Function fabrication in a microfluidic device manufactured with a custom 3D printer. The functions may include, for example, transporting or routing fluid, fluid mixing through flow and/or diffusion, blocking fluid (valve), pumping fluid, providing chemical reaction regions, providing analyte capture regions, and providing analyte separation regions. The fluid may be a liquid or a gas.

Provided is an apparatus for generating a microfluidic concentration field, the apparatus including: a substrate; a base film disposed on the substrate; a microchannel, which is formed in a space between the substrate and the base film and through which a fluid flows; a through passage, which communicates with the microchannel and is configured to pass through the base film; and a membrane, which is formed at a portion where the microchannel and the through passage communicate with each other and allows the fluid flowing along the microchannel and the through passage or a material flowing together with the fluid to selectively pass through the membrane, wherein a concentration field is formed between the fluid of the through passage and the fluid of the microchannel by the membrane.

In one embodiment, a selective plane illumination microscopy system for capturing light emitted by an illuminated specimen includes a specimen stage having a top surface adapted to support a specimen holder and an opening adapted to provide access to a bottom of the holder, and a selective plane illumination microscopy optical system positioned beneath the stage, the optical system including an excitation objective, a detection objective, and an open-top, hollow prism that is adapted to contain a quid, wherein the prism is positioned within the opening of the stage and optical axes of the objectives are aligned with the prism such that the axes pass through the prism and intersect at a position near the top surface of the specimen stage.

A microfluid device for producing diffusively built gradients comprising a bottom plate and a cover plate, wherein the cover plate has recesses and is connected to the bottom plate in a liquid-tight manner so that the recesses form at least two reservoirs and one observation chamber, which connects the reservoir, a reservoir can be filled particularly through an inlet/outlet through the cover plate, and the cross-sectional surface of the observation chamber is at least 5 times, preferably at least 200 times smaller at the aperture of the observation chamber into one of the reservoirs than the maximum cross-sectional surface of the reservoir in parallel to this cross-sectional surface of the observation chamber.

Apparatuses and methods for generating a chemical gradient within a flow channel include providing at least one bubble support structure within the flow channel. A bubble support structure helps maintain a bubble at a predetermined location in flow channel when a fluid flow passes therethrough. Oscillations are induced in the bubble using acoustic waves, which may be provided by a piezoelectric transducer located proximate the flow channel. Two or more inlets provide fluids of different chemical compositions into the flow channel, and bubble oscillations are used to generate a dynamically controllable mixing process.

A vehicle mounted spreader for spreading materials such as sand, salt, or other granular chemicals onto snow and ice covered road surfaces comprises a hopper for containing the material to be spread, a spinner for spreading the material, a conveyor for conveying the material from the hopper to the spinner, a vehicle speed sensor, a load sensor, a road condition sensor, and a controller programmed with an intended density of material (e.g., pounds per acre) and desired width of coverage; within the controller the vehicle speed sensor measurement and load and road sensor inputs are processed to generate outputs to control the speed of the conveyor and spinner, to both control the rate of material distribution and the pattern of material distribution to approach the intended density and width. A vehicle mounted sprayer for spreading liquid treatment material for treatment or pre-treatment of road surfaces comprises a plurality of tanks for containing main brine material to be spread, a hot mix tank supplying hot mix, a mix valve for mixing the main brine and hot mix, pumps for controllably delivering main brine and hot mix to the mix valve, and a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of liquid treatment material. In this case the controller determines the intended density and flow rate of liquid based on sensor inputs.

A vehicle mounted spreader for spreading materials such as sand, salt, or other granular chemicals onto snow and ice covered road surfaces comprises a hopper for containing the material to be spread, a spinner for spreading the material, a conveyor for conveying the material from the hopper to the spinner, a vehicle speed sensor, a load sensor, a road condition sensor, and a controller programmed with an intended density of material (e.g., pounds per acre) and desired width of coverage; within the controller the vehicle speed sensor measurement and load and road sensor inputs are processed to generate outputs to control the speed of the conveyor and spinner, to both control the rate of material distribution and the pattern of material distribution to approach the intended density and width. A vehicle mounted sprayer for spreading liquid treatment material for treatment or pre-treatment of road surfaces comprises a plurality of tanks for containing main brine material to be spread, a hot mix tank supplying hot mix, a mix valve for mixing the main brine and hot mix, pumps for controllably delivering main brine and hot mix to the mix valve, and a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of liquid treatment material. In this case the controller determines the intended density and flow rate of liquid based on sensor inputs.

A method and a system are described for mixing liquid chemicals at dynamically changing or static ratios during a given dispense, with extremely high uniformity and repeatability. A mixer includes multiple fluid supply lines including elongate bladders defining a linear flow path and being configured to laterally expand to collect a process fluid and laterally contract to deliver a selected volume of the process fluid to the mixer.

Shape Dependent alphabets are error prone and quite imposing on their reader. Proposing “Shapeless”—an alphabet based on the entropic state of a mixture—offering easy, redundant reading. Applications include marking packages for shipping and industrial handling, signing items to hinder fraud, offering alternative communication channels, and analyzing video streams for changes of interest.

Described is a microfluidic serial dilution platform based well-plate using an oil-free immiscible phase driven by manual or electronic pipettors. The well-plate includes a plurality of fluidic traps, a plurality of hydrophilic capillary constriction channels and a plurality of bypass channels. Each of the plurality of bypass channels is associated with one of the plurality of fluidic traps, each of the plurality of hydrophilic capillary constriction channels is associated with one of the plurality of fluidic traps, and each of the plurality of fluidic traps is associated with one of the plurality of bypass channels and one of the plurality of hydrophilic capillary constriction channels. The well-plate further includes an inlet, an outlet, and a main channel with a plurality of portions that connects the inlet to the plurality of fluidic traps, associated hydrophilic capillary constriction channels and associated bypass channels, and the outlet.