Abstract: Provided is an oral pouch product including a pouch having a plurality of pores. At least one portion of soluble dietary fibers is contained in the pores of the pouch and/or coated thereon. The oral pouch product is filled with a botanical material. The oral pouch product is placed in the mouth to release the soluble dietary fibers directly into the user's mouth.

Abstract: Provided is an oral pouch product including a pouch having a plurality of pores. At least one portion of soluble dietary fibers is contained in the pores of the pouch and/or coated thereon. The oral pouch product is filled with a botanical material. The oral pouch product is placed in the mouth to release the soluble dietary fibers directly into the user's mouth.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The method includes exposing at least one microcantilever beam to a medium, which may contain tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and measuring a deflection of the microcantilever beam, wherein the deflection indicates a presence of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in the medium. The at least one microcantilever beam can include a silicon base layer and a gold-coated receptor layer with a plurality of thiol molecules having a sulfur head and carboxyl-terminated group. The at least one microcantilever beam can include a silicon base layer and a metal or metal oxide coated receptor layer. Alternatively, the microcantilever beam can be formed by co-absorbing tobacco-specific nitrosamines and silane molecules on a silicon microcantilever surface, wherein the template molecules of tobacco-specific nitrosamines physically co-adsorb between the silane molecules.

Abstract: A system for detecting nitrates in a tobacco sample having a light source, and a detection device. The light source provides a beam of light incident to a tobacco sample, which is reflected from the tobacco sample to the detection device. A computing device computes the amount of nitrates within the tobacco sample based on data received from the detection device to correlate the amount of tobacco-specific nitrosamines within the tobacco sample.

Abstract: A high strength and creep resistant soft magnetic Fe—Co alloy includes, in weight %, Fe and Co such that the difference between the Fe and Co is at least 2%, at least 35% Co, and 2.5%?(V+Mo+Nb), wherein 0.4%?Mo and/or 0.4%?Nb. This alloy can further include B, C, W, Ni, Ti, Cr, Mn and/or Al. A vanadium-free high strength soft magnetic Fe—Co alloy includes in weight %, Fe and Co such that the difference between the Fe and Co is at least 2%, and at least 15% Co, the alloy further satisfying (0.1%?Nb and 0.1%?W) or 0.25%?Mn. This alloy can further include B, C, Ni, Ti, Cr and/or Al.

Abstract: An intermetallic or iron aluminide magnetically readable medium and a method of forming and reading the same are provided herein. Also provided is an identification card or tag, a key, an anti-counterfeiting measure, an anti-forging measure. The intermetallic or iron aluminide magnetically readable medium includes a magnetically readable surface, wherein the magnetically readable surface contains one or more first magnetically readable regions of the intermetallic or iron aluminide surrounded by one or more second magnetically readable regions. Additionally, the intermetallic or iron aluminide magnetically readable medium can be coated, encapsulated or concealed within a material.

Abstract: A local magnetic susceptibility unit is adapted to measure the AC magnetic susceptibility of a surface region of a sample. The unit comprises a sensing element and one or more balancing elements arranged in a circuit. When a sample is placed proximate to the sensing element the sample induces an imbalance voltage in the circuit.

Abstract: Nanoparticles of intermetallic alloys such as FeAl, Fe3Al, NiAl, TiAl and FeCoV exhibit a wide variety of interesting structural, magnetic, catalytic, resistive and electronic, and bar coding applications. The nanosized powders can be used to make structural parts having enhanced mechanical properties, magnetic parts having enhanced magnetic saturation, catalyst materials having enhanced catalytic activity, thick film circuit elements having enhanced resolution, and screen printed images such as magnetic bar codes having enhanced magnetic properties. In contrast to bulk FeAl materials which are nonmagnetic at room temperature, the FeAl nanoparticles exhibit magnetic properties at room temperature.

Abstract: A method of making Cu, Zn, and/or Cu/Zn alloy nanoparticles subjects one or more targets to laser energy to form a vapor and condenses the vapor to form nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 20 nm. The optional application of an electric field results in nanoparticles with aspect ratios greater than 1.0. The target(s) can be a single target or separate targets comprising a mixture of copper, zinc, and/or copper/zinc. When separate targets are used, the laser beam can be split to form two separate beams each of which is made incident upon one of the targets. The nanoparticles can be formed in a chamber having an inert atmosphere or a reactive atmosphere and a convection current is created in the chamber by maintaining the top plate at a lower temperature than the bottom plate.

Abstract: A smoking system is provided in which a replaceable cigarette containing tobacco flavor material is electrically heated by a set of electrical heater elements contained within a lighter to evolve tobacco flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form for delivery to a smoker. The cigarette and lighter are adapted to provide air flow patterns through the smoking system such that air flows transversely into the cigarette. Such patterns improve aerosol and flavor delivery to the smoker and reduce the condensation of residual heater-region vapor/aerosol in the smoking system.