Systems and methods for controlling fluid movement and volumes of fluid between a subject and a controlled compliant flow path. The controlled compliant flow path has a means for selectively metering in and metering out fluid from the controlled compliant flow path. An extracorporeal flow path is in fluid communication with the controlled compliant flow path across a semi-permeable membrane where the extracorporeal flow path has a first terminal end and a second terminal end.

A blood purification apparatus capable of achieving a simplified configuration and switching between hemodialysis treatment (HD), hemofiltration treatment (HF), and hemodiafiltration treatment (HDF) as well as selecting from pre-dilution, post-dilution and pre and post-dilution easily and smoothly. The blood purification apparatus includes: a valve means 3 that is capable of closing and opening a dialysate introduction line and a dialysate supply line L3 in any manner, and a control unit 5 that operates the valve means 3 to allow any treatment to be performed selected from hemodialysis treatment in which the dialysate supply line L3 is closed while the dialysate introduction line L1 is opened, hemofiltration treatment in which the dialysate supply line L3 is opened while the dialysate introduction line L1 is closed, and hemodiafiltration treatment in which hemodialysis and hemofiltration are performed concurrently by alternately closing and opening the dialysate introduction line L1 and the dialysate supply line L3.

Blood separation systems and methods are provided for detecting lipids in plasma that has been separated from a plasma-containing fluid, such as blood. The system includes a fluid processing region in which a plasma-containing fluid is separated into plasma and other fluid components. A plasma flow path is associated with the fluid processing region for the flow of at least a portion of the separated plasma into or out of the region. A lipid detector shines blue and/or ultraviolet light through the separated plasma in the plasma line to optically detect the presence of lipids therein. The lipid detector may be used alone or in combination with a hemoglobin detector to reduce the number of false hemoglobin alarms or an interface detector for improved detection and correction of the location of an interface between separated fluid components in the fluid processing region.

An in-tank filter bowl de-aeration shroud for a hydraulic or oil reservoir includes an outlet shroud surrounding the filter bowl outlet at a proximal end thereof and having a shroud fluid outlet at a distal end thereof with a larger opening than an opening of the filter bowl outlet. The outlet shroud may be formed as or include a diverging member surrounding the filter bowl outlet at a proximal end thereof and having a diverging member fluid outlet at a distal end thereof, wherein the member diverges from the proximal end to the distal end thereof. The outlet shroud may further include a central deflector positioned within the diverging member and combining with the diverging member to form an annular passage to the diverging member fluid outlet.

A reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration device includes a body, a RO cartridge, a first cartridge, a second cartridge and a storage tank all mounted inside the body. Water to be filtered sequentially goes through a water inlet of the RO water filtration device, the first cartridge, the RO cartridge, the storage tank, the second cartridge, and a faucet to get the water filtered. The storage tank provides additional water supply when the pressure between the faucet and RO cartridge is below the water pressure inside the storage tank to increase water volume upon opening a faucet.

A blood filtration device comprising a generally cylindrical housing having an interior wall. An interior member is mounted interior of the housing and comprises an outer surface having a porous membrane disposed thereon. The housing and interior member are relatively rotatable and define an annular gap therebetween. The blood filtration device also comprises an inlet for directing fluid into the annular gap, a first outlet for exiting filtrate passing through the membrane, and a second outlet for directing from the annular gap the remaining retentate. The porous membrane comprises a first layer and a second layer.

A process for inhibiting formation of calcium scale in a reverse osmosis desalination membrane during desalination involving desalinating an aqueous salt solution comprising water, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate with the reverse osmosis desalination membrane, while concurrently irradiating the aqueous salt solution with a UV light source that emits UV light with a wavelength of 250-400 nm. Scale formation is inhibited by treating a salt solution with the UV light in a continuous or a non-continuous process.

Provided is an integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls, wherein the pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets chemically bonded by a carbon material having a carbon material-to-graphene weight ratio from 1/100 to 1/2, wherein the few-layer graphene sheets have 2-10 layers of stacked graphene planes having an inter-plane spacing d002 from 0.3354 nm to 0.40 nm and the graphene sheets contain a pristine graphene material having essentially zero % of non-carbon elements, or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.01% to 25% by weight of non-carbon elements wherein said non-pristine graphene is selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof. Also provided are a process for producing the hybrid form, products containing the hybrid foam, and its applications.

A brine filtration device disposable at a bottom portion of a brine storage tank has inner and outer tubes having a plurality of fine slits in order to mechanically trap any large undissolved salt crystals that may be entrained within a sodium chloride solution. A plurality of beads are disposed between the inner and outer tubes to cause the sodium chloride solution to change direction (i.e., cause turbulence) which further promotes or facilitates dissolution of any undissolved salt crystals entrained within the sodium chloride solution. The sodium chloride solution continues to flow through the slits of the inner tube which further traps or catches any undissolved salt crystals. Additional changes in flow direction of the sodium chloride solution are also contemplated to further increase or facilitate dissolution of undissolved salt crystals entrained in the sodium chloride solution.

A pollution mitigation system is disclosed. The system can include a valve forming a passage the valve installable to form an orifice in a storm drain retention chamber that passes storm water into a conduit of a storm water management system. The valve having a stem connected to a closure member that can plug the orifice. The valve can have a spring loaded actuator that can move the closure member into a closed position. The system can also include a node such as a wireless sensor node or a mote that has sensors, a transceiver, an antenna, a microcontroller, memory, an energy source and at least one output to control movement of the closure member via the preloaded actuator. The node can have an output that provides the stimulus to the preloaded actuator to cause the preloaded actuator to move the closure member to a position that obstructs the passage in response to either the sensor or a transmission from a mobile telephone such as a cell phone or a smartphone.

System and method for control of a subsea located cyclone for separating oil from water. The cyclone is arranged to receive water with oil contents through an inlet line, the oil is separated from the water and delivered through an oil outlet to an oil outlet line, and the water is delivered through a water outlet to a water outlet line. The system is comprising a control valve in the oil outlet or oil outlet line from the cyclone, a first differential pressure transducer arranged between the inlet line and the oil outlet from the cyclone, and a second differential pressure transducer arranged between the inlet line and the water outlet from the cyclone. The system is distinguished in that a sensor for measuring oil contents is arranged in the water outlet or water outlet line, and via a control means said sensor is operatively connected to the control valve.

A method for treating contaminated liquids in a flow by ozone, wherein the ozone is fed in gas form into the flow at one point and then is mixed into the flow in stages by mixers following one another in the flow direction, so that an absolute quantity of introduced ozone increases after each mixer until a feed efficiency of more than 95 percent is reached.

Disclosed herein are methods for reducing fouling caused by process water present within a water recycling loop of a pyrolysis plant. The process water includes water, a pygas, and in some cases pygas byproducts. Fouling is caused by phase separation and accumulation of materials from the process water on equipment surfaces. The method includes applying a total of about 5 ppm to 500 ppm of one or more antifouling polymers to the process water to form a treated process water. The one or more antifouling polymers are selected from the group consisting of copolymers of unsaturated fatty acids, primary diamines, and acrylic acid; copolymers of methacrylamidopropyl trimethylammonium chloride with acrylic acid and/or acrylamide; copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol; and blends of two or more thereof.

5 A liquid cleaning system rests on a surface having a non-porous material covering and a drain. A lower plate layer and an upper plate layer each have runners arranged in a grid. The lower plate layer rests upon the surface and the upper plate layer rests upon the lower plate layer offset at an angle with respect to the grid of the lower plate layer. An upper layer covers the upper plate layer and has a plurality of holes for the passage of fluids into the liquid cleaning system. As liquid enters the liquid cleaning system through the holes, the liquid traverses the grid of the lower plate layer and the grid of the upper plate layer flowing towards the drain, and contaminants within the liquid collect within the grid of the lower plate layer and the grid of the upper plate layer.

A system and method for filtering pool water by removing algae from the water without the use of chemicals is presented. The system includes a pump, a hose, and a filter. The pump is configured to move a volume of water from the pool and push the water through the hose. A container is in communication with the hose to receive the water. The container includes an internal filter and a series of holes in the body of the container. The water passes through the filter and is discharged out through the holes. The water is recycled through the filter continuously. The location of the pump and the container relative to one another within the pool allows an operator to dictate the level of circulation and filtration of water through the pool.

While the region's influence on mainstream hip-hop has gone overlooked for decades, a new generation of break-out artists are reclaiming their musical heritage and drawing national attention back to the area. In the hours leading up to their showcase at The Chapel in San Francisco's Mission District in late February, members of HBK Gang milled about the overcrowded green room, laughing, dancing, and taking selfies. The effervescent supergroup consists of more than a dozen East Bay rappers, singers, and producers mostly in their early twenties.…

Roughly fifty demonstrators marched from Fruitvale BART on Friday night to Oakland City Hall in an anti-police rally called in response to the fatal shooting of Richard Perkins by Oakland police on November 15. But unlike protests earlier this year, police didn’t try to drive demonstrators onto the sidewalks to comply with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s policy banning nighttime street marches.…

A recent boxing showcase at a defunct West Oakland train station captured the historic spirit of the site. On Saturday June 11, Osric Pratt Promotions presented Unfinished Business, a showcase of Northern California boxing culture at the historic 16th Street train station in West Oakland. The event consisted of seven boxing matches, interspersed with hip-hop and poetry performances.…

Jay Stone looked at home as he took the stage in a burgundy bathrobe last Thursday at The Night Light, a bar near Jack London Square.…

Despite some growing pains, the fest successfully expanded into a ten-day concert series that highlighted outstanding local talent. Jay Stone looked at home as he took the stage in a burgundy bathrobe last Thursday at The Night Light, a bar near Jack London Square. He was headlining the seventh night of Oakland Music Festival, which dominated the local concert calendar from September 30 to October 9 with shows taking place at different venues every night.…

'Don’t build technology for Mordor.' On Saturday at Peter Thiel’s San Francisco home overlooking the Bay, protesters demonstrated against a collaboration between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Palantir Technologies, a data-mining firm that Thiel co-founded. As reported in The Intercept, ICE will be using a new Palantir product called Investigative Case Management to to aid in its expanded deportation mission.…

The Golden State Warriors paraded for the second time in three years in downtown Oakland yesterday. Players rode by in topless busses, paired with teammates and families, along with coaches, members of the team's ownership group, and of course the odd ambassadorial pairing of Mayor Libby Schaaf and MC Hammer.…

Recently, a video where a woman called the police on a Black family who was barbecuing at Lake Merritt went viral, and several local and national outlets published pieces on the outraging incident.…

Here are photos from today's Warriors' championship parade.

The last time J Balvin was at Oracle arena was back on Feb. 15, 2015 when he was the opening act for Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias' joint tour. I was at that show with my mom as my date, and vividly remember her saying, “one day he’s going to headline his own tour here.” I brushed off her comment, it wasn’t that I didn’t believe that he was talented.…

Raucous satire Greed throws billionaire Steve Coogan to the lions. British actor Steve Coogan has made a successful comic character-acting career using two basic ingredients: his own voice and someone else’s writing. Time and again, in such outings as In the Loop, Coffee and Cigarettes, the Alan Partridge TV shows, and Stan and Ollie (with Coogan in deep character as Stan Laurel), Coogan arrives in a hail of dialogue, showering the audience with witticisms from his favored point of view – a man so exasperated with his situation that the best response he can think of is to stew in his own juices, noisily.…

While you can't work, entertain yourself with Dirty Money's tales of ill-gotten gains. A particularly hard part of this quarantine comes from an essential loss of American identity: If you're not working, and you can't buy things, who are you? Or, as Kilian Colin puts it in season 2's first episode of the Netflix series Dirty Money, "Your job is your life here in the U.S."…

This Mexico City taquero serves tacos and tortas sure to satisfy soccer stars. Most gym-goers have a favorite post-workout meal. Some swear by chocolate milk with its blend of sugar, protein, and fat, while others swear by cottage cheese, oatmeal, or smoothies.…

Oakland’s Alphabet Rockers lands a second nomination for best children’s music album for record honoring gender and cultural diversity. The motto of the Alphabet Rockers is: "We make music that makes change." On its most recent album, The Love, the Oakland hip-hop collective lives up to that promise.…

Provided herein are methods of reliably determining whether or not an individual is a user of tobacco.

The invention concerns nucleic acids coding for mutated or truncated forms of the human parkin gene, or forms comprising multiplication of exons, and the corresponding proteins and antibodies. The invention also concerns methods and kits for identifying mutations of the parkin gene, and for studying compounds for therapeutic purposes.

The present invention refers to a process for classifying tumor samples of unknown and/or uncertain primary origin, specifically including the steps of obtaining patterns of biological activity modulation of tumor of unknown and/or uncertain primary origin and comparing them to an specific and unique group of biomarkers which determine the profiles of biological activity modulation of known origin tumors. The present invention belongs to the molecular biology and genetics field.

Disclosed are methods and compositions for detecting the presence of a cancer in a subject and assessing the efficacy of treatments for the same. The disclosed method use reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and multiplex polymerase chain reaction techniques as well as Template Exchange Extension Reaction (TEER) to detect the presence of point mutations, truncations, or fusions of anaplastic lymphoma kinase.

A method of detecting a cancer progression observation index gene group, comprising: a) preparing a plurality of AKR/J mice in which an oncogene is inserted into a thymocyte; b) dividing the AKR/J mice into three groups, raising the first group of the AKR/J mice after high-dose ionizing radiation of 0.8 Gy/min, raising the second group of the AKR/J mice after low-dose ionizing radiation of 0.7 mGy/hr, and raising the third group of the AKR/J mice in a general environment; c) obtaining a thymus of a dead mouse of the first or second group of the AKR/J mice throughout the b) operation and diagnosing cancer when a weight of the thymus is increased to twice or more than before radiation; d) extracting thymuses by sacrificing the first to third groups of the AKR/J mice at the time at which the third group of the AKR/J mice initially die; and e) selecting only a thymus having no change in weight compared to the organs of the same-aged non-irradiated AKR/J mice from the organs extracted in d) and detecting a gene of the organ whose weight is increased or decreased by a factor of two or more through gene analysis.

Compositions and methods for detecting Trichomonas vaginalis are provided.

The present disclosure relates to use of high-concentration aldehyde-based fixatives to fix tissue samples. Aldehyde concentrations are selected that significantly increase rate of diffusion of the fixative solution into the tissue. When combined in the cold-temperature step of a two-temperature fixation, a substantial improvement in the preservation of post-translationally modified proteins is achieved.

Highly efficient and rapid filtration-based concentration devices, systems and methods are disclosed with sample fluidic lines and a filter packaged in a disposable tip which concentrate biological particles that are suspended in liquid from a dilute feed suspension. A sample concentrate or retentate suspension is retained while eliminating the separated fluid in a separate flow stream. The concentrate is then dispensed from the disposable tip in a set volume of elution fluid. Suspended biological particles include such materials as proteins/toxins, viruses, DNA, and/or bacteria in the size range of approximately 0.001 micron to 20 microns diameter. Concentration of these particles is advantageous for detection of target particles in a dilute suspension, because concentrating them into a small volume makes them easier to detect. All conduits by which the disposable tip attaches to the instrument are combined into a single connection point on the upper end of the tip.

A system and method for concurrently and uniformly removing thermal energy from clustered specimen samples.

In flow cytometry, particles (2) can be distinguished between populations (8) by combining n-dimensional parameter data, which may be derived from signal data from a particle, to mathematically achieve numerical results representative of an alteration (48). An alteration may include a rotational alteration, a scaled alteration, or perhaps even a translational alteration. Alterations may enhance separation of data points which may provide real-time classification (49) of signal data corresponding to individual particles into one of at least two populations.

A semiconductor device used for fluorescent-based molecule detection and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor device has a fluid channel layer defining a fluid channel through which a sample stream flows. A target cell coupled with a fluorescent source is contained by the sample stream. The semiconductor device also has an excitation light source for generating excitation light that reaches the target cell coupled with the fluorescent source to generate fluorescent light. The semiconductor device also has a light filter layer for permitting the fluorescent light to pass through and to block the excitation light and a light detection layer for detecting the fluorescent light. The functional components of the device are highly integrated. Leakage of the excitation light and background noise into the light detection component can be minimized to improve the quality of detection.

Light harvesting luminescent multichromophores that are configured upon excitation to transfer energy to, and amplify the emission from, an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity therewith are provided. Also provided are compositions for labelling a target. The labelling composition may include a donor light harvesting multichromophore and an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity to the donor light harvesting multichromophore. Also provided is an aqueous composition for labelling a target, including: a donor light harvesting multichromophore; an acceptor signaling chromophore in energy-receiving proximity therewith; and a sensor biomolecule. Methods for using the subject compositions are also provided.

The present invention relates to a novel method for detecting a detection object in a sample, and a detection device using the same. The detecting method of the present invention uses a “bridge composite” in which gold nanoparticles and an antibody specific to a detection object are coupled in order to induce a sufficient coupling reaction between the antibody and the detection object, thereby improving reactivity. Accordingly, since excellent resolution is provided, the method of the present invention has advantages of enabling accurate concentration measurement of a detection object in a sample, and amplifying a measurement signal. In addition, the method of the present invention can effectively detect small molecules such as hormones, vitamins, etc. having a small molecular weight.

Methods of screening for expression of an RNA associated with a post-kidney transplant complication include collecting vesicles from urine, isolating vesicle-associated RNA, and analyzing expression patterns. In particular, AIF1, BTN3A3, CCL5, CD48, HAVCR1, or SLC6A6 mRNA expression patterns are analyzed.

An assay system and method for use in the field of chemical testing is disclosed. The assay system can be used for filtering whole blood for testing on an integrated circuit containing digital control functionality.

Multi-biotinylated reactants are provided which can be used in divalent complexes for various applications such as colocalization, labeling, immobilization, and purification. Methods for constructing, purifying, and using the bis-biotinylated reactants are also provided. In certain embodiments, two bis-biotinylated reactants are bound to a single streptavidin tetramer to provide a complex having a 1:1 stoichiometry with respect to the bis-biotinylated reactants.

Viruses and other bioagents are of high medical and biodefense concern and their detection at concentrations well below the threshold necessary to cause health hazards continues to be a challenge with respect to sensitivity, specificity, and selectivity. Ideally, assays for accurate and real time detection of viral agents and other bioagents would not necessitate any pre-processing of the analyte, which would make them applicable for example to bodily fluids (blood, sputum) and man-made as well as naturally occurring bodies of water (pools, rivers). We describe herein a robust biosensor that combines the sensitivity of surface acoustic waves (SAW) generated at a frequency of 325 MHz with the specificity provided by antibodies and other ligands for the detection of viral agents. In preferred embodiments, a lithium tantalate based SAW transducer with silicon dioxide waveguide sensor platform featuring three test and one reference delay lines was used to adsorb antibodies directed against Coxsackie virus B4 or the negative-stranded category A bioagent Sin Nombre virus (SNV), a member of the genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae, negative-stranded RNA viruses. Rapid detection (within seconds) of increasing concentrations of viral particles was linear over a range of order of magnitude for both viruses, although the sensor was approximately 50×104-fold more sensitive for the detection of SNV. For both pathogens, the sensor's selectivity for its target was not compromised by the presence of confounding Herpes Simplex virus type 1. The biosensor was able to detect SNV at doses lower than the load of virus typically found in a human patient suffering from hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Further, in a proof-of-principle real world application, the SAW biosensor was capable of selectively detecting SNV agents in complex solutions, such as naturally occurring bodies of water (river, sewage effluent) without analyte pre-processing.

Methods and compositions are described for categorizing and treating autoimmune disease, using single cell network profiling (SCNP), where activation levels of one or more activatable elements are determined in single cells, with or without modulation, to categorize or determine treatment for the autoimmune disease.

The present invention provides assays for detecting and measuring the presence or level of anti-TNFα drug therapeutics and autoantibodies in a sample. The present invention is useful for optimizing therapy and monitoring patients receiving anti-TNFα drug therapeutics to detect the presence or level of autoantibodies (e.g., HACA and/or HAHA) against the drug.

An antigenic characterization method using polyclonal antibody-based proximity ligation assays (polyPLA). Methods, kits, and other tools disclosed herein are useful in detecting microbial antigenic variants in samples, including clinical samples. The methods and kits have great utility in detecting antigenic variants for pathogenic microbes, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

This invention publicizes a chronic renal disease diagnostic kit, comprised of FGF23 monoclonal antibody, biotin labeling reagent Sulfo-NHS-LC-Biotin, PBS buffer solution (pH7.0, 0.1M), casein saline solution, streptomycin avidin and substrate TMB. The labeling condition is the weight ratio of FGF23 antibody and Sulfo-NHS-LC-Biotin, which is 1:5-1:12. The dilution ratio of streptomycin avidin is 1:3000. The lowest testing threshold limit value of FGF23 kit is 10 pg/ml, whose sensitivity is 10 times higher than that of common monoclonal antibody, which is very significant for early diagnose of chronic renal disease.