Abstract:
A chemical and/or biochemical system (1) having at least one reaction vessel (3) in which chemical and/or biochemical reactions may take place, the temperature of the reaction vessels being cycled between at least a highest predetermined temperature and a lowest predetermined temperature, the system comprising a thermal mount (4) for receiving the reaction vessel (s), the thermal mount being thermally coupled to a first, thermally conductive side of a thermoelectric module (5), a second thermally conductive side of the thermoelectric module being thermally coupled to a heat sink (6) and being provided with a pair of electrical contacts (33) to which a pair of electrically conductive wires (34) is connected for coupling to a power source, characterized in that a flexible adhesive (31, 32) is provided between the first thermally conductive side of the thermoelectric module and the thermal mount and between the second thermally conductive side of the thermoelectric module and the heat sink, whereby the adhesive is relatively thermally insulating compared to the first and second thermally conductive sides of the thermoelectric module and forms the sole coupling, thermal or mechanical, between the thermoelectric module and the thermal mount and between the thermoelectric module and the heat sink.
Abstract:
A photonic measurement system, such as an atomic absorption spectrometer, includes source, sample and detection modules that are interconnected by fiber optic cables. A first set of fiber optic cables guides light from one or more light sources in the source module to each of at least two analysis chambers in the sample module. A second set of fiber optic cables guides light from the analysis chambers to a detector in the detection module. The detector provides to a processing sub-system signals that correspond to intensities of the guided light. One analysis chamber is selected to perform a sample analysis at a given time, and the processing sub-system processes the signals associated with the selected analysis chamber as measurement signals. The processing sub-system may further process the signals associated with a given non-selected analysis chamber as reference signals.
Abstract:
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for hemometry in humans. Pressure is applied proximal to a target area in human tissue. A modulated optical signal based on a digital code sequence is transmitted to the target area. A temporal transfer characteristic is derived from the modulated optical signal. Concentration of an analyte is determined based on the temporal transfer characteristic.
Abstract:
A photonic measurement system, such as an atomic absorption spectrometer, includes source, sample and detection modules that are interconnected by fiber optic cables. A first set of fiber optic cables guides light from one or more light sources in the source module to each of at least two analysis chambers in the sample module. A second set of fiber optic cables guides light from the analysis chambers to a detector in the detection module. The detector provides to a processing sub-system signals that correspond to intensities of the guided light. One analysis chamber is selected to perform a sample analysis at a given time, and the processing sub-system processes the signals associated with the selected analysis chamber as measurement signals. The processing sub-system may further process the signals associated with a given non-selected analysis chamber as reference signals.
Abstract:
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for pressure sore detection. A modulated optical signal based on a digital code sequence is transmitted to human tissue. A temporal transfer characteristic is derived from the modulated optical signal. Tissue characteristics is determined based on the temporal transfer characteristic.
Abstract:
A sample analyzer includes (a) a measuring part for measuring optical information of a sample at first wavelength, second wavelength, and third wavelength, first light of the first wavelength and second light of the second wavelength being absorbed by a second substance but substantially not absorbed by a first substance, and third light of the third wavelength being absorbed by the first substance; and (b) an obtaining part for obtaining content of the first substance in the sample, and content of the second substance in the sample, influence by the second substance being excluded from the content of the first substance, based on the optical information at the first wavelength, second wavelength, and third wavelength measured by the measuring part.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to solving the problems associated with the detection of surface defects on metal bars as well as the problems associated with applying metal flat inspection systems to metal bars for non-destructive surface defects detection. A specially designed imaging system, which is comprised of a computing unit, line lights and high data rate line scan cameras, is developed for the aforementioned purpose. The target application is the metal bars (1) that have a circumference/cross-section-area ratio equal to or smaller than 4.25 when the cross section area is unity for the given shape, (2) whose cross-sections are round, oval, or in the shape of a polygon, and (3) are manufactured by mechanically cross-section reduction processes. The said metal can be steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, bronze, titanium, nickel, and so forth, and/or their alloys. The said metal bars can be at the temperature when they are being manufactured. A removable cassette includes various mirrors. A protection tube isolates the moving metal bar from the line light assembly and image acquisition camera. A contaminant reduction mechanism applies a vacuum to remove airborne contaminants.
Abstract:
A microsphere-based analytic chemistry system and method for making the same is disclosed in which microspheres or particles carrying bioactive agents may be combined randomly or in ordered fashion and dispersed on a substrate to form an array while maintaining the ability to identify the location of bioactive agents and particles within the array using an optically interrogatable, optical signature encoding scheme. A wide variety of modified substrates may be employed which provide either discrete or non-discrete sites for accommodating the microspheres in either random or patterned distributions. The substrates may be constructed from a variety of materials to form either two-dimensional or three-dimensional configurations. In a preferred embodiment, a modified fiber optic bundle or array is employed as a substrate to produce a high density array. The disclosed system and method have utility for detecting target analytes and screening large libraries of bioactive agents.
Abstract:
An optical receiving and data communications system for sensing materials of interest (e.g., drugs and/or explosives) in transportation systems such as buses, trucks, cars, trains, aircraft, and ships, and checkpoints such as building entrances, roadblocks, passenger boarding areas, and the like. The system can be included in the transportation system, and includes a fiber optic frontend that focuses and/or concentrates light reflected from a target into the fiber filament for communication to an optical sensor. When the target is illuminated at a predetermined wavelength, a vapor plume and/or particulate matter associated therewith is energized such that change information is caused to occur and be received into the fiber system. The change information is communicated over a fiber communications network to a remote processing and analysis system for processing and analysis to determine its chemical components.
Abstract:
A method that redistributes light from a light source. The controller can redistribute light to make an irradiance profile of the light source more uniform or make the irradiance profile match a fluid flow profile. The irradiance profile may be controlled by modifying light leakage from a plurality of waveguides or changing the light-directing properties of reflectors and/or lenses.