A very short planar silica spot-size converter using a nonperiodicsegmented waveguide

To reduce the coupling loss of a fiber-to-ridge waveguide connection, a planar silica spot-size converter for a wavelength of 1.55 μm is implemented in the form of a nonperiodic segmented waveguide structure with irregular tapering. A simple single-step lithography process is sufficient for the fabrication of the planar structures. An evolutionary algorithm has been successfully applied for the optimization. The simulated results obtained with a three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference beam propagation method (FD-BPM) program are compared with measurements of implemented couplers, showing very good agreement. A waveguide-to-fiber coupling efficiency improvement exceeding 2 dB per converter is shown. Structures obtained with this approach are very short (~140 μm) and simple to integrate on the same wafer with other planar structures such as phased arrays or ring resonator structures     

Comparison of simulation and measurement of dynamic fiber-coupling effects for high-speed multimode VCSELs

Static and dynamic measurements are performed with GaAs oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), using multimode fibers with a core diameter of 50 and 62.5 /spl mu/m and different numerical apertures (NAs). They show that a small NA can have a severe impact on the eye opening and thus also on the bit-error rate. The measurements are analyzed with a spatiotemporal two-dimensional (2-D) multimode VCSEL model. The required parameter extraction for the model is verified with small- and large-signal measurements. The analysis shows that the change of the eye opening can be explained by the interaction between the mode- and the current-injection profile, carrier diffusion, and intermodal gain compression (IGC). IGC increases differences in the modal power distribution caused by the interaction between the mode profiles and the current-injection profile. Carrier diffusion is able to compensate these increased differences of the modal power distribution. Its impact, however, on dynamic changes caused by IGC is moderate.     

Short communication: Pasteurization of milk abolishes bovine herpesvirus 4 infectivity

Bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) is a gammaherpesvirus highly prevalent in the cattle population that has been isolated from the milk and the serum of healthy infected cows. Several studies reported the sensitivity and the permissiveness of some human cells to BoHV-4 infection. Moreover, our recent study demonstrated that some human cells sensitive but not permissive to BoHV-4 support a persistent infection protecting them from tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis. Together, these observations suggested that BoHV-4 could represent a danger for public health. To evaluate the risk of human infection by BoHV-4 through milk or serum derivatives, we investigated the resistance of BoHV-4 to the mildest thermal treatments usually applied to these products. The results demonstrated that milk pasteurization and thermal decomplementation of serum abolish BoHV-4 infectivity by inactivation of its property to enter permissive cells. Consequently, our results demonstrate that these treatments drastically reduce the risk of human infection by BoHV-4 through treated milk or serum derivatives.     

Failure analysis of a let-down valve at a petrochemical plant

The causes of recurrent failures of the stem of a cone valve in a 2100 bar internal pressure polymer reactor were analyzed. The valve generates fast but short drops of pressure within the reactor, as the stem is axially moved by a hydraulic control system. Most of the time the valve modulates pressure by positioning the stem at the 10% of its maximal displacement. Cracks in the quenched and tempered DIN 1.2343 valve stems propagated symmetrically from the outside, by alternative bending fatigue. Crack initiation was due to plastic deformation of the stem as supported against the cage, from a combined stress state caused by stem vibrations and fluid pressure. The plastic deformation and the failure mode point to flow induced vibrations on the stem. Modifications in valve design are proposed to diminish flow induced vibration in the stem.     

Experimental characterisation of a CuAg alloy for thermo‐mechanical applications. Part 2: Design strain‐life curves estimated via statistical analysis

Strain‐life fatigue data on copper alloys, especially type CuAg, are seldom available in the literature. This work fills this gap by estimating the strain‐life curves of a CuAg alloy used for thermo‐mechanical applications, from isothermal low‐cycle fatigue tests at 3 temperatures (room temperature, 250°C, 300°C). Regression analysis is used to estimate the median fatigue curves at 50% survival probability. The comparison of median curves with the Universal Slopes Equation model, calibrated on monotonic tensile properties, shows a fairly good agreement. Design strain‐life curves with a lower failure probability and given confidence are estimated by several approximate statistical methods (“Equivalent Prediction Interval,” univariate tolerance interval, Owen's tolerance interval for regression). When higher survival probabilities are considered, the results show a marked decrease in the allowable design strain at a prescribed fatigue life. The suggested procedure thus improves the durability analysis of components loaded thermo‐mechanically.     

An Analytical Model to Measure the Effectiveness of Safety Management Systems: Global Safety Improve Risk Assessment (G-SIRA) Method

The ever-increasing complexity of production systems, together with the need to obtain efficient processes with limited costs, has led companies to develop custom tools for process control and management. Even for risk assessment, the traditional models often are overcome by methods that are best suited to specific needs. In this context, the aim of this paper was to propose a new model, which we call the global safety improve risk assessment (G-SIRA). This model can classify risks and identify corrective actions that allow the best risk reduction at the lowest cost. The proposed model, which is based on improvements to previous research, uses the analytic hierarchy process approach to develop a valid and simple tool for risk management. The G-SIRA method has been tested in a real-world application, i.e., it was applied to all of the processes of a textile company, and the results were compared with those obtained from the classical approach failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis. The comparison clearly showed the effectiveness of the proposed model.     

Microscopical features in retrieved human Branemark implants: a report of 19 cases

The authors present a histologic analysis of 19 Branemark titanium implants retrieved for different causes: four implants were removed for abutment fracture, one for dental nerve dysesthesia, two for bone overheating, two for peri-implantitis, nine for mobility, one for unknown causes. In the implants removed for fracture a high bone-implant contact percentage was present (71.83 +/- 4.96%) with compact, mature bone at the interface. The picture of the failure due to bone overheating was characteristic with the presence of bone sequestra and of a gap between implant and bone filled by lymphocytes and plasma cells: many bacteria surrounded the necrotic bone and no newly regenerated bone was present. In peri-implantitis an inflammatory infiltrate was observed in the peri-implant tissues: a dense fibrous connective tissue was present around implants failed for mobility. The microscopical picture is certainly extremely important in identifying the causal determinants of an implant failure.