Embodiments may include a rapid test device that provide rapid detection of pathogen infection and techniques for rapid assessment of immunity to the pathogen. In an embodiment, a device may comprise a mechanism configured to hold a cartridge configured to receive a test sample, the cartridge comprising: a first chamber configured to receive the test sample, the first chamber pre-filled with micromagnetic particles, a first reservoir pre-filled with secondary antibodies labeled with a fluorescent compound, a mechanism configured to move the secondary antibodies from the first reservoir to the first chamber, a computer system to control the mechanism configured to move the magnetic device to: mix the micromagnetic particles with the test sample by moving the micromagnetic particles, mix the micromagnetic particles with the secondary antibodies, and move the micromagnetic particles to the detection region, and circuitry configured to detect fluorescence of the fluorescent compound in the detection region.

Embodiments may include a rapid test device that provide rapid detection of substances, including those involved in pathogen infection, for example, using Microscale Affinity Chromatography (MAC), indirect ELISA, and optical molecular sensing technology. For example, in an embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a loading bay disposed on the apparatus to receive a cartridge, a door disposed on the apparatus to cover the loading bay, a plurality of prongs disposed on an interior of the door to provide actuation force to dispense blister reservoirs disposed on the cartridge when the door is closed, and a device disposed relative to the cartridge to move at least a portion of contents of the cartridge among chambers of the cartridge.

An air sampling system is disclosed. The air sampling system includes: an air inflow channel having an air inlet portion at a top end, the air inflow channel being oriented substantially vertically; a fan configured to cause air in a sampling environment to flow into the air inflow channel via the inlet portion; a cooling unit for cooling air in the air inflow channel, the cooling unit disposed downstream of the inlet portion; a collection chamber for collecting liquid water condensed from air in the air inflow channel, the collection chamber being fluidly connected to the air inflow channel; and a sensing unit for determining a volume of liquid in the collection chamber, wherein the cooling unit is controlled in response to signals generated by the sensing unit.

A cell detection device that detects a cell in a specimen with high sensitivity and includes a sealed container having a sealable specimen introduction portion, a culture portion that holds a culture solution, an extraction reagent portion that holds an extraction reagent, and a luminescent reagent portion that holds a luminescent reagent, a contact mechanism that controls contact between the culture solution, the extraction reagent, and the luminescent reagent, a photodetector that detects luminescence from the luminescent reagent portion, and a calculator that determines growth of a cell based on a detection signal of the photodetector. The culture solution, the extraction reagent, and the luminescent reagent are separately disposed in the sealed container, and the contact mechanism brings the culture solution to which a specimen is added and the extraction reagent into contact to obtain an extraction solution, and intermittently brings the extraction solution and the luminescent reagent into contact.

A method and apparatus for evaluating the chemical composition of airborne particles by sequentially collecting and analyzing airborne particles in-situ. The method includes: collecting particles; enlarging the particles through water condensation; accelerating the enlarged particles onto a surface to collect enlarged particles; and analyzing the enlarged particles by: isolating the surface; passing a carrier gas over the surface; heating the surface to thermally desorb collected particles into the carrier gas; transporting this evolved vapor into detectors; and assaying the evolved vapor as a function of a desorption temperature. The apparatus includes: a sample flow inlet; a condensational growth tube; a collection and thermal desorption (CTD) cell; a carrier gas source; a heater coupled to the CTD; one or more gas detectors; and a controller configured to operate valves, the heater, the growth tube, and the CTD cell in at least an in-situ sequential collection mode and analysis mode.

An on-line measurement system for aerosol precursors emitted from industrial sources has three parts: online measurement part, pipeline cleaning part and automatic control part. The system includes: a particulate filter, high temperature intake pipe, two detergent tanks, an air pump, a cooling water pump, two detergent pumps, a condenser, an impinger, a cooling water meter, a salinity meter, a liquid flow meter, a gas flow meter, nitrogen cylinders, connecting pipes, control valves, computer control program etc. The aerosol precursor concentration Cg emitted from industrial sources is measured in the online measurement section. After every measurement, the pipeline is cleaned by the pipeline cleaning part to remove organic and inorganic residual. The automatic control part is controlled by the computer through a controlling program to control the working process of the system. The system has small area occupation, low investment cost, simple maintenance, convenient transformation and high applicability.

A sensor to detect solid particles of a target salt can include a support substrate, an adsorption layer, a sensing layer oriented between the support substrate and the adsorption layer, and an electrode pair in contact with the sensing layer and separated by the sensing layer. The adsorption layer can include an ion exchange medium formed of a first porous structured material functionalized with basic or acidic functional groups. The basic or acidic functional groups can remove an acid or base component from the target salt to form a free base or free acid, respectively, of the target salt. The sensing layer can include a second porous structured material functionalized to detect the free base or acid of the target salt by a change in conductivity.

A particle detector for rapidly detecting and identifying sub 20 nm particles in Ultra Pure Water (UPW) is disclosed. The detector has a nano particle extractor, a nanoparticle collector, and a tracer particle introducer. The extractor limits the size of droplets output to a predetermined size. The extractor includes (1) a liquid sample inlet, (2) a nebulizer connected to the liquid sample inlet (the nebulizer has a gas supply, and an outlet), (3) an impactor arranged to receive material output from the nebulizer, (4) an evaporator connected to the nebulizer and impactor for providing an aerosol at the extractor outlet, and (5) an aerosol connected to the evaporator. The collector us connected to the extractor and has: (1) a collector inlet connected to the aerosol outlet of the extractor, (2) a vapor condensation growth tube connected to the collector inlet, and (3) a repositionable particle capture plate arranged to receive material output from the growth tube at spatially varying positions. The tracer particle introducer is connected to the liquid sample inlet of the extractor. It includes a tracer particle supply connected to a pump which is connected to the extractor. A method for rapid identification of sub−20 nm particles in UPW is also disclosed.

Quantifying nanobubbles in solution includes combining an indicator with a fluid comprising nanobubbles to yield a first solution, bursting the nanobubbles in the first solution to yield a second solution, and assessing a difference between the first solution and the second solution to yield a concentration of the nanobubbles in the first solution, a concentration of reactive oxygen species in the first solution or the second solution, or both.

A system and method to measure a size distribution of particles based on their electrical mobility. The method includes: introducing, via a sheath flow inlet, a particle free sheath flow into a chamber formed by two parallel walls which are separated by a gap, the chamber having a width and a length, the sheath flow having a direction along the length of the chamber and flowing a laminar manner; introducing an aerosol sample flow into the chamber downstream of the sheath inlet such that the aerosol sample flow joins the particle free sheath flow in a laminar manner; applying an electric field between the two parallel walls of the chamber, the field having a strength which varies across the width of the chamber; extracting an output aerosol flow through a first outlet downstream of the sample inlet; and outputting an excess flow equal to a sum of the sheath flow and aerosol sample flow minus the output aerosol flow. The method may also include: passing the output aerosol flow through a growth cell in a laminar manner, the growth cell having a region of wetted walls with two or more temperature regions such that the particles within the output aerosol flow grow by condensation to form droplets, and such that relative positions of droplets are indicative of particle electrical mobility; and counting and capturing a spatial position of individual droplets exiting the growth cell.