bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bilateral Motor Responses to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Preterm Children at 9 Years of Age
Authors: Valkama A. Marita , Rytky Seppo O. , Olsén Päivi M. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Objective This study was aimed to evaluate motor tracts integrity in nondisabled preterm-born (PT) children at 9 years of age.
Methods Overall, 18 PT and 13 term-born (T) children without motor disability were assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured bilaterally from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Muscle responses could be stimulated from all patients.
Results Overall, 83.3 and 23.1% of PT and T children, respectively, had mild clumsiness (p = 0.001). One PT and three T children had immediate bilateral responses in the upper extremities. Seven PT children had delayed ipsilateral APB responses after left and ten after right TMS. Three controls had delayed ipsilateral responses. Ipsilateral lower extremity responses were seen in one PT after right and two PT children and one T child after left TMS. The results did not correlate to groups, genders, clumsiness, or handedness.
Conclusion Children of PT and T may have bilateral motor responses after TMS at 9 years of age. Ipsilateral conduction emerges immediately or more often slightly delayed and more frequently in upper than in lower extremities.
Significance Bilateral motor conduction reflects developmental and neurophysiological variability in children at 9 years of age. MEPs can be used as a measure of corticospinal tract integrity in PT children.
Epitaxial growth of (AlxGa1−x)2O3 thin films on sapphire substrates by plasma assisted pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Chen Zewei , Arita Makoto , Saito Katsuhiko , Tanaka Tooru , Guo Qixin 
Published: March 2021

(AlxGa1−x)2O3 was grown on a-plane sapphire substrates at 500 °C by plasma assisted pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in the whole Al concentration range. The films were characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and spectrophotometry. By using XPS to measure the bandgap of the films, it was found that as the Al concentration x changes from 0.00 to 1.00, the bandgap ranges from 5.3 to 8.5 eV. The results show that plasma assisted PLD is a promising method to grow ultra-wide bandgap (AlxGa1−x)2O3 at low temperatures, which paves the way for the application of power devices and other functional devices based on (AlxGa1−x)2O3.
Visualizing active viral infection reveals diverse cell fates in synchronized algal bloom demise
Authors: Vincent Flora , Sheyn Uri , Porat Ziv , Schatz Daniella , Vardi Assaf 
Published: March 2021

Significance
Despite years of research in aquatic virology, we remain unable to estimate viral-induced mortality in the ocean and, consequently, to resolve viral impact on nutrient fluxes and microbial dynamics. Here, we assess active infection in algal single cells by subcellular visualization of virus and host transcripts, revealing the coexistence of infected and noninfected subpopulations. We revisit major assumptions of a giant virus’ life cycle: cells can produce virions without lysing and can lyse without producing virions. In a natural algal bloom, only 25% of cells were infected, highlighting the importance of other mortality agents. Enrichment of infected cells in cell aggregates suggests potential host defense strategies. Our approach opens a mechanistic dimension to the study of marine microbial interactions.
Pandemic response policies’ democratizing effects on online learning
Authors: Kizilcec Rene F. , Makridis Christos A. , Sadowski Katharine C. 
Published: March 2021

Significance
In the face of rising university tuition costs and a longstanding skills gap in the US workforce, a growing number of people access higher and continuing education programs via online platforms. There are serious concerns that online learning disadvantages members of underserved communities, thereby exacerbating social inequalities. However, it is hard to evaluate these concerns at scale partly due to selection effects. Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as nonessential business closures, suddenly changed how people spent their time, which allowed us to estimate effects on demand for online learning and how it varies along socioeconomic dimensions. Unlike most prior studies that find education technology to maintain or amplify inequities, we present causal evidence for its potential democratizing effects.
Pyroptosis inhibition alleviates potassium oxonate- and monosodium urate-induced gouty arthritis in mice
Authors: Tian Jing , Wang Baichuan , Xie Bin , Liu Xinwei , Zhou Dapeng , Hou Xuening , Xiang Liangbi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Pyroptosis has been found implicated in several diseases, however, whether it was involved in gouty arthritis remained unclear. Our study was performed to uncover the role of pyroptosis in gouty arthritis based on a mice model.

Methods
Mouse gouty arthritis model was established by injections of potassium oxonate (PO), monosodium urate (MSU) and pyroptosis suppressor disulfiram. The diameter of the ankle joints was measured, and ankle joints morphology was observed with hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining. Uric acid, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were measured, while cytokines level and xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity were quantified. Relative pyroptosis markers expressions were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot as needed.

Results
In mouse model, PO and MSU injections cause damage to right ankle, increase the root thickness ratio and uric acid, creatinine and BUN levels in serum and decrease the uric acid and creatinine levels in urine. Also, under PO and MSU treatment, up-regulated XOD activity, inflammatory cytokines levels and pyroptosis markers expressions are observed. Negative regulation of mice injury by disulfiram treatment is also observed.

Conclusion
Pyroptosis inhibition might alleviate PO- and MSU-induced gouty arthritis, providing possible therapeutic strategies for gouty arthritis.
The independent and joint associations among muscle strength, abdominal obesity and cardiometabolic variables among adults
Authors: de Lima Tiago Rodrigues , González‐Chica David Alejandro , Sui Xuemei , Santos Silva Diego Augusto 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACTThe aim of the present study was to investigate the independent and joint associations among muscle strength (MS) and obesity with blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and laboratory markers. This was a cross‐sectional study comprising a representative sample of 642 adults (men: 44.9%, 39.9 ± 11.2 years; women: 55.1%, 39.3 ± 11.1 years) from Florianópolis, Brazil. MS was assessed by handgrip strength. Obesity was defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥30.0 kg/m² and a waist circumference ≥80.0 cm in women and ≥90.0 cm in men. Clinical variables included systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), C‐reactive protein (CRP), lipids, glucose metabolism markers and carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT). Linear regression models stratified by sex and adjusted for confounders were used. Higher MS levels were related to lower CRP (up to 0.59 times lower), triglycerides (up to 0.33 times lower), HOMA‐IR (up to 0.35 times lower), and higher HDL cholesterol (up to 5.2 mg/dL) levels among men. Among women, higher MS levels were related to lower SBP and DBP (up to −10.2 mmHg), CRP (up to 0.56 times lower), HOMA‐IR (up to 0.27 times lower) and IMT (up to −4.8 × 10−2 mm). In addition, MS was inversely related to triglycerides and HOMA‐IR among obese men, inversely related to CRP among obese men and women, and inversely associated to DBP only among obese women. This population‐based study corroborates findings from clinical studies suggesting that even among individuals with obesity, higher MS might help adults to reduce cardiometabolic risk.

Highlights
Muscle strength levels were directly associated with better prognosis in relation to cardiometabolic variables in individuals with or without abdominal obesity.
Among men with abdominal obesity, to have higher values of muscle strength were associated with lower values of diastolic blood pressure, C‐reactive protein, triglycerides, cholesterol and HOMA‐IR.
Higher muscle strength levels were inversely associated with C‐reactive protein among women with abdominal obesity; Higher muscle strength might help adults to reduce cardiometabolic risk.
High-performance and ultra-broadband vortex beam generation using a Pancharatnam–Berry metasurface with an H-shaped resonator
Authors: Chen Wenqiong , Gou Yue , Ma Huifeng , Niu Tiaoming , Mei Zhonglei 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) are expected to efficiently increase channel capacity in communication sectors, so ultra-broadband vortex beam generators with high performance are important in next-generation communication systems. Based on the concept of the Pancharatnam–Berry phase, we propose a metasurface with an H-shaped resonator for realizing vortex beam generation within an ultra-wideband frequency range from 7.3 to 21 GHz (relative bandwidth = 96.8%). The designed meta-atom can acquire high efficiency (efficiency ≥ 92%) conversion from the incident plane wave to the reflected vortex wave across the entire frequency band. To verify the performance of the proposed metasurface, a reflective array consisting of 18 × 18 single-layered elements with different rotated angles is simulated for generating the vortex beam with a topological charge of ±2. Through OAM spectral analysis, the left-handed components of the reflected electric fields and mode purity of the generated vortex beams under different frequencies are achieved and discussed in detail. Then the metasurface is fabricated and measured, and the numerical and experimental results coincide well, proving the effectiveness and high performance of the proposed design.
mr-EBL: ultra-high sensitivity negative-tone electron beam resist for highly selective silicon etching and large-scale direct patterning of permanent structures
Authors: Taal Adriaan J , Rabinowitz Jake , Shepard Kenneth L 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Electron beam lithography (EBL) is the state-of-the-art technique for rapid prototyping of nanometer-scale devices. Even so, processing speeds remain limited for the highest resolution patterning. Here, we establish Mr-EBL as the highest throughput negative tone electron-beam-sensitive resist. The 10 μC cm−2 dose requirement enables fabricating a 100 mm2 photonic diffraction grating in a ten minute EBL process. Optimized processing conditions achieve a critical resolution of 75 nm with 3× faster write speeds than SU-8 and 1–2 orders of magnitude faster write speeds than maN-2400 and hydrogen silsesquioxane. Notably, these conditions significantly differ from the manufacturers’ recommendations for the recently commercialized Mr-EBL resist. We demonstrate Mr-EBL to be a robust negative etch mask by etching silicon trenches with aspect ratios of 10 and near-vertical sidewalls. Furthermore, our optimized processing conditions are suitable to direct patterning on integrated circuits or delicate nanofabrication stacks, in contrast to other negative tone EBL resists. In conclusion, Mr-EBL is a highly attractive EBL resist for rapid prototyping in nanophotonics, MEMS, and fluidics.
Analyzing growth kinematics and fractal dimensions of molybdenum disulfide films
Authors: Jiang Yan , Baben Moritz to , Lin Yuankun , Littler Chris , Syllaios A J , Neogi Arup , Philipose Usha 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Though the positive role of alkali halides in realizing large area growth of transition metal dichalcogenide layers has been validated, the film-growth kinematics has not yet been fully established. This work presents a systematic analysis of the MoS2 morphology for films grown under various pre-treatment conditions of the substrate with sodium chloride (NaCl). At an optimum NaCl concentration, the domain size of the monolayer increased by almost two orders of magnitude compared to alkali-free growth of MoS2. The results show an inverse relationship between fractal dimension and areal coverage of the substrate with monolayers and multi-layers, respectively. Using the Fact-Sage software, the role of NaCl in determining the partial pressures of Mo- and S-based compounds in gaseous phase at the growth temperature is elucidated. The presence of alkali salts is shown to affect the domain size and film morphology by affecting the Mo and S partial pressures. Compared to alkali-free synthesis under the same growth conditions, MoS2 film growth assisted by NaCl results in ≈81% of the substrate covered by monolayers. Under ideal growth conditions, at an optimum NaCl concentration, nucleation was suppressed, and domains enlarged, resulting in large area growth of MoS2 monolayers. No evidence of alkali or halogen atoms were found in the composition analysis of the films. On the basis of Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements, the MoS2 films were found to be of good crystalline quality.
Superheating fields of semi-infinite superconductors and layered superconductors in the diffusive limit: structural optimization based on the microscopic theory
Authors: Kubo Takayuki 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The superheating field

H

s
h

of the Meissner state is thought to determine the theoretical field-limit of superconducting accelerator cavities. We investigate

H

s
h

of semi-infinite superconductors and layered structures in the diffusive limit using the well-established quasiclassical Green’s function formalism of the BCS theory. The coupled Maxwell–Usadel equations are self-consistently solved to obtain the spatial distributions of the magnetic field, screening current density, penetration depth, pair potential, and

H

s
h

. For a semi-infinite superconductor in the diffusive limit, we obtain

H

s
h

=
0.795

H

c
0

at the temperature

T
→
0

. Here,

H

c
0

is the thermodynamic critical-field at the zero temperature. By laminating a superconducting film (S) with the thickness

d

on a semi-infinite superconductor (Σ), we can engineer

H

s
h

(
d
)

of the layered structure. When

d

is the optimum thickness

d
m

,

H

s
h

can be larger than that of the simple semi-infinite superconductors made from the S and Σ materials:

H

sh

(

d
m

)
>
max
{

H

sh

(
S
)

,

H

sh

(
Σ
)

}

. The present study addresses the calculation of

H

s
h

of the dirty heterostructure using the microscopic theory from beginning to end for the first time, which contributes to the microscopic understanding of the surface engineering for pushing up the accelerating gradient of superconducting cavities for particle accelerators.
Pseudo-Hermitian trimer: Asymmetric resonances and exceptional points
Authors: Tikeng-Manfouo Arnaud D , Fotsa-Ngaffo Fernande , Kofane T C 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
A pseudo-Hermitian (PH) system made up of three coupled waveguides (trimer) with an overall balanced gain and loss is investigated in a parity time (PT)-symmetric-like regime. Remarkably, the pseudo hermiticity parameter controls the asymmetric spatial field modulation between left and right propagating waves whereby, a complex coupling arises that induces an additional source of non-Hermiticity, which in the system acts as a relative gain/loss Hellmann-Feynman correction. In this situation, we show that, transmissionless backscatterings are observed for the PH-trimer in the non PT broken phase. Interestingly, the scattering properties of PH-trimer result in multiple lasing states with different mechanisms. In particular, we show that in the PT-symmetric case, the lasing modes associated to the coherent perfect-absorption (CPA), occur from the spectral singularity induced by the Hermitian chain coupling and give rise to unidirectional invisibility in the direction of incident wave. On the contrary, additional emerging lasing modes in a PH regime result from the scattering maxima resonance. We demonstrate that this specific cases suppress the CPA-laser phenomenon and rather exhibit exceptional points characterized by reflectionless but also the points of transmissionless. Numerical beam propagations realized to emphasize the results are in good agreement with the scattering investigation until gain/loss parameter is around it’s value giving resonance.
Control of plastic deformation in Cu50Ta50 metallic glass by insertion of Cu crystalline cores
Authors: Tran Anh-Son 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The tensile characteristics and deformation mechanisms of Cu-Ta metallic glasses with the insertion of Cu crystalline cores are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects of different Cu crystalline core diameters (D

Cu
), experiment temperatures (T), and Cu crystalline core numbers (N) are studied. The results show that the plasticity of the Cu-Ta MGs is significantly improved by inserting Cu crystalline cores. The Shockley dislocations (<112>) make up the majority, and the FCC structures mainly transform into the HCP structures in the Cu crystalline cores. As increasing D

Cu
, the shear transformation zones (STZs) form more severely, the fraction of atoms with the high shear strain increases, and the tensile strength reduces. As increasing T, the STZs formation is fainter and most intense at 100 K, the fraction of atoms with the shear strain greater than 0.5 (f0.5) and the tensile strength reduce, while the fraction of atoms with the shear strain greater than 0.3 (f0.3) increases. As changing N, the STZs formations in the samples with the N = 2 and 8 are more pronounced, the f0.5 of the samples with the N = 1 and 8 are lower than those in the other cases, and the tensile strength reduces as the N increases.
Birefringence of electromagnetic waves in the relic neutrino gas
Authors: Dvornikov Maxim , Semikoz Victor B. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
We reconsider the problem of the birefringence of electromagnetic (EM) waves in a medium consisting of a plasma and a νν̅-gas within the Standard Model of particle physics. The considered effect arises in such a medium due to the parity violation for the electroweak neutrino-electron interaction. Our recent calculations of the electroweak correction to the photon polarization operator in the electroweak plasma allow us to significantly improve some previous estimates of such effect in astrophysics. We estimate the rotary power for EM waves propagating in a non-relativistic plasma in the intergalactic space and interacting with the gas of relic neutrinos and antineutrinos there. We show that, in presence of a plasma, the EM wave birefringence effect in a νν̅-gas exceeds significantly that effect in a νν̅-gas in empty space considered earlier. These previous treatments of the birefringence relied on the calculations of the refraction index for on-shell photons in vacuum using the forward scattering amplitude γν→γν with virtual charged leptons in Feynman diagrams. The possibility to observe experimentally the new effect suggested here is discussed.
Measuring the cosmic homogeneity scale with SDSS-IV DR16 quasars
Authors: Gonçalves Rodrigo S. , Carvalho Gabriela C. , Andrade Uendert , Bengaly Carlos A.P. , Carvalho Joel C. , Alcaniz Jailson 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
We report measurements of the scale of cosmic homogeneity (rh) using the recently released quasar sample of the sixteenth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV DR16). We perform our analysis in 2 redshift bins lying in the redshift interval 2.2 < z < 3.2 by means of the fractal dimension D_2. By adopting the usual assumption that rh is obtained when D2 ∼ 2.97, that is, within 1% of D2=3, we find the cosmic homogeneity scale with a decreasing trend with redshift, and in good agreement with the ΛCDM prediction. Our results confirm the presence of a homogeneity scale in the spatial distribution of quasars as predicted by the fundamental assumptions of the standard cosmological model.
Distribution and monogamy of quantum coherence for open three-qubit systems under local noisy channels
Authors: Liao Ming-Jie , Zeng Hao-Sheng 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
We study the distribution and monogamous relations of quantum coherence for three-qubit systems under the influence of local amplitude-damping, phase-damping and random unitary channels, respectively. We find that under the influence of the considered channels, the W state has both global and bipartite coherence, and its monogamy is always equal to zero. For the Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger) state, however, there is only global coherence in the time evolution and the monogamy is always positive. We also present a partially entangled state,

|

Ψ
⟩

, which has global, bipartite, and monomeric coherences and negative monogamy during the whole time evolution.
Change in 7Be half-life in host media
Authors: Gholamian Farshid , Firoozabadi Mohammad Mehdi , Sarhaddi Reza 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
First-principle calculations within the density functional theory framework are used to study the probability of electron capture for the 7Be nucleus. For this purpose, electron density at the 7Be nucleus is computed in Al, Au, Pd, Pt, and Pb environments. Our results show that the half-life of 7Be is changed by implanting 7Be in host environments. Electron affinity of the media and confinement effects are responsible for the change in the half-life of 7Be nucleus. Moreover, electric potential at the 7Be nucleus is calculated. Results show that variations in electric potential are usually consistent with those in electron density at the 7Be nucleus.
Molecular picture for X
0(2900) and X
1(2900) *
Authors: He Jun , Chen Dian-Yong 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Inspired by the newly observed

and

states at LHCb, the

and

interactions are studied in the quasipotential Bethe-Salpeter equation approach combined with the one-boson-exchange model. The bound and virtual states from the interactions are searched for as poles in the complex energy plane of scattering amplitude. A bound state with

and a virtual state with

are produced from the

interaction and

interaction, and can be related to the

and

observed at LHCb, respectively. A bound state with

and a virtual state with

are also predicted from the

interaction, with the same

value, to reproduce the

, which can be searched for in future experiments.
Design of a liquid-phase magnetron sputtering small-sized source for the vacuum coating system MVTU-11-1MS
Authors: Kouptsov A D , Vasilev D D , Sidorova S V , Moiseev K M 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe relevance of magnetron sputtering to obtain conductive metallized coatings with a thickness of up to tens of micrometers is indicated. Attention is paid to the features of magnetron sputtering with a liquid target. It is noted that this process is currently being implemented using magnetrons with size from 3” to 6”. The design flaws of the existing NMSA-52M magnetron and its mounting unit to the chamber of the vacuum coating system MVTU-11-1MS are considered. The design of a magnetic system with an increased value of magnetic induction on a 2” magnetron surface has been developed. The magnetron sputtering source were designed: a housing, a chamber mounting unit and a cover. As a result, a variant of the improved design of the magnetron sputtering source is presented, which takes into account the disadvantages of the existing NMSA-52M magnetron.