Search

L’armée suisse s’engage dans une approche de planification axée sur les capacités pour assurer son développement. Déjà adoptée par plusieurs forces armées dans le monde, cette démarche a soulevé de nombreux problèmes. Pour éviter de subir des revers similaires, l’armée suisse doit maîtriser les mécanismes de cette méthode et assurer son application rigoureuse., Politique de sécurité: analyses du CSS, 298, ISSN:2296-0228

Der Einmarsch Russlands in die Ukraine bringt unzählige neue Herausforderungen mit sich, auch für die französische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik. Die Anforderungen an Frankreichs Verteidigungsindustrie steigen zunehmend. Die französischen Streitkräfte werden heute mehr denn je seit dem Ende des Kalten Krieges gebraucht, um die Verteidigung Europas zu gewährleisten., CSS Analysen zur Sicherheitspolitik, 307, ISSN:2296-0236

In diesem Teil des Bulletin beschäftigen sich Constant Despont, Dominika Kunertova und Niklas Masuhr mit dem militärischen Einsatz von Drohnen, welche aus militärischen Operationen nicht mehr wegzudenken sind. Zugleich wäre es aber übertrieben, von einer durch Drohnen verursachten militärischen Revolution zu sprechen. Aufgrund des offensiven Potenzials steigender Autonomie der Systeme ist auf absehbare Zeit keine rein technologische Lösung zur Drohnenabwehr zu erwarten. Despont, Kunertova und Masuhr argumentieren dementsprechend mit Blick auf die Schweiz, dass Drohnen eine gesamtstaatliche Aufgabe sind und bleiben., In this part of the Bulletin, Constant Despont, Dominika Kunertova and Niklas Masuhr look at the military use of drones, which have become an integral part of military operations. At the same time, however, it would be an exaggeration to speak of a military revolution caused by drones. Given the offensive potential of increasing autonomy of the systems, no purely technological solution to drone defense can be expected in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, Despont, Kunertova and Masuhr argue with regard to Switzerland that drones are and will remain a responsibility of the state., Bulletin zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik, ISSN:1024-0608, Bulletin 2022 zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik, ISBN:978-3-905696-88-2

Die Schweizer Armee befindet sich derzeit in einer Übergangsphase hin zu einem fähigkeitsbasierten Entwicklungsansatz. Mehrere Streitkräfte auf der ganzen Welt haben dies bereits vorgemacht und sind dabei auf Hindernisse gestossen. Damit die Schweizer Armee ähnliche Rückschläge vermeiden kann, muss sie sich auf den Kern der fähigkeitsbasierten Planungsmethode und deren strikte Anwendung konzentrieren., CSS Analysen zur Sicherheitspolitik, 298, ISSN:2296-0236

The Swiss Armed Forces are currently in a transition phase to base their development on a capability-based approach. Several armed forces worldwide have already implemented this and encountered problems. To avoid similar setbacks, it is necessary for the Swiss Armed Forces to focus on the core of the capability-based planning method, including its rigorous application., CSS Analyses in Security Policy, 298, ISSN:2296-0244

L’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie amène une myriade de nouveaux défis, ceci y compris pour la politique française de défense. Les demandes pour son industrie de défense sont en hausse. Maintenant plus que jamais depuis la fin de la guerre froide, les forces armées françaises sont indispensables pour assurer la défense de l’Europe.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a myriad of new challenges, including for French security and defense policies. Demand for its defense industries is rising. The French armed forces are now more than ever needed since the end of the Cold War to ensure the defense of Europe., CSS Analyses in Security Policy, 307, ISSN:2296-0244

Das Bulletin 2022 befasst sich erneut mit aktuellen Themen der schweizerischen Aussen- und Sicherheitspolitik. Es wird eröffnet durch ein Interview mit Bundespräsident und Vorsteher des Eidgenössischen Departements für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA), Ignazio Cassis. In den darauffolgenden fünf Beiträgen beschäftigen sich unsere Autoren mit Militärischer Drohnennutzung (Constant Despont, Dominika Kunertova und Niklas Masuhr), der sicherheits- und verteidigungspolitischen Zusammenarbeit der Schweiz im Schatten des Ukraine-Krieges (Amos Dossi und Sophie-Charlotte Fischer), Prioritäten der Schweizer UNO-Sicherheitsrats-Mitgliedschaft (Fabien Merz), den Querverbindungen zwischen der Friedensmediation und dem Klimaschutz (Simon J. A. Mason und Olivia Lazard), und der Rolle von Technologie bei der Beobachtung von Waffenstillständen (Alexander Hug und Simon J. A. Mason). Wie jedes Jahr stellt auch dieses Bulletin zudem drei Projekte des CSS vor., The 2022 issue of the CSS’ annual “Bulletin on Swiss Security Policy” again deals with current issues in Swiss foreign and security policy. It starts with an interview with Federal President and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Ignazio Cassis. In the following five contributions, our authors address the use of drones in the military (Constant Despont, Dominika Kunertova and Niklas Masuhr), Switzerland's security and defense policy cooperation in the shadow of the Ukraine war (Amos Dossi and Sophie-Charlotte Fischer), Swiss priorities in its UN Security Council membership (Fabien Merz), the interconnections between peace mediation and climate protection (Simon J.A. Mason and Olivia Lazard), and the role of technology in monitoring ceasefires (Alexander Hug and Simon J.A. Mason). As every year, this Bulletin also presents three CSS projects., Bulletin zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik, ISSN:1024-0608, ISBN:978-3-905696-88-2

Recently lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) has emerged as a promising platform for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) owing to the material’s high second order nonlinearity, a large transparency window and high piezo electric coefficients. Published results on LNOI range from efficient electro-optic modulators [1] to broadband supercontinua [2] – [4] . However, lithium niobate has a comparably high sensitivity towards optical damage processes such as photorefractive damage [5] , [6] . Their exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood and the impact on the long-term stability of LNOI devices has not yet been examined. Here, we present long-term measurements showing that during 400 hours of continuous irradiation with a mode-locked laser the supercontinuum spectrum remains stable.

We demonstrate that lithium niobate integrated photonics allows for reliable nonlinear applications under continuous femtosecond laser irradiation. Over >100 hours, a stable octave-spanning supercontinuum plus second-harmonic generation allows for direct self-referencing of a frequency comb.

The paper describes the fabrication of a silicon carbide piezoresistive pressure sensors intended for operating temperatures of up to 600°C. The different fabrication aspects, such as the metallization scheme, the etching of a 300μm deep cavity, and the bonding to a silicon carbide back plate are discussed in detail.

In future space missions for Universe and Earth Observation, scientific return could be optimized using MOEMS devices. Large micromirror arrays (MMA) are used for designing new generation of instruments. In Universe Observation, multi-object spectrographs (MOS) are powerful tools for space and ground-based telescopes for the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies. This technique requires a programmable slit mask for astronomical object selection; 2D micromirror arrays are perfectly suited for this task. In Earth Observation, removing dynamically the straylight at the entrance of spectrographs could be obtained by using a Smart Slit, composed of a 1D micro-mirror array as a gating device. We are currently engaged in a European development of micro-mirror arrays, called MIRA, exhibiting remarkable performances in terms of surface quality as well as ability to work at cryogenic temperatures. MMA with 100 × 200 μm2 single-crystal silicon micromirrors were successfully designed, fabricated and tested down to 162 K. In order to fill large focal planes (mosaicing of several chips), we are currently developing large micromirror arrays to be integrated with their electronics. 1D and 2D arrays are built on wafer with Through Wafer Vias in order to allow routing of the device on wafer backside, foreseeing integration with dedicated ASICs. The yield of these devices as well as contrast enhancement have been successfully implemented.

PurposeVarious profibrotic and proinflammatory cytokines have been found upregulated in uncomplicated primary retinal detachment (pRD), but without providing a uniform picture. Here, we compare the cyto- and chemokine profiles in pRD with and without proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in an attempt to unravel relevant differences not in single cytokines, but in the cytokine profiles at diagnosis.MethodsUndiluted vitreous fluid (VF) was obtained at the beginning of surgery from 174 eyes with pRD without relevant PVR (maximally grade B; group 1; n = 81) and with moderate or advanced PVR requiring a gas tamponade (group 2; n = 49) or silicon oil filling (group 3; n = 44). VF of eyes undergoing macular hole (MH) surgery served as controls (group 4; n = 26). Forty-three cytokines were quantified in parallel using a multiplex cytokine analysis system (Bioplex). For all comparisons we applied Holm's correction to control for multiple comparisons.Results44.9% of group 2 eyes presented grade C1 and 55.1% C2-C3, whereas 86.4% of group 3 eyes exhibited a PVR grade of C2-D. CCL19 was the only cytokine that displayed higher concentrations in the vitreous of eyes with PVR C1 compared to lower PVR grades. Eyes with PVR C2-D showed higher levels of CCL27, CXCL6, IL4, IL16, CXCL10, CCL8, CCL22, MIG/CXCL9, CCL15, CCL19, CCL 23 and CXCL12 compared to controls. Interestingly, no difference of cytokine levels was detected between C1 and C2-D PVR.ConclusionsCCL19 may represent a potential biomarker for early PVR progression that holds promise for future diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Immune system failure in primary antibody deficiencies (PADs) has been linked to recurrent infections, autoimmunity, and cancer, yet clinical judgment is often based on the reactivity to a restricted panel of antigens. Previously, we demonstrated that the human repertoire of carbohydrate-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) exhibits modular organization related to glycan epitope structure. The current study compares the glycan-specific IgG repertoires between different PAD entities. Distinct repertoire profiles with extensive qualitative glycan-recognition defects were observed, which are characterized by the common loss of Galα and GalNAc reactivity and disease-specific recognition of microbial antigens, self-antigens, and tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens. Antibody repertoire analysis may provide a useful tool to elucidate the degree and the clinical implications of immune system failure in individual patients.

Magnetic ordering of the first row transition metal intercalates of NbS$_2$ due to coupling between the conduction electrons and the intercalated ions has been explained in terms of Fermi surface nesting. We use angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the Fermi surface topology and the valence band structure of the quasi-two-dimensional layer compounds Mn$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ and Ni$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$. Charge transfer from the intercalant species to the host layer leads to non-uniform, pocket selective doping of the Fermi surface. The implication of our results on the nesting properties are discussed.

In the context of xenotransplantation, in ischemia/reperfusion injury as well as in cardiovascular research, the study of the fascinating interplay between endothelial cells (EC) and the plasma cascade systems often requires in vitro models. Blood vessels are hardly reproducible with standard flat-bed culture systems and flow-plate assays are limited in their low surface-to-volume ratio which impedes the study of the anticoagulant properties of the endothelial cells. According to the 3R regulations (reduce, replace and refine animal experimentation) we developed a closed circuit microfluidic in vitro system in which endothelial cells are cultured in 3D round section microchannels and subjected to physiological, pulsatile flow. In this study, a 3D monolayer of porcine aortic EC was perfused with human serum to mimic a xenotransplantation setting. Complement as well as EC activation was assessed in the presence or absence of complement inhibitors showing the versatility of the model for drug testing. Complement activation products as well as E-selectin expression were detected and visualized in situ by high resolution confocal microscopy. Furthermore, porcine pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as soluble complement components in the recirculating fluid phase were detected after human serum perfusion providing a better overview of the artificial vascular environment.

We have designed, fabricated and tested narrow-band Fabry-Perot filters in the infrared using gold porous mirrors and a silicon spacer layer. The filter peaks at 10 μm and 15 μm have approximately 10% transmission and a 1.5% linewidth. A Fabry-Perot structure with plane metal layers having a similar linewidth would have a transmission of only 0.2%. Thus, for the same linewidth we have improved the transmission by a factor of 50. Apart from the optical enhancements, these filters also have the advantage that they can be made inexpensively in a standard silicon MEMS technology and that their resonances can be finely tuned through post processing.

Myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury contributes to almost half of the necrotic area after myocardial infarction. To date there is no approved drug to prevent or reduce myocardial I/R injury. The study and understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of myocardial I/R injury is essential to develop successful treatments. Large animal experiments are an important step in translational methods. The porcine model of acute myocardial infarction has been established and described by ourselves and others. We aimed to further improve the value of the model by focusing in detail on the sampling techniques for use in future experiments. Furthermore, we emphasize small but important steps that can affect the quality of the final results. To mimic the clinical situation of myocardial I/R injury, a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) catheter was inserted into the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of an anesthetized pig. degrees degrees degrees This model mimics acute myocardial infarction and PCI treatment in humans with the possibility of accurately determining the area at risk as well as the necrotic-and viable ischemic tissue. Here the model was used to investigate the effect of a bicyclic peptide inhibitor of FXIIa. The model can also be modified to allow longer reperfusion times to study later effects of myocardial infarction.