Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining stone cells within a sample of wood pulp or paper. According to the instant invention a portion of the sample is irradiated with light at a predetermined wavelength or within a predetermined range of wavelengths. The incident light causes those areas of the sample that are occupied by stone cells to fluoresce strongly relative to the background matrix of wood pulp or paper. The strongly fluorescing stone cells are registered digitally using a detector, or are observed visually by an operator viewing the sample through an ocular device. The absolute number of stone cells per unit area or a stone cell size-distribution-plot is obtained using one of automated or manual image analysis.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring information between spatially distinct points by modulating quantum states operatively coupling at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. In the preferred embodiment, fabrication of an elliptical quantum corral resonator on a length scale on the order of the electron wavelength enables the engineering of substantially confined quantum states as desired. A transmitter preferably located at a wavefunction antinode affects a modulation in the quantum states, and a receiver preferably located at a different wavefunction antinode detects the affected modulation in the spatially distributed quantum states. A second exemplary embodiment exploits the orthogonality of quantum wavefunctions to enable multiple channels of information to be transferred simultaneously through the same volume of space without crosstalk. Additional embodiments enable combinational processing of transferred information, which may be in any format, e.g.

Abstract: A probe for detecting or irradiating light includes a displaceable support member on a substrate, a tip formed on the support member, and a bonding layer for bonding the tip onto the support member. The tip has a micro aperture. When a light-shielding layer is further formed on a surface of the tip, the micro aperture is formed on the light-shielding layer. The tip consists of a light transmission material.

Abstract: An active pixel sensor implemented with CMOS technology that employs a plurality of photocells, each including a photodiode to sense illumination and a separate storage node with a stored charge that is discharged during an integration period by the photocurrent generated by the photodiode. Each photocell includes a switching network that couples the photocurrent to the storage node only during the integration period while ensuring that a relatively constant voltage is maintained across the photodiode during integration and non-integration periods. The transistors in the switching network operate in a forward active subthreshold region, ensuring linear operation and the diode voltage is clamped to a small positive voltage so that the diode is always reverse-biased. A source-follower generates a output signal correlated to the charge on the storage node that is coupled to column output circuitry that samples the signal.