What is claimed is:
1. An enclosure for a wildlife surveillance system, the enclosure comprising:
a base configured to support at least a portion of the surveillance system;
a cover coupled to the base with a hinge so as to permit rotating movement therebetween; and
a foam insert disposed intermediate the surveillance system and an inside surface of said cover to minimize light reflected from the inside surface from interacting with the surveillance system.
2. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure.
3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein both said base and said cover include a first pair of holes and a second pair of holes that are aligned with one another when the cover is in a closed position.
4. The enclosure of claim 3, wherein the first pair of holes are configured to accommodate a lock to lock the cover to the base.
5. The enclosure of claim 3, wherein the second pair of holes are threaded to accommodate a fastener to clamp the cover to the base.
6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the base further comprises first and second compartments and wherein said first and second compartments are environmentally isolated from one another.
7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said hinge further includes a pin and a plurality of adjacent female portions, said adjacent female portions being adapted to receive said pin, and wherein at least a portion of said pin and at least some of said adjacent female portions are configured to interlock so as to selectively prevent rotating movement of said cover relative to said base.
8. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure,
wherein said base includes first and second compartments environmentally isolated from one another, and wherein said locking assembly is coupled to said second compartment.
9. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure,
wherein said locking assembly includes:
a flexible cable having opposed ends and having an abutment coupled to one of said ends;
a collar slidably coupled to said flexible cable and adapted to be locked to said flexible cable at a desired position; and
wherein said enclosure includes a plurality of openings through which said flexible cable is received.
10. The enclosure of claim 9, wherein said base includes first and second compartments environmentally isolated from one another, and wherein said plurality of openings are formed in one of said first and second compartments.
11. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the surveillance system includes a camera with a flash, the flash being the source of the light.
12. An enclosure for a wildlife surveillance system, the enclosure comprising:
a base configured to support at least a portion of the surveillance system;
a cover coupled to the base with a hinge so as to permit rotating movement therebetween; and
a cover coupled to the base with a hinge so as to permit rotating movement therebetween; and
means for minimizing light generated by the surveillance system within the enclosure from interacting with the surveillance system.
13. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein the means for minimizing light generated by the surveillance system within the enclosure comprises a foam insert disposed intermediate the surveillance system and an inside surface of said cover to minimize light reflected from the inside surface from interacting with the surveillance system.
14. The enclosure of claim 12, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure.
15. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein the base further comprises first and second compartments and wherein said first and second compartments are environmentally isolated from one another.
16. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein said hinge further includes a pin and a plurality of adjacent female portions, said adjacent female portions being adapted to receive said pin, and wherein at least a portion of said pin and at least some of said adjacent female portions are configured to interlock so as to selectively prevent rotating movement of said cover relative to said base.
17. The enclosure of claim 12, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure,
wherein said base includes first and second compartments environmentally isolated from one another, and wherein said locking assembly is coupled to said second compartment.
18. The enclosure of claim 12, further comprising a locking assembly that secures the enclosure to a mounting structure, said locking assembly preventing removal of the enclosure from said mounting structure without opening said cover of the enclosure,
wherein said locking assembly includes:
a flexible cable having opposed ends and having an abutment coupled to one of said ends;
a collar slidably coupled to said flexible cable and adapted to be locked to said flexible cable at a desired position; and
wherein said enclosure includes a plurality of openings through which said flexible cable is received.
19. A method of minimizing light in a wildlife surveillance system, the method comprising the steps of:
providing an enclosure having a base and a cover;
disposing a foam insert intermediate the surveillance system and an inside surface of said cover; and
minimizes light reflected from the inside surface from interacting with the surveillance system.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the base has first and second compartments environmentally isolated from one another, and wherein one of the first and second compartments includes a plurality of openings;
further comprising the steps of:
providing a locking assembly; and
securing the enclosure to a mounting structure by coupling the locking assembly to the openings such that the enclosure cannot be removed from the mounting structure without opening the cover.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the locking assembly includes a flexible cable and a lock, and wherein the cover includes an opening adapted to align with one of the plurality of openings when the cover is closed on the base, and wherein said securing step includes mating the cable with others of the plurality of openings and locking the lock through the aligned openings of the cover and the base.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the surveillance system includes a camera with a flash, the flash being the source of the light reflected from the inside surface.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method of internally calibrating a multiplexed assay comprising:
(a) exposing a mixture comprising a pooled population of at least one subset of particles to a reagent mixture comprising at least one type of signal ligand, wherein the particles within a subset are: (i) similarly-sized; (ii) exhibit at least one characteristic classification parameter that distinguish the particles of one subset from those of another; and (iii) comprise a tracer or a ligand binding partner specific to a target ligand, the ligand binding partner associated with one subset of particles may be the same as or different from the ligand binding partner associated with another subset of particles, and the target ligand is chosen from analytes suspected of being in a sample, tracers, and the at least one type of signal ligand, provided either that: (i) a specific target ligand is an analyte chosen from interfering factors and characteristic sample components excluding the analyte or analytes of interest, or (ii) the particles of at least one subset comprise a known concentration of a specific ligand binding partner corresponding to an analyte of interest, the concentration being chosen to test for a hook effect, or (iii) in one or more groups of subsets of particles, the particles in the subsets of the group comprise the same tracer or a ligand binding partner corresponding to same target ligand but at known concentrations that vary with each member of the one or more selected groups;
(b) passing the exposed particles through an examination zone; and
(c) collecting data as the exposed particles pass through the examination zone relating to: (i) one or more characteristic classification parameters of each particle including data on signal intensities, and at least either (ii) the presence or absence of a complex formed between the ligand binding partner and target ligand or (iii) the apparent concentrations of the one or more particular analytes of interest associated with each member of the one or more selected groups, or both (ii) and (iii).
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising substantially simultaneously with collecting, classifying each particle according to its subset and, when the target ligand is an analyte, quantifying an amount of analyte associated with each subset.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one subset of particles is at least two subsets of particles, the particles of a first subset comprise ligand binding partner specific for target ligand chosen from analytes and the particles of at least a second subset comprise ligand binding partner specific for target ligand chosen from signal ligand.
4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one subset of particles is at least five subsets of particles, the particles of the second, third, fourth, and fifth subset of particles comprise ligand binding partner specific for the same signal ligand but at known concentrations that vary with each subset.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one subset of particles is at least two subsets of particles, the particles of a first subset comprise ligand binding partner capable of binding a first or a second target ligand, wherein the first target ligand is a tracer and the second target ligand is an analyte, and the particles of at least a second subset comprise a tracer equivalent to the first target ligand.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one subset of particles is at least five subsets of particles, the particles of the second, third, fourth, and fifth subset of particles comprise the same tracer but at known concentrations that vary with each subset.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity of a ligand binding partner is selected to provide information relating to the inclusion or omission of a sample or reagent in the reagent mixture.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the signal ligands and tracers comprise at least one fluorochrome and the signal intensities are fluorescence emission intensities.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the particles in each subset exhibit two or more characteristic fluorescence emission classification parameters.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein particles of one subset differ from particles of another subset in an intensity of at least one fluorescence emission classification parameter.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more analytes is chosen from antigens, antibodies, peptides, proteins, nucleic acid sequences, and enzymes.
12. A method according to claim 2, wherein results of the method are displayed in real time.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the results take into account the known and apparent concentrations of the one or more particular analytes associated with each member of the one or more selected groups of subsets of particles.
14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ligand binding partner is chosen from antibodies, antigens, synthetic oligonucleotides, and capture probes.
15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity or amount of ligand binding partner is selected to provide information relating to high-dose hook effects, interfering assay factors, sample or reagent omission, or dilutional linearity.