Abstract: A pot for use with system for controlling soil moisture in a plurality of potted plants to perform water deficit experiments includes a body portion having an open top end and a bottom end, and a flange coupled to the body portion adjacent the top end. The flange is configured to engage a platform to hold the body portion within an opening of the platform. The pot also includes a fluid reservoir having a bottom portion located adjacent the bottom end of the body portion, a plurality of vertically extending fluid channels extending upwardly toward the top end of the body portion, a fill opening located at the bottom end of the body portion in communication with the bottom portion of the fluid reservoir, and a check valve coupled to the fill opening to permit fluid to be supplied to the fluid reservoir from the bottom end of the body portion through fill opening and the check valve.

Abstract: A method for controlling soil moisture to perform water deficit experiments on a plurality of plants located in soil contained within a plurality of pots supported in a plurality of openings of a stationary platform includes lifting the plurality of pots with a plurality of load cell modules and weighing each of the plurality of pots with the load cell modules. The method also includes determining whether each pot needs to be watered based on the weight of the pot and the water deficit experiment, watering the pots through the load cell modules, if necessary, and lowering the plurality of load cell modules so that the plurality of pots are supported by the platform.

Abstract: A pot for use with system for controlling soil moisture in a plurality of potted plants to perform water deficit experiments includes a body portion having an open top end and a bottom end, and a flange coupled to the body portion adjacent the top end. The flange is configured to engage a platform to hold the body portion within an opening of the platform. The pot also includes a fluid reservoir having a bottom portion located adjacent the bottom end of the body portion, a plurality of vertically extending fluid channels extending upwardly toward the top end of the body portion, a fill opening located at the bottom end of the body portion in communication with the bottom portion of the fluid reservoir, and a check valve coupled to the fill opening to permit fluid to be supplied to the fluid reservoir from the bottom end of the body portion through fill opening and the check valve.

Abstract: A method for controlling soil moisture to perform water deficit experiments on a plurality of plants located in soil contained within a plurality of pots supported in a plurality of openings of a stationary platform includes lifting the plurality of pots with a plurality of load cell modules and weighing each of the plurality of pots with the load cell modules. The method also includes determining whether each pot needs to be watered based on the weight of the pot and the water deficit experiment, watering the pots through the load cell modules, if necessary, and lowering the plurality of load cell modules so that the plurality of pots are supported by the platform.

Abstract: An automated gravimetric screening system and method controls soil moisture in a plurality of potted plants to perform water deficit experiments in a greenhouse using a stationary support platform and pot design that maintains the plants in a static location during the testing. By weighing and re-watering the pots from beneath the platform, the present system and method permits an upper gantry to capture high resolution images, temperature data, or other sensor data to quantify the plant stress level or plant canopy characteristics during the experiment.

Abstract: An automated gravimetric screening system and method controls soil moisture in a plurality of potted plants to perform water deficit experiments in a greenhouse using a stationary support platform and pot design that maintains the plants in a static location during the testing. By weighing and re-watering the pots from beneath the platform, the present system and method permits an upper gantry to capture high resolution images, temperature data, or other sensor data to quantify the plant stress level or plant canopy characteristics during the experiment.

Abstract: A communication technique includes broadcasting a signal that indicates at least a plurality of protocols supported by the device that broadcasts the signal. In a disclosed example, the device that broadcasts the signal is also capable of receiving broadcast signals from other devices. In one example, the broadcasting device is a mobile station while in another example the broadcasting device is a base station. Devices that receive the broadcast signal can then establish a communication connection using one of the indicated protocols when desired. Disclosed examples include broadcast signals indicating available protocols for mobile station-to-mobile station communications, base station-to-base station communications and communications between mobile stations and base stations.

Abstract: A sealable sterilising material for packaging medical devices requiring sterilization, has an average burst strength not less than 200 kPa measured according to ISO 2758 standard, an average tear strength not less than 300 mN measured according to the European standard 21974, an average impact strength not less than 0.4 J measured according to the ASTM standard and a bacterial filtering efficiency (BFE) not less than 85%, with a basic weight ranging between 40 and 250 g/m2, preferably between 90 and 250 g/m2, measured according to the ISO 536 standard and includes at least two sterilising packaging sheets (F1) and (F2), one of them at least being sealable directly or after being coated with a sealing product. The sheets are bound irreversibly together by one of their surfaces. The invention also concerns a package made from the material.

Abstract: A sensor used to measure temperature or concentration of a combustible gas. The sensor includes an optical head that picks up infrared information emitted by the combustible gas. The infrared information is conveyed from the optical sensor through a diffracting device onto a strip of photodetectors. A processor receives the information garnered by the photodetectors and determines the concentration and temperature profile of the combustible gas based on a stored thermodynamic model, radiation behavior, varying the thermodynamic parameters, and comparing a calculated spectrum with the measured spectrum. The sensor additionally has elements, such as cooling devices and casing to make it suitable for use with aviation where altitude creates problems with known methods of gas temperature analysis.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns a dual-mode ISDN/STN visiophone terminal, including at least one audio equipment and one video equipment respectively connected to an ISDN via a dual-mode ISDN/STN audio coder/decoder incorporating an ISDN audio coder, an ISDN audio decoder, an STN audio coder and an STN audio decoder, and via a dual-mode ISDN/STN video coder/decoder incorporating an ISDN video coder, an ISDN video decoder, an STN video coder, and an STN video decoder, wherein in order to provide an answering/recording function in said visiophone terminal a RAM memory is used to store audiovisual messages in STN mode, and wherein the outputs of the ISDN audio and video decoders are connected respectively to the inputs of the STN audio and video coders in order to record in the RAM an audiovisual message sent by a calling party via a remote terminal, and wherein the outputs of the STN audio and video decoders are connected respectively to the inputs of the ISDN audio and video coders in order to send an audiovisual mess

Abstract: The invention relates to the measurement of the granulometry of a cloud of particles or of the roughness of a surface in real time and without contact, by means of an apparatus comprising: a convergent lens (9) adapted for forming a diffraction pattern of the cloud of particles or of the surface: multiplier means (10) adatped for multiplying this diffraction pattern, in intensity, by a function f(r) such thatA(r.sup.1.5 +Br.sub.o.sup.4)<f(r)<A (r.sup.4 +Br.sub.o.sup.4)withA=constant determined by calibration of the apparatusB=constant: o<B<0.1r=distance measured in the focal plane of the lens with respect to the optical axis thereof,r.sub.o =maximum useful radius of the spatial filter,and means (11, 24) adapted for carrying out a reverse Fourier transform on the result of the above intensity multiplication, whose result forms the desired spectrum of the granulometry of the cloud of particles or the desired spectrum of the roughness of the surface.

Abstract: A process for the remote measurement of the emissivity .epsilon. of a body (1) with relatively smooth surface, consisting: in making, with a detector (6) and a converter (9), a first measurement A of the luminance at a point M on the surface at an emission angle .theta., the thermal radiation (2) on which the measurement is made being polarized (at 4) in a first direction with respect to the emission plane, in making a second measurement B of the luminance at the same point and at the same emission angle .theta., the thermal radiation being polarized in a second direction, different from the first one, finally, in determining the emissivity ##EQU1## .theta..sub.1 being the angle of the axis of the polarizer for A and .theta..sub.2 being the angle of the axis of the polarizer for B, measured with respect to a polarization perpendicular to the emission plane.