Preface to the theme issue 'Durability and ageing of composite materials'.

The issue focuses on ageing and durability of composite materials for industrial applications. Ageing and durability are two fundamental topics within the context of design and optimization of materials and structures: ageing may induce degradation and leads to premature failure. Therefore, understanding the main ageing mechanisms is of paramount importance for predicting material durability.

Benzodiazepines Withdrawal: Initial Outcomes and Long-Term Impact on Falls in a French Nursing Home.

Long-term use of benzodiazepines (BZDs) is known to induce tolerance and dependence, and increase the risk of falls-related injuries in older adults. We present a study carried out in a French nursing home that concerns the implementation of a BZD withdrawal program reassessed at one year. BZD deprescription was achieved by gradual cessation of doses.

Efficient coupling between dielectric-loaded plasmonic and silicon photonic waveguides.

The realization of practical on-chip plasmonic devices will require efficient coupling of light into and out of surface plasmon waveguides over short length scales. In this letter, we report on low insertion loss for polymer-on-gold dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguides end-coupled to silicon-on-insulator waveguides with a coupling efficiency of 79 ± 2% per transition at telecommunication wavelengths. Propagation loss is determined independently of insertion loss by measuring the transmission through plasmonic waveguides of varying length, and we find a characteristic surface-plasmon propagation length of 51 ± 4 μm at a free-space wavelength of λ = 1550 nm.

Optical gain, spontaneous and stimulated emission of surface plasmon polaritons in confined plasmonic waveguide.

We develop a theoretical model to compute the local density of states in a confined plasmonic waveguide. Based on this model, we derive a simple formula with a clear physical interpretation for the lifetime modification of emitters embedded in the waveguide. The gain distribution within the active medium is then computed following the formalism developed in a recent work [Phys.

Leakage radiation microscopy of surface plasmon coupled emission: investigation of gain-assisted propagation in an integrated plasmonic waveguide.

Using a single-mode dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguide doped with quantum dots, we were able to slightly increase the propagation length of the mode by stimulated emission of plasmon. We analyse the amplification phenomenon in the visible range by combining leakage radiation microscopy and surface plasmon coupled emission techniques.

Gain-assisted propagation in a plasmonic waveguide at telecom wavelength.

The spatial confinement of surface plasmon polaritons is a promising route for realizing optical on-board interconnects. However, mode losses increase with the confinement factor. To overcome this road block, we investigate propagation assisted by stimulated emission in a polymer strip-loaded plasmonic waveguide doped with nanocrystals.

Differential method for modeling dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides.

This paper demonstrates the efficiency of the differential method, a conventional grating theory, to investigate dielectric loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides (DLSPPWs), known to be a potential solution for optical interconnects. The method is used to obtain the mode effective indices (both real and imaginary parts) and the mode profiles. The results obtained with the differential method are found to be in good agreement with those provided by the effective index method or finite elements.