41 research outputs found
Nonlinear optical processes in resonant GaAs-based nanoantennas
This PhD dissertation presents a systematic study in the linear and nonlinear optical properties of all-dielectric systems grounded on GaAs-based nanoantennas. First, I introduce a new nonlinear microscopy technique that determines the crystalline orientation of individual (100)-AlGaAs nanoantennas. The nonlinear microscopy technique, based in a point-scanning nonlinear microscope and structured light incidence, retrieves nonlinear intensity patterns which describe the crystalline orientation of the nanoantennas through the polarisation-dependency of the nonlinear process. The study of the nonlinear intensity maps indicate the transverse electric field components play a main role in the generation of harmonics. Also, the use of this nonlinear microscopy technique proved the generation of resonantly enhanced harmonic processes, driven by the presence of anapole-assisted modes.
Considering the main role of transverse electric field components in the harmonic generation of (100)-AlGaAs nanoantennas, a linearly polarised beam was used to study the properties of second-harmonic generation. A high conversion efficiency was demonstrated using (100)-AlGaAs nanoantennas, together with the generation of nonlinear nanoscale light sources emitting vector beams. In addition, continuous control in the transition between electric and magnetic second-harmonic generation was demonstrated. In all the studies using (100)-AlGaAs nanoantennas, zero normal second-harmonic generation was observed due to the symmetry of the second order nonlinear tensor. Normal second-harmonic generation can be attained when the symmetry of the system is reduced. This can be realised by extrinsic changes such as the design of asymmetric nanoantennas or the use of non-normal incidence. Another approach is to perform intrinsic changes such as changing the orientation of the nonlinear tensor through the fabrication of GaAs nanoantennas along different crystalline axis. Using the last approach, normal second-harmonic generation was realised as well as engineered second-harmonic emission from GaAs nanoantennas. Under the simple case of normal incidence, polarisation-independent conversion efficiencies and normal second-harmonic generation were demonstrated in (111)-GaAs nanoantennas. In addition to normal second-harmonic generation, control over the forward and backward second-harmonic emission was demonstrated in (110)-GaAs nanoantennas, including the case of nonlinear unidirectional emission.
While the previous studies were dedicated to the fundamentals of second-harmonic generation in GaAs-based nanoantennas, in the last part of this thesis I discuss the potential applications of GaAs metasurfaces to perform infrared up-conversion. Attractive nonlinear properties from (110)-GaAs metasurfaces are anticipated, due to the observed capabilities of (110)-GaAs nanoantennas. Enhancement of second-harmonic generation and sum-frequency generation was demonstrated in GaAs metasurfaces, through the excitation of electric and magnetic modes at the incident wavelengths. More interestingly, up-conversion of an invisible infrared image to the visible spectrum was demonstrated using (110)-GaAs metasurfaces, via sum-frequency generation. The sum-frequency generation process, originated in the metasurface, enabled the realisation of visible images which can be resolved in the femtosecond regime and can be detected by a conventional CCD camera
Spatially entangled photon-pairs from lithium niobate nonlocal metasurfaces
Metasurfaces consisting of nano-scale structures are underpinning new
physical principles for the creation and shaping of quantum states of light.
Multi-photon states that are entangled in spatial or angular domains are an
essential resource for quantum imaging and sensing applications, however their
production traditionally relies on bulky nonlinear crystals. We predict and
demonstrate experimentally the generation of spatially entangled photon pairs
through spontaneous parametric down-conversion from a metasurface incorporating
a nonlinear thin film of lithium niobate. This is achieved through nonlocal
resonances with tailored angular dispersion mediated by an integrated silica
meta-grating, enabling control of the emission pattern and associated quantum
states of photon pairs by designing the grating profile and tuning the pump
frequency. We measure the correlations of photon positions and identify their
spatial anti-bunching through violation of the classical Cauchy-Schwartz
inequality, witnessing the presence of multi-mode entanglement. Simultaneously,
the photon-pair rate is strongly enhanced by 450 times as compared to
unpatterned films due to high-quality-factor metasurface resonances, and the
coincidence to accidental ratio reaches 5000. These results pave the way to
miniaturization of various quantum devices by incorporating ultra-thin
metasurfaces functioning as room-temperature sources of quantum-entangled
photons
Opto-thermal dynamics of thin-film optical limiters based on the VO2 phase transition
Protection of human eyes or sensitive detectors from high-intensity laser radiation is an important challenge in modern light technologies. Metasurfaces have proved to be valuable tools for such light control, but the actual possibility of merging multiple materials in the nanofabrication process hinders their application. Here we propose and numerically investigate the opto-thermal properties of plane multilayered structures with phase-change materials for optical limiters. Our structure relies on thin-film VO2 phase change material on top of a gold film and a sapphire substrate. We show how such a multi-layer structure can act as a self-activating device that exploits light-to-heat conversion to induce a phase change in the VO2 layer. We implement a numerical model to describe the temporal evolution of the temperature and transmittivity across the device under both a continuous wave and pulsed illumination. Our results open new opportunities for multi-layer self-activating optical limiters and may be extended to devices based on other phase change materials or different spectral regions
La experiencia, la mirada y la investigación: Una lectura al quehacer del Maestro desde la Práctica Pedagógica.
Se presentan algunas reflexiones y construcciones realizadas alrededor de la práctica pedagógica, así como un acercamiento a ciertas problematizaciones que surgen desde el ejercicio de práctica de un grupo de licenciadas en biología en formación. Se trata de una mirada crítica a algunas de las dimensiones que constituyen el quehacer del maestro, donde el foco de tal mirada es la pedagogía y el lente, la investigación, una mirada al propio quehacer y al quehacer del otro, donde confluyen diversos elementos que al parecer constituyen lo que denominamos práctica pedagógica
Third-harmonic generation and imaging with resonant Si membrane metasurface
Dielectric metasurfaces play an increasingly important role in enhancing optical nonlinear generations owing to their ability to support strong light-matter interactions based on Mie-type multipolar resonances. Compared to metasurfaces composed of the periodic arrangement of nanoparticles, inverse, so-called, membrane metasurfaces offer unique possibilities for supporting multipolar resonances, while maintaining small unit cell size, large mode volume and high field enhancement for enhancing nonlinear frequency conversion. Here, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the formation of bound states in the continuum (BICs) from silicon dimer-hole membrane metasurfaces. We demonstrate that our BIC-formed resonance features a strong and tailorable electric near-field confinement inside the silicon membrane films. Furthermore, we show that by tuning the gap between the holes, one can open a leaky channel to transform these regular BICs into quasi-BICs, which can be excited directly under normal plane wave incidence. To prove the capabilities of such metasurfaces, we demonstrate the conversion of an infrared image to the visible range, based on the Third-harmonic generation (THG) process with the resonant membrane metasurfaces. Our results suggest a new paradigm for realising efficient nonlinear photonics metadevices and hold promise for extending the applications of nonlinear structuring surfaces to new types of all-optical near-infrared imaging technologies
Population based prostate cancer screening in north Mexico reveals a high prevalence of aggressive tumors in detected cases
Background: Prostate Cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent neoplasia in men worldwide. Previous reports suggest that the prevalence of PCa in Hispanic males is lower than in Africans (including communities with African ancestry) and Caucasians, but higher than in Asians. Despite these antecedents, there are few reports of open population screenings for PCa in Latin American communities. This article describes the results of three consecutive screenings in the urban population of Monterrey, Mexico. Methods: After receiving approval from our University Hospital's Internal Review Board (IRB), the screening was announced by radio, television, and press, and it was addressed to male subjects over 40 years old in general. Subjects who consented to participate were evaluated at the primary care clinics of the University Health Program at UANL, in the Metropolitan area of Monterrey. Blood samples were taken from each subject for prostate specific antigen (PSA) determination; they underwent a digital rectal examination (DRE), and were subsequently interviewed to obtain demographic and urologic data. Based on the PSA (>4.0 ng/ml) and DRE results, subjects were appointed for transrectal biopsy (TRB). Results: A total of 973 subjects were screened. Prostate biopsy was recommended to 125 men based on PSA values and DRE results, but it was performed in only 55 of them. 15 of these biopsied men were diagnosed with PCa, mostly with Gleason scores ≥ 7. Conclusion: Our results reflect a low prevalence of PCa in general, but a high occurrence of high grade lesions (Gleason ≥ 7) among patients that resulted positive for PCa. This observation remarks the importance of the PCa screening programs in our Mexican community and the need for strict follow-up campaigns
Population based prostate cancer screening in north Mexico reveals a high prevalence of aggressive tumors in detected cases
Background: Prostate Cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent neoplasia in men worldwide. Previous reports suggest that the prevalence of PCa in Hispanic males is lower than in Africans (including communities with African ancestry) and Caucasians, but higher than in Asians. Despite these antecedents, there are few reports of open population screenings for PCa in Latin American communities. This article describes the results of three consecutive screenings in the urban population of Monterrey, Mexico. Methods: After receiving approval from our University Hospital's Internal Review Board (IRB), the screening was announced by radio, television, and press, and it was addressed to male subjects over 40 years old in general. Subjects who consented to participate were evaluated at the primary care clinics of the University Health Program at UANL, in the Metropolitan area of Monterrey. Blood samples were taken from each subject for prostate specific antigen (PSA) determination; they underwent a digital rectal examination (DRE), and were subsequently interviewed to obtain demographic and urologic data. Based on the PSA (>4.0 ng/ml) and DRE results, subjects were appointed for transrectal biopsy (TRB). Results: A total of 973 subjects were screened. Prostate biopsy was recommended to 125 men based on PSA values and DRE results, but it was performed in only 55 of them. 15 of these biopsied men were diagnosed with PCa, mostly with Gleason scores ≥ 7. Conclusion: Our results reflect a low prevalence of PCa in general, but a high occurrence of high grade lesions (Gleason ≥ 7) among patients that resulted positive for PCa. This observation remarks the importance of the PCa screening programs in our Mexican community and the need for strict follow-up campaigns
POR UNA CULTURA DE PAZ: UNA MIRADA DESDE LAS CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA
En
virtud
de
lo
anterior,
los
estudiosos
de
las
ciencias
de
la
conducta
de
la
Universidad
Autónoma
del
Estado
de
México,
ante
la
persistencia
y
proliferación
de
estos
hechos
en
diversas
partes
del
Mundo
y
de
nuestro
país
en
particular, se
convocó
a
los
estudiosos
interesados
y
a
la
sociedad
en
general
a
presentar
trabajos
para
analizar,
debatir
y
proponer
estrategias
de
acción
y
dirección,
que
fortalezcan
una
convivencia y bienestar con sentido humanista para una cultura de paz.
El
presente
texto
es
producto
de
esta convocatoria
que
recoge
los
trabajos
de
los
interesados
en
la
temática,
de
diferentes
países
(España,
Argentina,
Cuba,
Brasil,
Costa
Rica
y
México)
retomando
con
ello
sus
experiencias
relativas
al
estudio,
análisis,
comprensión
e
instrumentación
de
la
cultura
de
paz
en
los
distintos
ámbitos
institucionales
en
los
que
participan:
educativo,
salud,
penitenciario,
social,
laboral,
familia,
alimentario,
psicológico,
por
mencionar
algunos.
El
presente
libro,
propicia
un
espacio
de
reflexión,
diálogo
y
posicionamiento
de
las
ciencias
de
la
conducta
para
la
apropiación,
análisis,
debate
y
propuestas
que
fortalezcan
una
cultura
de
paz
a
través
de
la
convivencia
y
el
bienestar
social
con
sentido
humanista.
El
sistema
económico
neoliberal
y
el
proceso
de
globalización
han
contribuido
al
logro
de
avances
significativos
en
la
ciencia
y
la
tecnología,
pero
también
han
propiciado
la
polarización
de
las
sociedades
lo
que
ha
impactado
de
manera
negativa
a
la
sociedad
en
su
conjunto,
pero
en
mayor
medida
a
los grupos
vulnerables. Dicha
polarización
ha
traído
consigo
un
desarrollo
desigual
del
mundo
que
se
expresa
de
diferentes
maneras
tanto
en
países
desarrollados
como
en
los
llamados
del
tercer
mundo,
en
donde
no
están
satisfechas
las
necesidades
humanas
elementales
de
todos
los
sectores
de
la
población,
siempre
falta
algo.
Si
a
esto
le
sumamos
los
conflictos
internacionales por
diferentes
motivos
que
enfrentan
algunas
naciones,
una
insuficiente
cobertura
educativa
y
de
salud,
desempleo
y
pobreza
extrema,
entre
otras
cosas;
estamos
frente
a
retos
de
gran
envergadura
para
los
gobiernos,
para
los
estudiosos
y
para
la
sociedad
civil
en
general. Uno
de
los
intentos
para
frenar
y prevenir
la
agudización
de
estas
problemáticas
es
la
cultura
de
paz,
cuyo
estudio
y propuestas
han
ido
avanzando
en
diferentes
sentidos
y
de
manera
favorable,
el
tema
está
presente
en
diferentes
Organismos
Internacionales
como
la
ONU,
la
UNESCO,
la
OCDE,
El
Banco
Mundial,
entre
otros.
Pero
falta
mucho
por
hacer.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Méxic
Utilization of mechanical power and associations with clinical outcomes in brain injured patients: a secondary analysis of the extubation strategies in neuro-intensive care unit patients and associations with outcome (ENIO) trial
Background: There is insufficient evidence to guide ventilatory targets in acute brain injury (ABI). Recent studies have shown associations between mechanical power (MP) and mortality in critical care populations. We aimed to describe MP in ventilated patients with ABI, and evaluate associations between MP and clinical outcomes. Methods: In this preplanned, secondary analysis of a prospective, multi-center, observational cohort study (ENIO, NCT03400904), we included adult patients with ABI (Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 12 before intubation) who required mechanical ventilation (MV) ≥ 24 h. Using multivariable log binomial regressions, we separately assessed associations between MP on hospital day (HD)1, HD3, HD7 and clinical outcomes: hospital mortality, need for reintubation, tracheostomy placement, and development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Results: We included 1217 patients (mean age 51.2 years [SD 18.1], 66% male, mean body mass index [BMI] 26.3 [SD 5.18]) hospitalized at 62 intensive care units in 18 countries. Hospital mortality was 11% (n = 139), 44% (n = 536) were extubated by HD7 of which 20% (107/536) required reintubation, 28% (n = 340) underwent tracheostomy placement, and 9% (n = 114) developed ARDS. The median MP on HD1, HD3, and HD7 was 11.9 J/min [IQR 9.2-15.1], 13 J/min [IQR 10-17], and 14 J/min [IQR 11-20], respectively. MP was overall higher in patients with ARDS, especially those with higher ARDS severity. After controlling for same-day pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (P/F ratio), BMI, and neurological severity, MP at HD1, HD3, and HD7 was independently associated with hospital mortality, reintubation and tracheostomy placement. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) was greater at higher MP, and strongest for: mortality on HD1 (compared to the HD1 median MP 11.9 J/min, aRR at 17 J/min was 1.22, 95% CI 1.14-1.30) and HD3 (1.38, 95% CI 1.23-1.53), reintubation on HD1 (1.64; 95% CI 1.57-1.72), and tracheostomy on HD7 (1.53; 95%CI 1.18-1.99). MP was associated with the development of moderate-severe ARDS on HD1 (2.07; 95% CI 1.56-2.78) and HD3 (1.76; 95% CI 1.41-2.22). Conclusions: Exposure to high MP during the first week of MV is associated with poor clinical outcomes in ABI, independent of P/F ratio and neurological severity. Potential benefits of optimizing ventilator settings to limit MP warrant further investigation
Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study
Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research