Effect of forearm positions on scapular movements and trunk rotation angles.

[Purpose] The study investigated the impact of distinct forearm positions on scapular movement and trunk rotation angles. [Participants and Methods] We enrolled 23 healthy young males. Measurements of trunk rotation and relative scapular segment angles were acquired under three conditions employing three-dimensional motion analysis, each executed in a seated posture: (1) both forearms in a neutral position, (2) the forearm on the rotational side adopted supination while the opposite forearm utilized pronation, and (3) the forearm on the rotational side employed pronation while the opposite forearm assumed supination. [Results] The scapular angles in all three scenarios reflected downward rotation, posterior tilt, and external rotation of the rotational-side scapula. Conversely, the contralateral scapula exhibited upward rotation, anterior tilt, and internal rotation. Although the scapular and trunk rotation angles corresponded with the three forearm positions, all three were significantly different and were significantly increased when the rotational-side forearm was in supination (opposite side pronation) and decreased when the rotational-side forearm was in pronation (opposite side supination). [Conclusion] During trunk rotation, regular scapular movements were observed, which varied depending on forearm position and influenced the range of trunk rotation.

Complex amplitude estimation of a monochromatic radio-frequency signal using frequency downconversion via direct detection of interfered optical phase-modulation signals.

We propose an estimation scheme for a radio-frequency (RF) signal based on microwave and millimeter-wave photonics to avoid degradation of measurement accuracy due to RF devices used in signal detection. In this scheme, two-parallel optical phase modulation and low-pass optical direct detection of the interference signal are utilized, enabling the transfer of complex amplitudes of the RF signal into the interfered lightwave. A 10 GHz RF signal is successfully evaluated from the 20 kHz oscillation signal obtained from the direct detection. This scheme can be applied to signals in the millimeter-wave region because it does not require wide bandwidth detection and optical-domain filtering by using a special optical filter.

Multiple-frequency-spaced flat optical comb generation using a multiple-parallel phase modulator.

We propose multiple-frequency-spaced flat optical comb generation using an electro-optic (EO) multiple-parallel phase modulator. We formulate and clarify the operating conditions in which we can generate optical combs adding the two important functionalities of spectral shaping: (1) multiplication of frequency spacing and (2) spectral flattening. The frequency spacing of the generated comb is enhanced much higher than the EO modulation bandwidth. The spectral shaping is achieved fully through the EO modulation process without relying on any optical filters. This filter-less configuration is advantageous for flexible tuning of wavelength and frequency spacing of the generated combs. The concept is numerically verified, focusing on N×25-GHz-spaced comb generation.

RF frequency sextupling via an optical two-tone signal generated from two modulation lightwaves from one Mach-Zehnder optical modulator.

An optical two-tone (OTT) signal is generated with a wide frequency separation, based on the suppression of ± 1st-order optical sidebands without using optical band-rejection filtering. By combining two orthogonally polarized lightwaves modulated with different modulation indices, each optical sideband constituting the combined lightwave has a different polarization. Some of these optical sidebands can be suppressed using a polarizer. By using a single Mach-Zehnder optical modulator to achieve two optical modulations, an OTT signal with a 60-GHz frequency-separation was successfully generated with 32-dB suppression of undesired ± 1st-order optical sidebands. An rf signal was also obtained from the OTT signal.

Optical two-tone signal generation without use of optical filter for photonics-assisted radio-frequency quadrupling.

Optical two-tone (OTT) signal generation is demonstrated without optical wavelength filtering for wavelength-free operation in radio-frequency (RF) upconversion assisted by photonics. This principle is based on selective polarization manipulation for the optical carrier; the optical carrier's polarization is first tilted, and the carrier is then suppressed using a polarizer. Owing to optimized conditions obtained from theoretical calculation and the high polarization extinction ratio achieving a 25.7-dB carrier suppression, a 40-GHz separated OTT signal is successfully generated by an optical intensity modulator driven by a 10-GHz sinusoidal RF signal. Conversion into a frequency-quadrupled RF signal is also demonstrated experimentally.

Detailed calculation of spectral noise caused by measurement errors of Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical path phases in a spatial heterodyne spectrometer with a phase shift scheme.

We calculate the root mean square (rms) value of the spectral noise caused by optical path phase measurement errors in a spatial heterodyne spectrometer (SHS) featuring a complex Fourier transformation. In our calculation the deviated phases of each Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the in-phase and quadrature states are treated as statistically independent random variables. We show that the rms value is proportional to the rms error of the phase measurement and that the proportionality coefficient is given analytically. The relationship enables us to estimate the potential performance of the SHS such as the sidelobe suppression ratio for a given measurement error.

Dynamic and high-resolution live cell imaging by direct electron beam excitation.

We propose a direct electron-beam excitation assisted optical microscope with a resolution of a few tens of nanometers and it can be applied for observation of dynamic movements of nanoparticles in liquid. The technique is also useful for live cell imaging under physiological conditions as well as observation of colloidal solution, microcrystal growth in solutions, etc. In the microscope, fluorescent materials are directly excited with a focused electron beam. The direct excitation with an electron beam yields high spatial resolution since the electron beam can be focused to a few tens of nanometers in the specimens. In order to demonstrate the potential of our proposed microscope, we observed the movements of fluorescent nanoparticles, which can be used for labelling specimens, in a water-based solution. We also demonstrated an observation result of living CHO cells.

Reconfigurable multilevel transmitter using monolithically integrated quad Mach-Zehnder IQ modulator for optical 16-QAM and 8-PSK generation.

We propose and demonstrate a reconfigurable multilevel transmitter using a monolithically-integrated quad Mach-Zehnder in-phase/quadrature (QMZ-IQ) modulator with binary driving electronics. Different from previous parallel-integrated quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitter solutions, only one electrode is required to adjust the relative phase offset among embedded sub-Mach-Zehnder modulators in the proposed IQ superstructure. By feeding different RF driving electronics and operating the integrated modulator as different bias conditions, different advanced multilevel modulation formats, such as QAM and 8-ary phase-shift keying (8-PSK), could be synthesized. In this paper, a 40-Gb/s 16-QAM and a 30-Gb/s 8-PSK are generated using the proposed multilevel transmitter, respectively. Offline digital processing is employed for bit-error rates estimation and constellation reconstruction.

Optical minimum-shift-keying transmitter based on a monolithically integrated quad Mach-Zehnder in-phase and quadrature modulator.

We propose and demonstrate an optical minimum-shift-keying (MSK) transmitter using a single-quad Mach-Zehnder (MZ) in-phase and quadrature modulator, where four sub-Mach-Zehnder modulators are monolithically integrated on a main MZ superstructure. Using the proposed transmitter, a MSK signal at bit rate of B could be successfully generated by orthogonally superposing two low-speed (B/2) carrier-suppressed return-to-zero differential phase-shift-keying streams with a relative time offset, 1/B. MSK signals at bit rate of 20 and 80 Gbits/s were successfully generated using the proposed MSK transmitter. A continuous changed phase trajectory of the obtained MSK was confirmed using a complex spectrum analyzer. The filtering tolerance of the MSK was also characterized using a bandwidth-variable tunable filter.

Adaptive threshold adjustment for signal-distortion-free digital-coherent optical demodulation system.

Optical quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) attracts considerable attention in the enhancement of communications capacity, due to its high spectral efficiency. However, this modulation format is more sensitive to signal distortion than conventional formats, making it more difficult to create, transmit, and detect signals. In this paper, we propose an adaptive scheme for demodulation of the distorted optical signals with paying attention to use of DSP-technology. The scheme is based on the adjustment of the thresholds against the signal distortion. Successful demodulation of optical QAM signals is demonstrated with a sufficiently low bit-error rate.