A pH sensor for a single-use container includes a plunger sleeve configured to couple to a flange of the single-use container. A plunger is axially movable within the plunger sleeve between a storage position and an operating position. A pH sensing element coupled to the plunger wherein the pH element is disposed within a storage chamber in the storage position and is configured to be exposed to an interior of the single-use container in the operating position. In one example, a temperature sensitive element is disposed within the pH sensor and configured to sense temperature proximate the pH sensing element. In another example, a lock member is coupled to the plunger, where the lock member has a locked position and an unlocked position, the lock member being configured to inhibit movement of the plunger when in the locked position. In yet another example, the plunger includes at least one filling channel that allows access to a reference fill chamber when the plunger is in a filling position.

A reusable, disposable device for culturing plant tissues or cells including a non-rigid container having dimensions and gas exchange ports designed for maintaining oxygen saturation and shear forces suitable for culturing plant tissue or cells in 400 liters or more of culture medium is provided. Also provided are methods for producing a catalytically active human recombinant protein in a plant cell, using the disposable device of one of the embodiments of the instant specification.

A renewable energy microgeneration apparatus is disclosed that includes a mixing tank that mixes waste with a liquid, a buffer tank that receives and pre-warms the mixed waste, a pasteurization tank that pasteurizes on the pre-warmed mixed waste, a digestion tank that performs anaerobic digestion on the pasteurized waste, a de-watering device that separates liquid digestate and removes salt from the liquid, sensors that measure salinity and biogas quality, and a controller. The controller causes the transfer of digestate from the digestion tank to the pasteurization tank to the dewatering device, causes the de-watering device to separate the liquid and remove the salt from the liquid, monitors the salinity of the liquid and the quality of biogas using the sensors, and causes the mixing of the liquid with the waste and adjusts the feed rate of the waste to reduce the salinity of the waste and increase methane production.

A biogas plant service device and an associated biogas plant with a service shaft for biogas plants includes a fermentation tank with a tank wall, a fermentation tank interior and a tank cover covering the fermentation tank interior. The service shaft has a service opening to carry out the assembly, disassembly and maintenance of the plant, such as, a stirrer. The service shaft is arranged on a tank roof covering the fermenter tank interior for sealing the tank roof. An assembly rod is provided extending into the fermentation mass in the fermentation tank interior from the service shaft and at a distance from the tank wall. The service shaft is fixed to a support frame which has a support section, with a fixing apparatus provided on the support section by means of which the support section can be aligned and fixed outside the fermentation tank interior.

A lung model device for inhalation toxicity testing is provided. The device has a plurality of mesh tissue panels having lung cells attached thereto arranged inside a case so as to have a similar structure to a human lung, and air and nanoparticles are supplied into the case through a separate respiratory operating unit, thereby enabling inhalation toxicity testing on nanoparticles to be simply and conveniently performed in an indirect way by determining changes in the state of the lung cells without using real laboratory animals. The mesh tissue panels having a smaller lattice spacing size are sequentially positioned according to the nanoparticle inflow direction, thereby providing a structure similar to the structure of a real lung.

A bioreactor is provided, comprising a housing extending along a vertical axis and defining an internal cavity therewithin, top and bottom covers at opposite ends of the housing, and a plurality of ports, each configured to facilitate fluid communication between the internal cavity and the exterior of the bioreactor. The internal cavity has a frustoconical shape, the frustoconical shape being formed such that horizontal cross-sections are coaxial about a line which is angled with respect to the vertical axis.

A bioreactor for culturing of microorganisms or cells comprising: a casing defining an interior space of the bioreactor, wherein said interior space is configured to receive and hold a culture medium with microbial or cellular liquid cultures; and at least one coupling element provided on the casing for coupling with a foam mitigation device for mitigation of foam built-up in the interior space of the bioreactor during use of the bioreactor for culturing of microorganisms or cells; wherein the coupling element is configured to allow ultrasonic waves generated by the foam mitigation device act upon foam built-up in the interior space of the bioreactor.

A reaction vessel for a vertical operating position geometrically bits into a standard receiving vessel providing an outer volume, for example a centrifuge tube, microplates and deep well plates. The reaction vessel including at least one upper opening with a seal element for reversible sealing for typical liquid handling techniques for filling, emptying mixing and gassing; at least one upper opening for pressure balancing and overrun; and a form stable body which forms at least one non capillary reaction cavity as an inner volume with at least one semipermeable membrane as a side wall. The at least one upper opening with the seal element for reversible sealing for standard liquid handling for filling, emptying, mixing and gassing leads through at least one capillary channel in the form stable body vertically into a lower portion of the reaction vessel and forms an opening at this location.

A container for culturing a blood sample. The container has a reservoir that is no larger than about 40 ml in volume with culture media therein varying in amount by volume 0.5 ml to about 20 ml. The container is adapted to receive a blood sample drawn from a patient, wherein the blood volume is about 1 ml to about 20 ml. In some embodiments the ratio of blood volume to culture media volume is about 2:1 to about 1:2 and the volume of blood does not exceed about 10 ml. In some embodiments, the media is lytic media. A method for using the container to culture a blood sample is also contemplated. In such method, the container is inoculated with the blood sample. In certain embodiments, the volume of the blood sample does not exceed 10 mls.

Microfluidic devices for dissociating tissue, culturing, separating, manipulating, and assaying cells and methods for using the device are disclosed. Individual modules for tissue dissociation, cell, protein and particle separation, cell adhesion to functionalized, permissive micro-and nano-substrates, cell culturing, cell manipulation, cell and extracellular component assaying via metabolic and therapeutic compounds, compound titration, cell transfection, and micro-ELISA are described. Specialized micro-and nano-substrates and their methods of fabrication are also described. An integrated device is also disclosed.

The devices and methods can be used for diagnostic applications, monitoring of disease progression, analysis of disease recurrence, compound discovery, compound validation, drug efficacy screening, and cell-based assays.