Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a detection unit which detects a rotation period of a transfer belt, and a printing control unit which performs a printing preparation operation, and detects the rotation period if the printing preparation operation is started, and performs printing in the detected rotation period if the printing preparation operation is completed. Accordingly, a rotation period of the transfer belt is detected while performing the printing preparation operation, so that an initial printing time can be reduced.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier for carrying developer image, a transfer device configured to transfer the developer image to a recording media, a forward bias applying circuit configured to apply a forward bias voltage to the transfer device, and a reverse bias applying circuit configured to apply a reverse bias voltage to the transfer device. The apparatus includes a detecting circuit configured to detect inflow current flowing from the image carrier into the forward bias applying circuit, and a decision circuit configured to determine a lower limit of the reverse bias voltage based on a detected value of the inflow current when the detected value of the inflow current exceeds a first predetermined value. The reverse bias applying circuit applies the reverse bias voltage of the determined lower limit to the transfer device at least before the forward bias voltage is applied to the transfer device.

Abstract: A security marker material comprising emissive particles selected from at least two groups with different size distributions and the size distributions satisfy the formula: [(x?z)2/(Sx2 +Sz2)]1/2 >1 wherein x and z are the volume-weighted mean equivalent-spherical diameters of the two particle distributions and Sx and Sz are the standard deviations of the same two distributions. The emissive materials are placed in or on an item. The emissive materials are excited with electromagnetic radiation in one or more specified spectral bands. The electromagnetic radiation is detected in one or more spectral bands from the emissive materials in an image-wise fashion. The attributes of the image are analyzed and characterized and are compared to authentication criteria to determine the authenticity of the marked item.

Abstract: The present invention relates to scintillator compositions and related devices and methods. The scintillator compositions may include, for example, a scintillation compound and a dopant, the scintillation compound having the formula CsLi(LaxY1-x)Z, where Z is a halide. The scintillator composition can include a dopant or mixture of dopants.

Abstract: A radiation detector assembly comprises a radiation scintillator detector for generating a light signal as a function of radiation detected. A light detector is operatively connectable with the radiation scintillator detector for receiving a light signal from the radiation scintillation detector and generating an electrical signal as a function of the light signal received. A housing for the light detector is electrically connectable with the light detector. At least one of the housing and the light detector is electrically connectable with a pole of a power supply whereby the housing and the light detector are at substantially the same electrical potential when electrically connected.

Abstract: A method of analyzing a remotely-located object includes the step of illuminating at least a portion of a targeted object with electromagnetic radiation to induce a phase transformation in the targeted object, wherein the phase transformation produces an emitter plasma, which emits terahertz radiation. The method also includes the step of ionizing a volume of an ambient gas to produce a sensor plasma by focusing an optical probe beam in the volume and the step of detecting an optical component of resultant radiation produced from an interaction of the focused optical probe beam and the terahertz radiation in the sensor plasma. Detecting an optical component of the resultant radiation emitted by the sensor plasma facilitates detection of a characteristic fingerprint of the targeted object imposed onto the terahertz radiation produced as a result of the induced phase transformation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a laser scanning microscope capable of acquiring suitable fluorescent images. A fluorescence detection unit 26 measures a plurality of intensities of fluorescent light of different wavelengths that is excited by irradiation of laser light and emitted from a sample 12.

Abstract: A phoswich device for determining depth of interaction (DOI) includes a wavelength shifting layer between first and second scintillators of different scintillation materials and having different decay time characteristics. The wavelength shifting layer allows a true phoswich device to be constructed where the emission wavelength of one scintillator is in the peak excitation band of the other scintillator, by shifting the scintillation light outside of this excitation band to prevent scintillation light of one scintillator from exciting a response in the other scintillator, thus enabling unique identification of the location of a gamma photon scintillation event. The phoswich device is particularly applicable to positron emission tomography (PET) applications.

Abstract: The intrinsic background of a gamma ray spectrometer is significantly reduced by surrounding the scintillator with a second scintillator. This second (external) scintillator surrounds the first scintillator and has an opening of approximately the same diameter as the smaller central scintillator in the forward direction. The second scintillator is selected to have a higher atomic number, and thus has a larger probability for a Compton scattering interaction than within the inner region. Scattering events that are essentially simultaneous in coincidence to the first and second scintillators, from an electronics perspective, are precluded electronically from the data stream. Thus, only gamma-rays that are wholly contained in the smaller central scintillator are used for analytic purposes.

Abstract: A night vision image processing unit (night vision apparatus) separates an input field image that a field separating unit has acquired from a near-infrared camera into an odd-numbered field image and an even-numbered field image. A region segmenting unit segments an image into a plurality of regions (a luminous region, a high-reflection region, a low-luminance region) based on luminance value of each pixel included in the odd-numbered field image and the even-numbered field image. A luminous region processing unit, a high-reflection region processing unit, and a low-luminance region processing unit correct the luminance value according to characteristics of the regions.

Abstract: A radiation detection aircraft has at least one component member of the aircraft having scintillator material. A signal converter is coupled to the at least one component member. An accumulator is coupled to the signal converter.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus comprises an intermediate transfer member having a hard release layer on the surface that receives a primarily transferred toner image from a latent image-supporting member on the hard release layer and secondarily transfers the toner image to an image-receiving medium, wherein, when the difference ??sd between the dispersion-force component of surface free energy of the intermediate transfer member surface ?sd(itm) and the dispersion-force component of surface free energy of the latent image-supporting member surface ?sd(pc) is defined by the following Formula: ??sd=?sd(pc)??sd(itm), ??sd is 5 mN/m or less.

Abstract: The preferred embodiments are directed to a high-energy detector that is electrically shielded using an anode, a cathode, and a conducting shield to substantially reduce or eliminate electrically unshielded area. The anode and the cathode are disposed at opposite ends of the detector and the conducting shield substantially surrounds at least a portion of the longitudinal surface of the detector. The conducting shield extends longitudinally to the anode end of the detector and substantially surrounds at least a portion of the detector. Signals read from one or more of the anode, cathode, and conducting shield can be used to determine the number of electrons that are liberated as a result of high-energy particles impinge on the detector. A correction technique can be implemented to correct for liberated electron that become trapped to improve the energy resolution of the high-energy detectors disclosed herein.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photomultiplier tube interface device (PMT), comprising a PMT module and a circuit substrate. The PMT module comprises a plurality of pins formed at a front end. A plurality of contacts are disposed on a lateral side of the circuit substrate to be electrically connected to the plurality of pins while a connecting base is arranged at a peripheral portion on another lateral side of the circuit substrate to be electrically connected to the contacts. By means of the interface device, not only the connecting pins of the PMT can be protected from being damaged and generating high frequency noise but also the convenience for assembling or replacing the PMT can be improved.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is supplied that can obtain a correct temperature inside an image forming section and can perform an optimum temperature control so that it is possible to prevent remainder toner on the surface of the image carrying body from solidifying.

Abstract: A cleaning device removes residual toner particles from a cleaning target, such as a photoconductor, which has a moving surface. The cleaning device includes a cleaning brush, a power circuit, and a cleaning member. The cleaning brush includes a brush rotation shaft, and the power circuit applies a first voltage of a first polarity to the brush rotation shaft. The cleaning member applies a second voltage of the first polarity to the cleaning brush. If the first polarity is negative, the cleaning member electrostatically removes toner particles having a positive polarity from the cleaning target. Then, the cleaning brush is triboelectrically charged to a second polarity, which is opposite to the first polarity, by contacting the cleaning target. Accordingly, the cleaning brush also removes residual toner particles having a negative polarity. Thus, the cleaning device removes both positively and negatively charged toner particles to clean the cleaning target.

Abstract: An imaging target, suited for use in multi-modal imaging systems, includes test patterns for testing quality of both focus and co-registration for multiple magnifications and multiple modalities of operation of a multimodal imaging system.

Abstract: An observing apparatus includes: a photographic unit that takes a region where cells are present as an observation object region based upon a macro image captured at low magnification of an interior of a cell culture vessel, and photographs the cells in the observation object region; an illuminating unit that irradiates light upon the cells only during photography by the photographic unit; and an output unit that outputs a fluorescent image photographed by the photographic unit while irradiating light only during photography by the illuminating unit. A recognition section recognizes at least one observation object region, within the macro image, in which cells are present. A selection unit selects a tiling mode or a random mode. A controller points an objective lens at an observation object region in which the recognition unit has recognized that cells are present.

Abstract: A method of classifying an electromagnetic-energy emitting source event as one of a first, second, and third class event includes registering an irradiance spectrum from the source event. The intensity of the energy emitted from the source event is measured within each of first, second and third energy sub-ranges and first, second and third relative-energy values are associated with, respectively, the first, second and third energy sub-ranges. A first class-eliminating determination is rendered by comparing to one another a first selected set of two of the relative-energy values, thereby yielding two remaining-candidate event classes. When necessary, a second class-eliminating determination renders the proper classification for the source event by comparing to one another a second selected set of relative-energy values including the relative-energy value not selected for inclusion in the first selected set of two relative-energy values and one of the previously selected relative-energy values.

Abstract: A cardiac imaging system employing dual gamma imaging heads co-registered with one another to provide two dynamic simultaneous views of the heart sector of a patient torso. A first gamma imaging head is positioned in a first orientation with respect to the heart sector and a second gamma imaging head is positioned in a second orientation with respect to the heart sector. An adjustment arrangement is capable of adjusting the distance between the separate imaging heads and the angle between the heads. With the angle between the imaging heads set to 180 degrees and operating in a range of 140-159 keV and at a rate of up to 500kHz, the imaging heads are co-registered to produce simultaneous dynamic recording of two stereotactic views of the heart. The use of co-registered imaging heads maximizes the uniformity of detection sensitivity of blood flow in and around the heart over the whole heart volume and minimizes radiation absorption effects.