With contactor bodies formed of spirally wound up corrugated panels providing ducts in the region of the corrugation profiles which are alternately filled with waste water and air, there is a problem to completely fill the ducts and to provide a continuous flow through the ducts in a body of simple and rigid construction. In order to solve this problem, the corrugation profiles of at least one corrugated panel (3', 3") are inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the axis (XX) of the contac...

A biological fluid sample tube assembly includes a collection tube with a closure member sealing one end of the tube. The closure is adapted for penetration by a cannula needle for delivery of a fluid sample through the cannula and closure member into the tube. A processing member, such as a scraping member, is movably supported within the tube and is movable by application of force externally of the tube in order to perform a desired processing function without opening the tube. Thus the member...

A rack is disclosed for containing a plurality of biological testing trays wherein the trays are held in an open type rack having a number of bays each designed to contain one of the trays. The rack preferably is constructed of plastic material and does not have a bottom so that the tray which is usually constructed of transparent material may be viewed from either side. The trays are held in the rack by a combination of a relatively small shelf around the bay and by the side walls, either only ...

An automatic colony counter which includes a television camera for viewing a sample being scanned. The output from the television camera is sent through control circuitry to a television monitor. The video signal is also processed and quantized to produce a digital count representing the number of colonies counted and also to produce a flag signal which causes an illuminated dot to be superimposed on each colony counted, thereby insuring that all the colonies in the sample have been counted.

Biological signals (especially, e.g., fetal QRS complexes) are monitored with signal processing circuitry featuring, in various aspects, in the fetal heart rate monitor, automatic thresholding of maternal and fetal signals; a digital phase lock loop for generating fetal heart rate signals related to the loop frequency, the loop including means for estimating the rate during occurrences of blank spaces caused by removal of signals representing merged maternal and fetal heart beats; counter contro...

A sample-receiving inner tube is threaded into an inner cap provided in the base of an outer tube of a mailer for biological samples and the like. Another cap is screwed over the mouth of this outer tube, with this latter cap being provided with a seat for the closed end of the inner tube. An addressed and stamped (postage previously applied) sealing strip with a longitudinal perforation is applied over the joint line between the outer tube and its cap with the perforations in line with this joi...

A sample of blood to be tested for the presence of biological activity is added to a suitable growth medium which includes a C.sup.14 containing carbon source fermentable to produce gaseous C.sup.14 O.sub.2. After a suitable incubation period, a portion of the gaseous atmosphere above the medium is analyzed for the presence of radioactivity. In the improvement herein described, mammalian cells in the blood sample are lysed in order to reduce background reading when the radioactivity is measured ...

A sample of blood to be tested for the presence of biological activity is added to a suitable growth medium which includes C.sup.14 containing carbon source fermentable to produce gaseous C.sup.14 O.sub.2. After a suitable incubation period, a portion of the gaseous atmosphere above the medium is analyzed for the presence of radioactivity. In the improvement herein described, a growth medium containing at least about 5 percent by weight of a material selected from the group consisting of sucrose...

Biological substances such as blood are stored under pressure at below 0.degree.C temperatures, in a substantially non-dilatable vessel. Upon being introduced into the vessel, the temperature of the vessel and the blood are reduced to 4.degree.C; when equilibrium has been achieved the blood within the vessel is precompressed at a controlled rate several thousand pounds per square inch by the application of mechanical leverage to a vessel piston. Thereafter, the vessel and blood are reduced to a ...

The observation of native biological cells, particularly blood cells, suspended within a test liquid according to a technique based on the discovery that the resistivity of native cells in the path of an electric current changes abruptly when a given current value is exceeded. The technique involves establishing an electric current within the test liquid, varying the magnitude of this current over a range encompassing such current value to cause a corresponding change in the resistivity of the t...