Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises a treatment metric model database that stores a plurality of treatment metric models, each of the plurality of treatment metric models being generated for a first cluster of cluster features vectors, each cluster feature vector representing a distribution for each of a plurality of data categories of patients data represented by patient feature vectors clustered in a second cluster. The apparatus is further configured to: receive patient characteristics features data of a patient; identify a first treatment metric model based on the patient characteristics features data of the patient; input the first patient characteristic features data and data representing a range of administrations of the treatment to the first treatment metric model to compute a range of the treatment metric; and select an administration of the treatment from the range of administrations of the treatment having optimal treatment metric.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and apparatuses in which a diagnostic instrument analyzes data collected over time, and based on that information, disables a bay, suggests a bay, puts a bay on standby or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the method, system and apparatus allows the diagnostic instrument to have higher validity rates in the field and allows the provider to set up service calls, schedule maintenance and perform remote maintenance, as well as other functions based on the data collected over time.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of measuring moisture. Specifically, methods of measuring moisture on dry or nearly dry surfaces using an electrochemical sensor are disclosed. The method comprises applying a coating comprising an electrolyte to an electrode wherein water in the air can permeate the coating, applying a voltage to the electrode, detecting a current and, determining if the current indicates the presence of moisture. As a voltage is applied, oxygen in the water is reduced and produces a measurable signal. The method includes measuring the amount of or decrease of dissolved oxygen (in the form of water) at the surface of the electrode over time. Reduction of oxygen acts as a surrogate for water/moisture and, as such, the dryness of the surface of the electrode is calculated based on a predetermined relationship between current and dissolved oxygen (in the form of water).

Abstract: Modified or mutant bacterial luciferases having improved activity, as compared to wild type or unmodified bacterial luciferases, are described. The modified or mutant bacterial luciferases display increased light production and/or slower signal decay. Employing these modified or mutant bacterial luciferases improve a luminescence reporter system assay by increasing the detection sensitivity, resulting in improved bioreporter/reporter assays. The invention further provides methods for using the modified or mutant bacterial luciferases, reporter assays using the modified or mutant bacterial luciferases, and kits and articles of manufacture.

Abstract: The disclosure provides improved magnetic glass particles for use in nucleic acid capture, enrichment, analysis, and/or purification. Various modifications to the disclosed compositions and methods of using the same, as well as devices and kits are described.

Abstract: Methods for the rapid detection of the presence or absence of BK virus in a biological or non-biological sample are described. The methods can include performing an amplifying step, a hybridizing step, and a detecting step. Furthermore, primers and probes targeting BK virus and kits are provided that are designed for the detection of BK virus.

Abstract: Methods for the rapid detection of the presence or absence of Babesia in a biological or non-biological sample are described. The methods can include performing an amplifying step, a hybridizing step, and a detecting step. Furthermore, primers and probes targeting Babesia and kits are provided that are designed for the detection of Babesia, including, but not limited to, the Babesia species of B. microti, B. divergens, B. duncani, and B. venatorum. Also described are kits, reaction mixtures, and oligonucleotides (e.g., primer and probe) for the amplification and detection of Babesia.

Abstract: The subject disclosure provides systems, computer-implemented methods, and clinical workflows for meso-dissection of biological specimens and tissue slides by incorporating annotation and inter-marker registration modules within digital pathology imaging and meso-dissection (or milling) systems. Images of a reference slide a milling slide may be acquired using the same imaging system, with the annotations on the image associated with the milling slide being based on the inter-marker registration. Each image along with its respective annotations and meta-data may be associated with a project or a case, and stored in an image management system. A same-marker registration may be used to map annotations from the annotated image of the milling slide to a live image of the milling slide. The milling slide may be milled based on the annotations, with milled tissue output into a contained that is labeled in association with the labeled input slides.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a system (1; 1?) for processing at least one substrate (2) containing a dried fluid sample (21) is provided, the system (1; 1?) comprising a support (12) configured to position the substrate (2), a laser device (3) for directing a laser beam (31) to the substrate (2), configured to cut at least one area of the substrate (2) containing the dried fluid sample (21) by means of the laser beam (31), a container holder (4; 4?) configured to hold and position a container (5) for receiving the cut area, the container holder (4; 4?) being arranged below the substrate (2), and an extraction subsystem (6) for extracting fume and/or dust generated when laser cutting the substrate (2), wherein the extraction subsystem (6) consists of at least two extraction components (61, 62) sandwiching the substrate (2) there between. Furthermore, a method for automated processing at least one substrate (2) containing a dried fluid (21) sample by means of such a system (1; 1?) is provided.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided. The method comprises: receiving, from a text field of a user interface, input text strings containing medical data; identifying, based on language semantics and grammatical structure, a keyword and one or more data values from the input text strings; providing the keyword as an input to a query of a medical data category database to obtain one or more categories associated with the keyword, the one or more categories including a first category; retrieving, from a template database, a first template associated with the first category, the first template including one or more fixed blocks and one or more variable blocks; inserting a data value corresponding to the keyword into a variable block of the first template to generate a replacement text string; and displaying the replacement text string in place of the input text strings in the text field.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods based on polypeptide-tagged nucleotide, and the use of such polypeptide-tagged nucleotides in nanopore devices and methods.

Abstract: Disclosed are DNA polymerases having increased 5?-3? strand displacement activity and substantially reduced 5?-3? exonuclease and endonuclease activity relative to a corresponding, unmodified polymerase. The polymerases are useful in a variety of disclosed primer extension methods. Also disclosed are related compositions, including recombinant nucleic acids, vectors, and host cells, which are useful, e.g., for production of the DNA polymerases.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a dispensing system for providing a preset small volume of liquid ?200 ?l into a filling area of a microfluidic sample carrier comprising at least one flow channel, the system including, inter alia, at least one interface unit provided for each flow channel of the microfluidic sample carrier, with each interface unit comprising an injector with an injection channel, wherein the cross section of an outlet part of the injection channel is larger than a cross section of an inlet part of the injection channel and of the middle part of the injection channel. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a respective microfluidic sample carrier sealing system and to a respective method of dispensing sealing liquid into a microfluidic sample carrier.

Abstract: Methods for the rapid detection of the presence or absence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in a biological or non-biological sample are described. The methods can include performing an amplifying step, a hybridizing step, and a detecting step. Furthermore, primers, competitive blocking oligonucleotides, and probes targeting HBV (in particular HBV RNA, in particular, HBV RNA transcribed from cccDNA, such as pgRNA) and kits are provided that are designed for the detection of HBV (in particular HBV RNA, in particular, HBV RNA transcribed from cccDNA, such as pgRNA).

Abstract: A device for the thermal treatment of test samples is presented. The device comprises a sample holder and one or more thermoelectric elements which are in thermal contact with the sample holder. The sample holder comprises at least two holding positions configured to hold test sample consumables. The sample holder comprises an internal working fluid and a hollow body with an inner bottom surface and an inner top surface connected to each other with a pillar. The pillar extends along a vertical axis perpendicular to the inner bottom surface and substantially in the middle of the distance between the at least two holding positions. A laboratory instrument and a method for the thermal treatment of test samples is also presented.

Abstract: The disclosure provides improved magnetic glass particles for use in nucleic acid capture, enrichment, analysis, and/or purification. Various modifications to the disclosed compositions and methods of using the same, as well as devices and kits are described.

Abstract: Methods for the rapid detection of the presence or absence of Babesia in a biological or non-biological sample are described. The methods can include performing an amplifying step, a hybridizing step, and a detecting step. Furthermore, primers and probes targeting Babesia and kits are provided that are designed for the detection of Babesia, including, but not limited to, the Babesia species of B. microti, B. divergens, B. duncani, and B. venatorum. Also described are kits, reaction mixtures, and oligonucleotides (e.g., primer and probe) for the amplification and detection of Babesia.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for quality control of at least one digital image of a sample (112) mounted on a slide (114) is proposed. The method comprises the following actions: a) Providing at least one digital image of the sample (112) mounted on the slide (114) using at least one imaging device (116) of a slide imaging apparatus (110); b) Determining quality of the digital image by determining sharpness values of subregions of at least one region of interest of the digital image by using at least one edge detection image filter and comparing the sharpness values within the region of interest, wherein the quality of the region of interest is classified depending on the comparison; c) Generating at least one indication depending on the classification of the quality, wherein actions b) and c) are performed automatically.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for sonicating a biological sample. In one embodiment, a sample tube holder is pivotally suspended in a mount of a sonication device, thus allowing for a rotational degree of freedom and/or lateral movement that provides an optimized contact area between the sonotrode and the sample tube. Also disclosed is a method for sonicating a biological sample using the device described herein.

Abstract: A method comprises: receiving data corresponding to a plurality of data categories of a patient; selecting, from a plurality of trained machine learning models and based on the plurality of data categories, a first machine learning model and a second machine learning model, the first machine learning model being trained using first data of a first subset of the plurality of data categories and having a first weight indicative of a first performance metric value, the second machine learning model being trained using second data of a second subset of the plurality of data categories and having a second weight indicative of a second performance metric value; generating a first prediction result and a second prediction result using, respectively, the first model and the second model; and generating a combined prediction result based on the first prediction result, the second prediction result, the first weight and the second weight.