396 research outputs found
Investigating the use of a hybrid plasmonic–photonic nanoresonator for optical trapping using finite-difference time-domain method
No full textWe investigate the use of a hybrid nanoresonator comprising a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity coupled to a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna (BNA) for the optical trapping of nanoparticles in water. Using finite difference time-domain simulations, we show that this structure can confine light to an extremely small volume of ~30,000 nm3 (~30 zl) in the BNA gap whilst maintaining a high quality factor (5400–7700). The optical intensity inside the BNA gap is enhanced by a factor larger than 40 compared to when the BNA is not present above the PhC cavity. Such a device has potential applications in optical manipulation, creating high precision optical traps with an intensity gradient over a distance much smaller than the diffraction limit, potentially allowing objects to be confined to much smaller volumes and making it ideal for optical trapping of Rayleigh particles (particles much smaller than the wavelength of light)
Hybrid photonic-plasmonic platform for high-throughput single-molecule studies
No full textWe present the design and numerical characterization of a hybrid photonic-plasmonic nanoresonator comprised of a 2D photonic crystal (PhC) cavity, a gold bowtie nanoantenna (BNA) and a silicon dioxide, SiO2, spacer. This device is designed to serve as the building block of a multicomponent platform capable of running multiple single-molecule experiments such as optical trapping and sample interrogation simultaneously. The thickness and structure of the spacer layer are adjusted to maximize the energy in the externally accessible hot-spot in the BNA gap. Suitability of the device for photonic integration is demonstrated by exciting it through a PhC waveguide
Designing software to maximize learning1
No full textThis paper starts from the assumption that any evaluation of educational software should focus on whether or not, and the extent to which, it maximizes learning. It is particularly concerned with the impact of software on the quality of learning. The paper reviews key texts in the literature on learning, including some which relate directly to software development, and suggests ways in which a range of learning theories can inform the process of software design. The paper sets out to make a contribution to both the design and the evaluation of educational software
Viewpoint of the European Pediatric Societies over Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Vaccination in Children Younger Than Age 12 Years Amid Return to School and the Surging Virus Variants
No full textSince its first appearance in the Wuhan region of China in December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a worldwide public health and socioeconomic crisis. According to the World Health Organization Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard, as of September 2021, there have been more than 217 million confirmed cases and 4.5 million deaths reported. Mass vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 are ongoing worldwide. Currently, 5.38 billion doses have been administered globally, 39.9% of the world population has received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and approximately 40 million are administered each day. However, only 1.8% of people in low-income countries have received at least 1 dose, and there will likely be increasing high demand for the limited supplies of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in many areas, raising important ethical issues and socioeconomic debates on how vaccine distribution should be prioritized.
Children are returning to class after long pandemic closures. As a new school year begins, local governments in low- and high-income countries are struggling over teacher vaccinations and mask mandates amid the surge of virus variants.4 With the fast spread of the more contagious delta variant and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines not available for much of the global school-aged population, children's health risks have become a pressing public health issue. A global debate is underway on whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccination should be made available in children younger than age 12 years and be made mandatory for those attending schools.
This commentary, authored by the working group on social pediatrics of the European Paediatric Association/Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations (EPA-UNEPSA), presents the viewpoint of EPA-UNEPSA and its partner society European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP), on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in children younger than age 12 years. The aim is to raise awareness of pediatricians, lawmakers, public health officers, and school educators on the importance of extending vaccination after a careful risk assessment is made. We emphasize that proper and safe vaccination procedures should be initiated after satisfactory clinical trials are completed and following formal approval by public authorities
Prevention and contrast of child abuse and neglect in the practice of European paediatricians: a multi-national pilot study
No full textBackground: Child abuse and neglect, or maltreatment, is a serious public health problem, which may cause long-term effects on children's health and wellbeing and expose them to further adulthood vulnerabilities. Studies on child maltreatment performed in Europe are scarce, and the number of participants enrolled relatively small. The aim of this multi-national European pilot study, was to evaluate the level of understanding and perception of the concepts of child abuse and neglect by European paediatricians working in different medical settings, and the attitude toward these forms of maltreatment in their practice.
Methods: The study was performed by a cross-sectional, descriptive, online survey, made available online to European paediatricians members of 50 national paediatric, who belonged to four different medical settings: hospital, family care, university centres and private practice. The questionnaire, designed as a multiple choice questions survey, with a single answer option consisted of 22 questions/statements. Frequency analyses were applied. Most of the data were described using univariate analysis and Chi-squared tests were used to compare the respondents and answers and a significance level of p ≤ 0.05 applied.
Results: Findings show that European paediatricians consider the training on child maltreatment currently provided by medical school curricula and paediatric residency courses to be largely insufficient and continuing education courses were considered of great importance to cover educational gaps. Physical violence was recognized by paediatricians mostly during occasional visits with a significant correlation between detecting abuse during an occasional visit and being a primary care paediatrician. Results also showed a reluctance by paediatricians to report cases of maltreatment to the competent judicial authorities.
Conclusions: Data of this study may provide useful contribution to the current limited knowledge about the familiarity of European paediatricians with child maltreatment and their skills to recognize, manage and contrast abusive childhood experiences in their practice. Finally, they could provide local legislators and health authorities with information useful to further improve public health approaches and rules able to effectively address shared risk and protective factors, which could prevent child abuse and neglect from ever occurring
Erratum to: Building bridges for innovation in ageing: Synergies between action groups of the EIP on AHA
No full textThe authors would like to change and use the correct name of M. Khaitov which is M. Kaitov on this manuscript. The authors have incorrectly used her other name during the finalization of this research. With this, the authors hereby publish the correct author names as presented above
Surface plasmon, surface wave, and enhanced evanescent wave microscopy
No full textThis chapter gives an overview of the formation of evanescent fields excited by an objective lens. We discuss some of the different phenomena that emerge at the interface between a high index couplant and relatively low index sample. We show how surface plasmons are excited in the presence of a thin gold film. We discuss the application of surface waves microscopy with excitation of microscopic objectives and conclude that significant applications reside in the area of localized measurement of refractive index. A key challenge in surface microscopy is to maintain the high spatial resolution in the presence of waves that propagate relatively long distances along the sample surface, methods to achieve this high resolution are discussed in some detail. For cellular imaging while surface plasmons can give good images, evanescent waves generated by excitation from light incident above the critical angle can produce very high quality images of the sample surface, without needing to address the problems introduced by lateral propagation of the waves. Finally, we discuss potential new directions for imaging and localized sensing using these wavesDepartment of Electronic and Information Engineering2016-2017 > Academic research: refereed > Chapter in an edited book (author)bcw
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