The present invention provides a computationally efficient technique for compression encoding of an audio signal, and further provides a technique to enhance the sound quality of the encoded audio signal. A Ni contact is provided for the n-type cladding layer. The device may include an adjustable aperture to further select the convergence or divergence. The core is sufficiently hydrophilic to absorb menstrual liquids. Characterization data is input for each configuration control module specifying a first ordered set of address output pins and a second ordered set of data output pins. The driving unit receives a first driving signal and a second driving signal in response to a control signal and generates an output signal.