An apparatus includes a substrate, a first heating element, and a second heating element. The substrate includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion that is between the first portion and the second portion. The first portion is characterized by a first thermal conductivity, the second portion is characterized by a second thermal conductivity, and the third portion is characterized by a third thermal conductivity. The third thermal conductivity is less than the first thermal conductivity and the second thermal conductivity. The first heating element is coupled to the first portion of the substrate, and is configured to produce a first thermal output. The second heating element is coupled to the second portion of the substrate, and configured to produce a second thermal output. The second thermal output is different from the first thermal output.

Fluidic devices, systems, and methods for analyzing an analyte are described. In an embodiment, the fluidic devices include a housing defining a lysis chamber shaped to receive a biological sample; a lysis buffer storage chamber disposed within the housing and carrying a lysis buffer configured to lyse cells of the biological sample; a cap configured to cooperatively couple to the housing; a compressor configured to compress the lysis buffer storage chamber and expel the lysis buffer from the lysis buffer storage chamber and into the lysis chamber when the cap is uncoupled from the housing; and a porous membrane in selective fluidic communication with the lysis chamber.

There is provided a microfluidic chip for sensing an analyte in a sample by colorimetry. The microfluidic chip comprises: an inlet adapted to receive the sample; an incubation chamber having an incubation chamber inlet fluidly connected to the inlet downstream thereof, to incubate the analyte in the sample; a filter barrier fluidly connected to the incubation chamber, downstream of the incubation chamber inlet; a sensing chamber fluidly connected to the incubation chamber, downstream of the filter barrier, the sensing chamber having a plasmonic nanosurface, the plasmonic nanosurface including nanostructures protruding from the plasmonic nanosurface, the nanostructures having a size that is smaller than that of the diffraction limit of light, the nanostructures having a metallic layer that is plasmon-supported on top of a back reflector layer; and an outlet fluidly connected to the sensing chamber downstream thereof.

A droplet collection unit of an embodiment includes a generator and processing circuitry. The generator produces droplets each containing a microorganism and a substrate that reacts with an enzyme derived from the microorganism. The processing circuitry detects a reaction between the enzyme and the substrate in each droplet. The processing circuitry sorts the droplets on the basis of a detection result of the reaction.

An assembly for forming a microchamber for an inverted substrate is disclosed. The assembly can include a body having a chamber formed therein. A dispensing cavity can be provided to supply a reagent to the chamber. A slide support structure can be configured to support the slide such that the tissue sample faces the chamber when the slide is mounted to the slide support structure. The chamber and the slide support structure can be dimensioned such that, when the reagent is supplied to the dispensing cavity, the reagent is drawn to the chamber by way of capillary forces acting on the reagent.

A method may include maintaining a sample comprising an ionic species and an optical indicator at an elevated temperature above 25° C. on a semi-conductive microfluidic die during an incubation period, intermittently interrogating the sample with an interrogating light during the incubation period and sensing a response of the sample to the interrogating light, wherein the sample is interrogated with the interrogating light only during those times at which the sample is being sensed.

Systems and methods for monitoring, characterizing and controlling operation of LEDs are provided herein. Methods includes measuring a voltage across the LED, and correlating the voltage to a junction temperature of the LED. This correlation can be used to improve operation of the LED by increasing the signal to noise ratio of the LED signal, characterize the LED by comparing to an I-V curve, control LED operation to compensate for LED degradation and avoid crosstalk, and/or to generally improve performance and life expectancy of the LED. Improved performance of the LED can include stabilizing the photon output during performance of an assay to provide a desired dye reporter signal required for the assay and/or reducing an intra-shot during of the LED output during the assay. System and device with control units configured to perform these methods are also described herein.

An integrated nucleic acid processing apparatus includes a first operation area, a second operation area and a separation wall. The first operation area includes multiple carrying boards for placing objects and reagents for processing nucleic acids in samples, and multiple operation modules for performing operations of nucleic acid processing. The second operation area includes two extraction regions for respectively performing nucleic acid extractions. The separation wall separates the first operation area from the second operation area and includes two openable door sheets spatially corresponding to the two extraction regions. Nucleic acid extraction plates can be moved from the first operation area to the second operation area by means of the carrying boards as the two openable door sheets are opened, and be isolated in the second operation area for performing nucleic acid extractions as the two openable door sheets are closed.

In an example implementation, a reagent storage system for a microfluidic device includes a microfluidic chamber formed in a microfluidic device. A blister pack to store a reagent includes an electrically conductive membrane barrier adjacent to the chamber. A thinned region is formed in the membrane barrier, and a conductive trace is to supply electric current to heat and melt the thinned region. Melting the thinned region is to cause the membrane barrier to open and release the reagent into the chamber.

Methods of pre-heating a test vessel prior to transfer of the test vessel to an incubator may shorten an incubation cycle, ensure proper temperature of a test specimen in the test vessel, and/or improve testing accuracy and/or throughput in a bio-liquid specimen testing apparatus. The methods include providing a test vessel pre-heating apparatus having a receptacle sized to receive a test vessel therein and having at least one heating unit configured to heat by direct conduction at least one side of the test vessel. The methods also include heating at least one side of the test vessel via direct contact using the at least one heating unit. Specimen testing apparatus and test vessel pre-heating apparatus configured to carry out the method are described, as are other aspects.