Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methods for liquid transfer and performing reactions. In one aspect, a system includes a liquid transfer device having a housing having a pipette tip and a plunger assembly; and a reaction chamber, wherein the housing of the liquid transfer device is configured to sealably engage with the reaction chamber. In another aspect, a liquid transfer device including a housing having a pipette tip; and a plunger assembly disposed within the housing and the pipette tip, wherein a portion of the plunger assembly is configured to engage a fluid reservoir such that the plunger assembly remains stationary relative to the fluid reservoir and the housing moves relative to the plunger assembly.

Abstract: A multiple position pipe hanger clamp (800) enables more efficient installation of piping. The clamp (800) includes a support member (825) and an upper clamp component (810) attached to the support member (825). A first section extends away from the support member (825) to an upper hinge end (815) and a second section extends away from the support member (825) to an upper tightening end. A lower clamp component (805) includes a lower hinge end (820) and a lower tightening end. A multiple position clamp mechanism (830) clamps the lower tightening end to the upper tightening end. The upper hinge end (815) is hingedly attached to the lower hinge end (820), and the clamp mechanism (830) is movable between a loose position that supports the lower tightening end loosely adjacent the upper tightening end, and a tight position that supports the lower tightening end tightly adjacent the upper tightening end.

Abstract: A for traceably determining an unknown optical path length of a sample in an optical measuring device comprises the steps of: providing a drop analyser connected to a standard spectrophotometer; providing a certified reference material contained in first and second closed high accuracy cuvettes; measuring absorbance of the certified reference material to obtain a first absorbance measurement for the first specified path length; measuring absorbance of the certified reference material for a second path length to obtain a second absorbance measurement; using a dropping device to drop a specified volume of the solvent on an optical surface so that the path length of the specified volume can be determined by reference to the first and second absorbance measurement; and using the dropping device to drop the same volume of sample as the specified volume of solvent on the optical measuring device.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention there is provided a bi-stable oscillator circuit for detecting a load imparted to a surface. The bi-stable oscillator comprises an electrical amplifier, at least one resonator comprising an electrical transducer having a resonant frequency, a surface of the resonator forming the surface on which the load is to be detected and an impedance network having a resonant frequency.

Abstract: A removable modular slab for use in the construction industry includes upper, lower, and first and second opposing end surfaces, and a conduit extending from the upper surface to an end surface. The slab is abuttable with a second removable modular slab, having: (i) a conduit extending from the upper surface to an end surface, and/or (ii) a cavity extending from an end surface into the slab, whereby the conduits mate to form an elongate conduit through the two slabs. By access through apertures in each slab, a first joining structure is removably locatable to join the two slabs. Cavities may terminate within the second slab and only be accessible through the upper surface of the first slab. A modular surface system includes two such slabs and a joining structure to join the two slabs together.

Abstract: The invention discloses methods for sequential protein isolation and purification from a biological sample by affinity chromatography. Affinity chromatography is conducted using ligands or ligand support complexes that selectively and specifically bind to proteins in the biological sample. The ligands or ligand support complexes were contacted sequentially in a predetermined order with the biological sample to allow each ligand or ligand-support complex to sequentially bind a protein from the biological sample.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for an automated and electronic means for financial institution clients to manage and track the funding of leased assets and, specifically, the combining of like assets into leased asset bundles for the purpose of generating lease records that include a leased asset bundle. By bundling assets and creating corresponding lease reports that include a leased asset bundle, the process for funding approval is streamlined, in that, document communication, signature requirements and overall tracking of documentation is minimized. In addition, an ancillary benefit is afforded the financial institution such that the bundled assets can be syndicated to third parties as a single schedule document.

Abstract: A closed cell for use in spectrophotometers is adapted to receive a liquid to be subjected to analysis and an air space or bubble to absorb pressure differentials, wherein the cell includes means to retain the air space or bubble in a predetermined location in the cell.

Abstract: We have developed a versatile plant viral vector system based on Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV), suitable for infection by agroinfiltration or in vivo T7 transcripts from the same clone; agroinfection is enhanced by coinfiltration of a T7 RNA polymerase construct. Variants adapted for efficient protein expression, or for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), are based on a specific amino acid substitution (L88P) in the triple gene block 1 (TGB1) protein affecting RNA silencing suppression. A bipartite delivery system developed for AltMV delivers replicase (RdRp) functions separately from movement and encapsidation (TGB and coat protein, CP) functions by agroinfiltration, resulting in precise recombination of RdRp and TGB-CP constructs in planta. The bipartite delivery system has potential for high throughput protein expression or VIGS with the appropriate TGB1 variant, for hosts including Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana.

Abstract: Reference cell (8) for use with a fibre optic probe (1) comprising a base wall (11), upstanding walls (12) each having an optical window (13, 15), and a top wall (14) having a further optical window (16) adapted to allow light to pass to and from a fibre optic probe. The base wall (11) comprises a reflector (19) which reflects incident light from the fibre optic probe back to said probe (1). The top wall (14) has an attachment for receiving an emitting and a receiving end of a fibre optic probe (1). The cell (8) allows use of standard fibre optic probe (1) with other optical equipment when the path length and the probe optical characteristics require validation to international standards. The calibration of the probe (1) is analogous to calibration of laboratory spectrophotometers and can therefore be validated. The device (8) enables probes (1) to be used for applications where precision and accuracy are essential.

Abstract: A cartridge is used in apparatus for analysing a sample comprising a fluid and has a sample receiving cell which receives the fluid for analysis. The cell comprises a surface on one of two housing parts (120; 200; 300; 102; 202; 302) and a sensor comprising an electrical-mechanical transducer (92; 240; 340) spaced from said surface. The sensor is attached to one of the housing parts by an adhesive membrane (100; 246; 346) wherein the membrane is attached only to one of said parts of housing so that any slight relative movement or flexing of the housing parts does not result in forces being applied to the sensor via the membrane.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the generation of transgenic animal cells and/or animals in which a large portion of a host animal's genome has been replaced with an equivalent syntenic portion of nucleic acid from the genome of a different organism.

Abstract: A closed cell (1) for use in spectrophotometers, adapted to receive a liquid to be subjected to analysis and an air space or bubble to absorb pressure differentials, wherein the cell (1) includes means to retain the air space or bubble in a predetermined location in the cell.

Abstract: Location information available from a navigational system, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to transition a mobile client, such as a handset, between a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as a cellular telephone network, and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), such as a system conforming to the 802.11 standard, (and vice versa), under user control and initiation, and may also be used to transition between two or more WLANs, for example, WLANs with different ranges and data rates. The transition is of a ‘break-before-make’ type, i.e. the mobile client is authenticated to the ‘new’ network via the ‘old’ network, disconnects from the ‘old’ network, and turns off the associated circuitry, turns on the circuitry needed to connect to the ‘new’ network, and then connects to it, overcoming problems such as mutual interference and receiver desensitization by transmitting only on one frequency band at any given time.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for purifying butyrylcholinesterase from various biological fluids. Biological fluids include, e.g., blood, blood fractions, plasma, and bioreactor broths, and other such mixtures containing butyrylcholinesterase. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for the production of purified, virally inactivated butyrylcholinesterase by contacting a biological fluid containing butyrylcholinesterase with a cationic exchange chromatography material, with an affinity chromatography material, and treating the fluid with solvent detergent. The resulting purified butyrylcholinesterase can also be subjected to a pasteurization step, and formulated in a sodium chloride/sodium phosphate solution for storage or lyophilization.