Diagnostic value of amygdala volume on structural magnetic resonance imaging in Alzheimer’s disease

BACKGROUND The main clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is memory loss,which can be accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms at different stages of the disease.Amygdala is closely related to emotion and memory.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic value of amygdala on structural magnetic resonance imaging(sMRI)for AD.METHODS In this study,22 patients with AD and 26 controls were enrolled.Their amygdala volumes were measured by sMRI and analyzed using an automatic analysis software.RESULTS The bilateral amygdala volumes of AD patients were significantly lower than those of the controls and were positively correlated with the hippocampal volumes.Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that the sensitivity of the left and right amygdala volumes in diagnosing AD was 80.8%and 88.5%,respectively.Subgroup analyses showed that amygdala atrophy was more serious in AD patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms,which mainly included irritability(22.73%),sleep difficulties(22.73%),apathy(18.18%),and hallucination(13.64%).CONCLUSION Amygdala volumes measured by sMRI can be used to diagnose AD,and amygdala atrophy is more serious in patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D magnetic resonance imaging between normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease

Applications of multifractal analysis to white matter structure changes on magnetic resonance imaging（MRI） have recently received increasing attentions. Although some progresses have been made, there is no evident study on applying multifractal analysis to evaluate the white matter structural changes on MRI for Alzheimer＇s disease（AD） research. In this paper, to explore multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D MRI volumes between normal aging and early AD, we not only extend the traditional box-counting multifractal analysis（BCMA） into the 3D case, but also propose a modified integer ratio based BCMA（IRBCMA） algorithm to compensate for the rigid division rule in BCMA. We verify multifractal characteristics in 3D white matter MRI volumes. In addition to the previously well studied multifractal feature,△α, we also demonstrated △ f as an alternative and effective multifractal feature to distinguish NC from AD subjects.Both △α and △ f are found to have strong positive correlation with the clinical MMSE scores with statistical significance.Moreover, the proposed IRBCMA can be an alternative and more accurate algorithm for 3D volume analysis. Our findings highlight the potential usefulness of multifractal analysis, which may contribute to clarify some aspects of the etiology of AD through detection of structural changes in white matter.

Wide frequency phonons manipulation in Si nanowire by introducing nanopillars and nanoparticles

The combination of different nanostructures can hinder phonons transmission in a wide frequency range and further reduce the thermal conductivity(TC).This will benefit the improvement and application of thermoelectric conversion,insulating materials and thermal barrier coatings,etc.In this work,the effects of nanopillars and Ge nanoparticles(GNPs)on the thermal transport of Si nanowire(SN)are investigated by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics(NEMD)simulation.By analyzing phonons transport behaviors,it is confirmed that the introduction of nanopillars leads to the occurrence of lowfrequency phonons resonance,and nanoparticles enhance high-frequency phonons interface scattering and localization.The results show that phonons transport in the whole frequency range can be strongly hindered by the simultaneous introduction of nanopillars and nanoparticles.In addition,the effects of system length,temperature,sizes and numbers of nanoparticles on the TC are investigated.Our work provides useful insights into the effective regulation of the TC of nanomaterials.

Polarization-Insensitive Magnetic Quadrupole-Shaped and Electric Quadrupole-Shaped Fano Resonances Based on a Plasmonic Composite Structure

A combined structure with the unit cell consisting of four sub-units with 90° rotation in turn is designed. Each of sub-units is composed of two gold rods in transverse arrangement and one gold rod in longitudinal arrangement. Simulating electromagnetic responses of the structure, we verify that the structure exhibits the double Fano resonances, which originate from the coupling between magnetic quadrupoles and electric dipoles and the coupling between electric quadrupoles and electric dipoles. Simulation results also demonstrate that the structure is polarization-insensitive and shows an analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency at the two Fano resonances. Such a plasmonic structure has potential applications in photoelectric elements.

Mechanical Analysis and Measurements of a Multicomponent NbTi/Cu Superconducting Magnets Structure for the Fully Superconducting Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

A fully superconducting electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） ion source （SECRAL ID is currently being built in the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its key components are three superconducting solenoids （Nb-Ti/Cu） and six superconducting sextupoles （Nb-Ti/Cu）. Different from the conventional supercon- ducting ECR magnetic structure, the SEC17AL Ⅱ includes three superconducting solenoid coils＇ that are located inside the superconducting sextupoles. The SECRAL Ⅱ can significantly reduce the interaction forces between the sextupole and the solenoids, and the magnets can also be more compact in size. For this multi-component SECRAL Ⅱ generating its self field of -8 T and being often exposed to the high self field, the mechanical analysis has become the main issue to keep their stress at 〈200 MPa on coils. The analytical and experimental results in mechanics are presented in the SECRAL Ⅱ structure. To improve the accuracy and efficiency of analysis, according to the composite rule of micromechanics, the equivalent uniform windings are used to simulate the epoxy-impregnated Nb-Ti/Cu coils. In addition, using low temperature strain gauges and a wireless fast strain acquisition system, a fundamental experiment on the based on our analysis, the stresses and deformations optimized. strains developments of a sextupole is reported. Finally, for its assembly of each SECRAL Ⅱ coil will be further

High permeability and bimodal resonance structure of flaky soft magnetic composite materials

We establish a theoretical bimodal model for the complex permeability of flaky soft magnetic composite materials to explain the variability of their initial permeability.The new model is motivated by finding the two natural resonance peaks to be inconsistent with the combination of the domain wall resonance and the natural resonance.In the derivation of the model,two relationships are explored:the first one is the relationship between the number of magnetic domains and the permeability,and the second one is the relationship between the natural resonance and the domain wall resonance.This reveals that the ball milling causes the number of magnetic domains to increase and the maximum initial permeability to exist after 10 h of ball milling.An experiment is conducted to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed model.The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.This new model is of great significance for studying the mechanism and applications of the resonance loss for soft magnetic composite materials in high frequency fields.

Design and fabrication of structural color by local surface plasmonic meta-molecules

In this paper, we propose a new form of nanostructures with Al film deposited on a patterned dielectric material for generating structural color, which is induced by local surface plasmonic resonant(LSPR) absorption in sub-wavelengthindented hole/ring arrays. Unlike other reported results obtained by using focus ion beam(FIB) to create metallic nanostructures, the nano-sized hole/ring arrays in Al film in this work are replicated by high resolution electron beam lithography(EBL) combined with self-aligned metallization. Clear structural color is observed and systematically studied by numerical simulations as well as optical characterizations. The central color is strongly related to the geometric size, which provides us with good opportunities to dye the colorless Al surface by controlling the hole/ring dimensions(both diameter and radius), and to open up broad applications in display, jewelry decoration, green production of packing papers, security code,and counterfeits prevention.

Two-dimensional horizontal visibility graph analysis of human brain aging on gray matter

Characterizing the trajectory of the healthy aging brain and exploring age-related structural changes in the brain can help deepen our understanding of the mechanism of brain aging.Currently,most structural magnetic resonance imaging literature explores brain aging merely from the perspective of morphological features,which cannot fully utilize the grayscale values containing important intrinsic information about brain structure.In this study,we propose the construction of two-dimensional horizontal visibility graphs based on the pixel intensity values of the gray matter slices directly.Normalized network structure entropy(NNSE)is then introduced to quantify the overall heterogeneities of these graphs.The results demonstrate a decrease in the NNSEs of gray matter with age.Compared with the middle-aged and the elderly,the larger values of the NNSE in the younger group may indicate more homogeneous network structures,smaller differences in importance between nodes and thus a more powerful ability to tolerate intrusion.In addition,the hub nodes of different adult age groups are primarily located in the precuneus,cingulate gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,inferior temporal gyrus,parahippocampal gyrus,insula,precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus.Our study can provide a new perspective for understanding and exploring the structural mechanism of brain aging.

Exploring Brain Age Calculation Models Available for Alzheimer's Disease

The advantages of structural magnetic resonance imaging(sMRI)-based multidimensional tensor morphological features in brain disease research are the high sensitivity and resolution of sMRI to comprehensively capture the key structural information and quantify the structural deformation.However,its direct application to regression analysis of high-dimensional small-sample data for brain age prediction may cause“dimensional catastrophe”.Therefore,this paper develops a brain age prediction method for high-dimensional small-sample data based on sMRI multidimensional morphological features and constructs brain age gap estimation(BrainAGE)biomarkers to quantify abnormal aging of key subcortical structures by extracting subcortical structural features for brain age prediction,which can then establish statistical analysis models to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and monitor health conditions,intervening at the preclinical stage.

Underlying principle of efficient propulsion in flexible plunging foils

Passive flexibility was found to enhance propulsive efficiency in swimming animals.In this study,we numerically investigate the roles of structural resonance and hydrodynamic wake resonance in optimizing efficiency of a flexible plunging foil.The results indicates that（1）optimal efficiency is not necessarily achieved when the driving frequency matches the structural eigenfrequency;（2）optimal efficiency always occurs when the driving frequency matches the wake resonant frequency of the time averaged velocity profile.Thus,the underlying principle of efficient propulsion in flexible plunging foil is the hydrodynamic wake resonance,rather than the structural resonance.In addition,we also found that whether the efficiency can be optimized at the structural resonant point depends on the strength of the leading edge vortex relative to that of the trailing edge vortex.The result of this work provides new insights into the role of passive flexibility in flapping-based propulsion.

Gut bless you:The microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is a common clinical label for medically unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms,recently described as a disturbance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.Despite decades of research,the pathophysiology of this highly heterogeneous disorder remains elusive.However,a dramatic change in the understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms surfaced when the importance of gut microbiota protruded the scientific picture.Are we getting any closer to understanding IBS’etiology,or are we drowning in unspecific,conflicting data because we possess limited tools to unravel the cluster of secrets our gut microbiota is concealing?In this comprehensive review we are discussing some of the major important features of IBS and their interaction with gut microbiota,clinical microbiota-altering treatment such as the low FODMAP diet and fecal microbiota transplantation,neuroimaging and methods in microbiota analyses,and current and future challenges with big data analysis in IBS.

Application of modern neuroimaging technology in the diagnosis and study of Alzheimer’s disease

Neurological abnormalities identified via neuroimaging are common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.However,it is not yet possible to easily detect these abnormalities using head computed tomography in the early stages of the disease.In this review,we evaluated the ways in which modern imaging techniques such as positron emission computed tomography,single photon emission tomography,magnetic resonance spectrum imaging,structural magnetic resonance imaging,magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging,magnetic resonance perfusion weighted imaging,magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging,and functional magnetic resonance imaging have revealed specific changes not only in brain structure,but also in brain function in Alzheimer’s disease patients.The reviewed literature indicated that decreased fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in the temporal and parietal lobes of Alzheimer’s disease patients is frequently observed via positron emission computed tomography.Furthermore,patients with Alzheimer’s disease often show a decreased N-acetylaspartic acid/creatine ratio and an increased myoinositol/creatine ratio revealed via magnetic resonance imaging.Atrophy of the entorhinal cortex,hippocampus,and posterior cingulate gyrus can be detected early using structural magnetic resonance imaging.Magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging can show small bleeds and abnormal iron metabolism.Task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging can display brain function activity through cerebral blood oxygenation.Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging can display the functional connection between brain neural networks.These are helpful for the differential diagnosis and experimental study of Alzheimer’s disease,and are valuable for exploring the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Wireless communication and wireless power transfer system for implantable medical device

Traditional magnetically coupled resonant wireless power transfer technology uses fixed distances between coils for research,to prevent fluctuations in the receiving voltage,and lead to reduce transmission efficiency.This paper proposes a closed-loop control wireless communication wireless power transfer system with a wearable four-coil structure to stabilize the receiving voltage fluctuation caused by changes in the displacement between the coils.Test results show that the system can provide stable receiving voltage,no matter how the distance between the transmitting coil and the receiving coil is changed.When the transmission distance is 20 mm,the power transfer efficiency of the system can reach 18.5%under the open-loop state,and the stimulus parameters such as the stimulation period and pulse width can be adjusted in real time through the personal computer terminal.

Optimization of Sound Absorption and Insulation Performances of a Dual-Cavity Resonant Micro-Perforated Plate

This study investigates a dual-cavity resonant composite sound-absorbing structure based on a micro-perforated plate.Using the COMSOL impedance tube model,the effects of various structural parameters on sound absorption and sound insulation performances are analyzed.Results show that the aperture of the micro-perforated plate has the greatest influence on the sound absorption coefficient;the smaller the aperture,the greater is this coefficient.The thickness of the resonance plate has the most significant influence on the sound insulation and resonance frequency;the greater the thickness,the wider the frequency domain in which sound insulation is obtained.In addition,the effect of filling the structural cavity with porous foam ceramics has been studied,and it has been found that the porosity and thickness of the porous material have a significant effect on the sound absorption coefficient and sound insulation,while the pore size exhibits a limited influence.

Acoustics Performance Research and Analysis of Light Timber Construction Wall Elements Based on Helmholtz Metasurface

Based on the efficient sound absorption characteristics of Helmholtz resonance structures in the range of medium and low frequency acoustic waves,this paper investigates an effective solution for light timber construction walls with acoustic problems.This study takes the light timber construction wall structure as the research object.Based on the Helmholtz resonance principle,the structure design of the wall unit,impedance tube experiment and COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS simulation calculation were carried out to obtain the change rule of acoustic performance of the Helmholtz resonance wall unit structure.The research results show that the overall stability of sound insulation of the structure is improved,and the frequency range with sound transmission loss more than 50 dB in the experimental group is 640–1600 Hz,while in the control group is 500–906 Hz and 1238–1600 Hz;the sound absorption performance of the structure is obviously better than that of the ordinary structure,especially in the low frequency acoustic wave range of 100–320 Hz,the sound absorption coefficient of the experimental group is more than 0.49,while the sound absorption coefficient of the control group is less than 0.1.It is expected that these results will contribute to the optimization of the acoustic performance of light timber construction walls and have high application and popularization value.

Influence of multi-photon excitation on the atomic above-threshold ionization

Using the time-dependent pseudo-spectral scheme, we solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation of a hydrogen- like atom in a strong laser field in momentum space. The intensity-resolved photoelectron energy spectrum in abovethreshold ionization is obtained and further analyzed. We find that with the increase of the laser intensity, the abovethreshold ionization emission spectrum exhibits periodic resonance structure. By analyzing the population of atomic bound states, we find that it is the multi-photon excitation of bound state that leads to the occurrence of this phenomenon, which is in fairly good agreement with the experimental results.

Pressure effect study on the Ⅰ-Ⅴ property of the GaAs-based resonant tunnelling structure by photoluminescence measurement

This paper discusses the I-V property of the GaAs-based resonant tunnelling structure （RTS） under external uniaxial pressure by photoluminescence studies. Compressive pressure parallel to the [110] direction, whose value is determined by Hooke＇s law, is imposed on the sample by a helix micrometer. With the increase of the applied external uniaxial compressive pressure, the blue shift and splitting of the luminescence peaks were observed, which have some influence on the I-V curve of RTS from the point of view of the energy gap, and the splitting became more apparent with applied pressure. Full width at half maximum broadening could also be observed.

Different optical properties in different periodic slot cavity geometrical morphologies

In this paper,optical properties of two-dimensional periodic annular slot cavity arrays in hexagonal close-packing on a silica substrate are theoretically characterized by finite difference time domain（FDTD） simulation method.By simulating reflectance spectra,electric field distribution,and charge distribution,we confirm that multiple cylindrical surface plasmon resonances can be excited in annular inclined slot cavities by linearly polarized light,in which the four reflectance dips are attributed to Fabry–Perot cavity resonances in the coaxial cavity.A coaxial waveguide mode TE11 will exist in these annular cavities,and the wavelengths of these reflectance dips are effectively tailored by changing the geometrical pattern of slot cavity and the dielectric materials filled in the cavities.These resonant wavelengths are localized in annular cavities with large electric field enhancement and dissipate gradually due to metal loss.The formation of an absorption peak can be explained from the aspect of phase matching conditions.We observed that the proposed structure can be tuned over the broad spectral range of 600–4000 nm by changing the outer and inner radii of the annular gaps,gap surface topography.Meanwhile,different lengths of the cavity may cause the shift of resonance dips.Also,we study the field enhancement at different vertical locations of the slit.In addition,dielectric materials filling in the annular gaps will result in a shift of the resonance wavelengths,which make the annular cavities good candidates for refractive index sensors.The refractive index sensitivity of annular cavities can also be tuned by the geometry size and the media around the cavity.Annular cavities with novel applications can be implied as surface enhanced Raman spectra substrates,refractive index sensors,nano-lasers,and optical trappers.

Machine learning for detecting mesial temporal lobe epilepsy by structural and functional neuroimaging

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy(mTLE),the most common type of focal epilepsy,is associated with functional and structural brain alterations.Machine learning(ML)techniques have been successfully used in discriminating mTLE from healthy controls.However,either functional or structural neuroimaging data are mostly used separately as input,and the opportunity to combine both has not been exploited yet.We conducted a multimodal ML study based on functional and structural neuroimaging measures.We enrolled 37 patients with left mTLE,37 patients with right mTLE,and 74 healthy controls and trained a support vector ML model to distinguish them by using each measure and the combinations of the measures.For each single measure,we obtained a mean accuracy of 74%and 69%for discriminating left mTLE and right mTLE from controls,respectively,and 64%when all patients were combined.We achieved an accuracy of 78%by integrating functional data and 79%by integrating structural data for left mTLE,and the highest accuracy of 84%was obtained when all functional and structural measures were combined.These findings suggest that combining multimodal measures within a single model is a promising direction for improving the classification of individual patients with mTLE.

Decoding fear of negative evaluation from brain morphology:A machine-learning study on structural neuroimaging data

Background:Fear of negative evaluation(FNE),referring to negative expectation and feelings toward other people’s social evaluation,is closely associated with social anxiety that plays an important role in our social life.Exploring the neural markers of FNE may be of theoretical and practical significance to psychiatry research(e.g.,studies on social anxiety).Methods:To search for potentially relevant biomarkers of FNE in human brain,the current study applied multivariate relevance vector regression,a machine-learning and data-driven approach,on brain morphological features(e.g.,cortical thickness)derived from structural imaging data;further,we used these features as indexes to predict self-reported FNE score in each participant.Results:Our results confirm the predictive power of multiple brain regions,including those engaged in negative emotional experience(e.g.,amygdala,insula),regulation and inhibition of emotional feeling(e.g.,frontal gyrus,anterior cingulate gyrus),and encoding and retrieval of emotional memory(e.g.,posterior cingulate cortex,parahippocampal gyrus).Conclusions:The current findings suggest that anxiety represents a complicated construct that engages multiple brain systems,from primitive subcortical mechanisms to sophisticated cortical processes.