2 cm long monolithic multisection laser for active modelocking at 2.2 GHz

A 2 cm long three-contact multisection laser has been fabricated for modelocking at very low repetition rates. Active modelocking yields 8.0-12.3 ps pulses at 2.2, 4.3 and 6.5 GHz corresponding to the fundamental, first, and second harmonics of the cavity resonance frequency. This device demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating monolithic pulse sources operating at rates as low as the OC-48 Sonet transmission rate (2.488 Gbit/s).<>     

Professional integrity in clinical research

In response to public concern over abuses in human medical experimentation, the dominant approach to the ethics of clinical research during the past 30 years has been regulation, particularly via institutional review board review and approval of scientific protocols and written consent forms. However, the effectiveness of regulatory mechanisms in ensuring the ethical conduct of clinical research is limited. Little attention has been devoted to the nature and role of professional integrity of physician investigators, a conscientious framework for guiding investigators in the socially important but morally complex activity of clinical research. Professional integrity is vital in forging an ethically sound relationship between investigators and patient volunteers, a relationship that differs in important ways from the patient-physician relationship in standard clinical practice. We examine critically 2 models of the moral identity of physician investigators, the investigator as clinician and the investigator as scientist; in neither of these 2 models can the physician investigator eliminate completely the moral conflicts posed by clinical research. The professional integrity of physician investigators depends on a coherent moral identity that is proper to the enterprise of clinical research. The roles of clinician and scientist must be integrated to manage conscientiously the ethical complexity, ambiguity, and tensions between the potentially competing loyalties of science and care of volunteer patients.     

Renewable energy in competitive electricity markets

A restructured electricity system may undervalue renewable energy. We remain wary of unregulated markets, but urge the renewable energy community to begin considering how they could adapt to increasing customer choice.     

Temperature and modulation characteristics of resonant-cavitylight-emitting diodes

Resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes (RCLED) are novel, high-efficiency light-emitting diodes which employ optical microcavities. These diodes have higher intensities and higher spectral purity as compared to conventional LEDs. Analytical formulas are derived for the enhancement of the spontaneous emission along the optical axis of the cavity. The design rules for high-efficiency operation of RCLEDs are established. The temperature dependence of the emission intensity is analyzed in the range 20-80° and it is described by an exponential dependence with a characteristic temperature of 112 K. The modulation characteristics of RCLEDs exhibit 3 dB frequencies of 580 MHz. Eye diagrams at transmission rates of 622 Mb/s are wide open indicating the suitability of RCLEDs for high-speed data transmission     

Polarisation insensitive semiconductor optical amplifier withintegrated electroabsorption modulators

The authors demonstrate a 1.55 μm wavelength multiquantum well semiconductor optical amplifier, integrated with bulk layer electroabsorption modulators and passive waveguide beam expanders at the input and output ports. The device has a fibre to fibre gain of 9 dB, an extinction ratio of 15 dB per modulator, a spectral range >35 nm, and polarisation sensitivity <1 dB     

A 16-Kbit Θ-search associative memory

The design of a high-capacity Θ-search associative memory (Θ∈{<,>,⩽,⩾,=≠}) is presented. PSPICE simulation and layouts show that the proposed Θ-search associative memory chip consisting of 256 words, each 64-b long, can fit on a 13.5-mm×9.5-mm chip. It can perform maskable Θ-search operations over its contents in 110 ns     

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigation into the chemical structure of deposits formed from hexamethyldisiloxane/ oxygen plasmas

The effect of oxygen addition to microwave-sustained plasmas of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) has been investigated. Attention was directed to the solid products formed on aluminium substrates (plasma deposits). To enable a quantitative analysis of these, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of standard silicon-containing materials was carried out. When suitable charge correction is applied to the XP spectra of HMDSO/O₂ plasma deposits, a number of very clear trends emerge. From changes in elemental composition, core line binding energies (Si2p, C 1s, and O 1s) and widths, we show how oxygen addition to the plasma affects the chemical nature of the plasma deposit. The data reported also provide (some limited) information on the reactions taking place in the plasma.     

Adaptive detection of DS/CDMA signals in fading channels

This paper examines the behavior of the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver in frequency-nonselective-fading channels. It is noted that the MMSE receiver will often lose phase lock on the desired signal when the desired signal dips into a deep fade. A modification to the MMSE receiver is presented which is demonstrated to function quite nicely in flat-fading channels. Analytical results for the modified MMSE receiver are presented and found to agree very well with simulation results. These analytical results are then compared to the theoretical performance of the conventional (i.e., correlator) receiver in terms of both bit-error rate (BER) and capacity. As expected, the modified MMSE receiver was found to offer a substantial improvement in both BER and capacity. Finally, a simple empirically derived formula is given which will give a good approximation to the BER of the modified MMSE receiver in a Rayleigh-fading environment. This formula can also be used to determine the number of users a given system can support. It is noted that as E_b/N₀ grows, it is quite feasible to approach 100% channel utilization with the MMSE receiver, whereas a conventional receiver is typically limited to a utilization of 10%-20%     

Psychopharmacotherapy for addictive and comorbid disorders: current studies

Proper diagnosis of comorbid disorders is crucial in treatment planning for the dually diagnosed. Since psychoactive substance use can obfuscate the diagnosis, special care must be taken to exclude organically based syndromes. Adequate periods of abstinence should first be achieved and subsequently the patient re-examined for residual symptoms compatible with a nonaddictive, nonsubstance-induced psychiatric disorder. The integration of concurrent treatment of both the mental and the addictive disorders appears to be the best approach for treatment of comorbid psychiatric and addictive disorders. An abstinence-based model that typically utilizes a 12-step group therapy is often employed for the addictive illnesses. Other forms of psychosocial therapies such as case managers are being used as well. Presently, physicians' prescribing practices for comorbid addicted patients are based on traditional approaches to use of medications in psychiatric patients, and their attitudes towards addictive disorders may play a significant role in determining the overall success of treatment.