Topological protection of bound states against the hybridization

Topological invariants are conventionally known to be responsible for protection of extended states against disorder. A prominent example is the presence of topologically protected extended-states in two-dimensional (2D) quantum Hall systems as well as on the surface of three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators. Distinct from such cases, here we introduce a new concept, that is, the topological protection of bound states against hybridization. This situation is shown to be realizable in a 2D quantum Hall insulator put on a 3D trivial insulator. In such a configuration, there exist topologically protected bound states, localized along the normal direction of 2D plane, in spite of hybridization with the continuum of extended states. The one-dimensional edge states are also localized along the same direction as long as their energies are within the band gap. This finding demonstrates the dual role of topological invariants, as they can also protect bound states against hybridization in a continuum.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Power frequency interference and suppression in measurement of power transmission tower grounding resistance

“If you want peace, work for justice.” – Pope Paul VI This paper explores how the children’s right to be heard is implemented in the criminal proceedings in Romania and Norway. The judicial practices in the two countries are analysed in relation to four elements identified in the literature as relevant to the child’s right to be heard- space, voice, audience and influence. The two juvenile justice systems are then compared to each other, as well as to international best practices, with the final aim of identifying small-scale measures worth disseminating in Romania and Norway to strengthen the effectiveness of child’s right to be heard. The paper argues that a more effective implementation of the children’s right to be heard strengthen all the array of the children’s rights, makes the juvenile justice system more child-friendly and facilitates the transition from conflict and punitive justice towards positive peace. Keywords: right of the child to be heard, juvenile justice, children’s rights, child-friendly justic

Lifetime cost effectiveness of simvastatin in a range of risk groups and age groups derived from a randomised trial of 20,536 people

<i>Objectives</i>: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of 40 mg simvastatin daily continued for life in people of different ages with differing risks of vascular disease. Design A model developed from a randomised trial was used to estimate lifetime risks of vascular events and costs of treatment and hospital admissions in the United Kingdom. <i>Setting</i>: 69 hospitals in the UK. <i>Participants</i>: 20 536 men and women (aged 40-80) with coronary disease, other occlusive arterial disease, or diabetes. <i>Interventions</i>: 40 mg simvastatin daily versus placebo for an average of 5 years. <i>Main</i> <i>outcome</i> <i>measures</i>: Cost effectiveness of 40 mg simvastatin daily expressed as additional cost per life year gained. Major vascular event defined as non-fatal myocardial infarction or death from coronary disease, any stroke, or revascularisation procedure. Results were extrapolated to younger and older age groups at lower risk of vascular disease than were studied directly, as well as to lifetime treatment. <i>Results</i>: At the April 2005 UK price of £4.87 (€7; $9) per 28 day pack of generic 40 mg simvastatin, lifetime treatment was cost saving in most age groups and vascular disease risk groups studied directly. Gains in life expectancy and cost savings decreased with increasing age and with decreasing risk of vascular disease. People aged 40-49 with 5 year risks of major vascular events of 42% and 12% at start of treatment gained 2.49 and 1.67 life years, respectively. Treatment with statins remained cost saving or cost less than £2500 per life year gained in people as young as 35 years or as old as 85 with 5 year risks of a major vascular event as low as 5% at the start of treatment. <i>Conclusions</i>: Treatment with statins is cost effective in a wider population than is routinely treated at present

Topologically Protected Quantum State Transfer in a Chiral Spin Liquid

Topology plays a central role in ensuring the robustness of a wide variety of physical phenomena. Notable examples range from the robust current carrying edge states associated with the quantum Hall and the quantum spin Hall effects to proposals involving topologically protected quantum memory and quantum logic operations. Here, we propose and analyze a topologically protected channel for the transfer of quantum states between remote quantum nodes. In our approach, state transfer is mediated by the edge mode of a chiral spin liquid. We demonstrate that the proposed method is intrinsically robust to realistic imperfections associated with disorder and decoherence. Possible experimental implementations and applications to the detection and characterization of spin liquid phases are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

The comparative value of feline virology research: can findings from the feline lentiviral vaccine be translated to humans?

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus of domestic cats that shares several similarities with its human counterpart, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Their analogies include genomic organization, lymphocyte tropism, viral persistence and induction of immunodeficiency. FIV is the only lentivirus for which a commercial vaccine is registered for prevention in either human or veterinary medicine. This provides a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of protection induced by lentivirus vaccines at the population level and might contribute to the development of efficacious HIV vaccines. As well as having comparative value for vaccine studies, FIV research has shed some light on the relationship between lentiviral tropism and pathogenesis. Recent studies in our laboratory demonstrated that the interaction between FIV and its primary receptor changes as disease progresses, reminiscent of the receptor switch observed as disease progresses in HIV infected individuals. Here we summarise findings illustrating that, in addition to its veterinary significance, FIV has comparative value, providing a useful model to explore lentivirus–host interactions and to examine potential immune correlates of protection against HIV infection

Integrated Solutions Development Capital Solutions Interim Report Volume I: Report

This report analyzes the water quality, flood, erosion, and integrated scores of multiple Austin watersheds, including Waller Creek.Waller Creek Working Grou

Selective enhancement of topologically induced interface states in a dielectric resonator chain

The recent realization of topological phases in insulators and superconductors has advanced the quest for robust quantum technologies. The prospects to implement the underlying topological features controllably has given incentive to explore optical platforms for analogous realizations. Here we realize a topologically induced defect state in a chain of dielectric microwave resonators and show that the functionality of the system can be enhanced by supplementing topological protection with non-hermitian symmetries that do not have an electronic counterpart. We draw on a characteristic topological feature of the defect state, namely, that it breaks a sublattice symmetry. This isolates the state from losses that respect parity-time symmetry, which enhances its visibility relative to all other states both in the frequency and in the time domain. This mode selection mechanism naturally carries over to a wide range of topological and parity-time symmetric optical platforms, including couplers, rectifiers and lasers.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, + supplementary information (3 pages, 4 figures

CO2 pipelines material and safety considerations

This paper presents an overview of some of the most important factors and areas of uncertainty affecting integrity and accurate hazard assessment of CO2 pipelines employed as part of the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) chain. These include corrosion, hydrate formation, hydrogen embrittlement and propensity to fast running ductile and brittle factures. Special consideration is given to the impact of impurities within the CO2 feed from the various capture technologies on these possible hazards. Knowledge gaps in the modelling of outflow and subsequent dispersion of CO2 following the accidental rupture of pressurised CO2 pipelines, central to their safety assessment, are also presented