Abstract: A corona discharge ionization source is disclosed in which neutral species are removed by directing a flow of oxygen containing gas in a direction substantially different to that of the ion flow. The ion profiles produced are similar in many respects to those produced by a 63Ni source, thus an alternative, non-radioactive, ion source is offered.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying modern radar systems. A finite state automaton comprising a finite set of states and a set of transitions from state to state that occur in dependence upon an input signal is provided for modeling the radar system. The finite state automaton produces a sequence of output symbols from an output alphabet in dependence upon the state transitions such that the sequence of output symbols corresponds to a received electromagnetic signal emitted from the radar system. The finite state automaton is then transformed into a hidden Markov model such that a sequence of observation symbols produced from an observation alphabet by the hidden Markov model is equal to the sequence of output symbols. The method provides powerful tools for solving electronic warfare problems such the classification problem, the decoding problem, the prediction problem and the training problem.

Abstract: The surface plasmon resonance apparatus (1) for detecting a soluble and/or particulate analyte comprises a prism sensor (2) providing a metallised sensor surface (3) capable of binding the analyte, and a laser (10) providing a beam (4) for direction at the sensor surface (3). A detector (5) is provided which is capable of detecting light (6), which is internally reflected from the sensor surface (3). Displacement means (7) comprising a vibrator (8) and mirror (9), is operable whereby the excitation beam (4) is displaced over an angular range (A) relative to the sensor surface (3). An analyte sample (15) is disposed on the metallic sensor (3). The detector (5) is used to interpret the light signals (6) internally reflected from the sensor surface (3) so that the sample (15) is analysed. A video camera system (16), which includes a mirror (17), microscope objective (18) and CCD (charge-coupled device) array (19), is used to detect the scattered light emitted from the upper face of the sensor surface (3).

Abstract: A method of monitoring the temperature of a biochemical reaction such as an amplification reaction is described. The method comprises effecting the reaction in the presence of a fluorescently labeled temperature probe DNA sequence which comprises a double stranded region which denatures at a predetermined temperature, the fluorescent label of said temperature probe sequence being arranged so that a detectable signal occurs at the point at which denaturation of said region takes places; and monitoring fluorescence from said reaction mixture so as to determine when said predetermined temperature has been reached.

Abstract: A process for detecting an analyte which process comprises (a) contacting a sample suspected of containing said analyte with a containment means comprising a barrier which separates signal generating reagents from said sample, in the presence of an element which interacts specifically with said analyte, under conditions whereby interaction between the analyte and the said element results in activation of the signal generating reagents within the containment means on the side of the barrier opposite to the sample, and (b) detecting any signal generated and retained within the containment means from the sample side of the barrier. The process of the invention provides for sensitive detection of very small numbers of analyte materials using measurement techniques which include counting methods such as flow cytometry.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the temperature of a biochemical reaction is disclosed. The method effects the reaction in the presence of a fluorescently labeled DNA probe which comprises a double stranded region which dentures at a predetermined temperature. The fluorescent label is arranged so that a detectable signal is generated upon denaturation of the probe.

Abstract: A method for amplifying a target DNA sequence, said method comprising amplifying said sequence in the presence of: a) a nucleic acid polymerase; b) at least one primer capable of hybridising to said target polynucleotide; c) an internal control sequence to which said primer is capable of hybridising and which is of similar length to the target DNA sequence but with a different percentage GC content; and d) label means for detecting the hybridisation of nucleic acids in the reaction; and detecting the hybridisation of the target and control sequences at different temperatures.

Abstract: A frequency to frequency de-randomizer circuit having means for smoothing a current which comprises a diode filter configured so as to have a time constant which changes in response to changes in the current thus providing a rapidly responding, real time, fluctuation free signal which is optimised for measurement and display from a very low power circuit.

Abstract: A surface plasmon resonance apparatus for detecting a soluble analyte (e.g. a protein) or a particulate analyte (e.g. a cell), the apparatus comprising: (a) a sensor block adapted to receive a sensor, said sensor, for example a sensor slide, having a metallized sensor surface capable of binding the analyte; (b) a light source capable of generating an evanescent wave at the sensor surface of a sensor slide on the sensor block; (c) a first detector capable of detecting light from the light source which is internally reflected from the sensor surface; and (d) a second detector (e.g. a video camera) capable of detecting light scattered or emitted from an analyte bound thereto. Optionally the apparatus further comprises a second light source for increasing the intensity of the light scattered or emitted from an analyte bound to the sensor surface, preferably, this is sited to such as to minimize the amount of light transmitted therefrom which is detected by the first detector.

Abstract: Many of today's weapons systems use surveillance and target acquisition (STA) devices which can exploit the infrared and millimeter wavebands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Designing obscurant devices which can provide screening against such systems often results in complicated or costly solutions. A device capable of mitigating these problems is described wherein an obscurant device (10), and more particularly a device capable of providing screening against the visual, infrared and millimeter wave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, comprises an obscurant payload, a burster charge capable, when detonated by a detonator, of disseminating said payload and a payload casing wherein some or all of the payload casing is configured to disintegrate upon actuation of the burster charge and to act thereafter as an obscurant.

Abstract: A shielded rack loader makes use of a loading rack movable between a shielding structure and a storage tube. A shield plug seals the storage tube. A hoist moves the shield plug and the loading rack. A shield plug cart and a material transfer cart mate with receiving flanges of the rack loader and permit temporary storage and movement of the shield plug and of canisters of transuranic material.

Abstract: The use of incubation means for the controlled heating of biological materials, said means comprising an electrically conducting polymer connectable to a power supply, said polymer being either contiguous or integral with an incubation vessel, or adapted to be in thermal contact with an incubation vessel. Incubation apparatus including such means and a method for culturing biological materials using them are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An adenovirus which encodes a polypeptide which produces a protective immune response against an alpha-virus such as a Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, in a mammal to which it is administered, said nucleic acid lacking a competant nuclear targeting signal in the capsid gene.

Abstract: On a transparent substrate, a photosensitive resin layer, which is made of an acrylic positive photosensitive resin layer, is formed so as to cover stripe-shaped conductive wires and a portion between the conductive wires. In this case, at least a part of the photosensitive resin layer, that covers the conductive wire, is removed. And then, a transparent conductive film is formed on the photosensitive resin layer and the conductive wire, and the transparent conductive film is patterned so as to form transparent electrodes. Such an electrode substrate can obtain high evenness when a height difference is at 0.11 &mgr;m or less between a projecting portion, which appears on the photosensitive resin layer around the ends of the conductive wires after the photosensitive resin layer has been removed so as to expose the conductive wire, and the virtually even surface of the resin film at a portion where the conductive wire is not formed, and a height difference is 0.

Abstract: In the manufacture of a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell, alignment layers provided on the inside surfaces of the substrate structures for imparting a preferred alignment to the molecules of the liquid crystal layer in the vicinity of the layers are formed by deposition of two different alignment solutions, such as LQT120 and JALS212 for example, on the substrate structures. A mixture of the alignment solutions was applied by spin coating and subsequently the solvent was evaporated by prebaking prior to a further baking step and a rubbing step to impart a preferred alignment direction. The resulting alignment layers have a speckled structure in which areas of one type are interspersed within areas of another type. The different areas have different alignment properties which serve to control switching of molecules of the liquid crystal material between alignment states in response to an applied electric field.

Abstract: A method of coating a surface with a polymer layer, which method comprises exposing said surface to a plasma comprising a monomeric unsaturated organic compound which comprises a chain of carbon atoms, which are optionally substituted by halogen; provided that where the compound is a perhalogenated alkene, it has a chain of at least 5 carbon atoms; so as to form an oil or water repellent coating on said substrate.

Abstract: A flame photometer detector is described which uses flame emission spectroscopy as the detection method, computer control and data acquisition, pulsed sampling and a rotating reference filter wheel to eliminate the effects of background chemical species. The detector is particularly suited to the testing of respirator equipment.

Abstract: A compound of formula (I), wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from saturated fluorocarbon substituted side chains, such as NR5(CH2)nCmF2m+1, O(CH2)nCmF2m+1, S(CH2)nCmF2m+1, NR5S(O)2(CH2)pCmF2m+1, or CR5[CO2(CH2)nCmF2m+1]2, where R5 is hydrogen or alkyl, n and m are independently an integer of 1-12, and p is 0 or an integer of 1-12, R3 is an unsaturate moiety which may be polymerised, and X is O, S or NR4 where R4 is hydrogen or alkyl, as well as methods for the preparation of these compounds. Compounds of formula (I) are useful monomers in the preparation of oil- and water-repellent polymers.

Abstract: To manufacture at a good yield a large-screen display having low resistivity of wires and excelling in flatness of substrates, a metal material, a transparent electrode material, and a conductive resin are used for forming either scanning electrodes or signal electrodes, or both of the same. Not less than two materials are used as the metal material, while amorphus ITO is used as the transparent electrode material. An electrode substrate has electrode structures in each of which a metal wire made of the foregoing metal material, a transparent electrode made of the foregoing transparent electrode material, and a conductive resin layer are laminated in this order on a transparent substrate. Conductivity is imparted to the conductive resin layers by conductive particles electrodeposited by the micell electrolytic method.

Abstract: A high frequency communications system comprises eight multiplexed (112) spread spectrum channels with data in each channel transmitted using, for example, 32 semi-orthogonal codes to enable 5 bits of data to be sent for every coded symbol transmitted. The multiplexed data is connected to a phase shift key (PSK) modulator (117) to modulate an hf carrier. At the receiver, inband interference is removed by frequency excision (92, 128) or weighting, making use of the facts that the interference is generally narrow-band and the spectrum of the frequency components of the received signal should be symmetrical about the carrier frequency. The detected signal is Fourier transformed by an FFT processor (91) and then connected to an interference exciser (92, 128) where signal samples symmetrical about the carrier frequency are compared and any sample which exceeds the respective symmetrical sample by more than a predetermined threshold is excised or given a low weighting.