High reflectivity grating waveguide coatings for 1064nm

We propose thin single-layer grating waveguide structures to be used as high-reflectivity, but low thermal noise, alternative to conventional coatings for gravitational wave detector test mass mirrors. Grating waveguide (GWG) coatings can show a reflectivity of up to 100% with an overall thickness of less than a wavelength. We theoretically investigate GWG coatings for 1064nm based on tantala (Ta2O5) on a Silica substrate focussing on broad spectral response and low thickness

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

A functional variant in the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene promoter enhances fatty acid desaturation in pork

There is growing public concern about reducing saturated fat intake. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is the lipogenic enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of oleic acid (18:1) by desaturating stearic acid (18:0). Here we describe a total of 18 mutations in the promoter and 3′ non-coding region of the pig SCD gene and provide evidence that allele T at AY487830:g.2228T>C in the promoter region enhances fat desaturation (the ratio 18:1/18:0 in muscle increases from 3.78 to 4.43 in opposite homozygotes) without affecting fat content (18:0+18:1, intramuscular fat content, and backfat thickness). No mutations that could affect the functionality of the protein were found in the coding region. First, we proved in a purebred Duroc line that the C-T-A haplotype of the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (g.2108C>T; g.2228T>C; g.2281A>G) of the promoter region was additively associated to enhanced 18:1/18:0 both in muscle and subcutaneous fat, but not in liver. We show that this association was consistent over a 10-year period of overlapping generations and, in line with these results, that the C-T-A haplotype displayed greater SCD mRNA expression in muscle. The effect of this haplotype was validated both internally, by comparing opposite homozygote siblings, and externally, by using experimental Duroc-based crossbreds. Second, the g.2281A>G and the g.2108C>T SNPs were excluded as causative mutations using new and previously published data, restricting the causality to g.2228T>C SNP, the last source of genetic variation within the haplotype. This mutation is positioned in the core sequence of several putative transcription factor binding sites, so that there are several plausible mechanisms by which allele T enhances 18:1/18:0 and, consequently, the proportion of monounsaturated to saturated fat.This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2009-09779 and AGL2012-33529). RRF is recipient of a PhD scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (BES-2010-034607). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of manuscript

Integrated Wavelength Stabilization Of In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers By Use Of A Dualgrating Reflector

We summarize a novel integrated wavelength-stabilization scheme for broad stripe surface-emitting lasers. The method is based on two gratings fabricated on opposite sides of a device in which the first grating disperses light through the substrate to the opposite side, where the second surface has a feedback grating that operates under total internal reflection and in the Littrow condition to provide feedback into the gain medium. Experimental results have been obtained for both high power and a narrow linewidth, showing a CW slope of 0.85 W/A. © 2006 Optical Society of America

Annular Groove Phase Mask Coronagraph

We present a new phase mask coronagraph consisting in an optical vortex induced by a space-variant surface relief subwavelength grating. Phase mask coronagraphy is a recent technique aiming at accommodating both high dynamic and high angular resolution imaging of faint sources around bright objects such as exoplanets orbiting their parent stars or host galaxies of active galactic nuclei. Subwavelength gratings are known to be artificially birefringent. Their unique dispersive characteristics can be controlled through the grating geometry in order to synthesize achromatic phase shifters. We show that implementing them in a ring-shaped way produces a fully symmetric and achromatic coronagraph without any gap or ``dead zone.'' The practical manufacturing of the device is also discussed.VORTE

Femtosecond spectral pulse shaping with holographic gratings recorded in photopolymerizable glasses

The majority of the applications of ultrashort laser pulses require a control of its spectral bandwidth. In this paper we show the capability of volume phase holographic gratings recorded in photopolymerizable glasses for spectral pulse reshaping of ultrashort laser pulses originated in an Amplified Ti: Sapphire laser system and its second harmonic. Gratings with high laser induce damage threshold (LIDT) allowing wide spectral bandwidth operability satisfy these demands. We have performed LIDT testing in the photopolymerizable glass showing that the sample remains unaltered after more than 10 million pulses with 0,75 TW/cm^2 at 1 KHz repetition rate. Furthermore, it has been developed a theoretical model, as an extension of the Kogelnik's theory, providing key gratings design for bandwidth operability. The main features of the diffracted beams are in agreement with the model, showing that non-linear effects are negligible in this material up to the fluence threshold for laser induced damage. The high versatility of the grating design along with the excellent LIDT indicates that this material is a promising candidate for ultrashort laser pulses manipulations

Performance analysis of coherent optical scatterometry

Scatterometry is a well established technique currently utilized in research, as well as in industrial applications, to retrieve the properties of a given scatterer (the target) by looking at how the light coming from a certain source is diffracted in the far field. Currently the light source is often a discharge lamp that, after wavelength filtering, can be thought as a quasi-monochromatic, but spatially incoherent, source. In the present work, benefits of using a focused spot from a spatially coherent light source, as that emitted by a laser, are investigated on a theoretical viewpoint. The focused spot is scanned over the object of interest and, for each scan position, a far-field diffraction pattern is recorded. Our results show that spatially coherent light can sensibly increase the accuracy of the technique with respect to the target’s geometrical profile.Imaging Science and TechnologyApplied Science