Abstract: A mass spectrometer comprising: a vacuum housing comprising a first vacuum chamber having a first gas exhaust port; a gas pump (1700) having a first gas inlet port connected to the first gas exhaust port (H1) by a first gas conduit for evacuating the first vacuum chamber, and a first apertured cover (2010) arranged over the first gas exhaust port (H1) or first gas inlet port, or in the first gas conduit therebetween.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of detecting the presence of a nucleic acid target sequence of interest, the method comprising the steps of:

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of detecting a nucleic acid sequence of interest in a sample, the method comprising contacting the sample with first and second probes; the first probe comprising a portion complementary to the sequence of interest and so capable of hybridising thereto, and a portion non-complementary to the sequence of interest; the second probe comprising a portion complementary to the sequence of interest and so capable of hybridising thereto, and a portion non-complementary to the sequence of interest but complementary to that portion of the first probe which is non-complementary to the sequence of interest, such that the first and second probes are capable of hybridising to the sequence of interest in an adjacent or substantially adjacent manner, so as to allow complementary portions of the first and second probes to hybridize to each other; causing extension of the first probe with a nucleic acid polymerase, using the second probe as a template; and detecting directly or indirectly the extension of

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of detecting the presence of a nucleic acid target sequence of interest, the method comprising the steps of: (a) adding first and second nucleic acid probes to a sample comprising the sequence of interest, so as to form a complex comprising three strands of nucleic acid, wherein the first probe comprises the full length sequence of a first strand of a double stranded promoter, the target sequence comprises an end part of a second strand of the double stranded promoter which is complementary to a part of the first strand, and the second probe comprises the rest of the second strand of the double stranded promoter which is complementary to a part of the first strand, such that a functional promoter is formed when the first probe is hybridized to both the target sequence and to the second probe; (b) adding a polymerase which recognizes the promoter, so as to cause the de novo synthesis of nucleic acid from the promoter present in the complex; and (c) detecting directly or indirectly the

Abstract: A card reader (for example, a swipe card reader for reading bank or security cards) is disclosed which comprises a detector for detecting surface features of the card such as embossed characters. In this way, a security check for false cards is implemented.

Abstract: An electric arc furnace or convertor is provided with a taphole collector nozzle which is provided, for at least a portion of its length, with an offset bore enlargement. The furnace may be a tilting arc furnace, and may be provided with a sliding gate taphole valve having a collector nozzle with an offset bore enlargement attached to the sliding gate.