Abstract: Example channel circuits, data storage devices, and methods for asynchronous sampling from an oversampled analog-to-digital converter are described. The channel circuit may include an analog-to-digital converter configured to generate an oversampled digital signal from an analog data signal using a sample rate that is an integer multiple of the baud rate of the channel circuit. A digital sample interpolator may then interpolate interpolated digital signal values from multiple signal values of the oversampled digital signal and select values at baud rate to generate a baud rate digital signal. The baud rate digital signal may be used by an iterative detector in a timing loop and, once a target timing is achieved, for the iterative detector to detect data bits from the interpolated digital signal.

Abstract: A salt composition for use as a fuel in a nuclear reactor is provided. The salt composition can include carrier salts having mixtures of one or more chloride salts or one or more chloride salts and one or more fluoride salts and fuel salts including one or more chloride salts. The carrier salts can include alkali and/or alkaline earth cations, while the fuel salts can include actinide cations. The salt composition has a lower melting temperature, less corrosive redox properties, and allows proliferation-safe retention of actinides and concurrent removal of some fission products, as compared to other salts employed in molten salt reactors. Optionally, the salt composition can include one or more metal halides for further decreasing the melting point and/or increasing the boiling point of the composition, thereby increasing the range of the liquid phase of the salt composition.

Abstract: Electric lamps having molybdenum metal parts exposed to an oxidizing environment can withstand exposure to higher operating temperature if the molybdenum metal parts are coated with silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4). Tungsten-halogen lamps having molybdenum outer leads coated with silicon nitride have operated for over 1500 hours at about 450.degree. C. without oxidation failure of the leads.

Abstract: An organoalkoxysilane/metal oxide sol-gel composition and method for its production are disclosed whereby an organoalkoxysilane of the general formulaR.sub.x Si(OR').sub.4-xwherein R is an organic radical, R' is a low molecular weight alkyl radical, and x is less than 4 and may be zero, is partially hydrolyzed in organic solution and reacted with a titanium alkoxide of the general formula Ti(OR'').sub.4 wherein R'' is a lower alkyl radical. The composition is hydrolyzed, dried and heat treated to form a silicon oxide/titanium oxide abrasion-resistant coating on a substrate with high ultraviolet radiation absorbance.