Semiconductor Optical Amplifier for Next Generation of High Data Rate Optical Packet-Switched Networks

This chapter provides an overview of considerations for the development of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) for the next generations of packet-switched optical networks. SOA devices are suitable candidates in order to realize high-performance optical gates due to their high extinction ratio and fast switching time. However such devices also introduce linear and nonlinear noise. The impact of SOA devices on several modulation formats via theoretical model, numerical simulation, and experimental validation is studied. Impairments introduced by SOAs are considered in order to derive some general network design rules

Pornography Use in Adolescents and Its Clinical Implications

(1) Background: The Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM) suggests that pornography use effects are conditional and they depend on dispositional, developmental, and social differential susceptibility variables. This framework also highlights that the differential susceptibility variables act as predictors of pornography use and as moderators of the effect of pornography on criterion variables. (2) Methods: By administering a survey to n = 1500 adolescents, we tested whether these assumptions were met. (3) Results: Pornography use was related to being male and older, having a bisexual or undefined sexual orientation, higher substance use, being non-Muslim, and reporting sexual interest and the use of the media to obtain sexual information. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that higher levels in the criterion variables were directly related to pornography use, older age, substance use, and being women. Some mediational links also emerged. Pornography use mediated between the age and criterion variables. Moreover, substance use mediated the association between age and gender with the criterion variables. (4) Conclusions: Our findings support the clinical applicability of the theoretical DSMM framework. Knowing adolescent pornography consumers' profiles and the impact of pornography on this population would allow for the designing of more effective prevention and regulation proposals

Famílies botàniques de plantes medicinals

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són els recull de 175 treballs d’una família botànica d’interès medicinal realitzats de manera individual. Els treballs han estat realitzat per la totalitat dels estudiants dels grups M-2 i M-3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos d’abril i maig del curs 2013-14. Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pel professor de l’assignatura i revisats i finalment co-avaluats entre els propis estudiants. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica

Réseaux optiques pour les centres de données : solutions à court et long terme

Data centers are becoming increasingly important and ubiquitous, ranging from large server farms dedicated to various tasks such as data processing, computing, data storage or the combination thereof, to small distributed server farms. The spread of cloud services is driving a relentless increase of traffic demand in datacenters, which is doubling every 12 to 15 months. Along this thesis we study the evolution of data center networks and present short- and long-term solutions for their physical intra-connection. Today, rapidly-growing traffic in data centers spotlights the urgent need for high-speed low-cost interfaces capable to cope with hungry-bandwidth demanding new applications. Thereby, in the short-term we propose novel high-datarate low-cost optical transceivers enabling up to 200 Gb/s transmission using intensity-modulation and direct-detection schemes. Several advanced pulse amplitude modulation schemes are explored while increasing speeds towards record symbol-rates, as high as 100 GBd. High-speed electrical signaling is enabled by an integrated selector-power digital-to- analog converter, capable of doubling input baud-rates while outputting advance multi-level pulse amplitude modulations. Notwithstanding, data centers’ global traffic will continue increasing incessantly. Current datacenters rely on high-radix all-electronic Ethernet switches to build an interconnecting network capable to pave with such vast amount of traffic. In such architecture, traffic growth directly relates to an increase of networking components, including switches with higher port-count, interfaces and cables. Unsustainable cost and energy consumption that can be expected in the future calls for a network reassessment. Therefore, we subsequently present a novel concept for intra-datacenter networks called burst optical slot switching (BOSS); in which servers are connected via BOSS nodes through wavelength- and time-division multiplexed fiber rings organized in a Torus topology. Along this thesis we investigate on the implementation of BOSS nodes; in particular, the switching fabric and the optical transceivers. The main element within the switching fabric is the slot blocker, which is capable of erasing any packet of any wavelength in a nanosecond time-scale. On the one hand, we explore the use of semiconductor optical amplifiers as means of gating element to be used within the slot blocker and study their cascadability. On the other hand we develop a monolithically integrated slot blocker capable of handling up to sixteen wavelength channels with dual-polarization diversity. Then we present several transceiver architectures and study their performances. Transceivers’ signaling needs to fulfill two main requirements: packet-mode operation, i.e. being capable of recovering few microsecond –long bursts; and resiliency to tight filtering, which occurs when cascading many nodes (e.g. up to 100). First we build packet-mode Nyquist-pulse-shaped N-QAM transceivers, which adapt the modulation format as a function of the number of nodes to traverse. Later we propose the use of coherent-optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM). With inherent packet structure and high spectral tailoring capabilities, we demonstrate that CO-OFDM-based transceivers offer higher capacity and enhanced reach than its Nyquist counterpart. Finally, we compare our BOSS solution to today’s Folded Clos topology, and show that our BOSS architecture requires x400 fewer transponders and cables than today’s electronic switching networks, which paves the way to highly scalable and sustainable datacentersLes centres de données deviennent de plus en plus importants, allant de petites fermes de serveurs distribuées à des grandes fermes dédiées à des tâches spécifiques. La diffusion de services "dans le nuage" conduit à une augmentation incessante de la demande de trafic dans les centres de données. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l'évolution des réseaux dans les centres de données et proposons des solutions à court et à long terme pour leur intra-connexion physique. Aujourd'hui, la croissance de la demande de trafic met en lumière la nécessité urgente d’interfaces à grande vitesse capables de faire face à la bande passante exigeant de nouvelles applications. Ainsi, à court terme, nous proposons de nouveaux transpondeurs optiques à haut débit, mais à faible coût, permettant la transmission de 200 Gb /s utilisant des schémas de modulation en intensité et à détection directe. Plusieurs types de modulations d’impulsions en amplitude avancées sont explorés, tout en augmentant la vitesse à des débits symboles allant jusqu’à 100 GBd. La génération électrique à haute vitesse est réalisé grâce à un nouveau convertisseur analogique-numérique intégré, capable de doubler les vitesses des entrées et de générer des signaux à plusieurs niveaux d’amplitude. Cependant, le trafic continuera sa croissance. Les centres de données actuels reposent sur plusieurs niveaux de commutateurs électroniques pour construire un réseau d'interconnexion capable de supporter une telle grande quantité de trafic. Dans une telle architecture, la croissance du trafic est directement liée à une augmentation du nombre des composants du réseau, y-compris les commutateurs avec plus de ports, les interfaces et les câbles. Le coût et la consommation d'énergie qui peut être attendus à l'avenir est intenable, ce qui appelle à une réévaluation du réseau. Par conséquent, nous présentons ensuite un nouveau concept fondé sur la commutation de "slots" optiques (Burst Optical Slot Switching, i.e. BOSS) dans lequel les serveurs sont connectés via des nœuds BOSS à travers des anneaux de fibres multiplexé en longueur d'onde et en temps, et organisés dans une topologie en tore. Au cours de cette thèse, nous étudions la mise en œuvre des nœuds BOSS; en particulier, la matrice de commutation et les transpondeurs optiques. L'élément principal au sein de la matrice de commutation est le bloqueur de slots, qui est capable d'effacer n’importe quel paquet (slot) sur n’importe quelle longueur d'onde en quelques nanosecondes seulement. D'une part, nous explorons l'utilisation d'amplificateurs optiques à semi-conducteurs comme portes optiques à utiliser dans le bloqueur des slots, et étudier leur cascade. D'autre part, nous développons un bloqueur de slots intégré monolithiquement capable de gérer jusqu'à seize longueurs d'onde avec la diversité de polarisation. Ensuite, nous présentons plusieurs architectures de transpondeur et nous étudions leur performance. La signalisation des transpondeurs doit répondre à deux exigences principales: le fonctionnement en mode paquet et la résistance au filtrage serré. D'abord, nous utilisons des transpondeurs élastiques qui utilisent des modulations Nyquist N-QAM, et qui adaptent le format de modulation en fonction du nombre de nœuds à traverser. Ensuite, nous proposons l'utilisation du multiplexage par répartition orthogonale de la fréquence en cohérence optique (CO-OFDM). Avec une structure de paquet inhérente et leur grande adaptabilité fréquentielle, nous démontrons que les transpondeurs CO-OFDM offrent une capacité plus élevée et une meilleure portée que leurs homologues Nyquist. Finalement, nous comparons notre solution BOSS avec la topologie Clos replié utilisée aujourd'hui. Nous montrons que notre architecture BOSS nécessite 400 fois moins de transpondeurs et de câbles que les réseaux de commutation électronique d'aujourd'hui, ce qui ouvre la voie à des centres de données hautement évolutifs et durable

Caractérisation expérimentale et extension du model de bruit gaussien pour les systèmes monocanal non gérés en dispersion (Orale)

International audienc

Monolithic Integrated Slot-Blocker for High Datarate Coherent Optical Slot Switched Networks

International audienceRecent progresses on monolithic SOI-based integration are presented for achieving high-performance slot-blocker for cost-sensitive metropolitan and datacenter networks. We review several nodes architectures for such optical slot switching ring networks. Such devices integrate up to 65 functional elements, allowing complex operations such as polarization and wavelength (de)multiplexing with sub-wavelength switching capability. Compact footprint, fast switching time (below 10 ns) as well as high extinction ratio (more than 20 dB) are demonstrated. We demonstrate the fast add/drop operation of advanced modulation formats (56/80 Gbit/s SP-QPSK, 128 Gbit/s PDM-QPSK, 256 Gbit/s PDM-16QAM, and 320 Gbit/s PDM-32QAM) using three generations of integrated slot-blockers

Clinical manifestations of intermediate allele carriers in Huntington disease

Objective: There is controversy about the clinical consequences of intermediate alleles (IAs) in Huntington disease (HD). The main objective of this study was to establish the clinical manifestations of IA carriers for a prospective, international, European HD registry. Methods: We assessed a cohort of participants at risk with <36 CAG repeats of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Outcome measures were the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) motor, cognitive, and behavior domains, Total Functional Capacity (TFC), and quality of life (Short Form-36 [SF-36]). This cohort was subdivided into IA carriers (27-35 CAG) and controls (<27 CAG) and younger vs older participants. IA carriers and controls were compared for sociodemographic, environmental, and outcome measures. We used regression analysis to estimate the association of age and CAG repeats on the UHDRS scores. Results: Of 12,190 participants, 657 (5.38%) with <36 CAG repeats were identified: 76 IA carriers (11.56%) and 581 controls (88.44%). After correcting for multiple comparisons, at baseline, we found no significant differences between IA carriers and controls for total UHDRS motor, SF-36, behavioral, cognitive, or TFC scores. However, older participants with IAs had higher chorea scores compared to controls (p 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that aging was the most contributing factor to increased UHDRS motor scores (p 0.002). On the other hand, 1-year follow-up data analysis showed IA carriers had greater cognitive decline compared to controls (p 0.002). Conclusions: Although aging worsened the UHDRS scores independently of the genetic status, IAs might confer a late-onset abnormal motor and cognitive phenotype. These results might have important implications for genetic counseling. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01590589

Clinical and genetic characteristics of late-onset Huntington's disease

Background: The frequency of late-onset Huntington's disease (&gt;59 years) is assumed to be low and the clinical course milder. However, previous literature on late-onset disease is scarce and inconclusive. Objective: Our aim is to study clinical characteristics of late-onset compared to common-onset HD patients in a large cohort of HD patients from the Registry database. Methods: Participants with late- and common-onset (30–50 years)were compared for first clinical symptoms, disease progression, CAG repeat size and family history. Participants with a missing CAG repeat size, a repeat size of ≤35 or a UHDRS motor score of ≤5 were excluded. Results: Of 6007 eligible participants, 687 had late-onset (11.4%) and 3216 (53.5%) common-onset HD. Late-onset (n = 577) had significantly more gait and balance problems as first symptom compared to common-onset (n = 2408) (P &lt;.001). Overall motor and cognitive performance (P &lt;.001) were worse, however only disease motor progression was slower (coefficient, −0.58; SE 0.16; P &lt;.001) compared to the common-onset group. Repeat size was significantly lower in the late-onset (n = 40.8; SD 1.6) compared to common-onset (n = 44.4; SD 2.8) (P &lt;.001). Fewer late-onset patients (n = 451) had a positive family history compared to common-onset (n = 2940) (P &lt;.001). Conclusions: Late-onset patients present more frequently with gait and balance problems as first symptom, and disease progression is not milder compared to common-onset HD patients apart from motor progression. The family history is likely to be negative, which might make diagnosing HD more difficult in this population. However, the balance and gait problems might be helpful in diagnosing HD in elderly patients

Reduced Cancer Incidence in Huntington's Disease: Analysis in the Registry Study

Background: People with Huntington's disease (HD) have been observed to have lower rates of cancers. Objective: To investigate the relationship between age of onset of HD, CAG repeat length, and cancer diagnosis. Methods: Data were obtained from the European Huntington's disease network REGISTRY study for 6540 subjects. Population cancer incidence was ascertained from the GLOBOCAN database to obtain standardised incidence ratios of cancers in the REGISTRY subjects. Results: 173/6528 HD REGISTRY subjects had had a cancer diagnosis. The age-standardised incidence rate of all cancers in the REGISTRY HD population was 0.26 (CI 0.22-0.30). Individual cancers showed a lower age-standardised incidence rate compared with the control population with prostate and colorectal cancers showing the lowest rates. There was no effect of CAG length on the likelihood of cancer, but a cancer diagnosis within the last year was associated with a greatly increased rate of HD onset (Hazard Ratio 18.94, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Cancer is less common than expected in the HD population, confirming previous reports. However, this does not appear to be related to CAG length in HTT. A recent diagnosis of cancer increases the risk of HD onset at any age, likely due to increased investigation following a cancer diagnosis