Abstract: A power supply system comprises an internal combustion engine (20) having a pair of opposed pistons (28, 30) and cylinder (32) within which the pistons move in use, the pistons (28, 30) and cylinder together forming a combustion chamber. The pair of opposed pistons (28, 30) and the cylinder (32) are each arranged to rotate, in use, about a common axis of rotation A with respect to an associated electric generator arrangement (22) so as to generate an electric output. The pair of opposed pistons (28, 30) are also arranged to together form a mass-elastic system that is capable of resonance and further arranged such that combustion in the combustion chamber causes the pistons (28, 30) to oscillate relative to each other about the common rotational axis (A).

Abstract: The invention relates to novel biological markers for plasma cell disorders, such as multiple myeloma, and in particular to the use of microRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers in assays for detecting such disorders. The invention also relates to methods of determining the efficacy of treating a plasma cell disorder with a therapeutic agent, and kits for carrying 5 out the assays and methods. The assays are qualitative and/or quantitative, and are adaptable to large-scale screening and clinical trials.

Abstract: The present invention relates to chiral ligands deriving from ?- and ?-amino acids, and from metal complexes formed from the same. The ligands are useful with catalytic gold complexes, particularly Au(I) complexes.

Abstract: A power supply system comprises an internal combustion engine (100) and an electric motor-generator arrangement that is coupled to the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine (100) has a piston-cylinder assembly in which the toroidal section-shaped piston (122) and cylinder (120) are each arranged to rotate, in use, about a common axis of rotation B with respect to a stator arrangement (129) of the associated motor-generator arrangement so as to generate an electric output. The piston (122) and cylinder (120) are also arranged to form a mass-elastic system that is capable of resonance and further arranged such that combustion in the combustion chamber (121) formed between the cylinder (120) and piston (122) can cause the piston (122) and cylinder (120) to oscillate relative to each other about their common rotational axis B.

Abstract: An ion trap 1 comprises a magnetic field generator 2 arranged to generate a magnetic field and an array 3 of electrodes arranged to generate an electrostatic field including a turning point in electrical potential at a location where the magnetic field is substantially homogeneous. The array of electrodes 3 is planar and parallel to the direction of the magnetic field at the location, with the result that the ion trap can be described as a coplanar waveguide Penning trap.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for the detection of charge density distribution at the surface of a material sample. The apparatus comprises an electric potential sensor for measuring surface charge on a material sample, wherein the electrical potential sensor includes a probe for capacitively coupling the electric potential sensor to the surface of the material sample, an amplifier for generating a measurement output, the probe being connected to an input of the amplifier and the measurement output being supplied at an output of the amplifier, and a feedback arrangement driven from the output of the amplifier for enhancing the input impedance of the amplifier.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electric potential sensor for the measurement of potentials non-invasively. The sensor comprises at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, and a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output. Input impedance enhancing means are included for providing a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials, and a discrete pre-amplifier stage is arranged to co-operate with the sensor amplifier to reduce the input capacitance of the amplifier.

Abstract: The invention provides an electric potential sensor including, at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, and a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output. An input impedance enhancing element provides a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials, and a feedback element applies a coherent feedback signal to the input of the sensor amplifier for enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor.

Abstract: An electrodynamic sensor comprises a high input impedance electrometer adapted to measure small electrical potentials originating from an object under test and having a pair of input probes, characterised in that at least one of said pair of input probes has no direct electrical contact with said object, wherein the circuit arrangement of said electrometer comprises an electrode (1) connected to an amplifier (9), which includes a combination of ancillary circuits cumulatively to increase the sensitivity of said electrometer to said small electrical potentials whilst not perturbing the electrical field associated therewith.

Abstract: A power supply system comprises an internal combustion engine (100) and an electric motor-generator arrangement that is coupled to the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine (100) has a piston-cylinder assembly in which the toroidal section-shaped piston (122) and cylinder (120) are each arranged to rotate, in use, about a common axis of rotation B with respect to a stator arrangement (129) of the associated motor-generator arrangement so as to generate an electric output. The piston (122) and cylinder (120) are also arranged to form a mass-elastic system that is capable of resonance and further arranged such that combustion in the combustion chamber (121) formed between the cylinder (120) and piston (122) can cause the piston (122) and cylinder (120) to oscillate relative to each other about their common rotational axis B.

Abstract: The present invention provides nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus comprising means for applying a static magnetic field (H0) to a sample under investigation, a radio frequency circuit arranged to be inductively coupled to the sample by means of an oscillating magnetic field disposed generally perpendicular to the static magnetic field for applying an excitation signal to the sample, and an electric potential sensor (E1, E2) for detecting the excitation of the sample and for generating a detection output. The electric potential sensor comprises an electrode placed generally perpendicular to the axis of the oscillating magnetic field for capacitively coupling the electric potential sensor to the sample.

Abstract: An electrodynamic sensor comprises a high input impedance electrometer adapted to measure small electrical potentials originating from an object under test and having a pair of input probes, characterized in that at least one of said pair of input probes has no direct electrical contact with said object, wherein the circuit arrangement of said electrometer comprises an amplifier which includes a combination of ancillary circuits cumulatively to increase the sensitivity of said electrometer to said small electrical potentials whilst not perturbing the electrical field associated therewith.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sensor system and a corresponding sensing method employing the sensor system. The sensor system comprises a sensor (12) having an input (20) and an output (22), a feedback path (16) from the output to the input, and a filter (14; 92) in the feedback path. The filter comprises a narrow band filter, which is tuned or tunable to a respective one of signals that are wanted signals and signals that represent interference signals. The sensor and the filter are arranged so as to alter the relative amplitudes of the wanted signals and the interference signals in order to increase the relative amplitude of the wanted signals and reduce the relative amplitude of the interference signals.

Abstract: A system for optimising electronic circuits to be designed has two parts or phases, a training phase 10 in which optimisation scenarios for selected electronic circuits are derived using an evolutionary algorithm, and an operation phase 11, in which the derived optimisation scenarios are used to optimise new electronic circuits to be designed. The training phase 10 uses an evolutionary algorithm to produce a specialised and relatively fast optimisation scenario for each of a plurality of input circuits or groups of circuits (step 13). One or more of the evolved specialist optimisation scenarios are then selected to form a suite of optimisation scenarios (step 15) for use to optimise new circuits to be designed. In the operation phase 11, a new circuit to be optimised is input at step 18, and a plurality of optimisation scenarios from the suite of optimisation scenarios 15 is then used to try to optimise the new circuit (step 19).

Abstract: A vehicle power supply system comprises an internal combustion engine (1) and a steam generator (2) arranged in a “closed system”. Water, or another suitable working fluid, is supplied to the steam generator (2) whereupon it is heated using exhaust heat from the internal combustion engine (1). The steam that is generated is stored in a storage tank (3) until a later time, e.g. when the internal combustion engine (1) is not running, whereupon the steam is used to provide heat and/or power to vehicle. For example, the steam can be used to drive a generator (5), via an expander (4), to provide electricity for powering various electrical systems within the vehicle. Additionally, the hot exhaust (7) from the expander (4) can be supplied to a radiator (8) to provide heating for the vehicle cabin.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electric potential sensor for the measurement of potentials non-invasively. The sensor comprises at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, and a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output. Input impedance enhancing means are included for providing a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials, and a discrete pre-amplifier stage is arranged to co-operate with the sensor amplifier to reduce the input capacitance of the amplifier.

Abstract: In a method of monitoring two-phase fluid flow a vortex flowmeter is used to generate a signal indicative of the flow regime using the signal components and its fluctuations to determine the phase status of the fluid flow.

Abstract: The invention provides an electric potential sensor, comprising at least one detection electrode arranged for capacitive coupling with a sample under test and for generating a measurement signal, and a sensor amplifier adapted to receive the measurement signal as input and to supply an amplified detection signal as output. Input impedance enhancing means provide a high input impedance to the sensor amplifier for increasing the sensitivity of the electrode to reduced electric potentials, and feedback means apply a coherent feedback signal to the input of the sensor amplifier for enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor.

Abstract: The present invention provides nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus comprising means for applying a static magnetic field (H0) to a sample under investigation, a radio frequency circuit arranged to be inductively coupled to the sample by means of an oscillating magnetic field disposed generally perpendicular to the static magnetic field for applying an excitation signal to the sample, and an electric potential sensor (E1, E2) for detecting the excitation of the sample and for generating a detection output. The electric potential sensor comprises an electrode placed generally perpendicular to the axis of the oscillating magnetic field for capacitively coupling the electric potential sensor to the sample.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fiber-shaping peptides that are capable of interacting with self-assembling peptides to form protein structures. The present invention also relates to methods of forming protein structures using the fiber-shaping peptides of the present invention.