Abstract: A device for absorbing shocks of a liftable and lowerable object such as a spare tire includes a reeling device that contains a hoisting cable, the reeling device rotatably attached to the vehicle chassis, an arresting device that under normal conditions prevents the reeling device from rotating relative to the vehicle chassis but enables the reeling device to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis under crash conditions thereby absorbing significant part of the energy of the shock.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for measuring a biomarker, in particular lactate, in a sample consisting of whole blood. The device includes at least one pre-determined amount of the biomarker. Generally, the device includes a porous separation means to separate whole blood into its constituent parts. There is also provided a method of measuring a biomarker in whole blood.

Abstract: A device for absorbing shocks of a liftable and lowerable object such as a spare tire includes a reeling device that contains a hoisting cable, the reeling device rotatably attached to the vehicle chassis, an arresting device that under normal conditions prevents the reeling device from rotating relative to the vehicle chassis but enables the reeling device to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis under crash conditions thereby absorbing significant part of the energy of the shock.

Abstract: An electrochemical sensor apparatus and electrochemical sensing method within an aqueous system are described, using one or more working electrodes of boron doped diamond (BDD). A cathodic reduction process provides a cathodic measurement and, substantially simultaneously, an anodic oxidation process provides an anodic measurement. A sum of a content of two equilibrium species within the aqueous system is obtained using both the cathodic measurement and the anodic measurement. One example measures total free chlorine by simultaneously measuring hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl?).

Abstract: A novel single point leaky waveguide structure and its use as an optical sensor for the detection of particles is disclosed. The waveguide structure is fabricated to increase the overlap of the evanescent field extension from the sensor surface with particles in the bulk solution of a flowing system so as to place most of the volume of the particles within the evanescent field. Increasing the overlap of the evanescent field with the particles and permitting mode propagation along the direction of flow for a few millimetres provides an effective interrogation approach for multiple particle detection in a single flow channel.

Abstract: An identification apparatus comprising a chamber having one or more buffer fluid inlets and a plurality of sample fluid inlets, the chamber being configured such that the buffer fluid focuses the sample fluid into sample fluid streams, the sample fluid streams and buffer fluid being contained in a single laminar flow, wherein the apparatus is provided with means for directing optical excitation simultaneously at a plurality of the sample fluid streams to allow parallel fluorescence and/or scattering measurements.

Abstract: A method of distinguishing between fluorescent light emitted by green fluorescent protein and fluorescent light emitted by auto-fluorescent molecules, the method comprising: using plane-polarised light to illuminate a sample containing green fluorescent protein and auto-fluorescent molecules; detecting the intensity of fluorescent light that is emitted with a first polarisation from the sample; detecting the intensity of fluorescent light that is emitted with a second polarisation from the sample; and subtracting a first of said detected intensities from a second of said detected intensities to obtain a difference signal.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of determining the toxicity of a fluid sample comprising the steps of: (i) mixing the sample with a suspension of light emitting organisms; (ii) monitoring the light output (E) of the mixture continually over a period of time (t.sub.o -t.sub.n) using a photodetector device sensitive to the wave length of the emitted light; and (iii) determining the differential d(log E)/dt to give a measure of toxicity concentration.