AUTOMATIC LINECARD (LC) CAPABILITY DETECTION

Presented herein are techniques to reduce software development code and allow software to automatically detect and adapt the code to the capabilities of a linecard (LC)

Gain and Loss in Quantum Cascade Lasers

We report gain calculations for a quantum cascade laser using a fully self-consistent quantum mechanical approach based on the theory of nonequilibrium Green functions. Both the absolute value of the gain as well as the spectral position at threshold are in excellent agreement with experimental findings for T=77 K. The gain strongly decreases with temperature.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures directly include

A new noninvasive method for the accurate and precise assessment of varicose vein diameters

The feasibility and reproducibility of a new ultrasonic method for the direct assessment of maximal varicose vein diameter (VVD) were evaluated. A study was also performed to demonstrate the capacity of the method to detect changes in venous diameter induced by a pharmacologic treatment. Patients with varicose vein disease were recruited. A method that allows the precise positioning of patient and transducer and performance of scans in a gel-bath was developed. Maximal VVD was recorded both in the standing and supine positions. The intraassay reproducibility was determined by replicate scans made within 15 minutes in both positions. The interobserver variability was assessed by comparing VVDs measured during the first phase baseline examination with those obtained during baseline examinations in the second phase of the study. The error in reproducibility of VVD determinations was 5.3% when diameters were evaluated in the standing position and 6.4% when assessed in the supine position. The intramethod agreement was high, with a bias between readings of 0.06 ±0.18 mm and of –0.02 ±0.19 mm, respectively, in standing and supine positions. Correlation coefficients were better than 0.99 in both positions. The method appears to be sensitive enough to detect small changes in VVDs induced by treatments. The proposed technique provides a tool of potential valid use in the detection and in vivo monitoring of VVD changes in patients with varicose vein disease. The method offers an innovative approach to obtain a quantitative assessment of varicose vein progression and of treatment effects, thus providing a basis for epidemiologic survey

Forecasting the socio-economic impact of the Large Hadron Collider : A cost-benefit analysis to 2025 and beyond

In this paper we develop a cost-benefit analysis of a major research infrastructure, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the highest-energy accelerator in the world, currently operating at CERN. We show that the evaluation of benefits can be made quantitative by estimating their welfare effects on different types of agents. Four classes of direct benefits are identified, according to the main social groups involved: (a) scientists; (b) students and young researchers; (c) firms in the procurement chain and other organizations; and (d) the general public, including onsite and website visitors and other media users. These benefits are respectively related to the knowledge output of scientists; human capital formation; technological spillovers; and direct cultural effects for the general public. Welfare effects for taxpayers can also be estimated by the contingent valuation of the willingness to pay for a pure public good for which there is no specific direct use (i.e., as non-use value). Using a Monte Carlo approach, we estimate the conditional probability distribution of costs and benefits for the LHC from 1993 until its planned decommissioning in 2025, assuming a range of values for some critical stochastic variables. We conservatively estimate that there is around a 90% probability that benefits exceed costs, with an expected net present value of about 2.9 billion euro, not considering the unpredictable applications of scientific discovery

Evaluating business support measures : the Bayesian network approach

Traditional methods to the evaluation of business support consider the firm as a \u2018black box\u2019 and the main interest is to see to what extent a policy has produced the intended effects. The causal mechanisms that explain how certain effects are generated are not discovered. In this article we show the applicability of Bayesian Network Analysis in combination with theory-based evaluation as a new mixed-method approach to reveal the mechanisms, both expected and unknown, which explain the changes in a firm\u2019s behaviour and economic performance due to public support. By combining graphical map analysis with statistical analysis, Bayesian Network Analysis reveals the interdependences between different drivers of change in firms so as to either confirm, deny or better qualify the theory of change of the policy

Ultra low threshold current THz quantum cascade lasers based on buried strip-waveguides

THz quantum cascade lasers based on a novel buried cavity geometry are demonstrated by combining double-metal waveguides with proton implantation. Devices are realised with emission at 2.8 THz, displaying ultra low threshold currents of 19 mA at 4K in both pulsed and continuous wave operation. Thanks to the semiconductor material on both sides of the active region and to the narrow width of the top metal strip, the thermal properties of these devices have been greatly improved. A decrease of the thermal resistance by over a factor of two compared to standard ridge double-metal lasers of similar size has been measured.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Submitted for publication to Applied Physiscs Letters (February 2005

Normal endothelial function in carriers of the apolipoprotein A-IMilano mutant despite low HDL-cholesterol levels

Carriers of the apolipoprotein A-IMilano (apoA-IM) mutant show severe reductions in the plasma concentration of antiatherogenic HDL but do not present with preclinical atherosclerosis and premature CHD. Aim of the present study was to investigate endothelial function in A-IM carriers, since low HDL-C levels have been associated with features of endothelial dysfunction. Plasma concentrations of soluble cell adhesion molecules (sCAMs) and forearm arterial compliance (FAC) during reactive hyperemia were evaluated in 21 A-IM carriers, 21 healthy subjects with low HDL-C, and 42 controls. Low HDL-C subjects had significantly higher plasma sCAM levels than controls (sVCAM-1: 656.3\ub149.3 vs 502.6\ub125.5 ng/ml; sICAM-1: 335.6\ub121.5 vs 267.0\ub18.9 ng/ml; sE-selectin: 62.9\ub14.1 vs 47.9\ub13.0 ng/ml); on the contrary, no differences were detected between A-IM carriers (sVCAM-1: 550.6\ub132.1 ng/ml; sICAM-1: 309.8\ub126.9 ng/ml; sE-selectin: 52.3\ub14.3 ng/ml) and controls. Low HDL-C subjects had lower FAC than controls, while no differences were detected between A-IM carriers and controls. These results suggest that HDL from A-IM carriers may be more efficient than control HDL in modulating endothelial function. To test this hypothesis, plasma HDL were isolated from 6 A-IM carriers and 6 controls, and their ability to inhibit VCAM-1 expression and to induce eNOS was tested in cultured endothelial cells. A-IM HDL were two times more effective than control HDL in reducing TNFalpha-induced VCAM-1 expression; the inhibition occurred at a transcriptional level, as demonstrated by RT-PCR. In addition, cells exposed to A-IM HDL showed higher expression of eNOS than cells treated with control HDL. In conclusion, despite the very low HDL-C levels, A-IM carriers do not display features of endothelial dysfunction, such as the increase of circulating sCAM levels and the impairment of arterial compliance, probably because of a superior ability of A-IM HDL to protect the endothelium

Nonequilibrium Green's function theory for transport and gain properties of quantum cascade structures

The transport and gain properties of quantum cascade (QC) structures are investigated using a nonequilibrium Green's function (NGF) theory which includes quantum effects beyond a Boltzmann transport description. In the NGF theory, we include interface roughness, impurity, and electron-phonon scattering processes within a self-consistent Born approximation, and electron-electron scattering in a mean-field approximation. With this theory we obtain a description of the nonequilibrium stationary state of QC structures under an applied bias, and hence we determine transport properties, such as the current-voltage characteristic of these structures. We define two contributions to the current, one contribution driven by the scattering-free part of the Hamiltonian, and the other driven by the scattering Hamiltonian. We find that the dominant part of the current in these structures, in contrast to simple superlattice structures, is governed mainly by the scattering Hamiltonian. In addition, by considering the linear response of the stationary state of the structure to an applied optical field, we determine the linear susceptibility, and hence the gain or absorption spectra of the structure. A comparison of the spectra obtained from the more rigorous NGF theory with simpler models shows that the spectra tend to be offset to higher values in the simpler theories.Comment: 44 pages, 16 figures, appearing in Physical Review B Dec 200