Abstract: A unipolar magnet is composed of a plurality of magnetic units. Each magnetic unit is made up of a magnetic body, a paramagnetic or diamagnetic first layer which covers the entire magnetic body except for one of the poles, and a magnetically conductive second layer overlying the first layer. The exposed poles of all the magnetic units have the same polarity and together define a peripheral surface of the magnet. The magnetic units can have the configuration of a segment of a ring and can be assembled to form an annular first magnet whose external peripheral surface is constituted by the exposed poles. Several of these annular first magnets can be superimposed to form a hollow cylinder, and such a cylinder can be used to construct a shaft capable of floating in a housing. To this end, the housing is provided with annular second magnets which surround the first magnets.

Abstract: One side of a sheet- or plate-like bank of metallic, plastic and/or other material is provided with at least one set of parallel grooves prior to being provided with an array of pyramidal and/or conical depressions. The grooves can be formed by brushes or by grinding, and the depressions can be formed by a rotary debossing tool having a peripheral surface provided with crossing transversely extending rows and circumferentially extending columns of protuberances. The treatment enhances the ability of the one side of the thus obtained sheet- or plate-like body to accept and retain a layer of lacquer, to be provided with an adherent layer of oxide or to accept a layer of adhesive prior to being bonded to a similarly treated or to an untreated second plate- or sheet-like body. The depth of the depressions can match or approximate the average depth of the grooves. The grooves can form two sets of parallel grooves, and the grooves of one set can cross the grooves of each other set at an angle of 90.+-.45.

Abstract: A molecular sieve material is combined with a porous carrier material. The pores of the molecular sieve material are impermeable to molecules or organisms having a size equal to or greater than that of the water molecule either because the molecular sieve material is selected so as to have pores which are smaller than such molecule or because the pores of the molecular sieve material are closed by a film. The pores of the molecular sieve material thus remain unoccupied and are able to exert an attractive force on molecules or organisms which are to be captured. The pores of the carrier material are designed to accept molecules or organisms having a size equal to or greater than that of the water molecule so that, when such molecules or organisms are attracted by the molecular sieve material, they can be trapped in the carrier material.