Abstract:
An electropneumatic apparatus for sampling rapidly predetermined volumes of a mixture, to be connected to a computer. It comprises an injector provided with a detector connected to the computer for indicating activation of the injector; a reactor having a chamber provided with at least one aperture, the chamber being provided in its superior portion with an air inlet/outlet connected to a pressurized air system, the chamber having a bottom outlet provided with a flow sensor connected to the computer for indicating a volume of fluid exiting from the bottom outlet; the pressurized air system having an air channel provided with a first portion connected to an air source, and a second portion connected to the air inlet/outlet of the chamber, the air channel being provided with an air controlling device connected to the computer for producing a succession of positive and negative pressures inside the chamber, whereby the predetermined volumes of the mixture can be sampled from the bottom outlet under control of the computer; and a receiving system comprising a mobile manifold array for receiving successive samples exiting from the bottom outlet of the chamber.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for use in quantifying, in a whole blood sample in which the red cells are lysed, a component which will react with a reagent to form an antigen-antibody complex, the method comprising mixing the sample with the reagent to obtain the complex, exposing the sample to a source of radiation and measuring the intensity of radiation scattered through a given angle by the complex, and the apparatus including a container for receiving the sample which has been treated with the reagent to the component, the container being transparent to radiation having a wavelength falling within a given band width, typically 460-530 nm. A source of radiation within this band width is provided together with a device for detecting the intensity of radiation scattered through a given angle by the sample.
Abstract:
Apparatus and method are disclosed in which a beam of radiant energy (16) is passed into a medium at a wavelength selected to cause a response of an analyte in the medium or of a sensor (10, 14) exposed to the medium, the sensor comprising a reagent whose optical properties change in response to the presence of the analyte in the medium. A perturbing pulse of energy (22) is passed into the medium to alter the response of the analyte or reagent to the beam of radiation; and the time rates of change in the intensity of the transmitted radiant energy are measured (18, 24, 26, 28) while the response is changing due to the influence of the perturbing pulse, after the perturbing pulse starts or ends or both, such rates of change being proportional to the concentration of the analyte in the medium. Both the beam of radiant energy and the perturbing pulse may be passed through optic fibers into the medium or sensor.
Abstract:
A scatter signal is produced from light scattered by a precipitate formed by a chemical reaction and non-specific scatter sources. A blanking signal is produced for a scatter signal from light scattered only by the non-specific scatter sources that contribute to the scatter signal, and the blanking signal is subtracted from the scatter signal to dynamically produce a signal indicative of the difference between the scatter signals to reduce the effects of non-specific scattering sources in determining the rate of change of the light scattered by the precipitate. One of the scatter signals may be stored and then combined with the other, or the signals may be measured simultaneously and then combined.
Abstract:
This invention concerns spectroscopy apparatus comprising a light source arranged to generate a light profile on a sample, a photodetector having at least one photodetector element for detecting characteristic light generated from interaction of the sample with light from the light source, a support for supporting the sample, the support movable relative to the light profile, and a processing unit. The processing unit is arranged to associate a spectral value recorded by the photodetector element at a particular time with a point on the sample predicted to have generated the characteristic light recorded by the photodetector element at the particular time based on relative motion anticipated to have occurred between the support and the light profile.
Abstract:
For optical determination of the catalytic enzyme activity of a sample by means of enzyme reactants which are split under the influence of the enzyme to be measured, the enzyme reactant is placed at the end of an optical fiber and brought into contact with the sample to be determined. The measurements are carried out by observing the rate of change in spectral characteristics of the enzyme reactant, or its reaction products, resulting from the enzyme reaction. The method permits measurements of undiluted blood and in-vivo determinations of enzyme activities.
Abstract:
Errors in applying liquid sample are judged during biochemical analysis wherein a droplet of liquid sample is applied to an analysis medium containing a reagent, which chemically reacts with a specific constitutent in the liquid sample, the analysis medium is then incubated, the optical densities of the analysis medium are determined, and concentration of the specific constituent in the liquid sample is determined from the optical densities of the analysis medium thus determined. The method for judging errors in applying a liquid sample comprises the steps of determining the optical density of the analysis medium plural times with the passage of time while the analysis medium is being incubated, and calculating the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the optical densities thus determined for the analysis medium. The difference is compared with a predetermined threshold value. In cases the difference is smaller than the threshold value, it is judged that errors occurred in applying a liquid sample to the analysis medium.
Abstract:
An optical analyzer for determining an analyte in a fluid of interest such as a body fluid of interest satisfying the foregoing need and embodying the present invention may include a housing; combination optically transparent cuvette and lancet mounted removably in the housing, the cuvette may receive an optically transparent reagent test system for reacting with the body fluid to produce a change in at least one optical transmissive characteristic of the system indicative of the analyte; a cuvette carrier mounted slidably in the housing and for removably receiving the cuvette; a spring actuator mounted in the housing and connected to the cuvette carrier, the spring actuator may be compressed and released to advance the carrier and thereby advance the lancet into engagement with a portion of a body to produce the body fluid; depth control apparatus for controlling the depth of penetration of the lancet into the body portion; an electrooptical system mounted in the housing in optical engagement with the cuvette and for passing a light beam through the cuvette and the reagent system and for receiving the light beam modified by the change in optical transmissive characteristic of the system and for transmitting computation signals indicative of the analyte to a computer; a computer mounted in the housing for receiving the computation signals and for comparing the computation signals against predetermined data to produce display signals indicative of the analyte; a display mounted in the housing and for receiving the display signals and for providing a vehicle display indicative of the analyte; and control switches mounted in the housing and connected to the computer for controlling the operation of the computer.