Disclosed is a bi-directional exhalation valve useful for many applications such as in CPAP devices. The exhalation valve includes a valve body having a center chamber, side chambers, and bidirectional ports coupled to the center chamber via passages and a mechanism that provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in a first mode of operation or fluid egress from the bi-directional valve in a second mode of operation. Unidirectional ports are coupled to the plurality of bidirectional ports to provide providing fluid egress from the valve in the second mode of operation, and a unidirectional port provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in the first mode of operation. A mechanism including a center paddle, side paddles, and a shaft are arranged in an elongated compartment of the valve body, such that the shaft is pivots and the central and side paddles open and close corresponding ones of the input and output ports.

Fluidic multiwell bioreactors are provided as a microphysiological platform for in vitro investigation of multi-organ crosstalks for an extended period of time of at least weeks and months. The disclosed platform is featured with one or more improvements over existing bioreactors, including on-board pumping for pneumatically driven fluid flow, a redesigned spillway for self-leveling from source to sink, a non-contact built-in fluid level sensing device, precise control on fluid flow profile and partitioning, and facile reconfigurations such as daisy chaining and multilayer stacking. The platform supports the culture of multiple organs in a microphysiological, interacted systems, suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications including systemic toxicity studies and physiology-based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic predictions. A process to fabricate the disclosed bioreactors is also provided.

A thermal transpiration device and method of making the same. The device includes a pair of membranes having predetermined thicknesses in order to provide the device with strength and rigidity. The thickness of a portion of each membrane is reduced in the area where thermal transpiration occurs in order to optimize the effectiveness of the thermal transpiration device without scarifying structural integrity of the device.

A micropump configured to control flow of an insulation fluid includes: a rectangular channel 370 configured to have a rectangular shape in which a movement passage of the insulation fluid; a planar electrode forming section 310 configured to be formed inside the rectangular channel and have a planar shape for applying an electric field; an inflow section 320 configured such that the insulation fluid flows in; and an outflow section 330 configured such that the insulation fluid flows out. Since an insulation fluid with low conductivity in a range of 10.sup.−10 to 10.sup.−12 S/m is transported with a simple technical structure without using a complicated component, it is possible to obtain the advantage of cost saving and application to various minute dynamics devices.

A fluid propelling apparatus, including a plastic compound, a MEMS at least partially surrounded by the compound, and a heat sink next to the MEMS, to transfer heat away from the MEMS, wherein the heat sink is at least partly surrounded by the compound.

The invention relates to a ceramic molded article (1) that has recesses (2) and comprises at least two plates (joined parts) (3) made of a ceramic material, i.e. a lower base plate (9), an upper cover plate (8) and, optionally, one or more intermediate plates (7) which are stacked on top of each other and are joined to each other on the surfaces thereof to form the molded article (1); a joining material (paste) is placed between the plates (joined parts) (3).

A device for performing a microfluidic assay on a chip comprising, a microfluidics chip, one or more fluid receptacles on the chip for receiving a fluid, a plurality of pneumatic pumps arrayed on the chip, each pump having a discharge channel leading to a rectifier on the chip, and a reaction chamber in fluid communication with each of the rectifiers, wherein a pressure on the pressurized fluid source drives fluid from the fluid receptacle into the incoming fluid channel connecting the fluid receptacle to the pump, through the pump and into the discharge channel, through the discharge channel to the rectifier, and through the rectifier into the reaction chamber, wherein the pump is configured to generate droplets of a pre-determined size, wherein the rectifiers prevent backflow of the droplets, and wherein droplets are combined in the reaction chamber, the chamber facilitating an assay being performed on the chip.

Microfluidic devices, systems, and methods.

A fluidic chip employing a vacuum void to store vacuum potential for controlled micro-fluidic pumping in conjunction with biomimetic vacuum lungs.

A device (102) for an ocular tonometer comprising a dispenser (106) for dispensing and ejecting at least one liquid droplet (302) to the cornea (304) of an eye from a distance to the eye, wherein the dispenser (106) is arranged to eject the at least one droplet (302) such that the droplet (302) causes applanation to the cornea (304). Corresponding eye pressure measuring device, arrangement and method are also disclosed.