A method for analyzing microorganisms arranged in a sample is provided, the sample including a viability marker to modify an optical property of the microorganisms in different ways depending on whether they are dead or alive, the method including illumination of the sample and acquisition of an image of the latter by an image sensor, the image sensor then being exposed to an exposure light wave; determining positions of different microorganisms from the acquired image; applying a propagation operator to calculate at least one characteristic value of the exposure light wave at each radial position and at a plurality of distances from the detection plane representing a change in the characteristic value between the image sensor and the sample; and identifying living microorganisms according to each profile.

A process for detecting the sensitivity of one or more polymers and/or of one or more mixtures of polymers to a compound, including the steps of exposing a plurality of individualized micro-deposits including the polymer(s) and/or the mixture(s) of polymers to the compound, and detecting, by interferometry, a variation in appearance of an assembly of micro-deposits exposed to the compound and or a variation in the dimensions and/or refractive index of at least one of the micro-deposits exposed to the compound, linked to an interaction between the polymer(s) and or the mixture(s) of polymers and the compound.

The present invention relates to a novel label-free tomographic interferometry technique implemented inside an environmental chamber (e.g. imaging incubator) that provides rapid capturing of the three-dimensional (3-D) refractive index distribution of biological cells.

A technique is presented for aligning, in a desired region within a flow chamber of a flow cell, a non-spherical biological entity carried in a sample. The flow chamber has a rectangular cross-section. A bottom flow input module, a top flow input module and a sample input module provide a viscoelastic first fluid, a second viscoelastic fluid, and the sample, respectively, to the flow chamber. The first and the second viscoelastic fluids laminarly flow along a bottom and a top wall of the flow chamber and the sample laminarly flows sandwiched between them. By controlling rate of flow of the first and/or the second viscoelastic fluids the sample flow, and thus the non-spherical biological entity, is focused in the desired region. A gradient of sheer within the sample flow set up due to the first and second viscoelastic fluids orients the non-spherical biological entity in the desired region.

The present disclosure concerns an automated optical system for detection of a sanitary condition of a button, the system comprising a button housing defining a button-receiving cavity and comprising an inner side; a button disposed in the button-receiving cavity; an optical assembly to capture an optical signal of the button; a sanitary condition detection assembly to detect a predetermined sanitary condition of the button from information derived from the captured optical signal; and a disinfecting system for disinfecting the button. It also concerns a corresponding method.

A method of analyzing a biological sample including biological agents and disposed in an analysis receptacle in a field of view of a holographic imaging system defining an acquisition focal plane, including, for each of a plurality of measurement times: acquiring a plurality of holographic images of the biological sample at different respective positions of the acquisition focal plane, and, from each acquired holographic image, determining a value of a biomass parameter representative of the quantity of biological agents at the position of the acquisition focal plane, the method including constructing a distribution indicator from values of the biomass parameter at the same measurement time for a plurality of positions of the acquisition focal plane, and providing, among the analysis results, a representation of the distribution of the biomass of biological agents, derived from at least one distribution indicator at a measurement time.

Provided is a digital holographic imaging apparatus, comprising: an illumination portion (10) having an illumination light emission surface (32i) for emitting coherent light of a specific wavelength as illumination light toward an object (1) side relative to the illumination light emission surface (32i), and a reference light emission surface (32r) for emitting the coherent light, as reference light, in a direction opposite to the illumination light; and an image sensor (50) located on the reference light emission surface (32r) side of the illumination portion (10) and imaging an interference pattern between object light having been modulated by the object (1) and passed through the illumination portion (10) and the reference light of the illumination light, the image sensor (50) having a pixel array (51) comprising two-dimensionally aligned pixels.

Impurities within a sample are detected by use of holographic video microscopy. The sample flows through the microscope and holographic images are generated. The holographic image is analyzed to identify regions associated with large impurities in the sample. The contribution of the particles of the sample to the holographic images is determined and the impurities are characterized.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a display controller. The acquisition unit acquires image data in which an interference fringe of illumination light passing through liquid including a cell is recorded. The calculation unit calculates cell information regarding the cell by performing propagation calculation on the illumination light on the basis of the image data. The display controller controls display of a monitoring image indicating a temporal change in the cell information.

In a microscopic observation unit (10), hologram data is acquired at each measurement position on a cell culture plate (13) while a light-source section (11) and other elated sections are gradually moved by a moving section (15). Every time a set of data for one measurement position is acquired, a measurement monitoring image creator (4) creates a thumbnail age by reducing the size of a hologram image which is based on original data (two-dimensional distribution of light intensity). A display processor (25) pastes the create thumbnail image to progressively complete the hologram image of the entire plate to be displayed on a display unit (27). A measurement operator watches the hologram image during the execution of the measurement. When it has been concluded that the ongoing measurement is inappropriate, the operator presses a measurement stop button to immediately discontinue the measurement. Thus, When there is a problem with the measurement, such as a foreign object mixed in the sample, the measurement can be discontinued before a phase image or intensity image based on the hologram data is reconstructed on the server after the completion of the entire measurement, so as to avoid wasting time for the useless measurement.