An assay cartridge for detecting a target component in a fluid is provided. The assay cartridge including an optical element comprising: a light pathway comprising an input surface, reflective surface and output surface configured to enable light to enter, reflect and create an evanescent field in the vicinity of the reflective surface and exit the element; a plurality of capture components deposited on the reflective surface in the vicinity of the evanescent field; and a transmission surface configured to enable emissions from the evanescent field to exit the element; wherein the assay cartridge is a single use cartridge.

Provided is a small-diameter chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and mechanical strength and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material has an unpolished side surface, a pillar shape with a diameter of 15 mm or less, and a composition of, in terms of % by mole, 40 to 90% S+Se+Te and an inside of the glass material is free of stria with a length of 500 μm or more.

Provided is a small-diameter chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and mechanical strength and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material has an unpolished side surface, a pillar shape with a diameter of 15 mm or less, and a composition of, in terms of % by mole, 40 to 90% S+Se+Te and an inside of the glass material is free of stria with a length of 500 μm or more.

A glass container is provided that includes a tube, a circular bottom, and a longitudinal axis. A curved glass heel extends from an outer end the bottom to the first end of the tube. The two-dimensional distance h(x,y) between a contact plane and the outer surface. The two-dimensional distance is measured in a direction parallel to the axis. The slope magnitude of the outer surface at the given position x,y is given by
√{square root over ((dh/dx).sup.2+(dh/dy).sup.2)}.
The 75% quantile of values that have been determined for the term
√{square root over ((dh/dx).sup.2+(dh/dy).sup.2)}×d1/h(xy).sub.delta
for all given positions x,y within a circular area having a radius of 0.4×d2/2 and that correspond to the centre is less than 4100 μm/mm. The adjacent positions x,y increase stepwise by 200 μm, and h(x,y).sub.delta=h(x,y).sub.max−h(x,y).sub.min, h(x,y).sub.max is a maximum value for h(x,y) and h(x,y).sub.min is a minimum value for h(x,y) being determined in that circular area.

Methods are known for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber which has a hollow core extending along a fiber longitudinal axis and an inner jacket region that surrounds the hollow core, said jacket region comprising multiple anti-resonant elements. The known methods have the steps of: providing a cladding tube that has a cladding tube inner bore and a cladding tube longitudinal axis along which a cladding tube wall extends that is delimited by an interior and an exterior; providing a number of tubular anti-resonant element preforms; arranging the anti-resonant element preforms at target positions of the interior of the cladding tube wall, thereby forming a primary preform which has a hollow core region and an inner jacket region; and elongating the primary preform in order to form the hollow-core fiber or further processing the primary preform in order to form a secondary preform. The aim of the invention is to achieve a high degree of precision and an exact positioning of the anti-resonant elements in a sufficiently stable and reproducible manner on the basis of the aforementioned methods. This is achieved by providing anti-resonant element preforms which have at least one respective ARE outer tube and/or at least one respective ARE inner tube, wherein the ARE outer tube and/or the ARE inner tube is produced using a vertical drawing method without molding tools.

A method for controlling alkali emissions of a glass element during hot forming is provided. The method includes the steps of: heating the glass element using one or more burner units each providing a burner flame to provide a heated glass element; sensing light emissions of a total light emitting area of the heated glass element and the burner flame of the one or more burner units via one or more sensor units; providing one or more signals of the one or more sensor units of the light emissions; comparing the one or more signals with one or more reference signals; determining, based on the comparing step, determined alkali emissions of the glass element; and controlling the one or more burner units based on the determined alkali emissions to adjust the alkali emissions of the glass element to a pre-given interval.

Provided is a small-diameter chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and mechanical strength and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material has an unpolished side surface, a pillar shape with a diameter of 15 mm or less, and a composition of, in terms of % by mole, 40 to 90% S+Se+Te and an inside of the glass material is free of stria with a length of 500 μm or more.

Provided is a small-diameter chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and mechanical strength and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material has an unpolished side surface, a pillar shape with a diameter of 15 mm or less, and a composition of, in terms of % by mole, 40 to 90% S+Se+Te and an inside of the glass material is free of stria with a length of 500 μm or more.

Provided herein are measurement systems including a micrometer assembly for receiving a length of tubing, the micrometer assembly including a plurality of non-contact optical micrometers disposed around the length of tubing for measuring an outer diameter (OD) at a first plurality of positions along a circumference of the length of tubing. The measurement system may further include a displacement gauge assembly for receiving the length of tubing from the optical micrometer assembly, the displacement gauge assembly including a plurality of non-contact gauges disposed around the length of tubing for measuring a wall thickness at a second plurality of positions along the circumference of the length of tubing. A controller receives the OD measurements and thickness measurements, and determines an inner diameter and a concentricity of the length of glass tubing based on an index of refraction of the length of glass tubing, the OD measurements, and the thickness measurements.

Provided herein are measurement systems including a micrometer assembly for receiving a length of tubing, the micrometer assembly including a plurality of non-contact optical micrometers disposed around the length of tubing for measuring an outer diameter (OD) at a first plurality of positions along a circumference of the length of tubing. The measurement system may further include a displacement gauge assembly for receiving the length of tubing from the optical micrometer assembly, the displacement gauge assembly including a plurality of non-contact gauges disposed around the length of tubing for measuring a wall thickness at a second plurality of positions along the circumference of the length of tubing. A controller receives the OD measurements and thickness measurements, and determines an inner diameter and a concentricity of the length of glass tubing based on an index of refraction of the length of glass tubing, the OD measurements, and the thickness measurements.