Abstract: The invention relates to a chromatography method in which a gaseous, liquid or supercritical mobile phase containing species to be separated is circulated through a packing, said packing comprising: —a plurality of capillary ducts extending in the packing between an upstream face through which the mobile phase enters the packing and a downstream face through which the mobile phase leaves the packing, and —a continuous medium permeable to molecular diffusion extending between said ducts, comprising a porous organic gel or an organic liquid and including at least one network of connected pores, the size of which is greater than two times the molecular diameter of at least one species to be separated and opening to the ducts, so as to give said at least one species a diffusive path between said ducts. The invention also relates to a packing for the implementation of such a method and a method for manufacturing such a packing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a piezoelectric transducer of the type including a stack of a contact piece, a piezoelectric pellet and a support of very great stiffness. Specifically, the contact piece forms tips, the respective apex of which constitutes contact points that are spatially isolated from one another. Also disclosed is a process for the manufacture of such a contact piece as well as a resonant ultrasound spectroscopy device including one or more of such piezoelectric transducers.

Abstract: A thermal mass flow sensor 10 enclosed airtightly in a sealed container 11 under an inert atmosphere for the purpose of suppressing disappearance of a coating layer on sensor wires 13a and 13b in association with use at a high temperature, further comprises an air release pipe 16 that is a pipe which brings an internal space and outside of the sealed container 11 in airtight communication with each other through an air release hole 16a that is a through-hole formed in an outer wall of the sealed container 11. An end of the air release pipe 16 on an opposite side to the air release hole 16a is sealed by plastic deformation to form a sealed part 16b. Thereby, after forming the sealed container 11 under a normal atmosphere, the internal space of the sealed container 11 can be closed airtightly. The sealed part 16b may be further sealed by welding.

Abstract: An isolation device for supplying a workspace with clean air resulting from dust filtration by an air cleaning means accurately manages the number of fine particles in a workspace and prevents fine particles from mixing with an experimental material. The isolation device includes a measurement probe; a particle counter for measuring the fine-particle counts for a plurality of particle sizes in the workspace air and outputting the measurements; a storage unit for storing, for each of the plurality of particle sizes and for work times and non-work times, management fine-particle counts at which the number of fine particles per unit volume is determined to be large; a cleanliness determination unit that compares the fine particle counts and the management fine-particle counts; and an output unit for outputting an alarm when the work-time/non-work time fine particle count for a particle size in the workspace exceeds the corresponding management fine-particle count.

Abstract: A gas meter includes a meter entrance that allows a fluid to flow in, a meter exit that allows the fluid to flow out, and a flow rate measurer that measures a flow rate of the fluid. In addition, the flow rate measurer includes a plurality of flow rate measuring units having the same shape and composed of a flow passage portion with a rectangular cross section shape on the outer side and a sensor portion disposed on one face of the flow passage portion. The plurality of flow rate measuring units are integrally configured by bonding faces having no sensor portion so as to serve as bonding faces of the flow rate measuring units.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a liquid level sensor system that allows ease of connection and disconnection of a removable vessel (such as a toilet bowl) from a stationary unit (such as a toilet frame). The system provides at least one liquid level sensor (a first part of the sensor probe connection) mounted to the removable vessel, a liquid level sensor circuit board mounted to the unit, and a connection feature (a second part of a sensor probe connection) configured to extend between the sensor and the circuit board. When the removable vessel is removed from the vessel, the sensor probe connection is disconnected without the need for manual intervention. Installation of multiple probes and varying their location can support detection of a single or several discrete levels, or provide for any required redundancy of detection.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus for processing a signal is provided. The apparatus includes a comparator having one input terminal to which a signal is inputted, a first switch configured to switch between application and non-application of a reference voltage, a second switch configured to switch between application and non-application of an envelope reference voltage; a third switch configured to switch between application and non-application of an error detection reference voltage; and a controller configured to perform switching control of the first switch, the second switch and the third switch based on an output of the comparator.

Abstract: A high-speed tension testing machine is provided for reliably preventing slippage between a movable side grip tool and a support member even when the movable side grip tool is moved at high speed. The support member that supports a movable body of a displacement meter has an end part on the side opposite to the movable body, and the end part has a split groove structure for surrounding a small-diameter part of the movable side grip tool and has a structure for holding the small-diameter part of the movable side grip tool with function of a screw. Thus, a surface of the support member on the side of the movable side grip tool is in surface contact with a surface of a large-diameter part, constituting a step part, on the side of the support member, so as to prevent slippage between the movable side grip tool and the support member.

Abstract: Z-axis microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers are described. The z-axis MEMS accelerometers are of a teeter-totter type, having a pivoting beam suspended above a substrate. A non-uniform gap distance between the pivoting beam and the substrate is provided to increase the sensitivity of the accelerometer to z-axis acceleration. In some embodiments, the non-uniform gap distance is created by one or more substrate layers, such as one or more layers of polysilicon on the substrate above which the pivoting beam is suspended. In some embodiments, the non-uniform gap distance is created by the use of one or more bumps on the beam. In some embodiments, both substrate layers and bumps are used to provide a non-uniform gap distance for different electrodes of the accelerometer. The non-uniform gap distance may include a gap of reduced height, resulting in increased sensitivity of the accelerometer to z-axis accelerations.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring an internal volume of a mold designed for forming hollow glass containers and divisible into two or more pieces includes: a supporting element configured to support the mold pieces of the mold positioned with respective molding surfaces, delimiting the internal volume of the mold, accessible by an optical inspection device, which is configured to scan the profiles of a surface and obtain information on the distance between the surface and the optical inspection device, the scanning device being movable, relative to the supporting element, by rotation about a longitudinal axis of rotation; a control unit connected to an actuator to produce relative rotation between the optical inspection device and the supporting element.

Abstract: An inertial sensor for sensing an external acceleration includes: a first and a second proof mass; a first and a second capacitor formed between first and second fixed electrodes and the first proof mass; a third and a fourth capacitor formed between third and fourth fixed electrodes and the second proof mass; a driving assembly configured to cause an antiphase oscillation of the first and second proof masses; a biasing circuit configured to bias the first and third capacitors, thus generating first variation of the oscillation frequency in a first time interval, and to bias the second and fourth capacitors, thus generating first variation of the oscillation frequency in a second time interval; a sensing assembly, configured to generate an differential output signal which is a function of a difference between a value of the oscillating frequency during the first time interval and a value of the oscillating frequency during the second time interval.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for aligning an inertial navigation system borne by a static or quasi-static carrier, wherein: a plurality of alignment processes that are dimensioned for a plurality of amplitudes of movements of the carrier are implemented simultaneously with different alignment observation durations; a minimum observation duration that corresponds to the alignment observation duration for which the consistency of the alignment information obtained by means of alignment processes dimensioned for a given movement amplitude of the carrier is determined; and the alignment information is determined depending on alignment information determined for this minimum observation duration. The invention also relates to an associated inertial navigation system.

Abstract: A pipe pig for travelling along the bore of a pipe, the pipe pig comprising a tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, and a plurality of discs extending radially from the longitudinal axis. At least one of the discs is a sensor disc that includes a plurality of electromagnetic sensors disposed therein.

Abstract: A device includes a main body and an actuating and sensing module. A length of the main body is 0.2˜6 mm. A width of the main body is 0.1˜5.5 mm. A height of the main body is 0.1˜2.5 mm. The actuating and sensing module is disposed in the main body. The actuating and sensing module includes a carrier, a sensor, an actuator, a driving-and-transporting controller and a battery. The sensor, the actuator, the driving-and-transporting controller and the battery are disposed on the carrier. The actuator is disposed on one lateral side of the sensor. The actuator has a fluid channel. The actuator is enabled to transport fluid, so that the fluid flows through the fluid channel toward the sensor, and the sensor measures the fluid received therethrough.

Abstract: A lightweight sensor member may include a fastening hole formed through a center thereof to be fastened to a camshaft, and a plurality of detecting protrusions formed on an external peripheral surface thereof, each having a certain angular shape to the fastening hole.

Abstract: A breath analyte capture device includes a breath input port into which a user exhales a breath sample, and a cartridge insertion port for receiving a disposable cartridge containing an interactant. During exhalation of a breath sample, at least a portion of the breath sample is routed through the cartridge such that the analyte (such as breath acetone) is captured by the interactant. In some embodiments, the concentration of the analyte in the breath sample is measured by monitoring a chemical reaction that occurs in the disposable cartridge. The chemical reaction may be monitored by illuminating the cartridge at each of multiple light wavelengths while measuring reflected light.

Abstract: A soot particulate sensor has a ceramic support made from an aluminum silicate, which is provided with a conductor path made of an intermetallic compound.

Abstract: A test fixture for measuring the skin friction of anisotropic surface finish on a material is described. The test fixture can be utilized in a wind tunnel. The test fixture can include a plate having a cavity configured to receive a circular specimen disk. A motor can be coupled to the plate to rotate the circular specimen disk. During a test, a fluid can flow over the plate in a particular direction and the motor can rotate the circular specimen disk to determine the effect of the flow angle on the average skin friction coefficient of a surface finish of a material. The circular specimen disk can easily be attached and detached from the test fixture to allow circular specimen disks with different surface finishes to be tested.

Abstract: The disclosure is related to a method for verifying an immersion cooling system. The immersion cooling system includes a first sensor, a second sensor and at least one third sensor. The method includes: obtaining a first difference value; determining whether the first difference value is smaller than a first threshold value; determining that the first sensor and the second sensor are in normal operation when the first difference value is smaller than the first threshold value; when the first difference value is not smaller than the first threshold value, determining an operating condition of the first sensor or the second sensor according to a relationship between a sensor value of the at least one third sensor and the sensor value of the first sensor, or a relationship between the sensor value of the at least one third sensor and the sensor value of the second sensor.

Abstract: A fluid outflow measurement system and a method are disclosed for fluid flow determination that measures and determines fluid flow and retains consistent high-sensitivity and high-accuracy performance throughout the measurement range of zero flow to maximum flow. The fluid outflow measurement system and method adds a fluid height measurement from a sensor mounted on the vertical stack or bell nipple section of a drilling rig. The vertical stack or bell nipple section is a location where a change of flow, manifested by a change in fluid height, is more detectable and makes the overall flow more sensitive throughout zero to maximum flow range, especially at low flows (resulting in better curve shape definitions of flow back signatures) and to subtle flow changes due to micro influxes or losses.