Abstract: A porous self-supporting structure comprising at least two porous components A and B and the porous component B embraces the porous component A, wherein (i) surfaces of pores of the at least two porous components A and B are provided with chemical moieties for interaction with substances passing the pores and (ii) the pores of the porous components comprise a uniform multimodal pore size distribution through the entire polymeric structure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for isolating and purifying a polynucleotide on a manufacturing scale which uses a chromatographic separation process comprising a combination of two different chromatographic steps selected from hydrophobic interaction chromatography, polar interaction chromatography and anion exchange chromatography. In at least one of the two steps the chromatographic support is a porous monolithic bed. The invention also relates to a chromatographic device and its use for isolating and purifying a polynucleotide of interest, in particular plasmid DNA, on manufacturing scale.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing of a chromatography material comprising the steps of (i) reacting a polymerizable at least bifunctional monomer A with a ligand also having a functional group which binds covalently with one of the functional groups of said polymerizable bifunctional monomer A, (ii) to form a compound B comprising at least one polymerizable functional moiety (iii) polymerizing the compound B essentially alone or with the polymerizable monomers in presence of porogenes to obtain a block of porous polymerizate which is self-supporting or (iv) reacting the ligand and a spacer via a covalent bond which is cleavable to form a ligand-spacer conjugate and binding the ligand-spacer conjugate to the surface of a chromatographic support or reacting the ligand-spacer conjugate via a covalent bond to the at least bi-functional monomer A and polymerizing it essentially alone or with the polymerizable monomers in presence of porogenes to obtain a block of porous polymerizate which is self-supporting.

Abstract: A device for the rapid separation and/or conversion of substrates is disclosed herein. The device include a porous tube (2) disposed inside a tubular sample distributor (3). The tubular sample distributor (3) includes channel structures on its inner surface and is disposed inside a tubular body (4). A tubular sample collector (1) having channel structures on its outer surface is disposed inside the porous tube (2). A circular sample distributor (7) is provided having a circumferential portion and radially extending grooves in conjunction with the channel structures of the tubular sample distributor (3). A circular sample collector (8) is also provided having a circumferential portion and radially extending grooves in conjunction with the channel structures of the tubular sample collector (1). The hollow body (4) is arranged between securing means (5) that provide a sample inlet and outlet in communication with the circular sample distributor (7) and circular sample collector (8), respectively.

Abstract: A power supply system includes an a-c. power source and an off-line power supply for storing energy from the a-c. power source during first selected time intervals and converting at least a portion of the stored energy to a d-c. output during second selected time intervals. A diode or other switch disconnects the off-line power supply from the a-c. power source during the second selected time intervals to reduce conducted EMI. The first and second selected time intervals are preferably synchronized to the frequency of the a-c. power source.

Abstract: An apparatus for the conversion of substrates both for analytical and preparative purposes in a flow-through and cross-flow reactor having compact porous discs and/or compact porous tubes as carrier for conversion reaction or preparative separations which compact porous discs and/or compact porous tubes are modified with substances being capable of specifically binding and/or converting said substrates by distributing the samples to be converted and/or preparatively separated and collecting the converted and/or separated substrates preferably in a low volume, wherein the distribution of the sample does not affect the carrier adversely.

Abstract: A pump valve for use with positive displacement/reciprocating pumps. The pump valve includes an adapter, valve body, disk, spring, and retaining ring. The adapter is driven or pressed into the fluid end of the pump and includes an annular interior threaded surface to receive a mating threaded neck of the valve body. The valve body includes the neck, trunk having a cavity therein, and an integral valve seat inside the cavity of the trunk. The disk has a diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cavity so as to fit snugly therein and seat on the integral valve seat of the valve body. The spring is coiled from a first coil of smallest diameter so that each successive coil is of an increased diameter to a final coil of largest diameter. The spring is inserted inside the cavity in the trunk and contacts the disk. The spring is compressed so as to fit entirely within the cavity. A groove is cut in the wall of the trunk on its internal circumference so as to receive a retaining ring.

Abstract: In the cutting of workpieces by means of a laser beam, gas is blown onto workpiece at high speed together with the beam. It is proposed to design gas outflow nozzles (60) in such a way that they are formed as grooves in the conical end face (49) of a nozzle insert (47) and, on the other hand, are formed by a nozzle cap (48) which has a portion of such a matching conical shape that the grooves are covered. It is also proposed to provide a unifying chamber (formed by an attached cap), in which the gas jets are unified, so that they then flow out, together with the laser beam, as a single gas jet.

Abstract: The machining results of high-power lasers with machining optical systems 5) for beam shaping are dependent on the fact that decisive machining parameters, namely the beam power, the beam diameter, the position of the beam relative to the optical axis (54) and the intensity of the radiation reflected back, are supervised. To this end, the invention proposes a process by which the essential beam parameters can be measured during machining directly at a machining optical system (25) designed in an appropriate manner according to the invention. To this end, the appropriate measurement value receivers are associated, according to the invention, with the deflecting mirror (26) and/or the focusing mirror (27) of the machining optical system (25).

Abstract: Laser processing devices consist of process optics (25) for converting the laser beam, these optics being connected by means of a connection element (protection tube 24) to a laser source, for example a CO.sub.2 laser 20. Depending on the process to be carried out, an appropriate process adaptor (28) has to be associated with the process optics (25). In order to be able to use a laser processing device as economically as possible, efforts are made to use the laser processing device both for cutting and welding and also for surface treatment, using as little conversion work as possible. In order to simplify this conversion process, the invention proposes providing the process optics (25) with universal connections (53; 66), by means of which the process adaptors (28) and/or mirrors (deflection mirror 44; focusing mirror 45) can be fastened to the casing (29) of the process optics (25) without any noticeable fitting and positioning requirements.