Leveraging differences for collaborative advantage: enhancing student learning through an international educational collaboration.

This case study in collaboration development describes the relationship from initiation through maintenance over three years between a high profile research-focused school of nursing in the U.S. and a school in the UK known for learning and teaching innovation.

Evanescently coupled interface states in the gap between two Bragg reflectors.

Interface states are known to exist at the surface of an appropriately structured Bragg reflector. If such reflectors are present on the surfaces of two prisms separated by a narrow gap, the evanescently coupled interface states can interact to produce a pair of very narrow transmission lines, the separation of which can be adjusted by varying the size of the gap between the two prisms. Thus, although only a single cavity is involved, the spectral properties of the system are similar to those of a dual-cavity photonic microstructure.

A new quantitative optical biosensor for protein characterisation.

A new optical biosensor is described based on a dual waveguide interferometric technique. By addressing the waveguide structure with alternate polarisations the optogeometrical properties (density and thickness) of adsorbed protein layers at the sensor (solid)-liquid interface have been determined. Differences in the waveguide mode dispersion between the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes allow unique solutions for adlayer thickness and refractive index to be determined at all stages during the formation process.