Low-power thermo-optic switch based on polymer waveguide integrated with graphene heater.

We present a low-power thermo-optic (TO) switch based on a polymer waveguide integrated with a graphene heater for low power-consumption and fast operation. The graphene layer buried inside the waveguide core does not introduce a significant loss to the transverse-magnetic polarized light, which can enhance the overlap integration factor of the optical field and thermal field and, therefore, effectively improve the heating efficiency. Moreover, thanks to the simple and flexible processing technology of the polymer waveguide platform, an integrated processing method was developed to bury the graphene electrode heater inside the waveguide core, which can reduce the damage to the graphene layer.

Compact silica dual-band wavelength demultiplexer based on asymmetric-defined multimode interference coupler.

Limited refractive index difference of silica waveguide brings great size challenges in wavelength demultiplexing. A silica dual-band wavelength demultiplexer (DBWD) based on an asymmetric multimode interference coupler (MMI) is demonstrated. The selective separation and output of target dual bands can be implemented using the proposed design method based on asymmetric-defined MMI couplers.

Reconfigurable non-Abelian integrated photonics.

Current integrated photonics typically utilizes the dynamical phase associated resonant on-chip components, leading to bandwidth-limited devices with perturbation-sensitive performance. Multi-mode geometric phase matrix, arising from the non-Abelian holonomy which is a non-resonant and global effect, has been recently introduced to integrated photonics for the design of broadband and robust on-chip photonic devices. Achieving reconfigurable on-chip non-Abelian photonic devices is a crucial step towards practical applications, which however remains elusive.

Trajectories of prenatal depression and their prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes based on nomograms in Mainland China-Results from a national longitudinal survey.

Background: Cross-sectional data are commonly used to explore the relationships between prenatal depression and its relevant outcomes. Longitudinal studies of the influence of prenatal depressive trajectories on pregnancy outcomes are scarce. This study used nomograms to evaluate prenatal depressive trajectories as predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Formation of Ce(IV)-borate intrinsic colloid alters Ce(IV) transport: The role of Ce(IV) concentration, pH, ionic strength and humic acid.

Tetravalent actinides, An(IV), could become mobile in the subsurface if they occur in the colloidal form. BO is one of the major components of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) glass, and the erosion of glass may lead to the leakage of An(IV) and borate, forming An(IV)-borate intrinsic colloid. However, the colloidal properties and transport behavior of such colloids are unknown so far.

Broadband adiabatic power splitter on an etchless thin-film lithium niobate platform.

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) is a promising platform for photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and 3-dB power splitters are the most essential building blocks in PICs. In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate a broadband, fabrication-tolerant 3-dB power splitter based on the photonic bound state in the continuum (BIC) and using a spatial adiabatic passage structure on a polymer-loaded LNOI platform. The simulation results show that the proposed device can achieve a splitting ratio of 50%:50% with an excellent operating bandwidth of 180 nm (from 1450 nm to 1630 nm).

AgOCN Piezoresistive Sensor for Human Motion Signal Detection Based on Electrospinning Method.

Flexible sensors are mainly used in medical treatment, human body signal monitoring, and other fields and are an important part of flexible electronic devices, with high sensitivity, good mechanical properties, and other advantages. However, human signal monitoring devices are often hindered from being put to medical use due to the disadvantages of large size, slow response time, and poor mechanical properties. In this regard, in this paper, by means of electrostatic spinning technology, the composite spinning of polyacrylonitrile, ,-dimethylformamide, and AgCl, AgOCN piezoresistive sensors with a gradient pore structure were constructed, combined with the sandwich packaging process integrated into the fixture, integrated with sensors such as coin cell, AD acquisition module, and 4G communication module on STM32 microcontroller, assembled into lightweight, flexible sensing devices.

Prenatal comorbid depression and anxiety based on a national longitudinal study in Chinese mainland: Relationship with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Background: Extant studies on the prevalence of prenatal comorbid anxiety and depression (CAD) are primarily cross-sectional. The limited data on the association of prenatal CAD and adverse perinatal outcomes are conflicting. This study investigated the dynamic occurrences of prenatal CAD and its effect on relevant outcomes.

SOSTDC1 downregulation in CD4 T cells confers protection against obesity-induced insulin resistance.

Adipose-resident T cells play a crucial role in the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance. However, the specific mechanisms, particularly those involving non-immune cytokines, remain unclear. Here, we report significantly elevated levels of sclerostin domain-containing protein 1 (SOSTDC1) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), showing positive correlations with fasting glucose and HbA1c.

Multiparametric MRI to Predict Gleason Score Upgrading and Downgrading at Radical Prostatectomy Compared to Presurgical Biopsy.

Objective: This study investigated the value of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in predicting Gleason score (GS) upgrading and downgrading in radical prostatectomy (RP) compared with presurgical biopsy.

Materials And Methods: Clinical and mpMRI data were retrospectively collected from 219 patients with prostate disease between January 2015 and December 2021. All patients underwent systematic prostate biopsy followed by RP.

Optimizing bladder magnetic resonance imaging: accelerating scan time and improving image quality through deep learning.

Purpose: To investigate the value of deep learning (DL) in T2-weighted imaging (T2) of the bladder regarding acquisition time (TA), image quality, and diagnostic confidence compared to standard T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo (TSE) imaging (T2).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled a total of 28 consecutive patients for the evaluation of bladder cancer. T2 and T2 sequences in three planes were performed for each participant, and acquisition time was compared between the two acquisition protocols.

Preoperative MRI-based predictive model for biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: To determine the biochemical recurrence (BCR)-related pelvic anatomic characteristics before radical prostatectomy (RP) and to establish a new predictive model for BCR-free survival (BCRFS).

Methods: The study involved 170 patients who underwent RP between January 2015 and December 2022. Kaplan-Meier plots were applied to estimate survival probabilities.

Thermo-optical switch with wavelength division multiplexing function.

Flexible and compact optical switch is important for optical communications. In this Letter, a thermo-optical switch with wavelength division (de)multiplexing (WDM) function has been proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The switch is comprised of a 1 × 2 Bezier multimode interferometer (MMI) and an angled multimode interferometer (AMMI).

Silica Waveguide Thermo-Optic Mode Switch with Bimodal S-Bend.

A silica waveguide thermo-optic mode switch with small radius bimodal S-bends is demonstrated in this study. The cascaded multimode interference coupler is adopted to implement the E and E mode selective output. The beam propagation method is used in design optimization.

Detecting white adipose tissue browning in mice with in vivo R∗ mapping at 9.4T MRI.

White adipose tissue (WAT) browning is considered a promising strategy to combat obesity and related metabolic diseases. Currently, fat-water fraction (FWF) has been used as a marker for the loss of lipids associated with WAT browning. However, FWF may not be sensitive to metabolic changes and cannot specifically reflect iron-regulated metabolism during browning.

Monolithic integration of waveguide amplifiers and passive polymer photonic devices using photolithography.

The monolithic integration of rare-earth-doped waveguide amplifiers with passive photonic devices has long been a subject of extensive research. Herein, we propose a method for active-passive monolithic integration based on polymer photonic integrated devices. The monolithic integration of passive devices with active waveguide amplifiers is achieved by spin-coating an active layer atop a passive polymer waveguide and subjecting specific regions of the active layer to selective photolithography.

Dual-mode 2 × 2 electro-optic switch on a SOI platform.

Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) technology is promising for enhancing the capacity of communication networks. In this Letter, we demonstrate a dual-mode 2 × 2 electro-optical switch on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The dual-mode Mach-Zehnder interferometer switch comprises of four p-i-n phase shifters and two mode-insensitive multimode interferences that can be used for TE and TE, simultaneously.

Ultra-broadband multimode fiber-to-chip edge coupler based on periodically segmented waveguides.

Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) technology demonstrates a bright outlook for enhancing the capacity of chip-scale or fiber-based optical communication. Nevertheless, the fiber-to-chip MDM optical interconnects are hindered by the considerable mode mismatch and inter-modal cross talk between the few-mode fiber (FMF) and on-chip few-mode waveguide (FMW). In this Letter, a new, to the best of our knowledge, multimode coupling solution based on periodically segmented waveguides for the MDM system is proposed, which achieves efficient conversion between LP, LP, and LP modes in FMF and E, E, and E modes in FMW with low refractive index difference.

Ammonia Sensing Performance at Room Temperature of Ca-Doped CNFs/AlO Gas Sensor.

When NH in the environment exceeds a certain concentration, it may have adverse effects on human health. Ammonia gas sensors currently on the market usually work under high temperatures and are not only expensive but also have poor performance in terms of selectivity. Therefore, the preparation of an ammonia gas sensor that works at room temperature, is low cost, and has high sensitivity and selectivity is particularly important.

Z-Spectral MRI Quantifies the Mass and Metabolic Activity of Adipose Tissues With Fat-Water-Fraction and Amide-Proton-Transfer Contrasts.

Background: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is metabolically activatable and plays an important role in obesity and metabolic diseases. With reduced fat-water-fraction (FWF) compared with white adipose tissue (WAT), BAT mass and its functional activation may be quantified with Z-spectra MRI, with built-in FWF and the metabolic amide proton transfer (APT) contrasts.

Purpose: To investigate if Z-spectral MRI can quantify the mass and metabolic activity of adipose tissues.

Multilayer stacked crystalline silicon switch with nanosecond-order switching time.

To realize compact and denser photonic integrated circuits, three-dimensional integration has been widely accepted and researched. In this article, we demonstrate the operation of a 3D integrated silicon photonic platform fabricated through wafer bonding. Benefiting from the wafer bonding process, the material of all layers is c-Si, which ensures that the mobility is high enough to achieve a nanosecond response via the p-i-n diode shifter.

Elemental and particle size fractionation during the transport of Eu(III)-silicate colloids in water-saturated porous media.

Actinides (An)-bearing colloids could facilitate An migration in the environment. However, little is known about the transport behavior of An(III)-silicate colloids, which are readily formed by the reaction of An with silicic acid under environmental conditions. Column experiments were conducted to investigate the transport of Eu(III)-silicate colloids (chemical analog of An(III)-silicate colloids) in water-saturated porous media as a function of pH, ionic strength (IS) and the presence of fulvic acid (FA).

PLC-Based Polymer/Silica Hybrid Inverted Ridge LP Mode Rotator.

The mode rotator is an important component in a PLC-based mode-division multiplexing (MDM) system, which is used to implement high-order modes with vertical intensity peaks, such as LP mode conversions from LP in PLC chips. In this paper, an LP mode rotator based on a polymer/silica hybrid inverted ridge waveguide is demonstrated. The proposed mode rotator is composed of an asymmetrical waveguide with a trench.