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How surface chemistry impacts the performance of malaria nets

Insecticide-treated bed nets remain one of the most effective tools in malaria prevention, acting both as a physical barrier and as an insecticidal surface that kills or disables mosquitoes before they can transmit disease. New research by a multidisciplinary research team from the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) uses surface science to assess how well malaria nets perform.

Published in Science Advances, the focus of the study was the phasing out of PFAS coatings, a group of synthetic fluorinated coating chemicals that have been valued for stability and performance. However, their environmental persistence and potential health risks have made their removal an important priority. The paper is titled “Multimodal platform for ITN efficacy: Surface chemistry, bioavailability, and mosquito behavior.”

To understand the impact of removing PFAS, the team developed a novel multimodal evaluation platform combining chemical analysis, advanced surface imaging, and mosquito behavioral tracking.

Megawatt structured light arrives with 3,070 optical vortices in one array

Optical vortices—light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM)—are characterized by helical wavefronts and phase singularities. While they have been widely studied in recent decades, two fundamental limitations have restricted their broader impact: generating large numbers of vortices simultaneously and achieving high peak power in such configurations. Until now, large vortex arrays have been limited to low-power systems, whereas high-power demonstrations have typically involved only single vortices.

In a new paper published in Light: Science & Applications, a research team led by Professor Yoshiki Nakata at The University of Osaka reports the world’s first experimental realization of a megawatt-class large-scale optical vortex array comprising 3,070 phase-coherent vortices at a peak power of 58 megawatts. The result represents more than three orders of magnitude improvement in both vortex number and peak power compared with previous approaches.

Conventionally, Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) modes are expressed as the superposition of two Hermite–Gaussian (HG) modes with a π/2 phase shift. This constitutes the first revision of the HG–LG mode-conversion framework in three decades. The team reformulated this description into a three-mode representation that naturally integrates with multibeam interference geometry.

Smart Slider updates hijacked to push malicious WordPress, Joomla versions

Hackers hijacked the update system for the Smart Slider 3 Pro plugin for WordPress and Joomla, and pushed a malicious version with multiple backdoors.

The developer says that only the Pro version 3.5.1.35 of the plugin is affected and recommends switching immediately to the latest version, currently 3.5.1.36, or 3.5.1.34 and earlier.

Apart from installing backdoors in multiple locations, the malicious update created a hidden user with administrator permissions and stole sensitive data.

New ‘LucidRook’ malware used in targeted attacks on NGOs, universities

A new Lua-based malware, called LucidRook, is being used in spear-phishing campaigns targeting non-governmental organizations and universities in Taiwan.

Cisco Talos researchers attribute the malware to a threat group tracked internally as UAT-10362, who they describe as a capable adversary “with mature operational tradecraft.”

LucidRook was observed in attacks in October 2025 that relied on phishing emails carrying password-protected archives.

New VENOM phishing attacks steal senior executives’ Microsoft logins

Threat actors using a previously undocumented phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform called “VENOM” are targeting credentials of C-suite executives across multiple industries.

The operation has been active since at least last November and appears to target specific individuals who serve as CEOs, CFOs, or VPs at their companies.

VENOM also seems to be closed access, as it has not been promoted on public channels and underground forums, thus reducing its exposure to researchers.

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