The present invention relates to a method for identifying a blend of nucleators which is advantageous for providing reduced haze in a nucleated polyolefin material compared to blends of the same nucleators having different weight ratios of components. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for identifying a blend of at least two nucleators having a weight ratio of components that provides reduced haze in a nucleated polyolefin material compared to blends of the same nucleators having different weight ratios of components, wherein each nucleator is soluble in a molten polyolefin resin, said method comprising the steps of: i) preparing a plurality of blends of the at least two nucleators wherein each blend contains the same at least two nucleators but in a different weight ratio, wherein the plurality of blends includes one or more blends in which one of the at least two nucleators is a major weight fraction of the blend as well as one or more blends in which the same one of the at least two nucleators is a minor weight fraction of the blend; ii)determining, for each of the blends prepared in step i), a minimum dissolution temperature at which a given concentration of each of the blends becomes completely dissolved in individual samples of the same molten polyolefin resin, wherein the concentration of each of the different blends in the individual samples is substantially the same and below the saturation point in the molten polyolefin resin and the same method for determining the minimum dissolution temperature is used for each blend; and iii) identifying a blend of the at least two nucleators which has a minimum dissolution temperature which is lower than that determined in step ii) for a majority of the plurality of blends.

A method to label as defective a measure of an optical-trap force, that is exerted on a trapped particle located inside a living, dispersive, viscoelastic medium, including operations of: (i) determining a calibration constant between the optical trap forces and the sensed voltages; (ii) determining a first calibration function of the frequency of the particle oscillation with the active-passive procedure; (iii) computing a second calibration function of the frequency as the quotient between the calibration constant and the first calibration function; (iv) computing an energy function of the frequency as the product of the thermal energy of the trapped particle and the second calibration function; (v) checking whether the energy function converges to the thermal energy of the trapped particle as the frequency increases; (vi) if there is no such convergence, then label as defective the measure of the optical-trap force.

A device for detecting an analyte includes a thermocouple coated with an assay polymer. The assay polymer is formulated to bind to the analyte, and a heat transfer property of the assay polymer varies responsive to an amount of the analyte bound thereto. A method of forming a sensor includes coating a thermocouple with an assay polymer. A method for detecting an analyte includes passing a liquid containing an analyte adjacent a thermocouple coated with an assay polymer, binding an analyte to the assay polymer, detecting a temperature of the thermocouple, and calculating a concentration of the analyte in the liquid based at least in part on the heat transfer property of the assay polymer.

The invention provides a calibration method for calibrating a chip-based microfluidic calorimeter, wherein the chip-based microfluidic calorimeter comprises one or more thermopiles, wherein the calibration method uses the deprotonating reaction of a phosphate group, the method comprising: providing calibration liquids comprising (i) a buffer with a pH range of at least 7-9 and (ii) a first compound with a phosphate group which is protonated in a pH range of at least 3-6, and mixing these calibration liquids in the chip-based microfluidic calorimeter to provide a calibration liquid mixture whereby heat is generated, measuring the heat by the thermopiles and thereby providing a corresponding thermopile signal, and calibrating the chip-based microfluidic calorimeter by relating the thermopile signal to reference data of the deprotonating reaction.

A device for detecting an analyte includes a thermocouple having an assay polymer over a surface of the thermocouple. The assay polymer is formulated to bind to the analyte, and a heat transfer property of the assay polymer varies responsive to an amount of the analyte bound thereto. A method of forming a sensor includes providing an assay polymer over a thermocouple. A method for detecting an analyte includes passing a liquid containing an analyte adjacent a thermocouple having an assay polymer over a surface thereof, binding an analyte to the assay polymer, detecting a temperature of the thermocouple, and calculating a concentration of the analyte in the liquid based at least in part on the heat transfer property of the assay polymer.

An apparatus and a method are disclosed for measuring a characteristic of an analyte particle. An apparatus for measuring a characteristic of an analyte particle includes a heat flux sensor configured to be maintained at a temperature. The heat flux sensor includes first and second electrical connections, and a top interconnect membrane bridging the first and second electrical connections. The apparatus further includes an emitter configured to eject an analyte particle to cause the analyte particle to collide with the top interconnect membrane of the heat flux sensor.

This invention prevents measurement error from becoming large in thermoelectric conversion coefficient evaluation and enhances evaluation efficiency. This invention is a physical property evaluation device for evaluating the physical properties of a plurality of solid materials formed on a substrate. The physical property evaluation device comprises an electromotive force measurement means that forms closed circuits including the individual solid materials and measures the electromotive forces occurring at the two ends of each of the solid materials, a means for producing heat flow within the individual solid materials, an external magnetic field generation means for generating a uniform magnetic field having a given intensity and direction in the vicinity of the individual solid materials, and an automation means for evaluating the physical properties of the individual solid materials using the electromotive force measurement means, heat flow production means, and external magnetic field generation means.

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.

A gas monitor apparatus includes a sorbent material that adsorbs a target gas based on a concentration of the target gas in a monitored environment and a reference material that does not respond to the target gas. The gas monitor also includes a first thermistor disposed within the sorbent material and a second thermistor disposed within the reference material, the first thermistor to provide a first indication of a first temperature of the sorbent material and the second thermistor to provide a second indication of a second temperature of the reference material. A processing device determines a concentration of the target gas based at least in part on a differential measurement between the first temperature and the second temperature.

The invention relates to an a sensor system (100) for quantitatively detecting at least one compound in a fluid mixture, said fluid mixture comprising the compound to be detected, wherein the sensor system (100) comprises a sorbent material (102) being capable of sorbing the at least one compound to be detected, wherein the sorbent material (102) undergoes a temperature change when sorbing the at least one compound; at least a first temperature sensor (104) for measuring the temperature of the sorbent material (102); and a control unit (110) being adapted for quantitatively determining the at least one compound to be detected based on the temperature change of the sorbent material (102). Such a sensor system (100) provides an improved measurement especially in the field of oxygen concentrators. The invention further relates to an oxygen concentrator (10) for generating oxygen enriched gas as well as to a method of quantitatively detecting at least one compound in a fluid mixture.