Abstract: The invention relates to a blood pump. The blood pump comprises a flexible drive shaft guided in a catheter, a conveying element connected to the drive shaft in a distal region of the drive shaft, and a motor, wherein the motor has a stator and a rotor mounted such that it can move in the stator. The stator comprises a winding and the rotor comprises a rotor magnet. In addition, the drive shaft is connected to the rotor at a proximal end of the drive shaft. The stator and the rotor are nondetachably connected to one another, and form a gap with a ring-shaped cross-section, which is delimited by the rotor and the stator.

Abstract: In a process for determining the resistance to draw and the gas permeability of a test piece, for example a cigarette or a cigarette paper, a linearly increasing or decreasing volumetric flow is conveyed through the test piece. The volumetric flow and the pressure drop at the test piece are measured continuously and compared with predetermined reference values. When there is equality between at least one measured value and a reference value, the measured value pair under consideration, volumetric flow/pressure drop, is detected. It is thus possible, on the one hand, to determine the characteristic curve of the test piece, i.e. the change in the pressure drop with the volumetric flow, over a greater range of the volumetric flow, and, on the other hand, to measure pairs of values for accurately defined values of the volumetric flow and/or the pressure drop.

Abstract: To determine the force acting on a test piece and the resultant change in parameters, the test piece is subjected to linearly increasing force. The resultant change in parameters and the force needed for this purpose are measured continuously and compared with predetermined reference values for these two variables. As soon as equality is determined between at least one measured value and its associated reference value, the value pair under consideration, force/change in parameters, is detected. This process can be used for the measurement of various mechanical variables.

Abstract: An apparatus for simulating a human smoking a smokable object which comprises an inhaling device for drawing smoke from the object and a motor which is coupled to the inhaling device for driving the inhaling device. The apparatus further comprises a control circuit for controlling the operation of the motor. The control circuit includes a circuit for receiving an analog signal corresponding to a human draw profile of the smoking of the object, a converter coupled to the receiving circuit for converting the analog signal to a pulse signal and a switching device for applying the pulse signal to the motor for controlling the operation of the motor.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining the effect of dilution and/or diffusion of the gaseous components of a gas flow passing through a gas permeable test object is claimed. The apparatus comprises a source of calibrating gas, a laminar resistance coupled to the source of calibrating gas with the gas flowing through the laminar resistance, and a volumeter is coupled to the laminar resistance for measuring the volume of gas flowing therethrough. The gas from the laminar resistance flows through the test object to a gas concentration measuring device for receiving and for measuring the concentration thereof. A bypass device is provided for bypassing the flow of gas around the test object, and a suction device draws gas from the source to the measuring device.