A slide for depositing for observation material under a microscope comprising a mounting surface to receive material for observation and a removable layer on the mounting surface formed with at least one opening in the removable layer to define at least one exposed region on the mounting surface for retaining material to be observed when the removable layer is detached. The exposed region has definite boundaries and any material to be examined remaining on the slide is confined to the exposed region to facilitate examination of the slide by human visual identification or machine vision by making material easier to locate, by limiting material to regions appropriate for best observation (e.g. away from edges of the slide and coverglass), and by limiting the amount of material or area covered by material to permit quick and rigorous observation and analysis. A method for using slides according to the present invention is also disclosed.
A Microscope Imaging System (CMIS) with intelligent controls is disclosed that provides techniques for scanning, identifying, detecting and tracking microscopic changes in selected characteristics or features of various surfaces including, but not limited to, cells, spheres, and manufactured products subject to difficult-to-see imperfections. The practice of the present invention provides applications that include colloidal hard spheres experiments, biological cell detection for patch clamping, cell movement and tracking, as well as defect identification in products, such as semiconductor devices, where surface damage can be significant, but difficult to detect. The CMIS system is a machine vision system, which combines intelligent image processing with remote control capabilities and provides the ability to auto-focus on a microscope sample, automatically scan an image, and perform machine vision analysis on multiple samples simultaneously.
An adhesive label 3 for attaching to a microscope slide 1 is disclosed. The label 3 may have one or more grids or arrays 2 provided on it to help an operator to manually spot a microscope slide 1.
The present invention provides a simple, inexpensive apparatus for and method of capturing biological or other material from sample suspensions on a collection surface and for depositing captured material on a receiving surface, such as a microscope slide, for observation and analysis. Accordingly, cytological material may be deposited in near mono-layers for the detection of disease. In one embodiment of the present invention, density gradients of material are captured and deposited, thus providing a desired range of concentrations for examination. In another embodiment multiple depositions or multiple slides may be made from the same sample suspension. The method and apparatus to exploit this new method are both presented for various applications. The dimensions of material captured and deposited may be controlled and used in conjunction with microscope slides that confine material to specific regions of interest.
Computer programs, systems and the like related to processing, segmenting and feature normalizing digital images. The images are of cells and the methods are useful for the detection of malignancy-associated changes (MAC) in cells, which can be used for the detection of cancer. The programs and methods detect cancer in one tissue by detecting MAC in another tissue, such as associated tissues or non-associated tissues. Examples of associated tissues include nipple aspirates or ductal washings to detect breast cancer, and sputum or bronchial lavage to detect lung cancer. Examples of non-associated tissues include buccal mucosa to detect lung or breast cancer.
A filter device is used to capture a desired amount of material suspended in a liquid or gas. The device includes a planar filter 530 mounted in a chamber defined by a body member having an upper body 510, a lower body 520, an inlet port 525, and an outlet port 515. The filter includes porous portions 540 and 545. Porous portion 545 is centrally arranged and is more restrictive to flow than portion 540. The filter is designed such that upon portion 540 capturing a desired amount of material, a predetermined pressure change exists across the filter. The predetermined pressure change causes the filter to deform and conform against an inner surface of the upper body resulting in all suspension flowing through the apparatus to flow through the more restrictive second portion 545.
