Abstract: A phenol compound comprises a phenyl group, a hydroxy group directly bonded to the phenyl group, and at least one polymeric substituent bound to the phenyl group. The polymeric substituent comprises three or more monomers units. A method for producing a polyurethane polymer comprises the steps of (a) providing a polyol; (b) providing a polyisocyanate compound; (c) providing the phenol compound described above; (d) combining the polyol, the polyisocyanate compound, and the phenol compound to produce a reaction mixture; and (e) allowing the polyol and the polyisocyanate compound to react to produce a polyurethane polymer.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for determining a physical size of a feature represented in an image is provided together with computer systems and programs for carrying out the method. The method receives initial data comprising an indication of a respective physical size of one or more known types of object. The method uses the initial data to generate reference data from a first reference image. The generated reference data comprises an indication of a respective inferred physical size of one or more reference types of object. The method uses the generated reference data to determine the physical size of the feature based, at least in part, on: a size of a representation of one of the reference types of object in the image; the inferred physical size of that reference type of object; and a size of the representation of the feature in the image.

Abstract: A method (400) for producing a titanium product is disclosed. The method (400) can include obtaining TiO2-slag (401), and producing a titanium product from the TiO2-slag using a metallic reducing agent (402) at a moderate temperature and a pressure to directly produce a titanium product chemically separated from metal impurities in the TiO2 slag (403). The titanium product can comprise TiH2 and optionally elemental titanium. Impurities in the titanium product can then removed (404) by leaching, purifying and separation to form a purified titanium product.

Abstract: Methods of forming laminating adhesive articles include providing a multi-layer article, an embossing tool with a structured surface, and a support surface tool. The multi-layer articles include a substrate, an adhesive layer, and a liner or may just include an adhesive layer and a liner. The multi-layer article is placed between the structured surface of the embossing tool and the support surface tool. The embossing tool is pressed against the liner and the support surface tool is simultaneously pressed against the substrate by applying pressure or a combination of pressure and heat. The pressing causes the structures on the surface of the embossing tool to distort the liner and the adhesive layer and the support surface tool modifies the surface of the substrate. The distortion in the liner is retained upon release of the applied pressure. Upon removal of the liner from the adhesive layer, the structures on the adhesive layer are unstable, but do not immediately collapse.

Abstract: A supplemental power supply system for supplying power to an electric engine. The system includes a generator for generating power, a charger coupled to the generator, wherein the charger provides charging power to a battery; and a drive module coupled to the generator, wherein the drive module provides power to an electric drive motor and wherein the battery simultaneously provides power to the electric drive motor.

Abstract: Tilt between a head stack and its associated disk stack in a hard disk drive (HDD) is measured by determining the deviation of a target head from its expected position (based on the position of the current head) each time electrical contact is switched from the current head to a target head. A running average tilt value is stored and used to modify the logical seek distance used in a Rotational Position Optimization (RPO) algorithm to better order I/O requests in a queue. Also, the running average tilt value can be used by the servo to pre-position the target head before electrical contact is made with the target head, to improve speed of operation.

Abstract: Detection systems and methods for detecting target biological analytes within sample material using acousto-mechanical energy generated by a sensor are disclosed. The acousto-mechanical energy may be provided using an acousto-mechanical sensor, e.g., a surface acoustic wave sensor such as, e.g., a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave sensor (e.g., a LSH-SAW sensor). A variety of techniques for modifying the effective mass of the target biological analytes in sample material are disclosed, including fractionating or disassembling the target biological analytes in the sample material (e.g., lysing the target biological analyte), adding a detectable mass to the target biological analyte or enhancing coupling of the target biological analyte (e.g., through the use of magnetic particles), exposing the sample material to a reagent that causes a change in at least detectable physical property in the sample material if the target biological analyte is present (e.g.

Abstract: A printer for digital printing in which ink is deposited in metered amounts on a substrate. The printer includes a wheel rotatable by a shaft of a motor, an idler disposed in a paint reservoir, and a segment of wire disposed around the wheel and the idler. A computer controls movement of the wire by controlling the rotation of the wheel. As the motor rotates the wheel, ink contained within the paint reservoir coats the wire and is drawn by the wire in front of an air stream, which pulls the ink from the wire and carries it toward the substrate. The wire has alternatively hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas, causing the ink to form droplets on the wire for printing them as discrete pixels onto the substrate.

Abstract: Various methods and fluid delivery systems are described for printing digitally imaged signs. One method of applying pigmented material to a print medium involves using a fluid delivery system to coat at least a portion of an exterior surface of a cable with a pigmented material and then placing the coated portion of the cable in close proximity to the print medium. An air stream is then directed at the portion of the cable coated with the pigmented material such that a the pigmented material is removed from the exterior surface of the cable and is deposited onto the print medium.

Abstract: A mounting interface for a spindle motor allows the optimization of the spindle dynamics. The mounting interface provides a steadfast relationship between a motor and a baseplate, wherein the mounting interface includes at least three surface points forming a single plane acting as a common boundary between the motor and the baseplate. The three surface points may be pads, and the pads may be coupled to the baseplate or to the mount flange. The three surface points provide reduced contact area between the mount flange and the baseplate, and the reduced contact area lowers the rigidity of the mount flange and the resonant frequencies. The surface area of the pads and the material of the pads is chosen to reduce acoustical noise. In addition, a damping ring may be provided for dissipating distortion energy between the motor, baseplate and/or mount flange.

Abstract: Tilt between a head stack and its associated disk stack in a hard disk drive (HDD) is measured by determining the deviation of a target head from its expected position (based on the position of the current head) each time electrical contact is switched from the current head to a target head. A running average tilt value is stored and used to modify the logical seek distance used in a Rotational Position Optimization (RPO) algorithm to better order I/O requests in a queue. Also, the running average tilt value can be used by the servo to pre-position the target head before electrical contact is made with the target head, to improve speed of operation.

Abstract: Tilt between a head stack and its associated disk stack in a hard disk drive (HDD) is measured by determining the deviation of a target head from its expected position (based on the position of the current head) each time electrical contact is switched from the current head to a target head. A running average tilt value is stored and used to modify the logical seek distance used in a Rotational Position Optimization (RPO) algorithm to better order I/O requests in a queue. Also, the running average tilt value can be used by the servo to pre-position the target head before electrical contact is made with the target head, to improve speed of operation.

Abstract: A system and method for precompensating for tangential misalignment in a direct access storage device adjusts a SID timing window individually for every track or surface of the direct access storage device. The system and method generate a calculation of the tangential misalignment and adjust, in accordance with the calculation of tangential misalignment, a timing window during which the transducer head reads the information located on the storage surface. The calculation of tangential misalignment may be the result of a direct measurement of the tangential misalignment, or may be converted from radial misalignment data. The adjustment of the timing window may comprise opening the timing window an amount depending upon the degree of misalignment of each track, and may comprise shifting the window in time either forward or backward depending upon the nature of the calculated misalignment.

Abstract: The fundamental vibration or butterfly mode sensitivity of a hard disk drive,is significantly dependent on the operating temperature of the drive. The temperature of the drive is readily determined via measurement with a thermal or coil resistance sensor. The sensor provides the drive's servo controller with the drive temperature. The current operating temperature of the disk drive, in combination with its modal sensitivity to thermal changes, are used to regularly update the servo controller. With this information, the servo controller calculates new butterfly mode characteristics as the operating temperature changes in order to actively compensate for the mode, and thus increase the performance of the disk drive.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for determining a transducer position in relation to a media surface is described. The method comprises sensing positioning information on the media, measuring a position error signal from the sensed positioning information wherein the position error signal includes first and second position signal components, accessing stored information describing a non-linear relationship between the measured position error signal and the transducer position, and applying the stored relationship to the measured position error signal to produce a corrected position error signal, and determining the transducer position from the corrected position error signal.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and an article of manufacture for calibrating a position error signal for controlling the position of a read transducer with respect to a storage media having positioning information written at a location thereon. In one embodiment, the invention is embodied in a method comprising determining a relationship between a read transducer position and the positioning information by measuring the positioning information while passing the read transducer across the location, determining a measured position error signal from the measured positioning information, and computing a relationship between the measured position error signal and the read transducer position.

Abstract: A disk drive system includes a servo system for driving mechanical parts, including a read/write head, to a desired track on a disk. The mechanical parts undesirably resonate at a frequency f, where f is a function of a temperature t of those mechanical parts. The servo system includes a notch filter responsive to an indication of temperature t, to attenuate the amplitude of frequency f in a broadband control signal that is applied to move the mechanical parts.

Abstract: A method for writing circular track position information on a magnetic recording disk comprising the steps of (i) rotating the magnetic recording disk, and (ii) aerodynamically floating in a helium atmosphere a magnetic recording head adjacent to the disk and writing with the head circular track position information on the disk.

Abstract: A notch filter for a disk drive servo system is disclosed having selectable filtering capability. Different servo notch filters for different heads in the actuator head stack are provided. The notch filters may be selected to remove different resonant modes associated with the different disk drive heads. Each of the plurality of notch filters is tuned to remove a resonant frequency associated with at least one magnetic head of the disk drive. In operation, a notch filter is selected to remove a resonant frequency associated with a magnetic head commanded to write or read data to or from the disk drive. The notch filter system includes a multiplexor for controlling the selection of the notch filters. The multiplexor receives commands from a servo processor to control the selection of a notch filter. Different notch filters can be utilized, including series tapped notch filters or parallel notch filters.

Abstract: An actuator assembly for a magnetic storage system wherein the end arms are dynamically tuned to reduce the modes of vibration on the actuator to improve the performance and stability of the actuator assembly in the magnetic storage system. In one embodiment, the upper and lower outer arms of the actuator assembly are thinned in the same or similar locations. In another embodiment, the upper and lower outer arms of the actuator assembly are notched at high strain energy points to reduce the stiffness of the outer arms. In still another embodiment, the upper and lower outer arms of the actuator assembly are both notched and thinned at the same or similar locations.