Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.

Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.

Portable real-time airborne fungi acquiring and detecting equipment and method are provided, the equipment includes a light source device, a manual constant-flow air pump, an impactor, an airborne fungi enrichment and dyeing device, and a fluorescence data collecting and processing device sequentially connected. The fluorescence detection technology is combined with the microparticle separation technology to develop the portable airborne fungi real-time acquiring and detecting equipment. This equipment improves the complex and extensive collection methods in conventional airborne fungi detection and the demand limitation of independent detection equipment, and realizes the real-time collection and quantification of airborne fungi concentration. Moreover, the equipment has the advantages of small volume, low costs, easy operation and is easy to be prompted.

Embodiments may include a rapid test device that provide rapid detection of substances, including those involved in pathogen infection, for example, using Microscale Affinity Chromatography (MAC), indirect ELISA, and optical molecular sensing technology. For example, in an embodiment, a system may comprise a cartridge comprising a first chamber configured to receive a test sample including a target substance, the first chamber pre-filled with micromagnetic particles treated so as to bind to the target substance, and a first reservoir pre-filled with at least one reagent labeled with at least one fluorescent compound, the reagent adapted to bind to micromagnetic particles that are bound to the target substance, and an apparatus comprising a light source disposed so as to excite the least one fluorescent compound with a light and an optical sensor disposed so as to detect an emitted spectrum of light from the excited least one fluorescent compound.

Disclosed is an apparatus for monitoring bioaerosols, including a capturer configured to capture bioaerosol particles in air in a capture solution; a particle sprayer configured to electro-spray the capture solution in a form of droplets such that the particles are included in at least some of the sprayed droplets; and an analyzer configured to analyze the particles, sprayed through the particle sprayer, by machine learning. In accordance with such a configuration, the droplets containing a certain amount of the particles can be continuously analyzed in real time by machine learning, thereby contributing to the improvement of monitoring efficiency for a specific bioaerosol genus.

A method for detecting concentration of organic particles (14), in particular viruses, with a determined target diameter in air (10) comprises organic and/or inorganic aerosol particles. Aerosol particles contained in the air (10) are bound in a fluid (40), so that said aerosol particles are contained as particles in the fluid (40). The fluid (40) with particles is exposed in measurement chamber (30) to a second light (B) fragmenting the organic particles and/or to an ultrasound (C) fragmenting the organic particles in the fluid (40). Before fragmentation of organic particles, a first light scattering of a first light (A) and after the fragmenting of organic particles, a second light scattering of the first light (A) on the fluid (40) are determined. Using difference between the first light scattering and the second light scatterings, the concentration of the organic particles (14) in the fluid (40) and thus in the air is determined.

The disclosure provides a sample testing method and a sample analyzer, the method including: providing a sample and a reagent, the reagent including at least two fluorescent dyes for staining particles in the sample, wherein an absolute value of a difference between wavelengths corresponding to peaks of emission spectra of the two fluorescent dyes is greater than 30 nanometers and less than 80 nanometers, and an overlap between the emission spectra of the two fluorescent dyes is not greater than 50%; mixing the sample and the reagent to form a sample solution; flowing the sample solution in a flow cell in a single test, irradiating the particles flowing in the flow cell using light with a single wavelength; detecting at least fluorescence signals generated by the particles; and obtaining a test result of the sample based on at least the fluorescence signals.

A method for separating particles in a biofluid includes pretreating the biofluid by introducing an additive, flowing the pretreated biofluid through a microfluidic separation channel, and applying acoustic energy to the microfluidic separation channel. A system for microfluidic separation, capable of separating target particles from non-target particles in a biofluid includes at least one microfluidic separation channel, a source of biofluid, a source of additive, and at least one acoustic transducer coupled to the microfluidic separation channel. A kit for microfluidic particle separation includes a microfluidic separation channel connected to an acoustic transducer, a source of an additive, and instructions for use.

Quantifying nanobubbles in solution includes combining an indicator with a fluid comprising nanobubbles to yield a first solution, bursting the nanobubbles in the first solution to yield a second solution, and assessing a difference between the first solution and the second solution to yield a concentration of the nanobubbles in the first solution, a concentration of reactive oxygen species in the first solution or the second solution, or both.

A particle growth apparatus includes a temperature-controlled humidifier coupled to a water-based condensation growth system. The humidifier may include a tube of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer and surrounded by a region containing water or water vapor. The apparatus includes a wetted wick and wick sensor in the condensation growth system, configured such that the gas sample flows through the sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer tube into the condensation growth system.