bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indirect overgrowth as a synthesis route for superior diamond nano sensors
Authors: Findler Christoph , Lang Johannes , Osterkamp Christian , Nesládek Miloš , Jelezko Fedor
Published: December 2020

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy ($$\hbox {NV}^{-}$$

NV
-

) center shows excellent spin properties and sensing capabilities on the nanoscale even at room temperature. Shallow implanted $$\hbox {NV}^{-}$$

NV
-

centers can effectively be protected from surface noise by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond overgrowth, i.e. burying them homogeneously deeper in the crystal. However, the origin of the substantial losses in $$\hbox {NV}^{-}$$

NV
-

centers after overgrowth remains an open question. Here, we use shallow $$\hbox {NV}^{-}$$

NV
-

centers to exclude surface etching and identify the passivation reaction of NV to NVH centers during the growth as the most likely reason. Indirect overgrowth featuring low energy (2.5–5 keV) nitrogen ion implantation and CVD diamond growth before the essential annealing step reduces this passivation phenomenon significantly. Furthermore, we find higher nitrogen doses to slow down the NV–NVH conversion kinetics, which gives insight into the sub-surface diffusion of hydrogen in diamond during growth. Finally, nano sensors fabricated by indirect overgrowth combine tremendously enhanced $$T_2$$

T
2

and $$T_2^*$$

T
2
∗

times with an outstanding degree of depth-confinement which is not possible by implanting with higher energies alone. Our results improve the understanding of CVD diamond overgrowth and pave the way towards reliable and advanced engineering of shallow $$\hbox {NV}^{-}$$

NV
-

centers for future quantum sensing devices.
In-depth blood proteome profiling analysis revealed distinct functional characteristics of plasma proteins between severe and non-severe COVID-19 patients
Authors: Park Joonho , Kim Hyeyoon , Kim So Yeon , Kim Yeonjae , Lee Jee-Soo , Dan Kisoon , Seong Moon-Woo , Han Dohyun
Published: December 2020

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over forty million patients worldwide. Although most coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have a good prognosis, some develop severe illness. Markers that define disease severity or predict clinical outcome need to be urgently developed as the mortality rate in critical cases is approximately 61.5%. In the present study, we performed in-depth proteome profiling of undepleted plasma from eight COVID-19 patients. Quantitative proteomic analysis using the BoxCar method revealed that 91 out of 1222 quantified proteins were differentially expressed depending on the severity of COVID-19. Importantly, we found 76 proteins, previously not reported, which could be novel prognostic biomarker candidates. Our plasma proteome signatures captured the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, thereby highlighting the role of neutrophil activation, complement activation, platelet function, and T cell suppression as well as proinflammatory factors upstream and downstream of interleukin-6, interleukin-1B, and tumor necrosis factor. Consequently, this study supports the development of blood biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets to aid clinical decision-making and subsequently improve prognosis of COVID-19.
Highly selective enrichment and direct determination of imazethapyr residues from milk using magnetic solid-phase extraction based on restricted-access molecularly imprinted polymers
Authors: Jia Shicong , Zhou Yanqiang , Li Jianmin , Gong Bolin , Ma Shujuan , Ou Junjie
Published: December 2020

RAM-MIPs was prepared as MSPE material for selective extraction of trace IMs and possessed satisfactory protein exclusion properties.
Structure, dynamics and transport behavior of migrating corrosion inhibitors on the surface of calcium silicate hydrate: a molecular dynamics study
Authors: Sun Ming , Yang Qingrui , Zhang Yue , Wang Pan , Hou Dongshuai , Liu Qingfeng , Zhang Jinrui , Zhang Jigang
Published: December 2020

The incorporation of a corrosion inhibitor into a cement-based material can enhance the durability of the reinforced concrete.
Role of Mg2+ and In3+ substitution on magnetic, magnetostrictive and dielectric properties of NiFe2O4 ceramics derived from nanopowders
Authors: Anantharamaiah P. N. , Rao B. Prerna , Shashanka H. M. , Chelvane J. A. , Khopkar V. , Sahoo B.
Published: December 2020

The effect of Mg2+ and In3+ substitution on the structural, magnetic, magnetostrictive and dielectric properties of NiFe2O4 samples derived through sintering of nanocrystalline ceramic powders is investigated.
Simulation of UV absorption spectra and relaxation dynamics of uracil and uracil–water clusters
Authors: Milovanović Branislav , Novak Jurica , Etinski Mihajlo , Domcke Wolfgang , Došlić Nađa
Published: December 2020

UV Spectroscopy and relaxation dynamics of uracil in the gas phase and in aqueous solution resolved using ADC(2) based trajectory-surface-hopping calculations.
Anchored atomic tungsten on a B40 cage: a highly active and selective single-atom catalyst for nitrogen reduction
Authors: Li Wen-Ying , Sun Yi-Bing , Li Meng-Yang , Zhang Xiao-Yu , Zhao Xiang , Dang Jing-Shuang
Published: December 2020

An atomic tungsten-decorated B40 cage is proved as a feasible catalyst for nitrogen electroreduction with a low over-potential and high selectivity to passivate the competitive hydrogen evolution process.
Hydrogen abstraction/addition reactions in soot surface growth
Authors: Chu Qingzhao , Shi Baolu , Wang Hongyu , Chen Dongping , Liao Lijuan
Published: December 2020

The surface diffusion-induced reaction accounts for the unexpected high reaction rates in the cases of soot formation.
Hydrodynamic granulation of oxygenic photogranules
Authors: Gikonyo Joseph G. , Ansari Abeera A. , Abouhend Ahmed S. , Tobiason John E. , Park Chul
Published: December 2020

Oxygenic photogranules (OPGs) can be directly formed from activated sludge under hydrodynamic conditions, but only with some combinations of different magnitudes of light, mixing, and chemical energies.
Flavor and texture characteristics of microwave-cooked Kung Pao Chicken by different heat conduction effects and further aroma improvement with moderate enzymatic hydrolyzed chicken fat
Authors: Cui Heping , Liu Dinghao , Xia Xue , Yu Jingyang , Hayat Khizar , Zhang Xiaoming , Ho Chi-Tang
Published: December 2020

The flavor and texture of microwave-cooked Kung Pao Chicken were improved. This work is very significant for facilitating the industrialization and standardization of traditional foods, and its development in modern life style.
Phonon-assisted exciton dissociation in transition metal dichalcogenides
Authors: Perea-Causín Raül , Brem Samuel , Malic Ermin
Published: December 2020

The photoresponse in 2D materials is limited by dissociation of tightly-bound excitonsviascattering with phonons.
Comparative evaluation of MAX-Ti3AlC2 and MXene-Ti3C2 as affinity chromatographic materials for highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides
Authors: Li Xiaowei , Zhang Na , Tang Ruizhi , Lyu Jiawen , Liu Zhen , Ma Shujuan , Ou Junjie , Ye Mingliang
Published: December 2020

For the first time, MAX-Ti3AlC2 and 2D MXene-Ti3C2 were used as affinity chromatography stationary phases for the specific enrichment of phosphopeptides, and they provided complementary coverage for phosphoproteomes.
Polarizing and depolarizing charge injection through a thin dielectric layer in a ferroelectric–dielectric bilayer
Authors: Park Hyeon Woo , Hyun Seung Dam , Lee In Soo , Lee Suk Hyun , Lee Yong Bin , Oh Minsik , Kim Beom Yong , Ryoo Seung Gyu , Hwang Cheol Seong
Published: December 2020

Charge injection meditated switching of the ferroelectric–dielectric bilayer is quantitatively investigated by the compact model and newly introduced pulse measurement.
The influence of thermal treatment conditions (solvothermal versus microwave) and solvent polarity on the morphology and emission of phloroglucinol-based nitrogen-doped carbon dots
Authors: Khavlyuk Pavel D. , Stepanidenko Evgeniia A. , Bondarenko Daniil P. , Danilov Denis V. , Koroleva Aleksandra V. , Baranov Alexander V. , Maslov Vladimir G. , Kasak Peter , Fedorov Anatoly V. , Ushakova Elena V. , Rogach Andrey L.
Published: December 2020

The morphology of chemically synthesized carbon dots can be tuned from amorphous to onion-like particles via solvent polarity whereas the thermal treatment conditions influence the degree of nitrogen doping and their optical properties.
A practicable synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-dioxanes bearing a carbonyl functionality from α,β-unsaturated ketones using the Williamson strategy
Authors: De Aramita , Santra Sougata , Khalymbadzha Igor A. , Zyryanov Grigory V. , Majee Adinath
Published: December 2020

A convenient method has been developed for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-dioxanes by the reaction of a reagent combination of NaIO4 and NH2OH·HCl with α,β-unsaturated ketones followed by the nucleophile ethylene glycol using cesium carbonate.
A highly efficient bionic self-healing flexible waterborne polyurethane elastic film based on a cyclodextrin–ferrocene host–guest interaction
Authors: Zhang Ending , Shi Jun , Xiao Luqi , Zhang Qiang , Lu Maoping , Nan Bingfei , Wu Kun , Lu Mangeng
Published: December 2020

Flexible WPU elastic films with superior self-healing based on synergic effects between host–guest interactions and hydrogen bonds.
Phase control of ultrafine FeSe nanocrystals in a N-doped carbon matrix for highly efficient and stable oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Cao Yangfei , Huang Senchuan , Peng Zhangquan , Yao Fen , Li Xiaohui , Liu Yan , Huang Haitao , Wu Mingmei
Published: December 2020

Hexagonal FeSe nanocrystals outperform the tetragonal ones for alkaline ORR in O2 adsorption and O–O bond cleavage of *OOH intermediates.
Recent advances in two-dimensional materials for alkali metal anodes
Authors: Ma Lianbo , Wu Junxiong , Zhu Guoyin , Lv Yaohui , Zhang Yizhou , Pang Huan
Published: December 2020

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with diverse properties that are utilized in alkali metal anodes have been well reviewed. Moreover, the remaining challenges and future research directions in using 2D materials for AMAs are highlighted and presented.
Confining Sb2Se3 nanorod yolk in a mesoporous carbon shell with an in-built buffer space for stable Li-ion batteries
Authors: Zhang Yingmeng , Li Shaojun , Cheng Lele , Li Yongliang , Ren Xiangzhong , Zhang Peixin , Sun Lingna , Yang Hui Ying
Published: December 2020

The yolk–shell structure, realized by various synthesis methods, exhibits unique morphology and structural properties, which is currently undergoing a transition from material production technology to energy storage applications.
Substrate stiffness and sequence dependent bioactive peptide hydrogels influence the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Mohammed Mohiuddin , Lai Tsung-Sheng , Lin Hsin-Chieh
Published: December 2020

N-Cadherin mimetic nanofibrous biocompatible peptide hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties for differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes.
Manipulation of Cl/Br transmutation in zero-dimensional Mn2+-based metal halides toward tunable photoluminescence and thermal quenching behaviors
Authors: Zhou Guojun , Liu Zhiyang , Molokeev Maxim S. , Xiao Zewen , Xia Zhiguo , Zhang Xian-Ming
Published: December 2020

The effect of Cl/Br transmutation in 0D Mn2+-based metal halides on the tunable photoluminescence and thermal quenching behaviors is emphasized.
Why triage materials with low luminescence quantum efficiency: the use of 35Cbz4BzCN as a universal host for organic light emitting diodes through effective triplet energy transfer
Authors: Huang Yi-Mei , Chen Tse-Ying , Chen Deng-Gao , Liang Hsuan-Chi , Wu Cheng-Ham , Lee Mandy M. , Chiu Tien-Lung , Lee Jiun-Haw , Chiu Yu-Cheng , Chou Pi-Tai , Leung Man-kit
Published: December 2020

35Cbz4BzCN, a long triplet lifetime universal host that can effectively harvest triplet excitons for phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence OLED emission.
Silicon-compatible optoelectronic artificial neuron
Authors: Liu Zhengyuan , Luo Bingcheng , Wang Danyang
Published: December 2020

A novel silicon-compatible optoelectronic artificial neuron, featuring negative-to-positive photoconductivity conversion, fast response and simple preparation, is reported, enabling as a building block for neuromorphic visual–perception systems.
Coordinated operation of hydrogen refuelling and fast charging combo station under normal and contingent conditions
Authors: Bao Zhiyuan , You Shi , Hu Zechun , Wen Yilin
Published: December 2020

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are rapidly growing owing to the increased public awareness of energy and environmental issues. Infrastructure for hydrogen production, transportation, and allocation is essential for FCEV promotion. For consumers, availability of few hydrogen refuelling stations is the primary concern. Currently, public charging infrastructure for battery electric vehicles, for example, fast charging station, has a more widespread coverage compared to infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling. With an electrolyser, the existing power grid can be used as an alternative to hydrogen supply and transportation infrastructure, which is still being developed. The authors propose a new conceptual combo station acting as both a hydrogen refuelling station and a fast charging station. This station can satisfy the requirement of FCEVs and battery electric vehicles, and even operate under a blackout situation. To quantify the value of coordinated operation, an optimal operation formulation of a combo station is developed. It is found that such a combo station is capable of saving land rents, reducing power network reinforcement cost, and boosting energy self‐balance capability under blackout condition.
Key index framework for quantitative sustainability assessment of energy infrastructures in a smart city: An example of Western Sydney
Authors: Yang Jiajia , Liu Hangyue , Wang Yuxuan , Qiu Zihang , Dong Zhaoyang , Suzuki Tadashi , Noguchi Toshihide , Watabe Masaharu
Published: December 2020

Human society is experiencing a rapidly changing environment in which energy shortages and an ongoing climate crisis have been identified as two of the major challenges to the sustainable development of human civilization. In the face of these challenges, the concept of a smart city is proposed which aims at achieving sustainable development, increasing the quality of life, and improving the cost‐effectiveness of existing and new energy infrastructures. To this end, this study proposes a general framework with a three‐tier story chart for guiding the establishment of sustainability assessment models and the selection of their indicators. In addition, a quantitative analysis method is developed for assessing the sustainability of energy infrastructures in a smart city, which indicates how the long‐term sustainability of the energy infrastructure can be achieved. The proposed method incorporates extensive environmental, economic, and social indicators, which go beyond conventional facility‐level criteria and seamlessly relate to the broader community that benefits from the renewable energy transition (including energy construction, operations, and energy services). The proposed methodologies can be implemented through collecting the corresponding history data of the indicators and following the analysis procedures presented in this study. The proposed methodology can serve as a supporting tool for decision‐making on new infrastructure investment and policymaking toward sustainable development. Case studies in Western Sydney were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed methodologies.
Transnational power‐transaction model considering transaction costs under the support of consortium blockchain
Authors: Feng Yingchun , Fan Jie , Chen Hao , Wang Qixin , Wang Beibei , Wang Jiale
Published: December 2020

Transnational power trading can promote the development of global energy Internet, which can enable various countries and regions to optimize the allocation of resources on a larger scale. However, transnational electricity trading still faces many challenges. First, the issues of trust, member management, and huge transaction volume hinder the development of transnational power trading. Second, the issues of considering the differences among countries and establishing a reasonable and efficient transnational power market trading mechanism are also particularly important. The emergence of a consortium‐blockchain technology provides a new idea of solving these problems. The distributed‐ledger technology and member‐management services of a consortium blockchain can solve the problems of trust in the transnational power transaction and access the review of market subjects. Simultaneously, the chain‐code technology can be used to improve the efficiency of transactions. Therefore, according to the actual needs of transnational power transactions, the applicability of the consortium‐blockchain technology was analysed. Then, a mathematical model of transnational power transactions that considered the transaction costs was designed, and simulation tests were conducted on Hyperledger Fabric. The calculation example shows that the proposed transaction model plays a positive role and significance in promoting transnational power transactions and stabilizing the market.
Optimal design of proportional‐resonant controller and its harmonic compensators for grid‐integrated renewable energy sources based three‐phase voltage source inverters
Authors: Ebrahim Mohamed A. , Aziz Beshoy Abdou , Nashed Maged N. F. , Osman Fawzy A.
Published: December 2020

This paper proposes new analytical and optimal design procedures of the proportional‐resonant (PR) controller and its harmonic compensators (HCs) for three‐phase grid‐connected voltage source inverters (VSIs) powered by renewable energy resources. The modeling and analysis based on stationary reference frame are performed for VSIs collaborated with an L‐type filter. The theoretical verification and simulation validation of the proposed design guidelines are done to approve its effectiveness and robustness. Particle swarm, grey wolf and Harris hawks' optimization techniques are applied and compared for a proper selection of the parameters of the proposed PR controller and its HCs. To accomplish this study, multi‐objective error functions are employed and compared to minimize the total harmonic distortion of the grid output current. The proposed PR controller and its HCs are tested, using MATLAB/Simulink, along with the allowable changes of inverter output active and reactive powers, and also under the grid voltage distortion. Moreover, their performance is evaluated according to IEEE and IEC harmonics standards, and compared with the conventional PI controller based on reference frame. Furthermore, the experimental validation for the proposed controllers is done based on the hardware‐in‐the‐loop real‐time simulator using C2000TM‐microcontroller‐LaunchPadXL‐TMS320F28377S kit.
A probabilistic collaborative dictionary learning‐based approach for face recognition
Authors: Lv Shilin , Liang Jiuzhen , Di Lan , Yunfei Xia , Hou ZhenJie
Published: December 2020

Although Sparse Representation based Classifier (SRC), a non‐parametric model, can obtain an interesting result for pattern recognition , a reasonable interpretation has been lacked for its classification mechanism. What is more, the training samples are used as off‐the‐shelf dictionary directly in SRC, which can make the feature hidden in the training samples hard be extracted. At the same time, the complexity of the algorithm is increased because of too many atoms of the dictionary. The authors first explains in detail the classification mechanism of SRC from the view of probabilistic collaborative subspace and offer the process to improve the stability of the algorithm using the joint probability in the case of the multi‐subspace. Then, the authors introduce the dictionary learning (DL) and Fisher criterion into the model to further enhance the discrimination of the coding coefficient. In order to ensure the convexity of the discrimination term and further enhance the discrimination, the authors add the L21‐norm term into the Fisher discrimination term and offer the proof for its convexity. Finally, the experimental result on a series of benchmark databases, such as AR, Extended Yale B, LFW3D‐hassner, LFW3D‐sdm and LFW3D‐Dlib, show that PCDDL outperforms existing classical classification models.
Paralleled attention modules and adaptive focal loss for Siamese visual tracking
Authors: Zhao Yuyao , Jiang Min , Kong Jun , Li Sha
Published: December 2020

Recently, Siamese‐based trackers have drawn amounts of attention in visual tracking field because of their excellent performance on different tracking benchmarks. However, most Siamese‐based trackers encounter difficulties under circumstances such as similar objects interference and background clutters. Besides, there exists an extreme foreground–background data imbalance that weakens the performance during training but few loss functions pay attention to it. The authors intend to address the issues mentioned above by introducing a module named paralleled spatial and channel attention (PSCA) and adaptive focal loss (AFL). Firstly, paralleled spatial and channel attention is proposed to enhance the extracted features and eliminate the noise information from both spatial and channel aspects. Secondly, adaptive focal loss is proposed as the loss function to make the model focus on hard samples that contribute more to training process. Finally, paralleled spatial and channel attention and modified ResNet are combined for extracting more powerful features. Experimental results show that the authors' method achieves outstanding performance in multiple benchmarks while keeping a beyond‐real‐time frame rate.
Inertia property determination by spectrum analysis of damped oscillation detection signal
Authors: Zhang Lieshan , Wang Meibao , Liu Pu
Published: December 2020

Oscillation method is the most effective approach to determine the inertia properties of rigid bodies. This paper proposes a new signal processing method to determine the moment of inertia (MoI) accurately in the presence of high frictional damping when using a torsion pendulum setup. A mathematical model of damped oscillation is established, and the analytic form of Fourier transformation of the damped torsional oscillation is derived. A formula for calculating the MoI in relation to the dominant frequency and damping ratio is also derived. An algorithm regarding periodic extension and normalization of torsional oscillation signal is proposed to calculate the dominant frequency and damping ratio of torsional oscillation in the frequency domain. The feasibility and accuracy of this algorithm are verified by both numerical simulations and measurement experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed method has good measurement repeatability, and the relative error of measurement is within 0.80%.
Kinematics and star formation toward W33: a central hub as a hub–filament system
Authors: Liu Xiao-Lan , Xu Jin-Long , Wang Jun-Jie , Yu Nai-Ping , Zhang Chuan-Peng , Li Nan , Zhang Guo-Yin
Published: December 2020

Aims. We investigate the gas kinematics and physical properties toward the W33 complex and its surrounding filaments. We study clump formation and star formation in a hub–filament system.

Methods. We performed a large-scale mapping observation toward the W33 complex and its surroundings, covering an area of 1.3° × 1.0°, in 12CO (1–0), 13CO (1–0), and C18O (1–0) lines from the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO). Infrared archival data were obtained from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE), the Multi-band Imaging Photometer Survey of the Galaxy (MIPSGAL), and the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL). We distinguished the dense clumps from the ATLASGAL survey. We used the GLIMPSE I catalogue to extract young stellar objects.

Results. We found a new hub–filament system ranging from 30 to 38.5 km s−1 located at the W33 complex. Three supercritical filaments are directly converging into the central hub W33. Velocity gradients are detected along the filaments and the accretion rates are in order of 10−3 M⊙ yr−1. The central hub W33 has a total mass of ~1.8 × 105 M⊙, accounting for ~60% of the mass of the hub–filament system. This indicates that the central hub is the mass reservoir of the hub-filament system. Furthermore, 49 ATLASGAL clumps are associated with the hub–filament system. We find 57% of the clumps to be situated in the central hub W33 and clustered at the intersections between the filaments and the W33 complex. Moreover, the distribution of Class I young stellar objects forms a structure resembling the hub–filament system and peaks at where the clumps group; it seems to suggest that the mechanisms of clump formation and star formation in this region are correlated.

Conclusions. Gas flows along the filaments are likely to feed the materials into the intersections and lead to the clustering and formation of the clumps in the hub–filament system W33. The star formation in the intersections between the filaments and the W33 complex might be triggered by the motion of gas converging into the intersections.
A “no-drift” runaway pile-up of pebbles in protoplanetary disks in which midplane turbulence increases with radius
Authors: Hyodo Ryuki , Ida Shigeru , Guillot Tristan
Published: December 2020

Context. A notable challenge of planet formation is to find a path to directly form planetesimals from small particles.

Aims. We aim to understand how drifting pebbles pile up in a protoplanetary disk with a nonuniform turbulence structure.

Methods. We consider a disk structure in which the midplane turbulence viscosity increases with the radius in protoplanetary disks, such as in the outer region of a dead zone. We perform 1D diffusion-advection simulations of pebbles that include back-reaction (the inertia) to the radial drift and the vertical and radial diffusions of pebbles for a given pebble-to-gas mass flux.

Results. We report a new mechanism, the “no-drift” runaway pile-up, that leads to a runaway accumulation of pebbles in disks, thus favoring the formation of planetesimals by streaming and/or gravitational instabilities. This occurs when pebbles drifting in from the outer disk and entering a dead zone experience a decrease in vertical turbulence. The scale height of the pebble subdisk then decreases, and, for small enough values of the turbulence in the dead zone and high values of the pebble-to-gas flux ratio, the back-reaction of pebbles on gas leads to a significant decrease in their drift velocity and thus their progressive accumulation. This occurs when the ratio of the flux of pebbles to that of the gas is large enough that the effect dominates over any Kelvin-Helmholtz shear instability. This process is independent of the existence of a pressure bump.
Resection of a Lower Clival Meningioma via Posterolateral Approach: Two-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Ocak Pinar E. , Yilmazlar Selcuk
Published: December 2020

Objectives This study aimed to demonstrate resection of a craniovertebral junction (CVJ) meningioma via the posterolateral approach.

Design The study is designed with a two-dimensional operative video.

Setting This study is conducted at department of neurosurgery in a university hospital.

Participants A 50-year-old woman who presented with lower cranial nerve findings due to a left-sided lower clival meningioma (Fig. 1).

Main Outcome Measures Microsurgical resection of the meningioma and preservation of the neurovascular structures.

Results The patient was placed in park-bench position and a left-sided retrosigmoid suboccipital craniotomy, followed by C1 hemilaminectomy and unroofing the lip of the foramen magnum, was performed. The dural incision extended from the suboccipital region down to the posterior arch of C2 (Fig. 2). The arachnoid overlying the tumor was incised, revealing the course of the cranial nerve (CN) XI on the dorsolateral aspect of the tumor. The left vertebral artery (VA) was encased by the tumor which was originating from the dura below the jugular foramen. The mass was resected in a piecemeal fashion eventually. At the end of the procedure, all relevant cranial nerves and adjacent vascular structures were intact. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed total resection and the patient was discharged home on postoperative day 3 safely.

Conclusions Microsurgical resection of the lesions of the CVJ are challenging as this transition zone between the cranium and upper cervical spine has a complex anatomy. Since adequate exposure of the extradural and intradural segments of the VA can be obtained by the posterolateral approach, this approach can be preferred in cases with tumors anterior to the VA or when the artery is encased by the tumor.

The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/d3u5Qrc-zlM.
Expanding biological control to bioelectronics with machine learning
Authors: Selberg J. , Jafari M. , Bradley C. , Gomez M. , Rolandi M.
Published: December 2020

Bioelectronics integrates electronic devices and biological systems with the ability to monitor and control biological processes. From homeostasis to sensorimotor reflexes, closed-loop control with feedback is a staple of most biological systems and fundamental to life itself. Apart from a few examples in bioelectronic medicine, the closed-loop control of biological processes using bioelectronics is not as widespread as in nature. We note that adoption of closed-loop control using bioelectronics has been slow because traditional control methods are difficult to apply to the complex dynamics of biological systems and their sensitivity to environmental changes. Here, we postulate that machine learning can greatly enhance the reach of bioelectronic closed-loop control and we present the advantages of machine learning compared to traditional control approaches. Potential applications of machine learning-based closed-loop control with bioelectronics include further impact in bioelectronic medicine and fine tuning of reactions and products in synthetic biology.
Efficient and realistic simulation of phase coexistence
Authors: Sevink G. J. A. , Blokhuis E. M. , Li X. , Milano G.
Published: December 2020

We show how an existing concurrent multi-scale method named hybrid particle field-molecular dynamics (hPF-MD) can be adapted to enable the simulation of structure and/or structural dynamics in compressible systems. Implementing such new equations of state (EOS) into hPF-MD, while conserving the efficiency associated with treating intermolecular interactions in a continuum fashion, opens this method up to describe a new class of phenomena in which non-uniform densities play a role, for example, evaporation and crystallization. We carefully consider how compressible hPF-MD compares to its mean-field counterpart for two particular EOS, adopted from the Cell Model for polymers and the Carnahan–Starling expression for hard spheres. Here, we performed a very basic analysis for a single-component system, focusing on the significance of various particle-based parameters and the particle-to-field projection. Our results illustrate the key role of the particle density per field grid cell and show that projection based on a Gaussian kernel is preferred over the standard cloud-in-cell projection. They also suggest that the behavior of hPF-MD close to the critical point is non-classical, i.e., in agreement with a critical exponent for a pure particle description, despite the mean-field origin of the method.
Coplanar cavity for strong coupling between photons and magnons in van der Waals antiferromagnet
Authors: Mandal Supriya , Kapoor Lucky N. , Ghosh Sanat , Jesudasan John , Manni Soham , Thamizhavel A. , Raychaudhuri Pratap , Singh Vibhor , Deshmukh Mandar M.
Published: December 2020

We investigate the performance of niobium nitride superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators toward realizing hybrid quantum devices with magnon-photon coupling. We find internal quality factors ∼ 20 000 at 20 mK base temperature, in zero magnetic field. We find that by reducing film thickness below 100 nm, an internal quality factor greater than 1000 can be maintained up to a parallel magnetic field of ∼ 1 T and a perpendicular magnetic field of ∼ 100 mT. We further demonstrate strong coupling of microwave photons in these resonators with magnons in chromium trichloride, a van der Waals antiferromagnet, which shows that these cavities serve as a good platform for studying magnon-photon coupling in 2D magnonics based hybrid quantum systems. We demonstrate strong magnon-photon coupling for both optical and acoustic magnon modes of an antiferromagnet.
Zr-MOFs based BiOBr/UiO-66 nanoplates with enhanced photocatalytic activity for tetracycline degradation under visible light irradiation
Authors: Li Xianyang , Zhang Deqi , Bai Rongbiao , Mo Ruixue , Yang Chengwei , Li Caolong , Han Yonghu
Published: December 2020

The concern about the removal of antibiotics and utilization of solar energy on environmental modification has motivated the development of photocatalysts. In this work, an organic–inorganic composite based on zirconium metal–organic frameworks and BiOBr/UiO-66 nanoplates was successfully synthesized by a facile in situ assembly. The BiOBr/UiO-66 nanocomposites presented distinctly enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance and mineralization ability toward the tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. The maximum degradation activity was about 2.15 times higher than that of pristine BiOBr, and the 83.84% mineralization rate was obtained within 150 min, when the UiO-66 reached 8% in the mass ratio of raw materials, compared to theoretical BiOBr. According to the analysis of morphology characterization, phase structure, optical performance, and electrochemical measurements, the enhancement of the photo-generated electron–hole pair transfer and separation efficiency led to the improved photocatalytic performance of BiOBr/UiO-66. The reactive species were also tested through radical scavenging experiments, revealing that the main active radicals were superoxide radicals and holes during the degradation of TC. Additionally, a probable degradation route of TC has been proposed after high-performance liquid chromatography and LC/MS-MS analysis, and the photo-oxidative mechanism of TC degradation was further explored with the energy band structure measurement.
A range-separated generalized Kohn–Sham method including a long-range nonlocal random phase approximation correlation potential
Authors: Graf Daniel , Ochsenfeld Christian
Published: December 2020

Based on our recently published range-separated random phase approximation (RPA) functional [Kreppel et al., “Range-separated density-functional theory in combination with the random phase approximation: An accuracy benchmark,” J. Chem. Theory Comput. 16, 2985–2994 (2020)], we introduce self-consistent minimization with respect to the one-particle density matrix. In contrast to the range-separated RPA methods presented so far, the new method includes a long-range nonlocal RPA correlation potential in the orbital optimization process, making it a full-featured variational generalized Kohn–Sham (GKS) method. The new method not only improves upon all other tested RPA schemes including the standard post-GKS range-separated RPA for the investigated test cases covering general main group thermochemistry, kinetics, and noncovalent interactions but also significantly outperforms the popular G0W0 method in estimating the ionization potentials and fundamental gaps considered in this work using the eigenvalue spectra obtained from the GKS Hamiltonian.
Efficient leaky-wave antennas at terahertz frequencies generating highly directional beams
Authors: Guerboukha H. , Shrestha R. , Neronha J. , Ryan O. , Hornbuckle M. , Fang Z. , Mittleman D. M.
Published: December 2020

Due to their frequency-dependent angular emission, leaky-wave antennas have been recently introduced in the terahertz band to tackle many of the challenges associated with THz wireless communications. Most previous works have exploited conventional leaky-wave waveguide architectures developed for the microwave region. In this paper, we study in detail the emission characteristics of leaky-wave antennas at THz frequencies. We show that, at these high frequencies, the wavelength-scale interaction with the aperture causes a nonuniform electric field distribution at the slot interface, which is a unique regime that is not typically encountered at lower frequencies. This effect is even more pronounced as the slot width increases to a point where the sides of the slot act as secondary leaking structures, and the well-known frequency–angle relationship is not obeyed as the energy at a given frequency is radiated in a broad range of angles. Therefore, to exploit the phase matching condition, which couples frequency to emission angle, one must use very thin rectangular slots d≪λ, at the expense of device efficiency. To address this problem, we explore an alternate slot aperture design, in which the slot width increases linearly along its length (i.e., a trapezoidal shape). We show that this preserves the phase-matching constraint while allowing higher output coupling efficiencies. Moreover, since a wider effective aperture is used, the radiated beam is narrow in both angular directions, allowing the generation of true pencil-like THz beams.
Multiscale simulation of terahertz radiation process in benzimidazole crystal by impulsive stimulated Raman scattering
Authors: Yamada Atsushi
Published: December 2020

Comprehensive dynamics of coupled light wave and molecules in the terahertz wave generation process in an organic molecular crystal solid, 5,6-dichloro-2-methylbenzimidazole (DCMBI), induced by impulsive stimulated Raman scattering has been described by our previously developed multi-scale simulation, Maxwell + polarizable molecular dynamics method, where the propagation of macroscopic electromagnetic fields and microscopic molecular dynamics based on the force field model are numerically solved in the time domain. It has shown the behaviors of the excitation of Raman-active phonon modes by the irradiated pulse and terahertz radiation by molecular motions of infrared-active modes. Simulations of terahertz absorption and Raman spectroscopies of the DCMBI solid have also been performed to verify the applicability of the method to the terahertz optics. The calculated spectra are compared with the experimental measurements, showing good agreement. The detailed motions of the interacting electromagnetic fields and molecules occurred in the terahertz spectroscopies have also been provided, and the analyses have shown that rotational motions of the DCMBI molecules play key roles in the terahertz wave generation.
A method of incorporating rate constants as kinetic constraints in molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Brotzakis Z. Faidon , Vendruscolo Michele , Bolhuis Peter G.
Published: December 2020

Significance

Molecular dynamics simulations are often combined with experimental data with the aim to improve structural models. Here, we introduce a method of imposing known rate constants as constraints in such simulations, based on a combination of the maximum-entropy and maximum-caliber principles. The method corrects an initial path ensemble by reweighting it in order to match the calculated and experimental interconversion rates of a molecular transition of interest, yielding improved structure, kinetics, and thermodynamics, as well as mechanistic insights that may not be readily evident directly from the experiments.
Competition between two phosphatases fine-tunes Hedgehog signaling
Authors: Liu Min , Liu Aiguo , Wang Jie , Zhang Yansong , Li Yajuan , Su Ying , Zhu Alan Jian
Published: December 2020

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is essential for embryonic development and adult homeostasis. How its signaling activity is fine-tuned in response to fluctuated Hh gradient is less known. Here, we identify protein phosphatase V (PpV), the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 6, as a homeostatic regulator of Hh signaling. PpV is genetically upstream of widerborst (wdb), which encodes a regulatory subunit of PP2A that modulates high-level Hh signaling. We show that PpV negatively regulates Wdb stability independent of phosphatase activity of PpV, by competing with the catalytic subunit of PP2A for Wdb association, leading to Wdb ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Thus, regulated Wdb stability, maintained through competition between two closely related phosphatases, ensures graded Hh signaling. Interestingly, PpV expression is regulated by Hh signaling. Therefore, PpV functions as a Hh activity sensor that regulates Wdb-mediated PP2A activity through feedback mechanisms to maintain Hh signaling homeostasis.
Circadian immune circuits
Authors: Palomino-Segura Miguel , Hidalgo Andrés
Published: December 2020

Immune responses are gated to protect the host against specific antigens and microbes, a task that is achieved through antigen- and pattern-specific receptors. Less appreciated is that in order to optimize responses and to avoid collateral damage to the host, immune responses must be additionally gated in intensity and time. An evolutionary solution to this challenge is provided by the circadian clock, an ancient time-keeping mechanism that anticipates environmental changes and represents a fundamental property of immunity. Immune responses, however, are not exclusive to immune cells and demand the coordinated action of nonhematopoietic cells interspersed within the architecture of tissues. Here, we review the circadian features of innate immunity as they encompass effector immune cells as well as structural cells that orchestrate their responses in space and time. We finally propose models in which the central clock, structural elements, and immune cells establish multidirectional circadian circuits that may shape the efficacy and strength of immune responses and other physiological processes.
Nuclear receptor LXRβ controls fitness and functionality of activated T cells
Authors: Michaels Anthony J. , Campbell Clarissa , Bou-Puerto Regina , Rudensky Alexander Y.
Published: December 2020

T cells increase cholesterol biosynthesis upon activation to generate substrates for cellular growth and proliferation. The ubiquitously expressed liver X receptor β (LXRβ) encoded by the Nr1h2 gene is a critical regulator of cholesterol homeostasis in mammalian cells; however, its cell-intrinsic role in T cell biology remains poorly understood. We report that ablation of LXRβ in T cells leads to spontaneous T cell activation and T lymphocytopenia. Unexpectedly, analysis of mixed bone marrow chimeric mice revealed a cell-autonomous survival defect that reduced the fitness of LXRβ-deficient effector T cells, suggesting that the heightened immune activation in mice harboring LXRβ-deficient T cells was due to impaired regulatory T (T reg) cell functionality. Indeed, we found that single-copy deletion of Nr1h2 in T reg cells disrupted activated T reg cell metabolism and fitness and resulted in early-onset fatal autoimmune disease. Our study demonstrated an indispensable requirement for T reg cell–intrinsic LXRβ function in immune homeostasis and provides a basis for immunological therapies through targeting of this receptor.
Femtometer atomic displacement, the root cause for multiferroic behavior of CuO unearthed through polarized Raman spectroscopy
Authors: De Binoy Krishna , Dwij Vivek , Misawa R , Kimura T , Sathe V G
Published: December 2020

Recently, CuO has been proposed as a potential multiferroic material with high transition temperature. Competing models based on spin current and ionic displacements are invoked to explain ferroelectricity in CuO. The theoretical model based on ionic displacement predicted very small displacement (∼10−5 Å) along the b axis. Experimentally detecting displacements of such a small amplitude in a particular direction is extremely challenging. Through our detailed angle resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy study on single crystal of CuO, we have validated the theoretical study and provided direct evidence of displacement along the b axis. Our study provides important contribution in the high temperature multiferroic compounds and showed for the first time, the use of the polarized Raman scattering in detecting ionic displacements at the femtometer scale.
Mid-IR stimulated emission in Hg(Cd)Te/CdHgTe quantum well structures up to 200 K due to suppressed Auger recombination
Authors: Utochkin V V , Kudryavtsev K E , Fadeev M A , Razova A A , Bykov D S , Ya Aleshkin V , Dubinov A A , Mikhailov N N , Dvoretsky S A , Rumyantsev V V , Gavrilenko V I , Morozov S V
Published: December 2020

We study the temperature stability of stimulated emission (SE) in HgCdTe/CdHgTe quantum well (QW) heterostructures emitting in the mid-infrared range at wavelengths 7–13 μm. For a series of samples with different band gap energies, maximum operating temperatures at which SE could be achieved are shown to follow closely the characteristic Auger threshold energies derived from the band spectra of the respective QWs. We demonstrate that realization of binary HgTe QWs should provide at least twofold increase in Auger threshold energy compared to the QWs studied (10% Cd content HgCdTe). Thus, one can expect further suppression of non-radiative Auger processes and corresponding increase in operating temperature, the effect being stronger for narrow band gap QWs.
Switchable dissipative soliton resonance and noise like pulses regimes in a mode-locked double-clad thulium doped fiber laser
Authors: Durán-Sánchez M , Posada-Ramírez B , Álvarez-Tamayo R I , Bello-Jiménez M , García-Flores Y A , Armas-Rivera I , Montiel-Piña E , Kuzin E A , Ibarra-Escamilla B
Published: December 2020

We report an experimental study of switchable rectangular pulses generation in a passively mode-locked double-clad thulium-doped fiber laser operating in the anomalous dispersion regime. A fiber loop mirror and a polarization imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) forms the linear cavity. The loop in the NOLM includes a quarter-wave retarder, which allows switching between two regimes of rectangular pulse generation. The laser generates rectangular noise-like pulses (NLPs) or dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) pulses with 1.18 MHz repetition rate at ∼1990 nm. At the maximum pump power of 10 W, rectangular pulses with energy of up to 540 nJ in DSR operation and 482 nJ in NLP operation were obtained with output average power of 640 mW and 571 mW, respectively.
Experimental observation of the localized coupling between geodesic acoustic mode and magnetic islands in tokamak plasmas
Authors: Xu Ming , Kong D.F. , Liu A.D. , Liang Y.F. , Cai H.S. , Qiu Z.Y. , Chen W. , Shi T.H. , Duan Y.M. , Xiang H.M. , Wang Y.M. , Zhang T. , Zhang S.B. , Gao X. , Feng X. , Zhou C. , Zhuang G. , Hu L.Q. , Xu G.S. , Gong X.Z. , Zhang X.D. , Wan B.N. , the EAST Team
Published: December 2020

The localized coupling among geodesic acoustic mode (GAM), tearing modes (TMs) and twin counter-propagating beta-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (BAEs) waves has been investigated in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. Before the appearance of TMs, typical continuous GAM is observed through the multi-channel Doppler backscattering (DBS) diagnostic. The twin BAEs can be excited after the burst of magnetic islands, which are localized to the q = 4 rational surface that is confirmed by the measurement of DBS array, where the GAM and twin BAEs are observed synchronically at R ≈ 2.23 m (normalized radius ρ ≈ 0.8). One reasonable excitation mechanism is proposed that the twin BAEs can be excited by the nonlinear interaction between GAM and magnetic islands. As the width of magnetic islands increases, the electromagnetic twin BAEs increase synchronically with the decreasing of electrostatic GAM, strongly suggesting that the electromagnetic components are pumped from three-wave interaction between electrostatic GAM and magnetic islands.