Abstract: Described herein are methods for making clear ice. In one embodiment, a method for making clear ice includes providing a mold of any of the embodiments described herein, optionally inserting a skewer through the mold, the skewer being coupled to an item; circulating, using fluid inlet and outlet valves, a fluid in a mold cavity defined by the mold; varying overtime one or both of: a temperature of the cooling apparatus or a fluid flow rate, through the fluid inlet valve, as a percentage of max flow; and optionally retracting the skewer when the ice formation encases at least a portion of the item. The method optionally includes a period of flow reversal, such that the fluid inlet valve becomes the fluid outlet valve and the fluid outlet valve becomes the fluid inlet valve. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes releasing the ice from the mold.

Abstract: Described herein are methods for making clear ice. In one embodiment, a method for making clear ice includes providing a mold of any of the embodiments described herein, optionally inserting a skewer through the mold, the skewer being coupled to an item; circulating, using fluid inlet and outlet valves, a fluid in a mold cavity defined by the mold; varying overtime one or both of: a temperature of the cooling apparatus or a fluid flow rate, through the fluid inlet valve, as a percentage of max flow; and optionally retracting the skewer when the ice formation encases at least a portion of the item. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes a period of flow reversal, such that the fluid inlet valve becomes the fluid outlet valve and the fluid outlet valve becomes the fluid inlet valve. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes releasing the ice from the mold.

Abstract: A device, and corresponding method, for determining a presence of lead in a material composition of a pipe includes a probe, a resonant frequency measurement circuit, and a material analyzer. The probe includes an oscillator circuit and can be inserted into an interior cavity of the pipe and emit electromagnetic radiation. The frequency measurement circuit operatively communicates with the oscillator circuit and outputs resonant electromagnetic frequency measurement data indicating a resonant electromagnetic frequency of the oscillator circuit. The material analyzer receives the resonant electromagnetic frequency measurement data, and an additional measurement selected from the group consisting of (i) a measurement of power dissipation of the oscillator circuit and (ii) an interior diameter of the pipe, and outputs a positive or negative indication of whether lead is present in the material composition based on the resonant electromagnetic frequency measurement data and the additional measurement.

Abstract: A device, and corresponding method, for determining a material composition of the pipe includes a probe, a resonance frequency measurement circuit, and a material analyzer. The probe includes an oscillator circuit and can be inserted into an interior cavity of the type. The probe also can emit electromagnetic radiation into the interior cavity via the oscillator circuit. The frequency measurement circuit is in operative communication with the oscillator circuit and is configured to output resonant frequency measurement data indicative of a resonance frequency of the oscillator circuit when inserted into the interior cavity. The material analyzer can receive the resonance frequency measurement data, and an additional measurement, and can output an indication of material composition of the pipe based on the resonance frequency measurement data and the additional measurement.

Abstract: Described herein are methods for making clear ice. In one embodiment, a method for making clear ice includes providing a mold of any of the embodiments described herein, optionally inserting a skewer through the mold, the skewer being coupled to an item; circulating, using fluid inlet and outlet valves, a fluid in a mold cavity defined by the mold; varying overtime one or both of: a temperature of the cooling apparatus or a fluid flow rate, through the fluid inlet valve, as a percentage of max flow; and optionally retracting the skewer when the ice formation encases at least a portion of the item. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes a period of flow reversal, such that the fluid inlet valve becomes the fluid outlet valve and the fluid outlet valve becomes the fluid inlet valve. In some embodiments, the method optionally includes releasing the ice from the mold.

Abstract: In the operation of analytical devices, and particularly laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) devices, a number of advantages may be obtained by the use of complementary safety mechanisms, such as those that govern the operation or firing of a laser. Such complementary safety mechanisms, compared to the individual safety mechanisms acting alone, prevent operation of the laser under a greater number of unsafe circumstances (even if one or more detected conditions are safe, based on not activating the associated safety mechanism) and permits operation under a greater number of safe circumstances (even if one or more detected conditions are unsafe, based on activating the associated safety mechanism).

Abstract: A forwarding unit for a SDN system is provided, the forwarding unit being configured to forward data packets and comprising a memory module for storing at least one forwarding rule and a forwarding rule managing module, wherein the forwarding rule managing module is configured to activate the at least one forwarding rule according to a preset time condition and wherein the preset time condition comprises at least two activation times of the at least one forwarding rule and wherein the forwarding rule managing module is configured to activate the at least one forwarding rule at any one of the at least two activation times.

Abstract: An aircraft includes a clearance between an opening and a door. The clearance communicates with a cavity and is oriented in a direction intersecting a flow direction of an air flow to the outside of the aircraft in flight. The aircraft further includes an upstream edge and an upstream outer surface situated in front of the clearance joined by a sharp edge with a bend radius of less than or equal to 1 mm, in order to limit the incidence of aerodynamic noise.

Abstract: This embodiments of the invention relates to a data packet forwarding unit (202) configured to forward data packets within a data transmission network on the basis of data packet forwarding rules, wherein the data transmission network comprises a control plane and a separate data plane. The data packet forwarding unit (202) comprises a storage unit (202b) configured to store at least one of data transmission profiles, wherein each data transmission profile comprises at least one data packet forwarding rule, and a processor (202a) configured to select a data transmission profile from the at least one data transmission profiles and to forward data packets within the data transmission network on the basis of the at least one data packet forwarding rule of the selected data transmission profile.

Abstract: The embodiments of the disclosure relates to a device location manager for a communication system, the device location manager comprising: a southbound interface configured to receive a physical location information of a mobile device from an infrastructure manager of the communication system, a location processor configured to map between the physical location information and a logical location information, and a northbound interface configured to send and/or receive the logical location information to and/or from at least two network slices of the communication system.

Abstract: In the operation of analytical devices, and particularly laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) devices, a number of advantages may be obtained by the use of complementary safety mechanisms, such as those that govern the operation or firing of a laser. Such complementary safety mechanisms, compared to the individual safety mechanisms acting alone, prevent operation of the laser under a greater number of unsafe circumstances (even if one or more detected conditions are safe, based on not activating the associated safety mechanism) and permits operation under a greater number of safe circumstances (even if one or more detected conditions are unsafe, based on activating the associated safety mechanism).

Abstract: Apparatus and method for magnetic recording media. A rotatable magnetic recording disc has an outermost annular sidewall that extends at nominally 97 millimeters, mm for a 3-½ inch form factor data storage device or at nominally 67 mm for a 2-½ inch form factor data storage device. The rotatable magnetic recording disc further has a disc shaped substrate of metal or glass, and a magnetic recording layer supported by the disc shaped substrate and configured to magnetically record data along concentric tracks.

Abstract: A forwarding unit for a SDN system is provided, the forwarding unit being configured to forward data packets and comprising a memory module for storing at least one forwarding rule and a forwarding rule managing module, wherein the forwarding rule managing module is configured to activate the at least one forwarding rule according to a preset time condition and wherein the preset time condition comprises at least two activation times of the at least one forwarding rule and wherein the forwarding rule managing module is configured to activate the at least one forwarding rule at any one of the at least two activation times.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for magnetic recording media. A rotatable magnetic recording disc has an outermost annular sidewall that extends at nominally 97 millimeters, mm for a 3½ inch form factor data storage device or at nominally 67 mm for a 2½ inch form factor data storage device. The rotatable magnetic recording disc further has a disc shaped substrate of metal or glass, and a magnetic recording layer supported by the disc shaped substrate and configured to magnetically record data along concentric tracks.

Abstract: An aircraft includes a clearance between an opening and a door. The clearance communicates with a cavity and is oriented in a direction intersecting a flow direction of an air flow to the outside of the aircraft in flight. The aircraft further includes an upstream edge and an upstream outer surface situated in front of the clearance joined by a sharp edge with a bend radius of less than or equal to 1 mm, in order to limit the incidence of aerodynamic noise.

Abstract: A hand-held spectrometer includes at least one indicator light and a processor configured to control the at least one indicator light to indicate a state of the hand-held spectrometer selected from a group consisting of a background scanning state, a ready-to-scan-sample state, a signal strength state, a fluorescence intensity state, a sample match state, a sample classification state, an error state, a data transfer state, a battery charge state, and a memory capacity state. The sample match state can be, for example, one of a positive match state, a mixture match state, a negative match state, and a match error state. In some embodiments, the error state can be at least one of a background error state, a user error state, and an instrument error state, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: An enlarged substrate configuration for magnetic recording media. In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a disc shaped member of metal or glass configured as a substrate for a magnetic data recording disc for a 2½ inch form factor data storage device or a 3½ inch form factor data storage device. The disc shaped member has a top planar surface, an opposing bottom planar surface, an outermost annular sidewall that extends between the top planar surface and the bottom planar surface at an outermost diameter of nominally 67 or 97 millimeters, respectively, and an inner annular sidewall that extends between the top planar surface and the bottom planar surface to define a central aperture.

Abstract: A hand-held spectrometer includes at least one indicator light and a processor configured to control the at least one indicator light to indicate a state of the hand-held spectrometer selected from a group consisting of a background scanning state, a ready-to-scan-sample state, a signal strength state, a fluorescence intensity state, a sample match state, a sample classification state, an error state, a data transfer state, a battery charge state, and a memory capacity state. The sample match state can be, for example, one of a positive match state, a mixture match state, a negative match state, and a match error state. In some embodiments, the error state can be at least one of a background error state, a user error state, and an instrument error state, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: An enlarged substrate configuration for magnetic recording media. In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a disc shaped member of metal or glass configured as a substrate for a magnetic data recording disc for a 2½ inch form factor data storage device or a 3½ inch form factor data storage device. The disc shaped member has a top planar surface, an opposing bottom planar surface, an outermost annular sidewall that extends between the top planar surface and the bottom planar surface at an outermost diameter of nominally 67 or 97 millimeters, respectively, and an inner annular sidewall that extends between the top planar surface and the bottom planar surface to define a central aperture.