Experimental demonstration of dual-polarization multiplexed optical phased array empowered by inverse design.

This paper presents a dual-polarization multiplexed optical phased array (OPA) implemented on a 220 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform, enabling continuous beam steering across TE and TM modes. While effectively guiding TE- and TM-polarized light, the proposed OPA on this platform faces the challenge of overcoming the intrinsically high effective refractive index disparity between the two modes upon radiation from the grating antenna. To mitigate this challenge, key OPA components - polarization beam combiner, polarization-independent beam splitter, and index-modulated pixelized grating antenna - were optimized using inverse design methods and integrated, enabling efficient and seamless beam steering across both polarizations.

The Effects of Outdoor Activity on Patient-Reported Visual Outcomes Under Perioperative Management Using Cyclosporine and Rebamipide.

: Visual recovery after cataract surgery may be affected by lifestyle and environmental factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between daily outdoor activity and patient-reported visual outcomes after cataract surgery under perioperative management using cyclosporine and rebamipide. : This retrospective study included 90 eyes from patients who underwent standardized cataract surgery with implantation of TECNIS Eyhance intraocular lenses.

Discovery and development of a safe and efficient COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, STP2104, using a novel capping library screening method.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines represent a critical avenue for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention. We developed a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine encoding a codon-optimized full-length ancestral spike (S) protein with a signal peptide, which employs our novel patented co-transcriptional 5'-capping reagent, SmartCap. From the screening capping library of SmartCap, an SC101 cap was selected to derive a novel mRNA vaccine, STP2104.

Effect of ice pack volume on quality properties of pork meat in a delivery box model.

This study investigated the effects of varying ice pack volume on temperature control and the quality of pork in a delivery box in a 30 °C environment for 72 h. Temperature fluctuations, microbial growth, pH, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and metabolic alterations were analyzed with the use of 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 g of ice. Increasing the ice volume delayed temperature rises and phase transitions, prolonging cooling, and reduced microbial proliferation, with 1,500 g of ice maintaining microbiological safety for 48 h.

Rebamipide Enhances Pathogen Defense and Mitigates Inflammation in a Particulate Matter-Induced Ocular Surface Inflammation Rat Model.

Particulate matter (PM) exposure is known to induce significant ocular surface inflammation, necessitating effective therapeutic interventions. This study compared the efficacy of 2% rebamipide (REB) with 0.1% hyaluronic acid (HA) eye drops in investigating the anti-inflammatory and pathogen-clearance effects in a PM-induced ocular surface inflammation model using Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

The therapeutic potential of mRNA-encoded SFTSV human monoclonal antibody encapsulated lipid nanoparticle in vivo.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV), has emerged as a significant public health concern in East Asia since 2009. The high mortality rate of SFTS underscores the urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic interventions. Although a Gn-specific human monoclonal antibody, Ab10, herein referred to as the protein S/A-TEN, has been previously reported, its development has been hindered by the economic challenges and low yields of large-scale production.

Inverse design of nanophotonic devices enabled by optimization algorithms and deep learning: recent achievements and future prospects.

Nanophotonics, which explores significant light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, has facilitated significant advancements across numerous research fields. A key objective in this area is the design of ultra-compact, high-performance nanophotonic devices to pave the way for next-generation photonics. While conventional brute-force, intuition-based forward design methods have produced successful nanophotonic solutions over the past several decades, recent developments in optimization methods and artificial intelligence offer new potential to expand these capabilities.

Clinical efficacy of 0.1% cyclosporine A in dry eye patients with inadequate responses to 0.05% cyclosporine A: a switching, prospective, open-label, multicenter study.

Purpose: To assess the clinical efficacy of 0.1% cyclosporine A (CsA) in dry eye patients who have shown inadequate responses to previous treatment with 0.05% CsA.

Assessing the Current Limitations of Large Language Models in Advancing Health Care Education.

The integration of large language models (LLMs), as seen with the generative pretrained transformers series, into health care education and clinical management represents a transformative potential. The practical use of current LLMs in health care sparks great anticipation for new avenues, yet its embracement also elicits considerable concerns that necessitate careful deliberation. This study aims to evaluate the application of state-of-the-art LLMs in health care education, highlighting the following shortcomings as areas requiring significant and urgent improvements: (1) threats to academic integrity, (2) dissemination of misinformation and risks of automation bias, (3) challenges with information completeness and consistency, (4) inequity of access, (5) risks of algorithmic bias, (6) exhibition of moral instability, (7) technological limitations in plugin tools, and (8) lack of regulatory oversight in addressing legal and ethical challenges.

A Comparative Study of Intense Pulsed Light with Two Different Filters in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Prospective Randomized Study.

To compare the long-term efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments using a 590-nm and an acne filter. In this prospective, randomized, paired-eye trial study, 30 patients with moderate and severe meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were followed up for at least one month after their last treatment. Group A received IPL treatment with an acne filter, a type of notch filter that blocks wavelengths between 600 and 800 nm, allowing IPL to emit wavelengths between 400-600 nm and 800-1200 nm.

Comparison of Short-Term Clinical Outcomes After Implantation of Two Monofocal, Aspheric Intraocular Lenses.

Objectives: This study compared the visual outcomes and optical quality of two monofocal, aspheric intraocular lenses (IOLs; CT LUCIA 621P, Carl Zeiss Meditec; Eyhance ICB00, Johnson & Johnson Vision) by evaluating visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and higher-order aberrations 1 month post-cataract surgery.

Methods: In this retrospective, comparative study, 120 eyes (72 patients) that underwent cataract surgery with either CT LUCIA 621P (Lucia group) or Eyhance ICB00 (Eyhance group) implantation (60 eyes/group) were retrospectively investigated. Visual acuity at various distances and defocus curves were measured 1 month postoperatively.

Inverse-designed taper configuration for the enhancement of integrated 1 × 4 silicon photonic power splitters.

Once light is coupled to a photonic chip, its efficient distribution in terms of power splitting throughout silicon photonic circuits is very crucial. We present two types of 1 × 4 power splitters with different splitting ratios of 1:1:1:1 and 2:1:1:2. Various taper configurations were compared and analyzed to find the suitable configuration for the power splitter, and among them, parabolic tapers were chosen.

Analysis of intraocular lens tilt and decentration after cataract surgery in eyes with high myopia using the anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

This retrospective study investigated the degree of intraocular lens (IOL) tilt and decentration after cataract surgery in eyes with varying degrees of myopia using the anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Eyes of 76 patients were analyzed and divided into three groups: mild myopia (emmetropia to - 1.5 diopter [D], Group 1), moderate myopia (- 1.

Assessment of intraocular lens tilt and decentration after femtosecond laser-assisted and conventional cataract surgery at 12 months and beyond.

Purpose: To compare long-term intraocular lens (IOL) decentration and tilt following femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and conventional surgery using swept-source anterior segment ocular coherence tomography (SS-ASOCT).

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all patients underwent FLACS or conventional cataract surgery. Those with a minimum of 12-months follow-up since surgery were included.

Effectiveness of cyclosporine nanoemulsion eye drops in patients with mild-to-moderate dry eyes: objective and subjective evaluation.

Background: To compare and evaluate objective and subjective clinical parameters between 0.05% cyclosporine nanoemulsion (CsN) and 0.15% hyaluronic acid (HA) administration in patients with mild-to-moderate dry eyes.

High-efficiency thermo-optic control of a longitudinal radiation angle in a silicon-based optical phased array by leveraging the backside air trench structure.

We proposed a 2D 1 × 64 silicon optical phased array with a backside silicon-etched structure to achieve high tuning efficiency and a wide longitudinal steering range. At the radiator array, the n-i-n heater was implemented to steer the light in a longitudinal direction through the thermo-optic effect. The deep reactive ion etching process was utilized to generate the 600 µm depth air trench with a 1.

Effects of combined intense pulsed light and cyclosporine 0.05% eyedrops in ocular surface matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels in patients with moderate-to-severe MGD.

To investigate the changes in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and tear matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels in patients with moderate-to-severe MGD after combined treatment with intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy and cyclosporine 0.05%. Thirty-six patients concurrently treated with IPL and cyclosporine 0.

Better performance of deep learning pulmonary nodule detection using chest radiography with pixel level labels in reference to computed tomography: data quality matters.

Labeling errors can significantly impact the performance of deep learning models used for screening chest radiographs. The deep learning model for detecting pulmonary nodules is particularly vulnerable to such errors, mainly because normal chest radiographs and those with nodules obscured by ribs appear similar. Thus, high-quality datasets referred to chest computed tomography (CT) are required to prevent the misclassification of nodular chest radiographs as normal.

Effect of Exposure to Particulate Matter on the Ocular Surface in an Experimental Allergic Eye Disease Mouse Model.

In response to the escalating concern over the effect of environmental factors on ocular health, this study aimed to investigate the impact of air pollution-associated particulate matter (PM) on ocular allergy and inflammation. C57BL/6 mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) topically and aluminum hydroxide via intraperitoneal injection. Two weeks later, the mice were challenged with OVA and exposed to PM.

Re-Esterified Triglyceride ω-3 Fatty Acids in Dry Eye Disease With Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Taking ω-3 supplements has been associated with a reduction in symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). However, a recent relatively large clinical trial concluded that treating DED with ω-3 consumption was ineffective, potentially warranting additional investigations.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of re-esterified triglyceride (rTG) ω-3 fatty acid supplementation on DED associated with MGD.

Analysis of intraocular lens decentration and tilt after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery using swept-source anterior optical coherence tomography.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the magnitude of intraocular lens (IOL) decentration and tilt following conventional and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) using swept-source anterior optical coherence tomography (S-OCT).

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we enrolled patients who underwent conventional cataract surgery or FLACS with the implantation of hydrophobic 1-piece monofocal IOL. The magnitude of IOL decentration and tilt were measured using S-OCT.

Intraocular pressure changes before and after a femtosecond laser procedure for cataract surgery.

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) before and after femtosecond laser capsulorhexis and lens fragmentation for cataract surgery. We measured the IOP before, immediately, 30 min, and 1 h after the laser procedure in 47 eyes of 47 patients who underwent the femtosecond laser procedure. The mean IOP was 17.

Ultra-compact and efficient photonic waveguide bends with different configurations designed by topology optimization.

Transporting light signals over the corners and sharp bends imposes high optical loss and distortion on the mode profiles. Usually, bends with larger radii are used in circuits to minimize the loss over transmission, resulting in a severe limitation in integration density. In this paper, we propose novel topology-optimized optimized L-bend and U-bend structures designed for a 220 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform.