Assays and methods for verifying the validity of a urine sample submitted for Drugs of Abuse (DOA) testing. Embodiments include a SUD Diagnostic Panel that includes six assays: specific gravity index assay, long-duration counterfeit urine assay, short-duration counterfeit urine assay, oxidant history assay, pH assay, and creatinine assay. The SUD Diagnostic Panel detects twelve principle classes of adulteration. Detection of adulteration of one or more urine samples from a patient indicates an attempt to subvert test results and provides an objective indication in one instance and an object diagnosis in another instance of SUD.

A pathogen detection apparatus includes a collector that collects a pathogen in air; a reactor that causes the pathogen collected by the collector to react with a labeled substance; a time measurer that measures time from start of reaction in the reactor; a detector that detects a quantity of labeled substance that has reacted with the pathogen; and a controller. The controller calculates a gradient value on the basis of a predetermined time period from the start of reaction measured by the time measurer and the quantity of labeled substance detected by the detector, and determines, on the basis of the gradient value, a time interval to next collection that is to be performed by the collector.

The invention relates to a method of determining the dissociation rate constant (k.sub.off) of a receptor molecule R on a target cell using a combination of reversible and irreversible cell labeling. The invention further relates to a cell comprising such a receptor molecule R, wherein the cell has bound to it such a combination of cell labeling. The invention further relates to a kit and an apparatus useful in performing the methods of the invention. The invention further relates to a method of isolation a high-avidity T cell.

Disclosed herein is a nanocomposite comprising a core-shell nanoparticle and a core-shell quantum dot. The core-shell nanoparticle comprises a phosphor core, a shell layer, and a cleavable peptide. The core-shell quantum dot comprises a center core, an intermediate layer, an outer layer, a silica layer, and an arginylglycylaspartic acid (RGD) peptide. The core-shell nanoparticle and the core-shell quantum dot are linked to each other via forming a peptide bond between the cleavable peptide and the RGD peptide. Also disclosed are the uses of the nanocomposite in making a diagnosis of tumors.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.

A microbead with a code engraved on an outside of the microbead. The microbead includes a central region and an edge region surrounding the central region. An outer contour of the edge region before and after engraving the code is non-circular. The edge region includes a plurality of coding positions. The code of the microbead is engraved on the plurality of coding positions. Each bit of the code corresponds to each of the plurality of coding positions. The present disclosure increases the utilization rate of the microbead.

A method for analyzing a diagnostic test may include receiving an image depicting a diagnostic test, wherein the diagnostic test comprises a test region indicating a test result, validating quality of the image, locating a test region image portion of the image depicting the test region of the diagnostic test; and predicting the test result based on the test region image portion. Furthermore, a method for facilitating analysis of a diagnostic test may include receiving one or more images depicting one or more control markings on a scan surface, wherein the one or more control markings are representative of one or more predetermined test results for the diagnostic test, and verifying detection of the one or more control markings in the one or more images using at least one computer vision technique.

The present invention relates, in part, to methods and kits for rapidly determining antimicrobial susceptibility of microorganisms.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.