Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

A MEMS-based calorimeter includes a reference channel, a sample channel, and a thermopile configured to measure a temperature differential between the reference channel and a sample channel. The reference channel and the sample channel each include a passive mixer such as a splitting-and-recombination micromixer. The passive mixer can be formed by a first set of channels in a first layer and a second set of channels in a second layer. Methods for fabricating the MEMS-based calorimeter and methods of using the calorimeter to measure thermodynamic properties of chemical reactions are also provided.

Disclosed is an ethylene polymer having a viscosity-average molecular weight (Mv) of 3,000,000 or more and 15,000,000 or less.

A method of determining thermal properties of a sample using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the method comprises injecting a first separation fluid, a sample plug, and a second separation fluid into a sample cell. The first separation fluid and the sample plug have a first separation interface, and the sample plug and the second fluid have a second separation interface. The method further comprises injecting a reference fluid into a reference cell, heating the sample cell and reference cell, and determining thermal properties of the sample using DSC analysis.

The present invention relates to relates to a method of optimizing a plastic composition formed from a plurality of resin feedstocks. A plurality of resin feedstocks are provided. The plurality of resin feedstocks are blended to form the plastic composition. One or more properties of the plastic composition, including radiation absorption, radiation transmission, gas evolution, radiation fluorescence, or melting properties, are measured. The ratio of the plurality of resin feedstocks being blended into the plastic composition is adjusted, based on said measuring, to form an optimized plastic composition. A system for performing the method is also disclosed.

There is provided a polyolefin resin foam sheet having a plurality of cells which is formed by foaming a polyolefin resin composition, wherein the polyolefin resin composition contains a polyolefin resin (A) having relatively high density and a polyolefin resin (B) having relatively low density, and the weighted average resin density of the polyolefin resin (A) and the polyolefin resin (B) is 0.900 g/cm.sup.3 or less; and wherein a ratio [TD strength at break/MD maximum cell size] and a ratio [MD strength at break/TD maximum cell size] are both 45 kPa/μm or more.

Disclosed are systems and methods for providing an adiabatic power compensation differential scanning calorimeter to minimize a temperature difference between a sample and a reference. For instance, methods can include providing ramp-up heating power to heat a sample container and a reference container based on a preprogrammed temperature ramp rate; minimizing a temperature difference among the sample container, the reference container, and at least one furnace; providing compensating heat to the sample container and the reference container when a self-heating activity of the sample material is detected; providing container-only compensating heat to the sample container to block heat transfer from the sample material to the sample container once the self-heating activity of the sample material is detected; and providing compensating heat to the reference container to facilitate container-only compensating heat calculation and control.

Assays used in conjunction with a thermal contrast reader are disclosed. In the assay, the test strip includes materials that can develop a thermal response if a target analyte is present in a sample. Linear flow assays include nanoparticles with high affinity binding to the analyte. Binding of the nanoparticles with an analyte in the sample is detected using thermal contrast. Analytes over a broad range of concentrations are detected in the linear flow assays. Methods of detecting target analytes and kits comprising lateral flow assays and thermal contrast reader are also disclosed.

A gas sensor (1) including a first gas detection element (2) and a second gas detection element (3), a first storage portion (4) having a first internal space (4A), and a first opening (4B) establishing communication between the first internal space (4A) and the outside space thereof exposed to a detection subject atmosphere, a second storage portion (5) having a second internal space (5A) and a second opening (5B) establishing communication between the second internal space (5A) and the outside space, a first membrane (4C) allowing permeation of water vapor and substantially not allowing permeation of a detection target gas, and covering the first opening (4B), and a calculation unit (12) for calculating the concentration of a detection target gas contained in the detection subject atmosphere, based on outputs from the first and second gas detection elements (2, 3), respectively.

A device suitable for the detection and/or characterization of target particles in a fluid is disclosed. The device comprises: at least one heating element for heating and/or measuring a temperature, the heating element comprising a core comprising at least one electrically conducting portion, an electric isolating layer provided at a surface of the core and electrically isolates the core from the sample, and a plurality of binding sites at/to which target particles can bind. The device further comprising a processing means configured to measure an electric output of the least one heating element, a change of the electric output of the at least one heating element and/or its heating power and for deriving, based thereon, a characteristic of the target particles.