Abstract: A food singulator apparatus is configured to generate a sequence of spaced apart food slices from a food product conveyed by a conveyor apparatus. The apparatus includes an engagement member for engaging with a front side of the food product and temporarily halt the food product while cutting by a cutting device a front food slice of the food product, and a takeaway device for downwardly sliding the front food slice from the remaining part of the food product and slide it downwards and under the takeaway device where the food slice is subsequently received as an individual food slice.

Abstract: A food singulator apparatus is configured to generate a sequence of spaced apart food slices from a food product conveyed by a conveyor apparatus. The apparatus includes an engagement member for engaging with a front side of the food product and temporarily halt the food product while cutting by a cutting device a front food slice of the food product, and a takeaway device for downwardly sliding the front food slice from the remaining part of the food product and slide it downwards and under the takeaway device where the food slice is subsequently received as an individual food slice.

Abstract: A tray feeding system having a buffer conveyor for trays including a belt with spaced apart free running rollers having a rotation axis perpendicular to the conveying direction. These rollers extend upward from the belt such that the trays partly rest on the rollers. A tray conveyor receiving end is adjacent to an outputting end of the buffer conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filler. A roller interactor is positioned below and adjacent to the surface of the buffer conveyor belt at an outputting end to engage with the rollers at the outputting end area when the buffer conveyor belts move forward rotating the rollers positioned within the outputting end area accelerating the trays on the buffer conveyor within the outputting end area of the buffer conveyor towards the receiving end of the tray conveyor.

Abstract: A tray feeding system having a buffer conveyor for trays including a belt with spaced apart free running rollers having a rotation axis perpendicular to the conveying direction. These rollers extend upward from the belt such that the trays partly rest on the rollers. A tray conveyor receiving end is adjacent to an outputting end of the buffer conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filler. A roller interactor is positioned below and adjacent to the surface of the buffer conveyor belt at an outputting end to engage with the rollers at the outputting end area when the buffer conveyor belts move forward rotating the rollers positioned within the outputting end area accelerating the trays on the buffer conveyor within the outputting end area of the buffer conveyor towards the receiving end of the tray conveyor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a sensor for measurement of tissue perfusion. The sensor is provided with a reservoir (4) for a fluid or gaseous tracer and a tracer-permeable barrier (3), a sub-surface of which is in contact with the surrounding tissue and another sub-surface of which is in contact with a detection cavity (5) which is connected to a suitable apparatus for the measurement of tracer concentration in the detection cavity. The concentration of the tracer in the detection cavity is a measure of perfusion in the surrounding tissue. According to another embodiment of the invention it is also possible to carry out measurements of perfusion in the surface layers of the skin or of an organ.

Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for reducing splice loss in an optical fiber transmission line. One described technique includes splicing together at a splice point a first fiber having a first modefield diameter to a second fiber having a second modefield diameter larger than the first modefield diameter. The splice point is heated to a core expansion temperature to cause a controlled thermal diffusion of core dopant in the first fiber in order to reduce modefield mismatch between the first and second fibers. Splice loss is then reduced by heating the splice point to a differential diffusion temperature to cause a controlled diffusion of a cladding dopant in the first fiber, while maintaining the expanded core.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for reducing optical fiber splice loss. A torch is described for performing a thermally-diffused expanded core (TEC) technique. The torch includes a hollow body. A conduit delivers a flammable gas to the hollow body. The flammable gas streams out of an array of orifices formed in the hollow body. The orifices are shaped and arranged in the array such that when the streaming gas is ignited, a substantially continuous elongated flame is created having a desired heating profile. Further described are a thermal treatment station incorporating a line torch and techniques for using an elongated flame to reduce optical fiber splice loss.

Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for splicing together first and second optical fibers. A thermal treatment station is described, having a chassis, a fiber holding block for holding a pair of optical fibers that have been spliced together at a splice point, the fiber holding block including a cutaway portion exposing the splice point, and a torch, the fiber holding block and the torch being mounted to the chassis such that the positions of the splice point and the torch can be adjusted with respect to each other so that the splice point lies in the flame. A technique for splicing together two optical fibers is further described, in which the optical fibers are first spliced together using a fusion splicer and then thermally treated by positioning the splice point in a flame while monitoring splice loss.

Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for reducing splice loss in an optical fiber transmission line. One described technique includes splicing together at a splice point a first fiber having a first modefield diameter to a second fiber having a second modefield diameter larger than the first modefield diameter. The splice point is heated to a core expansion temperature to cause a controlled thermal diffusion of core dopant in the first fiber in order to reduce modefield mismatch between the first and second fibers. Splice loss is then reduced by heating the splice point to a differential diffusion temperature to cause a controlled diffusion of a cladding dopant in the first fiber, while maintaining the expanded core.

Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for splicing together first and second optical fibers. A thermal treatment station is described, having a chassis, a fiber holding block for holding a pair of optical fibers that have been spliced together at a splice point, the fiber holding block including a cutaway portion exposing the splice point, and a torch, the fiber holding block and the torch being mounted to the chassis such that the positions of the splice point and the torch can be adjusted with respect to each other so that the splice point lies in the flame. A technique for splicing together two optical fibers is further described, in which the optical fibers are first spliced together using a fusion splicer and then thermally treated by positioning the splice point in a flame while monitoring splice loss.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microsensor for determining the concentration of a primary substrate by measuring the concentration of a secondary substrate. The microsensor comprises a transducer (1) for measuring the secondary substrate. The transducer (1) is surrounded by a first casing (8), which has an opening (9) with a barrier (10). The first casing (8) surrounds a second casing (11), also with an opening (12) with a barrier (13). In the first casing (8) between the barrier (10) and barrier (13), a reaction space (15) is formed. In the reaction space (15) an environment with catalytic components is contained. By measuring the concentration of the secondary substrate, the presence of the primary substrate can be determined.