Devices, systems, and methods for detecting molecules of interest within a collected sample are described herein. In certain embodiments, self-contained sample analysis systems are disclosed, which include a reusable reader component, a disposable cartridge component, and a disposable sample collection component. The reader component may communicate with a remote computing device for the digital transmission of test protocols and test results. In various disclosed embodiments, the systems, components, and methods are configured to identify the presence, absence, and/or quantity of particular nucleic acids, proteins, or other analytes of interest, for example, in order to test for the presence of one or more pathogens or contaminants in a sample.

An automated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method of detecting and quanta N-nitrosamines in an aqueous sample. The method includes (a) extracting an aqueous solution containing the N-nitrosamines by mixing an extraction solvent and a dispersive solvent with the aqueous solution, such that the N-nitrosamines, or a portion thereof, re-distribute from the aqueous solution to the extraction solvent, (b) permitting the resulting mixture in (a) to form a two-phase mixture containing an aqueous phase containing the aqueous solution with reduced amounts of the N-nitrosamines and an organic phase containing the extraction solvent with the N-nitrosamines extracted from the aqueous solution, (c) injecting the organic phase, or a portion thereof, into an injection port of a gas chromatograph coupled with at least one mass spectrometer, and (d) analyzing the N-nitrosamines by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to detect and quantify the concentration of the N-nitrosamines in the aqueous solution.

Provided is a chemical analysis apparatus which has a stirring function for stirring, by using an ultrasonic element, a reagent or the like and a sample to be measured, and with which it is possible to infer the presence or absence of a reaction liquid and estimate the liquid amount of the reaction liquid without using a means such as a sensor and a visual inspection. This chemical analysis apparatus has an ultrasonic stirring mechanism and is characterized in that the ultrasonic stirring mechanism comprises: a piezoelectric element; a plurality of electrodes provided to the piezoelectric element; a power source unit for applying voltage to the electrodes; a detection unit for measuring electric impedance for each of the plurality of electrodes or for any combination of the electrodes; and an analysis unit for determining the liquid amount in a reaction vessel from the electric impedance detected by the detection unit. The chemical analysis apparatus is characterized in that the detection unit measures the electric impedance in a state where a reaction vessel having two or more different amounts of liquid dispensed therein faces the piezoelectric element, and the analysis unit estimates the liquid amount in the reaction vessel on the basis of the change amount in the electric impedance measured by the detection unit.

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting molecules of interest within a collected sample are described herein. In certain embodiments, self-contained sample analysis systems are disclosed, which include a reusable reader component, a disposable cartridge component, and a disposable sample collection component. The reader component may communicate with a remote computing device for the digital transmission of test protocols and test results. In various disclosed embodiments, the systems, components, and methods are configured to identify the presence, absence, and/or quantity of particular nucleic acids, proteins, or other analytes of interest, for example, in order to test for the presence of one or more pathogens or contaminants in a sample.

A magnetic device includes a holder; a plurality of conduits mounted on the holder; a plurality of magnetic assemblies, each magnetic assembly including a soft magnetic center pole having a bottom end and a tapered tip end; first and second soft magnetic side poles disposed on opposite sides of the soft magnetic center pole and respectively having first and second top ends that are bent towards the soft magnetic center pole; and a magnetic flux source generating a magnetic flux in the soft magnetic center pole and the first and second soft magnetic side poles, the magnetic flux being concentrated from the bottom end to the tapered tip end of the soft magnetic center pole and divided between the first and second top ends. Each conduit is disposed in a gap formed between the tapered tip end and the first and second top ends of a respective magnetic assembly.

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting molecules of interest within a collected sample are described herein. In certain embodiments, self-contained sample analysis systems are disclosed, which include a reusable reader component, a disposable cartridge component, and a disposable sample collection component. The reader component may communicate with a remote computing device for the digital transmission of test protocols and test results. In various disclosed embodiments, the systems, components, and methods are configured to identify the presence, absence, and/or quantity of particular nucleic acids, proteins, or other analytes of interest, for example, in order to test for the presence of one or more pathogens or contaminants in a sample.

Devices, systems and methods including a sonicator for sample preparation are provided. A sonicator may be used to mix, resuspend, aerosolize, disperse, disintegrate, or de-gas a solution. A sonicator may be used to disrupt a cell, such as a pathogen cell in a sample. Sample preparation may include exposing pathogen-identifying material by sonication to detect, identify, or measure pathogens. A sonicator may transfer ultrasonic energy to the sample solution by contacting its tip to an exterior wall of a vessel containing the sample. Multipurpose devices including a sonicator also include further components for additional actions and assays. Devices, and systems comprising such devices, may communicate with a laboratory or other devices in a system for sample assay and analysis. Methods utilizing such devices and systems are provided. The improved sample preparation devices, systems and methods are useful for analyzing samples, e.g. for diagnosing patients suffering from infection by pathogens.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable automated analyzing device capable of determining an agitation state with a high degree of accuracy, regardless of differences in physical properties attributable to the materials or construction of an ultrasonic wave generating source. To this end, the automated analyzing device of the present invention comprises an agitating unit agitating a specimen and a reagent, an analyzing unit using a reaction solution of the specimen and the reagent to perform a component analysis of the specimen, and a control unit controlling the agitating unit and the analyzing unit, the agitating unit comprising an ultrasonic wave generating source for generating ultrasonic waves, a drive circuit for driving the ultrasonic wave generating source, and a waveform detecting unit detecting an electric waveform output from the ultrasonic wave generating source in conjunction with the driving thereof, wherein: the agitating unit additionally includes a harmonic component extracting unit extracting a harmonic component from the electric waveform detected by the waveform detecting unit; and the control unit determines the acceptability of an agitation state of the agitating unit on the basis of a signal strength of the harmonic component extracted by the harmonic component extracting unit.

A microfluidic device for sorting biological objects includes a microfluidic chip including a planar substrate having first and second planar surfaces, the planar substrate including first and second networks of channels recessed respectively from the first and second planar surfaces and fluidically connected by way of at least a through-hole in the planar substrate; a first lid attached to the first planar surface of the planar substrate and substantially covering the first network of channels; and a second lid attached to the second planar surface of the planar substrate and substantially covering the second network of channels; and one or more piezoelectric transducers attached to the first lid and/or the second lid and configured to generate first and second acoustic standing waves in a first linear channel of the first network of channels and a second linear channel of the second network of channels, respectively.

The present invention provides a chemical analyzer with highly reliable agitation performance, said chemical analyzer not only diagnosing the deterioration of a piezoelectric element, but also diagnosing the deformation and displacement of a reaction container and diagnosing the normality of the liquid quantity of a substance to be agitated in the reaction container. This chemical analyzer is characterized by comprising: an agitating mechanism that uses acoustic waves to agitate a sample and a reagent within a reaction container, generates acoustic waves using a piezoelectric element, and has an acoustic wave sensor for detecting the acoustic waves; and a controller that controls the agitating mechanism. Said chemical analyzer is further characterized in that the controller has: an acoustic wave detection unit that processes a detection signal detected by the acoustic wave sensor; a normality information memory in which normal-time information is stored; a signal intensity determination unit that compares the acoustic wave amplitude and acoustic wave frequency transmitted from the acoustic wave detection unit with the acoustic wave amplitude and acoustic wave frequency stored in the normality information memory; and a repeat period determination unit that compares the acoustic wave period characteristic transmitted from the acoustic wave detection unit with the acoustic wave period characteristic stored in the normality information memory.