Laser coupling to single-mode fibre using graded-index lenses and compact disc 1.3 ?m laser package

A 1.3 ?m laser in a compact disc package is coupled to single-mode fibre using two graded-index lenses in a nearly confocal scheme. An increase in the alignment tolerance at the lens-lens interface by a factor of six suggests the design for a potentially very low-cost connectorised laser package. The coupling efficiency of approx. 6% (?12 dB) is shown to be adequate for local loop applications.     

FMR and EXAFS modeling of heat-treated Fe-rich and Co-rich TM-M thin films

Ion-beam sputter-deposited alloy films of Co/sub 74/Fe/sub 6/B/sub 15/Si/sub 5/ and Fe/sub 75/Ni/sub 5/B/sub 15/Si/sub 5/ were examined for their magnetic and structural properties. Films were characterized by ferromagnetic resonance, vibrating sample magnetometry, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. Using atomic parameters deduced from EXAFS modeling and fitting procedures, magnetic properties were calculated with no adjustable parameters. Correlation between perpendicular FMR measurements and EXAFS first-shell modeling suggests a low-temperature formation of cobalt-borides in the Co/sub 74/Fe/sub 6/B/sub 15/Si/sub 5/ alloy. Annealed Fe/sub 75/Ni/sub 5/B/sub 15/Si/sub 5/ samples did not display evidence of structural and/or magnetic instabilities until the onset of long-range crystallization near T/sub ann/=400 degrees C.<>     

Nucleation of solidification in liquid droplets

Analytical and numerical methods have been developed to analyze the solidification kinetics of a mass of liquid droplets dispersed in a fluid or solid matrix using classical nucleation theory. The resulting analytical expressions and numerical calculations can be compared directly with calorimetric measurements of the droplet solidification exotherms to obtain information about the nucleation mechanism. With increasing contact angle at the solid-liquid-matrix triple point, the solidification onset, peak, and end temperatures and exothermic peak height all decrease sharply and the droplet solidification exotherms become broader. Decreasing either the droplet radius or the number of potential catalytic nucleation sites produces a similar but smaller effect. Distributions in droplet radius, contact angle, and nucleation sites have no effect on the solidification peak temperature, but the droplet solidification exotherms become broader and more symmetric. The solidification onset temperature is independent of cooling rate in the calorimeter, but the solidification peak and end temperatures decrease and the exothermic peak height increases with increasing cooling rate. Predicted droplet solidification exotherms are in excellent agreement with detailed experimental measurements on 10-nm-radius Cd droplets embedded in a solid Al matrix. Analytical predictions give best-fit values of 43 deg and 430 for the contact angle and the number of potential catalytic nucleation sites per droplet, respectively; numerical predictions give best-fit values of 43 deg and 750 for the contact angle and the number of potential catalytic nucleation sites per droplet, respectively.     

Study of the nutrient distribution in root tips of the tropical forage Brachiaria

A Brachiaria breeding project is being conducted at CIAT, Colombia to combine acid soil adaptation of B. decumbens with other favourable traits of Brachiaria species that are less adapted to acid soils. Micro-PIXE was applied to investigate nutrient uptake and distribution in root tips of different species grown in hydroponic culture under control and simulated acid soil stress conditions. Different sample measurement approaches were evaluated, including: (1) linear scans with single point measurements along the root axis; (2) mapping of whole root tips; and (3) mapping of root cross sections. Different tissue types could be distinguished on the base of differences in nutrient concentrations and/or Al stress. Al, if supplied under nutrient stress conditions, increased P accumulation in the central vascular tissue of the meristematic and elongation zone of B. decumbens and B. brizantha. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between Al and Cl accumulation in the root cap of B. decumbens.     

Linear output feedback compensation of rank-one systems

A new method is presented for arbitrarily assigning the closed-loop poles of a linear multi-input/multi-output system using linear output feedback. The method employs a new notion of rank-one system representations and involves the use of state transformation matrices which preserve such representations while reducing the degree of the feedforward matrix     

Reminiscence: diffraction and the mountains of Alaska

Discusses, from a personal point of view, experiments carried out to study the diffraction and propagation of VHF, HF and MF radio waves in the early-mid 1950s in the mountains of Alaska     

Prophylactic treatment of migraine with gamma-linolenic and alpha-linolenic acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were administered to 168 patients over a period of 6 months in an open-label uncontrolled study. In 129 patients available for study, 86% experienced reduction in severity, frequency and duration of migraine attacks, 22% became free of migraine and more than 90% had reduced nausea and vomiting. Self-medication changed to simple analgesics in the majority except in 14% of patients without improvement.     

Prenatal diagnosis of a highly undifferentiated brain tumour--a case report and review of the literature

Intracranial tumours, often presenting with progressive hydrocephalus, are rare congenital diseases accounting for 0.5-1.5 per cent of all cases of brain tumours diagnosed during childhood. The differential diagnosis includes vascular malformations, infarctions, and haemorrhages. Sonographic signs suggestive of glioblastoma, teratoma, and astrocytoma do not establish the histological diagnosis, however. We report a case of an undifferentiated fetal glioma detected at 29 weeks' gestation. The diagnosis of an undifferentiated brain tumour was suspected by sonography because of the lack of normal brain structures in conjunction with a diffuse echogenic central lesion and an external hydrocephalus. Because of the very poor prognosis, we induced labour by intravaginal and intravenous administration of prostaglandin E2 and achieved the vaginal delivery of a stillborn child whose head circumference corresponded to 38 weeks of pregnancy. Histological and immunochemical features of this undifferentiated congenital glioma (glioblastoma) are presented.     

A series active power filter based on a sinusoidalcurrent-controlled voltage-source inverter

A series active power filter working as a sinusoidal current source, in-phase with the mains voltage, has been developed and tested. The amplitude of the fundamental current in the series filter is controlled through the error signal generated between the load voltage and a pre-established reference. The control allows an effective correction of power factor, harmonic distortion and load voltage regulation. Compared with previous methods of control developed for series active filters, this method is simpler to implement because it is only required to generate a sinusoidal current, in-phase with the mains voltage, the amplitude of which is controlled through the error in the load voltage. The proposed system has been studied analytically and tested using computer simulations and experiments. In the experiments, it has been verified that the filter keeps the line current almost sinusoidal and in-phase with the line voltage supply. It also responds very quickly under sudden changes in load conditions, reaching its steady-state in about two cycles of the fundamental