A method of manipulating and/or investigating cellular bodies (9) is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing a sample holder (3) comprising a holding space (5) for holding a fluid medium (11); providing a sample (7) comprising one or more cellular bodies (9) in a fluid medium (11) in the holding space (5); generating an acoustic wave in the holding space exerting a force (F) on the sample (7) in the holding space (5). The method further comprises providing the holding space (5) with a functionalised wall surface portion (17) to be contacted by the sample (7) and the sample (7) is in contact with the functionalised wall surface portion (17) during at least part of the step of application of the acoustic wave. A system and a sample holder (3) are also provided.

A system and method for measuring characteristics, comprising: a directed energy source having an energy output which changes over time, incident on an object undergoing additive manufacturing; a sensor configured to measure a dynamic thermal response of at least a portion of the object undergoing additive manufacturing proximate to a directed location of the directed energy source over time with respect distance from the directed location; and at least one processor, configured to analyze the measured dynamic thermal response to determine presence of a manufacturing defect in the object undergoing additive manufacturing, before completion of manufacturing.

The disclosure relates to a method for determining and/or monitoring the state of a transformer oil, comprising the steps of a) performing an acoustic spectroscopy of the transformer oil, multiple ultrasonic emission signals of different frequencies and/or amplitudes being emitted into the transformer oil and corresponding reflected and/or transmitted ultrasonic reception signals of different frequencies and/or amplitudes being received after having passed through the transformer oil; and b) comparing the ultrasonic emission signals with the corresponding ultrasonic reception signals, an n-dimensional function characteristic of the transformer oil being ascertained; and c) matching the ascertained characteristic n-dimensional function from step b) with a reference function of corresponding dimension known for transformer oils, a reference transformer oil being determined; and d) registering a first value of at least one characteristic physical property of the transformer oil; and e) comparing the first value with a corresponding value of the reference transformer oil; and f) ascertaining the state of the transformer oil based on the comparison performed in step e).

Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a device (100, 200) for determining and/or monitoring the state of a transformer oil.

The present invention relates to a heterodyne scanning probe microscopy method for imaging structures on or below the surface of a sample, the method including applying, using a transducer, an acoustic input signal to the sample sensing, using a probe including a probe tip in contact with the surface, an acoustic output signal, wherein the acoustic output signal is representative of acoustic surface waves induced by the acoustic input signal wherein the acoustic input signal comprises at least a first signal component having a frequency above 1 gigahertz, and wherein for detecting of the acoustic output signal the method comprises a step of applying a further acoustic input signal to at least one of the probe or the sample for obtaining a mixed acoustic signal, the further acoustic input signal including at least a second signal component having a frequency above 1 gigahertz, wherein the mixed acoustic signal comprises a third signal component having a frequency equal to a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency, wherein the frequency of the third signal component is below 1 gigahertz.

A device for ultrasound tests, includes one or more transducers for generating ultrasound beams with different powers/frequencies to be projected in direction of multiple targets, to ensure separate control of the temperature both of the targets and of the transducers and allows performing several tests contemporarily, by optimizing the functionality and the efficiency of the device, and guaranteeing results comparable therebetween for each test. The device also includes: a first supporting structure having at least a closed chamber receiving the transducer bodies and is isolated from a propagation liquid medium, by leaving exposed each respective vibrating surface in contact with the liquid medium at a prefixed distance from the respective targets, the closed chamber containing a thermorefrigerating fluid in contact with the body of the transducers; a second supporting structure for the targets; means for refrigerating the transducer bodies; and means for keeping the liquid medium at a predetermined temperature.

According to one implementation, a damage detection system includes: a physical quantity detection unit, a flight condition changing part and a damage detection part. The physical quantity detection unit detects a physical quantity of a structural object composing an aircraft during a flight of the aircraft. The flight condition changing part changes at least one flight condition of the aircraft to at least one specific flight condition when the physical quantity of the structural object has been detected by the physical quantity detection unit. The damage detection part determines whether a damage arose in the structural object, based on a physical quantity which has been detected, from the structural object of the aircraft flying with the at least one specific flight condition, by the physical quantity detection unit.

An electromechanical amplifying method including a transducing an electrical signal to a mechanical resonator having a mechanical resonance mode with an angular frequency .sub.0; transducing the non-linear oscillations of the resonator into a transduced electrical signal; and filtering the transduced electrical signal to obtain an output signal, the signal transduced to the resonator being obtained by adding a first input signal of a first amplitude and a first angular frequency o.sub.s and a second pump signal of a second amplitude greater than the first amplitude and of a second angular frequency .sub.s that is different from the first angular frequency, the first and second angular frequencies being close to the angular frequency .sub.0 of the mechanical resonator and the second pump signal being chosen from a range of angular frequencies .sub.p and amplitudes in which the resonator is actuated in a non-linear regime.

A method of manipulating and/or investigating cellular bodies (9) is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing a sample holder (3) comprising a holding space (5) for holding a fluid medium (11); providing a sample (7) comprising one or more cellular bodies (9) in a fluid medium (11) in the holding space (5); generating an acoustic wave in the holding space exerting a force (F) on the sample (7) in the holding space (5). The method further comprises providing the holding space (5) with a functionalised wall surface portion (17) to be contacted by the sample (7) and the sample (7) is in contact with the functionalised wall surface portion (17) during at least part of the step of application of the acoustic wave. A system and a sample holder (3) are also provided.

A power supply connected to an ultrasonic treatment instrument. The power supply includes an oscillator, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a drive circuit. The oscillator generates a basic clock. The FPGA receives the basic clock generated by the oscillator. The FPGA generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) wave for driving a ultrasonic transducer based on the basic clock. The drive circuit is connected to the FPGA, and digitally amplifies the PWM wave to output the amplified PWM wave. The FPGA outputs the PWM wave when an output signal for driving the ultrasonic treatment instrument is input, and the PWM wave is modulated by comparing a value of first data representing a sine wave in constant current control with a value of second data representing a reference wave. The FPGA outputs a rectangular wave with a predetermined duty ratio when the output signal is not input.

An ultrasonic inspection apparatus includes an ultrasonic transmitter. The transmitter includes a signal generator to generate a pulse that sweeps through a chirp bandwidth, adjust the chirp bandwidth from a lowest chirp bandwidth to a highest chirp bandwidth, and adjust a frequency position of the chirp bandwidth. The transmitter also includes a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier to amplify the pulse to produce an amplified pulse, and a transmit ultrasonic transducer to generate an ultrasonic pulse responsive to the amplified pulse and deliver the ultrasonic pulse to a test material. The apparatus includes an ultrasonic receiver to receive an ultrasonic signal from the test material that results from the ultrasonic pulse delivered to the test material, and process the received ultrasonic signal to produce analysis results indicative of test material defects or properties.