A system (1) for detecting an analyte of interest in a sample is disclosed that comprises a measurement chamber (21) for metering the sample and including a defined concentration of an activator (27) causing the generation of a product when interacting with the analyte of interest, a heating element (31) thermally coupled to the measurement chamber, a controller (33) adapted to control the heating element such that the measurement chamber is maintained at a defined temperature (T.sub.d), a sensor (35) adapted to detect said product, a timer (37) adapted to time an interaction time between the sample and the activator; and a processor (39) responsive to the sensor and the timer. The processor is adapted to, upon addition of the sample to the measurement chamber, determine an amount of the analyte of interest in the sample from a sensor signal indicative of an amount of said product in the measurement chamber provided by the sensor prior to termination of said interaction; known interaction kinetics between the analyte of interest and the activator at the defined temperature and the defined concentration; and the interaction time at time of generation of the sensor signal. A method of detecting an analyte of interest in a sample using such a system is also disclosed.

Provided is an automatic analysis device in which a step for checking the progress of deterioration of a reagent can be automated and the expiration date of the reagent can be managed. Properties in absorption spectroscopic analysis pertaining to a standard liquid during implementation of calibration are used to calibrate the automatic analysis device so as to generate a standard curve N times for each lot. A series of action are repeated, with successive results in the implementation of calibration being updated while N is increased by 1 for each instance, until a first lot is completed. The final results are displayed in a dedicated screen image. This makes it possible to preliminarily ascertain the deterioration of the reagent, therefore making it possible to preemptively prevent inferiority in terms of repeatability and linearity, as well as to contribute to freedom from complex operations, reduction of cost, improvement in quality of data, and prevention of medical malpractice caused by a delay in reporting.

A laboratory automation device (10) includes a plurality of device components (14, 16), which are controlled by digital control commands (26). The digital control commands (26) are generated by a controller (20) of the laboratory automation device (10) from assay definition data (38) defining an assay procedure for the laboratory automation device (10).

When the automatic analyzer is installed in an environment with a high altitude and different external atmospheric pressures, there is a problem that an amount of vacuum suction decreases due to a decrease in suction performance of a vacuum pump and it is difficult to perform vacuum suction of an analyzed reaction liquid. In view of the above, by newly providing a pressure adjustment mechanism within a flow path connecting a vacuum tank to vacuum pump, it possible to control the pressure difference between a pressure in the vacuum tank and an external atmospheric pressure where the analyzer is installed to be constant regardless of the installation environment. Additionally, by providing a hole in communication with the outside in the vacuum tank or a vacuum bin, it possible to control the pressure difference between the pressure in the vacuum tank and the external atmospheric pressure where the analyzer is installed to be constant regardless of the installation environment.

Method and apparatus for electronic detection and determination includes detecting a signal T0 in a detection zone and a signal R0 in a reference zone before a sample is added; adding a sample and detecting the signals in each of the detection zone and the reference zone at an interval of a second preset period; calculating a judgement value based on 2k immediately previous signals in each of the detection zone and the reference zone, the signal T0 in the detection zone before the sample is added, and the signal R0 in the reference zone before the sample is added, each time when k successive signals are detected in each of the detection zone and the reference zone; and determining a judgement result based on m successive judgement values and a preset result threshold corresponding to a current detection time.

The behavior and/or internal activities of a microorganism can be simulated using a model of the microorganism. Such simulations can be used to determine the efficacy of treatments, disinfectants, antibiotics, chemotherapies, or other methods of interacting with the microorganism, or to provide some other information about the microorganism. Systems and methods are provided herein for fitting, refining, or otherwise improving such models in an automated fashion. Such systems and methods include performing whole-cell experiments to determine a correspondence between the predictions of such models and the actual behavior of samples of the microorganism. Such systems and methods also include, based on such determined correspondences, directly assessing determined discrete sets of properties of the microorganism and/or of constituents of the microorganism and updating parameters of the model corresponding to the properties of the discrete set such that the overall accuracy of the model is improved.

To minimize cross talk in systems and methods for detecting two or more different optical signals emitted from each of a plurality of reaction receptacles, an excitation signal associated with each of the optical signals has a known excitation frequency, and any detected signal having a frequency that is inconsistent with the excitation frequency is discarded. The receptacles are moved relative to optical sensors configured to detect each unique optical signal from an associated receptacle, and to further minimize cross talk, the optical sensors are arranged so that only one reaction receptacle at a time is in a signal detecting position with respect to one of its associated optical sensors, and the optical sensors are grouped by the optical signal they are configured to detect so that a first optical signal is detected from each of the reaction receptacles before a second optical signal is detected from the reaction receptacles.

According to one embodiment, a method is for generating a calibration curve based on results of photometry on a plurality of standard samples each containing a detection target in a known concentration. The concentration differs between the standard samples. The method includes obtaining the results of photometry on the standard samples at different photometry timings, to generate the calibration curve.

Systems for quantifying a target analyte concentration in a process solution are provided and can be used, for example, in methods for quantifying a target analyte concentration. These systems and methods include continuous automated titration methods that use titration chemistries to measure the target analyte concentration in the process solution. The method steps provide for efficient and robust automated titration methods for a variety of target analytes and can include methods that provide for methods that provide a dynamic range for measurement of target analyte concentrations.

A high-throughput automatic analyzer integrates a biochemical analysis section and a blood coagulation analysis section. The analyzer is capable of achieving a reduction in size, system cost, and lifecycle cost. The automatic analyzer includes: a reaction disk; a first reagent dispensing mechanism that dispenses a reagent to reaction cells on the reaction disk; a photometer that irradiates a reaction solution in the reaction cell with light; a reaction cell cleaning mechanism; a reaction vessel supply unit that supplies a disposable reaction vessel for mixing and reacting a sample and a reagent with each other; a second reagent dispensing mechanism that dispenses a reagent to the disposable reaction vessel; a blood coagulation time measuring section that irradiates a reaction solution in the disposable reaction vessel with light to detect transmitted or scattered light; and a sample dispensing mechanism that dispenses a sample to the reaction cell and the disposable reaction vessel.