A nebulizer for a charged aerosol detection (CAD) system is disclosed. The nebulizer is provided with a spray emitter for generating a spray of droplets within a central region of a spray chamber. The central region is separated from an upper region by a horizontally projecting rib, which defines a passageway between the central and upper regions. The major direction of droplet travel within the upper region is substantially reversed with respect to the major direction of droplet travel within the central region. Larger droplets are unable to negotiate the turn from the central to upper regions and impinge on a rear surface of the spray chamber. Removal of larger droplets has the advantageous effect of enabling the detector to sense a smaller range of particle sizes, which establishes a relatively steady electrical current at the detector.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a particle detection device and a particle detection method that can individually and continuously detect a wide range of particles. The objective is achieved by a particle detection device including: a particle separation channel through which particles are separated according to particle sizes in a perpendicular direction to the flow of fluid; and two or more particle recovery channels that are connected to and branched from the particle separation channel, in which each of the particle recovery channels includes a particle detection unit that includes an aperture and an electric detector.

A seed sampling system is provided comprising an automated seed loading assembly operable to singulate seeds from a plurality of seeds or enable loading of individually stored seeds and an automated seed sampling assembly comprising at least one sampling module operable to remove tissue samples from one of the singulated seeds. The system also includes an automated seed transport assembly comprising at least one retention member operable to transfer the singulated seeds from at least one elevator unit of the seed loading assembly to the at least one sampling module of the seed sampling assembly. In connection therewith, the at least one sampling module includes multiple sampling locations, each associated with a sampler, where the at least one sampling module is operable to remove tissue samples from seeds at one of sampling locations while another one of the sampling locations is cleaned to remove residual seed tissue therefrom.

The present invention is to facilitate analysis of a plurality of analysis items. A cell analysis method for analyzing cells is provided in which data for analysis of cells contained in a sample are generated, and an artificial intelligence algorithm to be the input destination of the generated analysis data is selected from among a plurality of artificial intelligence algorithms, data indicating the properties of the cells are generated based on the analysis data via the artificial intelligence algorithm.

A system and method for detecting particles in a fluidic medium using a microfluidic sensor is described. The system utilises microfluidic channels though which the fluidic medium is passed. On one section of the microfluidic channel, an array of non-flexible electrodes are coupled with uniform spacing therebetween. On the opposing section of the channel, a flexible electrode is coupled and all electrodes are connected to an electrical analyser which is used to generate an electrical field inside the microfluidic channel with the flexible electrode acting as ground. The flexible electrode is actuated by different means to narrow the width of the microfluidic in the section of interest and to capture the particle between the section, where sectional scans of the particles are obtained and electrical properties of the particle are measured, thereby detecting the particles in the fluidic medium.

Disclosed herein is a method comprising directing, from a distribution unit, a stream comprising at least one of solid CO.sub.2 particles or CO.sub.2 droplets toward an article, wherein the article comprises a plurality of surface particles, and wherein the stream comprising at least one of solid CO.sub.2 particles or CO.sub.2 droplets causes at least a portion of the plurality of surface particles on the article to dislodge from the surface of the article; collecting, on a surface of a substrate having a pre-determined initial state comprising initial surface particles on the surface of the substrate or a real-time aerosol sampling unit, at least some of the portion of the plurality of surface particles dislodged from the surface of the article; analyzing the surface of the substrate after performing the collecting; and determining at least one of a size, a morphology, a chemical composition, a particle number concentration, or a particle size distribution of the portion of the plurality of surface particles that were dislodged from the surface of the article and collected on the surface of the substrate.

A powder dispersing device of a powder particle size distribution measuring equipment has a base, an elastic force generating assembly and a first housing. The elastic force generating assembly includes a bumping piece, a force applying board and a power transmission assembly. Two ends of the power transmission assembly are respectively connected to the bumping piece and the force applying board. When the force applying board is applied with a first displacement, the power transmission assembly actuates the bumping piece to generate a second displacement which enables the bumping piece to have a first elastic force. The first housing is formed with a through hole on a side surface for one end of the force applying board to extend out. The first elastic force of the bumping piece triggers the bumping piece to strike on any surface facing toward the inside of the first housing and touching the other end of the bumping piece.

Disclosed is an integrated biocontainment cell sorter that isolates portions of the cell sorter that can create contamination. Two containment systems are utilized. A main cabinet containment system contains input samples. An aerosol management containment area includes a nozzle chamber with a nozzle and a sort chamber with sort plates and collection media that collect a droplet stream from the nozzle. The main cabinet is maintained at a first low pressure and clean air is recirculated under a positive pressure. The aerosol management containment area is kept at a second low pressure, which is lower than the first pressure, so that contamination does not leak from the aerosol management containment area into the main cabinet containment area. A sliding sash window is located over an access opening in the main cabinet and can be moved to access different portions of the main cabinet without changing the substantially constant first low pressure in the main cabinet.

A particle sensing device is disclosed for sensing particles entrained in a gas. Gas having entrained particles with a distribution of particle sizes including a first size range (e.g. PM2.5) and a second size range (e.g. PM10), larger than the first size range, flows in a sampling volume. A thermophoretic impulse is applied to the entrained particles. The device has a first sensing region with a first sensor, downstream of the thermophoretic impulse region. The thermophoretic impulse, the flow of gas and gravity combine to cause at least some of the particles to follow respective trajectories within the sampling volume. The device also has an interception region, interposed between the thermophoretic impulse region and the first sensing region. An interception unit is located to intercept the respective trajectories of particles of the second size range but not respective trajectories of particles of the first size range. The first sensor element is located to intercept the respective trajectories of particles of the first size range and to detect particles of the first size range.

A condensation particle counter includes a saturation section, an aerosol inlet assigned to the saturation section, a condensation section, a measuring section for condensation particles, and an outlet section. The aerosol inlet allows a flow of an aerosol loaded with particles. Each of the condensation section, the measuring section and the outlet section are arranged downstream of the saturation section. A critical nozzle is arranged in the outlet section. The critical nozzle includes a critical nozzle inlet. A pump suctions the aerosol. An outlet line extends from the critical nozzle to the pump. A valve device is arranged in the outlet line between the critical nozzle and the pump. A pressure measuring device is arranged upstream of the critical nozzle inlet. The outlet line is entirely closed or partially closed by the valve device depending on a measurement value of the pressure measuring device.