A measurement system for obtaining information about a sample comprises an excitation-beam source configured for irradiating the sample with an excitation-beam. The measurement system comprises a probe unit configured for exposing the sample to a probing radiation or a probing field, and a detection unit configured for obtaining a first information about an interaction of the probing radiation or the probing field with the sample, if a plasmon or plasmon-polariton was excited by the excitation-beam, and obtaining a second information about an interaction of the probing radiation of the probing field with the sample, if a plasmon or plasmon-polariton was not excited by the excitation-beam.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to: sensing and/or authentication using luminescence imaging; diagnostic assays, systems, and related methods; temporal thermal sensing and related methods; and/or to emissive species, such as those excitable by white light, and related systems and methods.

Disclosed herein is a super resolution imaging method and system for obtaining an image in a crystal material and/or device.

Disclosed herein is a super resolution imaging method and system for obtaining an image in a crystal material and/or device.

Cell counting device A cell counting device and a method of using a cell counting device are disclosed. The cell counting device comprises a chamber for receiving a sample, at least one light source to emit light towards a section of the chamber. The section of the chamber comprises a sub-sample of the sample. The cell counting device also comprises a light detector to receive a light emitted from the section of the chamber and to generate an electronic signal associated with the received light, and a controller. The controller is configured to estimate the number of photoactive cells in the sample by calculating the distribution of variable fluorescence [F.sub.v] values of a predetermined number of sub-samples about the mean F.sub.v value.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for determining thermal properties of materials by using frequency modulated pump light intensity to cyclically heat a sample, and using probe light to induce fluorescent signals from fluorescent indicators on the surface of the material during the cyclic 5 heating. The methods and systems utilize the phase delay between the frequency modulated pump light and the corresponding fluorescent signals to determine the thermal properties of the material at one or more locations on the material sample.

A method is provided for verifying the authenticity of an article which bears a security mark. The method includes irradiating the security mark with a time-varying light source, ascertaining at least one portion of the emissions spectrum of the irradiated security mark with at least one photodetector, determining the photoluminescence lifetime of the security mark by monitoring the time or frequency response of the photodetector, and verifying the authenticity of the article only if the security mark exhibits a photoluminescence which has a lifetime that falls within the range of appropriate values for each portion of the photoluminescence spectrum for which the photoluminescence lifetime of said security mark was ascertained.

A method is provided for verifying the authenticity of an article which bears a security mark. The method includes irradiating the security mark with a time-varying light source, ascertaining at least one portion of the emissions spectrum of the irradiated security mark with at least one photodetector, determining the photoluminescence lifetime of the security mark by monitoring the time or frequency response of the photodetector, and verifying the authenticity of the article only if the security mark exhibits a photoluminescence which has a lifetime that falls within the range of appropriate values for each portion of the photoluminescence spectrum for which the photoluminescence lifetime of said security mark was ascertained.

A method of dialysis is provided that includes sensing the concentration of potassium in a patient's blood serum, in used dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The method involves generating a sensed value of the concentration of potassium, comparing the sensed value with one or more values stored in a memory, and generating a control signal based on the comparison. Supplemental potassium solution is infused into the treatment dialysate, based on the control signal. The comparison can be made to patient-historical data, population data, or both.

A method of dialysis is provided that includes sensing the concentration of potassium in a patient's blood serum, in used dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The method involves generating a sensed value of the concentration of potassium, comparing the sensed value with one or more values stored in a memory, and generating a control signal based on the comparison. Supplemental potassium solution is infused into the treatment dialysate, based on the control signal. The comparison can be made to patient-historical data, population data, or both.