Provided are low flow groundwater fluid sampling systems and related methods of collecting fluid samples, including a low flow pump, flow cell, waste container and a communication device in communication with those components. In this manner, the low flow pump may be controlled to ensure a desired constant flow-rate is achieved, and a remote operator may monitor the status of fluid being pumped to the flow cell with the communication device, such as with a portable electronic device, including a smart phone. The system may alert the operator that fluid is ready to be collected for sampling, including at an off-site laboratory. Particularly useful applications are for monitoring groundwater quality and contamination.

An on-axis, angled, rotator device is disclosed. The rotator device may include a container containing a slot for receiving a sample. An angle of the slot may be configured to be between 0 and 180 degrees relative to a perpendicular irradiation plane of a radiation device. The rotator device may include a cup positioned within an opening of the container. Additionally, the rotator device may include a driveshaft configured to transmit torque to cause the cup to be rotated when the cup is positioned within the opening. When the sample resides within the slot and the driveshaft transmits the torque to the cup, the cup may cause the sample to rotate about a center axis of the sample. The angle of the slot containing the sample and the rotation of the sample about the center axis may facilitate uniform radiation exposure to the sample when the radiation device emits radiation.

A system, method, and apparatus for quantification of pre-determined particles in a soil or feces sample with certain automated steps. In one aspect it includes an input station for inputting a soil or feces sample; a sieving/filtering station for separating soil or feces from particles or particle carriers, and/or separating particle carriers from particles; and a collection station for receiving the extracted particles. It can include quantification of the collected sample with an imaging station to digitally image the particles and recognize and count the particles collected. A mechanism can mechanically move the filtered particles from the sieve/filter station to the collection station. A controller can be programmed to automatically control at least certain functions of the mechanism. An optional feature includes acquisition of chemical, biological, physical, or other parameters of the sample with one or more sensors positioned or positionable at the sample.

In one embodiment, a cartridge includes at least one compartment and a reagent in the at least one compartment. The reagent is a chemical composition for testing at least one of soil and vegetation for a chemical contained in the soil or vegetation. The reagent can be used in a soil and/or vegetation analysis test. The cartridge can contain an authentication chip to ensure that the reagent is the correct reagent for the analysis test.

A mechanism (10) for an automated Karl Fischer (KF) titration system (1) includes a support console (6), a first vertical guide rail element (11), solidly attached to the support console, and a carriage unit (12), slidably constrained to the first vertical guide rail element, allowing the carriage unit a first degree of linear vertical mobility relative to the support console. The carriage unit holds a vial lift unit (13) with a lift platform (14) for a sample vial (18). The carriage unit, in a downward movement phase, lowers the lift platform from a starting position into an oven cavity of the titration system. A subsequent upward movement phase raises the lift platform to the starting position. A second vertical guide rail element, solidly connected to the lift platform and slidably constrained to the carriage unit, enables a second degree of linear vertical mobility of the lift platform.

Provided is a biochemical analyzer, which includes a housing, a sample feeding mechanism, a rotating mechanism, a pipetting mechanism, analyzing mechanisms, a sample discharging mechanism and a sample discharging box, wherein a sample feeding port and a sample discharging port are formed in the housing; the sample feeding mechanism is arranged in the housing and capable of introducing detection cards containing samples and reagents into the housing from the sample feeding port; the rotating mechanism is capable of clamping a plurality of detection cards and driving the detection cards to rotate; the sample feeding mechanism is capable of clamping the detection cards on the rotating mechanism; the pipetting mechanism is capable of mixing the samples with the reagents on the detection cards; the analyzing mechanisms are capable of analyzing the samples through detection rays; the sample discharging mechanism is used for removing the detection cards from the rotating mechanism.

A device and a process to count a number of colonies present in a set of samples. The colony counting device has a storage device with plural storage locations. A handling system is operative to convey samples to analyze from storage locations to an analysis area and from the analysis area to storage locations. An imaging device is operative to acquire a plurality of images of a sample to analyze, the plurality of images including all or a part of the analysis area. A processing unit is operative to implement, for each sample to analyze, a detection step to detect the presence of colonies by analyzing an image of the plurality of images of the sample and a determination step to determine the number of colonies present in the sample by counting the colonies whose presence have been detected during the detection step.

Disclosed herein is a preprocessing apparatus that makes it possible to highly efficiently analyze specimens held by solid media, such as dried blood spots to be used for newborn mass screening or the like. The preprocessing apparatus includes: a preprocessing container setting part in which a preprocessing container containing a solid sample including a specimen to be analyzed and a solid medium holding the specimen is to be set; a carrying mechanism that carries the preprocessing container set in the preprocessing container setting part; and a preprocessing part that has a port for setting the preprocessing container carried by the carrying mechanism and that is configured to perform preprocessing including extraction processing for extracting the specimen from the solid sample contained in the preprocessing container set in the port.

A nucleic acid analyzer according to one or more embodiments may include a container setting part that sets a second container, a rotation drive part that rotates the container setting part by applying a driving force to a surface of the container setting part, to supply the extraction liquid injected through the injection port to the storages through the flow path by a centrifugal force. A first temperature adjustment part that adjusts a temperature of the second container provided in the container setting part, such that a nucleic acid amplification reaction occurs in the storages, and a detector that detects a nucleic acid amplification reaction which occurs in the storages with the second container provided in the container setting part interposed between the first temperature adjustment part and the detector in a vertical direction.

Slide analysis a gripper with three sensors for controlling a slide grip sequence and at least one rotatable carousel with a slide receiving channel. The systems also include a robot with a robot arm that holds a slide gripper residing inside the housing in communication with the rotatable carousel. The systems also include a load lock chamber and a door sealably coupled to the second end portion and an acquisition vacuum chamber with an X-Y stage and a slide holder with a vacuum seal.