A multispectral image analysis system includes a carrier, a power controller, a stroboscope, a spectrum transducer, a multispectral light control system, a whiteboard calibrator, an environmental control system, a man-machine interface controller, at least an optical photography system and an image capturing and analyzing system. By the present invention, a plurality of target samples can be cultivated simultaneously under the control of a stable environmental condition. In addition, using the multispectral light of the present invention to observe all kinds of physiologic and pathologic features of the target samples, the differences in the phenotype and spectrum for a plurality of the target samples are accessed for comparison, which can be used as a reference for analysis and determination.

Synthetic oligonucleotides are used to express opsins in cells, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes, for rapid induction of light-responsive electrophysiological behavior. Such induction can change the electrical properties of the cell. MEA analysis and use of voltage indicator proteins are described. Methods of testing drugs for their effect on electrical properties of the cell are described, along with methods for screening drugs that have an effect on a cell's electrical properties.

A signal processing circuit uses gate signals corresponding to a plurality of divided measurement ranges to extract a fine particle pulse signal from a light reception level signal generated by an optical pickup, count the pulse number for each of the gate signals, and output a count value for each of the divided measurement ranges. A count value in-plane distribution generating unit generates count value in-plane distribution data in a measurement range based on the count value. A reaction region position coordinate computation unit estimates positions of all reaction regions from the count value in-plane distribution data. A reaction region count value computation unit calculates the count values for each of all the estimated reaction regions.

An analysis device includes an optical disc drive, a gate information processing unit, a detection circuit, and a gate shift processing unit. The optical disc drive rotates a specimen analysis disc and detects a measurement radial position for an optical pickup. The detection circuit generates gate signals shifted by a gate shift amount in each measurement radial position in a rotating direction of the specimen analysis disc, and generates count values of the respective gate signals. The gate shift processing unit divides a gate signal-corresponding region of the corresponding gate signal by a unit gate shift amount in the rotating direction of the specimen analysis disc to define a plurality of divided regions and sets count values of the divided regions based on the count values of the gate signals.

For tracking a plurality of objects in a three-dimensional space two-dimensional pictures objects are recorded with two black and white cameras out of two different imaging directions. Both first pictures and second pictures of the two cameras are simultaneously exposed at two points in time in equal ways, a point in time at which the second pictures are exposed for a first time following to a point in time at which the first pictures are exposed for a last time at a much shorter interval than the two points in time of exposure of both the first and second pictures. First and second distributions of real positions of the individual objects are determined from their images in the first and second pictures, respectively; and temporally resolved trajectories of the individual objects in the three-dimensional space are determined from the first and second distributions of real positions.

A device for managing light pulses for measuring the reaction of a sample exposed to a first light pulse, the measurement being performed by analysis of a signal emitted by the sample subjected to a second light pulse, shifted with respect to the first pulse by a determined interval of time, the device including two optical detectors for detecting the pulses of two light beams emitted by two pulsed laser sources, respectively, each beam emitting pulses with respective repetition frequencies that are different, arbitrary and stable over a determined period in the direction of the sample; the detectors being connected to a computer for determining the interval of time between two pulses coming from the first and the second beam, respectively, and constituting the first and second pulses; the computer being connected to an analyzer for measuring the reaction of the sample having as input parameter the interval of time between the two pulses, where the computer uses an algorithm making use of the stability of the repetition frequencies for determining the interval of time.

A microscope apparatus includes an illumination optical system that emits activating light and exciting light, an image capturing unit that captures an image formed by an imaging optical system, an image processing unit that carries out image processing using an image capturing result from the image capturing unit, and a controller . The controller provides a plurality of image generation periods and interrupt periods; causes, in the image generation periods, the activated fluorescent material to be irradiated with the exciting light and causes the image capturing unit to capture an image of the fluorescent light from the activated fluorescent material in a plurality of frame periods; and sets an intensity of the exciting light in the interrupt periods to be lower than an intensity in the image generation periods or causes the emission of the exciting light to stop in the interrupt periods. The image processing unit generates one picture image from at least some of image capturing results obtained in the plurality of frame periods.

Disclosed is a time-resolved spectrum rapid measurement system and method, the system including a pulse laser module, a sample stage module, a control computer module, a detector module, a spectrometer module, and a multi-path delay module. The multi-path delay module is configured to split the signal light produced by the samples in the sample stage module to form a plurality of optical paths; add a different optical distance in each optical path to extend the time for the signal light produced by the samples to reach a detector; and make the time for the signal light in each optical path to reach the detector different, to realize multi-path delay. By providing a multi-path delay module in the system, the present disclosure can measure the spectra of a plurality of delay windows in parallel, improving the measurement speed of time-resolved spectra while reducing the measurement error.

Disclosed is a time-resolved spectrum rapid measurement system and method, the system including a pulse laser module, a sample stage module, a control computer module, a detector module, a spectrometer module, and a multi-path delay module. The multi-path delay module is configured to split the signal light produced by the samples in the sample stage module to form a plurality of optical paths; add a different optical distance in each optical path to extend the time for the signal light produced by the samples to reach a detector; and make the time for the signal light in each optical path to reach the detector different, to realize multi-path delay. By providing a multi-path delay module in the system, the present disclosure can measure the spectra of a plurality of delay windows in parallel, improving the measurement speed of time-resolved spectra while reducing the measurement error.

A scanning device for use in gathering data relating to crops is described including: at least one camera; and a stroboscopic light source is associated with each at least one camera; the device is arranged to be moved around an area where a crop is grown and includes a means for determining the location of the device in the area; the device being arranged to take images of the crop from the at least one camera in synchrony with the stroboscopic light source as the device moves around the area; and wherein the stroboscopic light source has a light output of greater than 610.sup.5 joules/cm.sup.2 (at 2 feet).