Abstract: A plurality of specimens or a plurality of targets in a specimen are accurately examined. A microscope apparatus includes a light source; an image-generating unit generating an image of a specimen; a control unit controlling the light source and the image-generating unit depending on a predetermined irradiation condition or a predetermined image generation condition; an image-analyzing unit analyzing the image generated by the image-generating unit to extract targets; and a condition-changing unit changing the irradiation condition and/or the image generation condition based on a difference between an actual luminance of each of the extracted targets in the image and a desired luminance such that the actual luminance of the target in the image satisfies the desired luminance. If the irradiation condition and/or the image generation condition is changed, the control unit redrives the light source and the image-generating unit depending on the changed irradiation condition and/or image generation condition.

Abstract: A cell-image analyzing apparatus includes: a cell imaging system having an imaging optical system and an image sensor, for imaging cells that exist in a vessel; a cell-image analyzer for automatically analyzing a predetermined characteristic quantity on the cells using a cell image captured via the cell imaging system, upon delimiting cell regions; and a cell-contour emphasizing system for automatically emphasizing contour portions of images of the cells that exist in the vessel, which is arranged at a shot position of the cell imaging system.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber configured to accommodate and process a plurality of substrates arranged with intervals therebetween; a first nozzle extending along a stacking direction of the substrates and configured to supply a hydrogen-containing gas into the process chamber; and a second nozzle extending along the stacking direction of the substrates and configured to supply an oxygen-containing gas into the process chamber, wherein the first nozzle includes a plurality of first gas supply holes disposed in a region extending from an upper portion to a lower portion of the first nozzle corresponding to a substrate arrangement region where the substrates are arranged, and the second nozzle includes a plurality of second gas supply holes disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion of the second nozzle to correspond to upper substrates and lower substrates of the substrates.

Abstract: A cell-image analyzing apparatus is intended to analyze, using a cell image, a cell collective that forms a colony, and is provided with a computer. The cell-image analyzing apparatus has an image analysis software that makes the computer function as: a boundary element extracting means for extracting boundary elements of subjects upon analyzing the cell image; a possible colony region determining means for determining, as a possible colony region, a region surrounded by boundary elements of subjects and having a size greater than a first criterion value; and a colony region determining means for determining, in the possible colony region, a region containing more than a predetermined number of clustered regions each being surrounded by boundary elements of subjects and having a size smaller than a second criterion value, as a colony region.

Abstract: Simple, high-precision cell tracking is realized. Provided is a method for tracking cells, comprising an image acquisition step (S1) of acquiring a plurality of observation images including a plurality of cells in the field of view at certain time intervals; a feature analysis step (S2) of analyzing predetermined brightnesses of the individual cells in the observation images acquired in the image acquisition step (S1); a grouping step (S3) of grouping the cells for each of the observation images on the basis of the brightnesses analyzed in the feature analysis step (S2) and a predetermined threshold value for classifying the brightnesses; and an associating step (S4) of associating, for each of the groups divided in the grouping step (S3), the cells whose morphological features are substantially the same between the observation images acquired at different times.

Abstract: Provided are a reaction tube, a substrate processing apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of suppressing a non-uniform distribution of a gas in a top region to improve the flow of the gas and film uniformity within and between substrate surfaces. The reaction tube has a cylindrical shape, accommodates a plurality of substrates stacked therein, and includes a cylindrical portion and a ceiling portion covering an upper end portion of the cylindrical portion, the ceiling portion having a substantially flat top inner surface. A thickness of a sidewall of the ceiling portion is greater than that of a sidewall of the cylindrical portion.

Abstract: An amount of particles generated when a source material is used is suppressed. A substrate is loaded into a process chamber, and the source material is sequentially flowed into an evaporator, and a mist filter constituted by assembling a plurality of at least two types of plates including holes disposed at different positions to be evaporated and supplied into the process chamber to process the substrate, and then, the substrate is unloaded from the process chamber.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope includes a stage that moves a sample placed thereon, a laser light source that emits laser light, a line-focus optical system that focuses the laser light into a line shape, a DMD including a plurality of movable micromirrors that are arrayed in the lengthwise direction of the line shape and that reflect the line-focused laser light, an irradiation optical system that irradiates the sample with the laser light reflected by the DMD, and a photodetector in which a plurality of channels for detecting light from the sample are arrayed in one column, wherein the DMD is driven so that a plurality of micromirrors simultaneously reflect the laser light and so that micromirrors that reflect the laser light are sequentially switched, wherein the stage moves the sample in a direction crossing the array direction of a plurality of light spots formed on the sample.

Abstract: A motor-operated microscope system has a motor-operated microscope section including an illumination optical system, an electric stage, an image forming optical system having an objective lens and an image forming lens, and an image pickup device; a housing; a control device having a screen display and an arithmetic processing section; and software displaying an operating condition setting screen of the motor-operated microscope section on the screen display and controlling an operation of the motor-operated microscope section in accordance with a set condition.

Abstract: Simple, high-precision cell tracking is realized. Provided is a method for tracking cells, comprising an image acquisition step (S1) of acquiring a plurality of observation images including a plurality of cells in the field of view at certain time intervals; a feature analysis step (S2) of analyzing predetermined brightnesses of the individual cells in the observation images acquired in the image acquisition step (S1); a grouping step (S3) of grouping the cells for each of the observation images on the basis of the brightnesses analyzed in the feature analysis step (S2) and a predetermined threshold value for classifying the brightnesses; and an associating step (S4) of associating, for each of the groups divided in the grouping step (S3), the cells whose morphological features are substantially the same between the observation images acquired at different times.

Abstract: In acquisition of an image of cells, a focal position is accurately set at highly active cells rather than focusing on dead cells. Provided is an automatic focusing apparatus (8) used in a microscope (1) that image captures fluorescence emitted from cells to acquire a cell image, the automatic focusing apparatus (8) including a setting unit (5) that sets a luminance range indicating a region where viable cells exist on the basis of a luminance distribution of the acquired cell image; and a focus-detecting unit that detects a focal position on the basis of a luminance of an image of nuclei of the cells within the luminance range set by the setting unit (5).

Abstract: A sharp image showing a thin projecting part is acquired without using a complex dyeing method, and the analysis accuracy is improved. An automatic cell analyzer (1) comprises: an imaging unit (4) for capturing fluorescence emitted from a cell (S) and acquiring a cell image; an exposure changing section (5) for changing the exposure condition when the imaging unit (4) captures cell images; and a processing section (5) for analyzing the cell (S) on the basis of a plurality of cell images respectively captured under the changed exposure conditions.

Abstract: Cells showing specific characters can be separated from noise, extracted, and analyzed, through processing of a cell image. It is intended to provide a cell image processor (1) comprising: a characteristic quantity measuring section (11) which processes a cell image obtained by photographing cells to measure characteristic quantities of respective cells in the cell image; a characteristic quantity distribution forming section (12) which forms the distribution of the thus measured characteristic quantities; a group forming section (13) which divides cells having continuously distributed characteristic quantities into groups in the thus formed characteristic quantity distribution; and a specific cell extracting section (14) which extracts cells having characteristic quantities falling within a predetermined range at both ends of a characteristic quantity distribution in each group, as specific cells.

Abstract: A cell image analysis apparatus and method for judging, quickly and with good reproducibility, the presence or absence of a membrane translocation reaction occurring in a cell owing to application of an arbitrary stimulus to the cell using a fluorescence microscope. The inventive apparatus has: an element acquiring as an image data a fluorescence microscopic image of a cell after the application of the stimulus; an element determining a region occupied by the cell in the fluorescence image of the cell; an element determining a contour line of the cell having a width of a predetermined number of pixels from a periphery of the region occupied by the cell; and an element judging the presence or absence of the membrane translocation reaction based on a brightness value on the contour line of the cell and a brightness value in an inside of the contour line of the cell.

Abstract: Provided is a laser scanning microscope with which it is possible to reduce the time required for scanning and to detect light from a sample with high sensitivity.