2,957 research outputs found
Negative refraction with tunable absorption in an active dense gas of atoms
Applications of negative index materials (NIM) presently are severely limited
by absorption. Next to improvements of metamaterial designs, it has been
suggested that dense gases of atoms could form a NIM with negligible losses. In
such gases, the low absorption is facilitated by quantum interference. Here, we
show that additional gain mechanisms can be used to tune and effectively remove
absorption in a dense gas NIM. In our setup, the atoms are coherently prepared
by control laser fields, and further driven by a weak incoherent pump field to
induce gain. We employ nonlinear optical Bloch equations to analyze the optical
response. Metastable Neon is identified as a suitable experimental candidate at
infrared frequencies to implement a lossless active negative index material.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Antechamber facilitates loading and unloading of vacuum furnace
Antechamber facilitates the use of a furnace in which materials are heat treated in a high vacuum or a gas atmosphere. It has a high vacuum pumping system, a means for backfilling with a selected gas, an access door, glove ports, and a motor driven platform
Fish Species Distribution in Seagrass Habitats of Chesapeake Bay are Structured by Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Seagrass habitats have long been known to serve as nursery habitats for juvenile fish by providing refuges from predation and areas of high forage abundance. However, comparatively less is known about other factors structuring fish communities that make extensive use of seagrass as nursery habitat. We examined both physical and biological factors that may structure the juvenile seagrass-associated fish communities across a synoptic-scale multiyear study in lower Chesapeake Bay. Across 3years of sampling, we collected 21,153 fish from 31 species. Silver Perch Bairdiella chrysoura made up over 86% of all individuals collected. Nine additional species made up at least 1% of the fish community in the bay but were at very different abundances than historical estimates of the fish community from the early 1980s. Eight species, including Silver Perch, showed a relationship with measured gradients of temperature or salinity and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus showed a negative relationship with the presence of macroalgae. Climate change, particularly increased precipitation and runoff from frequent and intense events, has the potential to alter fish-habitat relationships in seagrass beds and other habitats and may have already altered the fish community composition. Comparisons of fish species to historical data from the 1970s, our data, and recent contemporary data in the late 2000s suggests this has occurred
Synthesis and evaluation of troponoids as a new class of antibiotics
Novel antibiotics
are urgently needed. The troponoids [tropones,
tropolones, and α-hydroxytropolones (α-HT)] can have anti-bacterial
activity. We synthesized or purchased 92 troponoids and evaluated
their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus
aureus, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Preliminary hits were assessed
for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC80) and cytotoxicity
(CC50) against human hepatoma cells. Sixteen troponoids
inhibited S. aureus/E. coli/A. baumannii growth by ≥80% growth at 50 values >50 μM. Two selected tropolones (63 and 285) inhibited 18 methicillin-resistant S.
aureus (MRSA) strains with similar MIC80 values as against a reference strain. Two selected thiotropolones
(284 and 363) inhibited multidrug-resistant
(MDR) E. coli with MIC80 ≤30 μM. One α-HT (261) inhibited
MDR-A. baumannii with MIC80 ≤30 μM. This study opens new avenues for development
of novel troponoid antibiotics to address the critical need to combat
MDR bacterial infections
Dissipative Quantum Ising model in a cold atomic spin-boson mixture
Using cold bosonic atoms with two (hyperfine) ground states, we introduce a
spin-boson mixture which allows to implement the quantum Ising model in a
tunable dissipative environment. The first specie lies in a deep optical
lattice with tightly confining wells and forms a spin array; spin-up/down
corresponds to occupation by one/no atom at each site. The second specie forms
a superfluid reservoir. Different species are coupled coherently via laser
transitions and collisions. Whereas the laser coupling mimics a transverse
field for the spins, the coupling to the reservoir sound modes induces a
ferromagnetic (Ising) coupling as well as dissipation. This gives rise to an
order-disorder quantum phase transition where the effect of dissipation can be
studied in a controllable manner.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; Title modified and cosmetic change
The biogeography of community assembly: latitude and predation drive variation in community trait distribution in a guild of epifaunal crustaceans
While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass (Zostera marina) spanning 30° of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude. Ocean and epiphyte load appeared as secondary predictors; Pacific communities were more overdispersed while Atlantic communities were more clustered, and increasing epiphytes were associated with increased clustering. By examining how species interactions and environmental filters influence community structure across biogeographic regions, we demonstrate how both latitudinal variation in species interactions and historical contingency shape these responses. Community trait distributions have implications for ecosystem stability and functioning, and integrating large-scale observations of environmental filters, species interactions and traits can help us predict how communities may respond to environmental change
Flavour singlet pseudoscalar masses in N_f = 2 QCD
We perform a lattice mass analysis in the flavour singlet pseudoscalar
channel on the SESAM and TXL full QCD vacuum configurations, with 2 active
flavours of dynamical Wilson fermions at beta = 5.6. At our inverse lattice
spacing, a^-1 = 2.3 GeV, we retrieve by a chiral extrapolation to the physical
light quark masses the value m_eta' = 3.7(+8)(-4) m_pi. A crude extrapolation
from (N_f = 3) phenomenology would suggest m_eta' \approx 5.1 m_pi for N_f = 2
QCD. we verify that the mass gap between the singlet state eta' and the pi
flavour triplt state is due to gauge configurations with non-trivial topology.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
Land Use and Salinity Drive Changes in SAV Abundance and Community Composition
Conserving and restoring submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are key management goals for estuaries worldwide because SAV integrates many aspects of water quality and provides a wide range of ecosystem services. Management strategies are typically focused on aggregated abundance of several SAV species, because species cannot be easily distinguished in remotely sensed data. Human land use and shoreline alteration have been shown to negatively impact SAV abundance, but the effects have varied with study, spatial scale, and location. The differences in reported effects may be partly due to the focus on abundance, which overlooks within-community and among-community dynamics that generate total SAV abundance. We analyzed long-term SAV aerial survey data (1984-2009) and ground observations of community composition (1984-2012) in subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay to integrate variations in abundance with differences in community composition. We identified five communities (mixed freshwater, milfoil-Zannichellia, mixed mesohaline, Zannichellia, and Ruppia-Zostera). Temporal variations in SAV abundance were more strongly related to community identity than to terrestrial stressors, and responses to stressors differed among communities and among species. In one fifth of the subestuaries, the community identity changed during the study, and the probability of such a change was positively related to the prevalence of riprapped shoreline in the subestuary. Mixed freshwater communities had the highest rates of recovery, and this may have been driven by Hydrilla verticillata, which was the single best predictor of SAV recovery rate. Additional species-specific and community-specific research will likely yield better understanding of the factors affecting community identity and SAV abundance, more accurate predictive models, and more effective management strategies
First-year Experience Course: Problem Solving, Inquiry, and Integration
In an effort to address academic deficiencies outlined in recent studies, Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment redesigned its first-year experience class to fit their activities into three components of activities: problem solving, inquiry, and integrative learning. The problem solving component required students to define a problem, identify problem-solving strategies, and propose solutions and hypotheses. The inquiry component of the first-year experience included selecting a research topic, learning how to access information about the topic, learning how to evaluate existing information about the topic, and deciding which information to use to achieve desired results about the topic. The final component of the program, integration of learning, connected different programs of study with in-class learning and outside experience. This component also stressed exploring the relationship between student’s self and their learning experiences. To evaluate these three categories, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Information Literacy Test surveys were administered to the students at the beginning of the semester and the end of the semester in order to evaluate student growth in each category, as well as students’ own self-awareness. Quantitative analysis of these two surveys illustrates the effectiveness of the assignments associated with each component. Knowledge gained from the redevelopment of the class, quantitative analysis of the surveys, and plans for additional amendments to the class will be shared during conference proceedings
Sustainability Beliefs of First-year Students in Natural Resources
A crux of the environmental problem is change resistance and few college students possess the critical analysis and persuasive communication skills needed to engage in this dialogue. Furthermore, there is little appreciation among college students for the diversity of beliefs regarding sustainability issues. We surveyed students enrolled in a First-Year Experience class in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. We used the Dunlap and Van Liere New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) measurement scale to assess the individual student orientations toward nature and the environment. The students enrolled in this class had enrolled voluntarily based on their interest in the study of the environment or natural resources. Therefore, it was no surprise that the score reflected a belief orientation towards sustainability. Survey results allowed these first-year students to discover the range of opinion among members of a relatively homogeneous sample. The survey provided insights regarding the human-centered or eco-centered orientation of their student peers. We used these findings to encourage revision of a draft problem-solving essay. We plan further use of the NEP measurement scale in our curriculum and encourage its adoptions by instructors involved in pedagogy of sustainable thinking
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