Fingerprints for anisotropic Kondo lattice behavior in the quasiparticle dynamics of the kagome metal Ni3_3In

We present a temperature- and polarization-resolved phononic and electronic Raman scattering study in combination with the first-principles calculations on the kagome metal Ni$_3$In with anisotropic transport properties and non-Fermi liquid behavior. At temperatures below 50 K and down to 2 K, several Raman phonon modes, including particularly an interlayer shear mode, exhibit appreciable frequency and linewidth renormalization, reminiscent of the onset of the Kondo screening without an accompanying structural or magnetic phase transition. In addition, a low-energy electronic continuum observed in polarization perpendicular to the kagome planes reveals strong temperature dependence below 50 K, implying thermal depletion of incoherent quasiparticles, while the in-plane continuum remains invariant. These concomitant electronic and phononic Raman signatures suggest that Ni$_3$In undergoes an anisotropic electronic crossover from an incoherent to a coherent Kondo lattice regime below 50 K. We discuss the origin of the anisotropic incoherent-coherent crossover in association with the possible anisotropic Kondo hybridization involving localized Ni-$3d_{xz}$ flat-band electrons.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures; published in Phys. Rev.

One-ninth magnetization plateau stabilized by spin entanglement in a kagome antiferromagnet

The spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a Kagome lattice is geometrically frustrated, which is expected to promote the formation of many-body quantum entangled states. The most sought-after among these is the quantum spin liquid phase, but magnetic analogs of liquid, solid, and supersolid phases may also occur, producing fractional plateaus in the magnetization. Here, we investigate the experimental realization of these predicted phases in the Kagome material YCu3(OD)6+xBr3-x (x=0.5). By combining thermodynamic and Raman spectroscopic techniques, we provide evidence for fractionalized spinon excitations and observe the emergence of a 1/9 magnetization plateau. These observations establish YCu3(OD)6+xBr3-x as a model material for exploring the 1/9 plateau phase.Comment: to appear in Nature Physics, 33 pagses, 15 figure

Machine learning-based signal quality assessment for cardiac volume monitoring in electrical impedance tomography

Owing to recent advances in thoracic electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a patient’s hemodynamic function can be noninvasively and continuously estimated in real-time by surveilling a cardiac volume signal (CVS) associated with stroke volume and cardiac output. In clinical applications, however, a CVS is often of low quality, mainly because of the patient’s deliberate movements or inevitable motions during clinical interventions. This study aims to develop a signal quality indexing method that assesses the influence of motion artifacts on transient CVSs. The assessment is performed on each cardiac cycle to take advantage of the periodicity and regularity in cardiac volume changes. Time intervals are identified using the synchronized electrocardiography system. We apply divergent machine-learning methods, which can be sorted into discriminative-model and manifold-learning approaches. The use of machine-learning could be suitable for our real-time monitoring application that requires fast inference and automation as well as high accuracy. In the clinical environment, the proposed method can be utilized to provide immediate warnings so that clinicians can minimize confusion regarding patients’ conditions, reduce clinical resource utilization, and improve the confidence level of the monitoring system. Numerous experiments using actual EIT data validate the capability of CVSs degraded by motion artifacts to be accurately and automatically assessed in real-time by machine learning. The best model achieved an accuracy of 0.95, positive and negative predictive values of 0.96 and 0.86, sensitivity of 0.98, specificity of 0.77, and AUC of 0.96

Assessment of regional and temporal trends in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances using the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) in Korea

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are used in industrial and commercial products due to their amphiphilic properties. Birds have been utilized as biomonitoring species due to their environmental pollutant vulnerability and wide distribution. The Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) is a representative residential species inhabiting terrestrial environments. In this study, we measured PFAS concentrations in Magpie liver tissue (n = 253) collected from 12 Korean regions in 2004 and 2017. The predominant compounds were perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS; mean: 23.8 ng/g wet weight), perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA; 2.79 ng/g), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA: 2.11 ng/g). We observed significant correlations between Magpie PFAS measurements, indicating similar sources and bioaccumulation processes. Adult females showed significantly lower PFOS concentrations than adult males and young males and females, indicating that avian sex is a crucial physiological factor of PFAS accumulation. PFOS, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA) concentrations in urban regions were significantly higher than rural regions. PFOS concentrations in Magpie livers increased significantly between sampling years, whereas C11–C13 carboxylic acids (PFCAs) decreased. This suggests that urbanization and population are major factors in Magpie PFAS accumulation. Almost all hepatic PFOS concentrations were below the threshold values proposed by previous studies, implying limited risks. Our findings suggest that the Oriental Magpies are PFAS sentinel in residential environments. This is the first comprehensive report on biomonitoring of PFASs using the Oriental Magpie. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.1

Assessment of Land Suitability Potentials for Winter Wheat Cultivation by Using a Multi Criteria Decision Support- Geographic Information System (MCDS-GIS) approach in Al-Yarmouk Basin (S Syria)

In the last few years, the agricultural sector in Syria has suffered from major problems related to land degradation. To cope with this problem, a land suitability assessment has become an essential tool for sustainable land use management. The present research qualitatively evaluated the suitability of land in the Al-Yarmouk Basin (S-Syria) for rainfed winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivation. In this study, a regional spatial approach involving three steps was developed, based on the method proposed by Sys et al. In the first step, a soil survey was carried out and 107 soil profiles were described, sampled and analyzed. In the second step, climatic gridded datasets from 1984–2014 MRm at a high spatial resolution (30 meters) and the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were clipped from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and prepared for the study area. In the third step, a land suitability assessment was performed using the geographical information system (GIS) and multi criteria decision support (MCDS). Soil survey outcomes showed that the study area was dominated by five soil orders: Mollisols, Inceptisols, Vertisols, Entisols and Aridisols. Also, results from the Sys model illustrated that more than 23.8% of the study area is highly suitable (S1–0) for wheat production without any limitations, whereas 38.7% and 37.5% are highly suitable (S1–1) and moderately suitable (S2), respectively. Also, the study emphasizes the important role of topographical factors in the study area for wheat cultivation. All in all, this research suggests W-Syria as a potential region for wheat cultivation, instead of the eastern area which is subject to climate change and a shortage of water. Integrating the Sys-approach and the GIS framework offers a good tool for policy-makers to apply in Syria for land suitability assessments