Signal generation and transmission at 40, 80, and 160 Gb/s using a fiber-optical parametric pulse source

Short return-to-zero pulses (/spl sim/2 ps) are generated at bit rates of 40, 80, and 160 Gb/s using a fiber-optical parametric amplifier. The performance of the parametric pulse source is evaluated both back-to-back and in a 110-km transmission link. A receiver sensitivity of -33 dBm back-to-back was achieved after demultiplexing from 160 to 10 Gb/s. The power penalty at 160 Gb/s due to 110-km transmission was less than 2 dB. Very short pulses (0.5 ps) were also achieved when using the parametric amplifier as a compressor.     

An interaction-cost perspective on networks and territoryInteraction-cost perspective on networks

This paper aims to contribute to the development of a general network theory for the social sciences. This ambition comprises an attempt to a) formulate, and illustrate with historical examples, a general hypothesis about the relation between a contiguity and a network principle for spatial development, and to b) use the concept of interaction costs to illuminate the genesis and shaping of networks, the interaction between and within them, and implications of the fact that networks have different durability and potential for change. An attempt is made to break interaction cost-generating factors down into groups according to their potential for change. The concept of affinity is viewed as a part of the aggregate relationship between homogeneity and heterogeneity in the nodes of the respective networks – a relationship which constitutes one component of the totality of factors underlying interaction costs. The paper points out certain theoretical research issues such as the relationship between networks and politically-controlled territories; links between various external networks; links and flows within complex nodes; relationships between internal, „intra-nodal” and external networks and the processes in which a one-function node bifurcates from one network to another; the generation of links for various flows by nodes but also the impact made by the flows on the internal structure of complex nodes. A more systematic application of network theory to these (and other) fields seems to have the potential of producing important contributions to the understanding of economic development. Received: September 1995 / Accepted: October 1997     

Attributes influencing self-employment propensity in urban and rural Sweden

Policies aiming at promoting entrepreneurship are in general formed on national levels, without any consideration of differences between urban and rural areas. Usually, cities are provided with better and more modern infrastructure; cities have better supply of physical, financial and human capital, and connected services, and cities have a more modern industrial structure in the sense that their shares of growing industry are higher. Thus, it is possible that policies for entrepreneurship, which in general are designed for urban areas, might be less effective when they are implemented in rural areas. A first step to test the validity of this hypothesis could be to investigate the differences between cities and countryside regarding self-employment propensity and factors affecting the choice to become self-employed. Based on an exceptionally rich data set containing very detailed socio-economic and geographical information on all residents in Sweden, this paper examines: (a) the scope and structure of self-employment propensity in urban and rural areas, respectively, in Sweden, divided into full-time and part-time self-employment, and (b) the importance of a number of attributes that may have an impact on individuals’ propensity to start an enterprise in the two area types. Variables being tested are connected to demography and education, labor market status, plant characteristics, self-employment experience, financial resources, family links and regional attributes. The main results indicate that self-employment entry is influenced by the same factors in the same way in urban and rural areas. However, countryside’s industrial structure has a smaller share of growing industries. The fact that countryside’s startups follow the existing industrial structure means that this “modernity gap” between densely built up areas and countryside remains. From a policy perspective, this must be seen as a serious problem for countryside’s growth potential. This gives an argument for designing a special entrepreneurship policy for the countryside in order to increase its share of growing trades and thereby modernize its industrial structure.     

Neuroanatomy of the pain system and of the pathways that modulate pain

We review many of the recent findings concerning mechanisms and pathways for pain and its modulation, emphasizing sensitization and the modulation of nociceptors and of dorsal horn nociceptive neurons. We describe the organization of several ascending nociceptive pathways, including the spinothalamic, spinomesencephalic, spinoreticular, spinolimbic, spinocervical, and postsynaptic dorsal column pathways in some detail and discuss nociceptive processing in the thalamus and cerebral cortex. Structures involved in the descending analgesia systems, including the periaqueductal gray, locus ceruleus, and parabrachial area, nucleus raphe magnus, reticular formation, anterior pretectal nucleus, thalamus and cerebral cortex, and several components of the limbic system are described and the pathways and neurotransmitters utilized are mentioned. Finally, we speculate on possible fruitful lines of research that might lead to improvements in therapy for pain.     

Ultrastructural localization of glutamate receptor subunits (NMDAR1, AMPA GluR1 and GluR2/3) and spinothalamic tract cells

The associations of glutamate receptor subunits (NMDAR1, AMPA GluR1 and GluR2/3) and spinothalamic tract neurons in the rat lumbar spinal cord dorsal horn were investigated. Staining for NMDAR1 and AMPA GluR1 and GluR2/3 receptor subunits was observed throughout the spinothalamic tract soma and dendrites, particularly in association with the rough endoplasmic reticulum and some postsynaptic membrane sites. Immunostaining for NMDAR1 and AMPA GluR2/3 was also noted in presynaptic membrane sites. Localization of both NMDA and AMPA glutamate receptor subunits in association with spinothalamic tract neurons provides anatomical evidence in support of the various interactions reported for glutamate receptors in nociception. Presynaptic localization of the AMPA GluR2/3 receptor subunit suggests that spinothalamic tract cells may also be affected presynaptically by AMPA glutamate receptor interactions.     

Hypothalamic regulatory peptides and their receptors: Cytochemical studies of their role in regulation at the adenohypophyseal level

Hypothalamic regulatory peptides bind to specific receptors on target cells in the pituitary and control secretion. They in turn can be regulated at the pituitary level by steroid and peptide modulators. Affinity cytochemical techniques are important tools for the identification of specific target binding sites for these regulatory peptides. This presentation reviews the work in which potent, biotinylated ligands of gonadotropin releasing hormone (bio-GnRH), corticotropin releasing hormone (bio-CRH), and arginine vasopressin (bio-AVP) were applied to study the target cell responses. Bio-GnRH, bio-CRH, and bio-AVP bind to membrane receptors on specific anterior pituitary cells. Dual labeling for either gonadotropin or adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) antigens further identified the target cells. After 1–3 minutes, the label was in patches or capped on the surface. After 3 minutes, it was internalized in small vesicles and sent to receptosomes and vacuoles in the Golgi complex. Eventually the biotinylated peptides, or a metabolite, was found in the lysosomes (multivesicular bodies) and a subpopulation of secretory granules. The route and rate of uptake was similar to that described for the classical receptor-mediated endocytosis process. In contrast, intermediate lobe corticotropes internalized the bio-CRH in less than 1 minute. The route through the Golgi complex appeared to be bypassed. Instead the labeled peptide was in vesicles, on the membranes of scattered vacuoles, and in multivesicular bodies. Modulation of ligand binding by steroids showed that changes in receptor numbers correlated with changes in the number of cells that bound the ligand. In male rats, dihydrotestosterone reduced the percentage of GnRH-bound cells by 50%. Most of the reduction appeared in cells that stored luteinizing hormone (LH) antigens. In diestrous female rats, estradiol increased the percentage of bio-GnRH-bound cells. However, the steroid decreased the percentage of GnRH-bound cells in cells from proestrous rats. Glucocorticoids decreased the percentage of CRH-bound corticotropes in as little as 10 minutes. Potentiation of secretion by these ligands was correlated with increases in the percentage of ligand-bound cells. AVP pretreatment of corticotropes increased the percentage of cells that bound bio-CRH. It also increased the rate of receptor-mediated endocytosis of CRH and changed the route so that the Golgi complex was bypassed. This effect could be mimicked by activation of its second messengers (calcium and protein kinase C). Similarly, CRH pretreatment increased the percentage of corticotropes that bound AVP. Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) pretreatment also increased the percentage of thyrotropes that bound AVP. Finally, calcium or sodium channel blockers altered CRH binding so that fewer cells were labeled. This binding by CRH was not dependent on extracellular calcium and tests with a calcium channel agonist showed that it was related to activation of calcium channels. To summarize, these affinity cytochemical studies have identified specific target cells in the pituitary for GnRH, CRH, and AVP. They have also identified heterogeneity in the population. They have demonstrated new information about the direct modulatory effects of steroids, ion channels, and neuropeptides on neuropeptide binding by subpopulations of these target cells.     

Efficient Nonlinear Absorbing Platinum(II) Acetylide Chromophores in Solid PMMA Matrices

Platinum(II) acetylides were incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) glasses to obtain solid‐state nonlinear optical devices. We report on device fabrication, structural, chemical, and mechanical properties, as well as the optical limiting capabilities of the final solids. Two different guest‐host systems are presented: 1) Dye molecules functionalized to be readily dispersed in methyl methacrylate (MMA) and subsequent in situ polymerization of the MMA yielding solid PMMA host matrices. 2) Dye molecules functionalized to copolymerize with MMA forming covalent bonds between the guest and the PMMA host matrix. A range of doped organic solids were prepared, reaching concentrations up to 13 wt% of the guest molecule. Raman spectra of the doped solid devices indicate that the chemical structure of the nonlinear dyes remains intact upon the polymerization of the solid matrix. Luminescence spectra confirm that the basic photophysical properties observed for the same solute molecules in THF are maintained also in the solid state. Optical power limiting (OPL) characterization reveal clamping levels for the dyes nonbonded to the solid host being less than 4 µJ at pulse energies up to 110 µJ at 532 nm (f/5 arrangement and 5 ns pulses), which is comparable to the performance of similar dyes in THF solutions. In contrast, the highly crosslinked solid possesses a higher clamping level (8 µJ) at the same nominal concentration.     

High-performance optical-fiber-nonlinearity-based optical waveform monitoring

An all-optical waveform sampling system with simultaneous submilliwatt optical signal sensitivity (20-dB signal-to-noise ratio) and subpicosecond temporal resolution over more than 60-nm optical bandwidth is demonstrated in this paper. The optical sampling was implemented by four-wave mixing in a 10-m highly nonlinear fiber using a sampling pulse source with a sampling pulse peak power of only 16 W. The sampling performance was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, temporal resolution, and optical bandwidth with respect to fiber length, sampling pulse source wavelength offset from the zero-dispersion wavelength of the highly nonlinear fiber, sampling pulse peak power, and walk-off due to chromatic dispersion. This paper also presents a summary of the available methods to achieve polarization-independent optical sampling as well as a brief summary of the available sampling pulse sources viable for optical sampling.     

Fiber-based optical parametric amplifiers and their applications

An applications-oriented review of optical parametric amplifiers in fiber communications is presented. The emphasis is on parametric amplifiers in general and single pumped parametric amplifiers in particular. While a theoretical framework based on highly efficient four-photon mixing is provided, the focus is on the intriguing applications enabled by the parametric gain, such as all-optical signal sampling, time-demultiplexing, pulse generation, and wavelength conversion. As these amplifiers offer high gain and low noise at arbitrary wavelengths with proper fiber design and pump wavelength allocation, they are also candidate enablers to increase overall wavelength-division-multiplexing system capacities similar to the more well-known Raman amplifiers. Similarities and distinctions between Raman and parametric amplifiers are also addressed. Since the first fiber-based parametric amplifier experiments providing net continuous-wave gain in the for the optical fiber communication applications interesting 1.5-μm region were only conducted about two years ago, there is reason to believe that substantial progress may be made in the future, perhaps involving "holey fibers" to further enhance the nonlinearity and thus the gain. This together with the emergence of practical and inexpensive high-power pump lasers may in many cases prove fiber-based parametric amplifiers to be a desired implementation in optical communication systems