Abstract: A process for preparing carbonate compounds having the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R and R' are, the same or different, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl group, a C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 cycloalkyl group, an optionally substituted C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl group, an alkylaryl group, or an arylalkyl group is proposed; the process comprises reacting urea or derivatives thereof with appropriate alcohols or phenols and preparing the carbonate compounds via a multiple-step synthesis process.

Abstract: A timer unit of a microprocessor has a hardware timer limited to the size of its register, and microcode instructions in the timer unit increment a second register when the timer register rolls over to a clear state. The contents of the two registers are concatenated to obtain an extended timer value. A delay in processing the increment of the second register can cause non-coherency of the two registers. By setting a flag when the increment occurs and detecting from the hardware register value whether rollover has occurred, it is logically decided from the flag and the rollover information whether the registers are non-coherent and if so, a correction is made in the value used from one of the registers.

Abstract: This invention relates to the use of functional reporter molecules in the detection and measurement of nucleic acid sequences in a sample, as a determination, for example, of pathogenic disease existence or potential. The invention is predicated on the utilization of a transcription step between the production of an appropriate reporter molecule and replication based amplification in order to increase the number of detectable species as an indirect reference to target nucleic acid sequence.

Abstract: A system for characterizing phase modulated signals, e.g., .pi./4 DQPSK signals, includes a time interval analyzer coupled to a system processor for determining a variety of signal characterizing parameters as a function of readings made on a phase modulated signal by the analyzer. The system processor includes a phase/frequency determining section for generating a phase deviation curve and decoding the modulated signal. The system processor further includes a processing section for determining various signal defining parameters including origin offset and I/Q mismatch as a function of the phase deviation.

Abstract: A distributed intelligence network using time and frequency domain multiplexing. On power-up, each node determines its skew and requests downloading of program code and configuration data. A node claims timeslots by transmitting a packet into an apparently empty timeslot and verifying receipt of its own packet.

Abstract: A heat exchanger, especially for use in conjunction with a wide range of computer systems ranging from work stations to massively parallel processors is employable with both air and water cooling systems. In particular, a heat exchanger is provided which is convertible from a heat sink modality to an air cooling modality and finally to a liquid cooling modality in response to either increased performance demands or an increase in the number of processors or circuit components employed. The conversion may be carried out in the field and provides a flexible and less costly upgradeability path for data processing customers.

Abstract: A system for recovering parameters of an underlying clock signal from data modulated signals includes a time digitizer, or time stamping device, for sampling and locating edges of the data modulated signals, thereby selectively providing time stamp readings identifying incoming edges of the data signals. The time stamp readings are used, along with a user-input nominal clock frequency, to determine an array of actual clock cycle stamps, each representing an integral number of actual clock cycles occurring between adjacent time stamps. The array is then used in conjunction with the time stamps to characterize parameters of the underlying clock data. Once the clock parameters are recovered, a wide variety of information, for example, frequency and phase information, including jitter, can be determined with a very modest rate of sampling compared to the high data bandwidth. No phase locked loops are used and no physical clock is recovered.

Abstract: A configuration of solid state thermoelectric heat transfer or removal elements is provided to enhance the rate and amount of heat removal from electrical and electronic circuit devices. By rotating the thermoelectric heat transfer modules ninety degrees and by disposing them between the interdigitated fingers of a cold plate and a heat transfer plate possessing fins, improved thermal transfer is produced without the necessity of liquid coolants or moving part cooling devices. Accordingly, a method and apparatus is provided for enhancing heat transfer using thermoelectric modules. One embodiment of the present invention is particularly seen to be easy to manufacture. Additionally, this embodiment also possesses desirable heat transfer characteristics in terms of the cross sections of thermally conductive components.

Abstract: A grease composition for use as a cable filling material which contains about 75 to 95 parts by weight of a base component of a liquid or semi-solid polyol having a molecular weight of at least 4000 and a reduced amount of mono-unsaturated compounds, about 1 to 15 parts by weight of a thickening agent such as colloidal particles of silica, and between 1 and 5 parts by weight of an antioxidant. Optionally, a thermoplastic elastomer can be added to improve bleed resistance.

Abstract: 1,4-butanediol is prepared from allyl alcohol containing allyl acetate and water. The allyl alcohol is subjected to a hydroformylation reaction in the presence of an organic solvent, a rhodium complex, and a phosphorous compound under an atmosphere of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, to produce a hydroformylation product, which is extracted with an alkaline aqueous solution in the presence of carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen. After the extraction, an extracted raffinate solution containing the rhodium complex in the organic solvent is recycled through the same hydroformylation process, while the extracted aqueous solution containing the hydroformylation product is subjected to a hydrogenation reaction in the presence of hydrogen, with a hydrogenation catalyst added, to produce 1,4-butanediol.

Abstract: Cooling module geometry provides a method for controlling local condensation for liquid impingement two-phase cooling of electrical and/or electronic circuit chips. The method and apparatus described herein uses vapor condensation in the exhaust flow from each chip site within a multi-chip module which utilizes direct liquid impingement with phase change.

Abstract: The pistons of a cold plate frame orient themselves as a result of being free to move along one axis and about two other axes by the reflowing of solder tinning on the external surfaces of the pistons and the walls of the recesses within which the pistons reside. As the pistons are permitted to move freely under a biasing force during the solder reflow the face of the piston will engage with the top surface of an electronic chip against which the piston is engaged. The cooling of the solder after reflow will freeze the position and orientation of the piston to that of the electronic chip and will permit enhanced cooling. The cold plate may be disassembled from and reassembled with the components of the cooling system and the electronic chips while maintaining significantly enhanced cooling capabilities.

Abstract: A capacitor is provided having a substrate and a first capacitor plate including a lattice mismatched crystalline material is formed over and supported by a surface of the substrate. A layer of insulating material is formed over and supported by the first capacitor plate. A second capacitor plate including a layer of conductive material is formed over and supported by the layer of insulating material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the measuring of a delay in a delay circuit by making a continuous frequency measurement is proposed. The phase-locking of a variable frequency signal applied to the delay circuit allows the user to significantly improve the precision and accuracy of the time delay measurement. A scheme to extract the number of cycles stored in the delay circuit is also disclosed.

Abstract: A paint brush with replaceable head comprises a handle (1) and a bristle portion (2) detachably secured to the handle by a removable pin (6). The bristle portion consists of bristles (5) fixedly mounted onto the lower end of a retaining member (4) by adhesives (8).

Abstract: A grease composition for use as a cable filling material which contains about 75 to 95 parts by weight of a base component of a polyol or ester having a molecular weight of at least about 3000 and about 2 to 20 parts by weight of colloidal particles such as silica. Optionally, an antioxidant component can be added to impart high temperature resistance or a rubber component can be added to improve bleed resistance. Also, an article of manufacture of a cable having a sheath with one of the grease compositions of the invention located therein, and a method for filling the cable with such grease compositions.

Abstract: A probe for the detection of a nucleic acid target sequence containing a molecular switch comprising three essential elements: a probe sequence of 20-60 nucleotides surrounded by switch sequences of 10-40 nucleotides which are complementary to each other, wherein the state of the switch is useful for selectively generating a detectable signal if the probe is hybridized to a target; also, assays and kits utilizing such probes.

Abstract: A cold plate for cooling electronic modules and devices is disclosed which incorporates an intersecting flow network. The flow network is designed and devised such that flow paths are arranged in a rectilinear fashion surrounding blocks of material which act as heat sinks. Supply conduits and return conduits for supplying and returning cooling fluid are disposed orthogonally to the flow directions within the flow paths and such that each supply channel is circumscribed by a plurality of return channels, and each return channel is circumscribed by a plurality of supply channels. The arrangement of the supply and return channels insures the shortest possible flow path for the cooling fluid thereby insuring maximum cooling efficiency and minimizing and localizing the temperature rise in the cooling fluid during passage from the supply conduit to the return conduit.

Abstract: A method of removing frame redundancy in a computer system for a sequence of moving images. The method comprises detecting a first scene change in the sequence of moving images and generating a first keyframe containing complete scene information for a first image. The first keyframe is known, in a preferred embodiment, as a "forward-facing" keyframe or intra frame, and it is normally present in CCITT compressed video data. The process then comprises generating at least one intermediate compressed frame, the at least one intermediate compressed frame containing difference information from the first image for at least one image following the first image in time in the sequence of moving images. In a preferred embodiment, this at least one frame is known as an inter frame. Finally, detecting a second scene change in the sequence of moving images and generating a second keyframe containing complete scene information for an image displayed at the time just prior to the second scene change.

Abstract: A motor vehicle fuel composition sensor is responsive to a dielectric constant of a mixture of two fuels such as gasoline and methanol to indicate the relative concentrations of each. The sensor is fuel temperature dependent at high concentrations of methanol; and a fuel temperature sensor thus provides a fuel temperature signal for fuel composition signal correction. Diagnostic apparatus stores references defining permissible operating ranges for the fuel temperature and fuel composition sensor outputs and compares the sensor outputs with these ranges to detect abnormal sensor operation. The reference defining the end of the fuel composition sensor range at maximum methanol, however, is corrected for fuel temperature if the fuel temperature sensor output is within range. An out of range signal from either sensor causes a default value to be substituted for fuel composition.