All The Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element comprising: a laminated comprising an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer in contact with an antiferromagnetic layer in which the magnetization direction is fixed by an exchange anisotropic magnetic field with the antiferromagnetic layer, and a non-magnetic conductive layer formed between the pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer; bias layers for aligning the magnetization direction of the free magnetic layer in the direction substantially perpendicular to the magnetization direction of the pinned magnetic layer; antiferromagnetic layers formed in contact with the bias layers; and conductive layers for applying a sensing current to the free magnetic layers,
wherein each of antiferromagnetic layers is divided into two sub-layers separated by a non-magnetic intermediate layer, the divided sub-layers being in a ferrimagnetic state in which one magnetization direction is by 180 degree different from the other magnetization direction.
2. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein ferromagnetic layers are disposed on the free magnetic layer with a distance corresponding to a track width, the bias layers being provided on the ferromagnetic layers and the conductive layer being provided on the bias layers.
3. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the bias layers are provided at both sides in the track width direction of the laminate, the ferromagnetic layers being provided on the bias layers and the conductive layers being provided on the ferromagnetic layers.
4. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pinned magnetic layer and free magnetic layer is divided into two sub-layers separated by the non-magnetic intermediate layer, the divided sub-layers being in a ferrimagnetic state in which one magnetization direction is by 180 degree different from the other magnetization direction.
5. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic layer comprises at least one element of Ni, Fe and Co.
6. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the bias layers comprise an alloy containing at least one element of Pt, Pd, Rh, Fe, Ru, Ir, Os, Au, Ag, Cr, Ni, Ne, Ar, Xe and Kr, and Mn.
7. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the bias layers comprise at least one material selected from NiO, -Fe2O3 and CoO.
8. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the antiferromagnetic layer comprises an alloy containing at least one of Pt, Pd, Rh, Fe, Ru, Ir, Os, Au, Ag, Cr, Ni, Ne, Ar, Xe and Kr, and Mn.
9. A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element according to claim 1, wherein the bias layers comprise an antiferromagnetic material having a lower heat treatment temperature than that of the antiferromagnetic layer, or an antiferromagnetic material before the heat treatment.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A connector, comprising:
a terminal piece;
a first conductor element, and
a second conductor element,
the terminal piece connecting at least between the first and second conductor elements,
the second conductor element being at a given separation from the first conductor element; the terminal piece being formed as substantially U-shaped piece stamped out from a conductive metal sheet and comprising:
a first leg portion with a first contact section,
a shoulder portion, and
a second leg portion with a second contact section, the first leg portion being longer than the second leg portion;
the first conductor element comprising:
a terminal path hole and a terminal-fixing hole; wherein

the first leg portion is passed through the terminal path hole, and
the first contact section is connected to the second conductor element by a first fixing device, and
the second contact section is connected to the first conductor element by a second fixing device.
2. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein
the first conductor element further includes a first printed circuit board comprising at least a first conductor, and
the second conductor element further includes a second printed circuit board comprising at least a second conductor.
3. The terminal piece according to claim 2, wherein the terminal path hole is provided in an area of the first printed circuit board that is not wired with the first conductor.
4. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein
the first conductor element further includes a printed circuit board comprising at least one conductor, and
the second conductor element is a busbar.
5. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein
the first conductor element is a busbar, and
the second conductor element further includes a printed circuit board comprising at least one conductor.
6. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein the first conductor element and the second conductor element are respective busbars.
7. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein
the first fixing device is a relay connector including a female relay terminal, such that the first contact section is connected to the second conductor element by fitting into the female relay terminal, and
the second fixing device is a soldered joint.
8. The terminal piece according to claim 1, wherein the first and second fixing device are respective soldered joints.
9. The terminal piece according to claim 7, wherein
the first conductor element comprises a second terminal-fixing hole through which a second terminal piece is inserted, such that the second terminal piece, and
the second contact section can be soldered from a same side.
10. The terminal piece according to claim 8, wherein
the first conductor element comprises a second terminal-fixing hole through which a second terminal piece is inserted, such that the second terminal piece, and
the first and second contact sections can be soldered from a same side.
11. A circuit-connecting structure comprising:
a terminal piece for making connections at least between a first conductor element, and
a second conductor element at a given separation from the first conductor element;
the terminal piece being formed by a substantially U-shaped piece stamped out from a conductive metal sheet and comprising:
a first leg portion with a first contact section,
a shoulder portion, and
a second leg portion with a second contact section, the first leg portion being longer than the second leg portion;

the first conductor element comprising:
a terminal path hole, and
a terminal-fixing hole; wherein

the first leg portion is passed through the terminal path hole, and
the first contact section is connected to the second conductor element by a first fixing device, and
the second contact section is connected to the first conductor element by a second fixing device.
12. A circuit-connecting structure according to claim 11, wherein the first and second conductor elements respectively form part of a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board.
13. An electrical connector housing containing a circuit-connecting structure comprising:
a terminal piece for connecting at least between a first conductor element and a second conductor element at a given separation from the first conductor element;
the terminal piece being formed by a substantially U-shaped piece stamped out from a conductive metal sheet and comprising:
a first leg portion with a first contact section,
a shoulder portion, and
a second leg portion with a second contact section, the first leg portion being longer than the second leg portion;

the first conductor element comprising:
a terminal path hole, and
a terminal-fixing hole; wherein

the first leg portion is passed through the terminal path hole,
the first contact section is connected to the second conductor element by a first fixing device, and
the second contact section is connected to the first conductor element by a second fixing device.
14. The electrical connector housing according to claim 13, wherein the first and second conductor elements respectively form part of a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board.
15. A method for connecting a first conductor element to a second conductor element using a terminal piece which comprises a first leg portion with a first contact section, a shoulder portion and a second leg portion with a second contact section, the method comprising:
providing a terminal path hole and a terminal-fixing hole in the first conductor element;
installing the terminal piece, wherein the first leg portion passes through the terminal path hole of the first conductor element and reaches the second conductor element, and the second leg portion is inserted into the terminal-fixing hole in the first conductor element;
whereby the second contact section is fixed to the first conductor element by soldering, while the first contact section is fixed to the second conductor element by press-fitting.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first and second conductor elements respectively form part of a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board.

1. Process for separating lanthanides from one another andor lanthanides from actinides andor actinides from one another andor from other transition metals in an aqueous medium, comprising the steps of:
a) treating of the aqueous medium with at least one ligand selected from the group consisting of ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid, linear polyamino acids and cyclic polyamino acids;
b) (nano)filtering the aqueous solution treated with the at least one ligand through a membrane, under a transmembrane pressure greater than or equal to 0.01 MPa, so as to collect a retentate enriched in at least one species of lanthanide, actinide or other transition metal which is at least partially complexed with the ligand, and a permeate impoverished in said species; and
c) optionally recovering the ligandspecies complexes to be separated from the retentate, and treating the complexes with at least one decomplexing agent so as to separate the at least one ligand from the species.
2. Process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one ligand is a linear polyamino acid of formula (I):
in which:
a=0 or 1 and b=2 or 3;
c=2 or 3 and d=0 or 1;
p=0 to 3;
p1=1 to 4;
e=0 or 1;
q=1 to 4;
f=2 or 3 and g=0 or 1;
h and i, which are identical or different, are each 1, 2 or 3;
A1, A2 and A3 are identical to or different from one another and correspond to a monovalent acid group selected from the group consisting of:
\u2014COOR, \u2014PO3R\u2032 and \u2014SO3R\u2033,
where R, R\u2032, R\u2033=H or a cation;
the radicals R1 are identical to or different from one another and correspond to:
\u0394C1-C10 alkyl or
where a=0 and R9 and R10 are identical or different and each correspond to hydrogen or a hydrophilic monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of amino, (poly)hydroxylated, alkoxylated and (poly)etherified hydrocarbon radicals of the (cyclo)alkyl, aralkyl, alkylaryl, (cyclo)alkenyl, aralkenyl, alkenylaryl or aryl type, and mixtures thereof;
the radicals R2 are identical to or different from one another;
the radicals R3 are identical to or different from one another;
the radicals R6 are identical to or different from one another;
the radicals R7 are identical to or different from one another,
R2, R3, R6 and R7 being identical to or different from one another and corresponding to H or a C1-C10 alkyl;
the radicals R4 are identical to or different from one another and correspond to a hydrophilic divalent group selected from the group consisting of aromatic amino groups, hydroxylated groups, aromatic and alkyl amino andor hydroxylated groups, aromatic and (cyclo)alkylenic amino andor hydroxylated groups and (cyclo)alkylenic amino andor hydroxylated groups, said groups optionally containing alkoxy andor (poly)ether radicals,
the divalent group R5 is an alkylene group or a group having the same definition as R4; or
the group R8 corresponds to a hydroxyl, to A4 having the same definition as A1, A2 and A3, to hydrogen or to \u2014NR9R10, where R9 and R10 are identical to or different from one another and are a hydrophilic monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of amino, (poly)hydroxylated, alkoxylated and (poly)etherified hydrocarbon radicals and mixtures thereof, the hydrocarbon radicals being of the (cyclo)alkyl, aralkyl, alkylaryl, (cyclo)alkenyl, aralkenyl, alkenylaryl or aryl type.
3. Process according to claim 2, wherein R9 and R10 each corresponds to a C1-C10 hydroxyalkyl, a C1-C10 alkoxy or a polyol.
4. Process according to claim 3, wherein the polyol is a hydrogenated saccharide.
5. Process according to claim 2, wherein R4 is a group
where R13 is an amino group and R14 is a C1-C4 alkylene.
6. Process according to claim 2, wherein R8 is a C1\u2014C10 hydroxyalkyl, a C1\u2014C10 alkoxy or a polyol.
7. Process according to claim 6, wherein the polyol is a hydrogenated saccharide.
8. Process according to claim 1, wherein the transmembrane pressure is greater than or equal to 0.1 MPa.
9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the transmembrane pressure is between 0.2 and 1.0 MPa.
10. Process according to claim 1, wherein the ions of the metal(s) to be separated are subjected to selective complexation.
11. Process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one ligand has a molecular weight which is greater than a known cut-off threshold of the nanofiltration membrane.
12. Process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one ligand is of formula (I.1):
in which R9, R10, R11 and R12 are identical to or different from one another and each is a hydrophilic monovalent radical.
13. Process according to claim 12 wherein the hydrophilic monovalent radicals are selected from the group consisting of ethanoyl, methoxyethyl and sorbitoyl radicals.
14. Process according to claim 1, wherein several metal species belonging to the lanthanide andor actinide family are separated, said separation being effected by successive complexations of the ions of each of these species to be separated, a selective ligand being chosen for each species in step a), a nanofiltration in step b) and a decomplexationcollection in step c) being carried out after each complexation.
15. Process according to claim 1, wherein the nanofiltration membrane is made of at least one material selected from the group of polymers consisting of polyaramides, sulfonated polysulfones, polybenzimidazolones, grafted or non-grafted polyvinyldidene fluorides, polyamides, cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, perfluorinated ionomers, associations of these polymers, and copolymers obtained from monomers of at least two of these polymers.
16. Process according to claim 1, wherein the nanofiltration membrane has a cut-off threshold of 100-5000 gmol.
17. Process according to claim 16, wherein the cut-off threshold is 200-2000 gmol.
18. Process according to claim 17, wherein the cut-off threshold is 500-1500 gmol.
19. Process according to claim 1, wherein said treating takes place in an aqueous medium at a pH between 1 and 6.
20. Process according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous medium treated is derived from spent nuclear fuel.
21. A complexing agents having one of the formulae:
n being between 1 and 100, and
22. Complexing agent according to claim 21, of formula (I\u2032.2) wherein n is between 1 and 10.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A ceramic discharge vessel for a lamp, comprising:
a hollow body; and
two capillaries attached to said body and having respective electrodes therein, wherein respective portions of said electrodes inside said body are spaced from each other and have longitudinal axes that are not coplanar.
2. The discharge vessel of claim 1, wherein said electrodes have tips inside said body that together define a Z axis, and wherein a plane containing one of the longitudinal axes and said Z axis intersects a plane containing the other of the longitudinal axes and said Z axis at an angle in a range of greater than 0\xb0 to 90\xb0.
3. The discharge vessel of claim 2, wherein the range is at least 3\xb0 to 90\xb0.
4. The discharge vessel of claim 1, wherein said electrodes have tips inside said body that together define a Z axis, and wherein said two capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that are each perpendicular to the Z axis.
5. The discharge vessel of claim 1, wherein said electrodes have tips inside said body that together define a Z axis, and wherein said two capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that each makes a respective acute angle with the Z axis.
6. A ceramic discharge vessel for a lamp, comprising:
a hollow body;
a first hollow capillary attached to said body; and
a second hollow capillary attached to said body and spaced from said first capillary,
wherein a longitudinal axis of said first capillary and a point where said second capillary is attached to said body define a plane, and wherein a longitudinal axis of said second capillary intersects said plane only at said point.
7. The discharge vessel of claim 6, wherein said body has a central axis, and wherein a plane containing one of the longitudinal axes and said central axis intersects a plane containing the other of the longitudinal axes and said central axis at an angle in a range of greater than 0\xb0 to 90\xb0.
8. The discharge vessel of claim 7, wherein the range is at least 3\xb0 to 90\xb0.
9. The discharge vessel of claim 6, wherein said body has a central axis, and wherein said two capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that are each perpendicular to the central axis.
10. The discharge vessel of claim 6, wherein said body has a central axis, and wherein said two capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that each makes a respective acute angle with the central axis.
11. A ceramic discharge vessel for a lamp, comprising:
a hollow body;
a first capillary attached to said body and having a first electrode therein;
a second capillary attached to said body and having a second electrode therein, said first and second electrodes having respective electrode tips inside said body that together define a Z axis,
wherein a longitudinal axis of said first electrode and said Z axis define a first plane that is different from a second plane defined by a longitudinal axis of said second electrode and said Z axis.
12. The discharge vessel of claim 11, wherein said first plane intersects said second plane at an angle in a range of greater than 0\xb0 to 90\xb0.
13. The discharge vessel of claim 12, wherein the range is at least 3\xb0 to 90\xb0.
14. The discharge vessel of claim 11, wherein said first and second capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that are each perpendicular to said Z axis.
15. The discharge vessel of claim 11, wherein said first and second capillaries have respective longitudinal axes that each makes a respective acute angle with said Z axis.