Photonic Quasicrystals for Filtering Application

In this chapter, we study the properties of specific one dimensional photonic quasicrystal (PQCs), in order to design an output multichannel filter. We calculate the transmittance spectrum which exhibits a photonic band gap (PBG), based on the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) and the two-fluid model. We show that the generalized Thue-Morse (GTM) and generalized Fibonacci GF(m, n) distributions provide a stacking of similar output multichannel with zero transmission when the input was a sharp resonance of peaks at given n = 2 pm where p , is a positive integer. Also, we consider GTM configuration and we apply a deformation y = x h + 1 along the PQC filter, which enhanced the band width of each channel with respect to the number of peaks inside the main transmittance. Here, the coefficient h represents the deformation degree, x and y are thicknesses of the layers before and after the deformation, respectively. This improves the characteristics of PBG

Burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in the Middle Eastern and North African pediatric population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) is the most common cause of severe childhood diarrhea worldwide. Objectives were to estimate the burden of RVGE among children less than five years old in the Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Yemen), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia) and Turkey.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A comprehensive literature search was conducted in major databases on the epidemiology and burden of rotavirus among children less than five years old between 1999 and 2009. Data from each country was extracted and compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The search identified 43 studies. RVGE was identified in 16-61% of all cases of acute gastroenteritis, with a peak in the winter. RVGE-related hospitalization rates ranged from 14% to 45%, compared to 14%-28% for non-RVGE. Annually, RVGE caused up to 112 fatalities per 100,000 in certain countries in the region. Hospitalization costs ranged from $1.8 to$4.6 million annually, depending on the country. The most recent literature available showed that G1P[8] was the most prevalent genotype combination in 8 countries (range 23%-56%). G2P[4] was most prevalent in 4 countries (26%-48%). G9P[8] and G4P[8] were also frequently detected.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>RVGE is a common disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Given the variety and diverse rotavirus types in the region, use of a vaccine with broad and consistent serotype coverage would be important to help decrease the burden of RVGE in the Middle East and North Africa.</p

Sleep problems during COVID-19 pandemic and its’ association to psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The emerging novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become one of the leading cause of deaths worldwide in 2020. The present systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the magnitude of sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with psychological distress. Methods: Five academic databases (Scopus, PubMed Central, ProQuest, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Embase) were searched. Observational studies including case-control studies and cross-sectional studies were included if relevant data relationships were reported (i.e., sleep assessed utilizing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index or Insomnia Severity Index). All the studies were English, peer-reviewed papers published between December 2019 and February 2021. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020181644. Findings: 168 cross-sectional, four case-control, and five longitudinal design papers comprising 345,270 participants from 39 countries were identified. The corrected pooled estimated prevalence of sleep problems were 31% among healthcare professionals, 18% among the general population, and 57% among COVID-19 patients (all p-values < 0.05). Sleep problems were associated with depression among healthcare professionals, the general population, and COVID-19 patients, with Fisher's Z scores of -0.28, -0.30, and -0.36, respectively. Sleep problems were positively (and moderately) associated with anxiety among healthcare professionals, the general population, and COVID-19 patients, with Fisher's z scores of 0.55, 0.48, and 0.49, respectively. Interpretation: Sleep problems appear to have been common during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, sleep problems were found to be associated with higher levels of psychological distress. With the use of effective programs treating sleep problems, psychological distress may be reduced. Vice versa, the use of effective programs treating psychological distress, sleep problems may be reduced

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Tunable defect modes through the (YBCO-Yttria) based on Octonacci photonic quasicrystals

The transmission spectra by a one-dimensional (1D) inhomogeneous stratified medias organized following the Octonacci sequence are investigated. The transfer-matrix method and the Frequency-dependent dispersion formula according to the two-fluid Gorter–Casimir theory are deployed. The proposed hetero-structures are made up of Yttrium oxide, known as yttria, Y2O3 (A) and superconductor (B): yttrium–barium–copper oxide (YBa2Cu3O7), resulting in the (BTO/Y2O3)N/YBCO/(Y2O3/BTO)N multilayered nanostructure array. We report the localization of modes through the multilayered stacks built according to the inflation rule of quasi-periodic Octonacci sequence. Localized defect modes were obtained for specific generation of Octonacci structure and for both TE and TM modes. The optical properties exhibiting different regions with zero transmission called photonic bandgaps (PBGs) that can be tuned by Octonacci order and temperature of Bulk superconductor. The performance of defect modes that allows the propagation of optical signals and the inter-channels are evaluated by tailoring the superconductor temperature, the Octonacci order, the direction of the incident wave, and the deformation degree (parameter that control the thickness of superconductor lattices). The proposed system exhibits similar localized resonators operating at cryogenic temperature environments. We verify that bandgaps modifications are influenced by the deformation strain applied along whole thicknesses slab

Theoretical Study of Tunable Optical Resonators in Periodic and Quasiperiodic One-Dimensional Photonic Structures Incorporating a Nematic Liquid Crystal

In this work, the transfer matrix method (TMM) is employed to investigate the optical properties of one-dimensional periodic and quasiperiodic photonic crystals containing nematic liquid crystal (NLC) layers. This structure is expressed as (ABC)J(CBA)J and made of alternated layers of isotropic dielectrics SiO2 (A), BGO (B) and nematic liquid crystal (C). The simulation study shows that the proposed ternary configuration exhibits tunable defect mode within the photonic band gap (PBG) that can be manipulated by adjusting the thicknesses of NLC layers in order of the periodic lattice. In addition, the optimized structure permits for strong confinement light giving rise to an optical microcavity. The application of an applied voltage into NLC layers enables improving the sensitivity by guiding the local defect mode. It has been also shown that by applying quasiperiodic inflation according to Rudin Shapiro Sequence (RSS) scheme to main periodic structure, several tunable resonant modes appear within the PBG. The presence of such sharp resonant peaks reflects that the quasiperiodic NLC-based structure behaves like multiple microcavites with strong light-matter coupling

Optimized Omnidirectional High-Reflectance Using Octonacci Photonic Crystal for Thermographic Sensing Applications

The transmittance of waves through one-dimensional periodic and Octonacci photonic structures was studied using the theoretical transfer matrix method for both wave-polarization-modes. The first structures were made up of the SiO2 and TiO2 materials. The objective here was to obtain a broad omnidirectional high reflector covering the infrared spectrum of a thermographic camera [1–14 µm] and, especially, to prevent the transmission of emitted human body peak radiation λmax = 9.341 µm. By comparing the periodic and Octonacci structures, we found that the last structure presented a main and wide photonic band gap near this human radiation. For that, we kept only the Octonacci structure for the rest of the study. The first structure did not give the aspired objective; thus, we replaced the TiO2 layers with yttrium barium copper oxide material, and a significant enhancement of the omnidirectional photonic band gap was found for both TE and TM polarization modes. It was shown that the width of this band was sensitive to the Octonacci iteration number and the optical thickness (by changing the reference wavelength), but it was not affected by the ambient temperature. The number of layers and the thickness of the structure was optimized while improving the omnidirectional high reflector properties

Tunable Multi-Band-Stop Filters Using Generalized Fibonacci Photonic Crystals for Optical Communication Applications

In this study, a numerical investigation of photonic quasi-periodic Generalized Fibonacci (GF) (m, n) sequences is carried out in the visible spectrum. The transfer matrix method is employed to study the behavior of wave propagation through the photonic structures. Firstly and to highlight the importance of the GF structure, its transmittance spectrum is compared to those of periodic and ordinary Fibonacci structures. It is shown that the GF structure permits one to obtain multi-photonic band gaps (PBGs) separated by several resonance modes. The variation in the parameter m of the GF (m, 1) structure allows for the tuning of the number, the position and the width of these bands. By changing the parameter m, the wavelengths (650, 850, 1300, and 1550 nm) of the plastic and glass optical fibers can be allowed or forbidden to transmit through the structure according to the value of this parameter. In contrast, the variation in the parameter n for GF (1, n) hides all PBGs and only permits the appearance of several Kiessig fringes. The proposed structures can find application as tunable multi-band-stop filters for optical fiber wavelengths

Inguinoscrotal hernia revealing a testicular hemangioma: Report of a neonatal case

Testicular hemangioma (TH) is a congenital, uncommon and non-malignant testicular tumor. In the following report, we present a child who was brought to our emergency department with swelling of the right scrotum. Investigations were consistent with a TH and an associated hernia. We conducted an inguinal exploration given the hernia accompanying the TH. The pathological tissue findings were suggestive of a TH. In our further research, we found that this was the first neonatal hemangioma in the literature. It's important to know that an inguinal hernia can lead to the non-recognition of certain tumors