Provided are an automatic tissue staining device and an automatic tissue staining method capable of advancing treatments according to precise treatment times without a hitch. The automatic tissue staining device includes a supply head that supplies a treatment fluid, a horizontal direction movement unit that moves the supply head in a horizontal direction, and a holding unit that holds a plurality of glass slides on which samples are set. The automatic tissue staining device further includes a control unit that judges occupancy status of the horizontal direction movement unit in a condition that one or more of the glass slides are situated in a first region prior to supplying the treatment fluid from the supply head to one or more samples on the one or more glass slides situated in the first region, suspends a start of a treatment for the samples on the one or more glass slides situated in the first region when the horizontal direction movement unit is occupied, and permits the treatment for the samples on the one or more glass slides situated in the first region when the horizontal direction movement unit is not occupied.

A parallel preceding system for processing samples is described. In one embodiment, the parallel processing system includes an instrument interface parallel controller to control a tray motor driving system, a close-loop heater control and detection system, a magnetic particle transfer system, a reagent release system, a reagent pre-mix pumping system and a wash buffer pumping system.

A method for detecting a volatile analyte to class and sort cork stoppers depending on concentration of the analyte, detection being performed of concentrations in the order of ng/L (parts per trillion), in a concentrated gas applied to the cork stoppers in closed containment. Under said method, cork stoppers are conveyed individually or groups to an incubation chamber (1); air/nitrogen is injected into the incubation chamber (1), the gas enriched with cork volatile compounds is entrained and carried to the concentration system containing a trap (4) heated by desorption of volatile compounds; the volatile compounds are carried by entraining gas to a detection system (6) recording a signal associated with presence of the analyte, the signal being used for classing the stopper/groups of stoppers; a software receives and compares the signal with a minimum limit, deciding to approve or reject the stopper. A system for implementing this method is described.

The invention provides a version of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in which all the steps are performed at physiological temperatures, i.e., body temperature, to detect and identify pathogenic bacteria in clinical samples. Methods of the invention use species-specific fluorescent probes to label clinically important infectious bacteria. A sample such as a urine sample is loaded into a cartridge, fluorescently labeled, and imaged with a microscope. Labelled bacteria are pulled down onto an imaging surface and a dye cushion is used to keep unbound probes off of the imaging surface. A microscopic image of the surface shows whether and in what quantities the infectious bacteria are present in the clinical sample.

To minimize cross talk in systems and methods for detecting two or more different optical signals emitted from each of a plurality of reaction receptacles, an excitation signal associated with each of the optical signals has a known excitation frequency, and any detected signal having a frequency that is inconsistent with the excitation frequency is discarded. The receptacles are moved relative to optical sensors configured to detect each unique optical signal from an associated receptacle, and to further minimize cross talk, the optical sensors are arranged so that only one reaction receptacle at a time is in a signal detecting position with respect to one of its associated optical sensors, and the optical sensors are grouped by the optical signal they are configured to detect so that a first optical signal is detected from each of the reaction receptacles before a second optical signal is detected from the reaction receptacles.

The automatic analysis device includes an evaporative concentration unit configured to perform a concentration process of evaporating an extract solution obtained by extracting a component to be analyzed in a sample to concentrate the component to be analyzed; an analysis unit configured to analyze the component to be analyzed of the sample; and a control unit configured to control operations of the analysis unit and the evaporative concentration unit. The control unit determines whether to perform an evaporative concentration process on a component to be analyzed in the sample, and controls the evaporative concentration unit to concentrate a component to be analyzed in a sample which is determined to be subjected to an evaporative concentration process. The sample to be subjected to the evaporative concentration process is stored, and the control unit selects whether to perform the evaporative concentration on each sample or not based on stored content.

The present teachings relate to methods, systems, and kits for the preparation, purification and/or analysis of a glycan or glycoconjugate, and specifically to a magnetic bead based sample preparation protocol. In some aspects, the sample preparation protocol can provide for glycoconjugate capture, glycan release, fluorescent derivatization, and glycan purification for subsequent capillary electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, or other glycoanalytical method using magnetic beads containing negatively charged carboxyl groups extending from the surface of the magnetic beads.

A method and system for automatic in-vitro diagnostic analysis are described. The method includes adding a first reagent type and a second reagent type to a first test liquid during a first and second cycle times respectively. The addition of the first reagent type to the first test liquid includes parallel addition of a second reagent type to a second test liquid during the first cycle time. The addition of the second reagent type to the first test liquid includes parallel addition of a first reagent type to a third test liquid during the second cycle time, respectively.

A reaction vessel capable of measuring a light amount from a reaction liquid without degrading a function of maintaining the reaction vessel at a predetermined temperature is provided. A reaction vessel including a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis, in which an overall length in a first axis direction is longer than an overall length in a second axis direction and an overall length in a third axis direction, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis and the third axis being perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis. The reaction vessel includes: an opening part which dispenses a liquid at a portion on one end side in the first axis direction; a first flat surface and a second flat surface which is substantially parallel to the first flat surface.

Described is a lateral flow high throughput assay device analyzer for preparing and analyzing a plurality of lateral flow assay samples. The analyzer comprises a cartridge stage for supporting an assay cartridge, an elevation adjustment mechanism, and a translation adjustment mechanism for aligning the cartridge stage and assay cartridge relative to a vertical support structure, fluid metering device, and detection device for high throughput lateral flow assay analysis.