The systems and methods provided herein relate generally to the improvement of data quality in optical liquid particle counters and control of optical particle counters to achieve longer expected lifetime, for example by avoiding damage caused by electromagnetic radiation and heat. The systems and methods incorporate sensors which characterize the fluid flowing through the flow cell, thereby enhancing accuracy and reducing the number of false positives.

A networked air quality monitoring system. Such a system could provide information beyond the user's local instrument on air quality over a much larger area. This information could be used by a user to make decisions about frequenting particular areas based on the results, or to alert them to changing conditions in the area so that the user might act before local conditions change.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a system and method for obscurant mitigation is disclosed. The system comprises an obscurant assessor configured to characterize one or more characteristics of a detected obscurant and generate an obscurant model; an obscurant mitigator configured to perform one or more mitigation operations; and a controller communicatively coupled to each of the obscurant assessor and the obscurant mitigator. The controller is configured to receive an output signal from a vehicle sensor corresponding to a detected obscurant level and determine if the detected obscurant level exceeds a predetermined threshold. The controller generates an obscurant mitigation plan if the detected obscurant level exceeds the predetermined threshold based on the obscurant model generated by the obscurant assessor; and controls operations of an obscurant mitigator based on the obscurant mitigation plan to reduce the detected obscurant level.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a method for directing a work machine to one or more worksites from a selection of candidate worksites is disclosed. The method includes receiving obscurant data related to a forecast availability of obscurants at one or more worksites; receiving environmental data related to the suppression, creation, transportation, or direction of obscurants; and receiving operational data related to machine components and the ability of the machine components to generate obscurants or have performance degraded by obscurants at the one or more worksites. Determining an obscurant metric for each of the one or more worksites based on the obscurant data, the environmental data, and the operational data; and directing the work machine to the one or more worksites based on the obscurant metric.

Embodiments disclose a device for testing biological specimen. The device includes a receiving mechanism to receive a carrier. The carrier includes a holding area that carries or has been exposed to the biological specimen. The device includes a camera module arranged to capture imagery of the holding area. The camera module includes an focusing motor operable to adjust a focal point of the camera. The device also includes a processor that is configured to utilize the camera module to determine, based on operations of the focusing motor, a volumetric property of the holding area and perform a set of analytic processes on at least a portion of the captured imagery of the holding area to determine one or more properties of the biological specimen.

Disclosed herein is a low cost and rapid microfluidic based method and test device for quantifying male fertility potential. The device can simultaneously measure three critical semen parameters rapidly, namely live sperm concentration, motile sperm concentration, and sperm motility. The device includes a transparent substrate and a top sheet with two holes therethrough and an intermediate sheet sandwiched between the substrate and the top sheet. The wells formed by holes form a concentration measuring well (C) and a motility well (M) formed by the top sheet with these two holes bonded to the intermediate sheet. A colorimetric agent is located on the top surface of the intermediate sheet at the bottom of each well which changes color when in contact with sperm. In the motility well a porous membrane is located on top of the colorimetric agent and a liquid buffer may be placed on the top surface of the porous membrane. Applying part of a sperm sample to the C well results in direct contact of any live sperm with the colorimetric agent causing a color change, applying part of the sperm sample to the M well results in live sperm with sufficient motility to swim vertically down through the liquid buffer and through the porous membrane to the colorimetric agent. Evaluating the intensities of the color change of the colorimetric agents before and after contact with the sample gives a measure of total concentration of live sperm and motile sperm from which sperm motility is calculated.

A system for particulate detection and monitoring includes one or more light sources configured to emit light into a monitored space. The system includes at least two light sensing devices configured to receive scattered light. Respective sensing portions of the three two sensing devices share a common centerline axis. A processor is operatively connected to the two light sensing devices and is configured to evaluate the scattered light for presence of particulates in the monitored space.

There is provided a device (300;500;700) for collecting fluorescent light (322) emitted by particles (304) in a medium (302). The device (300;500;700) comprises a substrate (308) having a chamber (306) for holding the medium (302) including the particles (304) being capable of emitting fluorescent light (322). A first waveguide (310), which is is arranged to receive and guide excitation light along a first direction (313), extends through the chamber (306). Fluorescent light (322) emitted by the particles (304) following an excitation is collected by the first waveguide (310). The device (300;500;700) further comprises a coupler (316;516) which includes a second waveguide (317) arranged to output collected fluorescent light (326) at one of its ends (318). The second waveguide (317) is arranged in relation to the first waveguide (310) such that collected fluorescent light (324) travelling in a direction opposite to the first direction (312) is coupled out from the first waveguide (310) directly into the second waveguide (317).

A system for automated microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing comprising a reagent cartridge, a reagent stage, a cassette, a cassette, stage, a pipettor assembly, an optical detection system, and a controller is disclosed. The system is designed to dynamically adjust motor idle torque to control heat load and employs a fast focus process for determining the true focus position of an individual microorganism. The system also may quantify the relative abundance of viable microorganisms in a sample using dynamic dilution, and facilitate growth of microorganisms in customized media for rapid, accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

A particle sensor is described. The particle sensor includes a laser module having a laser, and a detector configured to detect thermal radiation. The particle sensor has an optical apparatus that is configured to focus laser light proceeding from the laser module into a first spot and is configured to focus thermal radiation proceeding from the first spot into a second spot, a radiation-sensitive surface of the detector being located in the second spot, or behind the second spot in the beam path of the thermal radiation focused onto the second spot.