Performance and modeling of advanced Ti:LiNbO3 digitaloptical switches

High-performance Y-branch digital optical switches realized in Ti:LiNbO₃ are presented. Their switching response functions have been optimized in terms of switch voltage and crosstalk ratio. The optimization is based on analyzing different types of waveguide shaping and switching arrangements using coupled mode theory and computer simulations. Excellent switching characteristics are achieved with devices exploiting a specially shaped waveguide branch in a dilated switch arrangement. Demonstrated performances include switching voltage as low as 9 V with crosstalk suppression better than 45 dB and fiber-to-fiber losses as low as 4 dB. Polarization independence with crosstalk suppression better than 40 dB over a 1520- to 1570-nm wavelength range is achieved for any applied switch voltage greater than 18 V. These optimized digital optical switches have further demonstrated the capability to reshape electrical input signals at switching rates of several hundred megahertz     

Terahertz/optical mixing in symmetric semiconductor quantum wells embedded in optical microcavities

A quantum well (QW) in the simultaneous presence of a terahertz field polarized in the growth direction and an incident optical field near an excitonic resonance results in substantial frequency mixing between the terahertz and optical fields. In particular, a response at new frequencies given by the input optical frequency plus or minus multiples of the terahertz frequency occurs-the terahertz sidebands. In a symmetric QW, the dominant contribution to terahertz-sideband formation is the high-frequency modulation of the overlap integral of the relevant conduction- and valence-subband envelope functions that determine the strength of the interband dipole moment. terahertz-sideband generation is shown to be strongly enhanced in a high quality-factor optical microcavity. Numerical values of the reflected intensity into the first terahertz sideband normalized with respect to the reflected intensity at the fundamental as large as /spl sim/10% are estimated. This suggests that terahertz-sideband generation in semiconductor microcavities is a promising option worthy of exploration for wavelength conversion for wavelength-division multiplexing applications.     

A network management architecture for robust packet routing in meshoptical access networks

We describe an architecture for an optical local area network (LAN) or metropolitan area network (MAN) access. The architecture allows for bandwidth sharing within a wavelength and is robust to both link and node failures. The architecture can be utilized with an arbitrary, link-redundant mesh network (node-redundancy is necessary only to handle all node failures), and assumes neither the use of a star topology nor the ability to embed such a topology within the physical mesh. Reservation of, bandwidth is performed in a centralized fashion at a (replicated) head end node, simplifying the implementation of complex sharing policies relative to implementation on a distributed set of routers. Unlike a router, however, the head end does not take any action on individual packets and, in particular, does not buffer packets. The architecture thus avoids the difficulties of processing packets in the optical domain while allowing for packetized shared access of wavelengths. We describe the route construction scheme and prove its ability to recover from single link and single node failures, outline a flexible medium access protocol and discuss the implications for implementing specific policies, and propose a simple implementation of the recovery protocol in terms of state machines for per-link devices     

International statements and definitions of the precautionary principle

The precautionary principle (PP), according to one of its definitions, says that lack of certainty, given the current scientific and technological knowledge, shall not delay effective and proportionate actions to prevent hazards, taking into account cost-benefit considerations. Rather than being a single principle, a variety of statements of the PP are found in international treaties and other documents. Apart from any specific legal force of the documents, countries (e.g., France) have used these statements as a starting point for their own guidance documents and regulations for addressing specific environmental and health issues, for example regulation of genetically modified organisms. Thus, any discussion of the precautionary principle must address a complex legal and regulatory situation. We briefly review different statements of the PP and important commentary, largely from the European Union. We provide references to the original source documents (many of which are found in English on the World Wide Web).     

Influence of Edible Films upon the Moisture Loss and Microstructure of Dietetic Sucrose-Free Sponge Cakes during Storage

The kinetics of changes in the bound water content in dietetic sucrose-free sponge cakes (DC) during storage was investigated. The effect of edible films of polymyxan, pectin, xanthan, and carboxymethylcellulose upon this kinetics was also investigated. The quantitative changes in both states of water (slightly bound water and strongly bound water) were registered by combined dynamic analysis (thermogravimetry analysis, TGA, and differential thermal analysis, DTA). The moisture changes in DC crumb were analyzed by drying out to constant mass. The rate constants were determined according the equation q = q_oe^-kt. The values of rate constants 'k', in day^-1, concerning the different edible films were as follows: for crumb moisture is (8.00 ≤ k ≤ 12.47) × 10^-3, for bound water is (3.07 ≤ k_w ≤ 6.26) × 10^-2, for slightly bound water is (4.22 ≤ k₁ ≤ 8.49) × 10^-2 and for strongly bound water is (2.02 ≤ k₂ ≤ 5.62) × 10^-2 as compared to 18.53 × 10^-3, 7.16 × 10^-2, 9.04 × 10^-2, and 5.36 × 10^-2 in the uncovered DC, respectively. The best water-retaining effect in respect to crumb moisture during storage was ascertained in the use of polymyxan and xanthan films. The lowest rate constant values for bound water and its two states were measured for DC covered with pectin. The relation between the kinetics of both bound water states during storage and ageing of the crumb of DC covered with different edible films and the crumb microstructure was represented. By means of scanning electron microscope was read the smallest change in crumb microstructure of pectin-covered DC on the sixth day of storage.     

Attention, the intersection of cost and quality in health care

A method for assessing health care technology that models the demand on the clinician's attention exerted by patients' data (diagnostic and therapeutic) can provide a means for simultaneously reducing the cost and improving the quality of health care. The attentional demand exerted by patients' data can be measured by the amount of uncertainty in the data. Uncertainty can be expressed mathematically by the concept of entropy in information theory.     

Surface tension as a controlled variable in mechanical dishwashing

Using a continuous, in-line, nondestructive technique based on the maximum bubble pressure method, the surface tension of the wash water in a mechanical dishwashing machine has been monitored. This technique has enabled surface tension to be used as a controlled variable, providing feedback to regulate the amount of surfactant added. Assuming the mechanical force of the water spray is adequate to remove bound soil from the dish surface, the food soil may be titrated against surfactant, providing an indirect indication as to when the dishes are clean. This technique also could be applied to a recirculated wash solution for in-place cleaning.     

Prony-Based Optimal Bayes Fault Classification of Overcurrent Protection

The development of deregulation and demand for high-quality electrical energy has lead to a new requirement in different fields of power systems. In the protection field, this means that high sensitivity and fast operation during the fault are required while maltripping of relay protection is not acceptable. One case that may lead to a maltrip of the high-sensitive overcurrent relay is the starting current of the induction motor or inrush current of the transformer. This transient current has the potential to affect the correct operation of protection relays close to the component being switched. In the case of switching events, such transients must not lead to overcurrent relay operation; therefore, a reliable and secure relay response becomes a critical matter. Meanwhile, proper techniques must be used to prevent maltripping of such relays, due to transient currents in the network. In this paper, the optimal Bayes classifier is utilized to develop a method for discriminating the fault from nonfault events. The proposed method has been designed based on extracting the modal parameters of the current waveform using the Prony method. By feeding the fundamental frequency damping and ratio of the 2nd harmonic amplitude over the fundamental harmonic amplitude to the classifier, the fault case is discriminated from the switching case. The suitable performance of this algorithm is demonstrated by simulation of different faults and switching conditions on a power system using PSCAD/EMTDC software.