479 results about "Biological process" patented technology

A thermal cycling method and device is disclosed. The device comprises a sample chamber whose temperature can be rapidly and accurately modulated over a range of temperatures needed to carry out a number of biological procedures, such as the DNA polymerase chain reaction. Biological samples are placed in containers each comprising a reservoir and a reaction portion, wherein the reaction portion has a small volume. The small volume reaction portion permits the rapid and accurate temperature modulation. With an optically transmissible reaction portion, DNA amplification may be monitored by fluorescence during PCR.

A light source apparatus including light spectrum-converting materials that emit light primarily over large portions of the 360 nm-480 nm and the 590-860 nm spectral range is provided. This apparatus provides a cooled, high-luminance, high-efficiency light source that can provide a broader spectrum of light within these spectral ranges than has been cost-practical by using many different dominant peak emission LEDs. Up to 15% of the output radiant power may be in the spectral range 350-480 nm in one embodiment of this device, unless a specific separate source and lamp operating mode is provided for the violet and UV. Control methods for light exposure dose based on monitoring and controlling reflected or backscattered light from the illuminated surface and new heat management methods are also provided. This flexible or rigid light source may be designed into a wide range of sizes or shapes that can be adjusted to fit over or around portions of the bodies of humans or animals being treated, or mounted in such a way as to provide the special spectrum light to other materials or biological processes. This new light source can be designed to provide a cost-effective therapeutic light source for photodynamic therapy, intense pulsed light, for low light level therapy, diagnostics, medical and other biological applications as well as certain non-organic applications.

A process for treating wastewater through the use of powdered natural ligno-cellulosic materials (PNLM) for (a) physically removing colloidal and suspended volatile solids through adsorption and enhanced floc-formation and settling during pretreatment; (b) adsorbing toxic substances and elements that interfere with biological processes, thus serving to reduce their contact with and exposure to activated sludge organisms effecting wastewater treatment functions; (c) providing fixed surfaces in activated sludge wastewater treatment bioreactors for bacteria and other organisms favoring attached growth in circumstances devoid of such surfaces; (d) reducing production of biological sludge, while also helping to maintain high treatment efficiencies; and (e) following aeration, enhancing the settling characteristics of sludge with respect both to speed of settling and the vertical profile of the settled sludge.

Methods and apparatuses relating to large scale FET arrays for analyte detection and measurement are provided. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and / or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and / or biological processes.

Methods and apparatuses relating to large scale FET arrays for analyte detection and measurement are provided. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and / or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and / or biological processes.

Methods and apparatuses relating to large scale FET arrays for analyte detection and measurement are provided. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and / or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and / or biological processes.

A method, system and software arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are provided to extract descriptive narrative from numerical experimental data augmented with ontological controlled vocabulary. One exemplary application of such system, method and software arrangement is in organizing gene-expression time course data in terms of biological processes that may be activated and deactivated as the biological system responds to its normal or perturbed environment. The present invention may also have biological applications to drug-or-vaccine discovery, understanding behavior of a cell in an altered diseased state (e.g., cancer, neuro-degeneration or auto-immune disease, etc.), genetically modifying a natural wild-type organism, genetic-engineering, etc. Other exemplary applications may include understanding neural behavior, market behavior of a population of users interacting on the Internet, etc.