Abstract: A sample chamber is formed by a housing sealed against a microscope slide. The housing has fluid ports, including a well formed over at least one port. In a rinse station, rinse solution is drawn from a reservoir through the chamber to a waste reservoir. At a fill station, an aliquot of reagent already placed in the well is driven into the chamber. The reagent may be driven into the chamber by first drawing a vacuum on the chamber through the aliquot of reagent and then releasing the reagent to be drawn into the chamber by the vacuum.

Abstract: System and process for isolating purified biological materials with a collecting unit which has collecting vessels that are accessible from above with a matrix unit in which matrix vessels are arranged in a holder as well as a closure unit which can be placed on the collecting unit to close the collecting vessel. In addition the invention also concerns a system having a collecting unit, a matrix unit, and a closure unit as well as a lysis unit and a waste unit. Moreover a new closure arrangement is disclosed which is suitable for closing vessels in which there is excess pressure.

Abstract: An apparatus for high-throughput combinatorial syntheses of organic molecules including a reaction vessel for containing a combinatorial-chemistry synthetic reaction, a liquid dispenser for dispensing the liquid, a liquid aspirator and an adjustment mechanism. The reaction vessel includes an ingress aperture allowing a liquid to enter into an interior of the vessel and an egress aperture for aspirating the liquid from the vessel. The liquid dispenser dispenses liquid through the ingress aperture. The liquid aspirator aspirates liquid through the egress aperture and includes a rotor for carrying the vessel and orbiting the vessel about an axis of rotation. The rotor is oriented generally in a horizontal plane and includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angle of the vessel relative to the horizontal plane in response to the centrifugal force generated by orbiting the vessel about the axis of rotation. A method of combinatorial synthesis of organic molecules is also disclosed.

Abstract: An automated high-throughput system for excising spots or samples from an electrophoresis slab gel includes a computer controlled robotic arm assembly and a sample plate handling assembly for supplying a sample plate to a loading station. The computer is connected to a scanner and imaging device to identify selected sample locations on the slab gel and to direct the robotic arm to the selected locations for excising the gel spots. The cutting assembly includes a removable tray for supporting the slab gel during the cutting process and is coupled to the automated sample plate handling assembly. The sample plate handling assembly delivers a multiwell plate to the cutting assembly for receiving the gel spots. The removable tray cooperates with a scanner for identifying protein spots and includes a positioning device to position the tray in the scanner and the cutting assembly in selected locations to coordinate the scanned image with the cutting process.

Abstract: A method of operation of a steam stripped fractionation column by using a computer to process the relevant operating parameters of the column to determine the undesirable approach to a possible flooding condition.

Abstract: A microfluidic component having a microfluidic channel is bonded to an electronics component having a circuit for processing signals related to the microfluidic component. In an embodiment, the electronics component is a prefabricated integrated circuit chip that includes signal processing and/or process control functionality. The bonding of the microfluidic component to the electronics component provides a modular architecture in which different combinations of microfluidic components and electronics components can be used to create customized processing and analysis tools.

Abstract: A sample injector valve capable of introducing multiple samples of material into multiple liquid or gas streams is provided. Such a valve is particularly useful for injecting multiple samples under pressure into a combinatorial chemistry system with moving streams of fluid, such as a parallel pressure reactor or a rapid flow analysis system using multi-channel or parallel chromatography and related techniques. The valve is further capable of functioning on a small scale with automatic sampling equipment.

Abstract: Techniques for high throughput parallel separation, filtration and plate-to-plate transfer are described. Cells, proteins, chemical compounds and the like are being developed in multi-well, small volume well plates, such as 1536-well plates having wells of a volume on the order of 1 &mgr;l. A mechanism for clamping such plates together so that the wells will be aligned allows rapid separation or transfer by simply centrifuging the assembly. A membrane may be clamped between the plates. Alternatively, a membrane may replace one of the plates. Centrifuge dependent and independent designs are described.

Abstract: Devices and methods for integrated packaging, shipping, storage and precise dispensing of extremely small volumes of liquids such as aqueous solutions and compounds dissolved in organic solvents are disclosed. Devices of the invention include a sealed reservoir with an integrated metering tap. The tap includes a metering tube, which is translatable between a fill position inside the reservoir and an expel position outside the reservoir. The metering tube includes: (1) a tube end closure in a lower portion of the tube, (2) a port above the tube end closure, and (3) a piston in an upper portion of the tube. The piston is movable between a down position that seals the side port and an up position above the port. Movement of the piston from the up position to the down position can displace from 10 nanoliters to 20 microliters, e.g., from 20 nanoliters to 2 microliters, or 50 nanoliters to 500 nanoliters.

Abstract: Acoustic waves are used to transfer small amounts of fluid in a non-contact manner. Acoustic waves are propagated through a pool of a source fluid in such a manner that causes the ejection of a single micro-droplet from the surface of the pool. The droplet is ejected towards a target with sufficient force to provide contact of the droplet with the target. Because the fluid is not contacted by any fluid transfer device such as a pipette, the opportunities for contamination are minimized. Methods may be employed to transfer fluids from an array of source sites to an array of target sites, thereby enabling the precise automation of a wide variety of procedures including screening and synthesis procedures commonly used in biotechnology.

Abstract: A power plant water chemistry analysis apparatus and method relies upon water chemistry sensors to obtain power plant water chemistry data characterizing the chemical activity of a power plant water system. An analytical model processor is used to generate model predictions for the power plant water system. A statistical data fitting processor selects screened data from the power plant water chemistry data that corresponds to the model predictions. The screened data is processed by an artificial intelligence processor to derive power plant water chemistry diagnostic information. The artificial intelligence processor includes an expert system, rule base, plant water chemistry system simulator, and pattern recognition module.

Abstract: A closure structure is provided for a vacuum specimen collection container which can maintain a vacuum pressure within the specimen collection tube and which includes a needle cannula penetrating portion having needle hole sealability. The closure structure can be detachably fitted in an open end of a specimen collection container in an airtight manner to maintain a vacuum condition within the specimen collection container. The closure structure includes a grip section, a rubber elastic needle cannula penetrating portion disposed to fill up a through-hole in a grip section and a rubber elastic fitting portion configured to follow an interior surface profile of an open end of a specimen collection container, thereby to fit therein in a airtight fashion. The grip section has a higher rigidity relative to the needle cannula penetrating portion and the fitting portion. A tubular side wall of a grip section has on its inner side at least one raised portion or recessed portion to prevent kickback.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing temperature control and agitation to a plurality of reaction vessels comprises a plurality of elastic receptacles on a block, each receptacle supporting a reaction vessel below its neck, and, a plurality of elastic couplings, each coupling retaining a reaction vessel at its neck section. A flow channel is provided within the block to transfer a liquid temperature control medium to the reaction vessels. The flow channel is routed to each receptacle individually, thereby supplying the medium directly to the corresponding reaction vessel. A shaking arrangement is provided to agitate the reaction vessels by moving the receptacles horizontally relative to the couplings. The greatest deflection of each reaction vessel occurs at its base, while the neck sections are subjected to slight movement.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides improved methods of fabricating polymeric microfluidic devices that incorporate microscale fluidic structures, whereby the fabrication process does not substantially distort or deform such structures. The methods of the invention generally provide enhanced bonding processes for mating and bonding substrate layers to define the microscale channel networks therebetween.

Abstract: An automated chemical synthesizer includes a reaction vessel and a collection vessel. A passage block in which the passage is formed and which is provided between the reaction vessel and the collection vessel when the collection vessel is connected to the reaction vessel in a collection position. The passage includes a discharging hole and a connecting hole which is provided to correspond to the collection vessel. The collection vessel contacts the passage block around the connecting hole. The passage block includes upper and lower plates. A lower portion of the connecting hole formed in the lower plate has a size such that a top portion of the collection vessel fits into the lower portion. An upper portion of the connecting hole formed in the upper plate has a size such that a top portion of the collection vessel contacts the upper plate around the upper portion.

Abstract: A reaction receptacle apparatus includes one or more individual receptacles for containing chemical or biological substances. The one or more receptacles are arranged to be engaged by tubular elements of a substance transfer device for transferring substances into or out of the individual receptacles. Multiple receptacles are coupled to one another by a connecting rib structure that defines straight shoulders along opposite sides of the reaction receptacle apparatus, and the shoulders support the apparatus within reaction receptacle apparatus carrying structures. A contact-limiting element holding structure for holding contact-limiting elements, such as protective tips for tubular elements, is associated with each individual receptacle and holds a contact-limiting element in an operative orientation so as to be operatively engageable by the tubular element of the substance transfer device.

Abstract: A reaction receptacle apparatus includes one or more individual receptacles for containing chemical or biological substances. The one or more receptacles are arranged to be engaged by tubular elements of a substance transfer device for transferring substances into or out of the individual receptacles. Multiple receptacles are coupled to one another by a connecting rib structure that defines straight shoulders along opposite sides of the reaction receptacle apparatus, and the shoulders support the apparatus within reaction receptacle apparatus carrying structures. A contact-limiting element holding structure for holding contact-limiting elements, such as protective tips for tubular elements, is associated with each individual receptacle and holds a contact-limiting element in an operative orientation so as to be operatively engageable by the tubular element of the substance transfer device.

Abstract: A support surface (3) is bordered on at least two sides by fins while mounted at an opposite corner is a clamping device comprising a slide (6) which can be drawn back from a starting position against the force of a coil spring (9) and which has a clamping plate (10) which has a clamping surface facing the diagonally opposite corner. When a microtitre plate is set down on the support surface (3) by means of a gripper, a lever (12) of the clamping device (5) is pressed down by a gripper arm and the clamping plate (10) is drawn back from a starting position by the action of a thrust surface (15) on the underside of the lever (12) on a sliding projection (11) of the slide (6) and said clamping plate is then moved forwards again to said starting position when the gripper is raised, so that it clamps the microtitre plate against the fins and holds it in a defined position.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in testing a plurality of compositions in parallel. The apparatus includes an upper plate having a plurality of openings extending therethrough to form upper fluid chambers and a lower plate having a plurality of openings extending at least partially therethrough to form cavities. A central plate having a plurality of openings extending therethrough to form central fluid chambers is positioned between the upper and lower plates with the central chambers in alignment with the upper chambers and the cavities. A porous sheet is interposed between the upper and central plates such that an upper surface of the sheet is in contact with fluid within the upper chamber and a lower surface of the sheet is in contact with fluid within the central chamber. The apparatus further includes a flexible membrane positioned between the lower and central plates such that changes in pressure within the cavities or fluid chambers cause deflection of the membrane to force fluid to pass through the porous sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides multi-well plates and column arrays in which samples (e.g., cell lysates containing nucleic acids of interest, such as RNA) can be analyzed and/or processed. In one embodiment, the microfiltration arrangement is a multilayer structure, including (i) a column plate having an array of minicolumns into which samples can be placed, (ii) a discrete filter element disposed in each minicolumn, (iii) a drip-director plate having a corresponding array of drip directors through which filtrate may egress, and (iv) a receiving-well plate having a corresponding array of receiving wells into which filtrate can flow. The invention provides multi-well microfiltration arrangements that are relatively simple to manufacture and that overcome many of the problems associated with the prior arrangements relating to (i) cross-contamination due to wicking across a common filter sheet or (ii) individual filter elements entrapping sample constituents within substantial dead volumes.