Abstract: The present invention is directed to a geosynthetic wicking fabric for transporting water from beneath pavement structures to reduce or prevent damaged caused by frost heave and thaw. Further, the present invention is directed to a wicking drainage system employing the wicking fabric.

Abstract: A compressed tablet of a pharmaceutical compound which contains uncoated pellets containing a pharmaceutical compound, where the uncoated pellets are dispersed in a matrix containing the pellets and a swellable polymer

Abstract: A heater comprising a radiative heating element disposed beneath a housing, in a recess formed therein; the recess having a heat reflective surface for reflecting heat radiation from the radiative heating element in a downwards direction. A heat deflecting member is located between the heating element and the reflective surface of the housing to prevent heat emitted from heating element from directly reaching the reflective surface.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a geosynthetic wicking fabric for transporting water from beneath pavement structures to reduce or prevent damaged caused by frost heave and thaw. Further, the present invention is directed to a wicking drainage system employing the wicking fabric.

Abstract: Described herein are primary carpet backings that possess improved physical properties such as tuft binding strength. The backings described herein can be easily recycled and re-used. Also described herein are methods for making and recycling primary carpet backings.

Abstract: A method and circuit is provided for improving the control of the trimming procedure for various devices without the need for additional dedicated control pins. Instead, the trimming procedure is controlled through sensing of changes in current and/or voltage applied through the existing available pins or bondpads of the devices to determine whether a command for trim programming has occurred. As a result, package-level trimming of the devices can be conducted in standard device packages having low pin count configurations, such as operational amplifiers, instrumentation amplifiers, difference amplifiers, low drop-out regulators, voltage references and other similar types of devices. A device to be trimmed is configured with internal circuitry configured to sense changes in current and/or voltage in the output or supply voltage of the device, and a test system for applying changes in the current and/or voltage through the existing available pins or bondpads of the devices.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. The product container further includes an upper end connected to an expansion chamber and a lower end including an orifice plate having a plurality of openings for passage of fluidized air or gas. A nozzle is centrally located through the orifice plate and is adapted to generate a spray of coating liquid upwardly into the up bed. Particles located within the product container circulate upwardly through the partition and the coating liquid spray, between the up bed and the down bed. A central discharge assembly is provided at the lower end of the product containers for emptying particles from the machine.

Abstract: An operational amplifier having an adjustable input offset is provided that can improve dynamic performance by allowing processing of the input signal in continuous-time. The amplifier circuit comprises an input source and an operational amplifier configured with an adjustable input offset circuit. The adjustable input offset circuit enables cancellation of the offset error from any input sources prior to being translated or gained up by the operational amplifier, thus improving the dynamic range of the operational amplifier. The adjustable input offset circuit can be configured within a signal path of an auto-zero loop of the operational amplifier, or with a continuous-time implementation.

Abstract: A method and circuit is provided for improving the control of the trimming procedure for various devices without the need for additional dedicated control pins. Instead, the trimming procedure is controlled through sensing of changes in current and/or voltage applied through the existing available pins or bondpads of the devices to determine whether a command for trim programming has occurred. As a result, package-level trimming of the devices can be conducted in standard device packages having low pin count configurations, such as operational amplifiers, instrumentation amplifiers, difference amplifiers, low drop-out regulators, voltage references and other similar types of devices. A device to be trimmed is configured with internal circuitry configured to sense changes in current and/or voltage in the output or supply voltage of the device, and a test system for applying changes in the current and/or voltage through the existing available pins or bondpads of the devices.

Abstract: An operational amplifier having an adjustable input offset is provided that can improve dynamic performance by allowing processing of the input signal in continuous-time. The amplifier circuit comprises an input source and an operational amplifier configured with an adjustable input offset circuit. The adjustable input offset circuit enables cancellation of the offset error from any input sources prior to being translated or gained up by the operational amplifier, thus improving the dynamic range of the operational amplifier. The adjustable input offset circuit can be configured within a signal path of an auto-zero loop of the operational amplifier, or with a continuous-time implementation.

Abstract: The invention provides pellet for use as a core for a pharmaceutical dosage form having an inner and an outer zone where the inner zone includes a biologically active agent and said outer zone includes a layer formed by applying a substantially dry, free flowing inert powder which forms a non-tacky surface when placed in contact with water. The invention also provides a process for making pharmaceutical pellets where the core or at least one a layer on the core is formed by (a) contacting powder particles, adhering them to each other and compacting the adhered pellets by a rolling movement, wherein the degree of densification is controlled by the rolling movement; and (b) feeding a sufficient amount of a substantially dry, free flowing inert powder which forms a non-tacky surface when placed in contact with water to provide on said particles an outer zone including a layer formed from said substantially dry, free flowing inert powder.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. A nozzle is centrally located through the orifice plate and is adapted to generate a spray of coating liquid upwardly into the up bed. A nozzle ramp is provided around the nozzle. The nozzle ramp is generally cusp shaped and includes nozzle-ramp surface. The nozzle ramp is centrally positioned around the nozzle and is directed upwardly towards the partition so that the nozzle-ramp surface directs particles moving generally horizontally across the orifice plate from the down bed upwardly into the partition and the up bed. The nozzle ramp may further include air passages for passing fluidized air upwardly to the nozzle-ramp surface.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. The product container further includes an upper end connected to an expansion chamber and a lower end including an orifice plate having a plurality of openings for passage of fluidized air or gas. The fluidized apparatus further includes a central first plenum located below the orifice plate and being aligned with the up-bed and the partition, the first plenum being sized and shaped to direct gas upwardly through the orifice plate and into the up-bed; and a second plenum located below the orifice plate positioned around the first plenum for directing gas upwardly through the orifice plate and into contact with particles located on the orifice plate.

Abstract: A leakage compensation circuit and technique is provided that compensates for losses in a referenced current of an amplifier circuit due to leakage elements. The leakage compensation circuit is configured to inject current substantially equal in magnitude to the leakage current into one or more junctions of the amplifier circuit to compensate for lost referenced current due to leakage. As a result, the amplifier circuit and various devices can realize the flow of the reference current as substantially intended without detrimental effects of leakage current, thus maintaining the integrity of the referenced current. The leakage compensation circuit comprises an array of compensation regions configured to approximate the collective loss that is created by the leakage elements and provide a compensation current substantially equal in magnitude to one or more junctions to compensate for lost referenced current.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. The product container further includes an upper end connected to an expansion chamber and a lower end including an orifice plate having a plurality of openings for passage of fluidized air or gas. A nozzle is centrally located through the orifice plate and is adapted to generate a spray of coating liquid upwardly into the up bed. Particles located within the product container circulate upwardly through the partition and the coating liquid spray, between the up bed and the down bed. A plurality of inwardly directed discharge jets are positioned along the periphery of the product container and generally adjacent to the orifice plate.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. The product container further includes an upper end connected to an expansion chamber and a lower end including an orifice plate having a plurality of openings for passage of fluidized air or gas. A nozzle is centrally located through the orifice plate and is adapted to generate a spray of coating liquid upwardly into the up bed. Particles located within the product container circulate upwardly through the partition and the coating liquid spray, between the up bed and the down bed. A plurality of inwardly directed discharge jets are positioned along the periphery of the product container and generally adjacent to the orifice plate.

Abstract: A fluidized bed apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto the surface of particles includes a vertically disposed cylindrical product container having a peripheral wall, at least one cylindrical partition defining a centrally located up bed region and a peripherally located down bed region. The product container further includes an upper end connected to an expansion chamber and a lower end including an orifice plate having a plurality of openings for passage of fluidized air or gas. A nozzle is centrally located through the orifice plate and is adapted to generate a spray of coating liquid upwardly into the up bed. Particles located within the product container circulate upwardly through the partition and the coating liquid spray, between the up bed and the down bed. A plurality of inwardly directed discharge jets are positioned along the periphery of the product container and generally adjacent to the orifice plate.

Abstract: A leakage compensation circuit and technique is provided that compensates for losses in a referenced current of an amplifier circuit due to leakage elements. The leakage compensation circuit is configured to inject current substantially equal in magnitude to the leakage current into one or more junctions of the amplifier circuit to compensate for lost referenced current due to leakage. As a result, the amplifier circuit and various devices can realize the flow of the reference current as substantially intended without detrimental effects of leakage current, thus maintaining the integrity of the referenced current. The leakage compensation circuit comprises an array of compensation regions configured to approximate the collective loss that is created by the leakage elements and provide a compensation current substantially equal in magnitude to one or more junctions to compensate for lost referenced current.

Abstract: A current sense amplifier (10) for measuring current flowing through a sense resistor (12) coupled between first (11) and second (13) terminals, respectively, of the current sense amplifier, the current sense amplifier includes a first amplifier (18) having a first input (17) coupled by a first resistor (16) to the first terminal (11) and a second input (20) coupled by a second resistor (19) to the second terminal (13) and a bias circuit (30,24) coupled to the first input (17) of the first amplifier for causing the bias current to flow through the first resistor (16. A feedback transistor (26) is coupled to the output (22) of the first amplifier and the second input (20) of the first amplifier to cause a feedback current to equalize the voltages on the first (17) and second (20) inputs of the first amplifier and supply the feedback current to an output terminal (36) of the current sense amplifier (10).