A phase locked loop type frequency synthesizer utilizing a reference signal source includes a voltage controlled oscillator, a phase comparator, a programmable pre-scaler and a modulator. The first valve partitions the upper section of a chamber to form a pressure chamber, is attached to and detached from a valve seat of the chamber, and maintains a closed circuit state by the pressure of water. The first circuit also includes a feedback stage with an input connected to the first amplifier output. The disclosed mechanisms may use an External Stored Procedure to avoid multiple joins of large tables and minimize the number of full table scans and, consequently, provide better performance than contemporary mechanisms. Upon detection of an event that is indicative of a vehicle theft situation, the drive circuit for the electric assist motor is selectively actuated to excite the motor windings to either prevent or oppose movement of the steering system. The seed layer structure is a trilayer consisting of a first seed layer of tantalum, a second seed layer of one or both titanium and Ti-oxide on and in contact with the Ta layer, and a third seed layer of tungsten on and in contact with the second seed layer.