Ultrahigh Modulation Enhancement in All-Optical Si-Based THz Modulators Integrated with Gold Nanobipyramids.

Optical regulation strategy with the aid of hybrid materials can significantly optimize the performance of terahertz devices. Gold nanobipyramids (AuNBPs) with synthetical tunability to the near-infrared band show strong local field enhancement, which improves optical coupling at the interface and benefits the modulation performance. We design AuNBPs-integrated terahertz modulators with multiple structured surfaces and demonstrate that introducing AuNBPs can effectively enhance their modulation depths. In particular, an ultrahigh modulation enhancement of 1 order of magnitude can be achieved in the AuNBPs hybrid metamaterials accompanied by the multifunctional modulation characteristics. By application of the coupled Lorentz oscillator model, the theoretical calculation suggests that the optical regulation with AuNBPs originates from increased damping rate and higher coupling coefficient under pump excitation. Additionally, a terahertz spatial light modulator is constructed to demonstrate multiple imaging display and consume extremely low power, which is promising for the potential application in spatial and frequency selective imaging.

Influence of micro-structure on modulation properties in VO2 composite terahertz memory metamaterials.

We have grown VO2 films and combined with terahertz metamaterials to manipulate the memory effect during the insulator-to-metal transition. The temperature-dependent resonant frequency of hybrid structure shows a thermal hysteresis accompanied with frequency shift and bandwidth variation due to the presence of a VO2 dielectric layer. This frequency memory effect significantly depends on the metallic micro-structure. Further theoretical calculation demonstrates this phenomenon mainly originates from the different coupling strength between VO2 and metallic structures. Our findings could facilitate the application of VO2 films in the smart window and dynamical terahertz modulators.

High-performance terahertz modulators induced by substrate field in Te-based all-2D heterojunctions.

High-performance active terahertz modulators as the indispensable core components are of great importance for the next generation communication technology. However, they currently suffer from the tradeoff between modulation depth and speed. Here, we introduce two-dimensional (2D) tellurium (Te) nanofilms with the unique structure as a new class of optically controlled terahertz modulators and demonstrate their integrated heterojunctions can successfully improve the device performances to the optimal and applicable levels among the existing all-2D broadband modulators. Further photoresponse measurements confirm the significant impact of the stacking order. We first clarify the direction of the substrate-induced electric field through first-principles calculations and uncover the unusual interaction mechanism in the photoexcited carrier dynamics associated with the charge transfer and interlayer exciton recombination. This advances the fundamental and applicative research of Te nanomaterials in high-performance terahertz optoelectronics.

Screening for early Alzheimer's disease: enhancing diagnosis with linguistic features and biomarkers.

Introduction: Research has shown that speech analysis demonstrates sensitivity in detecting early Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the relation between linguistic features and cognitive tests or biomarkers remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how linguistic features help identify cognitive impairments in patients in the early stages of AD. Method: This study analyzed connected speech from 80 participants and categorized the participants into early-AD and normal control (NC) groups. The participants underwent amyloid-ß positron emission tomography scans, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and comprehensive neuropsychological testing. Participants' speech data from a picture description task were examined. A total of 15 linguistic features were analyzed to classify groups and predict cognitive performance. Results: We found notable linguistic differences between the early-AD and NC groups in lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and language disfluency. Using machine learning classifiers (SVM, KNN, and RF), we achieved up to 88% accuracy in distinguishing early-AD patients from normal controls, with mean length of utterance (MLU) and long pauses ratio (LPR) serving as core linguistic indicators. Moreover, the integration of linguistic indicators with biomarkers significantly improved predictive accuracy for AD. Regression analysis also highlighted crucial linguistic features, such as MLU, LPR, Type-to-Token ratio (TTR), and passive construction ratio (PCR), which were sensitive to changes in cognitive function. Conclusion: Findings support the efficacy of linguistic analysis as a screening tool for the early detection of AD and the assessment of subtle cognitive decline. Integrating linguistic features with biomarkers significantly improved diagnostic accuracy.

Dual-Band and Multi-State Polarization Conversion Using aTerahertz Symmetry-Breaking Metadevice.

We numerically and experimentally demonstrate a terahertz metadevice consisting of split-ring resonators (SRRs) present within square metallic rings. This device can function as a dual-band polarization converter by breaking the symmetry of SRRs. Under x-polarized incidence, the metastructure is able to convert linearly polarized (LP) light into a left-hand circular-polarized (LCP) wave. Intriguingly, under y-polarized incidence, frequency-dependent conversion from LP to LCP and right-hand circular-polarized (RCP) states can be achieved at different frequencies. Furthermore, reconfigurable LCP-to-LP and RCP-to-LP switching can be simulated by integrating the device with patterned graphene and changing its Fermi energy. This dual-band and multi-state polarization control provides an alternative solution to developing compact and multifunctional components in the terahertz regime.

White matter hyperintensities in cholinergic pathways may predict poorer responsiveness to acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) drug regimens are the mainstay treatment options for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, We examined the association between clinical response to AChEI and white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at baseline. METHODS: Between 2020 and 2021, we recruited 101 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of probable AD. Each participant underwent complete neuropsychological testing and 3T (Telsa) brain magnetic resonance imaging. Responsiveness to AChEI, as assessed after 12 months, was designated as less than two points of regression in Mini-Mental State Examination scores (MMSE) and stable clinical dementia rating scale. We also evaluated MRI images by examining scores on the Cholinergic Pathways Hyperintensities Scale (CHIPS), Fazekas scale, and medial temporal atrophy (MTA) scale. RESULTS: In our cohort, 52 patients (51.4%) were classified as responders. We observed significantly higher CHIPS scores in the nonresponder group (21.1 ± 12.9 vs. 14.9 ± 9.2, P = 0.007). Age at baseline, education level, sex, Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes scores, and three neuroimaging parameters were tested in regression models. Only CHIPS scores predicted clinical response to AChEI treatment. CONCLUSION: WMHs in the cholinergic pathways, not diffuse white matter lesions or hippocampal atrophy, correlated with poorer responsiveness to AChEI treatment. Therefore, further investigation into the role of the cholinergic pathway in AD is warranted.

Quantitative determination of glycerol concentration in aqueous glycerol solutions by metamaterial-based terahertz spectroscopy.

Glycerol is an important quality indicator for foodstuffs. There is an increasing request for one more accurate, reliable, and convenient detection of the glycerol concentrations. Terahertz radiation is highly sensitive to the low-frequency intermolecular interactions between the glycerol and waters. Considering the enhancement property of localized field from the metamaterials, terahertz spectroscopy has been utilized for the determination of glycerol content with metamaterial-based biosensor, where the interaction between the analyte and the terahertz wave can be greatly increased. But the quantitative sensing performance was poor due to the sensitivity limitation of single-mode resonance of metamaterial and the lack of appropriate modeling methods. We propose the optimized structural design with internal coupling and multiple resonances. The induced remarkable changes in the lineshape of different transmitted dip regions imply that our metastructure biosensor is of high sensitivity to the change of surrounding environment on the surface dielectric constant, which has been also verified by coupled Lorentz oscillator theory. Furthermore, the optimal partial least squares regression model with variables of spectral lineshape for the first dip region covering the frequency range of 0.45-0.85 THz was established. It shows more accurate and reliable predictions of glycerol concentrations with residual predictive deviation value of 6.095. Metamaterial-based terahertz spectroscopy combined with statistical modeling with lineshape features can provide one new strategy for quantitative sensing. It has great potential for the improvement of determination of analyte concentrations in the practical applications of food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic area.

Heterointerface-Enhanced Ultrafast Optical Switching via Manipulating Metamaterial-Induced Transparency in a Hybrid Terahertz Graphene Metamaterial.

We have demonstrated the active manipulation of metamaterial-induced transparency (MIT) in a terahertz hybrid metamaterial with graphene overlayer under photoexcitation. It is found that the introduction of graphene can greatly modify the resonant dips and transparency window through the formed depolarization field around unequal-length double bars to weaken dipole resonances and their destructive interference. Transient control of MIT behaviors is determined by the photogenerated carrier dynamics, which influences the distributions of currents and electric fields in the resonant region to hinder the near-field coupling of two bright modes. Optical modulation depth is sensitive to bar spacing due to an anomalous increased double-bar coupling involving intracell and intercell interaction. Heterointerface formed by the added graphene with substrate could further enhance terahertz response via effective separation of the photoexcited carriers. Theoretical calculation based on the coupled Lorentz oscillator model reveals that the photoinduced terahertz response mainly originates from the coupling and damping in hybrid structures. Our findings could facilitate the development of graphene-based dynamical terahertz modulators and optoelectronic devices.