Femtosecond Drift Photocurrents Generated by an Inversely Designed Plasmonic Antenna.

Photocurrents play a crucial role in various applications, including light detection, photovoltaics, and THz radiation generation. Despite the abundance of methods and materials for converting light into electrical signals, the use of metals in this context has been relatively limited. Nanostructures supporting surface plasmons in metals offer precise light manipulation and induce light-driven electron motion. Through the inverse design optimization of a gold nanostructure, we demonstrate enhanced volumetric, unidirectional, intense, and ultrafast photocurrents via a magneto-optical process derived from the inverse Faraday effect. This is achieved through fine-tuning the amplitude, polarization, and gradients in the local light field. The virtually instantaneous process allows dynamic photocurrent modulation by varying optical pulse duration, potentially yielding nanosources of intense, ultrafast, planar magnetic fields and frequency-tunable THz emission. These findings open avenues for ultrafast magnetic material manipulation and hold promise for nanoscale THz spectroscopy.

Characterization of sexual maturity-associated N6-methyladenosine in boar testes.

BACKGROUND: The health and size of the testes are crucial for boar fertility. Testicular development is tightly regulated by epigenetics. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a prevalent internal modification on mRNA and plays an important role in development. The mRNA m6A methylation in boar testicular development still needs to be investigated. RESULTS: Using the MeRIP-seq technique, we identify and profile m6A modification in boar testes between piglets and adults. The results showed 7783 distinct m6A peaks in piglets and 6590 distinct m6A peaks in adults, with 2,471 peaks shared between the two groups. Enrichment of GO and KEGG analysis reveal dynamic m6A methylation in various biological processes and signalling pathways. Meanwhile, we conjointly analyzed differentially methylated and expressed genes in boar testes before and after sexual maturity, and reproductive related genes (TLE4, TSSK3, TSSK6, C11ORF94, PATZ1, PHLPP1 and PAQR7) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis showed that differential genes are associated with important biological functions, including regulation of growth and development, regulation of metabolic processes and protein catabolic processes. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that m6A methylation, differential expression and the related signalling pathways are crucial for boar testicular development. These results suggest a role for m6A modification in boar testicular development and provided a resource for future studies on m6A function in boar testicular development.

Expression inheritance and constraints on cis- and trans-regulatory mutations underlying lotus color variation.

Both cis- and trans-regulatory mutations drive changes in gene expression that underpin plant phenotypic evolution. However, how and why these two major types of regulatory mutations arise in different genes and how gene expression is inherited and associated with these regulatory changes are unclear. Here, by studying allele-specific expression in F1 hybrids of pink-flowered sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and yellow-flowered American lotus (N. lutea), we reveal the relative contributions of cis- and trans-regulatory changes to interspecific expression rewiring underlying petal color change and how the expression is inherited in hybrids. Although cis-only variants influenced slightly more genes, trans-only variants had a stronger impact on expression differences between species. In F1 hybrids, genes under cis-only and trans-only regulatory effects showed a propensity toward additive and dominant inheritance, respectively, whereas transgressive inheritance was observed in genes carrying both cis- and trans-variants acting in opposite directions. By investigating anthocyanin and carotenoid coexpression networks in petals, we found that the same category of regulatory mutations, particularly trans-variants, tend to rewire hub genes in coexpression modules underpinning flower color differentiation between species; we identified 45 known genes with cis- and trans-regulatory variants significantly correlated with flower coloration, such as ANTHOCYANIN 5-AROMATIC ACYLTRANSFERASE (ACT), GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE F11 (GSTF11), and LYCOPENE Ε-CYCLASE (LCYE). Notably, the relative abundance of genes in different categories of regulatory divergence was associated with the inferred magnitude of constraints like expression level and breadth. Overall, our study suggests distinct selective constraints and modes of gene expression inheritance among different regulatory mutations underlying lotus petal color divergence.

Dynamic three-dimensional deformation measurement by polarization-multiplexing of full complex amplitude.

This paper provides an extensive discussion of a complex amplitude-based dynamic three-dimensional deformation measurement method, in which the phase and amplitude of the speckle field are used for out-of-plane and in-plane deformation calculation respectively. By determining the optimal polarization states of the speckle field and reference field from the comprehensive analysis of measurement mathematical model in the principle of polarization multiplexing, the 3-step phase-shifting interferograms and one speckle gram can be directly recorded by a polarization camera in a single shot. The out-of-plane deformation would be recovered from the subtraction of speckle phases that are demodulated by a special least square algorithm; speckle gram with improved quality is offered for correlation computation to obtain in-plane deformation. The advancement and significance of the optimized strategy are intuitively demonstrated by comparing the measurement accuracy under different combinations of polarization states. Finally, the dynamic thermal deformation experiment reveals the potential in practical real-time applications.

Remodelling the inguinal adipose sensory system to switch on the furnace: Electroacupuncture stimulation induces brown adipose thermogenesis.

Brown and white adipose tissue mediate thermogenesis through the thermogenetic centre of the brain, but safe methods for activating thermogensis and knowledge of the associated molecular mechanisms are lacking. We investigated body surface electroacupuncture stimulation (ES) at ST25 (targeted at the abdomen) induction of brown adipose thermogenesis and the neural mechanism of this process. Inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) were collected and the thermogenic protein expression levels were measured to evaluate iBAT thermogenesis capacity. The thermogenic centre activating region and sympathetic outflow were evaluated based on neural electrical activity and c-fos expression levels. iWAT sensory axon plasticity was analysed with whole-mount adipose tissue imaging. ES activated the sympathetic nerves in iBAT and the c-fos-positive cells induced sympathetic outflow activation to the iBAT from the medial preoptic area (MPA), the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DM) and the raphe pallidus nucleus (RPA). iWAT denervation mice exhibited decreased c-fos-positive cells in the DM and RPA, and lower recombinant uncoupling orotein 1 peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, ß3-adrenergic receptor, and tyrosine hydroxylase expression. Remodelling the iWAT sensory axons recovered the signal from the MPA to the RPA and induced iBAT thermogenesis. The sympathetic denervation attenuated sensory nerve density. ES induced sympathetic outflow from the thermogenetic centres to iBAT, which mediated thermogenesis. iWAT sensory axon remodelling induced the MPA-DM-RPA-iBAT thermogenesis pathway.

Neuregulin4-ErbB4 signalling pathway is driven by electroacupuncture stimulation to remodel brown adipose tissue innervation.

AIM: To show that electroacupuncture stimulation (ES) remodels sympathetic innervation in brown adipose tissue (BAT) via the bone morphogenic protein 8B (BMP8B)-neuregulin 4 (NRG4)-ErbB4 axis, with somatotopic dependence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We established a high-fat diet (HFD) model with C57BL/6J mice to measure the thermogenesis and metabolism of BAT. In addition, the sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) was measured with the electrophysiological technique, and the immunostaining of c-Fos was used to detect the central nervous system sources of sympathetic outflows. Finally, the key role of the BMP8B-NRG4-ErbB4 axis was verified by peripheral specific antagonism of ErbB4. RESULTS: ES at the forelimb and abdomen regions significantly up-regulate SNA, whereas ES at the hindlimb region has a limited regulatory effect on SNA but still partially restores HFD-induced BAT dysfunction. Mechanistically, ES at the forelimb and abdomen regions driving catecholaminergic signals in brown adipocytes depends on neural activities projected from the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) to the spinal cord intermediolateral column (IML). Notably, the peripheral suppression of ErbB4 in BAT inhibits the thermogenesis and metabolic function of BAT, as well as significantly hindering the SNA activation and metabolic benefits induced by ES. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ES appears to be an effective approach for remodeling sympathetic innervation in BAT, which is closely related to neuronal activity in the VMH and the NRG4-ErbB4 signaling pathway.

Efficient Method for Numerical Calculations of Molecular Vibrational Frequencies by Exploiting Sparseness of Hessian Matrix.

Molecular vibrational frequency analysis plays an important role in theoretical and computational chemistry. However, in many cases, the analytical frequencies are unavailable, whereas frequency calculations using conventional numerical methods are very expensive. In this work, we propose an efficient method to numerically calculate the frequencies. Our main strategies are to exploit the sparseness of the Hessian matrix and to construct the N-fold two-variable potential energy surfaces to fit the parabola parameters, which are later used for the construction of Hessian matrices. A set of benchmark calculations is performed for typical molecules of different sizes and complexities using the proposed method. The obtained frequencies are compared to those calculated with the analytical methods and conventional numerical methods. It is shown that the results yielded with the new method are in very good agreement with corresponding accurate values (with a maximum error of ∼20 cm-1), while the required computation resource is largely reduced compared to that required by conventional numerical methods. For medium-sized molecules, the calculational scaling is lowered to O(N1.6) (this work) from that of O(N2) (conventional numerical methods). For even larger molecules, more computational savings can be achieved, and the scaling is estimated to be quasilinear with respect to the molecular size.

Association of maternal serum uric acid levels with LBW/SGA: a large retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Elevated maternal serum uric acid (UA) levels were associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. This study aimed to examine the association between UA and the risk of low birth weight (LBW) / small for gestational age (SGA). METHODS: A cohort study of women delivered in Shanghai maternity hospital was included between 2017 and 2021. Electronic medical records were utilized to extract information and antenatal care records. The cut-off value of UA was 360 µmol/L. The outcome was LBW/SGA, with LBW defined as birth weight below 2500 g and SGA indicating birth weight below the 10th percentile of average weight for gestational age. The assessment of SGA was based on the Chinese standard curve for birth weight at various gestational ages. Univariate, multivariate logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline were used in this study, with adjustments made for confounding factors. RESULTS: Sixty-nine thousand six hundred seventy-four live births and singleton pregnancies were included. The ratio of LBW/SGA was 3.3%/9%. Maternal UA levels were significantly negatively correlated with birth weight. High UA levels were associated with high risk of LBW/SGA, especially in third trimester. In BMI < 25 group, the risk of LBW increased to 2.35-fold (95%CI, 1.66-3.31) in hyperuricemic group (UA > 360 µmol/L). The SGA risk was 1.66-fold (95%CI, 1.37-2.00). Gestational hypertension (GH) with hyperuricemica increased the risk of LBW (aOR = 4.00, 95%CI, 2.01-7.93) and SGA (aOR = 2.63, 95%CI, 1.83-3.78). Preeclampsia (PE) with hyperuricemia increased the risk of LBW (aOR = 1.38, 95%CI, 0.63-3.03) and SGA (aOR = 1.81, 95%CI, 1.18-2.78). In delivery gestational week (DGW) ≥ 37 group, if UA > 360 µmol/L, the incidence of LBW increased to 2.46-fold (95%CI, 1.62, 3.73) and the incidence of SGA increased to 1.52-fold (95%CI, 1.24, 1.87). In DGW < 37 group, if UA > 360 µmol/L, the incidence of LBW increased to 2.70-fold (95%CI, 1.92, 3.80) and the incidence of SGA increased to 2.13-fold(95%CI, 1.50, 3.02). CONCLUSIONS: The study found an inverse correlation between UA levels and birth weight. High UA levels were associated with increased risk of LBW/SGA, particularly in third trimester. GH or PE complicated by hyperuricemia were found to have significantly higher risk of developing LBW/SGA. This relationship also existed in pregnant women with BMI < 25.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Murraya paniculata sheds light on biosynthesis of floral volatiles.

BACKGROUND: Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack, commonly called orange jessamine in the family Rutaceae, is an important ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical regions which is famous for its strong fragrance. Although genome assemblies have been reported for many Rutaceae species, mainly in the genus Citrus, full genomic information has not been reported for M. paniculata, which is a prerequisite for in-depth genetic studies on Murraya and manipulation using genetic engineering techniques. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of M. paniculata and aim to provide insights on the molecular mechanisms of flower volatile biosynthesis. RESULTS: The genome assembly with a contig N50 of 18.25 Mb consists of 9 pseudomolecules and has a total length of 216.86 Mb. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that M. paniculata diverged from the common ancestor approximately 25 million years ago and has not undergone any species-specific whole genome duplication events. Genome structural annotation and comparative genomics analysis revealed that there are obvious differences in transposon contents among the genomes of M. paniculata and Citrus species, especially in the upstream regions of genes. Research on the flower volatiles of M. paniculata and C. maxima at three flowering stages revealed significant differences in volatile composition with the flowers of C. maxima lacking benzaldehyde and phenylacetaldehyde. Notably, there are transposons inserted in the upstream region of the phenylacetaldehyde synthase (PAAS) genes Cg1g029630 and Cg1g029640 in C. maxima, but not in the upstream region of three PAAS genes Me2G_2379, Me2G_2381, and Me2G_2382 in M. paniculata. Our results indicated that compared to the low expression levels of PAAS genes in C. maxima, the higher expression levels of the three PAAS genes in M. paniculata are the main factor affecting the phenylacetaldehyde biosynthesis and causing the content difference of phenylacetaldehyde. The phenylacetaldehyde synthetic activities of the enzymes encoded by M. paniculata PAAS genes were validated by in vitro analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides useful genomic resources of M. paniculata for further research on Rutaceae plants, identifies new PAAS genes, and provides insights into how transposons contribute to variations in flower volatiles among Murraya and Citrus plants.

Expression divergence of expansin genes drive the heteroblasty in Ceratopteris chingii.

BACKGROUND: Sterile-fertile heteroblasty is a common phenomenon observed in ferns, where the leaf shape of a fern sporophyll, responsible for sporangium production, differs from that of a regular trophophyll. However, due to the large size and complexity of most fern genomes, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation of these functionally different heteroblasty have remained elusive. To shed light on these mechanisms, we generated a full-length transcriptome of Ceratopteris chingii with PacBio Iso-Seq from five tissue samples. By integrating Illumina-based sequencing short reads, we identified the genes exhibiting the most significant differential expression between sporophylls and trophophylls. RESULTS: The long reads were assembled, resulting in a total of 24,024 gene models. The differential expressed genes between heteroblasty primarily involved reproduction and cell wall composition, with a particular focus on expansin genes. Reconstructing the phylogeny of expansin genes across 19 plant species, ranging from green algae to seed plants, we identified four ortholog groups for expansins. The observed high expression of expansin genes in the young sporophylls of C. chingii emphasizes their role in the development of heteroblastic leaves. Through gene coexpression analysis, we identified highly divergent expressions of expansin genes both within and between species. CONCLUSIONS: The specific regulatory interactions and accompanying expression patterns of expansin genes are associated with variations in leaf shapes between sporophylls and trophophylls.

Evolution of isoform-level gene expression patterns across tissues during lotus species divergence.

Both gene duplication and alternative splicing (AS) drive the functional diversity of gene products in plants, yet the relative contributions of the two key mechanisms to the evolution of gene function are largely unclear. Here, we studied AS in two closely related lotus plants, Nelumbo lutea and Nelumbo nucifera, and the outgroup Arabidopsis thaliana, for both single-copy and duplicated genes. We show that most splicing events evolved rapidly between orthologs and that the origin of lineage-specific splice variants or isoforms contributed to gene functional changes during species divergence within Nelumbo. Single-copy genes contain more isoforms, have more AS events conserved across species, and show more complex tissue-dependent expression patterns than their duplicated counterparts. This suggests that expression divergence through isoforms is a mechanism to extend the expression breadth of genes with low copy numbers. As compared to isoforms of local, small-scale duplicates, isoforms of whole-genome duplicates are less conserved and display a less conserved tissue bias, pointing towards their contribution to subfunctionalization. Through comparative analysis of isoform expression networks, we identified orthologous genes of which the expression of at least some of their isoforms displays a conserved tissue bias across species, indicating a strong selection pressure for maintaining a stable expression pattern of these isoforms. Overall, our study shows that both AS and gene duplication contributed to the diversity of gene function during the evolution of lotus.

Controlled Ring-Opening Polymerization of Macrocyclic Monomers Based on Ring-Opening/Ring-Closing Cascade Reaction.

The development of a controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) method for synthesizing backbone-functionalized and sequence-controlled polymers with well-defined architectures from macrocyclic monomers is highly desirable in polymer chemistry. Herein, we developed a novel general controlled ROP of macrocycles for producing backbone functional and sequence-controlled polyurethanes and polyamides with controlled molecular weights and narrow dispersities (D < 1.1). The key to this method is the introduction of a trimethyl lock unit, an efficient cyclization-based self-immolative spacer, into the macrocyclic monomer ring as a "ring-opening trigger." ROP is initiated by the attack of a primary amine nucleophile on the ring-activated carbonate/ester group, leading to the ring opening of the macrocyclic monomer. Subsequently, spontaneous 6-exo-trig cyclization of the trimethyl lock unit occurs, detaching this ring-opening trigger and regenerating the primary amine end group. The regenerated primary amine group can then be used to propagate the polymer chain by iterating the ring-opening-ring-closing cascade reaction. The versatile ROP method can be applied in the synthesis of water-soluble polyurethanes, backbone-degradable polyurethanes and poly(ester amide)s, and sequence-controlled poly(amino acid)s with well-defined macromolecular architectures.

Testing the growth rate and translation compensation hypotheses in marine bacterioplankton.

Two different hypotheses have been raised as to how temperature affects resource allocation in microorganisms. The translation-compensation hypothesis (TCH) predicts that the increase in enzymatic efficiency with temperature results in fewer required ribosomes per cell and lower RNA:protein ratio. In contrast, the growth rate hypothesis (GRH) predicts that increasing the growth rate with temperature requires more ribosomes and hence a higher cellular RNA:protein. We tested these two hypotheses in laboratory cultures of Prochlorococcus and Alteromonas as well as over an annual cycle in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The RNA:protein of Alteromonas mostly decreased with temperature in accordance with the TCH, while that of Prochlorococcus increased with temperature, as predicted by the GRH. No support was found for either hypothesis in surface waters from the Eastern Mediterranean, whereas the fraction of phosphorus in RNA was positively correlated with per-cell bacterial production in the deep chlorophyll maximum, supporting the GRH in this niche. A considerable part of the cellular phosphorus was not allocated to RNA, DNA, phospholipids or polyphosphate, raising the question which cellular molecules contain these P reserves. While macromolecular quotas differed significantly between laboratory cultures and field samples, these were connected through a power law, suggesting common rules of resource allocation.

Highly-sensitive temperature sensor based on photopolymerized-waveguide embedded Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

Biology, medicine, and chemistry all rely heavily on highly sensitive optical fiber temperature sensors. To the best of our knowledge, this research introduces a unique design framework for high-performance fiber temperature sensors that helps eliminate the all-fiber interferometers' sensitivity bottleneck. A section of photopolymerized waveguide is embedded in a typical Mach-Zehnder interferomenter framework with multimode fiber-single mode fiber-multimode fiber (MSM) structure. The thermal-optical coefficient (TOC) of the photopolymerized waveguide core, which is created via the fiber-end lithography technique, differs dramatically from that of the resin cladding. Due to the considerable TOC difference, the phase difference between the interfering beams significantly increases as the temperature changes. The fundamental variables affecting temperature sensitivity are conceptually explored and experimentally verified. The suggested device achieves a typical temperature sensitivity of 1.15 nm/ ∘C in the range of 30-100 ∘C, which is about 10 times as high as that of the all-fiber MSM sensors. The suggested designing framework offers a fresh thought for creating high-performing fiber optic temperature sensors.

Accurate dynamic 3D deformation measurement based on the synchronous multiplexing of polarization and speckle metrology.

An accurate dynamic 3D deformation measurement method realized by the combination of phase-shifting speckle interferometry and speckle correlation is proposed. By converting the speckle field and the reference field into a circular polarized and linear polarized state, the three-step phase-shifting speckle interferograms and one specklegram were recorded directly and simultaneously within a single image by using a polarization camera. Then, the out-of-plane deformation was demodulated from the synchronous phase-shifting fringe patterns, and the in-plane deformation was measured by performing correlation calculations by using specklegrams with the effect of the reference field ignored. Thus, the full-field 3D deformation was obtained precisely. Experimental results demonstrated the accuracy and dynamic measurement ability of the proposed method, which is compact and feasible for actual dynamic scenes.

Exoskeleton type long-period fiber grating for cross-talk-resistance single-parameter measurement.

This paper proposes a new, to the best of our knowledge, design framework of long-period fiber grating (LPFG) sensors resistant to multi-parameter cross talk. A section of hollow quartz capillary (HQC), which acts as an exoskeleton, is periodically merged with a single-mode fiber (SMF) by the arc-discharge method. The mechanical stress in the SMF is released while the thermal stress is enhanced after a high-temperature fusion process. Under the influence of the elastic-optical effect, the refractive index of the core is periodically modulated along the axial direction to form an exoskeleton long-period fiber grating (Es-LPFG). The unique exoskeleton structure not only induces mode coupling but also enables the proposed device to resist cross talk among the strain, ambient refractive index, and vector bending. The temperature is able to be measured independently with a sensitivity of 74 pm/ ∘C. The novel Es-LPFG is promising in single-parameter sensing, mode-locked lasers, and frequency-locked gain flattening.

Microwave-promoted radical addition/cyclization of biaryl vinyl ketones with diacyl peroxides in water under metal-free conditions.

This communication reports an efficient microwave-promoted radical addition/cyclization reaction of biaryl vinyl ketones with diacyl peroxides in water under metal-free conditions. A series of 10-methyl-10-benzyl(alkyl)phenanthren-9(10H)-ones were obtained in high yields with good functional group tolerance.

Functional characterization of three TERMINAL FLOWER 1-like genes from Platanus acerifolia.

KEY MESSAGE: TFL1-like genes of the basal eudicot Platanus acerifolia have conserved roles in maintaining vegetative growth and inhibiting flowering, but may act through distinct regulatory mechanism. Three TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1)-like genes were isolated and characterized from London plane tree (Platanus acerifolia). All genes have conserved genomic organization and characteristic of the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) family. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that two genes belong to the TFL1 clade, designated as PlacTFL1a and PlacTFL1b, while another one was grouped in the BFT clade, named as PlacBFT. qRT-PCR analysis showed that all three genes primarily expressed in vegetative phase, but the expression of PlacTFL1a was much higher and wider than that of PlacTFL1b, with the latter only detected at relatively low expression levels in apical and lateral buds in April. PlacBFT was mainly expressed in young stems of adult trees followed by juvenile tissues. Ectopic expression of any TFL1-like gene in Arabidopsis showed phenotypes of delayed or repressed flowering. Furthermore, overexpression of PlacTFL1a gene in petunia also resulted in extremely delayed flowering. In non-flowering 35:PlacTFL1a transgenic petunia plants, the FT-like gene (PhFT) gene was significantly upregulated and AP1 homologues PFG, FBP26 and FBP29 were significantly down-regulated in leaves. Yeast two-hybrid analysis indicated that only weak interactions were detected between PlacTFL1a and PlacFDL, and PlacTFL1a showed no interaction with PhFDL1/2. These results indicated that the TFL1-like genes of Platanus have conserved roles in repressing flowering, but probably via a distinct regulatory mechanism.

Lewis Acid-Mediated Radical Stabilization and Dynamic Covalent Bonding: Tunable, Reversible and Photocontrollable.

This work describes a strategy not only to isolate a dynamically stable radical with physical property tunability, but to efficiently regulate the radical dissociation with reversibility and photo controllability. The addition of Lewis acid B(C6 F5 )3 (BCF) into the solution of a radical σ-dimer (1-1) led to a stable radical (1⋅-2B), which has been characterized by EPR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction, in conjunction with theoretical calculation. The radical species is stabilized mainly by captodative effect, single electron transfer and steric effect. The absorption maximum of the radical can be tuned by using different Lewis acids. Dimer 1-1 can be achieved back by addition of a stronger base into the solution of 1⋅-2B, exhibiting a reversible process. By introducing a photo BCF generator, the dissociation of the dimer and the formation of the radical adduct become photocontrollable.

Single-shot quantitative phase imaging with phase modulation of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) under white light illumination.

We propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, single-shot quantitative phase imaging (QPI) technique with the phase modulation of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) under white light illumination. By studying the phase modulation characteristics of an LC-SLM under white light illumination, images captured at different wavelengths are equivalent to those captured at different defocus distances when loading a Fresnel lens pattern on the LC-SLM. Consequently, a color camera is able to simultaneously acquire multi-intensity images at different defocus distances. Finally, the phase is retrieved from a single-shot color image using the transport of intensity equation. To demonstrate the flexibility and accuracy of our method, a photoetched phase object and human red blood cells are quantitatively measured. An investigation of living yeast cells is conducted to verify the dynamic measurement capability. The proposed method provides a simple, efficient, and flexible means to accomplish real-time high-resolution quantitative phase imaging without sacrificing the field of view (FOV), which can be further integrated into a conventional microscope to achieve real-time microscopic QPI.