Tunable TE/TM-mode converter on (001)-InP-substrate

The use of a two-dimensional finite difference simulation technique to determine optimal design parameters for the fabrication of TE/TM-mode converters on (001) InP substrate is discussed. Based on design rules extracted from the calculations, a tunable device for an operating wavelength of 1.56 μm has been fabricated and polarization conversion of 45°, suitable for operation in a polarization diversity network has been achieved at an effective voltage of 32 V     

Integrated-optic polarisation convertor on (001)-InP substrate

A novel TE/TM convertor is proposed and demonstrated which is fabricated on (001)-InP substrate and can be integrated with TE-TM phase shifters to provide a general polarisation transformation. Some aspects of the technological realisation and first results are given; in a first attempt, a polarisation rotation of about 20 deg by 20 V could be demonstrated.     

Oral treatment schedules for onychomycosis: a study of patient preference

BACKGROUND: An improved understanding of patients' attitudes to medication may help promote compliance with oral medications for onychomycosis. This study was performed to assess patients' preference between continuous and intermittent oral treatment schedules for onychomycosis and to determine the reasons underlying the selections made. METHODS: Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had current onychomycosis and were willing to take oral medication for this condition. In a 30-min, face-to-face interview, each patient answered questions about four possible treatment schedules for onychomycosis; regimen 1--continuous (daily regular intake) for 12 weeks; regimen 2--intermittent 1 week/month for 3 months (last week of therapy is week 9); regimen 3--intermittent once weekly for 21 weeks; regimen 4--intermittent 1 week/month for 4 months (last week of therapy is week 13). RESULTS: A total of 102 patients from Germany and Spain participated in the study. When asked to choose between regimens 1, 2, and 3, 46% of patients favored the 9-week intermittent schedule, 42% selected the 12-week continuous schedule, and 12% preferred the 21-week intermittent schedule. The preference for the 9-week intermittent schedule was more notable among younger patients (< 45 years), possibly because they are less used to taking regular medication, and among Spanish patients, an effect that could not be attributed to age because the average age of patients was similar in the participating countries (Germany 47.2 years; Spain 48.0 years). When the patients who preferred regimen 2 were asked to choose between regimens 1, 3, and 4 (both intermittent schedules longer than the continuous schedule), most (57%) favored the shortest treatment schedule (regimen 2). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, patients favored an intermittent schedule lasting 9 weeks. Treatment duration is the critical factor in determining patients' preference for treatment schedules for onychomycosis.     

Architecture of crosstalk-reduced digital optical 2×2 switch(CRDOS)

Coherent crosstalk of optical space switch matrices is a key problem of optical transparent networks. An analysis of the crosstalk sources of electrooptical digital switches (DOS) is given and a new crosstalk compensating technique based on the integration of a general mode converter as correcting device into a 3×2 DOS is proposed and theoretically investigated. It can be shown, that a -20 dB crosstalk 2×2 DOS device can be enhanced to -40 dB. This architecture leads to an increase of the device length by only a few percent. It opens up the possibility to realize short optical switches for larger matrices     

Vocational interests of women: A longitudinal study of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank.

Conducted a longitudinal study of the SVIB using 316 female university graduates representing 7 fields: art, elementary education, home economics education, and occupational therapy; the MD degree; and the master's degree in library science and social work. The average test-retest interval was 8.4 yr. for undergraduate majors and 10.6 yr. for graduate majors. Test-retest correlation coefficients for the total group over all scales ranged from .39-.65 with a median r of .58. On the precollege SVIB, majors were significantly different from nonmajors in the expected direction on the home economics teacher, occupational therapist, and physician scales. At retest, majors were significantly different from nonmajors in the expected direction for all comparisons. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In situ contacting and current-injection into samples in photoemission electron microscopes

Studying the interaction of spin-polarized currents with the magnetization configuration is of high interest due to the possible applications and the novel physics involved. High-resolution magnetic imaging is one of the key techniques necessary for a better understanding of these effects. Here, we present an extension to a magnetic microscope that allows for in situ current injection into the structure investigated, and furthermore for the study of current induced magnetization changes during pulsed current injection. The developed setup is highly flexible and can be used for a wide range of investigations. Examples of current-induced domain wall motion and vortex core displacements measured using this setup are presented.