16353results about How to "Efficient separation" patented technology

A device for morcellating tissue within a body cavity of a patient comprises a stationary tube having a distal end portion, and a bipolar electrosurgical electrode assembly located at the distal end of the tube. The electrosurgical electrode assembly comprises first and second electrodes separated by an insulation member, the bipolar electrosurgical electrode assembly extending around the circumference of the distal edge of the tube. When an electrosurgical cutting voltage is applied to the electrode assembly, and relative movement is initiated between the tube and the tissue, a core of severed tissue is formed within the tube such that it can be removed from the body cavity of the patient. A tissue-pulling device such as a jaw assembly can be employed to pull tissue against the distal end of the tube.

Semiconductor processing equipment that has increased efficiency, throughput, and stability, as well as reduced operating cost, footprint, and faceprint is provided. Other than during deposition, the atmosphere of both the reaction chamber and the transfer chamber are evacuated using the transfer chamber exhaust port, which is located below the surface of the semiconductor wafer. This configuration prevents particles generated during wafer transfer or during deposition from adhering to the surface of the semiconductor wafer. Additionally, by introducing a purge gas into the transfer chamber during deposition, and by using an insulation separating plate 34, the atmospheres of the transfer and reaction chambers can be effectively isolated from each other, thereby preventing deposition on the walls and components of the transfer chamber. Finally, the configuration described herein permits a wafer buffer mechanism to be used with the semiconductor processing equipment, thereby further increasing throughput and efficiency.

An RFID transponder is provided with an active backscatter amplifier that amplifies and re-transmits a received signal. The RFID transponder comprises an antenna and a circulator having a first port connected to the antenna. A modulator is connected to a second port of the circulator. An amplifier is connected to a third port of the circulator, with the amplifier connected to the modulator. An RF signal impinging upon the antenna passes through the circulator, the amplifier, and the modulator, and returns to the antenna through the circulator. The modulator further comprises an input coupled to the second port of the circulator and an output coupled to an input of the amplifier. The amplifier has an output coupled to the third port of the circulator. The modulator is adapted to modulate the RF signal using on-off keying.

The present invention includes methods of enriching rare cells, such as cancer cells, from biological samples, such as blood samples. The methods include performing at least one debulking step on a blood sample and selectively removing at least one type undesirable component from the blood sample to obtain a blood sample that is enriched in a rare cell of interest. In some embodiments magnetic beads coupled to specific binding members are used to selectively removed components.

A method of analyzing electrocardiogram (EKG) data for use in the diagnosis of heart disease, prognosis of cardiac conditions, and the monitoring of heart disease therapies is disclosed. The method utilizes a wavelet-based multifractal analysis with one or more of (1) a discrete wavelet smoothing step to remove the effects of abnormal beats; (2) “Levy flight” analysis to detect the frequency of abnormal beats known to adversely affect the multifractal (MF) analysis; and (3) MF alpha analysis, a multifractal extension of monofractal short term (ST) alpha analysis. The invention further comprises an EKG test battery comprising Levy flight anomalous beat/beat cluster screening, followed by (ST) MF alpha analysis and MF Holder analysis (when validated by the Levy flight analysis). The wavelet smoothing step can also be used to classify human EKGs by observing the effect of sequential smoothing on the MF Holder coefficient. Alternative choices to the wavelet smoothing approach to removal of abnormal beat effects include probability distribution function analysis to determine the MF Holder coefficient directly, abnormal beat ridge skeleton removal to remove the offending beats based on a direct multifractal spectrum calculation, and the calculation of various types of entropy coefficients for the EKG time series.

A channel (103) is formed in a substrate (101), and a portion of the channel (103) is provided with a separating portion (107). A number of pillars are formed in the separating portion (107), and an adsorptive substance layer having an adsorptive substance, which exhibits a specific interaction for a specific substance, immobilized on the surface thereof, is formed. Once a sample is introduced into the channel (103), the specific substance is adsorbed on the adsorptive substance layer to be separated from other components. After washing the inside of the channel (103) with a buffer solution, the specific substance is desorbed from the adsorptive substance layer by flowing a eluting solution through the channel (103) and the specific substance is recovered.

An apparatus and method for plasma enhanced monolayer (PEM) processing, wherein excited species from a non-condensable gas plasma are delivered to a substrate surface during the reaction of a chemical precursor with a previously chemisorbed monolayer on the substrate surface; the excited species lower the activation energy of the monolayer formation reaction and also modulate the film properties. In preferred embodiments a process reactor has linear injectors arranged diametrically above a substrate and reactive gases are sequentially injected onto the substrate surface while it is being rotated. The reactor can be operated in pulse precursor and pulsed plasma, constant precursor and constant plasma modes, or a combination thereof.

An autonomous vacuum cleaner comprising a main body comprising a dirty air inlet, a clean air outlet, an airflow path extending between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet, a separating apparatus arranged in the airflow path between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet, and an airflow generator for generating an airflow along the airflow path from the dirty air inlet to the clean air outlet. The airflow generator has a discharge portion which discharges airflow into a chamber formed in the main body, the chamber including an opening that is closable by a removable panel, wherein a power source is receivable within the chamber formed in the main body and is removable from the chamber through the opening.

The present invention recognizes that diagnosis and prognosis of many conditions can depend on the enrichment of rare cells, especially tumor cells, from a complex fluid sample such as a blood sample. In particular, the present invention is directed to methods and compositions for detecting a non-hematopoietic cell, e.g., a non-hematopoietic tumor cell, in a blood sample via, inter alia, removing red blood cells (RBCs) from a blood sample using a non-centrifugation procedure, removing white blood cells (WBCs) from said blood sample to enrich a non-hematopoietic cell, if any, from said blood sample; and assessing the presence, absence and/or amount of said enriched non-hematopoietic cell.

Systems and methods that accurately detect and locate an edge or boundary position based on a number of different characteristics of the image, such as texture, intensity, color, etc. A user can invoke a boundary detection tool to perform, for example, a texture-based edge-finding operation, possibly along with a conventional intensity gradient edge-locating operation. The boundary detection tool defines a primary region of interest that will include an edge or boundary to be located within a captured image of an object. The boundary detection tool is useable to locate edges in a current object, and to quickly and robustly locate corresponding edges of similar objects in the future.

In an aspect, described herein is a dynamically controllable optoelectronic smart window which utilizes a diffraction grating for selective transmission or rejection of a specific region of the electromagnetic spectrum, for example the infrared, near-infrared and/or visible regions. Window embodiments described herein may further utilize a selectively controlled and/or patterned total internal reflection layer to assist with the selective rejection of a specific spectral region while allowing for transmission of another specific spectral region. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods for dynamically controlling the transmission or rejection of solar near-infrared and/or visible radiation.

The present invention is an apparatus and methods for selectably assessing a fallopian tube. The apparatus is a device that allows for treatment and/or the assessment of the patency of each fallopian tube independently by isolating at least one cornual regions from the uterine cavity. The method of the present invention is based on use of the device and allows for assessment of fallopian tube patency without the use of dyes of x-rays.

A method of measuring Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals may comprise detecting dual wavelength illumination from a light detector so as to provide detected signals, converting the detected signals into digital signals so as to provide digital signals, reducing noises from the digital signals and increasing independency between the digital signals so as to provide preprocessed signals, subtracting the average value from the preprocessed signals so as to provide adjusted signals, obtaining whitening matrix based on covariance, eigen value, and eigen matrix obtained from the adjusted signals, and restoring data using the whitening matrix.

The present invention provides commercially viable, large-scale methods for concentrating microalgae with an average diameter of about 20 μm or less. The methods find use in concentrating microalgae with an average diameter of about 5 μm or less, for example, Nannochloropsis.

This invention concerns the method of extracting salvianolic acid A from Chinese crude drug: danshen root, and the quality control methods and drug combinations, and the application of this drug. It can be used in the preparation of the prevention drugs for cardiovascular disease, liver damage, liver fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis and other.

The invention discloses a new fluidized bed hydrogenation reactor. The fluidized bed hydrogenation reactor of the invention comprises a cylinder-shaped reactor shell perpendicular to the ground, a three-phase separator arranged at the upper part in the reactor shell and a guiding structure arranged at the middle upper part of the reactor. The guiding structure is an annular convex structure arranged on the inner wall of the reactor and has the lengthwise section of a trapezoid or an arc along the axle of the reactor. The combination of the guiding structure and the three-phase separator increases the operating flexibility of the three-phase separator, and ensures the high-efficiency separation on the three-phase separator, thereby greatly reducing the carrying amount of catalyst. The fluidized bed hydrogenation reactor of the invention can be applied to the chemical reactions between different liquids or gases and solid grains under the condition of contacting, and is characterized by large catalyst inventory, high reactor utility ratio, etc.

It is intended to easily separate saponins from isoflavones extracted from starting soybeans thereby giving highly pure saponins at a high yield on an industrial scale. Saponins can be highly efficiently separated from isoflavones by performing multistage extraction under mild conditions such that malonyl isoflavone glycoside, from among isoflavones contained in the starting soybeans, is not converted into isoflavone glycoside, acetyl isoflavone glycoside or isoflavone aglycon. Thus, highly pure saponins can be obtained at a high yield on an industrial scale.

Liquid film 7 is formed on the surface of a porous body 2 provided with a hydrophobic layer 6a and hydrophilic layer 6b, by moving thereon an ionic liquid having a selective absorption capacity of specific gas, and the specific gas within the gas to be processed is absorbed into the liquid film 7 by bringing pressurized gas to be processed into contact with the liquid film 7. The specific gas is, for example, a carbon dioxide gas and the ionic liquid is, for example, an imidazolium salt. The specific gas absorbed into the liquid film 7 is passed through the porous body 2 by use of a difference in pressure, and is collected on a low pressure side 11. The specific gas absorbed into this liquid that has been collected is separated into gas and liquid by a separator 8, and the specific gas is released and collected.

An automated system for processing biological fluid includes a pressure differential generator, a biological fluid processing assembly, and an automated control arrangement coupled to at least one of the pressure differential generator and the biological fluid processing assembly. The automated system may include a porous medium, such as a red cell barrier medium, a leukocyte depletion medium, or a combination red cell barrier/leukocyte depletion medium. The automated system may also include a sensor producing a signal reflecting a parameter of fluid flow.

The invention provides a microfabricated device for sorting cells based on a desired characteristic, for example, reporter-labeled cells can be sorted by the presence or level of reporter on the cells. The device includes a chip having a substrate into which is microfabricated at least one analysis unit. Each analysis unit includes a main channel, having a sample inlet channel, typically at one end, and a detection region along a portion of its length. Adjacent and downstream from the detection region, the main channel has a discrimination region or branch point leading to at least two branch channels. The analysis unit may further include additional inlet channels, detection points, branch points, and branch channels as desired. A stream containing cells is passed through the detection region, such that on average one cell occupies the detection region at a given time. The cells can be sorted into an appropriate branch channel based on the presence or amount of a detectable signal such as an optical signal, with or without stimulation, such as exposure to light in order to promote fluorescence.

An electrode according to the invention can provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having an ability to release a volume expansion at the time of charge and discharge as well as the time of a cycle. The electrode comprises a current collector made of a material which is not alloyed with Li, and a dot pattern 2 of a metallic material able to be alloyed with Li formed on the current collector. At the time of charge, since the volume expansion of each dot 3 is carried out so as to bury adjoining crevices 4 between the dots, a stress generated is released, thereby degradation of an electrode being avoided. Each dot may also be made into porosity.