A Historical Perspective of Georgia's Economy

This report chronicles the history of Georgia's economy from the 1950s to the present and provides an outlook for the future growth areas in Georgia. FRC Report 10

Quantum Griffiths Phase in the weak itinerant ferromagnetic alloy Ni1−x_{1-x}Vx_x

We present magnetization ($M$) data of the $d$-metal alloy Ni$_{1-x}$V$_x$ at vanadium concentrations close to $x_c \approx 11.4$ where the onset of long-range ferromagnetic (FM) order is suppressed to zero temperature. Above $x_c$, the temperature ($T$) and magnetic field ($H$) dependencies of the magnetization are best described by simple nonuniversal power laws. The exponents of $M/H \sim T^{-\gamma}$ and $M \sim H^\alpha$ are related by $1-\gamma=\alpha$ for wide temperature ($10K < T \leq 300K$) and field ($H \leq 5T$) ranges. $\gamma$ is strongly $x$ dependent, decreasing from 1 at $x\approx x_c$ to $\gamma < 0.1$ for x=15%. This behavior is not compatible with either classical or quantum critical behavior in a clean 3D FM. Instead it closely follows the predictions for a quantum Griffiths phase associated with a quantum phase transition in a disordered metal. Deviations at the lowest temperatures hint at a freezing of large clusters and the onset of a cluster glass phase, presumably due to RKKY interactions in this alloy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 pdf figures included, final version as published

Epicureanism: The Pursuit of Eudemonia

Since ancient times, the study of eudemonia has been paramount in the discipline of philosophy. Various schools of thought have developed ideas and theories that discuss the nature of this happiness and methods of attaining it. A famous school of thought, which presents such theories, is that of Epicureanism; founded by Epicurus. Epicureanism asserts a strong focus on the necessity of ‘ataraxia’ and the fulfillment of necessary pleasures for the acquisition of eudemonia. The human condition is explored to understand the nature of happiness and discover methods of achieving this happiness, which according to Epicureanism, heavily involves ones beliefs and judgments, emotions, desires and virtue

Signatures of a quantum Griffiths phase in a d-metal alloy close to its ferromagnetic quantum critical point

We report magnetization ($M$) measurements close to the ferromagnetic quantum phase transition of the d-metal alloy Ni$_{1-x}$V$_x$ at a vanadium concentration of $x_c \approx 11.4$. In the diluted regime ($x>x_c$), the temperature ($T$) and magnetic field ($H$) dependencies of the magnetization are characterized by nonuniversal power laws and display $H/T$ scaling in a wide temperature and field range. The exponents vary strongly with $x$ and follow the predictions of a quantum Griffiths phase. We also discuss the deviations and limits of the quantum Griffiths phase as well as the phase boundaries due to bulk and cluster physics.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, final version as published in the Strongly Correlated Electron Systems special issue of J. Phys. Condens. Matte

The curious morphology and orientation of Orion proplyd HST-10

HST-10 is one of the largest proplyds in the Orion Nebula and is located approximately 1' SE of the Trapezium. Unlike other proplyds in Orion, however, the long-axis of HST-10 does not align with theta 1 C Ori, but is instead aligned with the rotational axis of the HST-10 disk. This cannot be easily explained using current photo-evaporation models. In this letter, we present high spatial resolution near-infrared images of the Orion proplyd HST-10 using Keck/NIRC2 with the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics system, along with multi-epoch analysis of HH objects near HST-10 using Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 and ACS cameras. Our narrow-band near-IR images resolve the proplyd ionization front (IF) and circumstellar disk down to 23 AU at the distance to Orion in Br gamma, He I, H_2, and PAH emission. Br gamma and He I emission primarily trace the IF (with the disk showing prominently in silhouette), while the H_2 and PAH emission trace the surface of the disk itself. PAH emission also traces small dust grains within the proplyd envelope which is asymmetric and does not coincide with the IF. The curious morphology of the PAH emission may be due to UV-heating by both theta 1C Ori and theta 2A Ori. Multi-epoch HST images of the HST-10 field show proper motion of 3 knots associated with HH 517, clearly indicating that HST-10 has a jet. We postulate that the orientation of HST-10 is determined by the combined ram-pressure of this jet and the FUV-powered photo-ablation flow from the disk surface.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 4 Nov 201

The Adult Learner: Nature or Nurture?: A Case study of Teacher Educators and Teacher Learners

Adult learning is very broadly viewed in the literature. The wide-ranging gamut of views, include those that interpret adult learning not dissimilarly to child learning, all the way through to theorists that propose a separate set of considerations for adult learners. When it comes to learning, pedagogy was traditionally associated with child learners and andragogy was born from the need to find a separate niche for the adult learner. As such, pedagogy and andragogy may be positioned opposite to one another—as one pertains to the needs; characteristics; and, behaviours of the child, and the other of the adult learner. These chronological apportionments of pedagogy and andragogy do not properly address the influence of context on the learner. Context is multifaceted, and includes internal elements such as feelings; thoughts; and, behaviours—which are, the learner’s very nature. Further to this, context for the adult learner is external, and encompasses elements such as the learning environment; educators; and, work-place pressures and requirements. Understanding the contextual forces on adult learning, calls into question whether all adult learners function within an andragogical framework. A qualitative case study approach was used in the setting of teacher professional learning for primary science education in NSW, Australia, to garner a deeper understanding of adult learning. Participants, both teacher educators and teacher learners, provided insights into their learning journey. This study selected two external influences on the adult learner in this setting; the introduction of the NESA K–6 Science and Technology Syllabus (2012), which was the primary science education curriculum for NSW; and, the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. In NSW, NESA is the independent statutory authority responsible for curriculum, assessment, teaching standards and school settings. Alongside the two external influences, the internal influence of teacher self-efficacy was used to better understand the adult learner. Teacher participant voice from interview gave rise to findings that illuminated the plasticity of the adult learner, moving between pedagogical and andragogical learner traits at various points in their learning journey, as well as transitioning in expertise. Adult learners were most successful in this study’s learning context when there was interplay between their internal learner forces (ILFs), their nature; and, external learner forces (ELFs), the nurture or environment. These findings may have potential for transferability to analogous professional learning contexts of the adult learner

Nanoparticle use in the modulation of transplant rejection in a murine model

Solid organ transplant has emerged over the last half century as an important treatment for solid organ failure. Management has matured dramatically over the past two decades with improvements in acute rejection, but long-term graft survival has improved very little and current treatment is limited by the side-effects and toxicities of immunosuppressive medications. Nanoparticle delivery of therapeutics, improving transport characteristics and decreasing systemic and local toxicity has emerged as a dynamic treatment modality, but little work has been done using nanoparticles in transplantation. Our research examined the use of CD4-targeted nanoparticles encapsulated with mycophenolic acid (MPA), a commonly used immunosuppressant in organ transplantation. This work is the first to examine antigen-specific targeting of nanoparticles in any transplant model. MPA-loaded particles show a slow and continuous release profile and biodistribution suggested retention in the spleen. Targeting of nanoparticles to CD4 T cells was suggested using ex vivo and in vitro flow cytometry. In the fully allogeneic MHCII mismatch BALB/C to C57BL/6 mice we found improved graft survival in the non-targeted MPA group and even greater graft survival in the CD4-targeted group. Targeted and non-targeted particle groups showed equal delay in rejection in the less immunogenic single MHC mismatch B6.H-2bm12 to C57BL/6 model that we showed to be CD4 dependent. In both models, graft survival times were increased over free drug and controls with roughly one thousand fold lower dose of drug in the nanoparticles as compared with free MPA. Consistent with these findings were decreased proliferation with targeted and non-targeted MPA-nanoparticles using in vitro and ex vivo mixed lymphocyte reactions. We postulated that the similar rejection times in targeted and non-targeted groups was due to dendritic cell (DC) involvement and we found active uptake of nanoparticles in DCs, a decrease in inflammatory cytokine production and a decrease in treated DCs ability to stimulate T cells via mixed lymphocyte reactions. Furthermore we found a possible mechanism in the DC interaction with T cells through the upregulation of the inhibiting co-stimulatory molecules B7-DC and B7-H1 on DCs treated with MPA-nanoparticles. We also found possible upregulation of CD4+CD25+ Foxp3 expressing Tregs which may serve to increase graft acceptance. These results explore the involvement of dendritic cells in the process of nanoparticle-induced graft acceptance and suggest the feasibility of using nanoparticle drug vectors in clinical transplant