Abstract: Methods of ejecting droplets containing a non-Newtonian fluid by an acoustic droplet ejector can include applying a tone burst of focused acoustic energy to a fluid reservoir containing a non-Newtonian fluid at sufficient amplitude to effect droplet ejection according to a tone burst pattern. The tone burst pattern may include three discrete tone burst segments, the first tone burst segment having greater duration than the second and third segments, and third segment having greater duration than the second segment. The exact durations and amplitudes of the tone burst segments can be tuned to influence the ejection properties.

Abstract: An optical readout method for detecting a precipitate (e.g., a precipitate generated from the LAMP reaction) contained within a droplet includes generating a plurality of droplets, at least some which have a precipitate contained therein. The droplets are imaged using a brightfield imaging device. The image is subject to image processing using image processing software executed on a computing device. Image processing isolates individual droplets in the image and performs feature detection within the isolated droplets. Keypoints and information related thereto are extracted from the detected features within the isolated droplets. The keypoints are subject to a clustering operation to generate a plurality of visual “words.” The word frequency obtained for each droplet is input into a trained machine learning droplet classifier, wherein the trained machine learning droplet classifier classifies each droplet as positive for the precipitate or negative for the precipitate.

Abstract: Methods of ejecting droplets containing a non-Newtonian fluid by an acoustic droplet ejector can include applying a tone burst of focused acoustic energy to a fluid reservoir containing a non-Newtonian fluid at sufficient amplitude to effect droplet ejection according to a tone burst pattern. The tone burst pattern may include three discrete tone burst segments, the first tone burst segment having greater duration than the second and third segments, and third segment having greater duration than the second segment. The exact durations and amplitudes of the tone burst segments can be tuned to influence the ejection properties.

Abstract: An optical readout method for detecting a precipitate (e.g., a precipitate generated from the LAMP reaction) contained within a droplet includes generating a plurality of droplets, at least some which have a precipitate contained therein. The droplets are imaged using a brightfield imaging device. The image is subject to image processing using image processing software executed on a computing device. Image processing isolates individual droplets in the image and performs feature detection within the isolated droplets. Keypoints and information related thereto are extracted from the detected features within the isolated droplets. The keypoints are subject to a clustering operation to generate a plurality of visual “words.” The word frequency obtained for each droplet is input into a trained machine learning droplet classifier, wherein the trained machine learning droplet classifier classifies each droplet as positive for the precipitate or negative for the precipitate.

Abstract: A G Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) is incorporated in polymeric giant unilamellar protein vesicles (pGUPs). By utilizing an agarose rehydration technique, the GPCR is inserted in the biased, physiological orientation with the C-terminus cytosolic and N-terminus extracellular. The GPCR is fully functional within the polymeric bilayer, exhibiting physiological responses to various ligands. The entire population of GPCRs in pGUPs remains fully functional after lyophilization for 120 hours.

Abstract: A method of coating a substrate, such as a microfluidic device having an interior surface, includes heating a gas including a perfluoroacrylate, a crosslinker and an initiator at a first temperature, maintaining the substrate at a second temperature lower than the first temperature in a reaction chamber, exposing the heated gas to the substrate in the reaction chamber, and reacting the perfluoroacrylate with the initiator and crosslinker to form a polymer coating on the surface of the substrate.