Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for treatment of histological samples. The apparatus includes at least a working station, in which the sample gets into contact with a liquid reagent. Further, the apparatus includes a purification device, which blows off at least a part of the reagent adhering to the sample and/or the sample holding arrangement by means of a gas flow, or which sucks off at least a part of the reagent adhering to the sample and/or a sample holding arrangement.

Abstract: An apparatus for holding a tissue sample including a retaining member having a first tissue engaging surface and at least one biasing element, the first tissue engaging surface being moveably attached to the retaining member by said biasing element; and a base having a second tissue engaging surface and configured to engage the retaining member to form an interior area with the first and second tissue engaging surfaces facing each other, wherein the at least one biasing element urges the first tissue engaging surface toward the second tissue engaging surface to retain the tissue sample therebetween in the interior area.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composite membrane for gas separation and/or nanofiltration of a feed stream solution comprising a solvent and dissolved solutes and showing preferential rejection of the solutes. The composite membrane comprises a separating layer with intrinsic microporosity. The separating layer is suitably formed by interfacial polymerisation on a support membrane. Suitably, at least one of the monomers used in the interfacial polymerisation reaction should possess concavity, resulting in a network polymer with interconnected nanopores and a membrane with enhanced permeability. The support membrane may be optionally impregnated with a conditioning agent and may be optionally stable in organic solvents, particularly in polar aprotic solvents. The top layer of the composite membrane is optionally capped with functional groups to change the surface chemistry. The composite membrane may be cured in the oven to enhance rejection.

Abstract: A bioreactor for the formation of mature blood cells from haematopoietic stem cells is disclosed. The bioreactor comprises a first zone and a second zone. The first zone and the second zone are separated by a first membrane. The first membrane allows the preferential passage of red blood cells relative to the haematopoietic stem cells and their 5 other progeny excluding red blood cells. The first membrane is formed by at least a separating layer and a porous layer, where the porous layer is in contact with the first zone, such that the haematopoietic stem cells can be grown in the porous layer. The bioreactor comprises a third zone. The first zone and the third zone are separated by a second membrane, and the second membrane allows the passage of nutrients from the 10 third zone to the first zone and the passage of metabolites of the cells from the first zone to the third zone, while substantially preventing the passage of growth factors from the first zone to the third zone.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of a first compound selected from peptides, oligonucleotides and peptide nucleic acids. The process comprises synthesizing the first compound and then separating the first compound formed in step (i) from a second compound, which is a reaction by-product of the synthesis of the first compound and/or an excess of a reagent used for the synthesis of a first compound by a process of diafiltration. The membrane used for the diafiltration process is stable in organic solvents and provides a rejection for the first compound which is greater than the rejection for the second compound.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new process for extracting fatty acids from aqueous biomass in a membrane contactor module. The present invention also relates to an integrated process combining biomass concentration and/or diafiltration and fatty acid extraction in said membrane contactor module.

Abstract: Improved integrally skinned asymmetric membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration, and their methods of preparation and use are disclosed. Membranes are formed from polybenzimidazoles by phase inversion and are then crosslinked by addition of crosslinking agents. These stabilise the membranes and allow solvent nanofiltration to be maintained even in the solvents from which the membranes were formed by phase inversion, and in strongly acidic and strongly basic solvents.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composite membrane for nanofiltration of a feed stream solution comprising a solvent and dissolved solutes and showing preferential rejection of the solutes. The composite membrane comprises a thin polymeric film formed by interfacial polymerisation on a support membrane. The support membrane is further impregnated with a conditioning agent and is stable in polar aprotic solvents. The composite membrane is optionally treated in a quenching medium, where the interfacial polymerisation reaction can be quenched and, in certain embodiments, membrane chemistry can be modified. Finally the composite membrane is treated with an activating solvent prior to nanofiltration.

Abstract: This invention relates to the synthesis of polymers. More specifically, the present invention relates to the synthesis of heterobifunctional polymers and polymers with narrow and mono-disperse molecular weight distributions, and especially to the application of membranes to the synthesis of these polymers.

Abstract: A high mass transfer membrane for use in membrane phase contactors to extract a solute from an aqueous phase to a solvent phase and their method of preparation and use are disclosed. The membrane is formed from polyimide by phase inversion and may optionally be crosslinked to maintain stability even in the solvents from which the membranes were formed by phase phase inversion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new process for extracting fatty acids from aqueous biomass in a membrane contactor module. The present invention also relates to an integrated process combining biomass concentration and/or diafiltration and fatty acid extraction in said membrane contactor module.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of a first compound selected from peptides, oligonucleotides and peptide nucleic acids. The process comprises synthesising the first compound and then separating the first compound formed in step (i) from a second compound, which is a reaction by-product of the synthesis of the first compound and/or an excess of a reagent used for the synthesis of a first compound by a process of diafiltration. The membrane used for the diafiltration process is stable in organic solvents and provides a rejection for the first compound which is greater than the rejection for the second compound.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a process for synthesis of a first compound selected from peptides, oligonucleotides, and peptide nucleic acids, which comprises synthesis of the first compound linked to a soluble support, wherein the soluble support is degraded following the synthesis so that it can be separated from the first compound.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for curing adhesives used in the manufacture of membrane modules containing polymeric membranes, particularly polyimide based membranes used for the nanofiltration or ultrafiltration of solutes dissolved in organic solvents using microwaves. To maximise the chemical resistance of the adhesive used in these organic solvent applications, it must be as fully reacted and crosslinked (“cured”) as possible. Typically, thermal processing (heating) of the entire membrane module is used to cure the adhesives. However, the time and temperature required to achieve this high degree of completion of reaction may damage the separation performance of the membrane contained within the membrane module. In one particular aspect, this process utilises microwaves to preferentially promote the curing of epoxy adhesives over the general heating of the membrane module.

Abstract: A process for the purification of an oligonucleotide synthon is provided. The process comprises subjecting an organic solution comprising an oligonucleotide synthon and lower molecular weight impurities to nanofiltration whereby the ratio of an oligonucleotide synthon to lower molecular weight impurities in the solution is increased after the nanofiltration. Preferably, the oligonucleotide synthon is a nucleoside phosphoramidite or nucleoside H-phosphonate. The nanofiltration membrane is preferably a polyimide membrane having a molecular weight cut off of 400.

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation by: (a) reducing the salinity of a saline source water by reverse osmosis using a membrane having a first surface and a second surface by (i) feeding the saline source water to the first surface of the membrane, and (ii) removing treated water of reduced salinity from the second surface of the membrane; and (b) injecting the treated water into the formation; wherein the membrane is selectively permeable to water over dissolved solids such that when (i) the saline source water has a total dissolved solids content of at least 17,500 ppm, and (ii) the applied pressure across the membrane is greater than the osmotic pressure across the membrane and lies within the range 45 to 90 bar (4.5 to 9.0 M Pa), the total dissolved solids content of the treated water is in the range 500 to 5000 ppm.

Abstract: A medical device for delivery of a therapeutic agent to a physiological target site includes a flexible receptacle containing said therapeutic agent, wherein at least a part of the receptacle is formed of a water-soluble or water-dispersible material. The therapeutic agent may include a haemostatic agent and the physiological target site may be a wound.

Abstract: Improved integrally skinned asymmetric membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration, and their methods of preparation and use are disclosed. Membranes are formed from polyimides by phase inversion and are then crosslinked by addition of amine crosslinking agents that react with the imide groups of the polyimide, creating amide bonds. These stabilise the membranes and allow solvent nanofiltration to be maintained even in the solvents from which the membranes were formed by phase phase inversion.

Abstract: Pay to play entertainment machines or devices for gaming, gambling and other entertainment functions used in public spaces such as bars, clubs etc are networked and centrally controlled. Each entertainment device has at least one payment mechanism such as a coin acceptor or a card reader. Content executables (e.g. games) are configured to use a set of generic payment instruction messages to communicate with the payment mechanisms. A credit handler module translates generic payment instruction messages to and from specific payment functionality messages as used by the different payment mechanisms and also applies any transaction processing logic that is required consequent on the particular domain of operation of the entertainment device, e.g. legal requirements. Thus, locally applicable requirements relating to credit handling operations in the real and virtual environment of the entertainment device can be implemented without modifying content executables.

Abstract: Pay to play entertainment machines or devices for gaming, gambling and other entertainment functions used in public spaces such as bars, clubs etc are networked and centrally controlled. A set of schedules is established, each schedule defining a set of attributes for operation of an entertainment device and stored in a database. Each entertainment device in the network is associated with one or more groups of devices, each group having a specified one of said schedules. For each entertainment device in the network, all the schedules that apply to that device are used to determine a subset of attributes that shall prevail in that device and the device is then automatically configured to have that subset of attributes. Event messages generated in each entertainment device are transmitted to a central messaging server on a real-time or batch process basis according to a priority level. A priority is set to the different event messages maintained in the queue.