A thin film induction nebulizer is disclosed herein. The nebulizer has a gas capillary and a liquid capillary that are aligned in the same direction within a nebulizer housing and are substantially aligned with a main axis of the nebulizer housing. The nebulizer includes a liquid opening configured to allow liquid to exit the liquid capillary and a gas orifice configured to allow gas to exit the gas capillary. The liquid capillary opens into a chamber that is formed from a liquid channel having a roughened surface and a cover plate. The cover plate interfaces with the liquid channel to partially seal the chamber. The chamber includes an opening where the liquid opening opens into the chamber and also includes another opening proximal to the gas orifice. The end of the nebulizer housing that is proximal to the liquid opening and the gas orifice includes two angled exterior surfaces.

An apparatus for providing an object to be medically examined by blowing is provided where air is blown into a container in which an object to be medically examined is stored, so as to make the uniform distribution state of the object to be medically examined from the inside of the container, thereby ensuring the sameness of the object to be medically examined, which is to be extracted from the container.

Methods of evaluating a surfactant may include ultrasonicating a mixture of oil, water, and the surfactant to form at least one of the following: a sub-macroemulsion, a macroemulsion phase or a combination of the aforementioned; separating the sub-macroemulsion from the macroemulsion phase; introducing the sub-macroemulsion into a foam container; performing a first automated phase identification of the sub-macroemulsion; introducing a gas into the sub-macroemulsion to generate a column of foam, where the column of foam has a height in the foam container; performing a second automated phase identification of the sub-macroemulsion; and measuring the height of the column of foam in the foam container. In these methods, the first and second automated phase identifications may be configured to quantify one or more liquid phases and a foam phase in the column.

Provided are systems and methods for analyte detection and analysis. A system can comprise an open substrate configured to rotate. The open substrate can comprise an array of immobilized analytes. A solution comprising a plurality of probes may be directed, via centrifugal force, across the array during rotation of the substrate, to couple at least one of the plurality of probes with at least one of the analytes to form a bound probe. A detector can be configured to detect a signal from the bound probe via continuous rotational area scanning of the substrate.

Methods and systems for using encapsulated microbubbles to process biological samples are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for using encapsulated microbubbles to process a biological sample includes creating a mixture comprising encapsulated microbubbles mixed with a biological sample and adding activation energy to the mixture to cause at least some of the microbubbles to oscillate or burst and thereby process the sample, including effecting cell lysis, shearing DNA, and/or performing tissue dispersion.

An apparatus for providing an object to be medically examined by blowing is provided where air is blown into a container in which an object to be medically examined is stored, so as to make the uniform distribution state of the object to be medically examined from the inside of the container, thereby ensuring the sameness of the object to be medically examined, which is to be extracted from the container.

Methods and systems for using encapsulated microbubbles to process biological samples are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for using encapsulated microbubbles to process a biological sample includes creating a mixture comprising encapsulated microbubbles mixed with a biological sample and adding activation energy to the mixture to cause at least some of the microbubbles to oscillate or burst and thereby process the sample, including effecting cell lysis, shearing DNA, and/or performing tissue dispersion.

A microfluidic system and method suitable for liquid mixing. The microfluidic system uses a pump (400) as the driving source, which draws at least two liquid samples that are to be mixed into the pump (400). Some air is drawn into the pump (400) as well. The system is also comprised of a mixing reservoir (203). The two liquids drawn into the pump (400) are pushed into the mixing reservoir (203). The air bubbles generated by the air have a stirring effect on the mixed liquid in the mixing reservoir (203). After the air bubbles burst, left at rest, and the air has risen to the top of the mixing reservoir (203), the mixed liquid is drawn back to the pump (400) and fed to the outlet (103) for subsequent detection steps. The addition of an antifoaming agent will prevent the accumulation of air bubbles during the mixing process. In the system, the valves (501, 502, 503, 504) and the sensors (601, 602, 603, 604) in the microfluidic channels (301, 302, 303, 304) will be used for the operation of the microfluidic system and for the precise control of the flow.

Disclosed is a mixing chamber apparatus suitable for high-volume sampling (HVS) application. The mixing chamber apparatus includes, among other elements, inlet and outlet manifolds, a mixing chamber, and a tubing manifold for the introduction of clean, turbulent air into the mixing chamber. The inlet manifold defines a plurality of vapor ports that can be in fluid communication with one or more vapor sources to be sampled and mixed within the mixing chamber. Also described herein is a baffled mixing system that can be used alone or in combination with the disclosed mixing chamber apparatus.

A system for high throughput foam analysis includes a foam generation system, an illumination source, a detection system and an analysis system. A foam generation system includes a first plurality of foaming units, each foaming unit including a foaming chamber and a gas induction mechanism. The illumination source provides an illumination to the foaming chamber of each foaming unit. The detection system includes a first camera configured to temporally record the foaming process in each foaming unit, thereby producing a first plurality of frames. The analysis system includes: at least one processor, and a memory including instructions for (i) obtaining a first respective frame in the first plurality of frames; (ii) segmenting the first respective frame into a first plurality of segmented images, and (iii) extracting, from each segmented image, one or more characteristics of the foam, thereby facilitating high throughput foam analysis of the first plurality of solutions.