Abstract: Apparatus and methods for delivering medicament to a patient. The apparatus may include elements with different capacities to attenuate or absorb sterilizing radiation. The apparatus may include a medicament delivery assembly with interactive elements for dose-setting, priming and medicament ejection. The assembly may include a chamber housing a radiation-sensitive medicament present in the apparatus during sterilization by electron beam. The assembly may include an actuator chassis, a drive mechanism, a needle-priming mechanism and a fluid-displacement mechanism including a fluid-displacement member. The chassis may be fixed, relative to an outlet, to the chamber. The member may be slidingly and/or threadingly engaged with the chassis, and may be configured to move relative to the outlet to deliver the medicament through the outlet. Assembly elements may be nested coaxially and/or stacked axially. The assembly may include at least one hollow region.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for delivering medicament to a patient. The apparatus may include elements with different capacities to attenuate or absorb sterilizing radiation. The apparatus may include a medicament delivery assembly with interactive elements for dose-setting, priming and medicament ejection. The assembly may include a chamber housing a radiation-sensitive medicament present in the apparatus during sterilization by electron beam. The assembly may include an actuator chassis, a drive mechanism, a needle-priming mechanism and a fluid-displacement mechanism including a fluid-displacement member. The chassis may be fixed, relative to an outlet, to the chamber. The member may be slidingly and/or threadingly engaged with the chassis, and may be configured to move relative to the outlet to deliver the medicament through the outlet. Assembly elements may be nested coaxially and/or stacked axially. The assembly may include at least one hollow region.

Abstract: A defect inspection method according to an embodiment has: exposing a target object to a tracer having higher absorptance for a neutron ray than the target object; radiating the neutron ray to the target object exposed to the tracer; generating at least one neutron image based on the neutron ray having penetrated the target object exposed to the tracer; and detecting a defect of the target object based on the generated at least one neutron image.

Abstract: A defect inspection method according to an embodiment has: exposing a target object to a tracer having higher absorptance for a neutron ray than the target object; radiating the neutron ray to the target object exposed to the tracer; generating at least one neutron image based on the neutron ray having penetrated the target object exposed to the tracer; and detecting a defect of the target object based on the generated at least one neutron image.

Abstract: A receiving device includes: an amplification fiber configured to include properties to amplify signal light when pumping light is supplied to the amplification fiber and to attenuate the signal light when the pumping light is stopped supplying to the amplification fiber; a receiver configured to receive the signal light output from the amplification fiber; a pumping light source configured to supply the pumping light to the amplification fiber; and a controller configured to control supplying and stopping of the pumping light from the pumping light source to the amplification fiber, so that a level of the signal light input to the receiver is contained within a dynamic range of the receiver.

Abstract: To make it possible to form a metal electrode of low electrical contact resistance on a conductive indium-containing oxide semiconductor layer constituting a device active layer of a thin-film transistor or the like. Between an indium-containing oxide semiconductor layer and a metal electrode layer provided above this layer for passing device operating current, which can reduce indium oxide or the like of the oxide semiconductor layer. A metallic oxide layer and a metal layer are formed using as material a metal film including an easily oxidable metal, and further an indium-rich layer in which reduced indium is accumulated is formed at a boundary between the metallic oxide layer and the metal layer.

Abstract: To make it possible to form a metal electrode of low electrical contact resistance on a conductive indium-containing oxide semiconductor layer constituting a device active layer of a thin-film transistor or the like. Between an indium-containing oxide semiconductor layer and a metal electrode layer provided above this layer for passing device operating current, which can reduce indium oxide or the like of the oxide semiconductor layer. A metallic oxide layer and a metal layer are formed using as material a metal film including an easily oxidable metal, and further an indium-rich layer in which reduced indium is accumulated is formed at a boundary between the metallic oxide layer and the metal layer.

Abstract: An optical amplifying device includes a first optical amplifier for amplifying signal light; a second optical amplifier serially connected with the first optical amplifier; an optical device for compensating deterioration of the signal light, the optical device arranged between the first optical amplifier and the second optical amplifier; a variable optical attenuator for attenuating the signal light, the variable optical attenuator arranged between the first optical amplifier and the second optical amplifier; a first automatic level controller for detecting a second amplifier output power and for controlling driving status of the second amplifier in a predetermined output power level; and a first automatic gain controller for detecting an input power of the second optical amplifier and an output power of the second optical amplifier, and for controlling an optical attenuation value of the variable optical attenuator.

Abstract: A receiving device includes: an amplification fiber configured to include properties to amplify signal light when pumping light is supplied to the amplification fiber and to attenuate the signal light when the pumping light is stopped supplying to the amplification fiber; a receiver configured to receive the signal light output from the amplification fiber; a pumping light source configured to supply the pumping light to the amplification fiber; and a controller configured to control supplying and stopping of the pumping light from the pumping light source to the amplification fiber, so that a level of the signal light input to the receiver is contained within a dynamic range of the receiver.

Abstract: An optical amplifying device includes a first optical amplifier for amplifying signal light; a second optical amplifier serially connected with the first optical amplifier; an optical device for compensating deterioration of the signal light, the optical device arranged between the first optical amplifier and the second optical amplifier; a variable optical attenuator for attenuating the signal light, the variable optical attenuator arranged between the first optical amplifier and the second optical amplifier; a first automatic level controller for detecting a second amplifier output power and for controlling driving status of the second amplifier in a predetermined output power level; and a first automatic gain controller for detecting an input power of the second optical amplifier and an output power of the second optical amplifier, and for controlling an optical attenuation value of the variable optical attenuator.

Abstract: An amount of ASE generated changes due to a temperature and respective powers of signals input to and output from an optical amplifying unit, causing a fluctuation of a gain of the optical amplifying unit. A photodiode on an input side and a photodiode on an output side detect the input and output powers, and temperature detecting unit detects an operating temperature of the optical amplifier. A control unit corrects the amount of ASE generated, based on at least one of the detected input and output signal powers and on the detected temperature according to AGC control, which controls driving of an excitation LD for the optical amplifier to keep a gain of the optical amplifier constant.

Abstract: An amount of ASE generated changes due to a temperature and a signal input power of an optical amplifying unit and causes a fluctuation of a gain of the optical amplifying unit. A photodiode on an input side and a photodiode on an output side detect input and output powers, and a temperature detecting unit detects a temperature of an optical amplifier. A control unit corrects the amount of ASE generated based on the detected input and output powers and the temperature according to AGC control. Driving of an excitation LD is controlled by a corrected result, and a gain of the optical amplifier is kept constant.

Abstract: A suspension of a sparingly water-soluble acidic drug, especially, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic agent, which is stable for a prolonged period of time and is highly dissolvable, and a process for simply and easily producing the suspension. This suspension has a pH value of 2 to 5 and comprises a sparingly water-soluble acidic drug whose average particle size ranges from 1 to 15 &mgr;m, a polyglycerol fatty acid ester, a water-soluble polyhydric alcohol and water, optionally, together with an inorganic powder having an average particle size of 1 to 15 &mgr;m.