Abstract: A welding fixture including an electromagnet, a non-magnetic support configured to receive at least two sheets of material to be welded, and one or more clamping shoes configured to cooperate with the electromagnet to apply a clamping pressure to the at least two sheets of material and the non-magnetic support as a result of a magnetic force produced by the electromagnet is provided. A first of the at least two sheets of material is in contact with at least one of the one or more clamping shoes, and a second of the at least two sheets of material is in contact with at least the non-magnetic support. The one or more clamping shoes being shaped such that a perimeter defined by the one or more clamping shoes is located in the vicinity of a defined weld line to be welded on the at least two sheets of material, the weld line remaining substantially free from optical obstruction during production of the magnetic force.

Abstract: A welding fixture including an electromagnet, a non-magnetic support configured to receive at least two sheets of material to be welded, and one or more clamping shoes configured to cooperate with the electromagnet to apply a clamping pressure to the at least two sheets of material and the non-magnetic support as a result of a magnetic force produced by the electromagnet is provided. A first of the at least two sheets of material is in contact with at least one of the one or more clamping shoes, and a second of the at least two sheets of material is in contact with at least the non-magnetic support. The one or more clamping shoes being shaped such that a perimeter defined by the one or more clamping shoes is located in the vicinity of a defined weld line to be welded on the at least two sheets of material, the weld line remaining substantially free from optical obstruction during production of the magnetic force.

Abstract: Fluid ejection head assemblies, fluid ejection devices, and methods for improving fluid sealing of fluid ejection head assemblies. One such fluid ejection head assembly includes a substrate cavity and a substantially planar surface surrounding the substrate cavity. The substantially planar surface contains at least one external vent, at least one internal vent channel, and a plurality of vents in fluid flow communication with the substrate cavity and providing fluid flow communication between the internal vent channel and the external vent. The plurality of vents, the at least one external vent and the at least one internal vent channel are disposed in fluid flow communication with an environment external to the substrate cavity for flow of a gas associated with an adhesive at least partially disposed in the substrate cavity, to the environment during the curing of the adhesive.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an enzyme array and assay for use with a mass spectrometer, particularly, though not exclusively, a laser desorption/ionisation, such as a MALDI mass spectrometer. It includes a method of determining the activity of an enzyme, or the effect a test compound has on the activity of the enzyme, using mass spectrometry comprising: providing a probe carrying an immobilised enzyme; optionally introducing the test compound; introducing one or more reactants to the immobilised enzyme for a time, and in a form sufficient for a reaction to take place; drying the probe; subjecting the probe to mass spectrometry; and determining the activity of the enzyme, or the effect the test compound had on the activity of the enzyme, by detecting the presence and/or absence of one or more products and/or the one or more reactants and is exemplified with reference to a kinase assay. It also provides an array for use with the method.

Abstract: The Inventors herein describe methods for the production of a functional human, animal, plant or microbe protein arrays and methods to assay for interactions between the proteins on the array with molecules of interest, for example, using such arrays to determine the in vitro metabolite profile of any drug. Such protein arrays can be used, for example, to assay, in a parallel fashion, the protein products of DNA sequences encoding drug metabolising enzymes (DMEs) to obtain a toxicology profile. Also described herein is a novel DME expression and purification strategy using detergents and not requiring an ultra-centrifugation step.

Abstract: The present invention provides use of a protein conjugate comprising a “ble” protein, which has specific binding properties. The protein conjugates are capable of binding reversibly to an antibiotic from the bleomycin family, which property is exploited in a variety of immobilisation methods. In preferred aspects of the invention, the conjugates are used as markers for protein expression and/or folding, or for affinity tagging. The present invention also provides a probe comprising an array of an immobilised antibody from the bleomycin family, which acts as an analyte capture moiety. In another aspect, a purification media is provided, which comprises an antibiotic of the bleomycin family as an analyte capture moiety. Also provided is a method for generating soluble forms of an insoluble protein by expressing the protein as a “ble” fusion protein and selecting in the presence of an antibiotic from the bleomycin family.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel methods of producing proteins in which one or more domains are full length and correctly folded and which are each tagged at either the N— or C-terminus with one or more marker moieties and arrays containing such proteins, as well as the use of such proteins in arrays for rapid screening.

Abstract: The use of a tag moiety comprising a biotinylation domain, such as biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), as a protein folding marker and protein solubility enhancer in the orientated surface capture of products of heterologously expressed genes is described. Methods for increasing the solubility of proteins and determining the folded state of a protein are also disclosed. The uses and methods of the invention can be carried out in a multiplexed manner on more than one protein in the formation of libraries. In addition the nucleic acid molecule encoding the biotinylation domain of the tag moiety can be used to increase the proportion of clones in a library that express the protein of interest.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a probe for the analysis of one or more analytes, particularly proteins or compounds capable of binding or otherwise interacting therewith, by laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry, more particularly MALDI MS. It also relates to a protein microarray, a method of producing a protein microarray and a method of analysing a protein microarray. The probe comprises a support having an electroconductive target surface thereon characterized in that the target surface comprises a micro array having a plurality of discrete target areas presenting one or more analyte capture moieties. Each discrete target area has an area of less than 1000 ?m2, more preferably still less than 500 ?m2, and more preferably still less than 100 ?m2.

Abstract: Arrays of cytosolic accessory proteins are provided, together with methods of screening, using such arrays.