A blood analysis method includes: acquiring optical information which changes over time from a mixed liquid of a blood sample and a reagent for coagulation time measurement after mixing the blood sample and the reagent, and acquiring information related to a coagulation time and information related to a number of platelets in the blood sample based on the acquired optical information.

A method for assessing an effect of hypoxia on a tissue includes providing a sample of the tissue in a hermetically sealed container, determining a first amount of a reaction substrate(e.g., protocatechuic acid) to be introduced into the sealed container and determining a second amount of a reaction enzyme (e.g., protocatechuate dioxygenase) to be introduced into the sealed container. The method further includes introducing the reaction substrate and the reaction enzyme into the sealed container. At least one of the first amount of the reaction substrate and the second amount of the reaction enzyme is selected to induce at least one of a predetermined amount of hypoxia less than anoxia and a predetermined rate of hypoxia in the tissue during a reaction between the reaction substrate and the reaction enzyme. Values of properties of the tissue can be measured before and after the reaction to assess effects of hypoxia.

Multi-stage sample-recovery systems, including automated 2-stage and 3-stage sample-recovery systems, are provided. Such systems enable the rapid screening and recovery of samples, including viable cell-based samples, from high-throughput screening systems, including systems utilizing large-scale arrays of microcapillaries. In specific screening systems, each microcapillary comprises a solution containing a variant protein, an immobilized target molecule, and a reporter element. Immobilized target molecules may include any molecule of interest, including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and other biomolecules. The association of a variant protein with a molecular target is assessed by measuring a signal from the reporter element. The contents of microcapillaries identified in the assays as containing variant proteins of interest can be identified and recovered using the multi-stage systems disclosed herein.

Methods and systems are described for quantifying peroxyacid in a fluid by using spectrophotometry. Peroxyacid in the fluid is reacted with an iodide reagent and the absorbance of the reaction solution is measured. The absorbance can be measured at or near the isosbectic wavelength of iodine and triiodide, and the assay is useful to quantify peroxyacid that is present at high levels in fluids.

In acquisition of spatial transcriptomic information, a plurality of images representing a common field of view of a sample are obtained and registered. Each pixel of the registered images is decoded by identifying a code word from a plurality of code words in a code book that provides a best match to data values in the plurality of registered images for the pixel. For each code word identified as a best match and each pixel, whether a bit ratio for an image word for the pixel meets a threshold for the code word is determined. The image word is formed from the data values in the plurality of registered images for the pixel. For at least one pixel that is determined to meet the threshold, a gene associated with the code word is determined. Pixels for which the bit ratio does not meet the threshold are screened.

In a fluorescent in-situ hybridization imaging system performs, as nested loops, the following: (1) a valve sequentially couples a flow cell to a plurality of different reagent sources to expose the sample to a plurality of different reagents, (2) for each reagent of the plurality of different reagents, a motor sequentially positions the fluorescence microscope relative to sample at a plurality of different fields of view, (3) for each field of view of the plurality of different fields of view, a variable frequency excitation light source sequentially emits a plurality of different wavelengths, (4) for each wavelength of the plurality of different wavelengths, an actuator sequentially positions the fluorescence microscope relative to sample at a plurality of different vertical heights, and (5) for each vertical height of the plurality of different vertical heights, an image is obtained.

For acquisition of spatial transcriptomic information, one or more filters are applied to deconvolution is performed on each image of a plurality of images to generate a plurality of filtered images, and registration of the plurality of filtered images is performed to generate a plurality of registered and filtered images. For each pixel of at least two pixels of the plurality of registered and filtered images, the pixel is decoded by identifying a code word from a plurality of code words in a code book that provides a best match to data values in the plurality of registered and filtered images for the pixel. For each pixel of at least two pixels, a gene is associated with the code word is determined and an indication that the gene is expressed at the pixel is stored.

A fluorescent in-situ hybridization imaging and analysis system includes a flow cell to contain a sample to be exposed to fluorescent probes in a reagent, a fluorescence microscope to obtain sequentially collect a plurality of images of the sample at a plurality of different combinations of imaging parameters, and a data processing system. The data processing system includes an online pre-processing system configured to sequentially receive the images from the fluorescence microscope as the images are collected and perform on-the-fly image pre-processing to remove experimental artifacts of the image and to provide RNA image spot sharpening, and an offline processing system configured to, after the plurality of images are collected, perform registration of images having a same field of view and to decode intensity values in the plurality of images to identify expressed genes.

The invention provides an in vitro method for the determination of sun protection factor (SPF), in order to gain reproducibility and accuracy and replace the use of tests on living beings. Natural substrates of the human skin, like hyaluronic acid are tested in the form of solutions or in the form of a solid film in a modified spectrophotometer, at concentrations below 1% w/v. Once calibrated, the method is used to corroborate the protection factor offered by commercial sunscreens.

In a starch concentration measurement, a liquid sample is conducted from a liquid sample such as pulp suspension or filtrate of a paper, board or tissue process. An iodine solution is added to the sample, and a light absorbance or transmittance of the sample is measured at a wavelength longer than about 650 nm, for example longer than about 700 nm. The measured absorbance or transmittance of the sample is converted into the starch concentration of the sample by a predefined correlation between a starch concentration and a light absorbance or transmittance.