1,550 research outputs found
High-Performance Silicon-Based Multiple Wavelength Source
We demonstrate a stable CMOS-compatible on-chip multiple-wavelength source by
filtering and modulating individual lines from a frequency comb generated by a
microring resonator optical parametric oscillator.. We show comb operation in a
low-noise state that is stable and usable for many hours. Bit-error rate
measurements demonstrate negligible power penalty from six independent
frequencies when compared to a tunable diode laser baseline. Open eye diagrams
confirm the fidelity of the 10 Gb/s data transmitted at the comb frequencies
and the suitability of this device for use as a fully integrated silicon-based
WDM source.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Evaluation of a dietary screener: The Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans tool
Background: Evidence exists for an association between accordance with a Mediterranean diet pattern and slower rates of cognitive decline. However, an âAmericanizedâ version of the Mediterranean diet screener is needed to assess accordance in the USA. Thus, the Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans (MEPA) tool was developed to assess accordance with a Mediterranean-like food pattern when time is limited. The present study aimed to determine whether the MEPA screener captured the key elements of the Mediterranean diet compared to the more comprehensive food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
Methods: The study comprised a cross-sectional study in which 70 women completed both the VioScreenâą FFQ (Viocare, Princeton, NJ, USA) electronically and the 16-item MEPA screener, either electronically or by telephone, aiming to evaluate the inter-method reliability of the proposed screener. The convenience sample included patients (n = 49) and healthcare providers (n = 21) recruited from a tertiary care medical center.
Results: The overall score from the MEPA screener correlated with corresponding overall MEPA FFQ score (Ï = 0.365, P = 0.002). Agreement between screener items and FFQ items was moderate-to-good for berries (Îș = 0.47, P \u3c 0.001), nuts (Îș = 0.42, P \u3c 0.001), fish (Îș = 0.62, P \u3c 0.001) and alcohol (Îș = 0.64, P \u3c 0.001), whereas those for olive oil (Îș = 0.33, P = 0.001) and green leafy vegetables (Îș = 0.36, P = 0.0021) were fair. Usual intakes of potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, saturated fat, selected carotenoids, folate and fiber derived from the FFQ varied with MEPA screener scores in the anticipated directions.
Conclusions: The MEPA screener captures several components of the Mediterranean style pattern, although further testing of the MEPA screener is indicated
Strong polarization mode coupling in microresonators
We observe strong modal coupling between the TE00 and TM00 modes in Si3N4
ring resonators revealed by avoided crossings of the corresponding resonances.
Such couplings result in significant shifts of the resonance frequencies over a
wide range around the crossing points. This leads to an effective dispersion
that is one order of magnitude larger than the intrinsic dispersion and creates
broad windows of anomalous dispersion. We also observe the changes to frequency
comb spectra generated in Si3N4 microresonators due polarization mode and
higher-order mode crossings and suggest approaches to avoid these effects.
Alternatively, such polarization mode-crossings can be used as a novel tool for
dispersion engineering in microresonators.Comment: Comments are very welcome (send to corresponding author
Second-Harmonic Generation in Silicon Nitride Ring Resonators
The emerging field of silicon photonics seeks to unify the high bandwidth of
optical communications with CMOS microelectronic circuits. Many components have
been demonstrated for on-chip optical communications, including those that
utilize the nonlinear optical properties of silicon[1, 2], silicon dioxide[3,
4] and silicon nitride[5, 6]. Processes such as second harmonic generation,
which are enabled by the second-order susceptibility, have not been developed
since the bulk vanishes in these centrosymmetric CMOS materials.
Generating the lowest-order nonlinearity would open the window to a new array
of CMOS-compatible optical devices capable of nonlinear functionalities not
achievable with the? response such as electro-optic modulation, sum
frequency up-conversion, and difference frequency generation. Here we
demonstrate second harmonic (SH) generation in CMOS compatible integrated
silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguides. The response is induced in the
centrosymmetric material by using the nanoscale structure to break the bulk
symmetry. We use a high quality factor Q ring resonator cavity to enhance the
efficiency of the nonlinear optical process and detect SH output with milliwatt
input powers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Disclosure of Maternal HIV Status to Children: To Tell or Not To Tell . . . That Is the Question
HIV-infected mothers face the challenging decision of whether to disclose their serostatus to their children. From the perspective of both mother and child, we explored the process of disclosure, providing descriptive information and examining the relationships among disclosure, demographic variables, and child adjustment. Participants were 23 mothers and one of their noninfected children (9 to 16 years of age). Sixty-one percent of mothers disclosed. Consistent with previous research, disclosure was not related to child functioning. However, children sworn to secrecy demonstrated lower social competence and more externalizing problems. Differential disclosure, which occurred in one-third of the families, was associated with higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Finally, knowing more than mothers had themselves disclosed was related to child maladjustment across multiple domains. Clinical implications and the need for future research are considered
A Silicon-Based Monolithic Optical Frequency Comb Source
Recently developed techniques for generating precisely equidistant optical
frequencies over broad wavelength ranges are revolutionizing precision physical
measurement [1-3]. These frequency "combs" are produced primarily using
relatively large, ultrafast laser systems. However, recent research has shown
that broad-bandwidth combs can be produced using highly-nonlinear interactions
in microresonator optical parametric oscillators [4-11]. Such devices not only
offer the potential for developing extremely compact optical atomic clocks but
are also promising for astronomical spectroscopy [12-14], ultrashort pulse
shaping [15], and ultrahigh-speed communications systems. Here we demonstrate
the generation of broad-bandwidth optical frequency combs from a
CMOS-compatible integrated microresonator [16,17], which is a fully-monolithic
and sealed chip-scale device making it insensitive to the surrounding
environment. We characterize the comb quality using a novel self-referencing
method and verify that the comb line frequencies are equidistant over a
bandwidth that is nearly an order of magnitude larger than previous
measurements. In addition, we investigate the ultrafast temporal properties of
the comb and demonstrate its potential to serve as a chip-scale source of
ultrafast (sub-ps) pulses
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