Abstract: A gasket for sealing two mating surfaces is described. The gasket has: a) an outer portion comprising a core interposed between sealing layers, the outer portion defining a first aperture, the core and/or the sealing layers defining an inner edge of the outer portion, the said inner edge immediately surrounding the first aperture; b) an inner portion comprising deformable material defining a second aperture therein, the inner portion having an inner edge defining the second aperture and an outer region designed to be secured to the outer portion so that the inner portion is held securely by the outer portion, the thickness of the inner portion being greater than the thickness of the outer portion so that in use the inner portion deforms to a greater extent than the outer portion. In some embodiments, the deformable inner portion includes a chemical treatment agent. The invention extends to methods of using the gaskets, uses for sealing corroded joints and methods of production of the gasket.

Abstract: A thermal storage device comprising a container containing a body of zeolite comprising a zeolite sieve and thermally conducting fins extending substantially into the body of zeolite in which said thermally conducting fins are thermally connected to a heat source.

Abstract: A sample testing device for testing for the presence of a component of interest in a liquid sample comprises: (a) at least one capillary pathway which has an upstream end and a downstream end and which incorporates a reagent system capable of causing agglutination with said component to be detected (the test capillary); (b) preferably, but optionally, at least one capillary pathway having an upstream end and a downstream end (the control capillary); (c) a sampling region to which the liquid sample is applied and from which the sample is able to enter the upstream ends of the test capillary(s) and if present the control capillary(s); (d) a power source; (c) detection arrangements electrically associated with said power source for detecting the presence of liquid at a downstream region of said testing capillary(s) and if present the control capillary(s); (f) display means operated by said power source for indicating the result of the test; and (g) signal processing means associated with the power source, detect

Abstract: A process is described in which biological cells are separated from a material sample, such as blood or soil, in which the material sample is formed as a suspension in a fluid and introduced into a chamber. One or more acoustic pressure nodes aggregate the material sample, and a flow of fluid removes soluble matter from the aggregate leaving the biological cells and other inert materials at the node(s). In one aspect of the invention the biological materials are separated from inhibitors that might render their subsequent analysis in, for example, a PCR system difficult. In another aspect of the invention a method is described to extract a clean DNA sample for such biological cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for detecting the product of a reaction on a particle held at the pressure node of a standing wave. The methods and apparatus are particularly concerned with blood typing and the Coombs method.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agglutination based assay system for determining the presence and/or amount of analyte in a sample comprising a test device having one or more capillary pathways comprising detection regions adapted for non-visual detection of a sample which is releasably engageable with a reader which comprises detection means for detecting the sample at the detection regions in each of said capillary pathways and electronic means for indicating the presence and/or amount of analyte. Also provided are the individual test device and reader components, and an assay method using the system.

Abstract: The invention provides a system for distributing a text document (101) comprising: a data conditioning system (102) including: a data receiver for receiving the text document (101) in a received document format; and a conversion system for converting the text document (101) from the received document format to text data in a standardised text-to-speech format; and a transmission system (105) for transmitting the text data in the standardised text-to-speech format, whereby a receiver (109), including a text-to-speech converter, can be used for converting the text data into speech.

Abstract: A sealing-enhancing coating for a gasket or a portion of a gasket includes flaky particles of chemically exfoliated vermiculite, at least 90% by weight of the particles having a thickness of no more than 30 microns, and no dimension greater than 1 mm. The particles form 10 to 90 wt. % of the coating. The coating also includes 50 to 10 wt. % of an organic polymer binder which when formed into a film 1 mm or less in thickness and heated to 300° C. in free air for 24 hours either does not decompose or decomposes leaving a residue of at least 20% by weight of film.

Abstract: A gasket (10; 40; 50; 70) comprises a sealing member which forms a closed loop extending around a hole. The sealing member is formed from resilient metal and has a transverse cross section which is generally X-shaped and comprises two arms (12, 14) which project inwardly of the hole, and two arms (16, 18) which project outwardly of the hole. The inwardly projecting arms form a first seal around said hole, and the outwardly projecting arms form a second seal around said hole. Each arm extends from a junction (22) with the remainder of the gasket to a tip (24) of the arm which engages one of the bodies. Each arm has its greatest thickness at said junction (22) and its smallest thickness at a point adjacent to or at said tip (24), the arm continuously reducing in thickness between said junction and said point. The gasket can yield from the tips of the arms inwardly as the pressure on the gasket increases.

Abstract: A gasket (10) comprises a first sealing member (12) and a second sealing member (14) both made of springy metal, and a clamping member (16) which holds the first and the second sealing members in an overlying relationship. The first sealing member (12) has an arm portion (12a) projecting from the clamping member (16), the arm portion being adapted to resiliently form a seal with a first body. The second sealing member (14) has an arm portion projecting from the clamping member (16), the arm portion being adapted to resiliently form a seal with a second body. A compression limiting stop (16e) is provided.

Abstract: A multi-part set providing for so-called “carbonless” copying between parts of the set, comprises a piece of sheet material such as paper with respective portions of at least one face of the sheet being treated to provide for imaging therebetween when such portions lie in face to face relationship, the piece of material being folded to bring the treated portions into face to face relationship and being provided with at least one separation line. Two-part, three-part and four-part sets are disclosed.

Abstract: Sealing material comprises from 45% to 90% by weight exfoliated graphite, from 5% to 20% by weight thermosetting resin and from 5% to 50% by weight fibrous filler which is heat resistant at 250° C. The fibrous filler has fibres at least 90% of which have a fibre length of less than 200 &mgr;m, and an aspect ratio of less than 10:1.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for printing onto pressure-sensitive record material of the kind comprising a base sheet, typically of paper, coated with a ruptutrable material confining droplets of color forming substances in a solutuion of animal or vegetable oil solvent, which when released by rupture of the material undergo a color forming reaction to produce an image either on the base sheet itself or on a further receptor sheet in face-to-face contact with the coated face of the base sheet.

Abstract: A sterilization apparatus wherein one or more electron beam tubes are used to direct electron beams into an ambient gaseous environment to create an electron plasma cloud into which non-sterile target objects may be moved. The electron plasma cloud is formed by interaction of the electron beam with the ambient atmosphere. Helium or other like gaseous may be used to expand the effective volume of the electron plasma cloud. Manipulators are used to move target objects in the electron plasma cloud, exposing non-sterile surfaces to the cloud and then joining the surfaces together where appropriate. The beam tube used to generate the electron beam has a thin low energy absorbing window which allows relatively low energy beams to be used, minimizing damage to materials within the surface of the target objects.