An orientation characteristic measurement system (1) includes an irradiation optical system (5), a detection optical system (11), a light detector (13), a rotation mechanism (9) changing an angle (4) between a surface of the sample and an optical axis (L2) of the detection optical system (11), and a computer (15), and the computer (15) includes a rotation mechanism control unit (32) controlling the rotation mechanism (9), a distribution acquisition unit (34) normalizing an angle-dependent distribution of light intensity to acquire an angle-dependent distribution of light intensity, an area specifying unit (35) specifying light intensity in a maximum area on the basis of the angle-dependent distribution of the light intensity, and a parameter calculation unit (36) calculating the orientation parameter (S) on the basis of a linear relationship determined using the film thickness and refractive index of the sample and the light intensity in the maximum area.

Systems and methods for hyperspectral imaging are described. In one implementation, a hyperspectral imaging system includes a sample holder configured to hold a sample, an illumination system, and a detection system. The illumination system includes a light source configured to emit excitation light having one or more wavelengths and a diffractive element. The illumination system is configured to structure the excitation light into a predetermined two-dimensional pattern at a conjugate plane of a focal plane in the sample, spectrally disperse the structured excitation light in a first lateral direction, and illuminate the sample in an excitation pattern with the one or more wavelengths dispersed in the first lateral direction.

The invention generally relates to methods for quantifying an amount of enzyme molecules. Systems and methods of the invention are provided for measuring an amount of target by forming a plurality of fluid partitions, a subset of which include the target, performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the subset, and detecting the number of partitions in the subset. The amount of target can be determined based on the detected number.

A non-invasive measurement of biological tissue reveals information about the function of that tissue. Polarized light is directed onto the tissue, stimulating the emission of fluorescence, due to one or more endogenous fluorophors in the tissue. Fluorescence anisotropy is then calculated. Such measurements of fluorescence anisotropy are then used to assess the functional status of the tissue, and to identify the existence and severity of disease states. Such assessment can be made by comparing a fluorescence anisotropy profile with a known profile of a control.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to bistable devices constructed using a polynucleotide platform for sensing molecular events including binding or conformational changes of target molecules. Applications include measuring concentration of a target, measuring the effect of environmental conditions on the target, and screening a library for molecules that bind the target or modulate its function. In embodiments, devices include: a top lid, bottom lid, and flexible linker or hinge between them. A device has an open configuration in which the top and bottom lid are separated, and a closed configuration they are bound close together. Binding domains or variations of the target molecule are fixed to a device so that when the molecular event occurs, the device switches from open to closed, or vice versa. Aspects relate to detecting device geometry using, for example, an optical, electronic, magnetic, or DNA signal.

The invention generally relates to methods for quantifying an amount of enzyme molecules. Systems and methods of the invention are provided for measuring an amount of target by forming a plurality of fluid partitions, a subset of which include the target, performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the subset, and detecting the number of partitions in the subset. The amount of target can be determined based on the detected number.

Disclosed is a lithography process on a sample including at least one structure and covered by at least a lower layer of resist and a upper layer of resist the process including: using an optical device to image or determine, in reference to the optical device, a position of the selected structure and positions of markers integral with the sample; using an electron-beam device, imaging or determining the position of each marker in reference to the electron-beam device; deducing the position of the selected structure in reference to the electron-beam device; exposing to an electron beam the upper layer of resist above the position of the selected structure to remove all the thickness of the upper layer of resist above the position of the selected structure but none or only part of the thickness of the lower layer of resist above the position of the selected structure.

Analyte collection and testing systems and methods, and more particularly to disposable oral fluid collection and testing systems and methods. Described herein are methods and apparatuses to achieve significant improvements in the detection of fluorescence signals in the reader.

A measuring method includes a first sequence for acquiring a first result about the anisotropy by performing a dispensing step and a measuring step and for measuring concentration of the measurement object from the first result based on a relationship between the anisotropy and a dispensing amount of the fluorescent reagent dispensed in the dispensing step, and a second sequence for acquiring a second result about the anisotropy by performing the dispensing step and the measuring step one or more times after the first sequence and for measuring the concentration of the measurement object from the second result based on the relationship between the anisotropy measured in the measuring step and the dispensing amount of the fluorescent reagent dispensed in the dispensing step.

The disclosure may relate to a method for the characterization of the 3D orientation of an emitting dipole within a specimen. The method comprises splitting a light beam emitted by the emitting dipole and exiting an objective lens into a first and a second beams; spatially filtering said first beam by using a spatial frequency filter; splitting each of said filtered first beam and said second beam into two beams linearly polarized using polarizing beam splitters; detecting with an optical detection unit four beams linearly polarized in a detection plane optically conjugated with the front focal plane of said microscope objective lens; determining, from four intensity images, in a predefined frame of the specimen, the mean orientation and the angular aperture of the distribution of the 3D orientation of the emitting dipole, during an acquisition time of said four intensity images.