' of the rack section 100 form both the transport path 150 for transporting the photosensitive material 10 and the low volume process chamber 160 for processing the photosensitive material 10.

Abstract: Compounds useful as cockroach attractants, the synthesis of the compounds, and methods of controlling cockroach populations with the compounds are disclosed. The compounds are pyrans having the formula: ##STR1## wherein: R.sup.1 is a methyl, ethyl, propyl, or methoxy group andR.sup.2 is a branched alkyl side chain having from 7 to 11 carbons. Preferably, R.sup.2 is a 2,4-dimethyl-substituted alkyl group. Most preferably R.sup.1 is methyl and R.sup.2 is 2,4-dimethylheptanyl. The pyrans can be used as an attractant in cockroach traps comprising, in addition to a pyran according to Formula (I) above, a support and a cockroach restraint. Alternatively, the pyran of the present invention can be combined with a biocontrol agent or an insecticide to form a cockroach control composition.

Abstract: A closure device for a container having an opening sealed with a membrane comprises: a cap adapted to engage the opening of the container for closing same and comprising a first cylindrical wall connected to one side of a circular base; and a membrane-penetrating element comprising a second cylindrical wall connected to the reverse side of the circular base and, within the second cylindrical wall, means for penetrating a membrane when the element is pressed into contact with the opening of a container sealed with the membrane, the means comprising a plurality of arciform cutters that are connected to the base and are coaxial with and in close proximity to the inner surface of the second cylindrical wall, the plurality of arciform cutters together comprising a total of at least 300 degrees.

Abstract: It is known to treat the effluent resulting from photographic processing apparatus. Such treatment takes the form of either neutralization where the effluent is mixed with a neutralizing solution prior to disposal, or evaporation where the effluent is heated to form a precipitate and a concentrated liquid portion prior to disposal. However, both these techniques have disadvantages they do not account for toxic particles which may be suspended in the solutions. Described herein is apparatus in which photographic effluent can be treated to provide harmless end products which can be disposed of directly. The apparatus comprises a mixing unit (10) in which the effluent (S1) is mixed with treatment chemicals (S2, S3, S4, P1, P2, P3) and is then passed to a separation unit (20) in which the treated effluent is separated into non-toxic liquid and solid phases. A computer (100) is used to control all stages of the treatment of the effluent.