Abstract: A scanning device for biological slides is provided, which can be operated in an interactive routine mode as well as in an unsupervised high speed automatic mode. In the first case, typical components, which the pathologist is used to operating manually, such as the microscope, the stage and the focus, and which have to be motorized for the automatic unsupervised system mode, are configured to simulate manual use, operation, and response. A non-interlaced area scan camera supports the interactive selection and acquisition of individual images in the manual mode, as well as the continuous high-speed scan motion for the rare event detection and virtual slide scan applications of the system. Due to the particular requirements to accommodate both operational modes, methods are described for constructing the virtual slide out of image tiles with varying overlap areas in the x- and y-directions.

Abstract: A portable container (2) for purifying drinking water (4), which container (2) comprises a body portion (6) for containing the drinking water (4), a handle (8) for lifting the container (2) for water pouring and water re-filling purposes, an ozone generator (10) for generating ozone from air, an air pump (12) for delivering air to the ozone generator (10) in order to produce a mixture of air and ozone and for delivering the mixture of air and ozone to the drinking water (4) in the body portion (6), and a filter (14) for the drinking water (4), and the container (2) being such that the mixture of air and ozone delivered to the drinking water (4) in the body portion (6) causes the drinking water (4) and the mixture of air and ozone continuously to pass through the filter (14) whereby the filter (14) filters the drinking water (4), and the ozone purifies both the water and the filter means (14).