Abstract: A method for preventing, reducing and/or eliminating the fouling of a composite material is provided, the composite material comprising (1) a plurality of conductive or semiconductive nanotubes, which are aligned parallel to one another, and (2) a matrix arranged between the conductive or semiconductive nanotubes, the composite material in the form of an isoporous membrane with nanopores which correspond to the pores of the conductive or semiconductive nanotubes and optionally to the pores of the matrix arranged between the conductive or semiconductive nanotubes, the method comprising applying an electric field to the composite material, wherein the fouling is prevented, reduced and/or eliminated at the surface, at and in the pores of the composite material.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence or absence of a target microbe in a test sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a test mixture that includes organic micro particles in a form that promotes the formation of a microbial biofilm, operative amounts of essential vitamins and elements needed to support growth of the target microbe, and a metabolizable substrate which can be metabolized by the target microbe t the extent needed to support continued reproductive growth thereof, and which cannot be metabolized by other viable microbes in the test sample, whereupon a sensible characteristic of the sample is altered when the substrate is metabolized; b) providing a test sample obtained from a biological, environmental, or food source, and combining the test sample in unprocessed form with the test mixture to form an admixture: and c) detecting the presence or absence of target microbes in the sample based on the presence or absence of the detectable characteristic.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method capable of easily and rapidly inspecting the susceptibility of bacteria or fungi to an antimicrobial drug. The inspection method of the present disclosure is a method for inspecting susceptibility of bacteria or fungi to an antimicrobial drug using a micro-device having flow channels, including: incubating a mixture of the antimicrobial drug and a suspension to be inspected in the flow channels of the micro-device; and detecting bacteria or fungi derived from the suspension to be inspected in an observation area of the flow channels of the micro-device. The detecting step can be performed by detecting an increase or decrease in the number of or a change in shape of bacteria or fungi derived from the suspension to be inspected in the observation area by a microscope or the like.

Abstract: In general, the present invention relates to identification of lipidome biomarkers for cancer analysis and it provides prognostic and predictive methods and kits for cancer diagnosis and subtyping and for diagnosing and/or predicting the evolution of a tumor and its response to lipid metabolism-targeted or other types of therapy in a subject, by making use of phospholipid (PL) profiling, wherein changes in the combined acyl chain length of intact body fluid-derived or tumor-derived phospholipid species is indicative of an elongation phenotype.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods for preparing both a red blood cell (RBC)-containing product and a platelet-containing product from a plurality of blood units. The method comprises leukoreducing a plurality of blood units, separating RBCs, platelets, and plasma from the units to form leukoreduced blood components, pooling the leukoreduced RBC components; pooling the leukoreduced platelet components, treating the pooled components to inactivate one or more pathogens, adding a storage solution to components, dividing the pooled leukoreduced RBCs into a plurality of RBC-containing product units, each having a uniform number of RBCs, and dividing the pooled leukoreduced platelets into a plurality of platelet-containing product units, each having a uniform number of platelets.

Abstract: A method and system for collecting a double volume of red blood cells using a spinning membrane separator is provided by which a first quantity of whole blood is withdrawn from a donor; a first quantity of whole blood is flowed to the spinning membrane separator; where it is separated into a first quantity of red blood cells and a first quantity of plasma. The first quantity of red blood cells and the first quantity of plasma are then flowed to respective collection containers, and at least a portion of the first quantity of plasma is returned to the donor. A second quantity of whole blood withdrawn from the donor, and then separated into a second quantity of red blood cells and a second quantity of plasma using the spinning membrane separator. The second quantity of red blood cells and the second quantity of plasma are then flowed to the respective collection containers, and at least a portion of the second quantity of plasma is returned to the donor.

Abstract: The invention includes a selective method of modifying the N-terminus of a protein using an aminoacyl tRNA transferase. In certain embodiments, the method comprises contacting a solution of the protein or peptide with a transferase and a derivative of a molecule, whereby the N-terminus of the protein or peptide is derivatized with the molecule.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing an optically active amino acid using cosubstrate shuttling of transaminase. The method includes coupling a reaction of converting a keto acid to an amino acid by ?-transaminase and a reaction of transferring an amino group of an amine substrate by ?-transaminase (TA) using an amino acid cosubstrate. The present disclosure allows production of various optically active amino acids with high purity and high efficiency by solving the low equilibrium constant problem of transaminase and is applicable to production of various optically active amino acids in industrial scale. Since the present disclosure allows easy production of various unnatural amino acids having high reactivity and stability, which are used as pharmaceutical precursors, it can be usefully employed in preparation of pharmaceuticals, food additives and various animal feeds.

Abstract: A method for detecting a xerophilic microorganism is provided. The method comprises providing a sample to be tested, an aqueous diluent comprising about 1.0 to about 10.2 weight percent glycerol, and a thin film culture device comprising a cold water-reconstitutable medium to facilitate the growth of a microorganism. The method further comprises mixing the sample with the aqueous diluent to form an inoculum, contacting a predefined amount of the inoculum with the reconstitutable medium to form an inoculated thin film culture device, incubating the inoculated thin film culture device for a period of time, and detecting a presence or an absence of colony of a microorganism. Kits for detecting a xerophilic microorganism according to the method are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and compositions for monitoring subjects suffering from a renal injury. In particular, the invention relates to using assays that detect Beta-2-glycoprotein 1 as a prognostic biomarker in renal injuries.

Abstract: The invention includes a method of determining the effective density of nanomaterial agglomerates in liquids, such as but not limited to physiological fluids, using volumetric centrifugation. The method of the invention allows for the development of reliable and efficient in vitro dosimetry and methods for toxicological testing of engineered nanomaterials.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for isolating stromal cells to form a therapeutic composition; and administering said therapeutic composition to the subject. A further embodiment of the invention is directed to therapeutic compositions comprising isolated stromal cells.

Abstract: A method for measuring through optical means temporally resolved, optical properties, and/or phenotypes that are linked to cellular homeostasis. Those temporal measurements enable the detection of cell regulation through various channels linked to homeostasis, in order to monitor cell viability.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention provides methods for detecting fibrinolysis or hyperfibrinolysis in a blood sample from a patient. The method includes subjecting a first portion of a blood sample comprising reduced platelet function to viscoelastic analysis in the absence of an inhibitor of fibrinolysis to obtain a coagulation characteristic of the first portion at a time point; and subjecting a second portion of the blood sample comprising reduced platelet function to viscoelastic analysis in the presence of an inhibitor of fibrinolysis to obtain a coagulation characteristic of the second portion at the time point; wherein a difference between the coagulation characteristic of the first portion and the coagulation characteristic of the second portion indicates fibrinolysis or hyperfibrinolysis in the blood sample.

Abstract: This invention discloses a method for treating or preventing heart diseases by using a probiotic composition. The method for treating or preventing heart diseases comprises administering to a subject an effective amount of a probiotic composition to prevent the myocardial cells from myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis and apoptosis, wherein the probiotic composition comprising Lactobacillus rhamnosus LCR177 (BCRC910473), Pediococcus acidilactici PA318 (BCRC910474) and Bifidobacterium adolescentis (BCRC14609).

Abstract: The invention provides a method of efficiently producing corneal endothelial cells, particularly from corneal stroma or iPS cell-derived neural crest stem cells, a method of producing corneal endothelial cells stably in a large amount by inducing more efficient differentiation of stem cells into corneal endothelial cells, and a medicament containing corneal endothelial cells. The method of inducing differentiation of stem cells into corneal endothelial cells includes a step of culturing the stem cells in a differentiation induction medium containing a GSK3 inhibitor (preferably a GSK3? inhibitor) and retinoic acid, with the differentiation induction medium preferably further containing one or more of TGFb2, insulin, a ROCK inhibitor, and the like.

Abstract: This specification discloses an operational continuous process to convert lignin as found in ligno-cellulosic biomass before or after converting at least some of the carbohydrates. The continuous process has been demonstrated to create a slurry comprised of lignin, raise the slurry comprised of lignin to ultra-high pressure, deoxygenate the lignin in a lignin conversion reactor over a catalyst which is not a fixed bed without producing char. The conversion products of the carbohydrates or lignin can be further processed into polyester intermediates for use in polyester preforms and bottles.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods of diagnosing or monitoring the treatment of abnormal glycan accumulation or a disorder associated with abnormal glycan accumulation.

Abstract: Method for concentrating and collecting small quantities of fetal nucleated red blood cells contained in the maternal blood. The method for concentrating and collecting nucleated red blood cells from the maternal blood comprises: (i) subjecting the maternal blood to a first density-gradient centrifugation and collecting a cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells; (ii) treating the cell fraction containing nucleated red blood cells so as to selectively changes the density of the nucleated red blood cells from that of the white blood cells; and (iii) subjecting the treated cell fraction containing the nucleated red blood cells to a second density-gradient centrifugation so as to collect a fraction containing nucleated red blood cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of microbiological testing of food. It relates to a kit comprising a reaction medium containing at least one inhibitor of Gram-negative bacteria and a fluorescent substrate specific for PC-PLC. It further relates to a diagnostic kit for identifying bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group comprising a container of a selective or nonselective reaction medium with a pH between 6.8 and 8.0, the medium comprising at least one inhibitor of Gram-negative bacteria and a fluorescent phosphatidylcholine phospholipase C (PC-PLC) substrate.