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The images acquired by a single visible light sensor are very susceptible to light conditions, weather changes, and other factors, while the images acquired by a single infrared light sensor generally have poor resolution, low contrast, low signal-to-noise ratio, and blurred visual effects. The fusion of visible and infrared light can avoid the disadvantages of two single sensors and, in fusing the advantages of both sensors, significantly improve the quality of the images. The fusion of infrared and visible images is widely used in agriculture, industry, medicine, and other fields. In this study, firstly, the architecture of mainstream infrared and visible image fusion technology and application was reviewed; secondly, the application status in robot vision, medical imaging, agricultural remote sensing, and industrial defect detection fields was discussed; thirdly, the evaluation indicators of the main image fusion methods were combined into the subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation, the properties of current mainstream technologies were then specifically analyzed and compared, and the outlook for image fusion was assessed; finally, infrared and visible image fusion was summarized. The results show that the definition and efficiency of the fused infrared and visible image had been improved significantly. However, there were still some problems, such as the poor accuracy of the fused image, and irretrievably lost pixels. There is a need to improve the adaptive design of the traditional algorithm parameters, to combine the innovation of the fusion algorithm and the optimization of the neural network, so as to further improve the image fusion accuracy, reduce noise interference, and improve the real-time performance of the algorithm.

Recent advances in gradient metasurfaces have shown that by locally controlling the bianisotropic response of the cells one can ensure full control of refraction, that is, arbitrarily redirect the waves without scattering into unwanted directions. In this work, we propose and experimentally verify the use of an acoustic cell architecture that provides enough degrees of freedom to fully control the bianisotropic response and minimizes the losses. The versatility of the approach is shown through the design of three refractive metasurfaces capable of redirecting a normally incident plane wave to 60°, 70°, and 80° on transmission. The efficiency of the bianisotropic designs is over 90%, much higher than the corresponding generalized Snell’s law based designs (81%, 58%, and 35%). The proposed strategy opens a new way of designing practical and highly efficient bianisotropic metasurfaces for different functionalities, enabling nearly ideal control over the energy flow through thin metasurfaces. Acoustic bianisotropy does not exist in natural materials but can be designed with acoustic metamaterials. Here, Li et al. utilized acoustic bianisotropy and develop a practical metamaterial with improved transmission efficiency which outperforms the Generalized Snell’s Law.

The valley degree of freedom in crystals offers great potential for manipulating classical waves, however, few studies have investigated valley states with complex wavenumbers, valley states in graded systems, or dispersion tuning for valley states. Here, we present tunable valley phononic crystals (PCs) composed of hybrid channel-cavity cells with three tunable parameters. Our PCs support valley states and Dirac cones with complex wavenumbers. They can be configured to form chirped valley PCs in which edge modes are slowed to zero group velocity states, where the energy at different frequencies accumulates at different designated locations. They enable multiple functionalities, including tuning of dispersion relations for valley states, robust routing of surface acoustic waves, and spatial modulation of group velocities. This work may spark future investigations of topological states with complex wavenumbers in other classical systems, further study of topological states in graded materials, and the development of acoustic devices. The valley degree of freedom gives additional flexibility to tunable phononic and photonic crystals. Here, the authors realise a honeycomb phononic structure where both the size of the cavities and of the air channel can be actively tuned, allowing several functionalities in a broad frequency range.

Knots and links have been conjectured to play a fundamental role in a wide range of scientific fields. Recently, tying isolated vortex knots in the complex optical field has been realized. However, how to construct the acoustic vortex knot is still an unknown problem. Here we propose theoretically and demonstrate experimentally the creation of acoustic vortex knots using metamaterials, with decoupled modulation of transmitted phase and amplitude. Based on the numerical simulation, we find that the knot function can be embedded into the acoustic field by designed metamaterials with only 24 × 24 pixels. Furthermore, using the optimized metamaterials, the acoustic fields with Hopf link and trefoil knot vortex lines have been observed experimentally. Although knots in complex optical fields have been realized experimentally, the realization of acoustic vortex knots is still problematic. Here, the authors have demonstrated the creation of acoustic vortex knots by embedding the knot function into a propagating acoustic field using a metasurface hologram.

Background Patient experience plays an essential role in improving clinical effectiveness and patient safety. It’s important to identify factors influencing patient experience and to improve quality of healthcare. Objective To identify factors that influence patient experience in hospital wards. Methods We conducted a systematic review including six databases; they were PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, ProQuest, and Cochrane. Studies were included if they met the inclusion criteria. The JBI checklist was used to perform quality appraisal. We used 5 domains of the ecological model to organize and synthesize our findings to comprehensively understand the multi-level factors influencing the issue. Result A total of 138 studies were included, and 164 factors were identified. These factors were integrated into 6 domains. All domains but one ( survey-related factors ) could be mapped onto the attributes of the ecological framework: intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy level factors . All factors had mixed effect on patient experience. The intrapersonal level refers to individual characteristics of patients. The interpersonal level refers to interactions between patients and healthcare providers, such as the caring time spent by a nurse. The institutional level refers to organizational characteristics, rules and regulations for operations, such as hospital size and accreditation. The community level refers to relationships among organizations, institutions, and informational networks within defined boundaries, such as a hospital located in a larger population area. Public policy level refers to local, state, national, and global laws and policies, including health insurance policies. The sixth domain, survey-related factors, was added to the framework and included factors such as survey response rate and survey response time. Conclusion The factors influencing patient experience are comprehensive, ranging from intrapersonal to public policy. Providers should adopt a holistic and integrated perspective to assess patient experience and develop context-specific interventions to improve the quality of care. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023401066

Background There is a lack of relevant studies to grade the evidence on the risk factors of chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and only quantitative methods are used for systematic evaluation. The review aimed to systematically identify risk factors of chronic postoperative pain following TKA and to evaluate the strength of the evidence underlying these correlations. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched from initiation to September 2023. Cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies involving patients undergoing total knee replacement were included. A semi-quantitative approach was used to grade the strength of the evidence-based on the number of investigations, the quality of the studies, and the consistency of the associations reported by the studies. Results Thirty-two articles involving 18,792 patients were included in the final systematic review. Ten variables were found to be strongly associated with postoperative pain, including Age, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities condition, preoperative pain, chronic widespread pain, preoperative adverse health beliefs, preoperative sleep disorders, central sensitization, preoperative anxiety, and preoperative function. Sixteen factors were identified as inconclusive evidence. Conclusions This systematic review clarifies which risk factors could be involved in future research on TKA pain management for surgeons and patients. It highlights those factors that have been controversial or weakly correlated, emphasizing the need for further high-quality studies to validate them. Most crucially, it can furnish clinicians with vital information regarding high-risk patients and their clinical attributes, thereby aiding in the development of preventive strategies to mitigate postoperative pain following TKA. Trial registration This systematic review has been registered on the PROSPERO platform (CRD42023444097).

Utilize Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT) to acquire quantitative parameters of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue in subjects, and subsequently investigate the disparities in these parameters based on classifications of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and gender. Employ the average values of various parameters at the age of 30 as the baseline to compute the growth rate every five years and analyze the variations in these parameters of different tissues with respect to age and gender. Collect subjects who underwent combined chest CT and QCT scans at our hospital. Following parameters were obtained: volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of T12-L2 vertebrae, fat fractions (FF) of liver, pancreas, and paraspinal muscles, the content (including mass and area) of cortical mineral, cancellous mineral, abdominal total adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, splanchnic soft tissue (excluding visceral adipose tissue), paraspinal intramuscular adipose tissue, paraspinal intramuscular muscle tissue at the central level of L2 vertebrae. Based on vBMD, the subjects were categorized into three groups: normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis group. They were further subgrouped by BMD and gender to compare differences in various parameters. Taking the average values of these parameters at age 30 as the baseline, we calculated the growth rate every five years, observing the age-related changes in these parameters of different tissues in both males and females. Among males, no notable disparities were observed in the splanchnic soft tissue and paraspinal intramuscular muscle content across various vBMD categories, whereas other parameters exhibited significant variations in accordance with vBMD. In females, all parameters, with the exception of liver fat fraction, demonstrated significant changes across different vBMD categories. Males exhibit a higher liver FF, as well as greater content of total adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, splanchnic soft tissue, cortical mineral, cancellous mineral, and paraspinal intramuscular muscle compared to females. Conversely, females demonstrate higher muscle FF, paraspinal intramuscular adipose tissue, and subcutaneous adipose tissue content than males. In age-related changes, there is an increase in FF of the liver, pancreas, and paraspinal muscles, accompanied by an augmentation in the content of total adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and paraspinal intramuscular adipose tissue. Conversely, there is a decline in BMD, cortical and trabecular content, as well as in the content of paraspinal intramuscular muscle tissue. The difference lies in the reduction of subcutaneous fat content in males, as opposed to an increase in females. The trend of variations in mass and area within the same tissue does not always align consistently. Furthermore, the content of both cortical and cancellous mineral decreased with age, but cortical mineral loss occurs earlier and faster than cancellous mineral. As vBMD diminishes, muscle content decreases concurrently with an augmentation in fat infiltration. In males, visceral fat infiltration prevails, whereas in females, both muscle loss and fat accumulation are pronounced. The depletion of cortical minerals may transpire earlier and at a quicker rate compared to the loss of cancellous minerals, indicating that clinical attention to osteoporosis cannot ignore changes in the cortical bone.

Modern architecture increasingly integrates amorphous, inorganic, non-metallic, and transparent glass in the construction of high-rise buildings, fueled by the proliferation of social technology. Ordinary glass doesn't allow for subjective adjustment of its light transmission intensity and direction angle. Direct sunlight at noon, shining through an ordinary window, increases eye fatigue and visual loss due to its high intensity, resulting in adverse reactions like dry eyes and tears. To mitigate the negative effects of unsuitable light on people's lives, an adjustable light transmission glass window with directional angles is necessary for societal use. This paper uses a numerical simulation to investigate the correlation between the angle of polarization and the luminous flux of polarized glass windows, providing valuable insights for designing light transmission structures, bridging the knowledge gap on polarization principles in glass windows, and offering significant theoretical and practical implications for glass window manufacturers.

Using generalizability (G-) theory and qualitative feedback analysis, this study evaluated the role of ChatGPT in enhancing English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing assessments in classroom settings. The primary objectives were to assess the reliability of the holistic scores assigned to EFL essays by ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 compared to college English teachers and to evaluate the relevance of the qualitative feedback provided by these versions of ChatGPT. The study analyzed 30 College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) essays written by non-English majors at a university in Beijing, China. ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4, along with four college English teachers, served as raters. They scored the essays holistically following the CET-4 scoring rubric and also provided qualitative feedback on the language, content, and organization of these essays. The G-theory analysis revealed that the scoring reliability of ChatGPT3.5 was consistently lower than that of the teacher raters; however, ChatGPT4 demonstrated consistently higher reliability coefficients than the teachers. The qualitative feedback analysis indicated that both ChatGPT3.5 and 4 consistently provided more relevant feedback on the EFL essays than the teacher raters. Furthermore, ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 were equally relevant across the language, content, and organization aspects of the essays, whereas the teacher raters generally focused more on language but provided less relevant feedback on content and organization. Consequently, ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4 could be useful AI tools for enhancing EFL writing assessments in classroom settings. The implications of adopting ChatGPT for classroom writing assessments are discussed.

Acoustic tweezers use ultrasound for contact-free manipulation of particles from millimeter to sub-micrometer scale. Particle trapping is usually associated with either radiation forces or acoustic streaming fields. Acoustic tweezers based on single-beam focused acoustic vortices have attracted considerable attention due to their selective trapping capability, but have proven difficult to use for three-dimensional (3D) trapping without a complex transducer array and significant constraints on the trapped particle properties. Here we demonstrate a 3D acoustic tweezer in fluids that uses a single transducer and combines the radiation force for trapping in two dimensions with the streaming force to provide levitation in the third dimension. The idea is demonstrated in both simulation and experiments operating at 500 kHz, and the achieved levitation force reaches three orders of magnitude larger than for previous 3D trapping. This hybrid acoustic tweezer that integrates acoustic streaming adds an additional twist to the approach and expands the range of particles that can be manipulated. Although acoustic and optical tweezers are widely used, it is challenging to create a 3D trap with a simple set-up. Here, acoustic vortex streaming is combined with radiation force to realise 3D trapping of particles in a fluid.