A method for determining a characteristic of particles in a fluid sample and/or a contamination characteristic of the fluid sample includes: (a) depositing a metallic film on a surface of a substrate; (b) bringing the fluid sample into contact with the metallic surface; (c) removing the fluid sample from the metallic surface; (d) depositing a layer of metal on the metallic surface and the particles which remained on the metallic surface; (e) illuminating the layers of metal on the particles and metallic surface with electromagnetic rays; or illuminating the layers of metal with electromagnetic rays; (f) receiving the scattered electromagnetic rays at an array of photodiodes; or receiving the reflected electromagnetic rays at an array of photodiodes; (g) forming an image which includes pixels; and (h) processing the formed image to determine a characteristic of the particles and/or a contamination characteristic of the fluid sample.

To enable multicolor analysis while suppressing upsizing. An optical measurement device according to an embodiment includes: a spectral optical system (37) that disperses fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen; and an image sensor (34) that receives the fluorescence dispersed by the spectral optical system and generates fluorescence information. The image sensor is divided into a plurality of regions that receive different wavelength components of the fluorescence and generate fluorescence information for each of the wavelength components.

Disclosed are systems are methods for identifying the composition of single aerosol particles, particularly that of bioaerosol particles, without pre-treatment using complex organic MALDI matrices. A continuous timing laser may be used to index aerosol particles, measure particle properties, and trigger a pulse ionization laser. Ionized fragments and optionally photons associated with each particle producing by the ionization laser may be analyzed using one or more detectors including a TOF-MS detector and an optical detector. The laser pulse may comprise a simultaneous IR and UV laser pulse when fragments comprise predominantly of UV chromophores. Unique spectral data associated with each indexed particle from each detector may be compiled using data fusion to generate compiled spectral data. Machine learning methods may be used to improve the prediction of composition over time.

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods for determining whether an object is present on a surface of a flow channel of a flow cell. Methods according to certain embodiments include irradiating the flow cell with two or more frequency modulated beams of light from a laser, detecting first and second reflected beams of light reflected by a first surface and a second surface of the flow channel, calculating a frequency of oscillations generated by interference between the first and second reflected beams of light, determining a distance between the first surface and the second surface based on the calculated frequency of interference oscillations and determining whether an object is present on the surface of the flow channel based on the determined distance. Systems for practicing the subject methods having a laser configured to irradiate a flow cell with two or more frequency modulated beams of light and a photodetector configured to detect reflected beams of light from surfaces of the flow channel are also described. Kits having a laser and an electric current source configured to adjust an input current to the laser are also provided.

A sample image capturing system includes a sample holding apparatus configured to hold a sample slide on which a sample film is applied; an imaging apparatus configured to capture the sample on the sample slide; a sample appearance image obtaining apparatus configured to obtain a sample appearance image, where the sample appearance image includes at least an appearance image of the sample film; and a controller configured to: obtain the sample appearance image, identify an appearance characteristic of the sample film based on the sample appearance image, determine a capturing parameter based on the appearance characteristic, and control the imaging apparatus to capture, with the capturing parameter, sample components on the sample slide. The disclosure further relates to a sample image capturing method and a computer-readable storage medium. The disclosure can use a characteristic of the appearance image to achieve accurate capturing of sample images.

Devices and methods for automated liquid handling and reagent processing to provide labelling and detection of bacteria and viruses are provided. Labelling reactions are performed rapidly and with essentially no generation of hazardous waste or use of consumables. Highly sensitive detection is performed by measuring fluorescence on a rotating sample plate.

Methods and devices for continuous flow monitoring of a liquid sample for presence of an airborne microbial pathogen are provided. The liquid sample can be derived from environmental air. The methods and devices provide for continuous labeling of a targeted pathogen in the liquid sample with a fluorescent probe. A customized fluorescence detector is provided that can detect labeled pathogens during continuous flow.

A feed consumption monitoring system for monitoring and controlling the quantity of feed introduced to an aquaculture environment. The system includes utilization of a high contrast surface, which receives a supply of running water containing a quantity of feed particles, a camera assembly to capture images of the high contrast surface upon its contact with the supply of running water, and a mount assembly to support the foregoing components, and the system may also include a lighting assembly to illuminate the high contrast surface as well as a software component to analyze such images to determine whether the quantity of feed in the supply of running water is suboptimal.

A microfabricated particle manipulation system, wherein a target particle is pierced by a microfabricated actuator or by a microfabricated knife edge. In either case, the particle membrane is altered, so as to allow material to traverse the membrane. The device may be used to extract cellular material from inside a cell, or to transfect a cell with foreign material.

Disclosed is an approach to differentiating between different particle types in samples flowing through microfluidics chips. A sample may have an initial proportion of a first cell type to a second cell type. An illuminating light source may emit a coherent light at the sample, and light leaving the chip in a first direction may be detected using a first light detector, and light leaving the chip in a second direction (e.g., orthogonal to the first direction) may be detected using a second light detector. The detected light may be fluorescence. An orientational feature of a plurality of cells in the sample may be determined based on the light detected by the detectors. Based on the orientational features and the detected light, a biasing operation may be performed for each cell in the sample to obtain a modified proportion of cell types in the sample.