A fluorescence detection apparatus for analyzing samples located in a plurality of wells in a thermal cycler and methods of use are provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a support structure attachable to the thermal cycler and a detection module movably mountable on the support structure. The detection module includes one or more channels, each having an excitation light generator and an emission light detector both disposed within the detection module. When the support structure is attached to the thermal cycler and the detection module is mounted on the support structure, the detection module is movable so as to be positioned in optical communication with different ones of the plurality of wells. The detection module is removable from the support structure to allow easy replacement.

The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in soil is estimated based on the nitrate-nitrogen 200 nm absorption peak. In one embodiment, a device measures the attenuation spectrum of a soil-extractant mixture over a wavelength range that includes wavelengths in the vicinity of the 200 nm absorption peak (the spectral operating range) and then determines the nitrate-nitrogen concentration based on the attenuation spectrum.

A method for correcting a fluorescence image of an object, for example a biological tissue that can include fluorescent agents. The distance between a fluorescence probe generating the fluorescence image and the object examined is measured. This distance is used to apply a correction function to the fluorescence image. The method may find application in perioperative fluorescence imaging for diagnosis and monitoring of evolution of pathologies, for example of cancers.

Optical reference devices for calibrating or monitoring the performance of an optical measurement device, such as a fluorometer, are made from thermoplastics from the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family of semi-crystalline thermoplastics, including polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The reference device may be made as a master reference device having a known emission outputas determined by a standard optical measurement devicethat is used to calibrate other optical measurement devices against the standard. The reference device may be made in the shape of a receptacle vial so that the reference device can be placed in the receptacle holding structure of an instrument in which the optical measurement device is installed and used to calibrate or monitor the optical measurement device within the instrument. The reference device may be part of the probe of a pipettor or pick and place mechanism or it may be a cap that can be secured to the end of such a probe.

The present disclosure relates to a system for process-integrated optical analysis of flowable media, comprising a processing system for processing a flowable medium and an analytical system for analysis of the flowable medium, wherein the analytical system includes an optical measuring head, for irradiation of the medium and for receiving measuring radiation, and a reference unit. The processing system includes a measuring region, into which the medium can be introduced during the processing and which is accessible for measurement by means of the measuring head. According to the invention, a mechanism for achieving defined positions of the measuring head relative to the measuring region and/or relative to a reference unit is included, which selectively enables a measurement of the medium located in the measuring region or of the reference unit.

Apparatus and methods for performing optical analyses in a harsh environment are disclosed. Some of the systems and methods of the present disclosure include fluorescence, absorption, and reflectance detection using a drum spectrometer. Other systems and methods of the present disclosure include a measurement channel and a parallel reference channel concurrently filtering optical signals.

The invention relates to a method and to an assembly for calibrating devices 11 for detecting blood or blood components in a liquid, in particular dialysate, which devices comprise a light transmitter 17 and a light receiver 18, and an evaluation unit 20 that receives the signal from the light receiver 18 and is designed such that blood or blood components in the liquid are detected on the basis of the weakening of radiation passing through the liquid. The method according to the invention is based on the fact that the calibration of the devices 11 for detecting blood or blood components is carried out without the use of blood. The calibration is carried out using an absorption standard 30, which has predetermined optical properties in relation to the absorption of the light in blood, the absorption standard 30 being arranged in the beam path 19 between the light transmitter 17 and the light receiver 18. The absorption standard 30 makes it possible to identify defined spectral weakening in the light depending on the components of the blood, in particular haemoglobin. Since, by contrast with blood, the absorption standard 30 does not bring about any scattering, meaning that the beam path is influenced in a different way from blood, the calibration is also carried out using a scattering standard 36, which has predetermined optical properties in relation to the scattering of the light in blood. The assembly also comprises a beam deflection unit 22 for coupling out light for a spectral measurement of the light transmitter 17 using a spectrometer 27.

A method of optical analysis comprises receiving light at an optical spectrometer module from a light source, distributing the received light into two or more light beams with a light distribution component of the optical spectrometer module, concurrently exposing each of a reference and one or more test samples to one of the two or more light beams, and concurrently measuring a property of the light associated with each of the reference sample and one or more test samples with a corresponding detector.

A spectrometer system comprises a housing provided with a window, an illumination source, a spectrometer and a standard for internal recalibration being disposed in said housing. Specific absorption bands of a filling gas present in the housing are identified in a reference spectrum, which was recorded using the standard, wherein a wavelength characterizing the relevant identified specific absorption band is measured in each case such that measured values are obtained for the wavelengths of the absorption bands. A test spectrum is recorded by the spectrometer using the standard. The specific absorption bands of the filling gas are identified in the test spectrum, wherein a wavelength characterizing the relevant identified specific absorption band is measured in each case such that measured values are obtained for the wavelengths of the specific absorption bands.

An optical measurement system includes a light source, a spectroscopic detector, a reference sample, a switching mechanism that switches between a first optical path through which a sample to be measured is irradiated with light from the light source and light produced at the sample is guided to the spectroscopic detector and a second optical path through which the reference sample is irradiated with light from the light source and light produced at the reference sample is guided to the spectroscopic detector, and a processing unit that calculates, by performing correction processing based on change between a first detection result at first time and a second detection result at second time, a measurement value of the sample from a third detection result provided from the spectroscopic detector as a result of irradiation of the sample with light from the light source at third time temporally proximate to the second time.