A smear preparing apparatus that operates under selectable operation modes, may include: a smearing unit that prepares smeared slides by smearing samples onto slides; a staining unit that is capable of housing the smeared slides and that performs staining processing by accommodating a staining solution used to stain the samples on the housed smeared slides; a fluid circuit that supplies the staining solution to the staining unit; and a controller that controls the supplying of the staining solution to the staining unit depending on a selected one of the operation modes.

A tissue processing station includes a housing and a first heated plate that is either disposed on or forms a first horizontally oriented surface of the housing. The first heated plate is configured to either (i) contain water, or (ii) receive a dish containing water. The tissue processing station may also include a vertically-oriented heated well for heating slides. A second heated plate is either disposed on or forms an angled surface of the housing for supporting one or more laboratory slides. The angled surface is angled relative to the first horizontally oriented surface. A third heated plate is either disposed on or forms a second horizontally oriented surface of the housing for supporting one or more laboratory slides. The first and second horizontally oriented surfaces are defined at different elevations on the housing. The angled surface extends between the two horizontally oriented surfaces.

The invention relates to a system and micro monitor apparatus, a space-, time-, and cost-efficient device to concentrate, identify, and quantify organic compounds in gas environments. The invention further relates to a method centered on gas chromatography for identifying and quantifying organic compounds in gas environments, using air as the carrier gas, without the need for a compressed pre-bottled purified carrier gas.

The invention relates to a system and micro monitor apparatus, a space-, time-, and cost-efficient device to concentrate, identify, and quantify organic compounds in gas environments. The invention further relates to a method centered on gas chromatography for identifying and quantifying organic compounds in gas environments, using air as the carrier gas, without the need for a compressed pre-bottled purified carrier gas.

A system for sampling a sample material includes a probe which can have an outer probe housing with an open end. A liquid supply conduit within the housing has an outlet positioned to deliver liquid to the open end of the housing. The liquid supply conduit can be connectable to a liquid supply for delivering liquid at a first volumetric flow rate to the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust conduit within the housing is provided for removing liquid from the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust system can be provided for removing liquid from the liquid exhaust conduit at a second volumetric flow rate. A droplet dispenser can dispense drops of a sample or a sample-containing solvent into the open end of the housing. A sensor and a processor can be provided to monitor and maintain a liquid dome present at the open end.

A system for sampling a sample material includes a probe which can have an outer probe housing with an open end. A liquid supply conduit within the housing has an outlet positioned to deliver liquid to the open end of the housing. The liquid supply conduit can be connectable to a liquid supply for delivering liquid at a first volumetric flow rate to the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust conduit within the housing is provided for removing liquid from the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust system can be provided for removing liquid from the liquid exhaust conduit at a second volumetric flow rate. A droplet dispenser can dispense drops of a sample or a sample-containing solvent into the open end of the housing. A sensor and a processor can be provided to monitor and maintain a liquid dome present at the open end.

A dispensing cylinder capable of performing a dispensing treatment for both minute and large amounts of liquid includes: a cylinder having a cavity; a nozzle provided at one end of the cylinder, having a through hole in fluid communication with the cavity and extending in an axial direction of the cavity, and a plunger slidable in the cavity in the axial direction. The cavity has a large diameter region having a large inner peripheral surface and a small diameter region having a second inner peripheral surface. The plunger has a thick shaft portion slidable in the large diameter region and a thin shaft portion protruding from a distal end of the thick shaft portion in the axial direction and slidable in the small diameter region.

A dispensing cylinder capable of performing a dispensing treatment for both minute and large amounts of liquid includes: a cylinder having a cavity; a nozzle provided at one end of the cylinder, having a through hole in fluid communication with the cavity and extending in an axial direction of the cavity, and a plunger slidable in the cavity in the axial direction. The cavity has a large diameter region having a large inner peripheral surface and a small diameter region having a second inner peripheral surface. The plunger has a thick shaft portion slidable in the large diameter region and a thin shaft portion protruding from a distal end of the thick shaft portion in the axial direction and slidable in the small diameter region.

The present invention relates to a fluid transport system for an automated slide treatment apparatus for treating one or more tissue samples disposed on slides, whereby the slide treatment apparatus includes a plurality of slide treatment modules arranged to receive ones of the slides, and the fluid transport system includes a fluid dispensing robot configured by a controller to dispense a plurality of reagents to said ones of the slides received in the slide treatment modules to treat said one or more tissue samples respectively.

Systems and methods that enable automated spray deposition of biological specimens carried on microscope slides are described herein. Aspects of the technology are directed, for example, to automated specimen deposition systems and methods of generating high-quality, reproducible specimen-bearing microscope slides in automated processing systems.