Abstract: Disclosed is a method of preparing a fluorescent polymer, whereby an ethylenically unsaturated monomer is copolymerized with a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon or a substituted aromatic derivative thereof, such that the resultant polymer is fluorescent. Also disclosed are coating compositions containing such fluorescent polymers.

Abstract: A method for calibrating photomultiplier tubes in a scintillation camera having a plurality of light sources includes the steps of: pulsing all light sources simultaneously; reading the output of each photomultiplier tube; comparing the output of each photomultiplier tube with an expected value; determining whether the output of each photomultiplier tube is within a first specified tolerance; and adjusting each photomultiplier tube if the output of the photomultiplier tube is not within the first specified tolerance.

Abstract: An active matrix substrate provided with a matrix of electrode wires, a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) individually formed at intersections of the matrix, and pixel electrodes connected to the electrode wires through the thin film transistors (TFTs) is laminated to a counter substrate provided with connecting electrodes by means of an anisotropic conductive bonding agent. The counter substrate is composed of 12 divided pieces which are tiled as panes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspection of unpopulated printed circuit boards is disclosed. A printed circuit board is mounted on a mobile base capable of scanning on at least one direction. During a scan, the printed circuit board moves with respect to a heater and a portion of the board's surface, including both tracks and substrate, is heated. After heating, but within seconds of removing the heat source, the board surface is analyzed by an infrared (IR) sensitive camera. The different intensities of IR emissions allow for discrimination between the traces and the substrate and provide a means of detecting defects on the board. Defects are detected either by comparison to a database used for production of the boards or by design rule checking.

Abstract: An intensifying screen, comprising a support, a phosphor layer disposed on the support and a protecting film disposed on the phosphor layer. The phosphor layer comprises a first phosphor layer formed on the support side and constituted of particles of the first phosphor having average particle diameter D1 and range coefficient k, which expresses a particle size distribution, in the range of 1.3 to 1.8, and a second phosphor layer formed on the protective film side and constituted of particles of the second phosphor having average particle diameter D2 (>D1) and range coefficient k, which expresses a particle size distribution, in the range of 1.5 to 2.0. The ratio (CW1:CW2) of coating weight per unit area of the particles of the first phosphor in the first phosphor layer CW1 and coating weight per unit area of the particles of the second phosphor in the second phosphor layer CW2 is in the range of from 8:2 to 6:4.

Abstract: A method to be used with an imaging system, the system including two opposed cameras mounted for rotation among a plurality of acquisition angles about an imaging axis for acquiring imaging data throughout an arc about the axis, the cameras collecting data corresponding to an acquisition angle range including a plurality of flight path angles at each acquisition angle, the system also including a processor having a processor memory.

Abstract: The detectability of photoresist is enhanced through the addition of materials to enhance the fluorescence of photoresist such that residual photoresist that either does not fluoresce or fluoresces at an emission wavelength shorter that that which can be detected using existing automatic resist inspection tools. In one embodiment of the invention, a benign tag that does not interfere with the photochemistry of the photoresist is added to the photoresist before it is processed. In a second embodiment of the invention, a tag is introduced onto a surface on which residual photoresist may be present such that the tag is absorbed or adsorbed by the residual photoresist, thereby rendering the residual photoresist easily detectable. The tag may be introduced onto the surface in a solution.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for detecting gamma or X-ray radiation with a room temperature solid state detector, which comprises the selection of the detector's electron trapping parameter (&mgr;&tgr;)e and/or the detector voltage V so as to tune the electron trapping to optimally compensate for the incomplete charge collection.

Abstract: To derive sunlight induced fluorescence from radiance measurements, a first radiance measurement is taken inside an atmospheric absorption band, and an additional radiance measurement is taken outside of the atmospheric absorption band. Images of sunlight-induced fluorescence are obtained with the aid of a camera. Air- or spaceborne spectrometers and image points on non-fluorescent objects are used to determine the radiance conditions on the ground and the influence of the atmosphere.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for determining a position of an event. The system processes signals from an assembly of N photodetectors and includes a signal generator for producing a signal representing the value of the maximum, or the energy, of a pulse delivered by the photodetector and is digitized. It also includes a signal generator for producing a threshold-exceeded signal for each photodetector when the amplitude of the signal representing the value of the maximum, or the energy, of the digitized pulse is greater than the threshold. It also includes a signal generator common to the photodetectors, for delivering a signal representing a position of an event as a function of the threshold-exceed signals. This device can be used with gamma cameras.

Abstract: A high performance microbolometer in which a pixel contains the material VOx wherein x of VOx is set at a value to adjust a thermal coefficient of resistance to a selected value between 0.005 and 0.05.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively measuring nucleic acid amplification reactions, especially the polymerase chain reaction, employing microparticles as hybridization solid phase, a probe sequence labeled with a fluorescent label and a fluorescence detection system which is based on two-photon fluorescence excitation, contacting all the amplification reaction components and the solid phase simultaneously in a closed cuvette, performing the amplification reactions in the same cuvette, focusing a two-photon exciting laser beam into the cuvette during the amplification cycles and measuring the fluorescence signal emitted by the microparticles from one particle at a time when they randomly float through the focal volume of the laser beam. The features of this invention allow a method and device for performing a fast quantitative nucleic acid amplification assay of single or multiple target sequences in a very small closed sample volume.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for detecting input radiation such as X-rays, &ggr;-rays, ionizing radiation or fluorescent and low-level light. The device has at least one detection element comprising a sensor component (scintillator) for converting the input radiation into photons (scintillation light) in the UV, visible or IR part of the electromagnetic spectrum and an optical amplifier component which receives the light converted by the sensor component, forwards it for further processing and amplifies it at the same time. According to the invention, the amplifier component comprises at least one optical waveguide (1, 2, 2a, 2b, 20) whose material is optically pumped to amplify the scintillation light (3, 24, 25).

Abstract: Gamma cameras and positron (PET) cameras use scintillation detectors to detect radiation from the body. However, when the number of radiation particles that strike the detector is very high, the chance that signals from two or more individual particles will pile up in the detector (to produce one erroneous, larger signal) is high. This problem is common to all applications using scintillation detectors. The present invention discloses methods and apparatus to prevent and correct for this problem. Results from a circuit according to the present invention show at least a 10 fold improvement in the maximum detection-rate limit over the conventional method.

Abstract: A method for reducing required memory in a PET acquisition system processor wherein imaging data is collected and binned in a two dimensional histogram of coincident counts, the two dimensions being a flight path angle &thgr; and a distance R from the center of an imaging area, the method including the steps of determining when data acquired at a current acquisition angle will not include data corresponding to a specific flight angle and, when this is the case, storing the data corresponding to the specific flight angle on a secondary memory storage device independent of the processor memory. The method also includes a back projection method for using the stored data to construct an image and the invention includes an apparatus for performing the method.

Abstract: Images are formed by exposing optically transparent, optically stimulable luminescent glasses including luminescent centers and trapping centers, to patterned, ionizing radiation. The images may be read immediately, using scintillation, or may be stored in the glasses for subsequent reading using optically stimulated detrapping of stored charges.

Abstract: A process for the device configuration of confocal microscopes, preferably of laser scanning microscopes is disclosed, in which laser light with one or more spectral lines is generated and directed on a specimen which contains a fluorescent dye or on which a fluorescent dye has been applied. In this connection, the excitation wavelengths and the emission wavelengths of different fluorescent dyes are recorded in separate data records and these data records are stored in a data storage. The laser spectra which are adjustable with the microscope and which are to be directed onto the specimen and the transmission spectra which can be achieved with the provided filters are likewise recorded in data records and these data records are stored. Presets for the configuration of the microscope are determined from a computational linking of these data records.

Abstract: A method for imaging a quantity of gas present in the atmosphere of a selected area. The method comprises the steps of directing background infra-red radiation from the selected area into an interferometer; imaging the infra-red radiation emerging from the interferometer onto at least one infra-red detector: obtaining a plurality of Fouriertransform infra-red spectra in the 8-14 micrometer spectral region, each spectrum coitesponding to infra-red radiation collected from a different portion of the selected area; and displaying in a suitable form an infra-red image, the infra-red image comprising the plurality of infra-red spectra, or quantities derived therefrom. The temperature of the quantity of gas or ambient temperature is measured, the temperature of the background is measured, and the difference between the two measured temperatures is used to derive gas column densities from the infra-red spectra.

Abstract: An improved image acquisition system allows the angular displacement between two detectors to be adjusted between 90° and 180° to reduce the imaging time for both 360° and 180° scans. A patient table is displaced vertically and horizontally from a lateral axis to allow the body of a patient to be positioned next to the detectors and to improve resolution.

Abstract: An energy discriminating apparatus and method is disclosed for use in connection with digital radiography and fluoroscopy. In use of the detection system and method an x-ray source is actuated to direct x-rays through a patient's body, the x-rays including both higher and lower energy radiation. A first detector element, including a plurality of segments, is positioned opposite the source to receive and respond predominantly to x-rays in a lower energy range, the remaining x-rays, being generally of higher energy, passing through the first detector element. A second detector element, also including a plurality of segments, each segment including a phosphor coating layer and a sensor, is positioned to receive and respond to the higher energy radiation passing through the first element.