Abstract: Method of fluorescence imaging including: illuminating a sample to excite its fluorescence and acquiring an image thereof; based on fluorescence spectral and spatial information from the sample's fluorescence image, segmenting the image into regions of similar spectral properties; for each image segment, exciting the fluorescence of the corresponding sample region, and detecting the corresponding fluorescence; based on modelling, determining expected fluorescence parameters from the fluorescence signals detected for each region; scanning the sample and determining final fluorescence parameters based on said expected fluorescence parameters.

Abstract: A multipoint laser Doppler vibrometer system (1) comprises a laser diode (2), beam expanding lens (3), a holographic optical element (HOE, 4) and a CMOS camera (5) receiving reflected light via optics (6). The HOE (4) is a hologram of a flat diffusely reflecting surface. Some light (8) is diffracted by the recorded hologram in the HOE (4) to provide a reference beam of light that is directed back towards the camera (5). Apart from some absorption the remaining light (9) continues onwards to illuminate the object The light that is reflected and scattered from the object (10) passes efficiently through the HOE (4) and interferes with the reference light (8) that is holographically reconstructed by the HOE (4) and subsequently detected by the camera (5). The beam from the laser diode (2) is divergent, which means that the sensitivity vector varies across the field of view.

Abstract: Method of fluorescence imaging including: illuminating a sample to excite its fluorescence and acquiring an image thereof; based on fluorescence spectral and spatial information from the sample's fluorescence image, segmenting the image into regions of similar spectral properties; for each image segment, exciting the fluorescence of the corresponding sample region, and detecting the corresponding fluorescence; based on modelling, determining expected fluorescence parameters from the fluorescence signals detected for each region; scanning the sample and determining final fluorescence parameters based on said expected fluorescence parameters.

Abstract: An interferometer (1) is arranged to form a first interference fringe pattern comprising at least ten interference fringes; recording an image of said first interference fringe pattern; perturbing an optical path in the interferometer (1) to form a second interference fringe pattern comprising at least ten interference fringes; and combining an image of said second interference fringe pattern with the recorded image of the first interference fringe pattern to produce a further image comprising a moiré fringe pattern arising from a difference or differences between the first and second interference fringe patterns. The combining step involves subtraction (4) of digital images. Different wavelengths and interferometers are used: Michelson, Mach-Zehnder, Fizeau, Twyman-Green. In this new approach, all the errors of a poor quality, misaligned system are accepted and then eliminated by the combination process, producing a moiré fringe pattern.

Abstract: A luminous intensity sensor element having a flat disk-shaped element (2) made of material with a high thermal expansion coefficient and of low thermal conductivity, and in turn having, on opposite faces (3, 5), an optically absorbent layer (4) and a reflecting layer (6). On receiving excitation radiation (R), the optically absorbent layer (4) is heated and transmits heat to the flat disk-shaped (2), which in turn is heated internally in spatially nonuniform manner and is deformed together with the superimposed reflecting layer (6). The reflecting layer (6) receives an incident reference layer beam (S) to generate a reflected light beam having optical characteristics (&Dgr;&phgr;) depending on the aforementioned deformation (&Dgr;d) and varying in response to the excitation radiation.

Abstract: A method for detecting and mapping inflamed zones in living tissues and a device for implementing the method. The method includes subjecting the tissues to be analyzed to a luminous excitation with a predetermined spectral domain, acquiring at least the raw fluorescence signal of the porphyrins for a plurality of measurement points, and in determining, for each measurement point, the intensity of the fluorescence for the wavelengths characteristic of endogenous porphyrins.

Abstract: A device for measuring the deformation of a mechanical test specimen, and including a pressing member (3) for stressing a substantially flat specimen (16) in controlled manner by means of a punch (25); a Michelson interferometer having an optical branch (9d) defined optically by a first face (16b) of the specimen (16), and for generating interference images related to the deformation of the specimen (16); a telecamera (44) for acquiring and digitizing the interference images; and a processor (27) for processing the digitized images and controlling the measuring process fully automatically. The interferometer (9) may alternatively perform white light interferometry measurements, ESPI measurements, or ESPI profilometry measurements, by simply substituting the light source and control software.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hand held musical pipe instrument, such as a bagpipe, having a plurality of longitudinally spaced wall openings which are positioned and arranged to be selectively closed by finger action of the player. There is included a longitudinally slidable sleeve member positioned and arranged on the exterior of the pipe body for selective longitudinal positioning by one of the fingers of the player to at least partially cover or uncover one of the wall openings to thereby provide for a tone pitch change.