22 research outputs found
Nonlinear interactions between high-Q optical and acoustic modes in dielectric particles
The interaction between acoustic breathing modes and optical Mie resonances in a spherical particle made
of a chalcogenide glass material is investigated by means of rigorous calculations, correct to any order
in the acousto-optic coupling parameter. Our results reveal the occurrence of strong effects beyond the
linear-response approximation, which lead to enhanced modulation of light by acoustic waves through
multiphonon exchange mechanisms when both photons and phonons have a very long lifetime inside the particle
Absolute spectral gaps for infrared light and hypersound in three-dimensional metallodielectric phoxonic crystals
By means of full electrodynamic and elastodynamic multiple-scattering calculations we study the
optical and acoustic properties of three-dimensional lattices of metallic nanospheres implanted in a
dielectric host. Our results show that such structures exhibit omnidirectional spectral gaps for both
telecom infrared light and hypersound, with relatively low absorptive losses. This class of dual
phoxonic band-gap materials is an essential step toward the hypersonic modulation of light and
could lead to the development of efficient acousto-optical devices
Light modulation in phoxonic nanocavities
We report on the occurrence of strong nonlinear acousto-optic interactions in phoxonic structures, that
support, simultaneously, acoustic and optical localized resonant modes, under the influence of acoustic
losses. Deploying a detailed theoretical investigation of the acousto-optic coupling in the specific case
of a one-dimensional phoxonic cavity, realized by homogeneous SiO2 and Si layers, we demonstrate
the possibility for an enhanced modulation of light with sound through multi-phonon exchange mechanisms.
A full electrodynamic and elastodynamic multiple scattering approach is employed to describe the
optical and acoustic modes, and to account for their mutual interaction and the underlying effects both in
time and frequency domains. In particular, we discuss the influence of hypersonic attenuation on the
acousto-optic interaction by considering typical acoustic losses in the GHz regime
...In Between...
Omid is a 15 years old refugee from Afghanistan. He and his family escaped persecution in their homeland and started their trip to Western Europe. They managed to reach Greece, but in the summer of 2016 the borders closed. His family was split. Now he lives in a refugee camp in Athens with his mother and sisters waiting for the family reunification decision. A short film about a young refugee, trying to come to terms with the liminality of the waiting status in a refugee camp in Greece. 
Neural network aided stochastic computations and earthquake engineering
Summarization: This article presents recent developments in the field of stochastic finite element analysis of structures and earthquake engineering aided by neural computations. The incorporation of neural networks (NN) in this type of problems is crucial since it leads to substantial reduction of the excessive computational cost. In particular, a hybrid method is presented for the simulation of homogeneous non-Gaussian stochastic fields with prescribed target marginal distribution and spectral density function. The presented method constitutes an efficient blending of the Deodatis-Micaletti method with a NN based function approximation. Earthquake-resistant design of structures using probabilistic safety analysis is an emerging field in structural engineering. We investigate the efficiency of soft computing methods when incorporated into the solution of computationally intensive earthquake engineering problems.Presented on: Computer Assisted Mechanics and Engineering Science
Incidence and cost of bleeding events requiring hospitalization in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with acenocoumarol in Greece
Background: To estimate the incidence of hemorrhagic events in patients
with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with acenocoumarol, and the
management cost of those requiring hospitalization in Greece.
Methods: A nationwide telephone survey was conducted between December
2017 and January 2018, to identify cardiologists who treat AF patients
with acenocoumarol. A total of 300 cardiologists were selected and
reported the number of AF acenocoumarol-treated patients during the past
12 months and the number of those who experienced a hemorrhagic event.
The hospital charges to sickness fund and the cost of resource
utilization of AF patients hospitalized between January 2013 and June
2017 at a tertiary hospital in Athens due to acenocoumarol-related
bleedings were retrieved.
Results: Out of 48,255 AF patients, 12,633 (26.2%) were treated with
acenocoumarol. In all, 5.1% of patients experienced a hemorrhagic event
with the incidence of bleeding requiring hospitalization being 1.7%.
The most common bleeding site was the gastrointestinal system (51.5%).
The mean (95% CI) management cost per bleeding event requiring
hospitalization was (sic)1,202 ((sic)1,058-(sic)1,420). The higher cost
was that of intracranial bleeding (sic)3,887 ((sic)2,700-(sic)5,046).
The expected annual economic burden for the management of bleedings
related to acenocoumarol and requiring hospitalization was estimated at
(sic)1,463,955.
Conclusions: The incidence of bleeding events in AF
acenocoumarol-treated patients in Greece as well as the estimated annual
economic burden for the management of bleeding events requiring
hospitalization, emphasize the need to comply with the current
guidelines and to optimize therapeutic strategies for the management of
AF side effects with oral anticoagulants, particularly in patients with
high bleeding risk. (C) 2020 Hellenic Society of Cardiology. Publishing
services by Elsevier B.V
Light modulation in phoxonic nanocavities
International audienceWe report on the occurrence of strong nonlinear acousto-optic interactions in phoxonic structures, that support, simultaneously, acoustic and optical localized resonant modes, under the influence of acoustic losses. Deploying a detailed theoretical investigation of the acousto-optic coupling in the specific case of a one-dimensional phoxonic cavity, realized by homogeneous SiO2 and Si layers, we demonstrate the possibility for an enhanced modulation of light with sound through multi-phonon exchange mechanisms. A full electrodynamic and elastodynamic multiple scattering approach is employed to describe the optical and acoustic modes, and to account for their mutual interaction and the underlying effects both in time and frequency domains. In particular, we discuss the influence of hypersonic attenuation on the acousto-optic interaction by considering typical acoustic losses in the GHz regime
Towards Functional Insect Feeds: Agri-Food By-Products Enriched with Post-Distillation Residues of Medicinal Aromatic Plants in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Breeding
Sustainability, circular economy and alternative production systems are urgent imperatives for humanity and animal husbandry. Unless wasted, agri-food by-products can offer a promising source of high value. We evaluated the effect of rice bran (RB), corncob (CC), potato peels (PP), solid biogas residues (BR), and olive-oil processing residuals (OR), as alternative substrates to wheat bran (WB as control), on the growth and nutritional value of Tenebrio molitor during its breeding for animal feeds and/or human consumption. Innovation-wise, we further investigated the substrate supplementation (0, 10, 20%) with post-distillation residues of Mediterranean aromatic-medicinal plants (MAPs: lavender, Greek oregano, rosemary, olive; 1:1:1:1 ratio). Tenebrio molitor larvae (TML) were reared in all the studied substrates, and TML and diets’ proximate and fatty acid compositions as well as total phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant potential were assessed using standard procedures. After statistical analysis of correlations, we observed that CC promoted oviposition and progeny survival; larval weight and dry matter were positively affected mainly by dietary energy and fat content; number of TML and/or larval weight increased using 10% MAPs inclusion in WB, RB and OR or RB, OR, BR and PP, respectively, which did not affect protein content; TML fatty acid composition decreased the content of saturated ones and increased that of mono-unsaturated ones; MAPs residues had an apparent favorable impact on total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of each substrate, with RB displaying the highest capacity and content. These findings indicate that alternative substrates can be exploited and their enrichment with natural phenolics is able to influence T. molitor growth, offering highly beneficial and nutritional value
TLR-4 and CD14 Genotypes and Soluble CD14: Could They Predispose to Coronary Atherosclerosis?
Background: Inflammatory mechanisms are key to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Functional polymorphisms of TLR-4, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile, CD14 promoter area C260T polymorphism and plasma levels of soluble CD14 are studied in subjects with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Methods: DNA was obtained from 100 human paraffin-embedded aortic specimens, from cadavers with known coronary atheromatosis (Group A) and 100 blood samples from patients with CAD, as detected by cardiac Multi-Detector-row-Computed-Tomography (MDCT) (Group B). Our control group consisted of 100 healthy individuals (Group C). Genotyping was performed by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR). Plasma levels of sCD14 were measured with ELISA. Results: For TLR-4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms, no statistically significant differences were observed. Regarding the C260T polymorphism, frequencies of T allele were significantly higher in the control group compared to the case group (p = 0.05). The Odds Ratio (OR) showed statistically significant association of TT genotype with healthy individuals (OR 0.25, 95% Confidence Interval CI 0.10–0.62, p = 0.0017). Plasma levels of sCD14 in patients with CAD (mean value = 1.35 μg/mL) were reduced when compared to reference value. Conclusions: The studied polymorphisms ofTLR-4 showed no association with CAD. Conversely, the functional polymorphism of CD14 has a statistically significant difference in expression between healthy and affected by CAD individuals