Selective and Tunable Absorption of Twisted Light in Achiral and Chiral Plasmonic Metasurfaces.

The symmetry of achiral metasurfaces suggests selective absorption is nonexistent when irradiated either by circularly polarized Gaussian or twisted light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM). In chiral metasurfaces, the lack of symmetry leads to differential absorption when probed with chiral light either in the form of circular polarization (circular dichroism) or helical phase fronts (helical dichroism). Here, we demonstrate differential absorption of asymmetric twisted light beams, known as helical dichroism, which exist in an array and a single achiral structure and can be controlled. When extended to chiral structures, these asymmetrical chiral light modes enable to enhance and tune chiroptical sensitivity. Our technique offers more control parameters than just changing the OAM value, as presented in previous studies. Selective response to asymmetric helical light beams is qualitatively explained in terms of induced multipole moments. The presence of dichroism in achiral nanostructures offers a significant fabrication advantage over complex chiral structures and enables the development of next-generation plasmonic-based chiroptical spectroscopy and molecular sensing.

Comparison of the Effect of the Jaw Thrust Maneuver, Chin Lift, Head Rotation, and Tongue Protrusion on the Obstruction of Different Levels of the Upper Airway During the Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

To determine the impact of four maneuvers (Jaw Thrust, Chin Lift, Head Rotation, and Tongue Protrusion) on the degree of airway collapse at different airway levels during drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) compared with natural supine position (regular) DISE and evaluate the association of each maneuver with polysomnographic findings compared with regular DISE without any maneuver. One hundred and nine OSA patients aged 20 to 55 who were candidates for sleep surgery were included. The association of the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) with the degree of obstruction during four maneuvers of DISE and regular DISE was evaluated. AHI is significantly predicted by degree of obstruction at the velum (regular DISE) (ß = 10.213), oropharynx (regular DISE) (ß = 7.979), velum (jaw thrust DISE) (ß = 12.286), oropharynx (jaw thrust DISE) (ß = 8.430), velum (head rotation DISE) (ß = 10.357), and velum (chin lift DISE) (ß = 10.781). In the multivariate model, AHI was predicted by the velum during the jaw thrust maneuver (ß = 7.985). Velum obstruction during DISE with jaw thrust, closing, and rotation maneuvers can significantly predict AHI. The degree of velum collapse during the jaw thrust maneuver is the most reliable and independent finding that correlates with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-04470-1.

Genetic algorithm for the response of arbitrarily twisted nematic liquid crystals to an applied field.

When an external field is applied across a liquid-crystal cell, the twist and tilt distributions cannot be calculated analytically and must be extracted numerically. In the standard approach, the Euler-Lagrange equations are derived from the minimization of the free energy of the system and then solved via finite-difference methods, often implemented in commercial software. These tools iterate from initial solutions that are compatible with the boundary conditions, providing limited to no flexibility for customization. Here we present a genetic algorithm that outputs fast and accurate solutions to the integral form of the equations. In our approach, the evolutionary routine is sequentially applied at each position within the bulk of the cell, thus overcoming the necessity of assuming trial solutions. The full range of twist angles from -90^{∘} to 90^{∘} is considered. In this way, the predictions of our routine strongly support the experimentally observed polarization transformations of light incident on different spatially varying twisted nematic liquid-crystal cells, patterned with different topologies on the two alignment layers.

Integrating bioprocess and metagenomics studies to enhance humic acid production from rice straw.

Rice straw burning annually (millions of tons) leads to greenhouse gas emissions, and an alternative solution is producing humic acid with high added-value. This study aimed to examine the influence of a microbial consortium and other additives (chicken manure, urea, olive mill waste, zeolite, and biochar) on the composting process of rice straw and the subsequent production of humic acid. Results showed that among the fungal species, Thermoascus aurantiacus exhibited the most prominent impact in expediting maturation and improving compost quality, and Bacillus subtilis was the most abundant bacterial species based on metagenomics analysis. The highest temperature, C/N ratio reduction, and amount of humic acid production (Respectively in lab 61 °C, 54.67%, 298 g kg-1 and in pilot level 65 °C, 72.11%, 310 g kg-1) were related to treatments containing these microorganisms and other additives except urea. Consequently, T. aurantiacus and B. subtilis can be employed on an industrial scale as compost additives to further elevate quality. Functional analysis showed that the bacterial enzymes in the treatments had the highest metabolic activities, including carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism compared to the control. The maximum enzymatic activities were in the thermophilic phase in treatments which were significantly higher than that in the control. The research emphasizes the importance of identifying and incorporating enzymatically active strains that are suitable for temperature conditions, alongside the native strains in decomposing materials. This strategy significantly improves the composting process and yields high-quality humic acid during the thermophilic phase.

Our Experience in Subadventitial Dissection vs. Intracapsular Dissection Technique of Carotid Body Tumors Surgery.

This study provides a single-center experience involving intracapsular dissection for Shamblin II carotid body tumors (CBTs) and compares the outcomes with the classic technique of subadventitial resection. Based on the preliminary results, it seems that the enucleation technique facilitates the dissection of carotid body tumors, offering protection to cranial nerves and the internal/external/common carotid artery by utilizing the capsule as a barrier. The classic subadventitial resection approach and the enucleation technique have comparable postoperative complications. However, it is crucial to continue following the patients who underwent these resection techniques to determine the long-term outcomes. Moreover, the enucleation technique significantly reduces surgery duration and intraoperative blood loss.

Intrinsic dichroism in amorphous and crystalline solids with helical light.

Amorphous solids do not exhibit long-range order due to the disordered arrangement of atoms. They lack translational and rotational symmetry on a macroscopic scale and are therefore isotropic. As a result, differential absorption of polarized light, called dichroism, is not known to exist in amorphous solids. Using helical light beams that carry orbital angular momentum as a probe, we demonstrate that dichroism is intrinsic to both amorphous and crystalline solids. We show that in the nonlinear regime, helical dichroism is responsive to the short-range order and its origin is explained in terms of interband multiphoton assisted tunneling. We also demonstrate that the helical dichroism signal is sensitive to chirality and its strength can be controlled and tuned using a superposition of OAM and Gaussian beams. Our research challenges the conventional knowledge that dichroism does not exist in amorphous solids and enables to manipulate the optical properties of solids.

Full Spatial Characterization of Entangled Structured Photons.

Vector modes are fully polarized modes of light with spatially varying polarization distributions, and they have found widespread use in numerous applications such as microscopy, metrology, optical trapping, nanophotonics, and communications. The entanglement of such modes has attracted significant interest, and it has been shown to have tremendous potential in expanding existing applications and enabling new ones. However, due to the complex spatially varying polarization structure of entangled vector modes (EVMs), a complete entanglement characterization of these modes remains challenging and time consuming. Here, we have used a time-tagging event camera to demonstrate the ability to completely characterize the entanglement of EVMs. Leveraging the camera's capacity to provide independent measurements for each pixel, we simultaneously characterize the entanglement of approximately 2.6×10^{6} modes between a bipartite EVM through measuring only 16 observables in polarization. We reveal that EVMs can naturally generate various polarization-entangled Bell states. This achievement is an important milestone in high-dimensional entanglement characterization of structured light, and it could significantly impact the implementation of related quantum technologies. The potential applications of this technique are extensive, and it could pave the way for advancements in quantum communication, quantum imaging, and other areas where structured entangled photons play a crucial role.

Increasing stage and depth of invasion (DOI) in patients with tongue cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: A time series study.

Background and Aims: The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant effect on the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers. Therefore, in this study, we decided to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the stage and histological characteristics of patients with tongue cancer from March 2020 to March 2021 and compared to the previous 3 years. Methods: In this time series study, patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the operated tongue cancer were divided into two groups. Patients who operated from March 2020 to March 2021 (n = 36) and patients who operated 3 years ago (n = 70) were included in the study. The results were analyzed using SPSS 21 software. Results: The study found that during the pandemic, the stage of tongue cancer in patients who underwent surgery was higher than before the pandemic (p = 0.01). Moreover, the depth of invasion was significantly higher during the COVID-19 outbreak in the pathology sample of the patients (p = 0.006), while the involvement of lymph nodes and other variables between the groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: COVID-19 has adverse effects on the diagnosis and treatment of tongue cancer. Also, it leads to advanced stages of the tumor and increases the depth of invasion of the cancer. Hence, it is important to plan correctly and appropriately for the diagnosis and treatment of these patients in conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview of Human Papillomavirus Infection.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a DNA oncogenic virus. HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and is capable of infecting mucosal and cutaneous membranes of the anogenital, upper aerodigestive tract, and other head and neck mucosal regions. Although HPV infection is generally asymptomatic and can be easily resolved by the immune system, if it persists and progresses, it can lead to cancer. HPV is permanently responsible for 5% of human cancers. Malignant lesions related to HPV include oral and respiratory squamous cell carcinomas, and cervical and anogenital cancers. Currently, no specific treatment is available for HPV infection, and therapeutic procedures (tissue ablation, chemotherapy, cryotherapy, and immunomodulation) cannot eliminate the virus completely. Vaccination and cervical screening are two methods that have been developed to provide protection against oncogenic HPV. Unfortunately, no effective protocol for vaccination, prevention, testing, or treatment has yet been proposed in the developing countries. In this review, we have reviewed the knowledge gained from recent studies on virology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of HPV infection.

Complications and Hazards Associated with Body Piercing: A Narrative Review.

OBJECTIVES: The increasingly widespread practice of piercings is often accompanied by complications and hazards which are constantly increasing. Therefore, it seems necessary to pay attention to the non-negligible risks that these practices entail and to the possibilities of reducing them. Hence, this study was conducted to help raise awareness of the complications and hazards associated with body piercing as a growing type of body modification practice. METHODS: Studies were searched in the PubMed database and the Google Scholar engine using the keywords, often in combination, including body piercing, body modification, complications, and infection. The searches were limited to post-2000. Studies without limitations on their types were included in this study. RESULTS: The most important complications are infection, bleeding, trauma, allergy, and scarring. Infection is the most common complication which occurs in individuals after piercing. A wide spectrum of bacterial and viral infections may occur. Allergic manifestations are not uncommon, with the risk that sensitization thus acquired may have subsequent harmful consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Educating people and health care professionals by conducting more studies to better understand the complications of body piercing can be a solution to reduce health problems related to body piercing.

Comparison of swallowing disorder in patients with tongue cancer undergoing reconstruction with either a radial forearm free flap or a submental island flap.

PURPOSE: In this study, the swallowing status of patients with tongue cancer undergone tongue reconstruction using radial forearm free flaps (RFFF) and submental flaps were compared. METHODS: A total of 26 patients with tongue cancer undergone tongue resection were randomly treated by tongue reconstruction with either submental flap or RFFF approach. Swallowing status of the patients was investigated using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) by measurement of pharyngeal residue and penetration scales. RESULTS: The pharyngeal residue scale in vallecula and pyriform sinus and the average of vallecula and pyriform sinus on days 10 and 30 post-operation as well as penetration scale at the same time showed no significant difference between two groups. However, the time to start oral feeding was significantly reduced in the submental group compared to the free flap group (P = 0.031). A positive Pearson correlation was found between the size of oral tongue and base of tongue resection and some of swallowing parameters. CONCLUSION: Since there was no significant difference between submental and free flap respected to swallowing disorder, the submental flap is prior to free flap due to lower cost and hospitalization and less complication after tongue reconstruction.

Topological transitions of the generalized Pancharatnam-Berry phase.

Distinct from the dynamical phase, in a cyclic evolution, a system's state may acquire an additional component, a.k.a. geometric phase. Recently, it has been demonstrated that geometric phases can be induced by a sequence of generalized measurements implemented on a single qubit. Furthermore, it has been predicted that these geometric phases may exhibit a topological transition as a function of the measurement strength. We demonstrate and study this transition experimentally by using an optical platform where the qubit is represented by the polarization of light and the weak measurement is performed by means of coupling with the spatial degree of freedom. Our protocol can be interpreted in terms of environment-induced geometric phases, whose values are topologically determined by the environment-system coupling strength. Our results show that the two limits of geometric phase induced by sequences of either weak or projective measurements are topologically distinct.

Weak measurements and quantum-to-classical transitions in free electron-photon interactions.

How does the quantum-to-classical transition of measurement occur? This question is vital for both foundations and applications of quantum mechanics. Here, we develop a new measurement-based framework for characterizing the classical and quantum free electron-photon interactions and then experimentally test it. We first analyze the transition from projective to weak measurement in generic light-matter interactions and show that any classical electron-laser-beam interaction can be represented as an outcome of weak measurement. In particular, the appearance of classical point-particle acceleration is an example of an amplified weak value resulting from weak measurement. A universal factor, [Formula: see text], quantifies the measurement regimes and their transition from quantum to classical, where [Formula: see text] corresponds to the ratio between the electron wavepacket size and the optical wavelength. This measurement-based formulation is experimentally verified in both limits of photon-induced near-field electron microscopy and the classical acceleration regime using a DLA. Our results shed new light on the transition from quantum to classical electrodynamics, enabling us to employ the essence of the wave-particle duality of both light and electrons in quantum measurement for exploring and applying many quantum and classical light-matter interactions.

Intracapsular Dissection Approaches (Enucleation) in Surgical Resection of Carotid Body Tumors.

Intracapsular dissection approaches in surgical resection of carotid body tumors. Laryngoscope, 133:2627-2630, 2023.

Quantum face recognition protocol with ghost imaging.

Face recognition is one of the most ubiquitous examples of pattern recognition in machine learning, with numerous applications in security, access control, and law enforcement, among many others. Pattern recognition with classical algorithms requires significant computational resources, especially when dealing with high-resolution images in an extensive database. Quantum algorithms have been shown to improve the efficiency and speed of many computational tasks, and as such, they could also potentially improve the complexity of the face recognition process. Here, we propose a quantum machine learning algorithm for pattern recognition based on quantum principal component analysis, and quantum independent component analysis. A novel quantum algorithm for finding dissimilarity in the faces based on the computation of trace and determinant of a matrix (image) is also proposed. The overall complexity of our pattern recognition algorithm is [Formula: see text]-N is the image dimension. As an input to these pattern recognition algorithms, we consider experimental images obtained from quantum imaging techniques with correlated photons, e.g. "interaction-free" imaging or "ghost" imaging. Interfacing these imaging techniques with our quantum pattern recognition processor provides input images that possess a better signal-to-noise ratio, lower exposures, and higher resolution, thus speeding up the machine learning process further. Our fully quantum pattern recognition system with quantum algorithm and quantum inputs promises a much-improved image acquisition and identification system with potential applications extending beyond face recognition, e.g., in medical imaging for diagnosing sensitive tissues or biology for protein identification.

Experimental realisations of the fractional Schrödinger equation in the temporal domain.

The fractional Schrödinger equation (FSE)-a natural extension of the standard Schrödinger equation-is the basis of fractional quantum mechanics. It can be obtained by replacing the kinetic-energy operator with a fractional derivative. Here, we report the experimental realisation of an optical FSE for femtosecond laser pulses in the temporal domain. Programmable holograms and the single-shot measurement technique are respectively used to emulate a Lévy waveguide and to reconstruct the amplitude and phase of the pulses. Varying the Lévy index of the FSE and the initial pulse, the temporal dynamics is observed in diverse forms, including solitary, splitting and merging pulses, double Airy modes, and "rain-like" multi-pulse patterns. Furthermore, the transmission of input pulses carrying a fractional phase exhibits a "fractional-phase protection" effect through a regular (non-fractional) material. The experimentally generated fractional time-domain pulses offer the potential for designing optical signal-processing schemes.

Core Needle Biopsy in Suspicious Malignant Thyroid Nodules with Repeated Nondiagnostic Fine Needle Aspiration.

Key message: The clinician could have CNB in mind for thyroid nodules when FNA results were nondiagnostic. Our study would suggest CNB a safe and efficient method for investigating thyroid nodules. Abstract: Usefulness of preoperative tissue sampling and pathology diagnoses in thyroid tumors were accepted worldwide. We investigate the role of Core needle biopsy (CNB) in the thyroid nodules lesions when FNA results are nondiagnostic. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate twenty-six CNBs results of suspicious malignant thyroid nodules with nondiagnostic repeated fine needle aspiration. 25 from 26 CNBs were diagnostic. Twenty-one needle biopsy reports were papillary thyroid carcinoma, three CNB samples diagnosed medullary thyroid carcinoma and one of them had anaplastic results. All diagnostic needle biopsies results were compatible with final pathology. Our study would suggest CNB a safe and efficient method for investigating thyroid nodules while repeated FNA yielded nondiagnostic results.

Manipulating the symmetry of transverse momentum entangled biphoton states.

Bell states are a fundamental resource in photonic quantum information processing. These states have been generated successfully in many photonic degrees of freedom. Their manipulation, however, in the momentum space remains challenging. Here, we present a scheme for engineering the symmetry of two-photon states entangled in the transverse momentum degree of freedom through the use of a spatially variable phase object. We demonstrate how a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer must be constructed to verify the symmetry in momentum entanglement via photon "bunching/anti-bunching" observation. We also show how this approach allows generating states that acquire an arbitrary phase under the exchange operation.

High-speed imaging of spatiotemporal correlations in Hong-Ou-Mandel interference.

The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect lies at the heart of many emerging quantum technologies whose performance can be significantly enhanced with increasing numbers of entangled modes one could measure and thus utilize. Photon pairs generated through the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion are known to be entangled in a vast number of modes in the various degrees of freedom (DOF) the photons possess such as time, energy, and momentum, etc. Due to limitations in detection technology and techniques, often only one such DOFs can be effectively measured at a time, resulting in much lost potential. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, with the aid of a time tagging camera, high speed measurement and characterization of two-photon interference. With a data acquisition time of only a few seconds, we observe a bi-photon interference and coalescence visibility of ∼64% with potentially up to ∼2 × 103 spatial modes. These results open up a route for practical applications of using the high dimensionality of spatiotemporal DOF in two-photon interference, and in particular, for quantum sensing and communication.