Measuring pipettes including integral or encapsulated filters, as well as methods and apparatuses for forming the same, are provided. A filter material (e.g., a discrete element in solid form) or a filter material precursor (e.g., a foamable thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent) to be introduced into a hollow interior of a softened thermoplastic material present within a mold during pipette fabrication. A pipette includes a filter element comprising foamed polymeric material within a mouthpiece region, wherein an outer portion of the filter element is bound to or encapsulated in an inner wall of the mouthpiece region. A filter material precursor may be supplied coaxially with a tubular flow of thermoplastic material into the mold, may be supplied laterally through a mold wall, or may be injected into a molten thermoplastic pipette forming material upstream of an extruder outlet.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of information transmission in a system comprising at least one liquid handling device and at least one external device, the method comprising: in one or more of said at least one liquid handling device, producing a machine-readable code that contains information that is derived from a status or properties of the respective liquid handling device or information that has been stored in the respective liquid handling device; in said one or more of said at least one liquid handling device, displaying the respective code on a display that is integrated to a structure of the respective liquid handling device; reading the displayed code or one or more of the displayed codes by an external device.

A perforate element for use in a print head for non-contact liquid printing comprises: at least one ejection element including an outlet, configured to eject a bulk flow of printing liquid out of the print head; and a liquid residence element, arranged to provide a layer of liquid over the outlet which extends laterally of the outlet and through which the bulk flow is ejected.

A perforate element for use in a print head for non-contact liquid printing comprises: at least one ejection element including an outlet, configured to eject a bulk flow of printing liquid out of the print head; and a liquid residence element, arranged to provide a layer of liquid over the outlet which extends laterally of the outlet and through which the bulk flow is ejected.

Systems and methods interconnect cell culture devices and/or fluidic devices by transferring discrete volumes of fluid between devices. A liquid-handling system collects a volume of fluid from at least one source device and deposits the fluid into at least one destination device. In some embodiments, a liquid-handling robot actuates the movement and operation of a fluid collection device in an automated manner to transfer the fluid between the at least one source device and the at least one destination device. In some cases, the at least one source device and the at least one destination device are cell culture devices. The at least one source device and the at least one destination device may be microfluidic or non-microfluidic devices. In some cases, the cell culture devices may be microfluidic cell culture devices. In further cases, the microfluidic cell culture devices may include organ-chips.

Systems and methods for positive dispense verification are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system has a plurality of light emitters. The light from the emitters is directed toward a plurality of light detectors across a proximately horizontal plane. The liquid dispense device is positioned above the horizontal plane of light emission from the plurality of light emitters to the plurality of light detectors such that the dispensed liquid will travel through the horizontal plane defined by the emitted light and onto the container being inoculated. Each of the plurality of detectors is coupled to an amplifier. The amplifier generates a signal in response to an interrupt in the transmission of light from the light emitters to the light detectors when the light path is disrupted by the dispense of liquid confirming the liquid was dispensed onto the container.

A photometric dispensing nozzle unit, a photometric dispensing apparatus, and a photometric dispensing method are for preventing an increase in apparatus scale and have a simple structure to be easily handled. A nozzle performs suction/discharge of gas through a distal end opening and can have a dispensing tip attached thereto. A light guide end portion is provided in the nozzle and can receive or irradiate light at a distal end of the nozzle. A dispensing cylinder has a cylinder having a cavity therein, a plunger that is slidable in the cavity, and a suction/discharge port that performs suction/discharge of gas. A suction/discharge flow path passes through the nozzle and communicates with the suction/discharge port and the distal end opening of the nozzle. A light guide path is optically connected to the light guide end portion through the nozzle but not through the dispensing cylinder.

Disclosed herein is are methods and apparatuses for synthesizing deposited films of compounds (e.g., organic compounds such as a pharmaceutical active ingredient or a new chemical entity) on or in a variety of substrates, where such deposited compounds the desired stability under storage conditions, ease of handling, and yet enhanced dissolution properties when used in various assays. The disclosure further relates to methods of coating substrates, such as medical or diagnostic devices, with deposited films of organic compounds, as well as film-coated substrates.

A device of nondestructive transfer of liquid drops includes a power generation part and a clamping part. The power generation part includes a movable friction material and at least two fixed friction materials. The clamping part includes a supporting mechanism and a left dielectric wetting splint and a right dielectric wetting splint installed on the supporting mechanism. The movable friction material is connected to the left dielectric wetting splint. The at least two fixed friction materials are connected to the right dielectric wetting splint. Also disclosed are a method of nondestructive transfer of liquid drops and a method of micro-reaction of liquid drops.

Systems and methods applicable, for instance, to pipette robots. A pipette robot can perform one or more operations regarding deck calibration, one or more operations regarding pipette tip/probe calibration, one or more operations regarding pipette tip pick up, and/or one or more operations regarding tip ejection.