Abstract: A process for increasing digestion efficiency of lignocellulosic material in a treatment vessel includes providing lignocellulosic material comprising lignocellulosic biomass, providing an alkyl polyglycoside, an alkoxylated alcohol, and a white liquor comprising sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, combining the lignocellulosic material, the alkyl polyglycoside, the alkoxylated alcohol, and the white liquor to form a mixture, and heating the mixture in the treatment vessel to a temperature of from about 125° C. to about 185° C. to digest at least a portion of the lignocellulosic material. The alkyl polyglycoside and the alkoxylated alcohol are present in the mixture in a weight ratio of actives from about 5:95 to about 95:5, respectively. The mixture is free of added surfactants that are not the alkyl polyglycoside and/or the alkoxylated alcohol. The process has increased digestion efficiency as compared to a process that does not utilize a combination of the alkyl polyglycoside and the alkoxylated alcohol.

Abstract: A pulp mixture includes a lignocellulosic material, water, lignin, an inorganic salt, and a copolymer including two or more structural units chosen from ethylene oxide units, propylene oxide units, (meth)acrylic acid units, ethyl acrylate units, and combinations thereof. The copolymer is free of silicone-containing structural units and the lignin is present in an amount of greater than about 150 ppm, based on a total weight of the pulp mixture.

Abstract: A pulp mixture includes a lignocellulosic material, water, lignin, an inorganic salt, and a copolymer including two or more structural units chosen from ethylene oxide units, propylene oxide units, (meth)acrylic acid units, ethyl acrylate units, and combinations thereof. The copolymer is free of silicone-containing structural units and the lignin is present in an amount of greater than about 150 ppm, based on a total weight of the pulp mixture.

Abstract: Methods and devices for the separation of particles (20, 21, 22) in a compartment (30) of a fluidic microsystem (100) are described, in which the movement of a liquid (10) in which particles (20, 21, 22) are suspended with a predetermined direction of flow through the compartment (30), and the generation of a deflecting potential in which at least a part of the particles (20, 21, 22) is moved relative to the liquid in a direction of deflection are envisaged, whereby further at least one focusing potential is generated, so that at least a part of the particles is moved opposite to the direction of deflection relative to the liquid by dielectrophoresis under the effect of high-frequency electrical fields, and guiding of particles with different electrical, magnetic or geometric properties into different flow areas (11, 12) in the liquid takes place.

Abstract: Methods and devices for the separation of particles (20, 21, 22) in a compartment (30) of a fluidic microsystem (100) are described, in which the movement of a liquid (10) in which particles (20, 21, 22) are suspended with a predetermined direction of flow through the compartment (30), and the generation of a deflecting potential in which at least a part of the particles (20, 21, 22) is moved relative to the liquid in a direction of deflection are envisaged, whereby further at least one focusing potential is generated, so that at least a part of the particles is moved opposite to the direction of deflection relative to the liquid by dielectrophoresis under the effect of high-frequency electrical fields, and guiding of particles with different electrical, magnetic or geometric properties into different flow areas (11, 12) in the liquid takes place.

Abstract: Methods and devices for the separation of particles (20, 21, 22) in a compartment (30) of a fluidic microsystem (100) are described, in which the movement of a liquid (10) in which particles (20, 21, 22) are suspended with a predetermined direction of flow through the compartment (30), and the generation of a deflecting potential in which at least a part of the particles (20, 21, 22) is moved relative to the liquid in a direction of deflection are envisaged, whereby further at least one focusing potential is generated, so that at least a part of the particles is moved opposite to the direction of deflection relative to the liquid by dielectrophoresis under the effect of high-frequency electrical fields, and guiding of particles with different electrical, magnetic or geometric properties into different flow areas (11, 12) in the liquid takes place.

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating method for a microfluidic system, including the following steps: feeding of a carrier flow with particles (5) of a first particle type suspended therein into the microfluidic system; charging of a plurality of electrical field cages (1?, 1?) in the microfluidic system with the supplied particles (5) of the first particle type; the supplying of a carrier flow with particles (6) of a second particle type suspended therein into the microfluidic system; and charging the field cages (1?, 1?) in the microfluidic system with the supplied particles (6) of the second particle type in such a manner that a particle (5) of the first particle type and a particle (6) of the second particle type is present in at least one of the field cages (1?, 1?). The invention also relates to a corresponding microfluidic system.

Abstract: A plurality of planar electrodes (5) in a microchannel (4) is used for separation, lysis and PCR in a chip (10). Cells from a sample are brought to the electrodes (5). Depending on sample properties, phase pattern, frequency and voltage of the electrodes and flow velocity are chosen to trap target cells (16) using DEP, whereas the majority of unwanted cells (17) flushes through. After separation the target cell (16) are lysed while still trapped. Lysis is carried out by applying RF pulses and/or thermally so as to change the dielectric properties of the trapped cells. After lysis, the target cells (16) are amplified within the microchannel (4), so as to obtain separation, lysis and PCR on same chip (1).

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating method for a microfluidic system, including the following steps: feeding of a carrier flow with particles (5) of a first particle type suspended therein into the microfluidic system; charging of a plurality of electrical field cages (1?, 1?) in the microfluidic system with the supplied particles (5) of the first particle type; the supplying of a carrier flow with particles (6) of a second particle type suspended therein into the microfluidic system; and charging the field cages (1?, 1?) in the microfluidic system with the supplied particles (6) of the second particle type in such a manner that a particle (5) of the first particle type and a particle (6) of the second particle type is present in at least one of the field cages (1?, 1?). The invention also relates to a corresponding microfluidic system.

Abstract: A description is given of methods for collecting particles (1, 2) which are suspended in a liquid, including the following steps: providing the liquid containing the suspended particles (1, 2) in a compartment (10) having lateral surfaces (11), wherein at least one electrode (21) is arranged on at least one of the lateral surfaces (11), and generating high-frequency electric fields by means of the at least one electrode (21) so as to form at least one circulating flow (30), by means of which the particles (1, 2) are guided to at least one predetermined collecting area (40) in the compartment (10), wherein the flow (30) is formed in such a way that at least one branch of the flow runs along a longitudinal extent of the at least one electrode (21), and the flow (30) circulates about an axis (31) which is oriented perpendicular to the respectively adjacent lateral surface (11) with the electrode (21). Corresponding devices for collecting particles are also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electric field cage (6) for spatially fixing particles (2, 3) which are suspended in a carrier liquid, in particular in a microfluidic system, including a plurality of cage electrodes (7, 8), which can be electrically driven, for generating a capture field. It is proposed that at least one of the cage electrodes (8) is annular and surrounds the other cage electrode (7). The invention also covers an associated operating method.

Abstract: A method for high-resolution image recording of at least one object with a microscope, includes the steps of: (a) positioning the object in a receptacle being arranged in the optical axis of the microscope, (b) generating at least two first data sets per object which represent intermediate images of the object with at least two different orientations relative to the optical axis of the microscope, wherein the different orientations of the object are provided by moving the object relative to the receptacle, and (c) evaluating the data sets for obtaining quantitative three dimensional information.

Abstract: The invention relates to a micro-fluidic system including a fluid medium channel that holds a fluid medium containing particles in suspension. According to the invention, the fluid medium channel has an expanded section with an enlarged cross-section along part of its length, in order to reduce the flow speed to allow the analysis of the particles.

Abstract: A method is described for non-destructive measurement of vitality of biological cells, especially for determination of apoptosis, in which the at least one cell is exposed to high-frequency alternating, especially rotating, electric fields and/or impedance test fields, and at least one rotation measurement, one dielectrophoresis measurement and/or one impedance measurement is performed with the cell for at least one frequency range or individual frequencies, from which at least one measurement parameter is determined that is characteristic of the vitality state of the cell.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microfluidic system containing a carrier current channel (1) for receiving a carrier current containing particles suspended therein, and at least one electrode arrangement (3) which is arranged in the carrier current channel and used to manipulate the suspended particles (2), the electrode arrangement (3) containing two manipulation electrodes (4, 5). According to the invention, the electrode arrangement (3) contains two centering electrodes (6, 7), in addition to the two manipulation electrodes (4, 5), for centering the particles, the two centering electrodes (6, 7) being arranged in the carrier current channel (1) respectively upstream of one of the two manipulation electrodes (4, 5). The invention also relates to a corresponding control method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for handling particles (1, 2) that are suspended in a carrier liquid (3). The method includes the following steps: the carrier liquid (3) is received with the particles (1, 2) in a liquid siphoning device (10) including at least one siphoning opening (11), electrical and/or magnetic separating fields are generated in the liquid siphoning device (10), a sedimentation movement of the particles (1, 2) is created in the liquid, each particle having a sedimentation speed that depends on the action of the separating fields on the particle (1, 2) and the particles (1, 2) forming a plurality of particle fractions (5, 6) according to the sedimentation speeds thereof, and the particle fractions (5, 6) are separately extracted from the liquid siphoning device (10). The invention also relates to a handling device (100) for handling suspended particles (1, 2).

Abstract: Described is a fluidic microsystem (100) including at least one channel (10) through which a particle suspension can flow; and first and second electrode devices (40, 60) which are arranged on first and second channel walls (21, 31) for generating electrical alternating-voltage fields in the channel (10); wherein the first electrode device (40) for field shaping in the channel includes at least one first structure element (41, 51); and the second electrode device (60) includes an area-like electrode layer (61) with a closed second electrode surface which includes a second passivation layer (70); wherein the effective electrode surface of the first structure element (41, 51), of which element (41, 51) there is at least one, is smaller than the second electrode surface; and the second passivation layer (70) is a closed layer which completely covers the second electrode layer (61).

Abstract: A method of discharging a fluid flow with suspended microparticles from a fluidic microsystem (10) is described, whereby the fluid flow converges with at least one output flow to form a discharge flow at the end of a discharge channel (14) of the microsystem, and the discharge flow is delivered through a conduction element (19). A microsystem with a flow output device for implementation of this method is also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring device and a measuring method for investigating particles which are suspended in a carrier liquid, including several measuring electrodes for carrying out electrical measuring of the particles. It is proposed that during electrical measuring, the particles be fixed in a field cage (4).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating a convective liquid motion in a fluidic microsystem. According to this method, a liquid in a microsystem is simultaneously exposed to an electrical field and a thermal gradient. The electrical field is generated by means of an electrode arrangement which is subjected to a time-variant voltage. In this way, a time variant electrical field is formed in the liquid volume. The thermal gradient is produced by means of at least one radiation absorber located in the compartment which is exposed to at least one external radiation field.