A gaseous-fluid environmental sensor having a gaseous-fluid flow system. The gaseous-fluid flow system includes a blower to move the gaseous fluid from a inlet intake port to an outlet exhaust port via a flow path. The blower includes a motor, which can have a fluid dynamic bearing. The gaseous-fluid environmental sensor further includes a flow sensor to sense a parameter relating to a flow of the gaseous fluid through the flow path and provide a signal based on the parameter, and a controller coupled to the flow sensor. The controller controls the blower based on the signal.

The invention is related to a device and method for analysing and controlling cell motility. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there if provided a microfluidic device for analyzing and controlling the motility of a cell, the device comprising: (a) a first inlet for introducing a cell sample; (b) an outlet for discharging the cell sample; (c) a microfluidic channel in fluid communication with and intermediate the first inlet and outlet; (d) a first pump coupled to the first inlet for pumping the cell sample in the microfluidic channel; and (d) an observation area within a portion of the microfluidic channel for analysing and controlling the motility of the cell, wherein the first pump generates a shear stress in the observation area, the shear stress generates a shearotactical signal for driving movement of the cell.

A method and apparatus for sizing and imaging an analyte. The apparatus including an electromagnetic resonator, an input port, an output port, a microfluidic substrate, and a microfluidic channel having a first fluid port and a second fluid port wherein a first analyte species is manipulated and analyzed within the microfluidic channel. The electromagnetic resonator further including at least one ground plane for the electromagnetic resonator, and at least one signal path for the electromagnetic resonator.

The present invention provides a magnetophorisis measuring system, comprising a microscope device, a magnetic field generator, an image capturing unit, and a processing unit. The microscope device is utilized to magnify a sample liquid having a plurality of objects respectively having a plurality of magnetic particles. The magnetic field generator is utilized to provide an external magnetic field on the sample liquid such that the objects are moved by the external magnetic field. The image capturing unit is utilized to capture a dynamic image with respect to the fluid sample in a view field of the microscope device. The processing unit receives the dynamic image, automatically detects and locks moving objects, determines a motion status corresponding to each object, and quantifies the magnetic particles according to motion status of each object.

Disclosed is a system for estimating a snow depth including: an optical disdrometer for acquiring information on diameters of snow particles and particle number concentration; a laser snow depth gauge for measuring the height of snow accumulated through a laser beam type sensor to provide an observed stop depth; an estimated snow depth equation calculator for determining an optimal index for the diameters of the snow particles provided by the optical disdrometer, substituting the optimal index for a snow depth calculation equation as a first mathematical equation to calculate a computed snow depth, obtaining correlation between the observed snow depth and the computed snow depth, and calculating a regression equation between the observed snow depth and the computed snow depth as an estimated snow depth equation; and a snow depth estimator for estimating the snow depth on the basis of the estimated snow depth equation, and the first mathematical equation.

To provide a particle size measuring device that enables simple in-line measurement of the particle size even in a case of nano-sized particles during dispersion. Provided is a particle size measuring device which measures the particle size of particles that perform Brownian motion in a dispersion medium. The particle size measuring device includes a transparent column which accommodates a dispersion medium therein; a laser light irradiating unit which irradiates the dispersion medium in the column with laser light; an imaging unit which includes a camera that images the dispersion medium in the column; an image analyzing unit which acquires a displacement of corresponding particles from at least a plurality of images captured at a predetermined time interval t; and a calculating unit which calculates the particle size based on the fact that a root mean square value of the displacement is proportional to k.sub.BT/3d where k.sub.B represents a Boltzmann constant, T represents an absolute temperature, represents a viscosity coefficient of the dispersion medium, and d represents the particle size.

In a method for determining charge and/or size of an object (15) suspended in a fluid, the object (15) is introduced, together with the fluid, into an electrostatic trap (1) defining an electrostatic confining potential. The thermal motion of the object (15) in the fluid is observed under influence of the confining potential, and charge and/or size are determined from the observed thermal motion. In particular, the viscous drag on the object yields a measure of its size, while the stiffness of its confinement can be compared with a potential model to reveal the total charge it carries. Also disclosed are an apparatus and software for carrying out the method.

A light-trapping cancer cell stage testing method includes: measuring a first average escape velocity or range of first cancer cells and a second average escape velocity or range of second cancer cells whose stage is known and differ from that of the first cancer cells and whose types are known; utilizing the first average escape velocity and the second average escape velocity to calculate a reference ratio to build a database; selecting stage-unknown cancer cells and measuring an escape velocity of the stage-unknown cancer cells (type-known); utilizing the escape velocity of the stage-unknown cancer cells and an escape velocity of reference-stage cancer cells to calculate a ratio; and determining a stage of the stage-unknown cancer cells with a result comparing the ratio of the escape velocities for the stage-unknown cancer cells with the reference ratios stored in the database.

Embodiments disclose a device for testing biological specimen. The device includes a sample carrier and a detachable cover. The sample carrier includes a specimen holding area. The detachable cover is placed on top of the specimen holding area. The detachable cover includes a magnifying component configured to align with the specimen holding area. The focal length of the magnifying component is from 0.1 mm to 8.5 mm. The magnifying component has a linear magnification ratio of at least 1. Some embodiments further include a multi-camera configuration. These embodiments include a first camera module and a second camera module arranged to capture one or more images of the first holding area and the second holding area, respectively. The processor may perform different analytic processes on the captured images of different holding areas to determine an outcome with regard to the biological specimen.

A microparticle detection system includes a stage unit including a mounting surface on which a fluid device having a flow path through which a sample containing microparticles is movable is capable of being mounted, an emission unit configured to emit illumination light to the flow path, an imaging unit configured to image scattered light generated from microparticles in the sample when illumination light is emitted, an identification unit configured to identify the microparticles included in the image for each of the microparticles on the basis of the image captured by the imaging unit, a particle size determination unit configured to determine a particle size of the microparticle for each of the microparticles identified by the identification unit, a zeta potential determination unit configured to determine a zeta potential of the microparticle for each of the microparticles identified by the identification unit, and a correlation unit configured to associate the particle size for each of the microparticles determined by the particle size determination unit with the zeta potential for each of the microparticles determined by the zeta potential determination unit for each of the microparticles.