Abstract: An apparatus and methods for airborne or gas borne chemical and biological sample collection and detection in real time using optical or chemical techniques, the apparatus comprising a chamber for delivery of said flowing gas stream containing a substance, the chamber comprising a first wall including a first wall surface and a longitudinal inlet channel disposed within the first wall and terminating at an outlet edge at the first wall surface; a second wall including a second wall surface and a longitudinal outlet channel disposed within the second wall and beginning at an outlet edge at the second wall surface, the longitudinal inlet channel aligned with the longitudinal outlet channel, and the first wall surface separated from the second wall surface by a gap; wherein the longitudinal inlet channel the longitudinal outlet channel are adapted for delivering a liquid into the inlet channel, through the chamber, and out the outlet channel such that a gas-liquid interface may be formed in the gap of the chambe

Abstract: A method of transporting a desired fluid in a channel includes: providing a working fluid to transport the desired fluid, such as a sample; providing a first segment of a first buffer fluid which is immiscible with the working fluid and the desired fluid; providing a first segment of the desired fluid; providing a second segment of a second buffer fluid which is immiscible with the working fluid and the desired fluid; providing the desired fluid to be transported and further manipulated; and transporting the desired fluid in the channel by applying a motive force to the working fluid which in turn exerts force against the desired fluid through the first and second buffer fluid. The method prevents dilution of a sample in an apparatus such as a diagnostic analyzer or an apparatus for immunohematological testing of blood. A microfluidics handling system includes a microsystem platform that has: a substrate having: a first flat, planar surface; and a second flat planar surface opposite to the first surface.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to testing apparatus and methodology for measuring fluid dynamic properties of structures within fluid flows. One embodiment includes a fluid induced motion testing apparatus of the type which includes a test rig suitable for holding a test body in a fluid body. The apparatus may include any of an actuator suitable for producing a force upon the test body; a turbulence generator located in the fluid body up current from the test body suitable for generating a turbulent flow field with uniform turbulence intensity across the fluid body-test body interface, the turbulent flow field including dominate vortical structures, the axis of the vortical structures about parallel to the longitudinal axis of the test body; or a test body adjuster suitable for adjusting the test body relative to the fluid current in four or more increments, thereby enabling multiple headings of the test body to be tested against the current of the fluid body.

Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a liquid patient sample includes at least one sample container having a quantity of a sample that is aggressively acted upon so as to create a flow field. A measurement mechanism includes at least one low angle light emitter aligned with a measurement window of the at least one sample container and a detector oppositely disposed relative to the measurement window. Measurement of the scattered light detects particle characteristics of a moving flow field from the sample to determine, for example, the amount of agglutination of the sample so as to perform blood typing or other classifications without spatial separation.

Abstract: A process is provided for converting oxygenate to olefins from a fluidized bed reactor which comprises removal of catalyst fines from a quenched vaporous effluent by contacting with a liquid low in catalyst fines content, e.g., oxygenate feedstock, or by-product water from the oxygenates to olefins conversion which is stripped and/or filtered.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a process for condensing and removing condensable compounds from an olefin stream containing light olefin compounds, and recovering the light olefin compounds. The process of the invention is particularly effective in removing water and heavy hydrocarbons, particularly aromatic hydrocarbons, from an olefin stream made from the catalytic conversion of oxygenate, and recovering light olefins such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, or a mixture thereof.

Abstract: A differential amplifier. A differential pair constructed by a first transistor and the second transistor receives differential input signals. The gate terminals of a third and fourth transistor are coupled to the source terminals of the fourth transistor and the third transistor respectively, and the third and fourth transistor construct a feedback device. This feedback device provides a positive feedback to the differential pair in the differential mode, thereby increasing AC amplitude of the differential amplifier. Further this feedback device substantially brings the drain currents of the first current path and the second current path into coincidence in the Vcom mode.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for selecting physical cylinders (cylinders accessible for read/write operations) in a disc drive is provided. The disc drive includes at least one rotatable disc. The disc drive also includes a first head, which is positionable adjacent a first disc surface, and a second head, which is positionable adjacent a second disc surface. The first disc surface has a first plurality of greycode tracks and the second disc surface has a second plurality of greycode tracks. Each greycode track of the second plurality of greycode tracks corresponds to a different greycode track of the first plurality of greycode tracks, thereby forming a plurality of greycode cylinders, with each greycode cylinder of the plurality of greycode cylinders including a pair of corresponding greycode tracks. The physical cylinders are a subset (less than all) of the plurality of the greycode cylinders.

Abstract: A differential amplifier. A differential pair constructed by a first transistor and the second transistor receives differential input signals. The gate terminals of a third and fourth transistor are coupled to the source terminals of the fourth transistor and the third transistor respectively, and the third and fourth transistor construct a feedback device. This feedback device provides a positive feedback to the differential pair in the differential mode, thereby increasing AC amplitude of the differential amplifier. Further this feedback device substantially brings the drain currents of the first current path and the second current path into coincidence in the Vcom mode.

Abstract: The present invention is a process for cleaning and using byproduct water from an oxygenate to olefin process to satisfy the water requirement of the oxygenate to olefin process.

Abstract: A differential amplifier. A differential pair constructed by a first transistor and the second transistor receives differential input signals. The gate terminals of a third and fourth transistor are coupled to the source terminals of the fourth transistor and the third transistor respectively, and the third and fourth transistor construct a feedback device. This feedback device provides a positive feedback to the differential pair in the differential mode, thereby increasing AC amplitude of the differential amplifier. Further this feedback device substantially brings the drain currents of the first current path and the second current path into coincidence in the Vcom mode.

Abstract: A process is provided for converting oxygenate to olefins from a fluidized bed reactor which comprises removal of catalyst fines from a quenched vaporous effluent by contacting with a liquid low in catalyst fines content, e.g., oxygenate feedstock, or by-product water from the oxygenates to olefins conversion which is stripped and/or filtered.

Abstract: A method of transporting a desired fluid in a channel includes: providing a working fluid to transport the desired fluid, such as a sample; providing a first segment of a first buffer fluid which is immiscible with the working fluid and the desired fluid; providing a first segment of the desired fluid; providing a second segment of a second buffer fluid which is immiscible with the working fluid and the desired fluid; providing the desired fluid to be transported and further manipulated; and transporting the desired fluid in the channel by applying a motive force to the working fluid which in turn exerts force against the desired fluid through the first and second buffer fluid. The method prevents dilution of a sample in an apparatus such as a diagnostic analyzer or an apparatus for immunohematological testing of blood. A microfluidics handling system includes a microsystem platform that has: a substrate having: a first flat, planar surface; and a second flat planar surface opposite to the first surface.

Abstract: A method of handling resonance effects on disc drives includes the steps of monitoring a position error signal (PES) for an actuator arm of a disc drive, generating a feedforward compensation signal from the PES using a bandpass filter, and applying the compensation signal to a servo control signal. The bandpass filter has a center frequency set to a known resonance frequency. A disc drive includes an actuator assembly including an arm for carrying a head in a transducing relation with respect to a disc in response to a control signal, and a controller that monitors a PES for the arm and generates the control signal. The controller includes a servo controller that generates a servo control signal from the PES, and a feedforward compensation element which bandpass filters the PES to generate a compensation signal which is combined with the servo control signal to generate the control signal.

Abstract: A differential amplifier. A differential pair constructed by a first transistor and the second transistor receives differential input signals. The gate terminals of a third and fourth transistor are coupled to the source terminals of the fourth transistor and the third transistor respectively, and the third and fourth transistor construct a feedback device. This feedback device provides a positive feedback to the differential pair in the differential mode, thereby increasing AC amplitude of the differential amplifier. Further this feedback device substantially brings the drain currents of the first current path and the second current path into coincidence in the Vcom mode.

Abstract: An information handling system, such as a disc drive, includes a base, a disc stack rotatably attached to the base, and an actuator assembly movably attached to the base. A region of the disc stack is identified as a parking band, and when power is not provided to the disc drive, the actuator assembly is held in a parked position within the parking band by an actuator latch. The actuator latch and actuator assembly have different resonant frequencies based on several environmental elements near the actuator assembly, including the temperature of the environment in the disc enclosure. The actuator assembly is unlatched by measuring the environmental element near the actuator assembly and applying an alternating current to a voice coil coupled to the actuator. The frequency of the alternating current applied to the actuator assembly during the unlatching procedure is near the resonant frequency of the actuator assembly in the measured environment.

Abstract: A metering tip for use in a clinical analytical apparatus includes a tapered body having at least one interior stepped areas. Each of the stepped areas include a sharp diametrical edge for latching a fluid meniscus being dispensed from the tip and for reducing fluid oscillation during metering.

Abstract: A method for writing servo information to a disc rotatably mounted to a spindle motor. A measured cage frequency is obtained from a written reference track, from which an actual cage frequency is predicted. The predicted cage frequency is then used to derive compensated position commands. During a servo write interval, the compensated position commands are used to control the head such that the head follows the disc movements caused by the cage frequency.

Abstract: A method of producing a modified control signal to an actuator arm assembly of a disc drive to reduce RRO includes the step of generating a correction signal corresponding to a position error signal of a current track. Then to determine a high pass filter transfer function of a high pass filter to decrease a gain of an unwanted frequency generated when increasing a learning gain of the correction signal to achieve a faster convergence without any loss of performance in the disc drive. Then to determine filter parameters from the high pass filter transfer function, and to filter the correction signal by passing the correction signal through the high pass filter to generate a modified control signal to the actuator arm assembly of the disc drive using the filtered correction signal to remove the RRO on a next track.

Abstract: A method for writing servo information to a disc rotatably mounted to a spindle motor. A measured cage frequency is obtained from a written reference track, from which an actual cage frequency is predicted. The predicted cage frequency is then used to derive compensatedposition commands. During a servo write interval, the compensated position commands are used to control the head such that the head follows the disc movements caused by the cage frequency.