Abstract: An apparatus (A) for sterilizing medical instruments and other articles includes a tray (12) with an article receiving area (14). An article to be microbially decontaminated is positioned in the receiving area (14) and a microbe blocking lid (10) is closed. A water electrolysis apparatus (30) receives water, splits the water into two separate streams that pass respectively through an anode chamber (34) and a cathode chamber (36), and exposes the streams to an electric field that results in the production of a catholyte solution for cleaning and an anolyte solution for sterilization. The anolyte and catholyte are selectively circulated through the article receiving area (14) by a pump (66) to clean and microbially decontaminate the external surfaces and internal passages of an article located therein. The anolyte or deactivated anolyte provides a sterile rinse solution. A reagent dispensing well (60) receives an ampule (80) or the like.

Abstract: A conduit supporting bracket according to the present invention supports one or more conduits in a spaced relation on a support structure. The bracket includes an inner half or base portion and an outer half or keeper portion which can be quickly and easily assembled to support a plurality of conduits between the base and the keeper. The base portion includes a slotted neck by which the conduit supporting bracket is attached to the support structure. The base portion also includes parallel slots opening on a top surface of the base portion for receiving parallel shafts of the keeper portion. The base portion and keeper portion include conduit retaining grooves having multiple radii for receiving and retaining conduits of different diameters.

Abstract: A method and system accumulates an error from an error diffusion process used for rendering continuous images. A scan from an original document generates a plurality of original pixel values which are adjusted by an accumulated error value corresponding to the total effect of neighboring pixels. The adjusted pixel error value is determined between the adjusted pixel value and an output. The adjusted pixel error value is weighted by a predetermined weighting technique and diffused among a plurality of neighboring pixel locations to generate a plurality of intermediate pixel error values. Intermediate pixel errors are accumulated and stored in an error buffer before being combined with an original pixel value. Repetitive access to a memory location associated with the adjusted pixel value is obviated by accumulation of the intermediate pixel values in intermediate registers. A compressor compresses the diffused error values before storage in a buffer as accumulated error values.

Abstract: In order to implant an ion beam on wafers with low contamination, especially in a large capacity ion implanter for implanting for a long time, a rotating holder 1 shaped like a cylinder or a circular cone is provided, and the wafers 2 are arranged inside of the rotating holder 1 so as to be fixed firmly by a centrifugal force acting on the wafers. Thereby, the wafers are implanted with low contamination, because the periphery of the wafer is not supported by any stopper which may otherwise be sputtered and cause contamination.

Abstract: An apparatus for heating a fluid such as ultra-pure de-ionized (UPDI) water is disclosed. The fluid heater includes an intermediate body portion, a bottom end cap assembly secured to one end of the intermediate body portion, and a top end cap assembly secured to the other end of the intermediate body portion. The intermediate body portion includes a number of concentric quartz tubes wherein a first quartz tube is spaced radially inwardly of a second quartz tube to define an inner fluid pathway for heating UPDI water while flowing through the inner fluid pathway. A third quartz tube is spaced radially outwardly of the second quartz tube and radially inwardly of a fourth quartz tube to define an outer annular fluid pathway for further heating the UPDI water received from the inner fluid pathway. A resistive heating element is interposed between the second and third quartz tubes for heating the UPDI water by means of conduction, convection and heat radiation with a heating efficiency approaching 100%.

Abstract: In a radiation shield in which a bag having flexibility is filled with a shielding liquid, a side of the bag is integrally equipped with reinforcement members which have a higher strength than the material of the bag and are longitudinally disposed and spaced horizontally. The bag filled with the shielding liquid is restrained from being deformed (swollen in its lower portion) by the reinforcement members having a higher strength than the material of the bag, so that the radiation shield is maintained in a predetermined thickness and exhibits predetermined performance.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus using nuclear magnetic resonance having arithmetic and control means for controlling a pulse sequence for detecting a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from a target to be inspected and calculating the detected signal.

Abstract: In CDMA communications, a base station detects a difference between a reference phase of a spreading code and a phase of a received signal of each terminal station, and feeds a phase jump signal PJ-i representative of the phase difference back to each terminal station. After timing acquisition, the reception operation is performed using the reference phase, and a shift amount between the phase of a received signal and the reference phase is fed back to each terminal station as phase synchronization control information PC-i. Each terminal station coarsely adjusts the phase of the spreading code in accordance with the phase jump signal PJ-i, and thereafter finely adjusts the phase of its transmitting signal in accordance with the phase synchronization control information PC-i. It is therefore possible to synchronize the phases of the signals transmitted from terminal stations and received at the base station. Accordingly, an orthogonal code is used for spreading on the reverse links.

Abstract: A memory system includes a flash memory having a plurality of individually erasable physical blocks, table section for holding the relationship in correspondence between the logical blocks allocated by the allocation section and the physical blocks first counting and managing section for counting and managing write counts of the respective logical blocks, first classifying section for classifying the logical blocks into a plurality of groups on the basis of the respective write counts of the logical blocks, erasure section for erasing data in a physical block allocated to a logical block to produce a free physical block, second counting and managing section for counting and managing the erasure counts of the respective physical blocks, second classifying section for classifying the physical blocks into a plurality of groups on the basis of the respective erasure counts of the physical blocks, control section for allocating the respective logical blocks to the physical blocks; and managing section for managing

Abstract: A bag holding system includes a stand, such as a header A-frame stand, or a beltboard. The stand includes a slot for receiving a tab defined on a bag assembly adapter. The bag assembly adapter also includes at least one first connector member for connecting with a second connector member defined on a bag assembly such as a saddle pack. The saddle pack is formed from a number of stacked polymeric sheets each including a first bag, a second bag, and a center strip portion having a first edge connected to the first bag and a second edge connected to the second bag. The second connector member includes an aperture extending through the center strip portions. The at least one first connector member of the bag assembly adapter may include a leg portion having a nub projecting through the aperture of the bag assembly so as to secure the bag assembly to the bag assembly adapter.

Abstract: A current transformer reset circuit, which uses two separately controlled operational parts to reset a current transformer. The first operational part is a current source used to generate a reset current. The second operational part is a reset switch, which when turned on allows reset current to flow through the current transformer in a manner which acts to reset the flux magnetization of the current transformer.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is provided which is able to supply data at high speed to a microprocessor (MPU) without being affected by the dispersion of power supply voltage, temperature and production process conditions. A semiconductor chip includes an address buffer, a decoder, a word driver, data lines, a sense amplifier, a main amplifier, an output buffer, and a PLL to which an external clock is applied. The PLL generates controls signals .PHI..sub.1 through .PHI..sub.7 with their phases shifted in turn, and supplies them to those internal circuits ranging from the address buffer to the output buffer. The PLL can control the phases of these control signals to be constant without being affected by the variations of temperature and power supply voltage. Thus, the internal circuits are precharged or equalized by the control signals, and then operated by the control signals to amplify data signal in turn.

Abstract: A user defined ADT function (to be implemented by an embedded module assigned to the function) is executed with module calling triggers other than the execution of the ADT function described in an SQL statement in a database management method which allows the user to define a data type. By creating a proper execution procedure command package, an embedded module implementing an ADT function can be executed even if the function is defined in a format to return execution results as a set. The database processing method includes an ADT function analysis for selecting a procedural model for creating a proper execution procedure command package in accordance with an evaluation style and a non-ADT function called embedded module analysis for adding information on embedded modules called on module calling triggers other than execution of ADT functions.

Abstract: In a method of fabricating a high resolution low voltage flat panel radiation imaging sensor having a radiation transducer having a radiation conversion layer of amorphous semiconductor and an electrode on one side thereof and an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns on an opposite side thereof, each pixel including a pixel electrode and storage capacitor and a charge readout device connected to the pixel electrode and the storage capacitor, the improvement comprising the step of shining light on selected regions of the radiation conversion layer which are aligned with the pixel electrodes to thereby crystallize the regions, resulting in a plurality of low resistivity and high charge mobility crystallized regions where the semiconductor material has been exposed to the light surrounded by high resistivity and low charge mobility regions where the semiconductor material has not been exposed to the light, for preventing lateral charge diffusion between respective ones of the low resistivity and high char

Abstract: A porous material (10) is contaminated with soil (14). Optionally, the porous material is partially shielded by an impermeable layer. The contaminated porous material is packaged and shipped to a user site. The contaminated porous material is removed from the package and placed in an automated processor containing medical equipment (22). The medical equipment and porous material are subjected to a cleaning, disinfecting, or sterilizing cycle in the processor. The cleaning process is evaluated by examining the porous material with an infrared or other electronic reader (24) to determine the presence of remaining soil which has not be removed during the cleaning, disinfecting, or sterilizing cycle.

Abstract: A regulated power source circuit is provided with a current output circuit including a drive stage transistor which operates when receiving at the input side thereof an output signal from one of transistor for differential operation in a differential amplifier circuit, a current output stage transistor which is driven by the drive stage transistor and a detection circuit which detects a drive current value of the drive stage transistor, and further a dummy circuit which causes to output from the other transistor forming a pair with the one transistor in the differential amplifier circuit a current the value of which is substantially equal to that of the current outputted from the one transistor in the differential amplifier circuit to the drive stage transistor when a detection signal from the detection circuit is received.

Abstract: A thin-film, flat panel, pixelated detector array serving as a real-time digital imager and dosimeter for diagnostic or mega-voltage X rays or gamma rays, including a plurality of photodiodes (30) made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon arrayed in columns and rows upon a glass substrate (12). Each photodiode (30) is connected to a thin film field effect transistor (52) also located upon the glass or quartz substrate (12). Upper and lower metal contacts (38, 22) are located below and above the photodiodes (30) to provide the photodiodes (30) with a reverse bias. The capacitance of each photodiode (30) when multiplied by the resistance of the field effect transistor (52) to which it is connected yields an RC time constant sufficiently small to allow fluoroscopic or radiographic imaging in real time.

Abstract: Representative item information concerning an item name represented on a form, parts control information for controlling a part or input/output area forming a display screen for inputting data to a database, and data attribute information including field name and data type referred to in defining a table in the database, are created for each item name beforehand. In accordance with an input from a user for image information of the form inputted beforehand, there is generated link information which includes positional information for distinguishing a position on the image information and sub referential information for distinguishing a field of the database. On the parts control information, a part is displayed on the image information displayed on a display device. A table of the database is defined on the basis of the data attribute information.

Abstract: An ion source comprises a discharge chamber; a wave guide transmitting microwave to generate plasma within said discharge chamber; and a matching tube, located between the discharge chamber and the wave guide, the cross-sectional form of which is tapered in the width thereof in the direction of propagation of the microwave.