The discrimination ability of a chemical sensing cross-reactive arrays is enhanced by constructing sensing elements in two dimensions, first in the x-y plane of the substrate, second in the z dimension so that the sensors are vertically stacked on top of one another. Stacking sensing elements on top of one another adds to the discrimination ability by enabling the characteristic measurement of how fast target chemicals are passing through the stack of sensors. The new invention also allows the ability to discriminate components in a sample mixture by separating them using their innate difference in diffusional rates. Multi-sensor response patterns at each z level of sensors and time delay information from the sample passing from one level to the next are used to generate the response vector. The response vector is used to identify individual component samples and components in a mixture sample.

The invention relates to an optical measurement method and to an optical measurement device for determining the spatial or spatiotemporal distribution of a sample, the sample comprising at least one retransmission source, said at least one retransmission source retransmitting light depending on the projected light, according to a predetermined law, onto the sample, the method comprising: the projection onto the sample of at least two compact light distributions belonging to different topological families, which propagate along the same optical path, the detection of the light retransmitted by said at least one retransmission source of the sample; the generation of at least one optical image from the detected light; and the algorithmic analysis of the optical images for obtaining location data on said at least one retransmission source.

A device (10) for detecting the presence of at least one microorganism in the contents (101, 201) of a container (100, 200) comprising a wall with a translucent zone, said detection device (10) comprising: a) at least one light source (11), such as a light-emitting diode (LED), capable of illuminating the contents of the container (100, 200) by emitting an excitation light beam through the translucent zone of the container (100, 200); b) at least one detection means (12, 13, 14, 15), such as a photodiode, for detecting at least one reaction light beam emitted in response to the illumination of the contents (101, 201) of the container (100, 200);
said at least one light source (11) and said at least one detection means (12, 13, 14, 15) being equipped with at least one connection means (105, 205), to connect said at least one light source (11) and said at least one detection means (12, 13, 14, 15) to the wall of the container (100, 200), in the translucent zone, said at least one detection means (12, 13, 14, 15) being positioned at an angle of a set value in relation to the direction of the excitation light beam, to detect the reaction light beam.

A method of setting a laser-light intensity value includes: emitting laser light, the laser light being excitation light, a fluorescent-dyed biological sample being irradiated with the excitation light and emitting light; detecting fluorescence emitted by the biological sample, and outputting a signal corresponding to a brightness value; prestoring relation information, the relation information including the plurality of laser-light intensity values, and information on at least one possible correlation between a phototoxicity degree and the brightness value in relation to each of the laser-light intensity values, the phototoxicity to the biological sample resulting from the laser light; generating a fluorescence image having the brightness value based on the output signal; calculating a brightness value representative of a ROI area based on the generated fluorescence image; and referring to the relation information, and determining a laser-light intensity value satisfying tolerance of the phototoxicity based on the calculated representative brightness value.

The present invention concerns a method for determining at least one absorption band in a spectrum, the method at least comprising the steps of:—providing a measured absorption spectrum from the sample,—providing a calculation spectrum,—from the calculation spectrum, extracting at least one absorption band,—calculating a residual spectrum by removing each extracted absorption band from the calculation spectrum, testing whether a predefined stop criterion is fulfilled by the residual spectrum,—if the stop criterion is not fulfilled, using the residual spectrum as the calculation spectrum and iterating the extracting step, the forming step, the calculating step and the testing step, and—if the stop criterion is fulfilled, outputting each extracted absorption band.

The present invention relates to a method for dynamically determining the structural profile of a fibrin clot, reflecting the stability thereof in a biological sample of a patient. The method preferably includes a step that makes it possible to predict the risk of bleeding, thrombosis or rethrombosis and to select the anticoagulant that is best suited to the clinical situation of a patient.

An active remote sensing system is provided with an array of laser diodes that generate light directed to an object having one or more optical wavelengths that include at least one near-infrared wavelength between 600 nanometers and 1000 nanometers. One of the laser diodes pulses at a modulation frequency between 10 Megahertz and 1 Gigahertz and has a phase associated with the modulation frequency. A detection system includes a photo-detector, a lens, a spectral filter at an input to the photo-detector, and a processor that processes digitized signals received from the photo-detector to generate an output signal. The detection system uses a lock-in technique that synchronizes pulsing the one laser diode. The active remote sensing system is configured to be mounted on a vehicle or an airborne platform to provide distance information based on a time-of-flight measurement.

The present invention relates to a method for providing information on the presence of viral infection, comprising: a first step of preparing a dried tear sample on a substrate; a second step of measuring a Raman spectrum from the dried tear sample; a third step of extracting Gaussian sub-peaks by deconvolution of the measured Raman spectrum; a fourth step of deriving a log value for the relative intensity ratio of a peak corresponding to an amide III β-sheet and a peak corresponding to C—H deformation; and a fifth step of determining the sample as normal if the derived value is positive and as infected if the derived value is negative.

Disclosed are improved integrated computational elements for use in optical computing devices. One integrated computational element includes an optical substrate, first and second pluralities of optical thin film layers alternatingly deposited on the optical substrate to form a thin film stack, wherein each optical thin film layer of the first plurality exhibits a first refractive index and each optical thin film layer of the second plurality exhibits a second refractive index different than the first refractive index, and at least one additional optical thin film layer arranged in or on the thin film stack and in optical communication with at least one of the optical thin film layers of the first and second pluralities, the at least one additional optical thin film layer exhibiting a third refractive index that is different than the first and second refractive indices.

A method of determining an absorption or turbidity coefficient of a liquid involves storing a set of data describing a plurality of droplets or other discrete bodies of liquid of different shapes, sizes and absorption or turbidity coefficients. Each body is captured as a combination of a measurable transmission parameter obtained by modelling the interaction of light with a drop, and of one or more dimensional measurements selected from lengths, areas and volumes. The absorption or turbidity coefficient is indicated also. By measuring the transmission of light through a real body of liquid, and making measurements allowing the droplet to be specified, the absorption or turbidity coefficient associated with a droplet giving rise to the same behaviour in transmitting light can be identified from the data set.