Methods, apparatus, devices and systems for mixing and dispensing multi-component materials. The mixing and dispensing may be performed using a mobile, enclosed dispenser that can be used to supply a mixed multi-component material at the point of use. In some embodiments, the components to be mixed into the multi-component material may be supplied in cartridges.

A notched stirring device having additional functionalities includes a decorative element forming a grip for a user, a piercing tip for protruding through a garnish, and an elongated body that spans between the decorative element and the piercing tip. The decorative element may be formed in a fanciful shape to facilitate identification. The elongated body forms one or more functional notches and may support (or restrain) one or more items of garnish. The one or more functional notches include a first notch for receiving a first lip of the vessel so that the stirring device may be removably attached to the vessel. In certain embodiments, the stirring device includes a second notch for receiving a second lip of the vessel to secure the stirring device in a horizontal position with the garnish safely above the level of the liquid in the vessel. The notched stirring device may additionally have a vertical hanging notch for positioning the stirring device in a vertical orientation.

The application relates to microfluidic apparatus and methods of use thereof. Provided in one example is a microfluidic device comprising: a first fluidic input and a second fluidic input; and a fluidic intersection channel to receive fluid from the first fluidic input and the second fluidic input, wherein the fluidic intersection channel opens into a first mixing chamber on an upper region of a first side of the first mixing chamber, wherein the first mixing chamber has a length, a width, and a depth, wherein the depth is greater than about 1.5 times a depth of the fluidic intersection channel; an outlet channel on an upper region of a second side of the first mixing chamber, wherein the outlet channel has a depth that is less than the depth of the first mixing chamber, and wherein an opening of the outlet channel is offset along a width of the second side of the first mixing chamber relative to the fluidic intersection.

A low-cost drug compounding system that can practically fit inside of a fume hood or the like is provided. The system can use a single pump operable in forward and reverse directions (or multiple pumps) to compound complex mixtures particularly including those requiring the creation of solutions from dry or powdered ingredients. A wireless link allows operation of the system remotely. In one embodiment, the system uses a disposable mixing tube set that can be discarded after mixing while still attached to the base ingredient containers used for the compounding thereby minimize the chance of personnel exposure.

A portable, self-contained beverage apparatus includes a container assembly having a known storage capacity for storing a consumable liquid, and a dispensing assembly disposed within the container assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of additives into the consumable liquid. The dispensing assembly includes multiple apertures structured and arranged to retain vessels containing the additives to be dispensed into the consumable liquid. The beverage apparatus also includes a level sensor disposed within the container assembly that determines a consumable liquid level of the consumable liquid stored in the container assembly. In certain embodiments, one or more positive displacement pumping mechanisms are configured to pump additive liquid from additive containers into a beverage chamber.

An apparatus for aerating bodies of water, comprising a floating platform (19), a motor (15) supported by the floating platform (19), a transmission (16) which is coupled to the motor (15) and whose output shaft is in the form of a hollow shaft (17), a fan for supplying air through an air supply line (18) connected thereto, wherein the air supply line (18) is connected to one end (E1) of the hollow shaft (17), a hollow stirring shaft (1) coupled to the other end (E2) of the hollow shaft (17), an stirrer (K) affixed to the free end of the approximately vertical stirring shaft (1), wherein the stirrer (K) is designated as a hollow body and has a central opening (3) through which air supplied by the stirring shaft (1) can pass, and a multiplicity of air outlet openings (14).

This invention generally relates to systems and methods for the formation and/or control of fluidic species, and articles produced by such systems and methods. In some cases, the invention involves unique fluid channels, systems, controls, and/or restrictions, and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the invention allows fluidic streams (which can be continuous or discontinuous, i.e., droplets) to be formed and/or combined, at a variety of scales, including microfluidic scales. In one set of embodiments, a fluidic stream may be produced from a channel, where a cross-sectional dimension of the fluidic stream is smaller than that of the channel, for example, through the use of structural elements, other fluids, and/or applied external fields, etc. In some cases, a Taylor cone may be produced. In another set of embodiments, a fluidic stream may be manipulated in some fashion, for example, to create tubes (which may be hollow or solid), droplets, nested tubes or droplets, arrays of tubes or droplets, meshes of tubes, etc. In some cases, droplets produced using certain embodiments of the invention may be charged or substantially charged, which may allow their further manipulation, for instance, using applied external fields. Non-limiting examples of such manipulations include producing charged droplets, coalescing droplets (especially at the microscale), synchronizing droplet formation, aligning molecules within the droplet, etc. In some cases, the droplets and/or the fluidic streams may include colloids, cells, therapeutic agents, and the like.

A cell culture apparatus, includes a connected culture container including n number of units disposed in parallel along a second direction that is a different direction from a first direction where each of the n number of the units is constituted of m number of culture chambers and one or more communication-channels, the m number of the culture chambers each having a cell-holding portion that holds seeded cells, the m number of the culture chambers storing liquid culture media, the m number of the culture chambers being disposed in parallel along the first direction, the communication-channels communicating the m number of the culture chambers with each other; and a plurality of pneumatic pipes communicating same-row-disposed culture chambers that are disposed on a same row along the second direction with each other in the connected culture container.

The present invention generally relates to microfluidics, and, in particular, to systems and methods for coalescing or fusing droplets. In certain aspects, two or more droplets within a microfluidic channel are brought together and caused to coalesce without using electric fields or charges. For example, in certain embodiments, droplets stabilized with a surfactant may be disrupted, e.g., by exposing the droplets to a solvent able to alter the surfactant, which may partially destabilize the droplets and allow them to coalesce. In some instances, the droplets may also be physically disrupted to facilitate coalesce. In addition, in some cases, the positions of one or more droplets may be controlled within a channel using a groove in a wall of the channel. For example, a droplet may at least partially enter the groove such that the position of the droplet is at least partially controlled by the groove.

Distribution valve comprising: a stationary element comprising a first valve bearing surface, said stationary element comprising a plurality of first fluid ports and at least one second fluid port, each of said fluid ports emerging at said first valve bearing surface and being in fluidic communication with a corresponding conduit provided in said stationary element; a movable element comprising a second valve bearing surface in contact with said first bearing surface, said movable element being arranged to be movable with respect to said stationary element and being arranged to bring at least one of said first ports into fluidic communication with said second port in function of the relative position of said movable element with respect to said stationary element;
characterised in that: said stationary element comprises a mixing chamber in fluidic communication with one of said first fluid ports.

In another embodiment, the mixing chamber can be provided in the movable element rather than in the stationary element.