Introduction to the issue on novel and specialty fibers

The fiber optical communication revolution has been fueled by well publicized and relentless improvements of transmission fiber. Since the demonstration of the first low-loss optical fiber in 1972, there has been a continual stream of technology improvements designed to reduce impairments due to propagation loss and pulse dispersion. This steam of fiber technology has led the industry from multimode fiber operated at 800 nm, to standard single-mode fiber used at 1310 nm, then on to transmission fibers that now have attributes tuned for particular applications such as terrestrial or submarine transmission. There is every reason to believe that advances in technology will continue at the accelerating pace we have seen in the past decade, adding to the family of available transmission fibers. The special issue is dedicated to the increasing family of specialty fibers, and includes exciting papers on fibers for gratings and a unique amplification fiber. Fibers for specialized transmission spanning a broad range of applications are also described in three important articles. As is appreciated by all optical scientists, progress can be made only as quickly as one can improve measurement capabilities, so the issue includes two excellent papers dealing with the important measurement of chromatic dispersion.We hope that you enjoy the papers of this issue as much as we the editors have enjoyed reading and reviewing them

Perceptions of Time, Cost and Quality Management on Building Projects

This paper examines the relative intrinsic importance of the effective management of projecttime, cost and quality in the attainment of client objectives. The findings from a questionnairesurvey are presented. The survey explored the perceptions of South Africanclients concerning their objectives and the project time, cost and quality management associatedwith building procurement systems in South Africa. The findings indicate thatmis-perceptions exist between clients, contractors and building professionals regardingthe time, cost and quality management associated with building projects, and the contributionthis makes to the attainment of client objectives

Weak force detection using a double Bose-Einstein condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate may be used to make precise measurements of weak forces, utilizing the macroscopic occupation of a single quantum state. We present a scheme which uses a condensate in a double well potential to do this. The required initial state of the condensate is discussed, and the limitations on the sensitivity due to atom collisions and external coupling are analyzed.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, Eq.(41) has been correcte

Postmodern Enslavement and Identityanomie: Analogue Modes of Escape from Freedom

The paper puts special emphasis on issue resonances identity shaft, which in postmodern orbit is not conceptual "favorite" for inaugurisanost perception of reality and value structure. Notated perception of the postmodern era, its conceptual articulation seeks to review the traditional structure, the postulates of postmodernism, not more "staff" refers to the evolution of the product technological sphere. Recline on the philosophical background of Jean Baudrillard, the authors discuss the indicative field simulacrum who have no ontological potential and whose affirmative purpose of bringing man to the stage gnoseological passivity. Communication "binder " postmodernity, represents deprivation their own (human) authority as a subjective conviction and questioning the identity of belonging. Therefore, the sense of identity of the modern era is reflected in the fragmentation and fluidity of existence , and it is right to say that a man living in the modern era of floating universe, without a certain criteria. Continuous changes that accompany burdened life courses of individuals and apparently are presented as a privilege and needs actually are hidden mechanisms by which individuals are listed and seduced by easy consumption, obviate indirectly authenticity and originality of its own spirit. It's value skeleton is ideologically determined consumer orientation. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n4p40

Diffuse emission of organic trace gases from the flank and crater of a quiescent active volcano (Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Volcanoes discharge a range of inorganic major gas species (e.g., H2O, CO2, SO2, and CO) not only during eruptions but also during quiescent phases through fumarolic and diffuse degassing in their craters and on their flanks. The emission of organic trace gases from volcanoes is similarly not expected to be restricted to discrete fumarolic gas discharges alone. To test this hypothesis, we have sampled soil gas emissions for organic compounds and determined CO2 fluxes along a profile extending from the vegetated base of the active La Fossa cone (Vulcano Island, Italy) over the unvegetated volcanic flank and up into the crater rim and base and then continuing over fumarolic areas. The results indicate that the majority of volatile organic compounds in the soil gas show significant increases in concentration toward the crater and fumaroles and that diffuse emissions contribute significantly to the volcanic halocarbon source strength. Emissions of the halocarbon CFC-11 (CCl3F) correlate well with soil CO2 fluxes measured on site (R2 = 0.89, slope = 1.42 ± 0.1) and both increase toward the crater and fumaroles. Other ozone-depleting substances were found in concentrations significantly above those found in field and system blanks, including CH3Br, CH3Cl, CH3I, C2H5Br, and chlorinated benzenes. Abundances ranged from upper pptv to ppmv; for example, the maximum observed CFC-11 concentrations were 1200 pptv in diffuse emissions and 3700 pptv in dry fumarolic gas (average dry air is 268 pptv). On the basis of these results the natural volcanic source strength of halocarbon emissions to the atmosphere requires reevaluation, and in some cases, correction to higher values. Global average fumarolic and diffuse halocarbon source strengths were estimated and scaled to known global volcanic fumarolic and diffuse CO2 flux data. Among these were CFC-11 (8.56 ± 4.7 × 10-6 Tg y-1), CH3Br (0.98 ± 0.47 × 10-6 Tg y-1) CHCl3 (94.9 ± 27.6 × 10-6 Tg y-1), and CC14 (3.41 ± 1.0 × 10-6 Tg y-1). Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.Florian M. Schwandner, Terry M. Seward, Andrew P. Gize, P. Anthony Hall, and Volker J. Dietric

Beam Test Results of the BTeV Silicon Pixel Detector

The results of the BTeV silicon pixel detector beam test carried out at Fermilab in 1999-2000 are reported. The pixel detector spatial resolution has been studied as a function of track inclination, sensor bias, and readout threshold.Comment: 8 pages of text, 8 figures, Proceedings paper of Pixel 2000: International Workshop on Semiconductor Pixel Detectors for Particles and X-Rays, Genova, June 5-8, 200

Performance of prototype BTeV silicon pixel detectors in a high energy pion beam

The silicon pixel vertex detector is a key element of the BTeV spectrometer. Sensors bump-bonded to prototype front-end devices were tested in a high energy pion beam at Fermilab. The spatial resolution and occupancies as a function of the pion incident angle were measured for various sensor-readout combinations. The data are compared with predictions from our Monte Carlo simulation and very good agreement is found.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figure

Punctuated equilibria and 1/f noise in a biological coevolution model with individual-based dynamics

We present a study by linear stability analysis and large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of a simple model of biological coevolution. Selection is provided through a reproduction probability that contains quenched, random interspecies interactions, while genetic variation is provided through a low mutation rate. Both selection and mutation act on individual organisms. Consistent with some current theories of macroevolutionary dynamics, the model displays intermittent, statistically self-similar behavior with punctuated equilibria. The probability density for the lifetimes of ecological communities is well approximated by a power law with exponent near -2, and the corresponding power spectral densities show 1/f noise (flicker noise) over several decades. The long-lived communities (quasi-steady states) consist of a relatively small number of mutualistically interacting species, and they are surrounded by a ``protection zone'' of closely related genotypes that have a very low probability of invading the resident community. The extent of the protection zone affects the stability of the community in a way analogous to the height of the free-energy barrier surrounding a metastable state in a physical system. Measures of biological diversity are on average stationary with no discernible trends, even over our very long simulation runs of approximately 3.4x10^7 generations.Comment: 20 pages RevTex. Minor revisions consistent with published versio