Figure 4

Imaging subsystem. (a) Subsystem composition: PC, Electrical and biochemical stimulation block, Culture environment for cellular tissue, Imaging block. Images are transmitted to PC and processed by program in PC to evaluate status of cellular tissue and the evaluation result is utilized for feedback instruction to the system. (b) Flow chart of an algorism for PC-controllable imaging of SM cellular tissue contraction. (c) Imaging and Image processing of the SM cellular tissue contraction. Optical flow based on the difference between frames was shown in a picture after image processing. Estimated contraction displacement was presented in a graph of (c). (d) Flow chart of an algorism for PC-controllable imaging of lipid droplets (LDs) of adipose cellular tissue. (e) Imaging and Image processing of size change of LDs. Binarized and thinned image of LDs was shown in a picture after image processing. Estimated change in the ratio of white pixels as a correlation index to the LD size according to time was presented in a graph of (e) (n = 10). In the graph, triglyceride in adipose cells were also biochemically assessed (n = 3, three independent experiments in each time point). Both the ratio and triglyceride concentration increased in similar way. **p < 0.01 vs. day 0; ^#p < 0.05, ^##p < 0.01 vs. day 2; ⁺p < 0.05, ⁺⁺p < 0.01 vs. day 4; ^$$p < 0.01 vs. day 6.