Abstract: A system and method for issuing and clearing traveler's checks that are paid for by credit card. A quantity of traveler's checks having a total value are sold to a buyer. An account identifier is received from the buyer. A lock is placed against the identified account for a lock value of at least a portion of the total value. Preferably, the identified account is a credit card account. The lock value and the credit card account number are communicated to a credit card clearing house and an authorization that a lock equal to the lock value has been placed against the credit card account is then received from the credit card clearing house. Information identifying the credit card account of the buyer of each traveler's check that is sold is communicated to the traveler's check issuer, which stores the information in a database. When the buyer cashes a traveler's check, the traveler's check issuer obtains payment on the check.

Abstract: An efficient energy upconversion unit is optically coupled to a photomultiplier. The upconversion unit receives incident infrared electromagnetic energy of longer wavelengths and emits, in response, visible light of shorter wavelengths to which the photomultiplier is more responsive. Through such energy upconversion, the sensitivity of the photomultiplier is extended to much longer infrared wavelengths. The upconversion unit is a photoluminescent material specially formulated to have minimal phosphorescence so as to minimize noise.

Abstract: A scintillation detector capable of withstanding high shock and/or high temperatures, comprises a scintillation crystal, a casing for the crystal, and a shock absorbing boot interposed between the crystal and the casing. The boot is characterized by a plurality of radially outwardly directed protrusions for engaging the casing. The protrusions define therebetween unfilled spaces to provide room into which the boot may expand at high temperatures. The protrusions may be longitudinally or radially extending ribs and the ribs may be generally rectangular or triangular in cross section. A reflector surrounds the crystal and preferably is in the form of a thin porous sheet of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) wrapped tightly around the crystal. The boot preferably has a substantially continuous cylindrical interior surface for engaging the thin porous PTFE sheet to avoid high pressure concentrations.

Abstract: A photon detector based upon photon-assisted tunneling in superconductor-insulator-superconductor or super-Schottky structures, in which the superconductor is a high transition temperature superconductor. An electrical bias is provided on either side of such structures so that photo-assisted tunneling, in the presence of incident photons on the structure, can occur to thereby permit a tunneling current therebetween.

Abstract: A radon progeny detector for measuring the concentration of attached and unattached fractions in an atmosphere. A laminar flow of air is drawn sequentially through a diffusion screen and a particle trap. Unattached progeny having a particle size of 10 nm or less are captured upon the mesh of the diffusion screen. Attached progeny pass into the trap where the attached progeny are captured by a filter. Radiation detecting strips for recording radiation from alpha and beta particles emitted by the progeny are mounted on both sides of the diffusion screen and adjacent the particle trap to record the concentrations of both fractions.

Abstract: A large area pyroelectric joulemeter for measuring the pulsed beam output of a laser. The joulemeter employs a pyroelectric detector element with front and rear conductive surfaces forming electrodes, a relatively massive mounting block with relatively high thermal conductivity and an epoxy adhesive for securing the detector element to the mounting block, the epoxy having relatively high thermal conductivity so that heat can be quickly dissipated out of the detector element. An internal recess in the mounting block accommodates a trimming capacitor and resistor for adjusting the voltage sensitivity of the detector assembly to a constant value. The detector assembly is removably installed within an outer housing having a main base portion and a removable bezel.

Abstract: A radiographic image pickup apparatus for diagnosis using an image detector in which a phosphor layer for converting an X-ray image into an optical image, a photoconductive layer for storing an optical image as a latent image, light-emitting means for exciting the photoconductive layer segment by segment are laminated into a plate form, wherein one of the electrodes sandwiching the photoconductive layer and the light-emitting means are respectively divided into array-formed elements in directions orthogonal to each other, and an element selection circuit for successively selecting these elements and reading out said latent image in time sequential electric signal is formed integrally on the substrate of the image detector.

Abstract: A device is described for characterizing wafers of semiconductor materials by photoluminescence with high spatial resolution and at low temperature, this device comprising at least:(a) a cryostatic vacuum chamber provided with a cooled sample carrier adapted to receive the wafer and provided with at least one window for the transmission of the light beams implied in the photoluminescence process;(b) optical means for forming a luminous spot on the wafer from a laser beam and for transmitting the re-emitted photoluminescence beam to a detector, characterized in that the optical means comprise first optical means for forming on the wafer from the laser beam a wide unfocused luminous spot and second optical means with high resolution for forming with a magnification exceeding unity on the receiving surface of the detector the image of photoluminescence of the surface of the luminous spot, and in that the detector is apt to produce a digitized image thereof.

Abstract: A package for shielded handling of a detector element and for selective exposure of said detector element to radiation, typically in radon detection of emitted alpha particle radiation, is provided in a unitary assembly. The package provides a support structure for securement of a detector member within the package and includes a shielding structure for selective insulation of the detector member in a shielding position of the support structure to prevent background irradiation of the detector member during handling and transport to and from the irradiation monitoring location. The package provides selective exposure of the detector element to irradiation in an exposing position of the support structure at the monitoring location. The package is provided with transport structure for relatively moving the support structure with the detector member so that the detector member can be selectively displaced between shielding and exposing positions.

Abstract: A time-resolved photographic analysis device is capable of analyzing for the presence of fluorescent radiation, particularly in a diagnostic sample. The apparatus comprises a light source for emitting exciting pulses as directed onto the sample. A camera is provided which is focused on the sample with the camera continually exposed to the sample. A chopper device is used in conjunction with the camera to prevent exposure of the photographic film in the camera to background fluorescence generated by miscellaneous components in the sample. Fluorescent labels, if present in the sample, are designed to fluoresce over considerably longer periods than the background fluorescence. A device is provided to coordinate the operation of the chopper device with the rate of flashing of the light source to ensure that the photographic film is only exposed to fluorescent radiation which would be generated by a fluorescent label in the sample being analyzed.

Abstract: A high resolution directional gamma ray detector includes a thin piece of foil, such as tantalum, which reacts with gamma rays incident to the edge of the foil to generate electron/positron pairs. Gamma rays originating from directions other than a direction of interest are shielded from the foil by shielding plates. An opening between the foil by shielding plates. An opening between two collimating plates permits passage of gamma rays originating from a direction of interest and allows gamma rays originating from a direction of interest to react with the foil. The generated electron and positron cause ionization in a plurality of cells. Signals resulting from these ionizations are processed by an electronic computation system through the use of coincidence processing to determine whether the signals are the result of a reaction between the foil and a gamma ray which passed through the collimator opening.

Abstract: A method of judging the presence or absence of a limited irradiation field on a recording medium in the case where a radiation image has been recorded on the recording medium comprises the steps of creating a histogram of image signals detected from the recording medium, and dividing the histogram into small regions by an automatic threshold value selecting process using a discriminant criterion or a standard equivalent to the discriminant criterion. The small region located on the lowest signal level side is divided into a lower level division and a higher level division with respect to a mean image signal level of the small region. The limited irradiation field is judged to be present in the case where spread of the lower level division is wider than spread of the higher level division, and judged to be absent in the case where the spread of the lower level division is narrower than the spread of the higher level division.

Abstract: A radiation image read-out apparatus comprises a main scanning system which scans a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, with stimulating rays in a main scanning direction. The stimulating rays cause the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light in proportion to the amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. A sub-scanning system moves the stimulable phosphor sheet with respect to the stimulating rays in a direction approximately normal to the main scanning direction. A light guide member, which has a light input face extending along the main scanning line on the stimulable phosphor sheet, guides the emitted light entering the light guide member at its light input face to a light output face. A photodetector is connected to the light output face.

Abstract: An infrared gas analyzer using a pyroelectric infrared sensor, which includes a heating unit for heating the infrared sensor, a heating sensor for detecting its heating temperature and a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor, and controls the heating unit so as to retain the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor at a constant so that the output error is small irrespective of the change in ambient temperature.

Abstract: An improvement of a radiographic intensifying screen comprising a support, a phosphor layer which comprises a binder and a phosphor dispersed therein and a protective film, superposed in order, comprises a metal film on one or both surfaces of said protective film.

Abstract: A pyroelectric detector comprising a substrate, pyroelectric material distributed in a binder and applied to said substrate, and at least two electrically conductive electrodes, wherein the pyroelectric material comprises lithium tantalate consisting of single crystal particles, said lithium tantalate containing an amount of tantalum ranging from 25 to 75 mole % as tantalum pentoxide.

Abstract: The flocculation threshold of a petroleum product containing asphaltenes is measured by measuring the radiation in the near infrared transmitted through a sample of the product in solution in a solvent in relation to the quantity of precipitant continuously added to the sample.

Abstract: A thermal imager having an array of sprite detectors is provided with a novel means for reducing or eliminating lininess in the reproduced image. This means comprises a low pass optical filter which cuts out wavelengths above 11.5 microns and adjustable gain buffer amplifiers in the respective channels. It is found that with the use of the optical filter the gains of the buffer amplifiers may be preset, when setting up the apparatus, to eliminate lininess and it is not necessary to include complex and noisy circuitry for continuously monitoring the signals output by the detectors and then applying appropriate corrections to the individual channels during operation of the apparatus, as in the prior art.

Abstract: A pyroelectric detector comprises a support member having a tapered through-hole therein, a first polyester film positioned on said support member, across said through-hole, an aluminum foil member located on an opposite side of said polyester film from said support member, a pyroelectric film located on an opposite side of said aluminum foil member from said first polyester film, at least one additional polyester film located on an opposite side of said pyroelectric film from said aluminum foil member, and two pyroelectrical leads connected to opposite sides of said pyroelectric film.

Abstract: A radiation image recording and read-out apparatus comprises a stimulable phosphor belt section constituted by an endless stimulable phosphor belt and a pair of roller sections for supporting the stimulable phosphor belt therearound so that the stimulable phosphor belt forms two surfaces, an image recording section facing one surface of the stimulable phosphor belt, and an image read-out section facing the other surface of the stimulable phosphor belt. At the time of image read-out, the stimulable phosphor belt section is moved at a speed equal to the movement speed of the stimulable phosphor belt reversely to the movement direction of the one surface of the stimulable phosphor belt. A radiation image recording, read-out, and reproducing apparatus also comprises a recording light scanning device moveable integrally with the stimulable phosphor belt section and the image read-out section.