Difference frequency generation by quasi-phase matching in periodically intermixed semiconductor superlattice waveguides

Wavelength conversion by difference frequency generation is demonstrated in domain-disordered quasi-phase-matched waveguides. The waveguide structure consisted of a GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice core that was periodically intermixed by ion implantation. For quasi-phase-matching periods of 3.0–3.8 μm, degeneracy pump wavelengths were found by second-harmonic generation experiments for fundamental wavelengths between 1520 and 1620 nm in both type-I and type-II configurations. In the difference frequency generation experiments, output powers up to 8.7 nW were generated for the type-I phase matching interaction and 1.9 nW for the type-II interaction. The conversion bandwidth was measured to be over 100 nm covering the C, L, and U optical communications bands, which agrees with predictions

Ways of Transition to Clean Energy Use: Two Methodological Approaches

The combustion of fossil fuels for the production of energy has already resulted in significant modifications of the earth's environment, primarily through the emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates. The modern world primary energy consumption patterns and its trends lead to the utilization of dirtier and more expensive fossil fuels. The desire to protect the environment is contradictory Lo such structural changes in energy like the broader use of coal as substitution for liquid fuels, taking into account the depletion of coal deposits with low sulfur contents. Previous studies carried out at IIASA, in the FRG, the US, the USSR and other countries, formulate one long-term technological strategy that might limit pollutant emissions sufficiently to permit an efficient and ecologically sustainable development of the world's energy consumption patterns. This technological strategy is based on the implementation of the so-called Integrated Energy Systems (IES) or Integrated Energy-Chemical Systems (IECS). The basic idea of IES incorporates the decomposition and purification of primary fossil energy inputs before combustion, the integration of these decomposed (clean) products and the allocation of them in line with the requirements for final energy. Thus, Integrated Energy Systems represent a concept for providing a flexible range of final energy forms from varying inputs of different primary energy sources. Other potential advantages include improved performance of the whole energy system, such as higher efficiencies and lower environmental impacts. The joint report of the Kernforschungsanlage Julich (KFA), Julich, FRG and the Siberian Energy Institute (SEI), Irkutsk, USSR describes the concepts, methodological approaches, and preliminary results of the analysis of technological options and technoeconomic properties of the different types of integrated energy systems. The study of KFA and SEI, based on the cooperation with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, emphasizes the common viewpoint that the idea of integrated energy systems constitutes an essential basis for new studies on energy systems with a high degree of utilizing primary energy sources and with low emissions

Three-dimensional lattice-Boltzmann simulations of critical spinodal decomposition in binary immiscible fluids

We use a modified Shan-Chen, noiseless lattice-BGK model for binary immiscible, incompressible, athermal fluids in three dimensions to simulate the coarsening of domains following a deep quench below the spinodal point from a symmetric and homogeneous mixture into a two-phase configuration. We find the average domain size growing with time as $t^\gamma$, where $\gamma$ increases in the range $0.545 < \gamma < 0.717$, consistent with a crossover between diffusive $t^{1/3}$ and hydrodynamic viscous, $t^{1.0}$, behaviour. We find good collapse onto a single scaling function, yet the domain growth exponents differ from others' works' for similar values of the unique characteristic length and time that can be constructed out of the fluid's parameters. This rebuts claims of universality for the dynamical scaling hypothesis. At early times, we also find a crossover from $q^2$ to $q^4$ in the scaled structure function, which disappears when the dynamical scaling reasonably improves at later times. This excludes noise as the cause for a $q^2$ behaviour, as proposed by others. We also observe exponential temporal growth of the structure function during the initial stages of the dynamics and for wavenumbers less than a threshold value.Comment: 45 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Soil organisms in organic and conventional cropping systems.

Apesar do crescente interesse pela agricultura orgânica, são poucas as informações de pesquisa disponíveis sobre o assunto. Assim, num Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico foram comparados os efeitos de sistemas de cultivo orgânico e convencional, para as culturas do tomate (Lycopersicum esculentum) e do milho (Zea mays), sobre a comunidade de organismos do solo e suas atividades. As populações de fungos,bactérias e actinomicetos, determinadas pela contagem de colônias em meio de cultura, foram semelhantes para os dois sistemas de produção. A atividade microbiana, avaliada pela evolução de CO2, manteve-se superior no sistema orgânico, sendo que em determinadas avaliações foi o dobro da evolução verificada no sistema convencional. O número de espécimes de minhoca foi praticamente dez vezes maior no sistema orgânico. Não foi observada diferença na taxa de decomposição de matéria orgânica entre os dois sistemas. De modo geral, o número de indivíduos de microartrópodos foi superior no sistema orgânico do que no sistema convencional, refletindo no maior índice de diversidade de Shannon. As maiores populações de insetos foram as da ordem Collembola, enquanto para os ácaros a maior população foi a da superfamília Oribatuloidea. Indivíduos dos grupos Aranae, Chilopoda, Dyplopoda, Pauropoda, Protura e Symphyla foram ocasionalmente coletados e de forma similar entre os sistemas

Cost-effectiveness of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy in preventing surgical site infection among obese women giving birth by caesarean section: An economic evaluation (DRESSING trial)

First published: 18 May 2023. OnlinePublBackground: There is growing evidence regarding the potential of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy (ci-NPWT) to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) in healing wounds by primary closure following a caesarean section (CS). Aim: To assess the cost-effectiveness of ci-NPWT compared to standard dressings for prevention of SSI in obese women giving birth by CS. Materials and Methods: Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses from a health service perspective were undertaken alongside a multicentre pragmatic randomised controlled trial, which recruited women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 giving birth by elective/semi-urgent CS who received ci-NPWT (n = 1017) or standard dressings (n = 1018). Resource use and health-related quality of life (SF-12v2) collected during admission and for four weeks post-discharge were used to derive costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: ci-NPWT was associated with AUD$162 (95$170 to $494) higher cost per person and an additional$12 849 (95%CI −$62 138 to$133 378) per SSI avoided. There was no detectable difference in QALYs between groups; however, there are high levels of uncertainty around both cost and QALY estimates. There is a 20% likelihood that ci-NPWT would be considered cost-effective at a willingness-to- pay threshold of $50 000 per QALY. Per protocol and complete case analyses gave similar results, suggesting that findings are robust to protocol deviators and adjustments for missing data. Conclusions: ci-NPWT for the prevention of SSI in obese women undergoing CS is unlikely to be cost-effective in terms of health service resources and is currently unjustified for routine use for this purpose.Jennifer A. Whitty, Adam P. Wagner, Evelyn Kang, David Ellwood, Wendy Chaboyer, Sailesh Kumar, Vicki L. Clifton, Lukman Thalib and Brigid M. Gillespi

Corneal Biomechanics in Ectatic Diseases: Refractive Surgery Implications.

BACKGROUND: Ectasia development occurs due to a chronic corneal biomechanical decompensation or weakness, resulting in stromal thinning and corneal protrusion. This leads to corneal steepening, increase in astigmatism, and irregularity. In corneal refractive surgery, the detection of mild forms of ectasia pre-operatively is essential to avoid post-operative progressive ectasia, which also depends on the impact of the procedure on the cornea. METHOD: The advent of 3D tomography is proven as a significant advancement to further characterize corneal shape beyond front surface topography, which is still relevant. While screening tests for ectasia had been limited to corneal shape (geometry) assessment, clinical biomechanical assessment has been possible since the introduction of the Ocular Response Analyzer (Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, Buffalo, USA) in 2005 and the Corvis ST (Oculus Optikgerate GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) in 2010. Direct clinical biomechanical evaluation is recognized as paramount, especially in detection of mild ectatic cases and characterization of the susceptibility for ectasia progression for any cornea. CONCLUSIONS: The purpose of this review is to describe the current state of clinical evaluation of corneal biomechanics, focusing on the most recent advances of commercially available instruments and also on future developments, such as Brillouin microscopy.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Active Galactic Nuclei at the Crossroads of Astrophysics

Over the last five decades, AGN studies have produced a number of spectacular examples of synergies and multifaceted approaches in astrophysics. The field of AGN research now spans the entire spectral range and covers more than twelve orders of magnitude in the spatial and temporal domains. The next generation of astrophysical facilities will open up new possibilities for AGN studies, especially in the areas of high-resolution and high-fidelity imaging and spectroscopy of nuclear regions in the X-ray, optical, and radio bands. These studies will address in detail a number of critical issues in AGN research such as processes in the immediate vicinity of supermassive black holes, physical conditions of broad-line and narrow-line regions, formation and evolution of accretion disks and relativistic outflows, and the connection between nuclear activity and galaxy evolution.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; review contribution; "Exploring the Cosmic Frontier: Astrophysical Instruments for the 21st Century", ESO Astrophysical Symposia Serie

Dilepton mass spectra in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)= 200 GeV and the contribution from open charm

The PHENIX experiement has measured the electron-positron pair mass spectrum from 0 to 8 GeV/c^2 in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. The contributions from light meson decays to e^+e^- pairs have been determined based on measurements of hadron production cross sections by PHENIX. They account for nearly all e^+e^- pairs in the mass region below 1 GeV/c^2. The e^+e^- pair yield remaining after subtracting these contributions is dominated by semileptonic decays of charmed hadrons correlated through flavor conservation. Using the spectral shape predicted by PYTHIA, we estimate the charm production cross section to be 544 +/- 39(stat) +/- 142(syst) +/- 200(model) \mu b, which is consistent with QCD calculations and measurements of single leptons by PHENIX.Comment: 375 authors from 57 institutions, 18 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Physics Letters B. v2 fixes technical errors in matching authors to institutions. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm

Inclusive cross section and double helicity asymmetry for \pi^0 production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV: Implications for the polarized gluon distribution in the proton

The PHENIX experiment presents results from the RHIC 2005 run with polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV, for inclusive \pi^0 production at mid-rapidity. Unpolarized cross section results are given for transverse momenta p_T=0.5 to 20 GeV/c, extending the range of published data to both lower and higher p_T. The cross section is described well for p_T < 1 GeV/c by an exponential in p_T, and, for p_T > 2 GeV/c, by perturbative QCD. Double helicity asymmetries A_LL are presented based on a factor of five improvement in uncertainties as compared to previously published results, due to both an improved beam polarization of 50%, and to higher integrated luminosity. These measurements are sensitive to the gluon polarization in the proton, and exclude maximal values for the gluon polarization.Comment: 375 authors, 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D, Rapid Communications. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm