Abstract: A well plate includes a frame section that defines a plane, and a plurality of well structures. Each well structure extends in a direction away from the plane defined by the frame section, and each well structure defines a well for holding a fluid. The well plate further includes an artifact connected to at least one well structure. The artifact uniquely identifies a type of the well plate among other types of well plates. Along these lines, a result of a well plate type identification operation, which indicates whether the well plate includes the artifact, may determine whether a predefined pressure is applied to the well plate to facilitate fluid sampling in response to the result, whether fluid level sensing can be performed to gauge amounts of fluids drawn from the wells and/or identify how much fluid is left in the wells, etc.

Abstract: A fluid analyzer for analysis of analyte bearing fluids includes an optical source and an optical transducer defining a beam path of an optical beam; a fluid flow cell with a fluid channel, wherein an interrogation region is defined in which the optical beam interacts with the fluids resulting in transducer output signals; and a controller configured and operative to control operation of the fluid analyzer. In one example the fluid analyzer is controlled to (1) combine a third fluid with the first or second fluid, (2) conduct the first fluid and second fluid through the interrogation region in first and second intervals respectively, (3) measure the transducer output signals during the first and second time intervals, and (4) determine, from the transducer output signals measurement, values of the first and second fluids and an indication of a physical property of the first fluid.

Abstract: A non-planar Q-switched ring laser system including a ring laser having a gain medium and a closed optical path lying in at least two distinct planes, and a Q-switch in the closed optical path for automatically varying the loss in the closed optical path.

Abstract: A laser having a gain medium disposed in a resonant cavity having a pair of end reflectors. One of such reflectors has a reflectivity lower than the reflectivity of the other one of the reflectors. The reflectors are arranged to provide a single ended output for the cavity through the one of the reflectors having the lower reflectivity. A saturable absorber is formed on the one of the reflectors having the lower reflectivity. With such an arrangement, fabrication of the saturable absorber on the single ended output coupler is greatly simplified. The gain medium is a doped fiber and the saturable absorber formed on the one of the reflectors having the lower reflectivity is affixed to an end of the doped fiber gain medium. With such an arrangement, a highly efficient, relatively low cost, mode locked laser is provided.

Abstract: A carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) waveguide laser is used to provide coherent infrared radiation. The mixture of gases in the laser includes helium, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, xenon and heavy hydrogen (deuterium). Carbon dioxide is the gain medium of the laser. During operation of the laser, a significant fraction of the CO.sub.2 dissociates to CO and O.sub.2. In the present invention, deuterium (D.sub.2) in the presence of excess CO catalyzes the recombination of CO and O.sub.2 back to CO.sub.2, thus yielding significantly increased power output from the laser. The presence of D.sub.2 also sustains a long sealed life from the CO.sub.2 laser at an enhanced power output level.