An apparatus for manipulating particles within a fluid sample includes a substrate having a substrate surface. A surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator generates a SAW within a SAW region of the substrate surface. The SAW has an SAW direction aligned with a pressure node. A channel is configured to receive the fluid sample and the fluid sample has a flow direction which is at an oblique angle to the SAW direction.

The disclosure describes a prism containing a microfluidic channel. By coupling bulk acoustic wave generators to opposing sides of the prism, a standing bulk acoustic wave field can be excited in the prism and in the microfluidic channel. Because the microfluidic channel is titled with respect to the nodes of the bulk acoustic wave field, the prism microfluidic channel device can be used to separate microparticles and biological cells by size, compressibility, density, shape, or mass distribution. This technology enables high throughput cell sorting for biotechnology applications such as cancer cell detection.

Provided is an airborne microbial measurement apparatus and a method of measuring the same. The airborne microbial measurement apparatus includes a particle separation device comprising an introduction part for introducing air and a nozzle part disposed on one side of the introduction part, a microbial particle passage through which microbial particles in the air passing through an inner passage of the nozzle part flow, an air particle passage through which air particles in the air passing through an outer space of the nozzle part flow, a collection device communicating with the microbial particle passage, the collection device comprising a filter part onto which the microbial particles are collected, and a luminescence measurement device dispose on one side of the collection device to detect an amount or intensity of light emitted from the microbial particles collected onto the filter part.

A processing device of a particle detection system causes a distribution unit of the particle detection system to initiate a particle collection process to dislodge surface particles from a surface of an article based on a stream including solid carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) particles and/or CO.sub.2 droplets directed toward the article. A portion of the dislodged surface particles are collected by a particle sampling component that determines, for collected particles and in real-time, a particle number concentration, a particle size, and/or a particle size distribution. A determination is made based on a signal received by the particle sampling component that the at least one of the particle number concentration, the particle size, or the particle size distribution of the portion of the dislodged surface particles satisfies one or more collection criteria. The processing device causes the distribution unit of the particle detection system to terminate the particle collection process.

A microfluidic device and a method for sensing and sorting of cells or particles in a microfluidic channel are disclosed. The microfluidic device may include a substrate with a microfluidic channel having an inlet, the microfluidic channel being coupled with two or more output channels; one or more sensors located adjacent to a first region of the microfluidic channel for sensing respective particles flown through the microfluidic channel; and a first piezoelectric actuator located adjacent to a second region of the microfluidic channel downstream from the first region for deflecting the respective particles flowing through the microfluidic channel to respective output channels of the two or more output channels based on signals from the one or more sensors.

An automated method for analyzing seeds generally includes collecting image data from individual seeds using a seed sampling system, determining at least one characteristic of each of the individual seeds based on the collected image data, and removing tissue from each of the individual seeds using the seed sampling system. The method also includes, prior to removing the tissue sample from each of the individual seeds, adjusting at least one operational parameter of the seed sampling system based on the at least one characteristic of the seed from which the tissue is to be removed to thereby allow for generally consistent removal of tissue from each of the individual seeds. In some aspects, the method further includes analyzing the tissue removed from the seeds for presence or absence of at least one characteristic, and selecting seeds based on presence or absence of the at least one characteristic.

The present disclosure provides a particle sorting apparatus, a particle sorting method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program that enable sorting object particles to be sorted with high precision, even when the sorting object particles are large. In the particle sorting apparatus, a charging unit that applies charges to at least a part of liquid droplets ejected from an orifice to generate a fluid stream and a charging control unit that adjusts a charge application end time in the charging unit according to sizes of particles included in the liquid droplets are provided.

A particle sensing system which includes a plurality of micro-lenses which focus light from an unfocused or loosely focused light source onto a corresponding plurality of focus regions on a surface containing plasmonic structures. The absorption of light by the plasmonic structures in the focus regions results in heat dissipation in the plasmonic structures and consequently increases surface temperature in the focus regions. When an electrical field is applied to a sample fluid in contact with the surface, multiple electrothermal flows are induced in the fluid which rapidly transport suspended particles to the focus regions on the surface. The particles can then be captured and/or sensed.

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.

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.