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Our study aimed to examine the effects of COVID-19 on the physical fitness and academic performance of Chinese college students. The sample included physical fitness test data from 9,712 undergraduate students and academic performance data from 12,000 undergraduate students at a top university in China. Physical fitness was measured and evaluated according to the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard. Data were analyzed using two-sample t-tests and Pearson product-moment correlations. Total physical fitness test scores of college students decreased after the outbreak, but their mean body mass index (BMI) remained at normal levels. The mean academic performance of college students unexpectedly improved during the online learning period. The positive correlation between physical test scores and academic performance was significantly higher during COVID-19 than that before the outbreak. Chinese college students with high physical fitness during COVID-19 were more likely to achieve good academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-induced assembly is a promising technology for advancing micro/nano photonic devices. However, the dynamic process and the photothermal interaction in laser-induced assembly technique, as well as the role of laser illumination pattern on the assembly structure have not been well investigated. In this paper, we prepare dark MoSe2 nanospheres with a facile solvothermal synthesis method and grow a concentric ring-shaped assembly with incident light following Fresnel circular-aperture diffraction. The impact of the illumination light filed on the structure of the assembly is investigated. The concentric ring-shaped assembly reveals focusing effect with about 4.87 times intensity amplification. Optical trap effect, photothermal effect, and tension effect are proved to synergistically enhance the trap stiffness and broaden trap region. This work gives an insight into the production of laser induced assembly, hence broadens the potential application of nanoparticles and assembly in micro-optics and photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrafast wavenumber linear-step-swept source based on a synchronous lightwave synthesized frequency sweeper (SLSFS) is demonstrated. A multi-wavelength source is used as a seed source. In SLSFS, the swept range of different wavelength components is precisely controlled by a stable programmable radio frequency signal applied on a dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator instead of a conventional wavelength filter. The identical frequency shifting step of all the wavelength components promises high linear sweeping in the frequency domain. The key significance of this technique is that the swept rate and the swept range increases as the number of the seed wavelengths increases. Experimentally, a 120 kHz swept rate over the 4.75 nm range with a 8.6 GHz swept step is achieved when using two coupled DFB-LDs as the seed source. The K-linearity of Pearson's correlation coefficients is 0.99999. We also acquired the swept rates of 400 kHz, 800 kHz, and 1.23 MHz over the 7.86 nm range with a 8.6 GHz swept step using an F-P LD as a seed source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Particle Swarm Optimization to find optimal values for image reconstruction by Phase Retrieval. • Faster convergence and better reconstruction results for 16-bit images. • Image reconstruction process is automated, eliminating the manual search of best values for reconstruction. Imaging through scattering media has become an important aspect in optical imaging. To achieve this, different approaches have been presented to recover the phase of an imaging object from its scattered speckle behind a scattering medium. However, all these algorithms require initial parameters which are obtained based on prior knowledge of the imaging object. This is impractical, as prior knowledge of the imaging object is not always available in real imaging applications. In this paper, we propose using a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm to find these optimal parameters without requiring prior knowledge of the imaging object. These optimal values are then adopted in the Phase Retrieval algorithm based on object-modulated speckles for object image reconstruction behind a scattering medium in a single-shot imaging system. The obtention of the values for the standard deviation for Gaussian filter and the threshold control allows Phase Retrieval to converge faster and avoids the need for running the algorithm more than once in the search for the best reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An asymmetric encryption method in 4f system based on interference is proposed in this paper. The original image is transformed into two white stationary noise images, and the decryption keys are designed to be different from the encryption keys to realize asymmetric encryption. The decryption process is implemented in a 4f system of image addition with grating. This method has very high security as the asymmetric cryptosystem encryption system but also can be easy implemented in optical system. Besides, holographic plate or photorefractive crystal is not necessary in the encryption process. The simulation results prove the feasibility and security of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To measure large and heavy micro-structured workpieces in situ and improve the measurement accuracy, which strongly depends on the environment during the measurement of micro-structured surfaces, a workpiece rotating technique is proposed. This method utilizes the precise rotation of machine tools to drive the workpiece and records a set of elemental image arrays for the pickup stage to overcome the upper-resolution limit imposed by the Nyquist sampling theorem, which allows the increase in the two-dimensional spatial resolution of the computed depth images in integral imaging. By extracting the depth position, we can obtain accurate depth information and measurement results for micro-structured surfaces. We carried out simulations and experiments to demonstrate the proposed method, and the results show the feasibility of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain satisfactory performance in characterizing optical freeform surfaces with local features, this paper proposes a model of a radial basis function with slope-based shape factor and distribution (RBF-SSD). Compared to previous RBF-slope models with only slope-based shape factors, the RBF-SSD model relates both shape factors and distribution with the surface slope, ensuring greater fitting ability can be achieved when fitting a surface with local features. Fitting experiments for two different surfaces demonstrated the fitting ability of the RBF-SSD model. An off-axis three-mirror system with 3 ° × 3.6 ° field of view was designed as an example to show the optical design efficacy of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wavelength step-swept light source (WSSL) using a recirculating frequency shifter loop (RFSL) based on a single-side-band (SSB) modulator is proposed, in order to achieve a linear and fast wavelength-sweeping. The swept step can be tuned from 1.2 pm to 128 pm by adjusting a precise and stable radio frequency (RF) signal that is applied to the SSB modulator. The swept rate can be tuned up to 99 kHz in a range of over 5.12 nm. Wavelength-to-time mapping is used to measure static strain-induced or temperature-induced shifting of the reflected central wavelength of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Because of the high linearity of the light source, the interrogation linearity of the strain and the temperature are as high as 0.99944 and 0.99946, respectively. When a dynamic periodic strain applied to FBG sensor, the dynamic performance of the FBG sensor is successfully recorded in the time domain and its power spectral density of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is calculated. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the power spectral density is over 40 dB for a 100 Hz dynamic strain and the calculated sensitivity is 0.048 με/Hz1/2. A sharp change in the strain frequency from 100 Hz to 500 Hz is captured in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Surface degradation of Ge in vacuum on different laser conditions are showed. • The influences of processing parameter and material failure behavior are analyzed. • Mechanism in damage variation with laser ablation is compared in air and vacuum. • Damage mechanism contains thermal effect, plasma shock wave and mechanical stress. Laser-induced damage of germanium (Ge) sheets plays a key role to estimate the lifetime of optical components in the vacuum and space irradiation environment. However, the dependence between the degrees of laser-induced surface damage and nanosecond pulsed irradiation remains unclear for Ge sheet. Here, we investigate damage morphology and the growth characteristic of Ge sheets under different conditions and measure the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) in vacuum. Our results reveal that optical reflectivity of Ge in vacuum chamber falls 92% because of the defective sites on the damaged surface. The area, the depth and the size of the damage crater increase but the hillock height and the surrounding thermal diffuse area decrease along with the increase of vacuum degree. The thermal effect, the failure effect of plasma shock wave and the mechanical stress are analyzed to be the main mechanism in the laser damage. The combined experimental and theoretical work gives an insight into the change of surface damage and material failure behavior, hence broadens the potential applications of Ge sheets in areas of laser material manufacturing and laser processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a differential compressive imaging method for an optical fiber bundle (OFB), which provides a solution for an ultrathin bend-resistant endoscope with high resolution. This method uses an OFB and a diffuser to generate speckle illumination patterns. Differential operation is additionally applied to the speckle patterns to produce sensing matrices, by which the correlation between the matrices is greatly reduced from 0.875 to 0.0275, which ensures the high quality of image reconstruction. Pixilation artifacts from the fiber core arrangement are also effectively eliminated with this configuration. We demonstrate high-resolution reconstruction of images of 132 × 132 pixels with a compression rate of 12% using 77 fiber cores, the total diameter of which is only about 91 µm. An experimental verification proves that this method is tolerant to a limited degree of fiber bending, which provides a potential approach for robust high-resolution fiber endoscopy.

The resolution of traditional fiber bundle imaging is usually limited by the density and the diameter of the fiber cores. To improve the resolution, compression sensing was introduced to resolve multiple pixels from a single fiber core, but current methods have the drawbacks of excessive sampling and long reconstruction time. In this paper, we present, what we believe to be, a novel block-based compressed sensing scheme for fast realization of high-resolution optic fiber bundle imaging. In this method, the target image is segmented into multiple small blocks, each of which covers the projection area of one fiber core. All block images are independently and simultaneously sampled and the intensities are recorded by a two-dimensional detector after they are collected and transmitted through corresponding fiber cores. Because the size of sampling patterns and the sampling numbers are greatly reduced, the reconstruction complexity and reconstruction time are also decreased. According to the simulation analysis, our method is 23 times faster than the current compressed sensing optical fiber imaging for reconstructing a fiber image of 128 × 128 pixels, while the sampling number is only 0.39%. Experiment results demonstrate that the method is also effective for reconstructing large target images and the number of sampling does not increase with the size of the image. Our finding may provide a new idea for high-resolution real-time imaging of fiber bundle endoscope.

Aim: Uterine transplantation (UTx) is proposed for treatment of uterine factor infertility. Our aim was to assess whether Endoscopic Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (eLASCA) could evaluate pelvic blood flow at anastomotic sites required for sheep and rabbit UTx., Results/methodology: eLASCA detected blood flow in rabbit UTx #7 and #9. In sheep UTx #2, #3 and #5, the results allowed us to conclude that blood flow was present in the uterine graft following transplantation; and post-UTx, the animal had heart and respiratory rates, and oxygen saturation compatible with a normal hemodynamic status., Conclusion: These preliminary results establish the potential of Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis as noncontact and real-time tool for observation of spatially-resolved blood flow from which other parameters can be derived., Competing Interests: Financial & competing interests disclosure T Bourne is supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre based at Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust and Imperial College London. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

The model fitting degree of optical freeform surfaces is of utmost design importance. We develop a model with radial basis functions based on the surface slope (RBF-slope) for optical freeform surfaces with asymmetric structures. The RBF-slope model improves the basis-function distribution for circular apertures and establishes a relationship between shape factor and local surface slope, which provides the model with better fitting ability than the conventional RBF model (RBF-direct); fitting experiments for off-axis conic surfaces, "bumpy" paraboloids, and the design of a single mirror magnifier demonstrate the efficacy of our approach. Our method can effectively improve aberration balancing of optical freeform surfaces, resulting in high-quality imaging.

The need to image objects through light-scattering materials is common in a range of applications. Different methods have been investigated to acquire the image of the object when diffusers are presented. In this paper, we demonstrate the object reconstruction with single-shot imaging based on the correlography principle and phase retrieval algorithm with coherent illumination. We prove the possibility of reconstructing positive and negative objects in both transmission and reflection modes with collimated and scattered light. Formulas for calculating the size of the object from the reconstructed image are presented. We also prove that the object can be retrieved from a small section of the raw speckle image. These interesting features will have broad potential applications in many areas (such as biomedicine, security and sensing).

Optical image encryption, especially double-random-phase-based, is of great interest in information security. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the security and feasibility of optical image encryption with asymmetric double random phase and computer-generated hologram (CGH) by using spatial light modulator. First of all, the encrypted image modulated by asymmetric double random phase is numerically encoded into real-value CGH. Then, the encoded real-value CGH is loaded on the spatial light modulator and optically decrypted in self-designed experimental system. Experimental decryption results are in agreement with numerical calculations under the prober/mistaken phase keys condition. This optical decryption technology opens a window of optical encryption practical application and shows great potential for digital multimedia product copyright protection and holographic false trademark.

We put forward a method to easily generate a single or a sequence of fully developed speckle patterns with pre-defined correlation distribution by utilizing the principle of coherent imaging. The few-to-one mapping between the input correlation matrix and the correlation distribution between simulated speckle patterns is realized and there is a simple square relationship between the values of these two correlation coefficient sets. This method is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. The square relationship enables easy conversion from any desired correlation distribution. Since the input correlation distribution can be defined by a digital matrix or a gray-scale image acquired experimentally, this method provides a convenient way to simulate real speckle-related experiments and to evaluate data processing techniques.

A three-dimensional (3D) digital reconstruction method for integral imaging with high random-error tolerance based on statistics is proposed. By statistically analyzing the points reconstructed by triangulation from all corresponding image points in an elemental images array, 3D reconstruction with high random-error tolerance could be realized. To simulate the impacts of random errors, random offsets with different error levels are added to a different number of elemental images in simulation and optical experiments. The results of simulation and optical experiments showed that the proposed statistic-based reconstruction method has relatively stable and better reconstruction accuracy than the conventional reconstruction method. It can be verified that the proposed method can effectively reduce the impacts of random errors on 3D reconstruction of integral imaging. This method is simple and very helpful to the development of integral imaging technology.

Shear wave propagation provides rich information for material mechanical characterization, including elasticity and viscosity. This Letter reports tracking of shear wave propagation in turbid media by laser-speckle-contrast analysis. The theory is described, and a Monte Carlo simulation of light shear wave interaction was developed. Simulation and experiments on tissue-mimicking phantoms agree well and show tracking of shear wave at the phantom surface and at depth as well as multiple shear waves interacting within the object. The relationship between speckle contrast value and shear wave amplitude is also investigated.

Laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) is limited to being a qualitative method for the measurement of blood flow and tissue perfusion as it is sensitive to the measurement configuration. The signal intensity is one of the parameters that can affect the contrast values due to the quantization of the signals by the camera and analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In this paper we deduce the theoretical relationship between signal intensity and contrast values based on the probability density function (PDF) of the speckle pattern and simplify it to a rational function. A simple method to correct this contrast error is suggested. The experimental results demonstrate that this relationship can effectively compensate the bias in contrast values induced by the quantized signal intensity and correct for bias induced by signal intensity variations across the field of view.

We investigated the effect of amplitude-modulated (AM) ultrasound (US) on acousto-optic (AO) signals. A phantom was exposed to both AM US and a green laser, and CCD measurements of speckle contrast were made with various exposure times. The results show that the AO signal oscillates at the AM frequency when the CCD exposure time is a fraction of the AM period and stops oscillating when the CCD exposure time is a multiple of the AM period. The AO signal decreases quickly as the AM frequency increases or peak-peak (pk-pk) amplitude decreases. With 4ms exposure time, 250Hz AM frequency and 1.27MPa pk-pk acoustic pressure, there is an ~30% increase in the AO signal compared with that of CW US. The increase in the signal is likely to be due to the particle oscillation and the induced shear wave as a result of the radiation force generated by the AM US.