In-field comparison among polarization-mode-dispersion measurementtechniques

We report polarization mode dispersion measurements on a 168 km long undersea optical cable, performed with two techniques. From experimental results, statistical behavior of polarization parameters and their time fluctuations have been extracted. An average differential group delay of about 13 ps shows that dispersion-shifted fibers can be affected by a polarization dispersion significantly larger than standard step-index fibers. The correlation length of the polarization-coupling perturbation in the tested fibers is not negligible with respect to the link length     

Incomplete inversion and double-valued fundamental linewidth ofinfrared HeNe and HeXe lasers

We have measured the quantum-limited linewidths of small HeNe 3.39 μm and HeXe 3.51 μm lasers. In contrast to the expected Schawlow-Townes behaviour strong deviations from the inverse power dependence are observed, leading to a double-valued relation between the linewidth and the output power. This phenomenon is analyzed in terms of the increase of spontaneous emission, by a factor N_sp, due to incompleteness of the inversion. Our analysis shows that typically N_sp has a value ranging from 1-10. Combining existing models for the pump power dependence of the level populations with measurements of the small signal gain, we are able to explain the observed double-valued linewidth behaviour in a quantitative way     

Cortical implants for the blind

Arrays of stimulating electrodes can be placed in the brain itself, in the visual cortex, to bring vision to the profoundly blind. However, when designing such devices one needs to take into consideration the fact that the visual pathway maps images onto cortical structures in a complex and unpredictable way     

pH temporal jumps and spatial inhomogeneities in acid-base dyelasers

The possibility of obtaining temporal jumps and inhomogeneous spatial distributions of the concentration of free protons during the laser emission of a dye laser composed by two acid-base species is shown using the numerical resolution of the corresponding set of balance equations. The differences of behavior between the case of equilibrium or nonequilibrium in the excited state are stated. The possible generation of transient photoelectrochemical effects is discussed     

Silicon-substrate microelectrode arrays for parallel recording ofneural activity in peripheral and cranial nerves

A new process for the fabrication of regeneration microelectrode arrays for peripheral and cranial nerve applications is presented. This type of array is implanted between the severed ends of nerves, the axons of which regenerate through via holes in the silicon and are thereafter held fixed with respect to the microelectrodes. The process described is designed for compatibility with industry-standard CMOS or BiCMOS processes (it does not involve high-temperature process steps nor heavily-doped etch-stop layers), and provides a thin membrane for the via holes, surrounded by a thick silicon supporting rim. Many basic questions remain regarding the optimum via hole and microelectrode geometries in terms of both biological and electrical performance of the implants, and therefore passive versions were fabricated as tools for addressing these issues in on-going work. Versions of the devices were implanted in the rat peroneal nerve and in the frog auditory nerve. In both cases, regeneration was verified histologically and it was observed that the regenerated nerves had reorganized into microfascicles containing both myelinated and unmyelinated axons and corresponding to the grid pattern of the via holes. These microelectrode arrays were shown to allow the recording of action potential signals in both the peripheral and cranial nerve settings, from several microelectrodes in parallel     

Demonstration of a semiconductor external cavity laser using a UVwritten grating in a planar silica waveguide

The authors report the first demonstration of a semiconductor external cavity waveguide laser, modulated at 2.5 Gbit/s over 100 km of standard optical fibre using a UV written grating in a planar silica waveguide as the feedback element     

Three-dimensional anatomical model-based segmentation of MR brainimages through principal axes registration

Model-based segmentation and analysis of brain images depends on anatomical knowledge which may be derived from conventional atlases. Classical anatomical atlases are based on the rigid spatial distribution provided by a single cadaver. Their use to segment internal anatomical brain structures in a high-resolution MR brain image does not provide any knowledge about the subject variability, and therefore they are not very efficient in analysis. The authors present a method to develop three-dimensional computerized composite models of brain structures to build a computerized anatomical atlas. The composite models are developed using the real MR brain images of human subjects which are registered through the principal axes transformation. The composite models provide probabilistic spatial distributions, which represent the variability of brain structures and can be easily updated for additional subjects. The authors demonstrate the use of such a composite model of ventricular structure to help segmentation of the ventricles and cerebrospinal fluid of MR brain images. Here, a composite model of ventricles using a set of 22 human subjects is developed and used in a model-based segmentation of ventricles, sulci, and white matter lesions. To illustrate the clinical usefulness, automatic volumetric measurements on ventricular size and cortical atrophy for an additional eight alcoholics and 10 normal subjects were made. The volumetric quantitative results indicated regional brain atrophy in chronic alcoholics     

Machine learning in control of functional electrical stimulationsystems for locomotion

Two machine learning techniques were evaluated for automatic design of a rule-based control of functional electrical stimulation (FES) for locomotion of spinal cord injured humans. The task was to learn the invariant characteristics of the relationship between sensory information and the FES-control signal by using off-line supervised training. Sensory signals were recorded using pressure sensors installed in the insoles of a subject's shoes and goniometers attached across the joints of the affected leg. The FES-control consisted of pulses corresponding to time intervals when the subject pressed on the manual push-button to deliver the stimulation during FES-assisted ambulation. The machine learning techniques used were the adaptive logic network (ALN) and the inductive learning algorithm (IL). Results to date suggest that, given the same training data, the IL learned faster than the ALN while both performed the test rapidly. The generalization was estimated by measuring the test errors and it was better with an ALN, especially if past points were used to reflect the time dimension. Both techniques were able to predict future stimulation events. An advantage of the ALN over the IL was that ALN's can be retrained with new data without losing previously collected knowledge. The advantages of the IL over the ALN were that the IL produces small, explicit, comprehensible trees and that the relative importance of each sensory contribution can be quantified     

An analytical model for alloyed ohmic contacts using a trilayer transmission line model

This paper describes a Transmission Line Model approach to the modeling and analysis of alloyed planar ohmic contacts. It briefly reviews the standard Transmission Line Model (TLM) commonly used to characterize a planar ohmic contact. It is shown that in the case of a typical Au-Ge-Ni alloyed ohmic contact, a more realistic model based on the TLM should take into account the presence of the alloyed layer at the metal-semiconductor interface. In this paper, such a model is described. It is based on three layers and the two interfaces between them, thus forming a Tri-Layer Transmission Line Model (TLTLM). Analytical expressions are derived for the contact resistance Re and the contact end resistance Rc of this structure, together with a current division factor, S. Values for the contact parameters of this TLTLM model are inferred from experimentally reported values of Re and Re for two types of contact. Using the analytical outcomes of the TLTLM, it is shown that the experimental results obtained using a standard TLM can have considerable discrepancies.<>     

Dual-polarization slot-coupled printed antennas fed by stripline

This article presents recent techniques in the field of dual-polarization printed antennas for designing shielded radiating structures with high-quality performances in terms of cross-polarization level and input-port isolation. The use of gridded patches provides a natural solution to filtering surface currents and is of key importance in limiting inter-element coupling in arrays. Experimental results obtained on various designs are presented