Abstract: A bearing assembly for supporting a shaft without play, in particular for use with a steering shaft in a steering column, includes a plurality of needle-like rollers that are circumscribed by a thin-walled, split bush for elastically loading the rollers in radial direction. Fitted about the bush is an elastic ring that applies a preload on the bush and has at least one peripheral surface formed with neighboring ridges of relatively greater radial dimension and relatively smaller radial dimension in alternating relationship.

Abstract: A thermal retina disposed in a vacuum envelope receives thermal radiation emitted from an object being viewed includes a semiconductor bolometric thin film target, a metallic heat sink mesh disposed between the thermal radiation and the target to support the target where the heat sink mesh has webs to define web areas of the target and holes surrounded by the webs to define hole areas of the target and a contacting electrode disposed over the holes connecting the film target in the holes to the webs. A readout scanning electron beam is generated in the envelope to provide on the electrode an electric signal proportional to the resistance of the target due to the thermal radiation in the web areas and proportional to the resistance of the target due to the thermal radiation in the hole areas.