A generalized suboptimum unequally spaced channel allocationtechnique. I. In IM/DD WDM systems

Four-wave mixing (FWM) is the most serious fiber nonlinearity associated with low-input optical power levels in long-haul multichannel optical systems employing dispersion-shifted fiber. To reduce the crosstalk due to FWM, a generalized suboptimum unequally spaced channel allocation (S-USCA) technique is proposed and investigated. Even though the developed technique is useful in combating FWM crosstalk in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) lightwave systems with up to 12 channels, its main virtue is in designing multichannel WDM lightwave systems with more than 12 channels. Comparisons of power penalty due to FWM between equal channel spacing (ECS) systems and the S-USCA systems are presented. It is shown that for an intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) transmission system operating in an optical bandwidth of 16 nm with 0 dBm (1 mW) peak optical input power per channel, while a conventional ECS WDM system with 0.84-nm channel spacing cannot even achieve a bit-error rate (BER)=10^-9, the suboptimum technique developed in this paper, for the same minimum channel spacing, can achieve a BER=10^-9 with an FWM crosstalk power of less than 1 dB at the worst channel in a 20-channel WDM system     

Mikrotechnik für Raumfahrtanwendungen

This contribution describes the preparation, based upon a chemically amplified novolak resist (CAR), electron beam lithography, and ECR plasma etching, of structures with a high aspect ratio (10∶1) and lateral dimensions in the sub-micrometer range (150nm–300nm) which may serve as collector surfaces for sub-μm dust particles in a space experiment.     

On the RLSA antenna optimum design for DBS reception

An optimal design for the RLSA (radial line slot array) antenna useful for DBS reception is presented. Classical geometries and structures given in the literature are first used. It is found that in some cases these are not suitable. So, optimization techniques by using the right objective functions have been applied. Two different methods were developed and three antennas were designed. Numerical results and comparisons with other similar antennas give the advantages of our design     

Distribution of recombination currents in the space charge regionof heterostructure bipolar devices

This paper addresses the problem of the space charge region Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination currents in heterojunctions with one noncrystalline side. A formulation which generalizes previous works is discussed. The approach is based on the drift-diffusion model with a thermionic-field emission boundary condition. The main physical parameters which determine the relative contribution of each zone of the space charge region (SCR) to the total recombination current are identified. The general analysis is applied for the first time to amorphous/crystalline heterojunctions and design criteria are established to minimize the total recombination current     

Long-wavelength 640×486 GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well infraredphotodetector snap-shot camera

A 9-μm cutoff 640×486 snap-shot quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) camera has been demonstrated. The performance of this QWIP camera is reported including indoor and outdoor imaging. The noise equivalent differential temperature (NEΔT) of 36 mK has been achieved at 300 K background with f/2 optics. This is in good agreement with expected focal plane array sensitivity due to the practical limitations on charge handling capacity of the multiplexer, read noise, bias voltage, and operating temperature     

Surveillance after colorectal cancer surgery

Early diagnosis of local and distant recurrences of colorectal cancer remains difficult and there is no agreement on the effectiveness of follow-up in these patients. The aim of this study is to assess the value of our method of follow-up. We consider 239 patients with colorectal cancer and at least 2 years follow-up following radical resection. A local recurrence appeared in 26 patients (10.9%), a distant metastasis in 41 (17.1%), while in seven (2.9%) local and distant recurrences appeared simultaneously. Local recurrence was detected because of an increase in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level in 15 patients (57.7%), during a scheduled endoscopy in four (15.4%) and because of symptoms in seven (26.9%). In seven patients (26.9%) a radical resection was possible. Distant metastases were detected by CEA levels in 20 patients (48.8%), by ultrasonography (U.S.) in 12 (29.3%) and by chest X-ray in five (12.2%). In 13 of 26 patients with liver metastases a resection was performed. This study shows that few patients benefit from follow-up and only CEA levels and liver U.S. performed intensively between 15 and 36 months after surgery are useful in early detection of recurrences. A modification of the follow-up to the single patient, according to the stage, location and grading of cancer, could improve the results, so lowering the costs of this expensive practice.     

A method for dynamic measurement of the resistance to dry heat exchange by footwear

Five different types of cold protective footwear have been tested with regard to their resistance to dry heat loss (i.e. the insulation) with a new electrically heated foot model. The model is able to simulate 'walking' movements in order to provide a more realistic simulation of wear conditions. Thermal insulation of shoes with and without a steel toe cap was the same. The insulating properties during simulated walking movements were 10-25% lower compared with static conditions. For two of the shoe models a significantly lower insulation value for the sole area was obtained when adding a weight of 30 kg. A significant difference could also be found between the insulation values of two different sizes of one of the models. Measurements with the standard method (EN 344) correlated well with the local insulation value of the sole part of the thermal foot. Correlation with the insulation value for the whole shoe was much less, variation was bigger and ranking in terms of cold protection differed between methods. The electrically heated foot model appears to provide a reproducible, accurate and more realistic method for measuring the insulation properties of shoes than EN 344.     

Method for error recovery of line spectral frequencies

The authors have exploited the ideas used in vector quantisation for error recovery of scalar quantised LSFs. The good performance of this method has provided high resistance of the LSFs to channel errors, outperforming other schemes by, possibly, a considerable margin. Better objective and subjective performances were obtained with this new method which obviates the need for more powerful FEC schemes for transmission over noisy channels.<>