Abstract: A process for rendering an electrically conducting polymer essentially non-conducting is provided, in which the polymer is brought into direct electrical contact with an electrolyte. Furthermore, an electric voltage is applied to the polymer using at least two electrodes connected to a voltage supply, each electrode independently being in electrical contact with one of the polymer and the electrolyte. The electrically conducting polymer is rendered non-conducting through electrochemical reactions occurring in the interface between the polymer and the electrolyte in response to the electric voltage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a radiography system with a recording device and to a corresponding method for recording X-rays in storage phosphor layers. In order to improve a picture quality of an X-ray, a recording control is provided for controlling the recording device such that in a first phosphor layer having a first thickness, an X-ray with a first energy limit of the X-ray radiation is recorded, and in a second phosphor layer, having a second thickness which is greater than the first thickness, an X-ray with a second energy limit of the X-ray radiation is recorded, the second energy limit of the X-ray radiation being greater than the first energy limit of the X-ray radiation.

Abstract: In a method for coating a phosphor or a scintillator layer onto a flexible substrate, within a sealed zone maintained under vacuum conditions, by the step of vapor deposition, said phosphor or scintillator layer is, continuously or discontinuously, deposited onto said substrate, and said substrate is deformed at least before, during or after said step of vapor deposition, in order to provide the manufacturer, by a process of exceptionally high yield, with large deposited phosphor or a scintillator sheets having constant speed and image quality properties, further offering availability of all formats as desired for screens, plates or panels ready-for-use in a scanning apparatus in computed radiography, screen/film radiography and direct radiography.

Abstract: A method for producing CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors and screens or panels provided with said phosphors as powder phosphors or vapor deposited needle-shaped phosphors suitable for use in image forming methods for recording and reproducing images of objects made by high energy radiation, wherein said CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors are essentially free from oxygen in their crystal structure, and wherein X represents a halide selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl and combinations thereof, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of mixing CsX with a compound or combinations of precursor compounds having as a composition CsxEuyX?x+?y, wherein the ratio of x to y exceeds a value of 0.25, wherein ??2 and wherein X? is a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and combinations thereof; heating said mixture at a temperature above 450° C.; cooling said mixture, and optionally annealing and recovering said CsX:Eu phosphor.

Abstract: In order to improve the picture quality of X-rays, a read-out control is provided for controlling a read-out device such that a first storage phosphor layer, which has a first thickness d1, is read out by the read-out device controlled in a first read-out mode, and a second storage phosphor layer, which has a second thickness d2 which is greater than the first thickness d1, is read out by the read-out device controlled in a second read-out mode, the second read-out mode being different from the first read-out mode. The scan parameters of the read-out device set in the first read-out mode are different from the scan parameters set in the second read-out mode in at least one scan parameter. The scan parameters are, for example, the size of the pixels, a pulse duration and/or intensity and/or width of a focus range of stimulation light, integration time and/or feed time of the detector.

Abstract: A method for producing CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors and screens or panels provided with said phosphors as powder phosphors or vapor deposited needle-shaped phosphors suitable for use in image forming methods for recording and reproducing images of objects made by high energy radiation, wherein said CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors are essentially free from oxygen in their crystal structure, and wherein X represents a halide selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl and combinations thereof, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of mixing CsX with a compound or combinations of precursor compounds having as a composition CsxEuyX?x+?y, wherein the ratio of x to y exceeds a value of 0.25, wherein ??2 and wherein X? is a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and combinations thereof; heating said mixture at a temperature above 450° C.; cooling said mixture, and optionally annealing and recovering said CsX:Eu phosphor.

Abstract: The present invention provides an assembly comprising two plates or covers, one of which being an outermost plate or cover, and both, at least in part having a perforation pattern over a surface area covering an open side of a crucible having a bottom and surrounding side walls containing raw materials, wherein said outermost cover is mounted at a distance farther from the said crucible than said cover covering said open side of a crucible, and wherein both covers are mounted versus each other, so that, when viewed through an axis in a direction perpendicular to the bottom of the crucible from a distance to said outermost cover of at least 10 times the distance between said two plates or covers, its contents cannot be observed as their perforations and the crucible are never forming one line, perpendicular to the plane formed by said bottom.

Abstract: A method has been disclosed for manufacturing a storage phosphor for use in a photostimulable phosphor screen or panel comprising a support and a storage phosphor layer, wherein a dopant or activator is incorporated more homogeneously in amorphous and in crystalline phosphors as well, starting with a mixing step of said matrix component and activator component in stoechiometric ratios in order to provide a desired phosphor composition; and more particularly in order to prepare a CsBr:Eu2+ phosphor having an optimized sensitivity with respect to its particle size.

Abstract: In a method for producing CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors and screens or panels provided with said phosphors as powder phosphors or vapor deposited needle-shaped phosphors suitable for use in image forming methods for recording and reproducing images of objects made by high energy radiation, said CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors are essentially free from oxygen in their crystal structure, wherein X represents a halide selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl and combinations thereof; and wherein the method further comprises the steps of mixing CsX with a compound or combinations of compounds having as a composition CsxEuyX?x+?y, wherein the ratio of x to y exceeds a value of 0.25, wherein ??2 and wherein X? is a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and combinations thereof; heating said mixture at a temperature above 450° C.; cooling said mixture, and, optionally, annealing and recovering said CsX:Eu phosphor.

Abstract: In a method for producing CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors and screens or panels provided with said phosphors as powder phosphors or vapor deposited needle-shaped phosphors suitable for use in image forming methods for recording and reproducing images of objects made by high energy radiation, said CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors are essentially free from oxygen in their crystal structure, wherein X represents a halide selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl and combinations thereof; and wherein the method further comprises the steps of mixing CsX with a compound or combinations of compounds having as a composition CsxEuyX?x+?y, wherein the ratio of x to y exceeds a value of 0.25, wherein ??2 and wherein X? is a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and combinations thereof; heating said mixture at a temperature above 450° C.; cooling said mixture, and, optionally, annealing and recovering said CsX:Eu phosphor.

Abstract: An optical memory plate particularly suitable for identification purposes or protection against forgery and counterfeiting radiation provides inscription of data and read-out of thus stored inscription data, comprises a europium doped alkali metal halide storage phosphor layer, and, more preferably, a stimulable CsBr:Eu phosphor substantially free of alkaline earth metals.

Abstract: A method for producing CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors and screens or panels provided with said phosphors as powder phosphors or vapor deposited needle-shaped phosphors suitable for use in image forming methods for recording and reproducing images of objects made by high energy radiation, wherein said CsX:Eu stimulable phosphors are essentially free from oxygen in their crystal structure, and wherein X represents a halide selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl and combinations thereof, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of mixing CsX with a compound or combinations of precursor compounds having as a composition CsxEuyX?x+?y, wherein the ratio of x to y exceeds a value of 0.25, wherein ??2 and wherein X? is a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I and combinations thereof; heating said mixture at a temperature above 450° C.; cooling said mixture, and optionally annealing and recovering said CsX:Eu phosphor.

Abstract: In a method of consecutively manufacturing a set of at least 5 storage phosphor plates by a vapor deposition process in one and the same vapor deposition apparatus, in said apparatus, before starting each vaporization, refractory material surfaces are brought into contact, in a crucible unit thereof, with liquefied raw materials of a matrix component and an activator component, a phosphor precursor component or a combination thereof, wherein deviations in speed from one plate to another within said set of storage phosphor plates are less than 15%, said deviations being expressed as a variation coefficient defined by following formula (SAL % dev/SAL % av)×100, provided that SAL % av stands for an averaged speed within average speeds over each of said storage phosphor plate surfaces within said set and that SAL % dev stands for a standard deviation of averaged speeds obtained from each phosphor plate within said set, wherein a step of increasing said refractory material surfaces is included by adding to said cr

Abstract: A read-out device reads out X-rays stored in phosphor layers. To improve image quality, the read-out device is controlled such that an X-ray of a first body part, e.g. of a limb, stored in a phosphor layer is read out by the read-out device controlled in a first read-out mode, and an X-ray of a second, different body part, e.g. of a thorax, stored in the phosphor layer is read out by the read-out device controlled in a second read-out mode. The scan parameters of the read-out device set in the first read-out mode are different from the scan parameters set in the second read-out mode in at least one scan parameter. The scan parameters include, but are not limited to, the size of the pixels, the intensity and/or the width of a focus range of stimulation light on the phosphor layer, the sampling rate of a detector, and a speed of the phosphor layer in relative movement to the read-out device.

Abstract: An image storage screen or panel, suitable for use in applications related with computed radiography comprises, on a support, a binderless needle-shaped stimulable CsBr:Eu phosphor layer, wherein, besides low amounts of a europium activator or dopant in favor of homogeneous distribution of said activator in the CsBr matrix, presence of well-defined amounts of rubidium halide and cesium chloride in said matrix, and, optionally, further presence of alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and/or metal earth salts, and/or, optionally, other metal salts or oxides, provides a remarkable speed increase, without loss in sharpness.

Abstract: A Eu-doped CsBr-type storage phosphor screen or panel has been disclosed, providing ratios of ultraviolet luminescence intensities of at least 10/9 after having been exposed to radiation having a wavelength in the range from 150 to 400 nm, measured at same sites without and with pretreatment exposure of said storage phosphor screen or panel with short ultraviolet radiation in the range from 150 to 300 nm and having an energy of 10 mJ/mm2, as well as a method of producing a stimulable phosphor screen or panel, characterized in that during or after at least one of the manufacturing steps a radiation exposure treatment is given with radiation sources emitting short ultraviolet radiation in the range from 150 to 300 nm with an energy of at least 10 mJ/mm2.

Abstract: The invention relates to a radiography system with a recording device and to a corresponding method for recording X-rays in storage phosphor layers. In order to improve a picture quality of an X-ray, a recording control is provided for controlling the recording device such that in a first phosphor layer having a first thickness, an X-ray with a first energy limit of the X-ray radiation is recorded, and in a second phosphor layer, having a second thickness which is greater than the first thickness, an X-ray with a second energy limit of the X-ray radiation is recorded, the second energy limit of the X-ray radiation being greater than the first energy limit of the X-ray radiation.

Abstract: A read-out device reads out X-rays stored in phosphor layers. To improve image quality, the read-out device is controlled such that an X-ray of a first body part, e.g. of a limb, stored in a phosphor layer is read out by the read-out device controlled in a first read-out mode, and an X-ray of a second, different body part, e.g. of a thorax, stored in the phosphor layer is read out by the read-out device controlled in a second read-out mode. The scan parameters of the read-out device set in the first read-out mode are different from the scan parameters set in the second read-out mode in at least one scan parameter. The scan parameters include, but are not limited to, the size of the pixels, the intensity and/or the width of a focus range of stimulation light on the phosphor layer, the sampling rate of a detector, and a speed of the phosphor layer in relative movement to the read-out device.

Abstract: In order to improve the picture quality of X-rays, a read-out control is provided for controlling a read-out device such that a first storage phosphor layer, which has a first thickness d1, is read out by the read-out device controlled in a first read-out mode, and a second storage phosphor layer, which has a second thickness d2 which is greater than the first thickness d1, is read out by the read-out device controlled in a second read-out mode, the second read-out mode being different from the first read-out mode. The scan parameters of the read-out device set in the first read-out mode are different from the scan parameters set in the second read-out mode in at least one scan parameter. The scan parameters are, for example, the size of the pixels, a pulse duration and/or intensity and/or width of a focus range of stimulation light, integration time and/or feed time of the detector.

Abstract: In a storage phosphor sheet, plate or panel, comprising a needle-shaped storage or photostimulable phosphor, said needle-shaped phosphor comprising a host or matrix compound and a dopant or activator compound or element in an amount of less than 0.01 mole % versus said host or matrix compound, said needle-shaped phosphor further comprises, as inclusions or precipitates, particles having a size in the range from 10?3 ?m up to 10 ?m, wherein said particles are present as ferroelectric particles, providing said panel with ferro-electric properties.

Abstract: A secondary sewage treatment system is provided with vertically-aligned foam collecting, turbulent, mixing, settling, and sludge collecting zones. A grating defines the boundary between the turbulent and mixing zones. Beneath the grating, a bouyant media, such as hollow plastic spheres, are contained and occupy substantially all of the mixing zone. Air diffusers including elongated draft tubes extend from the turbulent zone down through the mixing zone for introduction of air to aerate waste water liquor and to cause the aerated liquor to recirculate up into the turbulent zone, thereby creating a circulation of waste water liquor from the turbulent zone, down through the mixing zone and around the bouyant media, and up through the draft tubes to the turbulent zone.