7,526 research outputs found
High field x-ray diffraction study on a magnetic-field-induced valence transition in YbInCu4
We report the first high-field x-ray diffraction experiment using synchrotron
x-rays and pulsed magnetic fields exceeding 30 T. Lattice deformation due to a
magnetic-field-induced valence transition in YbInCu4 is studied. It has been
found that the Bragg reflection profile at 32 K changes significantly at around
27 T due to the structural transition. In the vicinity of the transition field
the low-field and the high-field phases are observed simultaneously as the two
distinct Bragg reflection peaks: This is a direct evidence of the fact that the
field-induced valence state transition is the first order phase transition. The
field-dependence of the low-field-phase Bragg peak intensity is found to be
scaled with the magnetization.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp
The PLATO Dome A Site-Testing Observatory : instrumentation and first results
The PLATeau Observatory (PLATO) is an automated self-powered astrophysical observatory that was deployed to Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic plateau, in 2008 January. PLATO consists of a suite of site-testing instruments designed to quantify the benefits of the Dome A site for astronomy, and science instruments designed to take advantage of the unique observing conditions. Instruments include CSTAR, an array of optical telescopes for transient astronomy; Gattini, an instrument to measure the optical sky brightness and cloud cover statistics; DASLE, an experiment to measure the statistics of the meteorological conditions within the near-surface layer; Pre-HEAT, a submillimeter tipping radiometer measuring the atmospheric transmission and water vapor content and performing spectral line imaging of the Galactic plane; and Snodar, an acoustic radar designed to measure turbulence within the near-surface layer. PLATO has run completely unattended and collected data throughout the winter 2008 season. Here we present a detailed description of the PLATO instrument suite and preliminary results obtained from the first season of operation
Rapid Spread of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus by Parthenogenetic Asian Longhorned Ticks
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Research-based versus clinical serum creatinine measurements and the association of acute kidney injury with subsequent kidney function: findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study.
Background:Observational studies relying on clinically obtained data have shown that acute kidney injury (AKI) is linked to accelerated chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. However, prior reports lacked uniform collection of important confounders such as proteinuria and pre-AKI kidney function trajectory, and may be susceptible to ascertainment bias, as patients may be more likely to undergo kidney function testing after AKI. Methods:We studied 444 adults with CKD who participated in the prospective Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study and were concurrent members of a large integrated healthcare delivery system. We estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trajectories using serum creatinine measurements from (i) the CRIC research protocol (yearly) and (ii) routine clinical care. We used linear mixed effects models to evaluate the associations of AKI with acute absolute change in eGFR and post-AKI eGFR slope, and explored whether these varied by source of creatinine results. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, diabetes status and albuminuria. Results:During median follow-up of 8.5 years, mean rate of eGFR loss was -0.31 mL/min/1.73 m2/year overall, and 73 individuals experienced AKI (55% Stage 1). A significant interaction existed between AKI and source of serum creatinine for acute absolute change in eGFR level after discharge; in contrast, AKI was independently associated with a faster rate of eGFR decline (mean additional loss of -0.67 mL/min/1.73 m2/year), which was not impacted by source of serum creatinine. Conclusions:AKI is independently associated with subsequent steeper eGFR decline regardless of the serum creatinine source used, but the strength of association is smaller than observed in prior studies after taking into account key confounders such as pre-AKI eGFR slope and albuminuria
Universality class of non-Fermi liquid behavior in mixed valence systems
A generalized Anderson single-impurity model with off-site Coulomb
interactions is derived from the extended three-band Hubbard model, originally
proposed to describe the physics of the copper-oxides. Using the abelian
bosonization technique and canonical transformations, an effective Hamiltonian
is derived in the strong coupling limit, which is essentially analogous to the
Toulouse limit of the ordinary Kondo problem. In this limit, the effective
Hamiltonian can be exactly solved, with a mixed valence quantum critical point
separating two different Fermi liquid phases, {\it i.e.} the Kondo phase and
the empty orbital phase. In the mixed valence quantum critical regime, the
local moment is only partially quenched and X-ray edge singularities are
generated. Around the quantum critical point, a new type of non-Fermi liquid
behavior is predicted with an extra specific heat and a
singular spin-susceptibility . At the same time, the
effective Hamiltonian under single occupancy is transformed into a
resonant-level model, from which the correct Kondo physical properties
(specific heat, spin susceptibility, and an enhanced Wilson ratio) are easily
rederived. Finally, a brief discussion is given to relate these theoretical
results to observations in () alloys, which show
single-impurity critical behavior consistent with our predictions.Comment: 26 pages, revtex, no figure. Some corrections have been made, but the
basic results are kept. To be published in Physical Review
Forecasting Player Behavioral Data and Simulating in-Game Events
Understanding player behavior is fundamental in game data science. Video
games evolve as players interact with the game, so being able to foresee player
experience would help to ensure a successful game development. In particular,
game developers need to evaluate beforehand the impact of in-game events.
Simulation optimization of these events is crucial to increase player
engagement and maximize monetization. We present an experimental analysis of
several methods to forecast game-related variables, with two main aims: to
obtain accurate predictions of in-app purchases and playtime in an operational
production environment, and to perform simulations of in-game events in order
to maximize sales and playtime. Our ultimate purpose is to take a step towards
the data-driven development of games. The results suggest that, even though the
performance of traditional approaches such as ARIMA is still better, the
outcomes of state-of-the-art techniques like deep learning are promising. Deep
learning comes up as a well-suited general model that could be used to forecast
a variety of time series with different dynamic behaviors
Long-range interactions of copper and silver atoms with hydrogen, helium, and rare-gas atoms
Dispersion interactions of the ground and resonantly excited states of Cu and Ag with a number of buffer gases are determined. The valence excitation spectrum was calculated by diagonalizing a semiempirical Hamiltonian in a large-dimension single-electron basis. The core made a significant contribution to the C6 and C8 dispersion coefficients for both copper and silver. Oscillator strengths and static scalar and tensor polarizabilities are given for some of the low-lying states
Hedgehogs as Amplifying Hosts of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus, China.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a tickborne bandavirus mainly transmitted by Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks in East Asia, mostly in rural areas. As of April 2022, the amplifying host involved in the natural transmission of SFTSV remained unidentified. Our epidemiologic field survey conducted in endemic areas in China showed that hedgehogs were widely distributed, had heavy tick infestations, and had high SFTSV seroprevalence and RNA prevalence. After experimental infection of Erinaceus amurensis and Atelerix albiventris hedgehogs with SFTSV, we detected robust but transitory viremias that lasted for 9-11 days. We completed the SFTSV transmission cycle between hedgehogs and nymph and adult H. longicornis ticks under laboratory conditions with 100% efficiency. Furthermore, naive H. longicornis ticks could be infected by SFTSV-positive ticks co-feeding on naive hedgehogs; we confirmed transstadial transmission of SFTSV. Our study suggests that the hedgehogs are a notable wildlife amplifying host of SFTSV in China.Publishe
Primeval very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs - III. The halo transitional brown dwarfs
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.We report the discovery of an esdL3 subdwarf, ULAS J020858.62+020657.0 and a usdL4.5 subdwarf, ULAS J230711.01+014447.1. They were identified as L subdwarfs by optical spectra obtained with the Gran Telescopio Canarias, and followed up by optical to near infrared spectroscopy with the Very Large Telescope. We also obtained an optical to near infrared spectrum of a previously known L subdwarf, ULAS J135058.85+081506.8, and re-classified it as a usdL3 subdwarf. These three objects all have typical halo kinematics. They have around 2050-2250 K, 1.8 [Fe/H] 1.5, and mass around 0.0822-0.0833 M, according to model spectral fitting and evolutionary models. These sources are likely halo transitional brown dwarfs with unsteady hydrogen fusions, as their masses are just below the hydrogen-burning minimum mass, which is 0.0845 M at [Fe/H] = 1.6 and 0.0855 M at [Fe/H] = 1.8. Including these, there are now nine objects in the `halo brown dwarf transition zone', which is a `substellar subdwarf gap' spans a wide temperature range within a narrow mass range of the substellar population.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
A spectroscopic and proper motion search of Sloan Digital Sky Survey : red subdwarfs in binary systems
Red subdwarfs in binary systems are crucial for both model calibration and spectral classification. We search for red subdwarfs in binary systems from a sample of high proper motion objects with Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy. We present here discoveries from this search, as well as highlight several additional objects of interest. We find 30 red subdwarfs in wide binary systems including: two with spectral type of esdM5.5, 6 companions to white dwarfs and 3 carbon-enhanced red subdwarfs with normal red subdwarf companions. 15 red subdwarfs in our sample are partially resolved close binary systems. With this binary sample, we estimate the low limit of the red subdwarf binary fraction of similar to 10 per cent. We find that the binary fraction goes down with decreasing masses and metallicities of red subdwarfs. A spectroscopic esdK7 subdwarf + white dwarf binary candidate is also reported. 30 new M subdwarfs have spectral type of >= M6 in our sample. We also derive relationships between spectral types and absolute magnitudes in the optical and near-infrared for M and L subdwarfs, and we present an M subdwarf sample with measured U, V, W space velocities.Peer reviewe
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