Electro-Optical Effect Measurement of Thin-Film Material Using PM Fiber Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

A polarization-maintaining （PM） fiber Mach-Zehnder （MZ） interferometer has been established to measure the EO effect of very thin film materials with optical anisotropy. Unlike a common MZ interferometer, all the components are connected via polarization-maintaining fibers. At the same time, a polarized DFB laser with a maximum power output of 10mW is adopted as the light source to induce a large extinction ratio. Here,we take it to determine the electro-optical coefficients of a very thin superlattice structure with GaAs, KTP, and GaN as comparative samples. The measured EO coefficients show good comparability with the others.

A High-Performance Silicon Electro-Optic Phase Modulator with a Triple MOS Capacitor

We propose and analyze a novel Si-based electro-optic modulator with an improved metal-oxide-semiconductor （MOS） capacitor configuration integrated into silicon-on-insulator （SOl）. Three gate-oxide layers embedded in the silicon waveguide constitute a triple MOS capacitor structure, which boosts the modulation efficiency compared with a single MOS capacitor. The simulation results demonstrate that the Vπ Lπ product is 2. 4V · cm. The rise time and fall time of the proposed device are calculated to be 80 and 40ps from the transient response curve, respectively,indicating a bandwidth of 8GHz. The phase shift efficiency and bandwidth can be enhanced by rib width scaling.

Self tempering effect of near eutectic Al-Si casting with different wall thickness solidified and cooled in permanent die

In order to study the self tempering effect on the solidification of Al-Si alloy, a setup was designed to conduct experiments. The characters of β phases in different thicknesses of Al-Si samples were investigated. The results show that the size distributions of β phases obey the logarithmic normal distribution. The Brinell hardness tests were also carried out. The tested hardness results show that the hardness distribution of the casting cooled in water is evener than that cooled in air, and its averaged value is higher than that cooled in air.

The relationship between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management in empty‑nest elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus:The mediating effect of self‑efficacy

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the mediating effect of self‑efficacy between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management in empty‑nest elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:A total of 347 empty‑nest elderly patients with T2DM from Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University were investigated by a self‑designed General Information Questionnaire,the Self‑efficacy for diabetes,the Diabetes Distress Scale,and the summary of diabetes self‑care activities.Diabetes‑related distress and diabetes self‑management were tested for correlation analysis with self‑efficacy.Meditational analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized mediating effects of diabetes self‑efficacy as an intervention variable between diabetes distress and self‑management.Results:About 68.59%of patients suffered from diabetes‑related distress.The results of bivariate correlations revealed that self‑efficacy was negatively correlated with diabetes‑related distress(r=–0.627,P<0.01)and positively correlated with self‑management(r=0.356,P<0.01).The relationship effects of diabetes distress on self‑management were fully mediated by self‑efficacy.Conclusions:Diabetes‑related distress prevails in empty‑nest elderly patients with T2DM.Self‑efficacy plays a mediate role between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management.Psychological intervention is contributed to reducing diabetes‑related distress.

High-speed 2 × 2 silicon-based electro-optic switch with nanosecond switch time

A 2 × 2 electro-optic switch is experimentally demonstrated using the optical structure of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer （MZI） based on a submicron rib waveguide and the electrical structure of a PIN diode on silicon-on-insulator （SOI）. The switch behaviour is achieved through the plasma dispersion effect of silicon. The device has a modulation arm of 1 mm in length and cross-section of 400 nm×340 nm. The measurement results show that the switch has a VπLπ figure of merit of 0.145 V.cm and the extinction ratios of two output ports and cross talk are 40 dB, 28 dB and -28 dB, respectively. A 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 90 MHz and a switch time of 6.8 ns for the rise edge and 2.7 ns for the fall edge are also demonstrated.

Reduction of self-heating effect in SOI MOSFET by forming a new buried layer structure

An inherent self-heating effect of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices limits their application at high current levels. In this paper a novel solution to reduce the self-heating effect is proposed, based on N+ and O+ co-implantation into silicon wafer to form a new buried layer structure. This new structure was simulated using Medici program, and the temperature distribution and output characteristics were compared with those of the conventional SOI counterparts. As expected, a reduction of self-heating effect in the novel SOI device was observed.

Numerical study of self-heating effects of small-size MOSFETs fabricated on silicon-on-aluminum nitride substrate

Compared with bulk-silicon technology, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology possesses many advan-tages but it is inevitable that the buried silicon dioxide layer also thermally insulates the metal – oxide – silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) from the bulk due to the low thermal conductivity. One of the alternative insulator to replace the buried oxide layer is aluminum nitride (AlN), which has a thermal conductivity that is about 200 times higher than that of SiO2 (320 W·m ? 1·K? 1 versus 1.4 W·m? 1·K? 1). To investigate the self-heating effects of small-size MOSFETs fabricated on silicon-on-aluminum nitride (SOAN) substrate, a two-dimensional numerical analysis is performed by using a device simulator called MEDICI run on a Solaris workstation to simulate the electri-cal characteristics and temperature distribution by comparing with those of bulk and standard SOI MOSFETs. Our study suggests that AlN is a suitable alternative to silicon dioxide as a buried dielectric in SOI and expands the appli-cations of SOI to high temperature conditions.

Multiple mediation effects of health locusof control and hope on the relationshipbetween stroke patients’ social supportand self-management

Objective:This study aimed to identify the mediation effects of health locus of control(HLC)and hope between stroke patients’social support and self-management.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.A total of 300 Chinese stroke patients were recruited by convenient sampling from the acupuncture department of two Chinese Traditional Medical Hospitals in Tianjin Province from June to September 2018.The self-report questionnaires include Social Support Assessment Scale,Herth Hope Index,Mental Health Locus of Control Scale,Stroke Self-management Behavior Scale,and personal information questionnaires.All the survey data were entered in Excel and analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 program.Mediation was tested with Bootstrapping in AMOS 23.0 program.Results:The result showed that internal health locus of control(IHLC),chance health locus of control(CHLC)and hope were the mediators between social support and self-management.The direct,indirect,and total effects of social support on self-management behavior were 0.306 (P<0.01),0.109(P<0.01),and 0.415(P<0.01),respectively.Conclusions:Social support can directly influence self-management,and it can also indirectly influence self-management through IHLC,CHLC,and hope.

Self-catalyzed Effect and Cracking Risk in Mass Concrete Containing Micro-slag

The main results obtained from the experimental and engineering investigation on the heat evolution and cracking risk of a furnace concrete block were presented. The heat evolution of experimental mortars containing micro-slag under different environmental temperatures was instrumented in order to investigate the self-catalyzed effect, which was discovered in engineering. More-over,the thermal stress of the furnace concrete due to heat temperature rise was calculated to evaluate the cracking risk of mass concrete containing micro-slag due to self-catalyzed effect. The experimental results illustrate that with the development of hydration and initial temperature of mixture, the hydra-tion can be also accelerated and temperature of concrete will be continued to rise, which was the self-catalyzed effect. And the thermal stress due to self-catalyzed effect could not result in the cracking of furnace concrete.

Evolution of dark solitons in the presence of Raman gain and self-steepening effect

Based on the equation satisfied by optical pulse that is a slowly varying function, the higher-order nonlinear Schr o¨dinger equation(NLSE) including Raman gain and self-steepening effect is deduced in detail, and a new Raman gain function is defined. By using the split-step Fourier method, the influence of the combined effect between Raman gain and self-steepening on the propagation characteristic of dark solitons is simulated in the isotropic fiber. The results show that gray solitons can be symmetrically formed by high order dark soliton, however self-steepening effect will inhibit the formation mechanism through the phenomenon that gray solitons are produced only in the trailing edge of the central black soliton. Meanwhile, the Raman gain changes the propagation characteristic of optical soliton and inhibits the self-steepening effect, resulting in the broadening of pulse width and the decreasing of pulse offset.

Higher-order effects on self-similar parabolic pulse in the microstructured fibre amplifier

By considering higher-order effects, the properties of self-similar parabolic pulses propagating in the microstructured fibre amplifier with a normal group-velocity dispersion have been investigated. The numerical results indicate that the higher-order effects can badly distort self-similar parabolic pulse shape and optical spectrum, and at the same time the peak shift and oscillation appear, while the pulse still reveals highly linear chirp but grows into asymmetry. The influence of different higher-order effects on self-similar parabolic pulse propagation has been analysed. It shows that the self-steepening plays a more important role. We can manipulate the geometrical parameters of the microstructured fibre amplifier to gain a suitable dispersion and nonlinearity coefficient which will keep high-quality self-similar parabolic pulse propagation. These results are significant for the further study of self-similar parabolic pulse propagation.

Generation of time-dependent ultra-short optical pulse trains in the presence of self-steepening effect

Starting from the extended nonlinear Schrodinger equation in which the self-steepening effect is included, the evolution and the splitting processes of continuous optical wave whose amplitude is perturbed into time related ultra-short optical pulse trains in an optical fibre are numerically simulated by adopting the split-step Fourier algorithm. The results show that the self-steepening effect can cause the characteristic of the pulse trains to vary with time, which is different from the self-steepening-free case where the generated pulse trains consist of single pulses which are identical in width, intensity, and interval, namely when pulses move a certain distance, they turn into the pulse trains within a certain time range. Moreover, each single pulse may split into several sub-pulses. And as time goes on, the number of the sub-pulses will decrease gradually and the pulse width and the pulse intensity will change too. With the increase of the self-steepening parameter, the distance needed to generate time-dependent pulse trains will shorten. In addition, for a large self-steepening parameter and at the distance where more sub-pulses appear, the corresponding frequency spectra of pulse trains are also wider.

Quantitative analysis of the self-absorption and reemission effects on the emission spectrum of photoluminescence in right-angle excitation–detection configuration

A theoretical approach based on differential radiative transport is proposed to quantitatively analyze the self- absorption and reemission effects on the emission spectrum for right angle excitation-detection photoluminescence mea- surements, and the wavelength dependence of the reemission effect is taken into account. Simulations and experiments are performed using rhodamine 6G solutions in ethanol as model samples. It is shown that the self-absorption effect is the dominant effect on the detected spectrum by inducing pseudo red-shift and reducing total intensity; whereas the reemission effect partly compensates for signal decrease and also results in an apparent signal gain at the wavelengths without ab- sorption. Both effects decrease with the decrease in the sample concentration and the propagation distance of the emission light inside the sample. We therefore suggest that diluted solutions are required for accurate photoluminescence spectrum measurements and photoluminescence-based measurements.

Accuracy and effectiveness of self-gating signals in free-breathing three-dimensional cardiac cine magnetic resonance imaging

Conventional multiple breath-hold two-dimensional （2D） balanced steady-state free precession （SSFP） presents many difficulties in cardiac cine magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）. Recently, a self-gated free-breathing three-dimensional （3D） SSFP technique has been proposed as an alternative in many studies. However, the accuracy and effectiveness of selfgating signals have been barely studied before. Since self-gating signals are crucially important in image reconstruction, a systematic study of self-gating signals and comparison with external monitored signals are needed. Previously developed self-gated free-breathing 3D SSFP techniques are used on twenty-eight healthy volunteers. Both electrocardiographic （ECG） and respiratory bellow signals are also acquired during the scan as external signals. Self-gating signal and external signal are compared by trigger and gating window. Gating window is proposed to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of respiratory self-gating signal. Relative deviation of the trigger and root-mean-square-deviation of the cycle duration are calculated. A two-tailed paired t-test is used to identify the difference between self-gating and external signals. A Wilcoxon signed rank test is used to identify the difference between peak and valley self-gating triggers. The results demonstrate an excellent correlation （P = 0, R 〉 0.99） between self-gating and external triggers. Wilcoxon signed rank test shows that there is no significant difference between peak and valley self-gating triggers for both cardiac （H = 0, P 〉 0.10） and respiratory （H = 0, P 〉 0.44） motions. The difference between self-gating and externally monitored signals is not significant （two-tailed paired-sample t-test： H = 0, P 〉 0.90）. The self-gating signals could demonstrate cardiac and respiratory motion accurately and effectively as ECG and respiratory bellow. The difference between the two methods is not significant and can be explained. Furthermore, few ECG trigger errors appear in some subjects while these errors are not found in self-gating signals.

A new physics-based self-heating effect model for 4H-SiC MESFETs

A new self-heating effect model for 4H-SiC MESFETs is proposed based on a combination of an analytical and a computer aided design （CAD） oriented drain current model. The circuit oriented expressions of 4H-SiC low-field electron mobility and incomplete ionization rate, which are related to temperature, are presented in this model, which are used to estimate the self-heating effect of 4H-SiC MESFETs. The verification of the present model is made, and the good agreement between simulated results and measured data of DC I - V curves with the self-heating effect is obtained.

Density effect and self-thinning in Eucalyptus urophylla stands

Density effects on the growth and self-thinning of Eucalyptus urophylla stands were examined for 7 years.The reciprocal equation of the competition-density(C–D)effect was used to describe the C–D effect in even-aged pure stands of E. urophylla during course of self-thinning and showed a good fit to the data. The time trajectories of mean stem volume-density nearly paralleled the y-axis during early growth stages of stands, and then began to curve left. Finally, the mean stem volume-density trajectories of the low-, middle-and high-density stands tended to follow the self-thinning lines with slopes of-2.01,-1.90 and-1.99, respectively. With increasing physical time t, the biological time s increased rapidly during early growth stages and became slow gradually during later growth stages. Realized density-initial density curves tended to become more or less flat with increasing initial density, indicating the existence of an asymptotic value for density at a given time. The coefficient e, the reciprocal of which represents the asymptotic density at a given time,increased with increasing biological time s, indicating that the asymptotic density decreased with increasing stand age.Final yield Y(t) increased gradually with increasing stand age.

Self-desiccation Effect of High Performance Concrete

Effects of water to binder ratio (m(W)/m(B)), types and addition content of mineral admixtures ont he autogenous relative humidity (ARH) change of concrete resulting from self-desiccation were studies. The parameters of coefficient of mineral self-desiccation-effect ka nd efficient water to binder ratio r(e) were proposed, and experimental results were fitted non-linearly and analyzed using these proposed parameters. The experimental results indicate that ARH reduction of concrete at different ages increases with the decrease of m(W)/m(B). The ARH changes laws of concrete with m(W)/m(B) lower than 0.4 can be expressed with a non-linear equation. The extent of the effect of types and addition content of mineral admixures on ARH reduction of concrete resulting from self-desiccation can be reflected by the non-linear equation with the parameter of efficient water to binder ratio r(e) effectively.

Nursing Students’ Readiness for Self-Directed Learning and Its Effect on Learning Outcome in South-West Nigeria

Self-directed learning (SDL) uses diverse learning resources to solve identified problems in learning. Nursing is a lifelong learning profession and SDL is a valuable skill to remain relevant and productive professionals. Nursing students are expected to embrace SDL and develop these skills. However, there has been no evidence of this innovative process in South-West Nigeria. This study seeks to evaluate nursing students’ readiness for SDL and its effect on learning outcome. This quasi-experimental study purposively utilized 229 nursing students as participants. Baseline (P1) data was collected using Gugliemino’s SDL readiness scale (SDLRS) and a validated-structured questionnaire. Participants had a pre-test to assess knowledge at P1 followed by 6 weeks interaction using SDL on selected topics in Medical-surgical nursing and the same test at post-intervention (P2). Using a 50-point scale, knowledge was categorized as good ≥ 25 and poor < 25 and SDLRS on a 290-point scale was categorized as below average 5 - 201, average 202 - 226 and above average 227 - 290. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, t-test and linear regression analysis were used for analysis at p = 0.05. Nursing students’ SDLRS was average;mean = 203 ± 23.0. A significant difference exists between nursing students with good knowledge at P1 and P2. At P1, 39.2% had good knowledge, mean = 22.2 ± 6.3, and 90.1% at P2, mean = 30.6 ± 5.4, p < 0.05 also a significant relationship exist between SDLR and learning outcome at P2;p < 0.05. With the nursing students’ average SDL readiness level having a significant effect on learning outcome. Nursing training institutions should provide necessary resources to embrace SDL as a main-line teaching method to ensure competent life-long professionals.

Self-access Centers’Effects on College English Learning

This paper aims to investigate self-access centers'effects on college English learning. Data, collected in the form of questionnaires and interview, were analyzed. Results demonstrate that the self-access center(SAC)does help students to promote learner autonomy, lower their anxiety and encourage their interest in college English learning.

基于CDT和Self-trapping的8×8光交叉连接特性数值研究

采用相干隧穿破坏(CDT)理论和自囚禁(self-trapping)效应相结合的方法实现光信号的交叉连接功能.在标量场和傍轴近似下,进一步采用紧束缚近似,得到周期性调制光纤中光信号传播的耦合模方程组.只考虑相邻光纤耦合作用情况下,数值模拟全光交叉连接功能实现过程并获得各种变换所需条件.在器件输出端引入可调谐滤波器可实现光信号的广播发送、光路变换和上下路等功能,能推广到任意N×N光交叉连接设计中,有效地解决波分复用光网络中光信号时延和容量需求问题.