Abstract: Liquid crystal polymer materials used in liquid crystal devices, piezoelectric devices, pyroelectric devices and recording media are described.

Abstract: Process for removing organic constituents from a high pressure exhaust gas stream in a bromine assisted air oxidation process in which the exhaust gas contains methyl bromide.

Abstract: A method for the loading and alignment of liquid crystal polymers in electro-optic and electro-active devices by in-situ polymerization between substrates of liquid crystal monomers. The molecular weight of the resulting liquid crystal polymer is controlled by the addition of a chain transfer reagent, for example, a thiol-containing compound which may be a liquid crystal material.

Abstract: A process for improving the permselectivity of polymeric gas separation membranes is disclosed. The process involves contacting the membrane with a fluorocarbon, such as fluorinated ethers, perferably perfluorinated compounds, or a solution of a fluorocarbon and a caulking agent.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus includes a rotatable array plate and a magnetic array including a group of permanent magnets arranged around the plate periphery in one or more quadrants. Each magnet is perpendicular to the plate, having a pole of a first polarity facing toward the target. A bar permanent magnet is affixed to the plate within the same quadrant of a group of magnets and is located between a center axis of rotation and the magnet group. The bar permanent magnet is perpendicular to the plate, having a pole of a second polarity facing toward the target. The magnets create a closed-loop static magnetic field that is substantially triangular in shape, concentrated in the quadrant, and offset from the center axis of rotation. The magnets in one quadrant may be replicated to fill up to four quadrants, and additional bar magnets are arranged to create a rotating magnetic field at the target that patterns the plasma to a maximum plasma density in the shape of a kidney.

Abstract: A computer method and storage structure for storing and accessing multidimensional data is provided. A tree manager provided by the present invention stores data such as pointers, variable length data records, other B-trees, and directories, in a Multidimensional B-tree (MDB-tree). An MDB-tree has an imbedded "parent-child" structure which allows subtrees to be stored within nodes. The subtrees contain subnodes, which, in turn, may contain subtrees. The nodes are indexed by a primary key value while the subnodes in a subtree are indexed by secondary key values. Nodes of a MDB-tree contain a key value table, a subnode table, and a data area. When the tree manager attempts to store a unit of data on a page and the unit of data is too large for the page, the tree manager attempts to split a node currently stored on the page (or the unit of data being inserted) into a subnode and a subtree. The subtree is then stored on a new page.

Abstract: A thermochromic effect pigment comprising a thermochromic liquid crystal material encapsulated with a polymer and coated with one or more inorganic metal oxides or nearly insoluble metal salts selected from Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, SnO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, CaO, SiO.sub.2, ZnO, MgO or BaSO.sub.4. The pigment is stable in solvent-based formulations and can be used as a colorant in the form of an aqueous suspension or as a powder in lacquer compositions, plastic compositions, dyed filter compositions, dyed glass compositions, dyed cosmetic compositions, printing ink compositions, and in hair coloring agents.

Abstract: A high-speed bus system for a computer is constructed of a network of buses with parallel bit lines, each bus of which operates independently and supports serial packet communications, wherein transmit agents and receive agents associated with each communicating element in the bus system are connected to the bus system. Each transmit agent controls a single bus for transmission and each receive agent is connected to all other buses for reception in a diagonal topology. The architecture is based on use of a buffering element at each node in the bus structure, herein referred to as a cell bus interface (CBI) unit. Based on header data containing address information appended as part of a packet cell by a transmitting transmit agent, each receive agent decides whether the information provided on any bus is intended for it as a destination agent.

Abstract: Preparation of improved yarns from synthetic linear polymer filaments by melt spinning followed by substantially immediately heating said filaments above their second order transition temperature and drawing said filaments substantially instantly at a temperature in the range of from about above their second order transition temperature to within about 5.degree. C. of their melting point, said heating being preceded by pretensioning of said filaments at a constant tension level greater than about 0.005 gram per denier and less than a tension level required to draw said filaments.

Abstract: A gas filtering arrangement is described for a magnetic disk file consisting of a closed housing surrounding the magnetic disks. A bearing mounted in a wall of the housing carries a drive shaft upon which the disk (or disks) and a gas impeller are mounted. The impeller pumps gas through a main filter, located within the housing, to clean the gas. The air flow due to the impeller and the disk is arranged to maintain a positive air pressure adjacent the bearing to prevent gas entering the housing through the bearing. A breather filter within the housing connected to the exterior of the housing by a breather aperture is arranged so that during operation a negative pressure is applied to the breather filter to prevent gas leaving the housing through the breather filter.