The subject disclosure presents systems and computer-implemented methods for evaluating a tissue sample that has been removed from a subject. A change in speed of the energy traveling through the sample is evaluated to monitor changes in the biological sample during processing. The rate of change in the speed of the energy is correlated with the extent of diffusion. A system for performing the method can include a transmitter that outputs the energy and a receiver configured to detect the transmitted energy. A time-of-flight of acoustic waves and rate of change thereof is monitored to determine an optimal time for soaking the tissue sample in a fixative.

A diffusion cell includes: a donor chamber having bottom; a receptor chamber below and in fluid communication with the donor chamber, and having upper and lower ends; a membrane between and in contact with the bottom of the donor chamber and upper end of the receptor chamber, and adapted to diffuse some of the media in a liquid from the donor chamber to the receptor chamber; a conduit having a first port near the lower end of the receptor chamber and a second port above the first port and near the upper end of the receptor chamber; and a bubble trap in fluid communication with the upper end of the receptor chamber and having a third port higher than the second port; wherein circulation of a flow of fluid through the conduit and the receptor chamber removes bubbles from underneath the membrane and transports bubbles to the bubble trap.

A diffusion cell includes: a donor chamber having bottom; a receptor chamber below and in fluid communication with the donor chamber, and having upper and lower ends; a membrane between and in contact with the bottom of the donor chamber and upper end of the receptor chamber, and adapted to diffuse some of the media in a liquid from the donor chamber to the receptor chamber; a conduit having a first port near the lower end of the receptor chamber and a second port above the first port and near the upper end of the receptor chamber; and a bubble trap in fluid communication with the upper end of the receptor chamber and having a third port higher than the second port; wherein circulation of a flow of fluid through the conduit and the receptor chamber removes bubbles from underneath the membrane and transports bubbles to the bubble trap.

Assessing an interaction between solid particles and a thermoplastic material in which the solid particles are dispersed includes combining a thermoplastic material with a multiplicity of solid particles to yield a heterogeneous mixture, processing the heterogeneous mixture to yield an unconditioned sample, conditioning the unconditioned sample to yield a conditioned sample, subjecting the conditioned sample to a ramping shear rate from an initial shear rate to a final shear rate, assessing a viscosity of the conditioned sample at a plurality of shear rates between the initial shear rate and the final shear rate, and assessing a value of a slope of a shear-thinning region for the unconditioned sample using a power-law equation.

A diffusion cell includes: a donor chamber having bottom; a receptor chamber below and in fluid communication with the donor chamber, and having upper and lower ends; a membrane between and in contact with the bottom of the donor chamber and upper end of the receptor chamber, and adapted to diffuse some of the media in a liquid from the donor chamber to the receptor chamber; a conduit having a first port near the lower end of the receptor chamber and a second port above the first port and near the upper end of the receptor chamber; and a bubble trap in fluid communication with the upper end of the receptor chamber and having a third port higher than the second port; wherein circulation of a flow of fluid through the conduit and the receptor chamber removes bubbles from underneath the membrane and transports bubbles to the bubble trap.

A diffusion cell includes: a donor chamber having bottom; a receptor chamber below and in fluid communication with the donor chamber, and having upper and lower ends; a membrane between and in contact with the bottom of the donor chamber and upper end of the receptor chamber, and adapted to diffuse some of the media in a liquid from the donor chamber to the receptor chamber; a conduit having a first port near the lower end of the receptor chamber and a second port above the first port and near the upper end of the receptor chamber; and a bubble trap in fluid communication with the upper end of the receptor chamber and having a third port higher than the second port; wherein circulation of a flow of fluid through the conduit and the receptor chamber removes bubbles from underneath the membrane and transports bubbles to the bubble trap.

Disclosed is a method for evaluating liquid leakage properties of water-absorbing resin particles. The method includes, in the following order: disposing a water-absorbing layer formed from the water-absorbing resin particles along an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane; injecting a test solution which is in the form of liquid droplets and contains water into the water-absorbing layer exposed; and measuring a diffusion distance which is a distance in which the test solution injected into the water-absorbing layer diffuses along the inclined plane in a predetermined time. An angle of inclination formed by the horizontal plane and the inclined plane is 25 degrees or larger and 40 degrees or smaller.

Disclosed is a method for evaluating liquid leakage properties of water-absorbing resin particles. The method includes, in the following order: disposing a water-absorbing layer formed from the water-absorbing resin particles along an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane; injecting a test solution which is in the form of liquid droplets and contains water into the water-absorbing layer exposed; and measuring a diffusion distance which is a distance in which the test solution injected into the water-absorbing layer diffuses along the inclined plane in a predetermined time. An angle of inclination formed by the horizontal plane and the inclined plane is 25 degrees or larger and 40 degrees or smaller.

The present invention relates to a method of measuring the diffusion coefficient of water in a porous medium. The coefficient is measured using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique (2, 3, 4) and the sample (1) has the shape of a hollow cylinder.

The present invention relates to a method of measuring the diffusion coefficient of water in a porous medium. The coefficient is measured using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique (2, 3, 4) and the sample (1) has the shape of a hollow cylinder.