Abstract: In a nuclear reactor fuel bundle packaging apparatus including a hollow cylindrical cask (22) and a basket liner assembly (23) receivable within the cask, the basket liner assembly including a plurality of laterally spaced disks (26) rigidly held by a plurality of tie rods (28), and a plurality of elongated hollow basket liners (33) extending through and fixed to the plurality of disks, each hollow basket liner (33) holding a nuclear fuel bundle assembly (10) having an upper tie plate (14), a lower tie plate (16) and a plurality of fuel rods (12) arranged in a substantially square array, extending between the upper and lower tie plates, the improvement comprising an oversized hollow fuel bundle channel (68) received over the fuel bundle assembly, the channel (68) having the same cross sectional shape as the basket liner (33) but sized to fit within the basket liner, the basket liner having at least one slot (74) formed in at least one side thereof at each disk, and at least one spring (72) mounted on the bask

Abstract: A polymerization process comprising: heating a mixture comprised of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, at least one polymerizable monomer compound, and optionally a solvent, to form a polymer with a high monomer to polymer conversion and a narrow polydispersity, wherein said polymer is comprised of a covalently bound free radical initiator fragment at one end and a covalently bound stable free radical compound at the other end of the polymer, and wherein said stable free radical agent has high thermal, acidic, and photochemical stability.

Abstract: A polymerization process for the preparation of thermoplastic resin or resins comprising heating a mixture comprised of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, at least one polymerizable monomer compound, and a sulfonic acid salt polymerization rate enhancing compound, to form a thermoplastic resin or resins with a high monomer to polymer conversion and a narrow polydispersity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a free radical polymerization process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin or resins comprising heating a mixture of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, and at least one polymerizable monomer compound to form a thermoplastic resin or resins with a high monomer to polymer conversion; cooling said mixture; optionally isolating the thermoplastic resin or resins; and optionally washing and drying thermoplastic resin or resins.Related free radical processes are also disclosed for the preparation of mixtures and block copolymer thermoplastic resins. Resins prepared by the disclosed processes possesses a narrow polydispersity and a modality that is controlled by the selection of a free radical initiator and stable free radical agent addition step or steps.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of toner compositions comprising: forming a mixture comprised of at least one free radical reactive monomer, a colorant, a stabilizer compound containing a stable free radical reactive group, and a liquid vehicle; and heating the mixture from about 75.degree. to about 200.degree. C. to effect polymerization of said monomer, wherein there results stabilized core resin particles containing said colorant and wherein said stabilized core particles are stabilized by said stable free radical reactive stabilizer compounds being bonded directly to the core particles.

Abstract: A buffered stacking system for selectively diverting horizontally disposed documents from a generally horizontal main conveying path, stacking the documents in a horizontal orientation and dropping the documents into replaceable receiving receptacles is provided. The system has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower horizontal reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path. A plurality of sorting stations are located serially along and below the primary conveying path. Each of the sorting stations has at least one diverter arm disposed along the conveying path. The diverter arms are selectively movable from a generally horizontal position which allows passage of the documents along the conveying path to an inclined position to divert the document into the corresponding sorting station. The diverter arms divert the document in a downwardly inclined direction into a stacking station.

Abstract: A rasterizer for generating pixel values for a pattern generation apparatus. The pixel values drive the printing mechanism of the pattern generation apparatus. The rasterizer receives a file defining the pattern to be printed, fractures the pattern into sub frames, rasterizes each sub frame and then coordinates the provision of the shaded pixel values to the pattern generation apparatus. The rasterizer of the present invention is comprised primarily of a host processing means for fracturing and translating the file into one or more sub frames of pixels; geometry engines for rasterizing each sub frame; beam boards for providing the pixel shading values to a pattern generation system; a serial bus for coupling the host processor means to the geometry engines and beam boards and a pixel bus for coupling each of the geometry engines to each of the beam boards.

Abstract: A polymerization process comprising: heating a mixture comprised of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, at least one polymerizable monomer compound, and optionally a solvent, to form a polymer with a high monomer to polymer conversion and a narrow polydispersity, wherein said polymer is comprised of a covalently bound free radical initiator fragment at one end and a covalently bound stable free radical compound at the other end of the polymer, and wherein said stable free radical agent has high thermal, acidic, and photochemical stability.

Abstract: A wafer level test structure and method detects multiple magnetic domains and magnetic domain instability in a test magnetic element. The apparatus comprises a first MR sensor designed to be held in a single magnetic domain by shape anisotropy and a second MR sensor having a permanent magnet to hold the element in a single magnetic domain. A circuit connects the first and second MR sensors to detect differences between the changes in resistance between the first and second sensors in the presence of a magnetic field or differences in resistance after the application and release of a magnetic field. The circuit is preferably a balance circuit in which imbalance in the presence of a magnetic field indicates the presence of multiple magnetic domains in at least one of the test sensors.

Abstract: A labeling assembly for applying labels carried on a substrate to a sequential series of moving documents is provided. The assembly transports the document in a generally vertical end on end orientation down a conveying path and peels the label from the substrate to position the peeled label in a generally vertical orientation. The labeling assembly also includes a paddle having a front surface with vacuum ports for attaching and releasably retaining the peeled label on the front surface. An actuating mechanism pivots the paddle to force an end of the retained label into contact with the document. Upon contact, the downstream end of the retained label adheres to the document and the label is pulled off the paddle. As the label is pulled off the paddle the contact between the end of the paddle presses the label against the document.

Abstract: A free radical polymerization process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin or resins includes heating a mixture of a multifunctional nitroxide compound and at least one polymerizable monomer compound to form a thermoplastic resin or resins; cooling the mixture; and optionally isolating and washing and drying the thermoplastic resin. A multifunctional nitroxide compound for use in the reaction is formed from a stable free radical agent and a compound having one or more halide functional groups. The free radical polymerization process may be used to prepare telechelic, branched and star polymers.

Abstract: Apparatus for shingling a plurality of documents disposed in stacked relation so that the stack extends successively from a first end to a second end, and has at least one boundary defined by substantially coplanar marginal edges of the documents. The stack of documents is conveyed along a predetermined path during which one or more rotatable shingling members engage the coplanar marginal edges of the documents and impart velocity components of progressively increasing magnitude to the marginal edges in a manner to effect movement of the documents into a shingled array. In the preferred embodiments, the rotatable shingling member has a conical shingling surface traversed by the documents in tangential relation so that the velocity components imparted to the marginal edges of the documents lie in the planes of the documents and move them laterally in shingled relation to each other.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive transducer design for cross-talk supression and increased Neel temperature is disclosed. The transducer is formed by fabricating on a suitable substrate an antiferromagnetic material layer above and below the permalloy layer. The additional antiferromagnetic layer between the substrate and the permalloy increases the exchange coupling biasing of the magnetoresistive transducer thereby providing increased cross-talk supression and greater longitudinal bias. The location of the additional antiferromagnetic layer beneath the permalloy also increases the Neel temperature of the transducer. A permanent magnetic material can also be substituted for the antiferromagnetic material with the result that the longitudinal bias is increased by coupling to the upper and lower surfaces of the permalloy layer thereby doubling the effect.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating and advancing documents includes a first assembly having movable belts for frictionally engaging and advancing one of the documents along a path, and a second assembly having stationary belts and retrogressingly moving a portion of an endless belt along the path to frictionally engage and halt the remainder of the documents. The retrogressional movement of the endless belt distributing wear experienced by the engaging and halting of documents over the length of the endless belt. The movable belts of the first assembly and the belts of the second assembly are disposed in relative juxtaposition whereby the one document is gripped between the first assembly and second assembly and advanced along the path under the influence of the first assembly.

Abstract: A free radical polymerization process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin includes heating a mixture comprised of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, and ethylene at a temperature of from about 40.degree. C. to about 500.degree. C. and at a pressure of from about 500 to about 5,000 bar to form a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin has a molecular weight distribution of from about 1.0 to about 2.0.

Abstract: A polymerization process for the preparation of homopolymeric acrylate containing thermoplastic resin or resins comprising heating a mixture comprised of a free radical initiator, an oxo nitroxide stable free radical agent, at least one polymerizable acrylate monomer compound, and optionally a solvent, to form a homopolymeric acrylate containing thermoplastic resin or resins with a high monomer to polymer conversion and a narrow polydispersity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a free radical polymerization process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin or resins comprising heating a mixture of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, and at least one polymerizable monomer compound to form a thermoplastic resin or resins with a high monomer to polymer conversion; cooling said mixture; optionally isolating the thermoplastic resin or resins; and optionally washing and drying thermoplastic resin or resins.Related free radical processes are also disclosed for the preparation of mixtures and block copolymer thermoplastic resins. Resins prepared by the disclosed processes possesses a narrow polydispersity and a modality that is controlled by the selection of a free radical initiator and stable free radical agent addition step or steps.

Abstract: Disclosed is a toner composition comprised of pigment particles and monovinyl aromatic terpene copolymer resin particles, and more specifically styrene terpene copolymer resins.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a toner comprising: preparing an organic phase comprised of a first nonpolar olefinic monomer, a second nonpolar diolefinic monomer, a pigment, a free radical initiator, and optionally a charge control agent; adding the organic phase to an aqueous phase comprised of at least one surfactant; shearing the organic phase into the aqueous phase to form a microdroplet suspension of the organic phase dispersed in the aqueous phase; heating and polymerizing the microdroplets in the suspension to form nonpolar olefinic resin particles; halogenating the nonpolar olefinic resin particle mixture to form a nonpolar toner having a halopolymer resin outer surface or encapsulating shell; and optionally isolating the surface halogenated nonpolar toner.

Abstract: Disclosed is a free radical polymerization process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin or resins comprising heating a mixture of a free radical initiator, a stable free radical agent, and at least one polymerizable monomer compound to form a thermoplastic resin or resins with a high monomer to polymer conversion; cooling said mixture; optionally isolating the thermoplastic resin or resins; and optionally washing and drying thermoplastic resin or resins.Related free radical processes are also disclosed for the preparation of mixtures and block copolymer thermoplastic resins. Resins prepared by the disclosed processes possesses a narrow polydispersity and a modality that is controlled by the selection of a free radical initiator and stable free radical agent addition step or steps.