Detection apparatus includes a microfluorometer having an objective, an excitation radiation source, and a detector. The detection apparatus also includes a fluidic system for delivering reagents from a reagent cartridge to a flow cell. The fluidic system includes a manifold body having a plurality of fluidic channels configured for fluid communication between the reagent cartridge and the flow cell. The fluidic system also includes a plurality of reagent sippers. The fluidic system also includes a valve configured to mediate fluid between reagent reservoirs and the flow cell. The detection apparatus also includes a flow cell latch clamp module having a clamp cover for holding the flow cell. The objective is configured to direct excitation radiation from the radiation source to the flow cell and to direct emission from the flow cell to the detector. The microfluorometer is movable to acquire wide-field images of different areas of the flow cell.

A method for determining a property of an object positioned on a photo-sensitive polyimide layer, wherein the photo-sensitive polyimide layer is positioned on a lower layer that is a radiation reflecting layer, the method may include illuminating, by an illumination unit, an area of the photo-sensitive polyimide layer with first ultraviolet radiation; sensing, by a first sensor, a first reflected ultraviolet radiation that was reflected from the area; and determining, by a processor, based at least in part on the first reflected ultraviolet radiation, the property of the object.

A high-throughput optofluidic device for detecting fluorescent droplets is disclosed. The device uses time-domain encoded optofluidics to detect a high rate of droplets passing through parallel microfluidic channels. A light source modulated with a minimally correlating maximum length sequences is used to illuminate the droplets as they pass through the microfluidic device. By correlating the resulting signal with the expected pattern, each pattern formed by passing droplets can be resolved to identify individual droplets.

A numerical characterization method for the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes based on fractal dimension is invented. In this method, a SEM image of the dispersion state of carbon nanotube is obtained first, and then is binarized by the ImageJ software to extract the boundary of individual carbon nanotubes or carbon nanotubes agglomerates, and thereby calculating the fractal dimension of the processed image with the assistance of the box-count algorithm. The value of fractal dimension represents quantitatively the abundant information contained in the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes, which is capable of realizing the numerical characterization of the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes. The invention quantifies the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes, and provides a powerful strategy for controlling, comparison and prediction of macro-properties of carbon nanotube based composites.

A detection apparatus, including: a laser configured to emit laser light towards an object to be detected; a Raman spectrometer configured to receive Raman light from the object; an imaging device configured to obtain an image of the object; a light sensor configured to receive light reflected and scattered by the object under irradiation of the laser light, and to determine the power of the received light; and a controller configured to control an operation of the detection apparatus based on the image obtained by the imaging device and the power determined by the light sensor. A detection method using the detection apparatus.

An imaging system for measuring water and blood lipid content in a tissue sample includes a light source configured to emit a plurality of sequential wavelengths of light within a predetermined range of wavelengths, a spatial modulation device configured to direct each of the plurality of sequential wavelengths of light onto a tissue sample plane to generate a first plurality of patterns on the issue sample plane at a first spatial frequency and a second plurality of patterns on the tissue sample plane at a second spatial frequency, an imaging device configured to generate first image data reproducible as images the first plurality of patterns and second image data reproducible as images the second plurality of patterns, and a controller configured to determine a first optical property and a second optical property for each location on the sample plane.

A universal rapid diagnostics test reader is disclosed and described herein that includes a set of control electronics, a digital camera component, an illumination component, a housing component, and a rapid diagnostics test tray, wherein the tray can hold at least one rapid diagnostics test having a shape and a size in a fixed position relative to the digital camera component and the illumination component, and wherein the reader can accommodate more than one different rapid diagnostics test. Methods are also disclosed that include: providing at least one first rapid diagnostics test having a first physical size, first feature and first format; providing at least one second rapid diagnostics test having a second physical size, second feature and second format; inserting the first rapid diagnostics test in a universal rapid diagnostics test reader; analyzing the first rapid diagnostics test using the universal rapid diagnostics test reader; removing the first rapid diagnostics test from the reader; inserting the second rapid diagnostics test in a universal rapid diagnostics test reader without any mechanical adjustments of the reader or without the use of any additional parts or additional inserts; and analyzing the second rapid diagnostics test using the universal rapid diagnostics test reader.

A method for measuring microscopic object velocities in fluid flow in a capillary tube including scanning a microscope focal plane through a fluid filled space for objects, where the scanning follows an interrupted repeating pattern having sub-patterns where the sub-patterns position the microscope focus plane beginning at a selected focus position at a first time and ending at the selected focus position at a later second time. A sensor registers images in image frames during the scanning. A first object image is registered in a first image frame at the selected focus position and a second object image is registered in a second image frame at the selected focus position. The object in the first object image and the second object image are identified as the same object. A processor determines a velocity for the identified object.

Examples relate to a method, an apparatus and a computer program for detecting a presence of airborne particles. A reference measurement of an environment of a depth image sensor module is obtained. The reference measurement is based on a measurement of modulated light in a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. A subsequent measurement of modulated light is obtained in a second time interval. The presence of the airborne particles is detected based on the subsequent measurement of the modulated light, by using the reference measurement performed in the first time interval to disregard all or part of the features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. A signal indicative of one or more properties of the detected airborne particles is generated based on the detected presence of the airborne particles.

An electronic device is for monitoring the visible spectrum of a specified sample with agile monitoring techniques. The device may seek to decouple the sensor from static measurements and allow for dynamic measurements in systems where the response is not wide sense stationary, allowing the end user to aggregate multiple data points or moments in summarizing the health of a larger system. In aquacultures, the device may be capable of functioning as a floating buoy where a chemical sensor with a color response can note readings at multiple points within a stream or water body.