Broadband opto-mechanical phase shifter for photonic integrated circuits

A broadband opto-mechanical phase shifter for photonic integrated circuits is proposed and numerically investigated. The structure consists of a mode-carrying waveguide and a deformable non-mode-carrying nanostring, which are parallel with each other. Utilizing the optical gradient force between them, the nanostring can be deflected. Thus the effective refractive indices of the waveguide is changed with the deformation, and further causes a phase shift. The phase shift under different geometry sizes, launched powers and boundary conditions are calculated and the dynamical properties as well as the thermal noise's effect are also discussed. It is demonstrated that a $\pi$ phase shift can be realized with only about 0.64 mW launched power and 50 $\mu m$ long nanostring. The proposed phase shifter may find potential usage in future investigation of photonic integrated circuits

Movable Fiber-Integrated Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguide on Metal Film

A waveguide structure consisting of a tapered nanofiber on a metal film is proposed and analyzed to support highly localized hybrid plasmonic modes. The hybrid plasmonic mode can be efficiently excited through the in-line tapered fiber based on adiabatic conversion and collected by the same fiber, which is very convenient in the experiment. Due to the ultrasmall mode area of plasmonic mode, the local electromagnetic field is greatly enhanced in this movable waveguide, which is potential for enhanced coherence light emitter interactions, such as waveguide quantum electrodynamics, single emitter spectrum and nonlinear optics

Plasma gelsolin levels and outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

INTRODUCTION: Lower gelsolin levels have been associated with the severity and poor outcome of critical illness. Nevertheless, their link with clinical outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma gelsolin levels and clinical outcomes in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: A total of 262 consecutive patients and 150 healthy subjects were included. Plasma gelsolin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mortality and poor long-term outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 1-3) at 6 months were recorded. RESULTS: Plasma gelsolin levels on admission were substantially lower in patients than in healthy controls (66.9 (26.4) mg/L vs. 126.4 (35.4) mg/L, P < 0.001), and negatively associated with World Federation of Neurological Surgeons score (r = -0.554, P < 0.001) and Fisher score (r = -0.538, P < 0.001), and identified as an independent predictor of poor functional outcome (odds ratio, 0.957; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.933-0.983; P = 0.001) and death (odds ratio, 0.953; 95% CI, 0.917-0.990; P = 0.003) after 6 months. The areas under the ROC curve of gelsolin for functional outcome and mortality were similar to those of World Federation of Neurological Surgeons score and Fisher score (all P > 0.05). Gelsolin improved the predictive values of World Federation of Neurological Surgeons score and Fisher score for functional outcome (both P < 0.05), but not for mortality (both P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Gelsolin levels are a useful, complementary tool to predict functional outcome and mortality 6 months after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage