The present invention relates in general to the improved containment of biological fluids. In particular, a method and apparatus for collection and preservation of fluid samples in accordance with the present invention results in collection of semen having improved viability both at the time of collection and after storage. The disclosed apparatus support a wide variety of applications for containment of biological fluids related to human and veterinary medicine including, but not limited to, human reproductive medicine and animal husbandry.

A structure is manufactured by forming a mask that has an opening pattern on a fine recessed and projected structure of a substrate having the fine recessed and projected structure with an average period of 1 μm or less on a surface thereof, etching the surface of the substrate from a side of the mask to form a recessed portion which has an opening greater than the average period of the fine recessed and projected structure according to the opening pattern of the mask, the recessed portion having a depth equal to or greater than double a difference in height between recesses and projections of the fine recessed and projected structure, and then removing the mask.

It is provided a measuring cartridge (1) for measuring at least one constituent of a liquid sample, in particular blood, and for performing quality control, the cartridge comprising: a casing (3) insertable into a reception opening (51) of a measuring instrument (50), the casing (3) at least partly surrounding an inner space (5); wherein the inner space contains: a measurement cell (7) comprising a reception space (9) for the sample and at least one sensor area (11) with which the sample is in contact when loaded into the reception space (9); plural quality control containers (13a,13b,13c) for respectively holding different quality control solutions (15a,15b,15c); a solution routing system (17) adapted to selectively route one of the quality control solutions (15a,15b,15c) from the respective quality control container (13a,13b,13c) into the reception space (9) of the measurement cell (7).

The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus and methods for microorganism isolation, characterization and identification based on oxygen, pressure, culture media gradients and metabolites. In each embodiment, the apparatus of the disclosure is particularly useful for the purpose of novel isolation of never before cultured species of microorganisms and their by-products.

Described herein are nanostraw well insert apparatuses (e.g., devices and systems) that include nanotubes extending through and out of a membrane so that a material can pass through the membrane from a fluid reservoir depot and into a cell grown onto the nanotubes when electrical energy (e.g., electroporation energy) is applied. In particular, the device, systems and methods described herein may be adapted for cell growth viability and transfection efficiency (e.g., >70%). These apparatuses may be readily integratable into cell culturing processes for improved transfection efficiency, intracellular transport, and cell viability.

A system for diagnostic testing may include a meter for performing a diagnostic test on a sample applied to a test media, the meter having a housing and an interface for receiving a signal representing coding information, and a container configured to contain test media compatible with the meter, the container having a coding element associated therewith. Additionally, the system may provide a mechanism for removing the meter from an interconnected test container and reattaching it to a new container using on-container coding methods that can recalibrate the meter for the new container of test strips.

The present invention relates to provide, among other things, the methods, devices, and systems that can simply and quickly collecting and analyzing a tiny amount of vapor condensates (e.g. exhaled breath condensate (EBC)).

An apparatus, a system, sensor, and a method for determining dissolved oxygen content in air and aqueous medium are disclosed herein. The dissolved oxygen content may be determined by irradiating the sensor comprising at least a photo-oxidizable compound by a light irradiation source, wherein the irradiation enables the photo-oxidizable compound to change its luminescent properties based upon photo-oxidation thereby enabling the quantification of the dissolved oxygen content in the medium. The dissolved oxygen content may be captured via the impedance response generated by interdigitated conducting electrode patterns included in the sensor. The dissolved oxygen content registered by the interdigitated conducting electrode patterns may be transmitted to a user device via a short range or long-range communication via an electronic circuit embedded within the sensor.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method of forming, including a supporting structure, a sensor on the supporting structure, a pair of columns on the supporting structure at opposite sides of the sensor, the pair of columns having a column height relative to a top surface of the supporting structure, the column height being higher than a height of the active surface of the sensor relative to the top surface of the supporting structure, and a lidding layer on the pair of columns and over the active surface, the lidding layer being supported at opposite ends by the pair of columns. The active surface of the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns form an opening above at least more than about half of the active surface of the sensor, and the supporting structure, the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns together form a flow cell.

Devices and methods for multi-well plate liquid distribution are provided. Devices herein provide a plurality of dispensing stations configured to receive and dispense or disburse liquid to the wells of a multi-well plate. The dispensing stations include dispensing surfaces configured to receive liquid droplets dispensed by manual or automatic pipettes. The dispensing surfaces are configured to retain received liquids until force is applied and distribution to the wells of the multi-well plate occurs. Devices and methods provided herein increase the consistency of laboratory results in procedures requiring liquid distribution.