Experimental demonstration of a novel heterogeneously integrated III-V on Si microlaser

In this work we present the first experimental demonstration of a novel class of heterogeneously integrated III-V-on-silicon microlasers. We first show that by coupling a silicon cavity to a III-V wire, the interaction between the propagating mode in the III-V wire and the cavity mode in the silicon resonator results in high, narrow band reflection back into the III-V waveguide, forming a so-called resonant mirror. By combining two such mirrors and providing optical gain in the III-V wire in between these 2 mirrors, laser operation can be realized. We simulate the reflectivity spectrum of such a resonant mirror using 3D FDTD and discuss the results. We also present experimental results of the very first optically pumped heterogeneously integrated resonant mirror laser. The fabricated device measures 55 mu m by 2 mu m and shows single mode laser emission with a side-mode suppression ratio of 37 dB

Is it time to combine untargeted antifungal strategies to reach the goal of 'early' effective treatment?

LETTER TO EDITO

Should we continue to use prediction tools to identify patients at risk of Candida spp. infection? If yes, why?

We read with interest the article from Shanin et al. about the Fungal Infection Risk Evaluation (FIRE) study [1] aiming to 'describe the incidence of IFD in UK critical care units and to develop and validate a clinical risk prediction tool to identify non-neutropenic, critically ill adult patients at risk of IFD'. The investigators should be congratulated for the way they collected a huge amount of data from 96 adult intensive care units (ICUs), managed the FIRE database, and developed and validated the risk model. However, they stated that the prediction model would help to identify patients who may benefit from antifungal prophylaxis and that a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated a beneficial effect of antifungal prophylaxis and/or empiric treatment in terms of incidence of invasive fungal disease (IFD) and mortality. This statement is not supported by available evidence from RCTs. A recent Cochrane Systematic Review including 22 RCTs evaluating prophylaxis, pre-emptive, and empiric antifungal treatment with any antifungal drugs in 2761 non-neutropenic critically ill patients showed no significant effect on mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.93, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.79 to 1.09) and a significant reduction in the risk of invasive fungal infection (IFI) (RR 0.57, 95 % CI 0.39 to 0.83) [2, 3]. In the subgroup analysis for type of intervention, antifungal prophylaxis was not associated with a significant mortality reduction but with a significant reduction of IFI [4]. This systematic review was the update of the one cited in the manuscript and published in 2006 including 12 RCT and 1606 patients

Self help groups in a city of Tuscany: Reconstruction of the second generation model of work for professionals and services

This study is part of a more extensive project aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-help group participation in improving quality of life in mental disease. The study is taking place in the Tuscany Region, in Italy. In the first qualitative step of analysis researchers are interested in describing the specific features of the psychiatric self-help movement in Tuscany, comparing different realities, networks, kind of groups. Therefore, our aim is to collect exhaustive information to describe how self-help system work in different provinces at the present moment. The implementation of groups for psychiatric problems is quite young in Italy.  Because of a lack of specific regulation in the directives of the Italian health care system, every local service has implemented groups differently, sometimes enhancing, sometimes dismissing them. Prato, near Florence, is one of the more interesting context for the birth of psychiatric self-help movement in the region: public health services improved groups since early 90’s, it was one of the first self-help reality linked to services in the entire region. Now we are in a “second generation” of professionals, and the original meaning of groups seems to be transformed, sometimes misunderstood. Our objectives of study head us toward an in depth analysis of self-help phenomenon in Prato

Self help groups in a city of Tuscany: Reconstruction of the second generation model of work for professionals and services

This study is part of a more extensive project aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-help group participation in improving quality of life in mental disease. The study is taking place in the Tuscany Region, in Italy. In the first qualitative step of analysis researchers are interested in describing the specific features of the psychiatric self-help movement in Tuscany, comparing different realities, networks, kind of groups. Therefore, our aim is to collect exhaustive information to describe how self-help system work in different provinces at the present moment. The implementation of groups for psychiatric problems is quite young in Italy.  Because of a lack of specific regulation in the directives of the Italian health care system, every local service has implemented groups differently, sometimes enhancing, sometimes dismissing them. Prato, near Florence, is one of the more interesting context for the birth of psychiatric self-help movement in the region: public health services improved groups since early 90’s, it was one of the first self-help reality linked to services in the entire region. Now we are in a “second generation” of professionals, and the original meaning of groups seems to be transformed, sometimes misunderstood. Our objectives of study head us toward an in depth analysis of self-help phenomenon in Prato

Extremely uniform lasing wavelengths of InP microdisk lasers heterogeneously integrated on SOI

A standard deviation in lasing wavelength lower than 500pm is characterized on nominally identical and optically-pumped microdisk lasers, heterogeneously integrated on the same SOI circuit. This lasing wavelength uniformity is obtained using electron-beam lithography