Twisted split-ring-resonator photonic metamaterial with huge optical activity

Coupled split-ring-resonator metamaterials have previously been shown to exhibit large coupling effects, which are a prerequisite for obtaining large effective optical activity. By a suitable lateral arrangement of these building blocks, we completely eliminate linear birefringence and obtain pure optical activity and connected circular optical dichroism. Experiments at around 100-THz frequency and corresponding modeling are in good agreement. Rotation angles of about 30 degrees for 205nm sample thickness are derived.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Weyl node with random vector potential

We study Weyl semimetals in the presence of generic disorder, consisting of a random vector potential as well as a random scalar potential. We derive renormalization group flow equations to second order in the disorder strength. These flow equations predict a disorder-induced phase transition between a pseudo-ballistic weak-disorder phase and a diffusive strong-disorder phase for sufficiently strong random scalar potential or for a pure three-component random vector potential. We verify these predictions using a numerical study of the density of states near the Weyl point and of quantum transport properties at the Weyl point. In contrast, for a pure single-component random vector potential the diffusive strong-disorder phase is absent.Comment: published version with minor change

Proof of Luck: an Efficient Blockchain Consensus Protocol

In the paper, we present designs for multiple blockchain consensus primitives and a novel blockchain system, all based on the use of trusted execution environments (TEEs), such as Intel SGX-enabled CPUs. First, we show how using TEEs for existing proof of work schemes can make mining equitably distributed by preventing the use of ASICs. Next, we extend the design with proof of time and proof of ownership consensus primitives to make mining energy- and time-efficient. Further improving on these designs, we present a blockchain using a proof of luck consensus protocol. Our proof of luck blockchain uses a TEE platform's random number generation to choose a consensus leader, which offers low-latency transaction validation, deterministic confirmation time, negligible energy consumption, and equitably distributed mining. Lastly, we discuss a potential protection against up to a constant number of compromised TEEs.Comment: SysTEX '16, December 12-16, 2016, Trento, Ital

Molecular Gas during the Post-Starburst Phase: Low Gas Fractions in Green Valley Seyfert Post-Starburst Galaxies

Post-starbursts (PSBs) are candidate for rapidly transitioning from star-bursting to quiescent galaxies. We study the molecular gas evolution of PSBs at z ~ 0.03 - 0.2. We undertook new CO (2-1) observations of 22 Seyfert PSBs candidates using the ARO Submillimeter Telescope. This sample complements previous samples of PSBs by including green valley PSBs with Seyfert-like emission, allowing us to analyze for the first time the molecular gas properties of 116 PSBs with a variety of AGN properties. The distribution of molecular gas to stellar mass fractions in PSBs is significantly different than normal star-forming galaxies in the COLD GASS survey. The combined samples of PSBs with Seyfert-like emission line ratios have a gas fraction distribution which is even more significantly different and is broader (~ 0.03-0.3). Most of them have lower gas fractions than normal star-forming galaxies. We find a highly significant correlation between the WISE 12 micron to 4.6 micron flux ratios and molecular gas fractions in both PSBs and normal galaxies. We detect molecular gas in 27% of our Seyfert PSBs. Taking into account the upper limits, the mean and the dispersion of the distribution of the gas fraction in our Seyfert PSB sample are much smaller (mean = 0.025, std dev. = 0.018) than previous samples of Seyfert PSBs or PSBs in general (mean ~ 0.1 - 0.2, std dev. ~ 0.1 - 0.2).Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures accepted in MNRA

Axial Multicentric Osteosarcoma in an English Cocker Spaniel

No abstract available

Exploring Entrepreneurship Education Effectiveness at British Universities – An Application of the World Café Method

Universities have made significant investments in entrepreneurship programs for decades, but the scope, relevance and usefulness of entrepreneurship education are still questioned. This study aims to explore the meaning of effectiveness as it relates to entrepreneurship education in a grounded and holistic sense, recognizing both the range of stakeholders involved in the design, delivery and experience of entrepreneurship education and the underlying complexity of the issue at hand. Two World Café events, a method designed to elicit grounded knowledge, were organized to seek insights from a diverse range of stakeholders. Results confirm and illustrate the complex nature of effectiveness in entrepreneurship education. The purpose of specific educational initiatives, diverse audiences’ expectations and contextual factors must be considered in any meaningful attempt at identifying effectiveness. Findings also revealed a consensus that effectiveness relates to creating a transformational process, which leads to a shift in attitudes towards entrepreneurship. This shift prepares students for careers that go beyond the launch of a new venture. The role of time lags in assessing effectiveness was also identified. We suggest an agenda for future research and practical implications

Radial Velocity along the Voyager 1 Trajectory: The Effect of Solar Cycle

As Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are approaching the heliopause (HP)—the boundary between the solar wind (SW) and the local interstellar medium (LISM)—we expect new, unknown features of the heliospheric interface to be revealed. A seeming puzzle reported recently by Krimigis et al. concerns the unusually low, even negative, radial velocity components derived from the energetic ion distribution. Steady-state plasma models of the inner heliosheath (IHS) show that the radial velocity should not be equal to zero even at the surface of the HP. Here we demonstrate that the velocity distributions observed by Voyager 1 are consistent with time-dependent simulations of the SW-LISM interaction. In this Letter, we analyze the results from a numerical model of the large-scale heliosphere that includes solar cycle effects. Our simulations show that prolonged periods of low to negative radial velocity can exist in the IHS at substantial distances from the HP. It is also shown that Voyager 1 was more likely to observe such regions than Voyager 2

Vascular Dysfunction and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Examining the Role of Oxidative Stress and Sympathetic Activity

Purpose: The physiological manifestations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been associated with an increase in risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) independent of negative lifestyle factors. The goal of the study was to better elucidate the mechanisms behind the increased CVD risk by examining peripheral vascular function, a precursor to CVD. Moreover, this study sought to determine the role of oxidative stress and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in PTSD-induced vascular dysfunction. Methods: Sixteen individuals with PTSD (10 women, 6 men; age 24 ± 4 years), and twenty-four healthy controls (CTRL; 15 women, 9 men, 24 ± 4 years), participated in the study. The PTSD group participated in two visits, consuming either a placebo or antioxidant cocktail (AO - vitamins C and E and alpha lipoic acid) prior to their visits, in a randomized order. Arm vascular function was assessed via the reactive hyperemia- induced flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery (BAFMD) technique and evaluated with Doppler ultrasonography. Brachial artery and arm microvascular function were determined by percent change of diameter from baseline normalized for BA shear rate (BAD/Shear), and blood flow area under the curve (BF AUC), respectively. Heart rate variability (HRV) was used to assess autonomic nervous system activity. Results: BF AUC was significantly lower (p = 0.02) and SNS activity was significantly higher (p = 0.02) in the PTSD group when compared to the CTRL group. BAD/Shear was not different between groups. Following the acute AO supplementation, BF AUC was augmented to which it was no longer significantly different (p = 0.16) when compared to the CTRL group. SNS activity within the PTSD group was significantly reduced (p=.007) following the AO supplementation when compared to the PL condition, and the difference between PTSD and CTRL was no longer significant (p=.41). Conclusion: Young individuals with PTSD demonstrated lower arm microvascular, but not brachial artery, function as well as higher sympathetic activity when compared to healthy controls matched for age, sex, and physical activity level. Furthermore, this microvascular dysfunction and SNS activity was attenuated by an acute AO supplementation to the level of the healthy controls. Taken together, this study revealed that the modulation of oxidative stress, via an acute AO supplementation, improved vascular dysfunction in individuals with PTSD, potentially by reducing the substantial SNS activity associated with this disorder.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1084/thumbnail.jp

Joint Strong and Weak Lensing Analysis of the Massive Cluster Field J0850+3604

We present a combined strong and weak lensing analysis of the J085007.6+360428 (J0850) field, which was selected by its high projected concentration of luminous red galaxies and contains the massive cluster Zwicky 1953. Using Subaru/Suprime-Cam $BVR_{c}I_{c}i^{\prime}z^{\prime}$ imaging and MMT/Hectospec spectroscopy, we first perform a weak lensing shear analysis to constrain the mass distribution in this field, including the cluster at $z = 0.3774$ and a smaller foreground halo at $z = 0.2713$. We then add a strong lensing constraint from a multiply-imaged galaxy in the imaging data with a photometric redshift of $z \approx 5.03$. Unlike previous cluster-scale lens analyses, our technique accounts for the full three-dimensional mass structure in the beam, including galaxies along the line of sight. In contrast with past cluster analyses that use only lensed image positions as constraints, we use the full surface brightness distribution of the images. This method predicts that the source galaxy crosses a lensing caustic such that one image is a highly-magnified "fold arc", which could be used to probe the source galaxy's structure at ultra-high spatial resolution ($< 30$ pc). We calculate the mass of the primary cluster to be $\mathrm{M_{vir}} = 2.93_{-0.65}^{+0.71} \times 10^{15}~\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ with a concentration of $\mathrm{c_{vir}} = 3.46_{-0.59}^{+0.70}$, consistent with the mass-concentration relation of massive clusters at a similar redshift. The large mass of this cluster makes J0850 an excellent field for leveraging lensing magnification to search for high-redshift galaxies, competitive with and complementary to that of well-studied clusters such as the HST Frontier Fields.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; 14 pages, 13 figures, 3 table

Many-body localization and the area law in two dimensions

We study the high-energy phase diagram of a two-dimensional spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Heisenberg model on a square lattice in the presence of disorder. The use of large-scale tensor network numerics allows us to compute the bi-partite entanglement entropy for systems of up to $30\times7$ lattice sites. We demonstrate the existence of a finite many-body localized phase for large disorder strength $W$ for which the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis is violated. Moreover, we show explicitly that the area law holds for excited states in this phase and determine an estimate for the critical $W_{\rm{c}}$ where the transition to the ergodic phase occurs.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure