Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an automated fluorescent imaging system for digitizing a specimen with fluorescent target points on a microscope slide. The method uses the fluorescence microscope system for detecting and scanning said fluorescent target points. The method comprises the steps of marking the position of said specimen on said slide by visible marking means to define a specimen area containing said specimen and said fluorescent target points; capturing a bright field image of at least a portion of the slide at a first optical magnification, said portion(s) containing the specimen area and determining, from the visible marking means, a position of target fields falling within said specimen area; and scanning the target fields of the specimen area at a second optical magnification higher than said first optical magnification, said scanning including focusing on at least a part of said target fields.

Abstract: A focusing method is provided for the high speed digitalization of microscope slides using an imaging device, wherein the slide is divided into fields of view according to the imaging device and focusing is performed. During rough focusing, several images are captured within the focus range using large focus steps. On the basis of this set of images the position of the best contrast is determined. Fine focusing is performed by adjusting the focus according to the focus distance already determined for another field of view and by focusing with fine steps. A slide displacing device is provided, which enables the displacement of a slide parallel to the optical axis. The slide displacing device includes slide holding elements affixed to one side of a supporting member having two parallel sides, which are connected by stiffening elements defining at least two parallel planes.

Abstract: A tailgate of a motor vehicle has an extensible wind-deflecting device which, in its non-use position, is preferably arranged, so as to lie within an outer contour, in a stowage space. Here, the tailgate is formed substantially from an inner and an outer panel, with a collecting device, which is connected to the inner and to the outer panel and which is arranged in the region of the stowage space, being provided for collecting water which has infiltrated into the stowage space.

Abstract: An air guide device, especially an extendable and retractable rear spoiler on a motor vehicle, that includes an adjustable air guide element and at least one, also adjustable, flow element designed as an underflow guard. A sealing element, which seals off an intermediate space between the air guide element and the flow element at least when the air guide element is fully extended, is provided either on the flow guide element or on the flow element.

Abstract: An air guide device for a motor vehicle, especially a rear spoiler, which can be moved between a retracted, nonoperating position and an extended, operating position and comprises an air guide body, on which two lateral air guide body sections, which can be moved in the transverse direction of the vehicle, are arranged. It is provided that the contours of the bottom surfaces of the lateral air guide body sections facing the vehicle conform to the cooperating external vehicle contour at least when the these air guide body sections are in the operating position.

Abstract: An air guide device, especially an extendable and retractable rear spoiler on a motor vehicle, with an adjustable air guide element and at least one, also adjustable, flow element designed as an underflow guard. The flow element is designed as a component separate from the air guide element and is connected to it by an adjusting mechanism.

Abstract: A motor vehicle with at least one air guide device, which can be extended by means of a drive device, and which can be adjusted to at least one intermediate position between a maximally extended and a completely retracted position. The motor vehicle comprises an adjustable sliding/tilting roof, wherein a control unit is provided, which is designed so that it acts on an air guide element of the air guide device as a function of the position of the sliding/tilting roof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automated digital image recording system (1) for digitizing slides (6). The image recording system (1) comprises a slide holding means (7, 17), a mechanism for actuating it, a first digital image recording means, a second digital image recording means of high magnification and a control unit (4) for a software-based control of the automated image recording. The image recording system (1) is adapted for digitizing a slide (6) having one or more regions with sample and at least one separate region that comprises a field of information. The first digital image recording means is adapted for reading out the at least one region comprising the field of information and comprises a digital preview camera (2) capturing a low resolution preview image of each of the one or more regions with sample separately. The control unit is provided with a routine for searching points of the low resolution preview images that belong to the sample.

Abstract: A method for realistic stitching and showing image blocks of an electronically recorded multipart image wherein relative positional offset values of the image blocks recorded with overlap are determined in a co-ordinate system in directions x and y and stored in matrix format, and the image blocks to be presented are stitched together on the basis of the stored values the method comprising: subdividing the overlaps of the individual image blocks into smaller regions with fixed relative positions; picking up at least one region most useful for the determination of the stitching; determining the offset goodness value based on the similarity of pattern of the image blocks; stitching the blocks of the image so that first the two image blocks characterised by the best offset goodness values are stitched together and the two image blocks characterised by the worst offset goodness values are stitched together last, whereas only the co-ordinates of the images figuring in a table are modified in the course of the stit

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for accessing a slide from a plurality of digitized microscope slides from a remote workstation, wherein the plurality of digitized microscope slides are accessible via a plurality of data station units (DSU), the method comprising: providing a central management station unit (CMSU) connected to a communication network for storing slide information of the plurality of digitized microscope slides, allowing the workstation to connect to the CMSU via the communication network; providing at least a part of the slide information of the plurality of digitized microscope slides to the workstation; allowing the workstation to select a digitized microscope slide based on the provided slide information; and allowing for a direct connection over the communication network between the remote workstation and a DSU enabling access to the selected digitized microscope slide. The invention further relates to a system and a CMSU for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A method for the storage ensuring fast retrieval and efficient transfer of interrelated, high volume, mainly 3D, information, whereby the input information is assigned to two files, so that image data information required for histological reconstruction is stored in one file and information regarding predetermined parameters of the image data is stored in the other file, whereas in the course of the storing of the received information, associated information regarding the hierarchical relationship of individual image data is also stored in a further file. A computer program product for the storage ensuring fast retrieval and efficient transfer of interrelated, high-volume, mainly 3D, information, contains a computer-readable storage medium including a computer-readable programme code, further a software tool to store associated information regarding the hierarchical relationship of individual image data, while storing input information.

Abstract: A focusing method is provided for the high speed digitalization of microscope slides using an imaging device, wherein the slide is divided into fields of view according to the imaging device and focusing is performed. During rough focusing, several images are captured within the focus range using large focus steps. On the basis of this set of images the position of the best contrast is determined. Fine focusing is performed by adjusting the focus according to the focus distance already determined for another field of view and by focusing with fine steps. A slide displacing device is provided, which enables the displacement of a slide parallel to the optical axis. The slide displacing device includes slide holding elements affixed to one side of a supporting member having two parallel sides, which are connected by stiffening elements defining at least two parallel planes.

Abstract: A slide feeding unit for a microscope includes a slide magazine having a base plate; a toothed rack secured to a magazine side wall; and slide guiding elements perpendicular to an open magazine side. The unit further includes a magazine moving mechanism having a magazine-receiving trough including opposite side plates. Two rotary shafts supported by the trough extend along the trough side plates. Magazine-advancing feeding gears are supported by the side plates and may mesh with the toothed magazine rack. Lifting gears, held in the side plates, have pins on which the magazine is supported when raised or lowered. Driving worm gears are rotated by the shafts and mesh with the lifting gears. The unit also includes a slide feeding device having a robot arm displaceable perpendicularly to the direction of advance of the magazine for removing a slide from the magazine.

Abstract: A slide feeding unit for a microscope includes a slide magazine having a base plate; a toothed rack secured to a magazine side wall; and slide guiding elements perpendicular to an open magazine side. The unit further includes a magazine moving mechanism having a magazine-receiving trough including opposite side plates. Two rotary shafts supported by the trough extend along the trough side plates. Magazine-advancing feeding gears are supported by the side plates and may mesh with the toothed magazine rack. Lifting gears, held in the side plates, have pins on which the magazine is supported when raised or lowered. Driving worm gears are rotated by the shafts and mesh with the feeding gears and the lifting gears. The unit also includes a slide feeding device having a robot arm displaceable perpendicularly to the direction of advance of the magazine for removing a slide from the magazine.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for etching gallium nitride (GaN) comprising the steps of: providing a GaN film; imagewise amorphizing a portion of the GaN film by ion implantation to form an amorphized portion; and wet etching of the GaN film having an amorphized portion to remove the amorphized portion. When the imagewise amorphizing process can be done without a mask, such as with a focused implantation ion beam, the process itself becomes maskless.

Abstract: Single event upset failure are suppressed in GaAs-based electronics by implanting the GaAs substrate with an appropriate dose of O and at least one of either Al, Cr, or In.

Abstract: Method for the automated, microscope-aided examination of tissue samples or samples of body fluids with the aid of neural networks. In a first method of examination the sample is firstly classified according to its type and subsequently a digitalized image is divided into connected segments which are examined by one or several neural networks. The sample is classified as pathological if cell types are present which do not belong to the type of sample or if structural cell or tissue changes are present. In a second method of examination the digitalized image is again segmented and the segments are examined for the presence of a cell object. This is followed by an examination whether the cell object is an individual cell or a cell complex. In a third step of the analysis it is determined whether the found cell object is located on one of the image borders. If this is the case then a further image is recorded in which the found cell objects are completely included.

Abstract: A method for the analysis of a component of a medical sample with the aid of an autoanalyzer, in which the sample is reacted with a reagent system and a physically measurable quantity X resulting from the reaction of the sample with the reagent system is measured in order to determine at least one measured value R for a specified sample and in which this at least one measured value R is further processed with the aid of a processing unit in a processing stage in order to determine an analytical result A. In the processing stage of the invention, use is made of the results of a neural net training, in which, for a number of standard samples for which the analytical result A is known, at least one measured value R, or a measurement result derived from several measured values R.sub.i, is applied to the input of a neural net.

Abstract: The invention relates to novel nitrogen- and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds of the formula (I), acid addition salts thereof, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and a process for their preparation. In the formula (I) ##STR1## Ar stands for an optionally mono- or polysubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group;R.sup.1 means a carbonyl or (C.sub.2-6 alkenyl)carbonyl group;R.sup.2 stands for hydrogen C.sub.1-6 alkyl, phenyl or phenyl (C.sub.1-4 alkyl) group;R.sup.3 means hydrogen or (C.sub.1-6 alkoxy)carbonyl group;R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 stand, independently from each other, for hydrogen or C.sub.1-6 alkyl group;R.sub.6 ogen, C.sub.1-6 alkyl group or halophenyl group;m is 0 or 1; andn is 1 or 2,with the proviso that R.sup.2 means hydrogen when m is 0.The compounds of formula (I) show a significant cerebral antihypoxic action and thus, they can be used for the treatment of diseases caused by hypoxic brain damages such as e.g.

Abstract: A laminated panel of the type comprising a laminar core with a unitary covering of resin-impregnated fibrous material on each side, and having a raised scuff extending along one side of the panel is characterized by the fact that the scuff is molded in situ with the resin-impregnated fibrous material so as to form an integral part of the covering on that side of the panel. The scuff has bevelled edges which merge into the surface of the panel thereby eliminating corners and crevices thereat.