A device including an ion-selective membrane arranged within an optical path of the device and coupled to a sample cell to interact with a fluid sample and thereby modify an optical response of the ion-selective membrane according to an ion concentration in the fluid sample, is provided. The device also includes an integrated computational element (ICE) arranged within the optical path, so that the illumination light optically interacts with the ICE and with the ion-selective membrane to provide a modified light that has a property indicative of the ion concentration in the fluid sample. A detector that receives the modified light provides an electrical signal proportional to the property of the modified light. A method and a system for using the above device are also provided.

A water purification system is disclosed which, includes a reverse osmosis (RO) system or component that is connectable to a city or other outside water feed that is capable of responding to and compensating for low or no feed water pressure coming into the RO system to ensure the outgoing supply of purified water is provided consistently and at a minimum water pressure. This can be accomplished without the need for communication with another device or system-wide facility, such as a hospital, or a pharmaceutical or semiconductor manufacturing system, requiring a constant water supply.

A biological fluid sampling device for collecting a blood sample from a separate vascular access device and for ejecting a portion of the collected sample to a point-of-care testing device for analysis is provided. The biological fluid sampling device includes a body enclosing a reservoir. The reservoir has an internal volume sufficient to contain enough blood for use in a diagnostic test. The sampling device further includes: an access lumen extending from a distal end of the body for establishing fluid communication between a separate vascular access device and the reservoir; an outflow lumen also in fluid communication with the reservoir; and a removable vented cap attached to the outflow lumen including a gas permeable vent in gaseous communication between the reservoir and ambient air. In addition, several sample and transfer devices are provided for obtaining a sample from a subject and transferring the sample to a point-of-care testing device.

Embodiments of the inventive concept include an interstitial fluid capture device configured to capture an interstitial fluid sample from the mouth of a user, an electrolyte measurement kit including said device, and a method for measuring electrolyte levels using said device. An exemplary device includes a main body portion configured for placement in the mouth of a user, the main body portion including a reservoir containing a hypertonic solution and having an opening that is sealed by a semipermeable membrane that permits a sample of interstitial fluid from the mouth of the user to be drawn through the membrane and into the solution reservoir. Various analyses may be performed on the captured interstitial fluid sample after removal of the device, including but not limited to, the assessment of one or more electrolyte levels through the use of various test strips or other techniques.

The subject of the invention is a membrane for separation of target stem cells from biological samples, more precisely from a single-cell suspension that was prepared from a biological sample. As a result, sterile target stem cells are obtained in physiological buffer. The membrane of the invention consists of a 3D carrier structure made of at least one layer of biocompatible polymer with specific pore size, as a carrier material, and covalently bound target molecules on its surface and/or in the pores. These target molecules are preferably target antibodies, which recognize characteristic antigens that are bound on the surface of the target stem cells and thus bind the target stem cells to the membrane. Target molecules can be either directly bound to the surface and/or in the pores of the carrier structure or are bound to the surface and/or in the pores of the carrier structure through specific functionalized nanoparticles, which are bound to or embedded into the 3D carrier structure of the membrane. In addition, the present invention includes the membrane production process as well as the process and device for the separation of target stem cells from a biological sample, which includes the above membrane as a constituent part.

The invention provides a gas detection system and a method with eliminating influence of ambient temperature and humidity change, the gas detection system comprises a bare sensor, a reference sensor and a calculation module; the bare sensor is used to detect a target gas in an ambient gas to obtain a first feedback signal; the reference sensor is used to selectively isolate the target gas in the ambient gas to produce a zero gas and to detect the zero gas to obtain a second feedback signal, the calculation module is used to calculate a difference between the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal to obtain a third feedback signal, and to obtain a target gas concentration by calculating the third feedback signal according to a calibration formula. The invention improves the measurement accuracy to the target gas concentration, which are efficient and reliable and have good technical effects.

A microfluidic detection system for micrometer-sized entities, such as biological cells, includes a detector component incorporating a plate with a plurality of opening, the plate separating two chambers, one in communication with a fluid source containing target entities bound to magnetic beads. The openings are sized to always permit passage of the magnetic beads therethrough into a lower one of the chambers and are further sized to always prevent passage of the target entities from the upper one of the chambers. The detector component further includes a magnet positioned to pull unbound magnetic beads through the openings and to capture target entities bound to magnetic beads on the surface of the plate. In a further feature, the microfluidic detection system is configured to pass target molecules through the plate to be bound to a functionalized surface of the lower chamber.

A method for the isolation of one or more target(s) of interest using fluidic devices with at least one inlet and at least one outlet; a multidirectional fluidic channel between the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet; said multidirectional fluidic channel comprising at least one wall; a substance coating at least a portion of an inside surface of the at least one wall that detects, captures, adsorbs, and/or removes the target(s) of interest from a sample; an eluant for eluting the materials of interest from the fluidic channel; concentrating a target sample from the eluted material(s) of interest and the subsequent analysis and identification of the eluted materials of interest and/or diagnose of a disease based on the target(s) of interest isolated from the sample.

The present invention relates to an acceptor chamber for a Franz diffusion cell, comprising an upper opening closable by a membrane and, on the side wall of the acceptor chamber, an upper and a lower outlet opening designed to remove or add liquid medium from the acceptor chamber, the upper outlet opening being located within the upper two thirds of the side wall and the lower outlet opening is located in the lower quarter of the side wall, the upper and lower outlet openings being substantially opposite each other, to a Franz diffusion cell comprising a donor compartment and such an acceptor chamber, the donor compartment and the acceptor chamber being separated from each other by a membrane, and to a method for determining the diffusion of a substance through a membrane with such a Franz diffusion cell.

An eDNA sample collection device having a rigid housing with openings to allow contact between the interior of the housing and the external environment. The housing includes membrane retaining portions for holding flexible membranes in the housing of the device, and membrane holders are used to secure membranes within the housing.