Abstract: A sample chamber is formed by a housing sealed against a microscope slide. The housing has fluid ports, including a well formed over at least one port. In a rinse station, rinse solution is drawn from a reservoir through the chamber to a waste reservoir. At a fill station, an aliquot of reagent already placed in the well is driven into the chamber. The reagent may be driven into the chamber by first drawing a vacuum on the chamber through the aliquot of reagent and then releasing the reagent to be drawn into the chamber by the vacuum.

Abstract: An automated slide stainer with slides mounted in a horizontal position on a rotary carousel. Reagents and rinse liquids are automatically dispensed onto tissue sections or cells mounted on slides for the purpose of performing chemical or immunohistochemical stains. The rinse liquids are removed by an aspiration head connected to a source of vacuum. Individual slides or groups of slides are supported on flat heating stations for heating to individual temperatures. Temperature control electronics on the carousel are controlled by a user interface off of the carousel.

Abstract: For the operationally safe enclosure and termination of a light waveguide cable in a light waveguide connector, an end section of a Kevlar fiber layer of the cable for absorbing tensile stresses and over which the cable jacket has been removed is placed over a hollow cylindrical extension of the connector whose outside is provided with transverse grooves, whereupon a sleeve of elastic plastic previously pushed over the cable is further pushed over the extension convered by the fiber layer. The inside of the sleeve is provided with a groove structure complementary to the transverse grooves of the extension so that the grooves of the extension mesh with those of the sleeve like teeth, thereby firmly clamping the Kevlar fiber layer between extension and sleeve and forcing a zigzag shape in the fiber layer.