Abstract: The present invention relates to a flow-through device comprising at least one separation column wherein a first packing component, which comprises particles of alumina and/or silica, and a second packing component, which comprises a powder of one or more hygroscopic salts are provided. The two packing components may be blended or layered in the device, which may comprise a single tube or a plurality of tubes arranged in a plate format, such as the wells of a multiwall plate or tubes in a rack. In addition, the invention relates to a method for removing one or more matrix components, such as pigments, from a biological sample, by passing said sample across a first packing component, which comprises particles of alumina and/or silica, and a second packing component, which comprises a powder of one or more hygroscopic salts.

Abstract: Chromatography apparatus and methods are described, especially for expanded bed adsorption. A column tube has a process fluid input device at the bottom and a movable piston in the top. The piston is enclosed in the column by a cover plate. The piston body has an inflatable seal, and is connected by a frame to a contact ring which carries another inflatable member to contact the tube wall. Process fluid leaves the operating volume through an opening of the piston and flexible hose, through the enclosed space and out through the cover plate. The space above the piston can be pressurised to control piston movement. The contact ring maintains piston alignment. The inflatable seals are used to fix the piston in position, allow it to slide or allow washing. The piston outlet may include a vortex-inhibitor. Bed and piston levels may be monitored by ultrasound sensors.

Abstract: A storage container includes a casing and a bi-parting door. The casing has an opening and stores a device to be used in a fluid chromatograph. A door of the bi-parting door includes a frame member and a cover member. The frame member includes an upper frame and a lower frame. The upper frame and the lower frame are provided at the casing to be turnable around a turning axis and be spaced apart from each other on the turning axis. The cover member is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the frame member and partially cover the opening when the door is closed. A space is formed between the upper frame and the lower frame.

Abstract: A polymer for liquid chromatography or solid phase extraction is provided. The polymer is prepared by polymerizing styrene and divinylbenzene to form a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer; soaking the styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer in a swelling agent to form nano-scale micropores; and soaking the microporous styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer in methanol. When packed in a chromatographic column, the polymer can be used to produce produce natural health or medicinal products from Cannabis species, for example, industrial hemp.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for concentrating platelet-rich plasma is described herein. One variation may generally comprise a tube having a length and defining a channel within and one or more ports located at a proximal end of the tube and in fluid communication with the channel. A plunger may slidably translatable within the channel while forming a seal against an inner surface of the channel and a float may have a pre-selected density and defining a concave interface surface, wherein the float is slidably contained within the channel such that the concave interface surface is in apposition to the one or more ports.

Abstract: The technology generally relates to tailoring a back pressure regulator in a chromatographic system to reduce unswept volume within the back pressure regulator to achieve better sample detection and a reduction in chromatographic band distortion effects.

Abstract: Described are composite materials and methods of using them for mixed-mode chromatography. In certain embodiments, the composite material comprises a support member, comprising a plurality of pores extending through the support member; and a multi-functional cross-linked gel. The multi-functional cross-linked gel possesses at least two of the following functions or characteristics: cationic, anionic, hydrophobic, hydrophilic, thiophilic, hydrogen bond donating, hydrogen bond accepting, pi-pi bond donating, pi-pi bond accepting, or metal chelating. The composite materials may be used in the separation or purification of a biological molecule or biological ion.

Abstract: Disclosed are chromatography systems employing a releasable coupling (100) for holding a fluid tubing to a spigot, the coupling comprising: a cylindrical inner component (110) for accepting a fluid tubing (30), said inner component including a resiliently deflectable portion (118) arranged to urge an outer surface of the tubing toward a spigot; and a cylindrical collar (130) having and internal through-aperture (132) for slideably accepting the inner component, the aperture and resilient portion having complementary surface formations which in a first position of the collar mounted to the inner component provide for said resilient deflection in use, and which in a second different position do not cause said deflection, the coupling being characterized in that the collar comprises a collar flange (134) extending outwardly away from the aperture of a size allowing manual manipulation of the collar between the first and second positions. Chromatography systems employing said couplings is disclosed also.

Abstract: An ion suppressor includes ion exchange membranes between a pair of electrodes. Regeneration liquid channels are provided in the spaces between the electrodes and the ion exchange membranes, and an eluent channel is provided between the ion exchange membranes. Ion re-exchange in the eluent on the downstream side of the eluent channel is suppressed, thereby making it possible to improve the detection sensitivity for the ion to be measured. For example, the eluent channel has a folded structure, thereby increasing the amount of current on the downstream side of the eluent channel, and thus, the accumulation of ions is suppressed, and accordingly, ion re-exchange in the eluent can be suppressed.

Abstract: Provided is a column tube for chromatography that can prevent a peak shape abnormality referred to as a foot in a resulting chromatogram. The object is accomplished by the column tube for chromatography, through which a fluid flows, this column tube including a plurality of polishing traces extending on an inner circumferential surface of the column tube in a flow direction of the fluid.

Abstract: An ion suppressor includes ion exchange membranes between a pair of electrodes. Regeneration liquid channels are provided in the spaces between the electrodes and the ion exchange membranes, and an eluent channel is provided between the ion exchange membranes. In the space between the electrode and the eluent channel, an element that increases the resistance in the voltage application direction is disposed. For example, ion permeable membranes are disposed in contact with the ion exchange membrane, thereby increasing the resistance in the voltage application direction.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a microstructured discrimination device for separating hydrophobic-hydrophilic fluidic composites comprising particulate and/or fluids in a fluid flow. The discrimination is the result of surface energy gradients obtained by physically varying a textured surface and/or by varying surface chemical properties, both of which are spatially graded. Such surfaces discriminate and spatially separate particulate and/or fluids without external energy input. The device of the present invention comprises a platform having bifurcating microchannels arranged radially. The lumenal surfaces of the microchannels may have a surface energy gradient created by varying the periodicity of hierarchically arranged microstructures along a dimension. The surface energy gradient is varied in two regions. In one pre-bifurcation region the surface energy gradient generates a fluid flow.

Abstract: The subject invention provides materials, devices and methods for detecting, determining, monitoring and/or extracting trace metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, zinc, manganese, mercury, and vanadium in the environmental, biological, pharmaceutical, and potable water samples. The subject invention also provides formulations and method for synthesizing the trace metal-extracting materials.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ligand-immobilized sea-island composite fiber in which generation of fine particles due to peeling of a sea component from an island component and generation of fine particles due to destruction of a fragile sea component are both suppressed. The present invention provides a sea-island composite fiber comprising a sea component and island components, in which a value (L/S) obtained by dividing the average total length (L) of the perimeter of all island components in a cross section perpendicular to the fiber axis by the average cross-sectional area (S) of the cross section is from 1.0 to 50.0 ?m?1, a distance from the surface to the outermost island component is 1.9 ?m or less, and an amino group-containing compound is covalently bonded to a polymer constituting the sea component at a charge density of 0.1 ?mol or more and less than 500 ?mol per 1 gram dry weight.

Abstract: A gas-liquid separator includes a fluid inlet, a shell including an inside surface enclosing an interior space, an outlet structure with fingers converging toward a longitudinal axis, and a dripper including a dripper tip. The fingers terminate at fingertips located proximate to an outside surface of the dripper. Gas exit ports are defined between adjacent fingers, and by the dripper. The gas-liquid separator defines a liquid flow path from the fluid inlet, along the inside surface, along one or more of the fingers, converging along the dripper outside surface, and to the dripper tip. The gas-liquid separator also defines a gas flow path from the fluid inlet, through the interior space, and through the gas exit ports. The gas-liquid separator may be utilized in fluid separation systems such as liquid chromatography or supercritical fluid chromatography/extraction systems.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods of modifying complex extracts such that components or mixtures of components are selectively removed or added, thus providing a complex mixture that does not naturally occur with a refined or a tuned therapeutic or nutraceutical effect. In various aspects, the complex extract can be an extract obtained from one or more plants, e.g., an extract obtained from green tea leaves. The present disclosure pertains to compositions obtained by the disclosed methods, nutraceutical compositions comprising same, pharmaceutical compositions comprising same, and methods of treating various conditions, including physiological dysfunctions associated with elevated reactive oxygen species and/or inflammatory molecule, e.g., TNF?, expression using same. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a standard solution for inverse gas chromatography and/or surface energy analysis; a volumetric container for preparing such a standard solution; a method of preparing such a standard solution for inverse gas chromatography and/or a surface energy analysis and a method of probing a solid sample. The standard solution comprises a series of three or more compounds of increasing carbon chain length of general formula (I): R—X wherein: for the three or more compounds R is a series of alkyl, a series of alkenyl or a series of alkynyl groups of increasing carbon chain length; and for all three or more compounds X is H, OH, CO2H, C(O)H, C(O)CH3, NH2, SH or halogen; and the relationship between carbon chain length and volume of the compounds of increasing carbon chain length of general formula (I) is determined by the following formula.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fluid modification system having a container structure and a plurality of independent, ceramic elements. The ceramic elements may be arranged in random orientations and contained in the container structure, thus causing a fluid flow entering the container structure at any given cross-section location to flow over the surfaces of a first subplurality of the ceramic elements, and through the porous walls of a second subplurality of the ceramic elements, before exiting at a second location of the container structure. Each one of the ceramic elements has at least one of a nanofibrous or nanoporous microstructure to enable internal flow both through a wall structure thereof, and over and around the wall structure to affect performance.

Abstract: Provided is a supercritical fluid apparatus including: an analysis flow path through which a mobile phase flows; a back-pressure control valve provided at a downstream end of the analysis flow path to adjust pressure in the analysis flow path to a predetermined pressure; a small-diameter pipe connected to the outlet of the back-pressure control valve, having an inner diameter allowing internal pressure to be maintained at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure; a large-diameter pipe connected to a downstream end of the small-diameter pipe, having a larger inner diameter than the small-diameter pipe; and a large-diameter pipe heating part for heating the large-diameter pipe.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a modular fluid modification system having an outer container configured to permit a fluid flow there into at a first location, and to allow the fluid flow to exit the container at a second location spaced apart from the first location. A plurality of fluid contacting elements is housed in the outer container. The fluid contacting elements each form an independent filtering or reactor element. Each fluid contacting element includes a plurality of openings formed in a grid or lattice-like pattern.