Significant change in the electronic behavior associated with structural distortions in the single crystalline SrAg4As2

We report a combined study of transport and thermodynamic measurements on the layered pnictide material SrAg4As2. Upon cooling, a drop in electrical and Hall resistivity, a jump in heat capacity and an increase in susceptibility and magnetoresistance (MR) are observed around 110 K. These observations suggest that non-magnetic phase transitions emerge at around 110 K, that are likely associated with structural distortions. In sharp contrast with the first-principles calculations based on the crystal structure at room temperature, quantum oscillations reveal small Fermi pockets with light effective masses, suggesting a significant change in the Fermi surface topology caused by the low temperature structural distortion. No superconductivity emerges in SrAg$_4$As$_2$ down to 2 K and under pressures up to 2.13 GPa; instead, the low temperature structural distortion increases linearly with temperature at a rate of ~13 K/GPa above 0.89 GPa

Cerebral vasomotor reactivity predicts the development of acute stroke in patients with internal carotid artery stenosis

Objective To investigate the relationship between cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR) and acute stroke in patients with internal carotid artery stenosis. Methods 54 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis were enrolled. VMR was calculated by transcranial Doppler monitoring of the velocity of blood flow. 3-Dimensional dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography was used to detect stenosis, and diffusion weighted imaging was used to detect infarction. Results VMR value was significantly lower in patients with carotid artery stenosis than in control group (T=3.112, P=0.002), and significantly lower in patients with aortic atherosclerotic stroke than in non-infarct group (T=10.930, P=0.000). However, VMR value was significantly higher in patients with new-onset small-artery occlusion stroke than in non-infarction group (T=−2.538, P=0.013). Scatter plots showed that aortic atherosclerotic stroke occurred mainly in patients with severe internal carotid artery stenosis, and VMR value in cerebral artery significantly decreased. Conclusion Decreased VMR value is an important prognostic factor for the occurrence of aortic atherosclerotic stroke, and can be used as a reference for preoperative hemodynamic evaluation in patients with internal carotid artery stenosis

Observation of terahertz second harmonic generation from Dirac surface states in the topological insulator Bi2_2Se3_3

We report the observation of second harmonic generation with high conversion efficiency $\sim 0.005\%$ in the terahertz regime from thin films of the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ that exhibit the linear photogalvanic effect, measured via time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and terahertz emission, respectively. As neither phenomena is observable from topologically trivial In-doped Bi$_2$Se$_3$, and since no enhancement is observed when subject to band bending, the efficient thickness-independent nonliear responses are attributable to the Dirac fermions of topological surface states of Bi$_2$Se$_3$. This observation of intrinsic terahertz second harmonic generation in an equilibrium system unlocks the full suite of both even and odd harmonic orders in the terahertz regime and opens new pathways to probing quantum geometry via intraband nonlinear processes.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Creating a Dynamic Quadrupedal Robotic Goalkeeper with Reinforcement Learning

We present a reinforcement learning (RL) framework that enables quadrupedal robots to perform soccer goalkeeping tasks in the real world. Soccer goalkeeping using quadrupeds is a challenging problem, that combines highly dynamic locomotion with precise and fast non-prehensile object (ball) manipulation. The robot needs to react to and intercept a potentially flying ball using dynamic locomotion maneuvers in a very short amount of time, usually less than one second. In this paper, we propose to address this problem using a hierarchical model-free RL framework. The first component of the framework contains multiple control policies for distinct locomotion skills, which can be used to cover different regions of the goal. Each control policy enables the robot to track random parametric end-effector trajectories while performing one specific locomotion skill, such as jump, dive, and sidestep. These skills are then utilized by the second part of the framework which is a high-level planner to determine a desired skill and end-effector trajectory in order to intercept a ball flying to different regions of the goal. We deploy the proposed framework on a Mini Cheetah quadrupedal robot and demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework for various agile interceptions of a fast-moving ball in the real world.Comment: First two authors contributed equally. Accompanying video is at https://youtu.be/iX6OgG67-Z

Prediction models for major adverse cardiovascular events following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and subgroup-specific performance

BackgroundST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients are at a high residual risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after revascularization. Risk factors modify prognostic risk in distinct ways in different STEMI subpopulations. We developed a MACEs prediction model in patients with STEMI and examined its performance across subgroups.MethodsMachine-learning models based on 63 clinical features were trained in patients with STEMI who underwent PCI. The best-performing model (the iPROMPT score) was further validated in an external cohort. Its predictive value and variable contribution were studied in the entire population and subgroups.ResultsOver 2.56 and 2.84 years, 5.0% and 8.33% of patients experienced MACEs in the derivation and external validation cohorts, respectively. The iPROMPT score predictors were ST-segment deviation, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), age, hemoglobin, and white blood cell (WBC) count. The iPROMPT score improved the predictive value of the existing risk score, with an increase in the area under the curve to 0.837 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.784–0.889] in the derivation cohort and 0.730 (95% CI: 0.293–1.162) in the external validation cohort. Comparable performance was observed between subgroups. The ST-segment deviation was the most important predictor, followed by LDL-C in hypertensive patients, BNP in males, WBC count in females with diabetes mellitus, and eGFR in patients without diabetes mellitus. Hemoglobin was the top predictor in non-hypertensive patients.ConclusionThe iPROMPT score predicts long-term MACEs following STEMI and provides insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms for subgroup differences

Effect of Microstructure of Spongy Bone in Different Parts of Woodpecker’s Skull on Resistance to Impact Injury

Natural biological materials such as bone, teeth and nacre are nano-composites of protein and mineral frequently exhibit highly superior strength for self-assembly and nanofabrication. Mineral mass and microstructure/nanostructure of bone are susceptible to stimulation by mechanical loads, ensuring that its mechanical behavior and strength are adapted to environmental changes. Woodpeckers repeatedly drum tree trunks at a speed of 6-7 m s−1 and acceleration of ~1000 g with no head injuries. The uneven distribution of spongy bone has been founded on woodpecker's skull in our previous study. More knowledge of the distribution of the shock-absorbing spongy bone could be incorporated into the design of new safety helmets, sports products, and other devices that need to be able to resist the impact. In this study, the effect of microstructure of spongy bone in different parts on woodpecker’s skull compared with other birds was observed and analyzed. It was found that the unique coordinate ability of micro-parameters in different parts of woodpecker’s skull could be one of the most important roles of its resistance to impact injury. Better understanding of the materials would provide new inspirations of shock-absorbing composite materials in engineering

Cross-satellite calibration of high-energy electron fluxes measured by FengYun-4A based on Arase observations

We use the High-energy Electron Experiments (HEP) instrument onboard Arase (ERG) to conduct an energy-dependent cross-satellite calibration of electron fluxes measured by the High Energy Particle Detector (HEPD) onboard FengYun-4A (FY-4A) spanning from April 1, 2017, to September 30, 2019. By tracing the two-dimensional magnetic positions (L, magnetic local time [MLT]) of FY-4A at each time, we compare the datasets of the conjugate electron fluxes over the range of 245–894 keV in 6 energy channels for the satellite pair within different sets of L × MLT. The variations in the electron fluxes observed by FY-4A generally agree with the Arase measurements, and the percentages of the ratios of electron flux conjunctions within a factor of 2 are larger than 50%. Compared with Arase, FY-4A systematically overestimates electron fluxes at all 6 energy channels, with the corresponding calibration factors ranging from 0.67 to 0.81. After the cross-satellite calibration, the electron flux conjunctions between FY-4A and Arase show better agreement, with much smaller normalized root mean square errors. Our results provide a valuable reference for the application of FY-4A high-energy electron datasets to in-depth investigations of the Earth’s radiation belt electron dynamics

Surficial geologic map of the Des Moines Lobe of Iowa, Phase 5: Polk County

https://ir.uiowa.edu/igs_ofm/1030/thumbnail.jp

BGI-RIS: An integrated information resource and comparative analysis workbench for rice genomics

Rice is a major food staple for the world's population and serves as a model species in cereal genome research. The Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) has long been devoting itself to sequencing, information analysis and biological research of the rice and other crop genomes. In order to facilitate the application of the rice genomic information and to provide a foundation for functional and evolutionary studies of other important cereal crops, we implemented our Rice Information System (BGI-RIS), the most up-to-date integrated information resource as well as a workbench for comparative genomic analysis. In addition to comprehensive data from Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica sequenced by BGI, BGI-RIS also hosts carefully curated genome information from Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica and EST sequences available from other cereal crops. In this resource, sequence contigs of indica (93-11) have been further assembled into Mbp-sized scaffolds and anchored onto the rice chromosomes referenced to physical/genetic markers, cDNAs and BAC-end sequences. We have annotated the rice genomes for gene content, repetitive elements, gene duplications (tandem and segmental) and single nucleotide polymorphisms between rice subspecies. Designed as a basic platform, BGI-RIS presents the sequenced genomes and related information in systematic and graphical ways for the convenience of in-depth comparative studie