Embodiments described herein relate to a light coupler, a photonic integrated circuit, and a method for manufacturing a light coupler. The light coupler is for optically coupling to an integrated waveguide and for out-coupling a light signal propagating in the integrated waveguide into free space. The light coupler includes a plurality of microstructures. The plurality of microstructures is adapted in shape and position to compensate decay of the light signal when propagating in the light coupler. The plurality of microstructures is also adapted in shape and position to provide a power distribution of the light signal when coupled into free space such that the power distribution corresponds to a predetermined target power distribution. Each of the microstructures forms an optical scattering center. The microstructures are positioned on the light coupler in accordance with a non-uniform number density distribution.

A method of detecting invasive fungi according to morphology thereof based on contrast staining, including: sterilizing and storing the necessary equipment aseptically; drawing 1 ml of venous blood from a tested subject's elbow vein; dripping one drop of the venous blood, prior to coagulation, into an ampoule containing 0.8 ml of a detection reagent under an aseptic environment; gently shaking the ampoule until the drop of venous blood is evenly distributed; leaving the ampoule to stand for 20 minutes to form a stained solution; sterilizing or disinfecting a microscope slide and a cover slip; dripping one drop of the stained solution on the microscope slide prepared under aseptic condition; observing the sample sequentially with 4×, 10× and 40× objective lenses and a 100× oil-immersion lens; magnifying with a 5 million pixel eyepiece; displaying an image of the sample on computer screen using a high-resolution imaging software for observation and record.

Disclosed herein include systems, devices, computer readable media, and methods for subsampling flow cytometric event data. First and second flow cytometric event data can be transformed into a lower-dimensional space, associated with a plurality of bins, and assigned to a first bin and a second bin. Subsampled flow cytometric event data comprising the first flow cytometric event data can be generated. The subsampled flow cytometric event data can comprise the second flow cytometric event data if the first bin and the second bin are different. The subsampled flow cytometric event data may not comprise the second flow cytometric event data if the first bin and the second bin are identical.

This disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for sorting target particles. In various embodiments, the disclosure provides a cassette for sorting target particles, methods for sorting target particles, methods of loading a microchannel for maintaining sample material viability, methods of quantifying sample material, and an optical apparatus for laser scanning and particle sorting.

A specimen processing system includes a plate for supporting a specimen system, wherein the specimen system includes a container and a specimen contained therein. The specimen processing system further includes a camera disposed above the plate and configured to generate images of the specimen system, a light source disposed beneath the plate for radiating light towards the plate, a light stop for blocking a portion of the light from reaching the specimen system to produce darkfield illumination of the specimen at the camera, and one or more processors electronically coupled to the camera and configured to track a position of the specimen within the specimen container during a specimen processing protocol based on the images.

The present invention relates to a method for selecting and recovering products, including providing an emulsion (6) comprising a plurality of drops (4) contained in a carrier fluid (10), each drop comprising an internal fluid (8), measuring at least one physical parameter for several drops (4) of the emulsion (6), classifying at least some of the drops (4) of the emulsion in a class based on measurements obtained during measuring, tagging at least some of the classified drops (4) based on the class of the drop (4), and selectively recovering the drop (4) or part of the drop (4) using the tag of the drop or part of the drop (4).

A device (1) is described and represented for the determination of the particle size and/or the particle shape and/or optical properties, such as transparency, of particles (2) in a particle stream (3), with a feeding device (4) for the feeding of the particles (2) to a measuring zone (5), wherein the particles (2) flow through the measuring zone (5), with at least one illuminating device (6) for illuminating the measuring zone (5), with at least two camera devices (7, 8), each of which photographs a measurement region (9, 10) of the measuring zone (5) associated with the corresponding camera device (7, 8), wherein a first camera device (7) photographs a first, preferably larger, measurement region (10) with a first, preferably lesser, magnification and a second camera device (8) photographs a second, preferably smaller, measurement region (9) with a second, preferably stronger, magnification, with an imaging optics (11) for imaging the measurement regions (9, 10), and with an evaluating device for determining the particle size and/or the particle shape from the photographs of the measurement regions (9, 10), wherein the imaging optics (11) comprises at least one optical element (14), at which and/or by which the light radiation emanating from the measuring zone (5) is divided into at least two beam portions. According to the invention, it is provided that the illuminating device (6) is designed such that the first measurement region (10) and the second measurement region (9) are always illuminated together, wherein the first measurement region (10) is illuminated with the same intensity as the second measurement region (9).

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a cell analysis system is described. The cell analysis system includes at least one cell analysis device. Each cell analysis device includes a channel to serially feed individual cells from a volume of cells into a lysing chamber. The cell analysis device also includes at least one feedback-controlled lysing element in the lysing chamber to agitate a cell. The cell analysis system also includes a controller to analyze the cell. The controller includes a lysate analyzer to analyze properties of the lysate and a rupture analyzer to analyze parameters of an agitation when a cell membrane ruptures.

A system for orienting particles in a microfluidic system includes one or more radiation pressure sources arranged to expose particles to radiation pressure to cause the particles to adopt a particular orientation in the fluid. A system for sorting particles in a microfluidic system includes a detection stage arranged to detect at least one difference or discriminate between particles in the fluid flow past the detection stage, and one or more radiation pressure sources past which the particles move sequentially and a controller arranged to switch radiation energy to cause a change in direction of movement of selected particles in the fluid flow to sort the particles. The particles may be biological particles such as spermatazoa. The radiation pressure may be optical pressure and may be from one or more waveguides which may extend across a channel of the microfluidic system.

An a system and method for chaos transfer between multiple detuned signals in a resonator mediated by chaotic mechanical oscillation induced stochastic resonance where at least one signal is strong and where at least one signal is weak and where the strong and weak signal follow the same route, from periodic oscillations to quasi-periodic and finally to chaotic oscillations, as the strong signal power is increased.