Skin-mounted or epidermal devices and methods for monitoring biofluids are disclosed. The devices comprise a functional substrate that is mechanically and/or thermally matched to skin to provide durable adhesion for long-term wear. The functional substrates allow for the microfluidic transport of biofluids from the skin to one or more sensors that measure and/or detect biological parameters, such as rate of biofluid production, biofluid volume, and biomarker concentration. Sensors within the devices may be mechanical, electrical or chemical, with colorimetric indicators being observable by the naked eye or with a portable electronic device (e.g., a smartphone). By monitoring changes in an individual's health state over time, the disclosed devices may provide early indications of abnormal conditions.

A sample heating/cooling device comprises a plurality of members operable in use to heat and/or cool one or more samples. Each member has a sample contact surface and is biased towards a resting position under the operation of a biasing means. The members are movable independently of one another against said bias under the application of a force on the sample contact surface and so are able to conform to the shape of a sample placed on the members to provide a uniform heating/cooling profile. The members may be mounted in a heating/cooling element and adapted to conduct thermal energy between the sample and the element. The device is particularly suitable for thawing frozen sample bags having an irregular shape. A corresponding method is also described.

An apparatus for dispensing microorganism culture plates, culture plate loader and culture plate reader comprising the same, as well as method dispensing microorganism culture plates, method of loading such culture plates into a culture plate reader, and method of counting microorganism colonies on such culture plates.

An indicator card for determining solderability, oxidation, corrosion and/or reliable operability of semiconductor packages stored in moisture barrier bags is disclosed. The indicator card may include a reactive metal-containing layer on a non-reactive substrate. The reactive metal-containing layer may react with a destructive gas (e.g., an oxidizing gas or corrosive gas) to provide a visual indication of the amount of exposure to the destructive gas has been encountered by a semiconductor package while the semiconductor package is stored in a moisture barrier bag. The visual indication may indicate to a user whether the amount of exposure is above or below an exposure threshold where the exposure threshold differentiates between acceptable and unacceptable levels of exposure related to solderability, oxidation, corrosion and/or reliable operability of the semiconductor package.

A consistent and repeatable thawing method of frozen samples in a bag-format storage vessel is described herein. Methods and systems may allow for multiple bag-format storage vessel sizes to be used in the same device. A subset of a plurality of sensors may be qualified for the thawing method. The method may further include heating a frozen sample using a first heater bank and a second heater bank. In addition, the method may include measuring a plurality of second temperatures of the bag-format vessel. At or slightly after a second threshold temperature, the method may include heating using the first heater bank and terminating heating using the second heater bank. The method may include terminating the heating of the partially thawed sample using the first heater bank after the partially thawed sample has been heated using the first heater bank for a duration.

Subassembly fora double-door leaktight connection system between two closed spaces, the system including two flanges able to be secured to each other, and two doors each normally closing an opening delimited by a flange, the subassembly including a flange and a seal, the seal being intended to provide leaktight contact between the flange and the seal, between the seal and the other flange of the connection system and between the seal and the door closing the opening of the flange, the flange including a groove and the seal being a part moulded onto the flange and being partly received in the groove.

A system comprising a calorimeter for measuring a heat flux of a sample comprising a recipient space for a sample container containing a sample, a heat sink, a first heat transducer whereby the first heat transducer comprises a heat receiving surface in contact with the sample container when the sample container is positioned in the recipient space and a heat absorbing surface in contact with the heat sink. A second heat sink is provided, whereby the second heat sink has a second heat receiving surface in contact with the heat sink and a second heat absorbing surface in contact with the sample container, when the sample container is positioned in the recipient space.

A fluidic system is provided. The system comprises: a rigid housing (12), a plurality of flexible reagent containers (14) contained within the housing (12); wherein each reagent container (14) has a connection port (16) through which a reagent can flow, in use, on the application of pressure. The system further comprises a single pressure source (18) configured to apply pressure to the interior of the rigid housing (12); a microfluidic device configured to analyse one or more fluids provided from the plurality of reagent containers; and a plurality of channels (20) configured to transfer fluid from the plurality of reagent containers (14) to the microfluidic device. The ratio of resistances provided by a combination of the connection ports and the plurality of channels dictates the ratio of flow rates of the reagents. The claimed system allows for an accurate control of the various reagent flow rates while minimizing fluctuations in the relative flow rates.

The present disclosure relates to a culturing patch, culturing method, culture test method, culture test device, drug test method, and drug test device, and the culturing patch according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes component required for growth of an object to be cultured, and a mesh structural body provided in a mesh structure forming micro-cavities in which the component required for growth are contained that is configured to come into contact with a reaction region in which the object to be cultured is placed and provide some of the contained component required for growth to the reaction region.

Cartridges for sample partitioning and methods of making and using the cartridges are provided. The cartridges include a pouch to receive a mated stem-well film and a sealing film covered by a release liner. The stem film and the sealing film can be respectively separated from the well film and sealing film simultaneously by pulling a pull tab.