Abstract: An improved vibrational energy harvester includes a housing and at least one energy transducer. In an embodiment, a second mass element is arranged to receive collisionally transferred kinetic energy from a first mass element when the housing is in an effective state of mechanical agitation, resulting in relative motion between the housing and at least one of the second and further mass elements. The energy transducer is arranged to be activated by the resulting relative motion between the housing and at least one of the second and further mass elements. In a further embodiment, kinetic energy is collisionally transferred in a velocity-multiplying arrangement from the first to a second or further mass element that has a range of linear ballistic motion. The energy transducer is arranged to be activated, at least in part, by the ballistic motion of the second or further mass element.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the topography of a seafloor includes providing a vessel with a multibeam sonar device which transmits first pulses of first signals, and a pair of sidescan sonar devices, which transmit second pulses of second signals, spaced apart rearwardly from the multibeam sonar device on the vessel. The first and second pulses produced by the multibeam sonar device and the sidescan sonar devices, respectively, are interleaved, and the time duration between each second pulse and the next following first pulse, and between each first pulse and the next following one of the first and second pulses is determined as a function of the maximum time-of-flight of the first signals of one of the previous first pulses from the time of transmission thereof to the time of reception of the backscattered first signals.

Abstract: A cooling device has a finless heat sink (1) which is rectangular in plan, having two spaced-apart plates (5, 6). A fan impeller (2) and motor (3) are supported between the plates (5, 6) for axial air flow in (7) and radial flow out. The device is placed on an electronic component (4) to be cooled. The component (4) may be an electronic package, for example. The heat sink (1) is manufactured from a single piece of conducting material. There is a rotor support (8) on the top plate (5), supporting a fan rotor (3). The rotor support (8) is in a device inlet for axial flow into the fan impeller (2). There are two opposed side walls (9) interconnecting the plates 5 and 6. The device outlet is the gap between the plates (5, 6) along the open sides. The cooling device is very efficient, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Abstract: A method for performing a multi-stage dilation of optical fibres is described, the method comprising performing successive dilation steps such that the adiabatic condition is maintained throughout the fibre. There is also described various optical devices employing such multi-stage dilated optical fibres, as well as methods of manufacture of the optical devices.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for analysing the physical properties of an object using a computing device, to any desired accuracy and spatial resolution with a degree of certainty and no longer restricted by the floating point limitations of the computing device. The system and method of the invention employs a method of scaling which uses differing scales for individual rows of arrays, and by further using differing scales for individual columns of the arrays. This method allows for the removal of errors in the calculation of property values so that the accuracy of the resultant physical property distribution may be known with a degree of certainty and no longer restricted by the floating point limitations of the computing device.

Abstract: A process for producing monodispersed carbon spheres comprising the steps of mixing supercritical-carbon dioxide fluid under pressure with a solvent in an inert atmosphere; heating the mixture in to a temperature to carbonise the solvent; and modulating the pressure to the heated mixture to produce carbon spheres. Subsequent addition of an organometallic precursor can be used to induce the nucleation and growth of nanocrystals across the surface of the spheres.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a low-profile cooling device (100) for applications such as spot cooling. The low-profile cooling device can include a first rotor (102), a second rotor (104), a motor (106) including a drive shaft (108) for driving and rotating each rotor, an upper plate (110), a middle plate (112), and a lower plate (114).

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for producing semiconductor nanowires, for example germanium or Silicon, grown by solution decomposition comprising the steps of heating at least one high boiling point solvent to its reaction temperature in a chamber and injecting a precursor directly into the chamber to react with the at least one high boiling solvent to produce a refluxing solvent. Subsequent vapour deposition of a monomer, achieved by the refluxing solvent, onto a locally heated substrate contained within the chamber produces the semiconductor nanowires. The system and method removes the dependency upon the incorporation of metal catalyst for the production of silicon and germanium nanowire, thereby nullifying the adverse effects of metal contamination in the resulting semiconductor nanowires.

Abstract: The invention provides a digital background calibration system and method for a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter comprising a digital to analog converter (DAC) having a plurality of weighted capacitors to be calibrated; means for splitting each of said weighted capacitors into a plurality of sub-capacitors and at least one redundant capacitor; means for multiplying the voltage level of at least one of the sub-capacitors with a PN sequence; and means for calibrating the weighted capacitor from the multiplied sub-capacitor and the redundant capacitor.

Abstract: The method utilises a conducting trench base with non-conducting trench walls to corral charged particles precisely into the trenches. The nanoparticles are close packed in the channels and highly ordered. This approach utilises the charge on the particles to selectively deposit them within the trenches, as all nanoparticles in solution can be charged, and this can be extended to any nanoparticle system beyond gold. Also, this method results in the layer-by-layer growth of the gold nanoparticles. Therefore the depth of the nanoparticle layers within the trenches is controllable. This allows the possibility of heterolayered structures of different nanoparticle layers. Further this method ensures that assembly occurs to fill the void space available provided the back-contacting electrode is more conducting than the trench walls.

Abstract: A synthetic graft has a glass composition comprises silicon as a network former and Sr as a stable isotope acting as a network modifier. The composition contains calcium as a network modifier and Zn acting as a as either a network modifier or as a network former. The glass composition may be mixed with a solution of polyalkenoic acid to provide advantageous glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs). These cements are particularly effective for use as bone cements and fillers in the human skeleton as they set at room temperature, have similar strengths to bone, chemically bond to both bone and surgical metal, and release therapeutic ions, which can assist in wound healing and bone re-growth.

Abstract: A nickel-titanium-rare earth (Ni—Ti-RE) alloy comprises nickel at a concentration of from about 35 at. % to about 65 at. %, a rare earth element at a concentration of from about 1.5 at. % to about 15 at. %, boron at a concentration of up to about 0.1 at. %, with the balance of the alloy being titanium. In addition to enhanced radiopacity compared to binary Ni—Ti alloys and improved workability, the Ni—Ti-RE alloy preferably exhibits superelastic behavior. A method of processing a Ni—Ti-RE alloy includes providing a nickel-titanium-rare earth alloy comprising nickel at a concentration of from about 35 at. % to about 65 at. %, a rare earth element at a concentration of from about 1.5 at. % to about 15 at. %, the balance being titanium; heating the alloy in a homogenization temperature range below a critical temperature; and forming spheroids of a rare earth-rich second phase in the alloy while in the homogenization temperature range.

Abstract: The invention provides a multi-phase digital pulse width modulator (MP-DPWM) to implement a distribution scheme which applies the duty cycle in the fastest possible manner with restriction on the number of switching actions per phase and cycle, and additionally takes the number of available phases into account. It modulates switching signals according to a duty cycle input command, their previous switching states, and the current switching cycle. The controller is adapted to additionally take the residue of the previous subcycle into account. In the control scheme: each phase is allowed switch up to twice per cycle; only the next phase in the cycle is additionally turned on, at the start of a subcycle, and if a phase is still on at the end of a subcycle it can be kept on for longer, if required.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for producing semiconductor nanowires, for example germanium or Silicon, grown by solution decomposition comprising the steps of heating at least one high boiling point solvent to its reaction temperature in a chamber and injecting a precursor directly into the chamber to react with the at least one high boiling solvent to produce a refluxing solvent. Subsequent vapour deposition of a monomer, achieved by the refluxing solvent, onto a locally heated substrate contained within the chamber produces the semiconductor nanowires. The system and method removes the dependency upon the incorporation of metal catalyst for the production of silicon and germanium nanowire, thereby nullifying the adverse effects of metal contamination in the resulting semiconductor nanowires.

Abstract: A bovine casein protein hydrolysate prepared using an enzyme having broad spectrum endopeptidase activity has low residual antigenicity properties in mammals compared to intact casein protein, The composition is useful as an ingredient in foods, beverages, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. A hydrolysate prepared using Alcalase™ with a degree of hydrolysis of 19.88% has very desirably low antigenicity characteristics.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device is produced by providing a material having a hydroxyapatite (HA) component. The HA component is textured by, for example uniaxial pressing, to impart one of the limiting symmetries ?, ? mm, or ?2. The textured material may then be poled to enhance the piezoelectric properties.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the topography of a seafloor comprises providing a vessel (1) with a multibeam sonar device (5) and a pair of sidescan sonar devices (10) spaced apart rearwardly from the multibeam sonar device (5) on the vessel (2). The multibeam sonar device (5) transmits first pulses of first signals directly downwardly towards the seafloor with a wide fan angle (?) in a first vertical transverse plane (7). The sidescan sonar devices (10) direct second pulses of second signals of similar wavelength to those of the first signals downwardly and sidewardly outwardly of the vessel (2) with a wide fan angle (?) in a second vertical transverse plane (11).

Abstract: A polypeptide factor derived from the thermophilic eubacterial species Thermus thermophilus has universal protein expression-assisting activity. The polypeptide factor has been named the CzrB protein active in full length or truncated form has the potential to act as a universal protein expression-assisting molecule which can increase the yields of all heterologous proteins produced in E. coli by a mechanism that is independent of the protein being expressed.

Abstract: A vascular graft includes a proximal section, integral with two branches which terminate in a distal end-to-end section. The end-to-end section is attached to a host artery at end-to-end anastomoses. Flow of blood from the proximal section to the host artery occurs with a self-correcting flow pattern at the opposing junctions, avoiding arterial bed impingement and associated risk of restenosis.

Abstract: A cooling device (1) comprises a top plate (2), a bottom plate (3), an axial flow inlet (4) in the top plate (2), a rotor support (5) on the top plate (2), and a pump rotor fan (6). The outer dimensions are 40 mm in diameter and 4 mm in height. The internal separation of the plates 2 and 3 is 4 mm. The cooling device (1) has a low profile in scale. Depending on the configuration and on operating parameters steady or unsteady fluid flow vortices can be created in the heat sink. The resulting flow field enhances heat transfer rates locally through impingement cooling and thermal transport by the vortices, whether generated to be steady or unsteady in nature. Also, the vortices drive a secondary flow within the heat sink, effectively creating a pumping mechanism, which further enhances heat transfer.