A desalination apparatus and a method of desalinating thereof, wherein the desalination apparatus comprises a perforated vessel and at least one engineered semi-permeable membrane that covers perforations on the perforated vessel, wherein the desalination apparatus forms a purified water from saline water when submerged in the saline water to a depth of 50-250 m to create sufficient pressure differential on both sides of the engineered semi-permeable membrane, wherein low-saline water flows through the engineered semi-permeable membrane and collected within an internal cavity of the desalination apparatus. Various embodiments of the desalination apparatus and the method of desalinating are also provided.

Hollow glass microspheres (HGMS) with a controlled nanotopographical surface structure (NSHGMS) demonstrate improved isolation and recovery of cells and other biological particles such as bacteria from biological fluid. Such functionalized HGMS are formed by exposing a plurality of hollow glass microspheres to a layer by layer deposition cycle of charged polymeric nanofilms to form a plurality of coated hollow glass microspheres and functionally binding a plurality of biotinylated antibodies to the plurality of coated hollow glass microspheres. Application of these HGMS in related biological particle isolation methods does not require specialized lab equipment or an external power source, and thus, can be used for separation of targeted cells from blood or other fluid in a resource-limited environment.

Hollow glass microspheres (HGMS) with a controlled nanotopographical surface structure (NSHGMS) demonstrate improved isolation and recovery of cells and other biological particles such as bacteria from biological fluid. Such functionalized HGMS are formed by exposing a plurality of hollow glass microspheres to a layer by layer deposition cycle of charged polymeric nanofilms to form a plurality of coated hollow glass microspheres and functionally binding a plurality of biotinylated antibodies to the plurality of coated hollow glass microspheres. Application of these HGMS in related biological particle isolation methods does not require specialized lab equipment or an external power source, and thus, can be used for separation of targeted cells from blood or other fluid in a resource-limited environment.

The invention relates to a device for the transfer of water and heat between a first and a second air flow. The inventive device consists of a stack of at least two transfer sub-assemblies having a lamellar configuration, each sub-assembly comprising a two-layer transfer structure with hydrophilic porous materials (3, 4), which is disposed between a first structure for the distribution of the first air flow (1) and a second structure for the distribution of the second air flow (2).

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.

An independent blood filter device depends on flow geometry to deliver blood serum or plasma free of detrimental levels of hemoglobin. It depends critically on an upstream flow rate or pressure differential limiting control element or device that limits the rate of change of pressure differential across the filter element. Pre-evacuated versions can be used to simultaneously draw blood from a living being and provide pressure differential across the filter element between an evacuated collector and a supply end open to atmosphere. A unit pressurized by hand motion employs the external shape of a partially filled blood collection tube as a piston to produce pressure in advance of the control element or device to create the pressure differential across the filter element to a collector vented to atmosphere. The control element or device is disclosed in numerous forms, including specially sized flow constrictions and compliant arrangements.

An independent blood filter device depends on flow geometry to deliver blood serum or plasma free of detrimental levels of hemoglobin. It depends critically on an upstream flow rate or pressure differential limiting control element or device that limits the rate of change of pressure differential across the filter element. Pre-evacuated versions can be used to simultaneously draw blood from a living being and provide pressure differential across the filter element between an evacuated collector and a supply end open to atmosphere. A unit pressurized by hand motion employs the external shape of a partially filled blood collection tube as a piston to produce pressure in advance of the control element or device to create the pressure differential across the filter element to a collector vented to atmosphere. The control element or device is disclosed in numerous forms, including specially sized flow constrictions and compliant arrangements.

A metal organic framework glass membrane and a preparation method thereof are provided. The preparation method includes a step of heating a crystalline metal organic framework material to the melting temperature at a rate of 1-15 C./min and then naturally cooling the crystalline metal organic framework material. The crystalline metal organic framework material contains a metal node and a ligand A. The metal node is a zinc ion and/or a cobalt ion and the ligand A is imidazole or phosphoric acid. The metal organic framework glass membrane has a wide range of membrane-forming conditions, and the material thereof can be melted without being decomposed within a control range to form a continuous glass layer with good repeatability.

A metal organic framework glass membrane and a preparation method thereof are provided. The preparation method includes a step of heating a crystalline metal organic framework material to the melting temperature at a rate of 1-15 C./min and then naturally cooling the crystalline metal organic framework material. The crystalline metal organic framework material contains a metal node and a ligand A. The metal node is a zinc ion and/or a cobalt ion and the ligand A is imidazole or phosphoric acid. The metal organic framework glass membrane has a wide range of membrane-forming conditions, and the material thereof can be melted without being decomposed within a control range to form a continuous glass layer with good repeatability.

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.