Psychologist heal thyself: What is available for the impaired psychologist?

Discusses impairment among psychologists and describes the results of a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association of each state, including the District of Columbia, licensing board and psychological association concerning statutes and programs for impaired psychologists. Findings show that all state laws contained provisions for revoking licenses of psychologists, and most detailed hearing (due process) procedures and that none had a program for impaired psychologists. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Molecular homogeneity in erbium-doped sol-gel waveguide amplifiers

High net gain levels have recently been reported in silica-on-silicon waveguide amplifiers, using the sol-gel method of glass deposition. Spectroscopic measurements indicate that high inversion levels are achieved at high erbium concentrations, suggesting a high uniformity in the erbium distribution. Here we show that high inversion and low scattering losses are only achieved in sol-gel waveguides which have had restricted heat treatment and that both degrade upon additional annealing. Evolution of scattering loss spectra are presented, and these are included in a model of the ytterbium-sensitized waveguide amplifiers to show that the gain reduction with heat treatment is not wholly due to pump and signal excess losses, but also to changes in the spectroscopic properties of the erbium ions. In particular, the formation of clusters in which inversion is rapidly quenched is indicated. Thus, we show that the superior performance of the sol-gel method for rare-earth doping of silica waveguides, for amplifier and laser applications, results from its ability to form homogenous molecular structures which are meta-stable and which consequently cannot be formed in glasses that require high-temperature consolidation or annealing.     

A Microprocessors-Controlled DIC Test System*

The objective of this paper is to bring forth the benefits that can be realized by using LSI microprocessors in test equipment and instrument applications. We will attempt to do this by describing the Qualifier* 901, which is a low-cost bench top digital integrated circuit tester controlled by an LSI microprocessor. First, we identify the scope of low-cost testers and describe the general principles of operation of such testers using fixed logic control. Then we describe the Qualifier 901, and finally, we point out the advantages gained by the usage of the intelligence of the microprocessor in Qualifier 901 versus fixed logic controlled testers.     

Fabrication of Magnetooptical Atom Traps on a Chip

Ultracold atoms can be manipulated using microfabricated devices known as atom chips. These have significant potential for applications in sensing, metrology, and quantum information processing. To date, the chips are loaded by transfer of atoms from an external macroscopic magnetooptical trap (MOT) into microscopic traps on the chip. This transfer involves a series of steps, which complicate the experimental procedure and lead to atom losses. In this paper, we present a design for integrating a MOT into a silicon wafer by combining a concave pyramidal mirror with a square wire loop. We describe how an array of such traps has been fabricated, and we present magnetic, thermal, and optical properties of the chip.