Finite element beam propagation method for three-dimensionaloptical waveguide structures

A beam propagation method (BPM) based on the finite element method (FEM) is described for longitudinally varying three-dimensional (3-D) optical waveguides. In order to avoid nonphysical reflections from the computational window edges, the transparent boundary condition is introduced. The present algorithm using the Pade approximation is, to our knowledge, the first wide-angle finite element beam propagation method for 3-D waveguide structures. To show the validity and usefulness of this approach, numerical results are shown for Gaussian-beam excitation of a straight rib waveguide and guided-mode propagation in a Y-branching rib waveguide     

A fully soft-switched extended-period quasi-resonantpower-factor-correction circuit

This paper presents the design criteria, procedure, and implementation of a soft-switched power-factor-correction (PFC) circuit based on the extended-period quasi-resonant (EPQR) principles. All power electronic devices including switches and diodes in the circuit are fully soft switched. The design method is demonstrated in a prototype circuit. The operating principles are confirmed with computer simulation and experimental results. A comparison of the EP-QR operation and zero-voltage-transition (ZVT) pulse-width modulation (PWM) method     

Digitally tunable optical filters using arrayed-waveguide grating(AWG) multiplexers and optical switches

Two novel configurations for digitally tunable optical filters based on arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexers are described in detail with emphasis on the connection of the AWG multiplexer and optical switches. Performance comparisons show that conventional configurations are disadvantaged by the switch size required and loss imbalance among the optical frequency-division-multiplexed (FDM) channels; the proposed configurations require only O(√(N)) switch elements to select one of N FDM channels, and the loss imbalance is lower by up to 75% in decibel     

Reduction of sodium-accelerated oxidation of silicon nitride ceramics by aluminium implantation

Norton NBD 200 silicon nitride ceramics were implanted with sodium to a dose of 7.0×10¹⁵cm^-2 at 72 keV (1 at% peak sodium content at 100 nm). The sodium-implanted samples were further implanted with aluminium to 7.3×10¹⁵cm^-2 at 87 keV (1 at% peak aluminium content at 100 nm). The implanted and unimplanted samples were oxidized in 1 atm dry oxygen at 1100 and 1300°C for 2–6 h. Profilometry and scanning electron microscopy measurements indicated that sodium implantation led to up to a two-fold increase in the oxidation rate of silicon nitride. The sodium effect was effectively neutralized when aluminium was co-implanted. The opposite effects of sodium and aluminium on the oxidation resistance of silicon nitride can be attributed to their different roles in modifying the structure and properties of the oxide formed. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The lattice dynamics of the Fe(tpa) (NCS)2 complex : light-induced excited spin state trapping effect

A light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) experiment for a thermal gradual spin crossover complex, Fetris (2-pyridylmethyl) amine(NCS)2 or Fe(tpa) (NCS)2, was attempted for the first time. The high spin (HS) state after light inducement stayed metastable over a period of days without relaxation at 10 K. Intersystem relaxation from a high to a low spin (LS) complex occurred at 50 K after bleaching at 10 K. Investigation of the Mossbauer spectra of the LIESST and relaxation experiment indicated that the Debye–Waller factor was a correlation parameter of the HS fraction and that the co-operative effect played a role in the relaxation process for such a solid compound. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quick estimation of rare events in stochastic networks

This paper presents a method for fast estimation of probabilities of rare events in stochastic networks, with a particular emphasis on coherent reliability systems. The method is based on the concepts of likelihood-ratios (LR), change of probability measure and the bottleneck-cut in the network. Both polynomial and exponential-time Monte Carlo estimators are defined, and conditions under which the time complexity of the proposed LR estimators is bounded by a polynomial are discussed. The accuracy of the method depends only on the size (cardinality) of the bottleneck-cut, not on the topology and actual size of the network. Supporting numerical results are presented, with the cardinality of the bottleneck-cut ⩽20     

Influence of quantum capture and tunneling mechanisms on the dark current of bound-to-continuum quantum-well infrared photodetectors

We present a theoretical model for the dark current of bound-to-continuum quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs), by considering the field-induced mixing effect, tunneling rate and phonon scattering rate between bound and continuum states. Using this model, we can see clearly how these mechanisms significantly influence the Fermi levels of bound and continuum electrons, and thus, the dark current. Nonlinear temperature dependence of the dark current at low temperature is predicted and discussed in detail. The simulated dark currents exhibit good agreement with the experimental results, without use of parameter fitting techniques.     

Wortmannin enhances CPP32-like activity during neuronal differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells induced by retinoic acid

P19 EC cells undergoes apoptosis during neuronal differentiation induced by retinoic acid. Two CPP32-like proteases, CPP32 and Mch-3, are expressed in untreated and retinoic acid-treated P19 EC cells. CPP32-like activity is remarkably increased in apoptosis during neuronal differentiation of P19 EC cells. Inhibition of CPP32-like proteases prevents apoptosis, suggesting that activation of CPP32-like proteases play central roles in the apoptosis during neuronal differentiation of P19 EC cells. Wortmannin, PI-3K inhibitor, enhances the CPP32-like activity of the retinoic acid-treated P19 EC cells. PI-3K may be involved in the apoptosis during neuronal differentiation as negative regulator.     

Body odour preferences in men and women: do they aim for specific MHC combinations or simply heterozygosity?

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is an immunologically important group of genes that appears to be under natural as well as sexual selection. Several hypotheses suggest that certain MHC-allele combinations (usually heterozygous ones) are superior under selective pressure by pathogens. This could influence mate choice in a way that preferences function to create MHC-heterozygous offspring, or that they function to create specific allele combinations that are beneficial under the current environmental conditions through their complementary or epistatic effects. To test these hypotheses, we asked 121 men and women to score the odours of six T-shirts, worn by two women and four men. Their scorings of pleasantness correlated negatively with the degree of MHC similarity between smeller and T-shirt-wearer in men and women who were not using the contraceptive pill (but not in Pill-users). Depending on the T-shirt-wearer, the amount of variance in the scorings of odour pleasantness that was explained by the degree of MHC similarity (r2) varied between nearly 0 and 23%. There was no apparent effect of gender in this correlation: the highest r2 was actually reached with one of the male odours sniffed by male smellers. Men and women who were reminded of their own mate/ex-mate when sniffing a T-shirt had significantly fewer MHC-alleles in common with this T-shirt-wearer than expected by chance. This suggests that the MHC or linked genes influence human mate choice. We found no significant effect when we tested for an influence of the MHC on odour preferences after the degree of similarity between T-shirt-wearer and smeller was statistically controlled for. This suggests that in our study populations the MHC influences body odour preferences mainly, if not exclusively, by the degree of similarity or dissimilarity. The observed preferences would increase heterozygosity in the progeny. They do not seem to aim for more specific MHC combinations.