35results about "Pollution detectors" patented technology

The invention provides a system for monitoring the bioavailability and/or toxicity of contaminants in the environment. The system includes plant biosensors that indicate the presence of contaminants, such as, for example, volatile organics or heavy metals, using an in situ monitoring approach. The plant biosensors are genetically engineered to exhibit a change in color phenotype under the control of promoter elements that are selectively responsive to the presence of a particular contaminant. The plant biosensing system provides a cost-effective approach to monitoring large and remote territories with high-spatial resolution. The transgenic plants can also be placed at strategic locations, before, during and after remedial activities at a site.

A method of testing water to detect the presence of at least one chemical or biological warfare agent includes the steps of: a. exposing water to a measuring means for measuring photosynthetic activity of free-living indigenous photosynthetic organisms; b. measuring photosynthetic activity of indigenous photosynthetic organisms occurring naturally in the water to detect the presence of at least one chemical or biological warfare agent in the water.

A cell composition composed of spermatogonial stem cells, Sertoli cells, Leydig cells and optionally peritubular cells, is provided, as is a culture composition, artificial testicular construct, hydrogel composition, and device containing the same. A method for using the device as a physiologically relevant in vitro model of human testicular function to screen compounds for pharmacological or toxicological activity is also provided.

An automatic, self-contained device for detecting toxic agents in a water supply includes an analyzer for detecting at least one toxic agent in a water sample, introducing means for introducing a water sample into the analyzer and discharging the water sample from the analyzer, holding means for holding a water sample for a pre-selected period of time before the water sample is introduced into the analyzer, and an electronics package that analyzes raw data from the analyzer and emits a signal indicating the presence of at least one toxic agent in the water sample.

The present invention provides methods and systems that uses transgenic zebrafish with an easily assessable reporter gene under the control of pollutant-inducible DNA response elements. Transgenic zebrafish, carrying pollution-inducible response elements, are placed in the water to be tested, and the contaminants become bioconcentrated (generally 1,000- to 40,000-fold, relative to the water) in the tissues of the fish thereby activating specific response elements, which up-regulate the LUC reporter gene. Fish are then removed from the test water and placed immediately in a luminometer cuvette and incubated with luciferin. Luciferin is rapidly taken up into the tissues of the fish, oxidized by luciferase, and light is produced. The luminescence is proportional to the environmental concentration of the pollutant (to which the fish had been exposed), which drives the expression of the LUC gene by means of the various DNA motifs. The luminescence is quantitated in the luminometer. In each response element-containing construct, a specific class of polluting chemicals, allowing for differential identification of pollutants in a complex mixture activates the expression of the LUC gene. This assay does not require killing the fish and allows for repeated analysis of the same site with the same fish. The sensitivity of the system can be manipulated by varying the sequence of the response element.

A method of monitoring an air atmosphere for a harmful biological or chemical agent includes providing a plurality of mammalian respiratory airway epithelial cells borne on a porous support; contacting the porous support with a cell nutrient medium and with air by positioning said porous support at an air-liquid interface between the cell nutrient liquid and the air; sampling the air atmosphere to thereby create an air flow over the air-liquid interface so that the respiratory epithelial cells borne on the porous silicone support are contacted by the sampled air; and monitoring the respiratory epithelial cells for at least one physiological parameter indicating the cells have been exposed to the harmful agent.

The present invention provides biosensors based on microalgae for the determination of the presence of toxic compounds in a sample, characterized by the high sensitivity and specificity thereof with respect to the target toxic substance. The biosensors are based on the measurement of the photosynthetic activity of algae by means of monitoring the molecular oxygen production by the microalgae by using a luminescent compound the emission of which depends on the amount of oxygen in the medium.

A process comprises (a) providing (1) at least one sample suspected of comprising at least one coliform strain, (2) at least one culture device comprising at least one culture medium that is hydrated or hydratable, and (3) at least one particulate concentration agent that is substantially optically transparent when in contact with the culture medium in the culture device when the culture medium is hydrated; (b) placing the particulate concentration agent in contact with the sample such that at least a portion of the coliform strain is bound to the particulate concentration agent to form coliform-bound particulate concentration agent; (c) placing the coliform-bound particulate concentration agent in contact with the culture medium; (d) incubating the culture device comprising the coliform-bound particulate concentration agent in contact with the culture medium, the culture medium being hydrated; and (e) optically detecting the presence of the coliform strain without separating the coliform strain from the particulate concentration agent.

Disclosed are systems for expression of an autonomous lux reporter system in a vertebrate cell, such as mammalian or fish cell. In some examples the lux reporter system is operably connected to a pollutant-inducible DNA response element. Also disclosed are transgenic zebrafish, carrying pollution-inducible response elements, and methods of using such zebrafish to monitor pollutants.

The invention provides an immobilized microbial system, which comprises a microbial carrier and microorganisms attached to the surface of the microbial carrier, wherein the microbial carrier is prepared by carbonizing plant tissues. The invention also provides a preparation method of the immobilized microbial system and a water toxicity detection method. The preparation method disclosed by the invention, which prepares the immobilized microbial system from the plant carbonized tissues by virtue of a one-step method, is simple to implement; moreover, according to the immobilized microbial system provided by the invention, the microorganisms are immobilized by virtue of an attachment process, so that the microorganisms naturally deposit on pore surfaces of a carrier material, and a cross-linking curing process is avoided; and in addition, the adopted microbial carrier, which is of a three-dimensional spatial reticular structure, is relatively good in mass transfer performance. Therefore, the immobilized microbial system provided by the invention is relatively good in activity in a process of detecting the water toxicity; the immobilized microbial system can be repeatedly applicable to water toxicity detection; and the immobilized microbial system is relatively good in detection effect.

A high throughput toxicology screening method is provided. In the subject method, at least 10 different compound compositions are tested simultaneously. Each compound composition is tested by contacting it with a plurality, e.g. from about 10 to 1000, of non-mammalian multi-cellular organisms and determining the effect of the compound composition on the organisms. The multi-cellular organisms employed in the subject methods are small, have differentiated tissues and organs and have a rapid generation time. The subject high throughput screening methods find use in a variety of applications, and are particularly suited for use in the toxicology screening of libraries of compounds, such as libraries of combinatorially produced compounds.

The invention discloses a method for testing the toxicity of high algae-laden aquatic organisms. The method comprises the steps that saccharomyces cerevisiae is cultured in a solid medium containing 5% of YPD and 1.5% of agar firstly, after clone is grown out, a YPD fluid medium of 5% is inoculated with monoclone, and overnight shake cultivation is conducted based on 180-250 rpm and 25-58 DEG C; phosphate buffer is added to a culture solution with the OD value of 1.5-1.8 to obtain a blank sample A, a high algae-laden water sample is added to the culture solution with the OD value of 1.5-1.8 to obtain a detection sample B, and the two samples are placed on a mixer for oscillation lasting 2 h; cell washing is conducted on the sample A and the sample B twice by means of PBS, and cell suspension with the concentration of 1*105-1*106 cel ls/mL is prepared; the sample A and the sample B are both added to Annexin V-FITC of 5 mug/mL to be evenly mixed, and then propidium iodide of 5 mug/mL is added to be evenly mixed; reaction is conducted at the room temperature away from light for 5-15 min; flow cytometry detection is conducted within 1 h; the proportion of dead cells, the proportion of living cells and the proportion of apoptotic cells are detected by means of flow cytometry; the apoptosis rate and the death rate of the sample B are compared with those of the blank sample A, so that water toxicity is judged. Early warning technical support is provided for high algae-laden water pollution, so that high water supply quality is guaranteed.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting toxicity in water using sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, in which air and a water sample are introduced into a reactor containing sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and sulfur particles, and then the amount of sulfuric acid resulted from oxidation of the sulfur particles by the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria is analyzed based on the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of the water sample, thereby detecting toxicity in the water sample. In the apparatus, the measured values of pH and electrical conductivity (EC) are not affected by air bubbles generated when the air and the water sample are introduced into the reactor, and the activity of the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria is not adversely affected by the pH of the water sample, so that accurate measurement results can be obtained. In addition, the apparatus comprises a plurality of reactors, and thus can continuously perform the detection of toxicity.

The invention is concerned with a biologically based test system for the detection of inorganic and organic pollutants in water samples. In particular, the present invention is concerned with the development of a strategy for the control of background expression of biosensors in the biologically based test system. Furthermore, the present invention provides a test kit for determining concentrations of inorganic and organic pollutants in water samples, the test kits are suitable for field tests.

Described herein are DNA primer sequences designed for the determination of gene or transcript information from Anuran species, and which may be used in studies for developmental and/or toxicity testing and for environmental toxicology or ecological assessment. Also described herein is a rapid, sensitive, high-throughput assay useful for supporting potential risk assessment across vertebrate clades, and that is also useful for evaluation of complex contaminant mixtures.

A toxicant detection system comprises at least one watertight chamber containing a mollusk. Water to be screened is introduced into the chamber. The mollusk is preferably supported on a mounting structure which facilitates quick mounting of the mollusk in the device, comprising a releasable element affixed to the shell of the mollusk, e.g., a bolt which is screwed into a nut affixed to the mollusk's shell. A sensing apparatus is provided which includes a movable member supported in the chamber so that it engages the shell of the mollusk, and moves when the shell opens and closes. The sensing apparatus detects the position of the mollusk shell based on the position of the movable member. The sensing apparatus preferably includes a Hall effect transducer which co-acts with a magnet carried on the movable member. The system allows for accurate readings of the small movements of the mollusk shell which aid in detecting toxicants, and also provides for installation of mollusks of varying sizes, without the need to move components of the standard configuration of the chamber. Methods and systems for detecting or identifying a toxicant in water being screened are also described.

The invention is a method and kit for conducting a rapid toxicity test. Methods and kits according to the invention include an animal or plant species in diapause.