An optical method of characterizing an object comprises providing an object to be characterized, the object having at least one nanoscale feature; illuminating the object with coherent plane wave optical radiation having a wavelength larger than the nanoscale feature; capturing a diffraction intensity pattern of the radiation which is scattered by the object; supplying the diffraction intensity pattern to a neural network trained with a training set of diffraction intensity patterns corresponding to other objects with a same nanoscale feature as the object to be characterized, the neural network configured to recover information about the object from the diffraction intensity pattern; and making a characterization of the object based on the recovered information.

The present disclosure provides apparatuses, systems, and methods for performing particle analysis through flow cytometry at comparatively high event rates and for gathering high resolution images of particles.

The invention relates to a method for digitally staining a cell and/or a medical preparation, the method comprising the following steps: determining three-dimensional information of a cell and/or of a medical preparation by means of an analyser for analysing a medical sample, the analyser comprising an apparatus for determining the three-dimensional information of the cell and/or of the medical preparation; digitally staining the cell and/or the medical preparation according to a predetermined correlation between the three-dimensional information of the cell and/or of the medical preparation and the staining of a corresponding cell and/or medical preparation and/or cellular and/or sub-cellular structures of the cell and/or of the medical preparation by means of a staining protocol; representing the digitally stained cell and/or the preparation, the representation involving a predetermined defocus region, and regions of the cell and/or of the preparation being represented by means of different digital staining in the area of the defocus region as corresponding modulations of colour intensities and/or as mixed colour.

An interference image acquisition apparatus includes a light source, a beam splitter, a second reflection mirror, an imager, and a first reflection mirror. A cell is placed on one side of a transparent material, and the first reflection mirror is placed on the other side of the transparent material. In a two-beam interferometer, an optical path difference between an optical path length of a first light beam reflected by the first reflection mirror and an optical path length of a second light beam reflected by the second reflection mirror is set to a coherence length of light output from the light source or less. The imager acquires an interference image in a state in which the cell is placed at a position conjugate to an imaging plane in a first optical system between the imaging plane and the first reflection mirror.

Particles such as blood cells can be categorized and counted by a digital image processor. A digital microscope camera can be directed into a flowcell defining a symmetrically narrowing flowpath in which the sample stream flows in a ribbon flattened by flow and viscosity parameters between layers of sheath fluid. A contrast pattern for autofocusing is provided on the flowcell, for example at an edge of a rear illumination opening. The image processor assesses focus accuracy from pixel data contrast. A positioning motor moves the microscope and/or flowcell along the optical axis for autofocusing on the contrast pattern target. The processor then displaces microscope and flowcell by a known distance between the contrast pattern and the sample stream, thus focusing on the sample stream. Blood cell images are collected from that position until autofocus is reinitiated, periodically, by input signal, or when detecting temperature changes or focus inaccuracy in the image data.

A method of evaluating performance of a flow cytometer configured to use a combination of two or more types of calibration particles having different morphologies from each other, includes a first classification step of classifying the calibration particles from each other based on a first optical characteristic by the flow cytometer which is an evaluation target, a second classification step of classifying the calibration particles from each other based on a second optical characteristic which is classifiable at a spatial resolution lower than a spatial resolution at which the first optical characteristic is classified, and the evaluation step of evaluating one or both of particle classification performance and a resolution of the flow cytometer based on a first classification result assessed in the first classification step and a second classification result assessed in the second classification step.

A device for observing a biological sample is provided, including: a light source to emit a light beam at a wavelength between 1 μm and 20 μm; an image sensor including pixels defining a detection plane; a holder to hold the sample between the source and the sensor at a distance from the plane smaller than 1 mm, such that the source is configured to illuminate an area of the sample larger than 1 mm.sup.2, no image-forming optics are placed between the sample and the sensor, and the sensor is configured to acquire an image corresponding to an area of the sample larger than 1 mm.sup.2 and representative of an absorption of the beam by the sample at the wavelength; and a processor to determine a map of an amount of analyte in the sample, based on the image acquired by the sensor, the analyte absorbing light at the wavelength.

To reduce a data amount. An information processing system according to an embodiment includes an excitation light source (100) that irradiates a respective plurality of samples belonging to a sample group with excitation light, a measurement unit (142) that measures fluorescence generated by irradiation of the samples with the excitation light, and an information processing unit (2) that generates differential data based on a difference between similar fluorescence signals among fluorescence signals based on the fluorescence measured for the respective samples.

Cell counters and methods of their use are disclosed herein. The cell counters comprise a sample mounting system that includes a base comprising a mounted lower sample surface and a cover comprising a mounted upper sample surface; a bright-field light source incorporated in the cover; an objective lens mounted below the sample mounting system; optionally, a fluorescence excitation source in optical communication with the sample mounting system; and an imaging system in optical communication with the bright-field light source and the objective lens. The mounted sample surfaces are configured for repeated use, such that disposable sample cartridges are not needed.

A apparatus for detecting cells or particles in a fluid container includes a dispenser configured to dispense at least one cell or at least one particle into a defined sub-volume of a fluid with which the fluid container is at least partially filled, and a detection apparatus configured to, in a time-coordinated manner with dispensing the at least one cell or the at least one particle by the dispenser, perform a detection in the defined sub-volume and/or in one or several sub-volumes underneath the defined sub-volume in order to sense the at least one cell or the at least one particle when entering the fluid or immediately after entering the fluid.