Optically Readable, Physically Unclonable Subwavelength Pixel via Multicolor Quantum Dot Printing for Anticounterfeiting.

We present a secure and user-friendly ultraminiaturized anticounterfeiting labeling technique─the color-encoded physical unclonable nanotag. These nanotags consist of subwavelength spots formed by random combinations of multicolor quantum dots, which are fabricated using a cost-efficient printing method developed in this study. The nanotags support over 170,000 different colors and are inherently resistant to cloning. Moreover, their high brightness and color purity, owing to the quantum dots, ensure an ease of readability. Additionally, these nanotags can function as color-encrypted pixels, enabling the incorporation of labels (such as QR codes) into ultrasmall physically unclonable hidden tags with a resolution exceeding 100,000 DPI. The unique blend of compactness, flexibility, and security positions the color-encoded nanotag as a potent and versatile solution for next-generation anticounterfeiting applications.

Smart Magnetic Optical Antenna for Automatic Nanoalignment and Photon Beaming from Prepatterned Single Quantum Dot Nanospot.

We present a unidirectional dielectric optical antenna, which can be chemically synthesized and controlled by magnetic fields. By applying magnetic fields, we successfully aligned an optical antenna on a prepatterned quantum dot nanospot with accuracy better than 40 nm. It confined the fluorescence emission into a 16-degree wide beam and enhanced the signal by 11.8 times. Moreover, the position of the antenna, and consequently the beam direction, can be controlled by simply adjusting the direction of the magnetic fields. Theoretical analyses show that this magnetic alignment technique is stable and accurate, providing a new strategy for building high-performance tunable nanophotonic devices.

High-Frequency Normalizing Flow for Image Rescaling.

It is desirable to develop efficient image rescaling methods to transmit digital images with different resolutions between devices and assure visual quality. In image downscaling, the inevitable loss of high-frequency information makes the reverse upscaling highly ill-posed. Recent approaches focus on joint learning of image downscaling and upscaling (e.g., rescaling). However, existing methods still fail to recover satisfactory high-frequency signals when upscaling. To solve it, we propose high-frequency flow (HfFlow), which learns the distribution of high-frequency signals during rescaling. HfFlow is an overall invertible framework with a conditional flow on the high-frequency space to compensate for the information lost during downscaling. To facilitate finding the optimal upscaling solution, we introduce a reference low-resolution (LR) manifold and propose a cross-entropy Gaussian loss (CGloss) to force the downscaled manifold closer to the reference LR manifold and simultaneously fulfill recovering missing details. HfFlow can be generalized to other scale transformation tasks such as image colorization with its excellent rescaling capacity. Qualitative and quantitative experimental evaluations demonstrate that HfFlow restores rich high-frequency details and outperforms state-of-the-art rescaling methods in PSNR, SSIM, and perceptual quality metrics.

The effect of MWA protocols upon morphology and IVIM parameters of hepatic ablation zones-a preliminary in vivo animal study with an MRI-compatible microwave ablation device.

PURPOSE We aimed to explore the effect of microwave ablation (MWA) protocols upon morphology and instant changes in intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) parameters on MWA zones in porcine livers. METHODS According to the empirical protocol for MWA in tumors less than 3 cm in our hospital, the power and application duration were assigned as five groups: A, 60 W × 5 min (n = 6); B, 80 W × 3 min (n = 7); C, 80 W × 5 min (n = 10); D, 100 W × 3 min (n = 10); E, 100 W × 5 min (n = 9). Spearman correlation between MWA protocols, morphological metrics, and instant post-ablation IVIM parameters was performed. RESULTS There was fair positive correlation between energy delivery and short axis (RSpearman = 0.426, P= .005) of the white zone. There was moderate-to-good positive correlation between wattage and short axis (RSpearman = 0.584, P < .001) of the white zone. For post-ablation IVIM parameters in the white zone, only wattage had moderate-to-good positive correlation with D value (RSpearman= 0.574, P < .001) or ADC value (RSpearman = 0.550, P < .001). No correlation between energy delivery, wattage, duration, and f value was observed (RSpearman = 0.185, P = .24; RSpearman= - 0.001, P = .99; RSpearman = 0.203, P = .20, respectively). CONCLUSION The increase in the short axis of the white zone is more likely to be affected by wattage than energy delivery. The instant post-ablation IVIM is feasible in monitoring the MWA zones since the f value in the white zones is not sensitive to changes in MWA protocols, which is promising in evaluating the instant effect of MWA.

Hap-pulse: A Wearable Vibrotactile Glove for Medical Pulse Wave Rendering.

Pulse palpation is an important procedure that allows a physician to rapidly assess the status of a patient's cardiovascular system. This paper explores the possibility of using vibrotactile stimuli to render fine temporal profiles of pulse pressure waves. A lightweight wearable vibrotactile glove, called Hap-pulse, is designed to render fine pulse waves through vibrotactile stimuli on users' fingertips. To preserve the fine features of original pulse waves, models are fitted from real pulse wave data (photoplethysmogram (PPG) pulse waveform database), using fourth-order polynomial functions. A square wave envelope mapping algorithm is proposed to produce vibration amplitudes of Linear Resonance Actuators (LRAs), which aims to render the detailed waveform of systolic and diastolic blood pressure states. Evaluation results suggest that Hap-pulse can render pulse waves with an average correlation coefficient 97.84%. To validate the distinguishability and fidelity of Hap-pulse's palpation rendering, a user study consisting of traditional Chinese medicine doctors and unskilled students is conducted. The correct recognition rate of identifying four typical pulse waves is 87.08% (doctors), 57.50% (untrained students) and 79.59% (trained students). These results indicate a novel application of rendering subtle pulse wave signals with vibrotactile gloves, which illustrates the potential of simulating patient palpation training in virtual or remote medical diagnosis.

Prediction of Mental Health in Medical Workers During COVID-19 Based on Machine Learning.

Mental health prediction is one of the most essential parts of reducing the probability of serious mental illness. Meanwhile, mental health prediction can provide a theoretical basis for public health department to work out psychological intervention plans for medical workers. The purpose of this paper is to predict mental health of medical workers based on machine learning by 32 factors. We collected the 32 factors of 5,108 Chinese medical workers through questionnaire survey, and the results of Self-reporting Inventory was applied to characterize mental health. In this study, we propose a novel prediction model based on optimization algorithm and neural network, which can select and rank the most important factors that affect mental health of medical workers. Besides, we use stepwise logistic regression, binary bat algorithm, hybrid improved dragonfly algorithm and the proposed prediction model to predict mental health of medical workers. The results show that the prediction accuracy of the proposed model is 92.55%, which is better than the existing algorithms. This method can be used to predict mental health of global medical worker. In addition, the method proposed in this paper can also play a role in the appropriate work plan for medical worker.

Experience of and Worry About Discrimination, Social Media Use, and Depression Among Asians in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has spurred increasing anti-Asian racism and xenophobia in the United States, which might be detrimental to the psychological well-being of Asian people living in the United States. OBJECTIVE: We studied three discrimination-related variables, including (1) experience of discrimination, (2) worry about discrimination, and (3) racism-related social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic among Asians in the United States. We examined how these three variables were related to depression, and how the association between racism-related social media use and depression was moderated by personal experience of and worry about racial discrimination. METHODS: A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted. A total of 209 people (mean age 33.69, SD 11.31 years; 96/209, 45.93% female) who identified themselves as Asian and resided in the United States were included in the study. RESULTS: Experience of discrimination (ß=.33, P=.001) and racism-related social media use (ß=.14, P=.045) were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Worry about discrimination (ß=.13, P=.14) was not associated with depression. Worry about discrimination moderated the relationship between racism-related social media use and depression (ß=-.25, P=.003) such that a positive relationship was observed among those who had low and medium levels of worry. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided preliminary evidence that experience of discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic was a risk factor of depressive symptoms among Asian people in the United States. Meanwhile, racism-related social media use was found to be negatively associated with the well-being of US Asians, and the relationship between social media use and depression was significantly moderated by worry about discrimination. It is critical to develop accessible programs to help US Asians cope with racial discrimination both in real lives and on social media during this unprecedented health crisis, especially among those who have not been mentally prepared for such challenges.

Medical adhesive vs hookwire for computed tomography-guided preoperative localization and risk factors of major complications.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of medical adhesive and hookwire as CT-guided non-palpable pulmonary nodule (NPN) localization methods before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resection, and determine the risk factors for common complications during localization. METHODS: This was a single-center non-randomized retrospective study. 102 consecutive patients with 109 NPNs were divided into Group A (medical adhesive, 66 patients, 72 nodules) and Group B (hookwire, 36 patients, 37 nodules) before VATS. Patient- and nodule-based characteristics were compared. Logistic regression was performed to identify the risk factors for complications. RESULTS: Localization was successfully performed in all the NPNs. For Group A, the rate of pneumothorax immediately after localization was lower (p = 0.049) and the localization-to-surgery interval was longer (p = 0.011) than Group B. There was no significant difference in rates of hemorrhage after needle withdrawal between the two groups (p = 0.198). Hookwire ( vs medical adhesive) (ß = 1.12, p = 0.018), total insertion depth (ß = -0.41, p = 0.013), pleura-needle angle (ß = -0.04, p = 0.025) and grade of hemorrhage after needle withdrawal (ß = -0.96, p = 0.030) were independently associated with pneumothorax, while age (ß = -0.94, p = 0.018), tumor size (ß = 0.29, p = 0.007) and its distance from the pleural surface (ß = 0.14, p = 0.004) were associated with higher grade hemorrhage after needle withdrawal. CONCLUSION: Compared with hookwire, localization with medical adhesive excelled in lower risk of pneumothorax, a more flexible localization-to-surgery interval, and had similar rates of hemorrhage after needle withdrawal. Hookwire is an independent risk factor of pneumothorax immediately after localization. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study added new clinical evidence to the efficacy of medical adhesive in pre-operative CT-guided NPN localization.

Wavelength-dependent laser-induced dynamic nano-annealing of single plasmonic antennas.

In this work, we studied the wavelength-dependent laser-induced dynamic annealing of single plasmonic nano-antennas using in situ white light spectroscopy. Unexpected back-and-forth motions of rapidly melted single nano-antennas were observed upon excitation with a 532 nm laser, while only gradual opening of nanogaps was found in the case of a 405 nm laser. Theoretical analyses indicate that the dramatic nano-annealing phenomenon was caused by a series of laser-induced multiphysical processes at the nanoscale. It not only leads to the local heating effect, but also induces complex behaviors such as self-accelerated melting, asymmetry-induced nano-photophoretic forces and optical forces. Our work demonstrates the complexity of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, and provides new possibilities for shaping and manipulating plasmonic nanostructures.

Glyphosate-induced lipid metabolism disorder contributes to hepatotoxicity in juvenile common carp.

Residues of glyphosate (GLY) are widely detected in aquatic systems, raising potential environmental threats and public health concerns, but the mechanism underlying GLY-induced hepatotoxicity in fish has not been fully elucidated yet. This study was designed to explore the hepatotoxic mechanism using juvenile common carp exposed to GLY for 45 d, and plasma and liver samples were collected at 15 d, 30 d, and 45 d to analyze the assays. First, GLY-induced hepatic damage was confirmed by serum liver damage biomarker and hepatic histopathological analysis. Next, changes in oxidative stress biomarkers, gene expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and lipid metabolism-related parameters in collected samples were analyzed to clarify their roles in GLY-induced hepatic damage. Data showed that oxidative stress was an early event during GLY exposure, followed by hepatic inflammatory response. Lipid metabolism disorder was a late event during GLY exposure, as evidenced by overproduced hepatic free fatty acids, enhanced lipogenesis-related gene expression levels, reduced lipolysis-related gene expression levels, and resultant hepatic lipid accumulation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that GLY induces hepatotoxicity in fish through involvement of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and lipid metabolism disorder, which are intimately interrelated with each other during GLY exposure.

Ultrahigh Responsivity Photodetectors of 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks Integrated on Graphene.

2D materials exhibit superior properties in electronic and optoelectronic fields. The wide demand for high-performance optoelectronic devices promotes the exploration of diversified 2D materials. Recently, 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as next-generation layered materials with predesigned π-electronic skeletons and highly ordered topological structures, which are promising for tailoring their optoelectronic properties. However, COFs are usually produced as solid powders due to anisotropic growth, making them unreliable to integrate into devices. Here, by selecting tetraphenylethylene monomers with photoelectric activity, elaborately designed photosensitive 2D-COFs with highly ordered donor-acceptor topologies are in situ synthesized on graphene, ultimately forming COF-graphene heterostructures. Ultrasensitive photodetectors are successfully fabricated with the COFETBC-TAPT -graphene heterostructure and exhibited an excellent overall performance with a photoresponsivity of ≈3.2 × 107 A W-1 at 473 nm and a time response of ≈1.14 ms. Moreover, due to the high surface area and the polarity selectivity of COFs, the photosensing properties of the photodetectors can be reversibly regulated by specific target molecules. The research provides new strategies for building advanced functional devices with programmable material structures and diversified regulation methods, paving the way for a generation of high-performance applications in optoelectronics and many other fields.