Abstract: Forming graft copolymers in water using labeling of water soluble polymers with photoinitiators. The water soluble polymers can form environmentally responsive hydrophobically stimulated cages, which respond to pH, salt concentration, and/or the addition of water miscible solvents to the aqueous solutions. When the cage is “closed,” irradiation leads to radicals that cannot escape from the cage and therefore don't cause substantial polymerization of water soluble monomers in the same solution. When the cage is open via change of pH, salt concentration and/or solvent composition, the photochemically produced free radicals become exposed and cause polymerization. Under certain conditions, only graft copolymers will be formed. These graft copolymers can form a physical hydrogel in which the crosslinks are reversible. Consequently, the gel and sol states are likewise reversible.

Abstract: OE yarn is passed through a drawing zone provided between a front roller and a back roller controlled to rotate at different velocities. An air jet nozzle is located between the two rollers and directs a jet of air at the yarn. The drawing causes improvements in various characteristics of the yarn making the processed yarn more suitable or useful for making up into textile articles.

Abstract: A method of treating a fabric including cellulose fiber to increase water absorption and hydrophilicity by graft polymerisation. The method includes pre-treating the fabric in a solution of an inhibitor for about one hour, and washing the fabric to remove excess inhibitor solution. The fabric is placed in a grafting solution of a hydrophilic monomer for about three hours, washed in methanol, and decrystallized in a solution of zinc chloride for about one hour. The decrystallised fabric is then treated in a solution of sodium hydroxide at 50° C. for about one hour.

Abstract: In a switch having input ports and output ports, a fast ring reservation arbitration is provided by grouping crosspoint units associated with an output port. If any of the crosspoint units of a group request the output port, a received token will be passed to crosspoint units within the group. If, on the other hand, none of the crosspoint units of a group request the output port, then a received token will bypass the group and be forwarded to a next group.

Abstract: Helical arrays comprising structurally different chiral non-racemic molecules or molecular entities that control the helical sense of the helical array provide a method for temperature measurement with a unique characteristic in that the temperature dependent chiral biases of the competing structurally different chiral non-racemic entities control the helical sense population since these biases differ in their temperature dependence. By varying the composition of the chiral non-racemic entities, the temperature at which the helical sense population is equal and how the helical sense population varies as a function of temperature can be controlled. In this way, competing structurally different non-racemic chiral groups can be varied in their composition so that a helical array can be formed under their effect and be sensitive to temperature over a wide temperature range. In this way a temperature may be preselected so that a chiral optical property can reach a minimum near to zero at this temperature.

Abstract: Composition of matter useful as an active mass of positive electrodes for a lead acid storage cell has an X-ray diffraction pattern substantially as shown in the. Figure. The matter is formed from lead-cadmium deposits using a methanesulfonic acid electrolyte system and pulse current.

Abstract: A pipeline-based matching scheduling approach for input-buffered switches relaxes the timing constraint for arbitration with matching schemes, such as CRRD and CMSD. In the new approach, arbitration may operate in a pipelined manner. Each sub-scheduler is allowed to take more than one time slot for its matching. Every time slot, one of them provides a matching result(s). The sub-scheduler can use a matching scheme such as CRRD and CMSD.

Abstract: A low-power-loss power semiconductor switching device and its fabricating method are proposed to provide a low-power-loss IGBT, MCT, or GTO with a voltage rating of less than 2 kV, wherein said device includes a combination of an ultra-thin lightly-doped back-side p+ emitter formed by ion implanting and a nonuniformly-doped n-type base layer which contains a residual layer of a priorly-diffused n+ layer on one side. And in accordance with said method, the residual diffused-layer near the p+ emitter contained in the nonuniformly doped base is formed in the first step of the fabricating process before the thinning of the substrate. After the thinning of the substrate, only low-temperature processes occur. This invention combines the feature of low on-voltage of a PT-IGBT and the feature of short switching time of an NPT-IGBT, and is very applicable to practical manufacturing.

Abstract: Apparatus for compensating for positioning, pointing and/or orientation errors caused by deflections of structural members and components of a high performance machine or device and/or for reducing vibration inputs to such machine or device and/or for micro-positioning such machine or device so as to improve the operational performance of such machine or device. The apparatus utilizes one or more active-type actuators, such as piezoelectric ceramic type actuators, which are arranged in a predetermined manner relative to the machine or device. A servo control device operating in accordance with a predetermined algorithm may be utilized for controlling the actuators or, alternatively, the apparatus may operate in an open loop manner.

Abstract: A tunable laser has a fibre Bragg grating anchored at each to relatively movable fixtures and an actuator coupled to the fixtures for creating relative movement that longitudinally stretches or compresses the fibre Bragg grating. Measuring means are arranged to directly monitor a longitudinal separation between the fixtures and a microprocessor that is programmed to respond to signals from the measuring means controls the actuator to change the separation between the fixtures to tune the laser to a desired wavelength.

Abstract: A multiple phase cell dispatch scheme, in which each phase uses a simple and fair (e.g., round robin) arbitration methods, is described. VOQs of an input module and outgoing links of the input module are matched in a first phase. An outgoing link of an input module is matched with an outgoing link of a central module in a second phase. The arbiters become desynchronized under stable conditions which contributes to the switch's high throughput characteristic. Using this dispatch scheme, a scalable multiple-stage switch able to operate at high throughput, without needing to resort to speeding up the switching fabric and without needing to use buffers in the second stage, is possible. The cost of speed-up and the cell out-of-sequence problems that may occur when buffers are used in the second stage are therefore avoided. A hierarchical arbitration scheme used in the input modules reduces the time needed for scheduling and reduces connection lines.

Abstract: A multiple phase cell dispatch scheme, in which each phase uses a simple and fair (e.g., round robin) arbitration methods, is described. VOQs of an input module and outgoing links of the input module are matched in a first phase. An outgoing link of an input module is matched with an outgoing link of a central module in a second phase. The arbiters become desynchronized under stable conditions which contributes to the switch's high throughput characteristic. Using this dispatch scheme, a scalable multiple-stage switch able to operate at high throughput, without needing to resort to speeding up the switching fabric and without needing to use buffers in the second stage, is possible. The cost of speed-up and the cell out-of-sequence problems that may occur when buffers are used in the second stage are therefore avoided.

Abstract: This invention provides a toy vehicle incorporating actuators made from a shape memory alloy material. These actuators may be in the form of a spring, wire or similar form that has a mechanical response upon the application or removal of heat. In particular, wires may be connected about hinges for doors, hoods, convertible roofs and other such items which, upon the application of heat to the wire of shape memory alloy, causes contraction of the wire and rotation about the hinged joint of the body part. As such shape memory alloy actuators are generally only operably in a single direction, they may be provided in pairs or in opposition to another biasing means to cause the opposed rotation about the joint when desired. The preferred source of heat to the shape memory alloy actuators is through the provision of electrical energy to the wire to create heat through the resistance of the shape memory alloy actuator itself.

Abstract: A hierarchical searching technique is used to find the first memory location of a calendar queue with a validity bit of “1” (that is, the lowest time stamp). The bit string at any level l (l≠0) can be stored in a RAM of size glMl−1. The string at the highest level in the hierarchy (l=0) can be stored in an M0 bit register.

Abstract: A two (2) dimensional shaper uses a hierarchical searching technique to find the first memory location of the calendar queue with a validity bit of “1” (that is, the lowest time stamp). The bit string at any level l (l≠0) can be stored in a RAM of size glMl−1. The string at the highest level in the hierarchy (l=0) can be stored in an M0 bit register.

Abstract: A modular system for constructing an atmospheric pressure plasma source. A plasma torch module may be constructed by reassembling the structural components of two (2) different models of spark plugs. Each module can produce a plasma torch having a radius of about 1 cm or more, a height of about 6 cm, and a peak density exceeding 1013 cm−3. A set of modules, each connected in series, may be used with a ballasting capacitor such that an array can be operated while sharing a common power supply to produce a plasma having a relatively large volume and a relatively high density. A system having a number of plasma torch modules may be used in applications for absorbing radiation, reducing air drag and igniting fuel.

Abstract: Apparatus for compensating for positioning, pointing and/or orientation errors caused by deflections of structural members and components of a high performance machine or device and/or for reducing vibration inputs to such machine or device and/or for micro-positioning such machine or device so as to improve the operational performance of such machine or device. The apparatus utilizes one or more active-type actuators, such as piezoelectric ceramic type actuators, which are arranged in a predetermined manner relative to the machine or device. A servo control device operating in accordance with a predetermined algorithm may be utilized for controlling the actuators or, alternatively, the apparatus may operate in an open loop manner.

Abstract: An electric power cable sheath cutter for longitudinally slicing an outer metallic sheath of a power cable include a frame arranged to be clamped by clamps to each end of a selected longitudinal section of the power cable. A carriage, slidingly mounted to the frame, has rollers that embrace an outer surface of the power cable so that the carriage “floats” on the cable in use. A milling tool with its drive motor is supported on the carriage and is adjustable up and down to enable a depth to be chosen. As a result, the sheath is cut through and inner strands of the power cable are not damaged. The effective depth of the remote end of the cutting tool is controlled by operation of a first motor 20, and the carriage is driven along in use the frame by a second motor so that the cutter can operate automatically without close manual supervision.

Abstract: A bonding tool has a driver of piezoelectric elements in a stack. A sensor is positioned and held in the stack and includes a piezoelectric element sandwiched between electrodes and insulating wafers. Voltage developed between the electrodes is monitored and used to determine a bonding parameter, including the amplitude and duration of each ultrasonic burst.

Abstract: An optical information storage material which can reversibly store said information comprising a polymeric material with a dependence of optical activity on temperature characterized in that the optical activity is substantially invariant at temperatures below Tg of said polymer, and variant at a temperatures at or near or above the Tg.