A solution jetting device includes: a cylindrical member; a movable member that is movably fitted to a hollow portion of the cylindrical member; a first drive mechanism that moves the movable member; a first flow passage that connects a solution container, in which a solution containing a biological sample or containing a reagent to be reacted with a biological sample is contained, to the hollow portion; an openable and closable first on-off valve that is provided on the first flow passage; a jetting tool that jets the solution to an objective region; a second flow passage that connects the hollow portion to the jetting tool; an openable and closable second on-off valve that is provided on the second flow passage; a second drive mechanism as defined herein; and a control unit as defined herein.

This fluid-handling device has: a first rotary member having a first protrusion that expands a diaphragm of a valve and closes off the valve, the first rotary member being capable of rotating about a rotational axis; a second rotary member disposed so as to surround the first rotary member, the second rotary member having a second protrusion that expands the diaphragm of the valve and closes off the valve, and being capable of rotating about the rotational axis independently from the first rotary member; and a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the first rotary member and the second rotary member, the plurality of rolling elements being in contact with the first rotary member and the second rotary member.

Systems and methods for automatically packing resin into and unpacking resin from a reusable separation column for sample analysis are described. A reusable sample separation column embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a column body having a first end and a distal second end and defining an interior fluid flow pathway; a first port adjacent the first end and coupled to an inlet coupled to an expanded interior region, the inlet positioned between the first port and the expanded interior region to introduce resin slurry; an outlet coupled to a frit positioned between the outlet and the first port, the frit configured to retain resin of the resin slurry within the expanded interior region; and a second port coupled to a channel having a smaller cross-section than the second port, the channel configured to introduce a jet of fluid to resin positioned in the expanded interior region.

Systems and methods for controlled, inline introduction of chemical agents to an inline fluid sample are described. A method embodiment includes, but is not limited to, receiving a fluid sample with a valve; receiving a chemical agent with the valve; introducing the fluid sample and the chemical agent inline via a mixing port of the valve to produce a mixed sample; transferring the mixed sample to a second valve; directing the mixed sample to a sample holding loop fluidically coupled with the second valve; holding the mixed sample within the sample holding loop for a holding period of time to permit a reaction between the fluid sample and the chemical agent; and directing the mixed sample from the sample holding loop to an analytic instrument following expiration of the holding period of time.

Provided are valveless microfluidic flowchips comprising fluid flow barrier structures or configurations. Further provided are systems and methods having increased fluid transfer control in a valveless microfluidic flowchip. The systems and methods can be used in the present valveless microfluidic flowchips as well as in currently available valveless microfluidic flowchips.

Disclosed herein are instruments and related methods for measuring oxidative potential (OP) in airborne particulates, particularly PM.sub.2.5. The instrument is formed from three main components: a sample injector, a sample incubator and a measurement system. The instrument provides an automatic measure of five OP endpoints in a relatively rapid time frame of less than 3 hours. In this manner, additional parameters beyond the gross particle concentration or mass per unit volume is obtained, including the biologically-relevant OP associated with PM.sub.2.5.

Systems and methods for culturing cells are disclosed. A system can comprise an auxetic scaffold substrate. The substrate can comprise scaffold units at least a portion of which comprise living cells. Scaffold units can be configured to transition between a contracted state and an expanded state. Units can comprise an interior void having a contracted volume in the contracted state and an expanded volume in the expanded state, in which the expanded volume is greater than the contracted volume. Units can be configured to pass a fluid into the interior void of the corresponding unit when the unit transitions from the contracted state to the expanded state. Units can be configured to pass the fluid out of the interior void of the corresponding unit when the unit transitions from the expanded state to the contracted state.

A signal processing system used for GMR-based detection of a target analyte in a sample under test, comprising: a measurement circuit configuration unit configured to build a GMR sensor measurement circuit by routing in at least one GMR sensor, and to build a reference resistor measurement circuit by routing in at least one reference resistor; a magnetic field excitation unit configured to apply an AC magnetic field of frequency ω.sub.2 to the at least one GMR sensor; a carrier signal applying unit configured to apply a carrier signal of frequency ω.sub.1 to the GMR sensor measurement circuit, and apply carrier signals of frequency ω.sub.1, ω.sub.1+ω.sub.2, and ω.sub.1−ω.sub.2 to the reference resistor measurement circuit; a measurement signal pick-up unit coupled to the measurement circuits, configured to collect reference resistor measurement signals from the reference resistor measurement circuit and GMR sensor measurement signals from the GMR sensor measurement circuit; and a phase sensitive solution unit coupled to the measurement signal pick-up unit, configured to analytically solve for resistance change of the at least one GMR sensor based on both the reference resistor measurement signals from the reference resistor measurement circuit and the GMR sensor measurement signals from the GMR sensor measurement circuit.

Micro-valve system includes two or more superimposed tubes and a pressing device for fluid control in miniaturized capillary connections. The micro-valve system and method of fabrication can be tailored to the requirements of a wide range of applications; composition, sturdiness and thickness of plastic tubes; and capable of been adapted to the resilient of mechanical pressure and the passing and transport of fluid types.

The present invention describes a whole blood assay chip that enables separation of the cellular compartment from surrounding plasma, facilitating multiplexed measurement of otherwise difficult to detect soluble factors produced upon cellular stimulation. The invention is a microfluidic chip with an incubation chamber comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a fluidic barrier. Using this platform, the cellular compartment can be stimulated with various substances and levels of immunologic biomarkers could be measured. Through a proprietary immunologic algorithm described herein, this would allow for the diagnosis of an allergic response to foods, antibiotics, and/or other drugs. Additional applications of the invention besides allergy testing could include pregnancy testing, blood type, and medical applications requiring whole blood cellular stimulation readouts.