Giant shot noise from Majorana zero modes in topological trijunctions

The clear-cut experimental identification of Majorana bound states in transport measurements still poses experimental challenges. We here show that the zero-energy Majorana state formed at a junction of three topological superconductor wires is directly responsible for giant shot noise amplitudes, in particular at low voltages and for small contact transparency. The only intrinsic noise limitation comes from the current-induced dephasing rate due to multiple Andreev reflection processes

Constitutional Implications of Parental Support Laws

This article addresses the constitutionality of those statutes known as parental support laws or relative support statutes in light of the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. These statutes impose upon a person the duty to support an indigent parent or other impoverished relatives. This article focuses only on the statutory duty of children-under threat of punishment-to support indigent parents. In order to pass Constitutional muster under the requirements of the equal protection clause, there must be established at least a rational relationship between the class designated by the statute and the objective of the statute; that is, there must be a nexus between the burdened class and the objectives of the statute which singles out that class from society. We have assumed that fundamental rights requiring strict scrutiny for equal protection analysis are not involved in evaluating these statutes, and that only a rational basis is required to support the statutes

Privacy Revisited: The Downfall of Griswald

This article presents a review of the Supreme Court\u27s privacy decisions since Griswold v. Connecticut, and concentrates on Doe v. Commonwealth\u27s Attorney for City of Richmond as a vehicle to review the Burger Court\u27s trends in the privacy area. Doe is a good vehicle because, though decided without opinion, the summary affirmance of a lower court decision denying homosexuals constitutional protection resolved the tension developing between Douglas\u27 penumbra theory of privacy, which was the opinion of the Court in Griswold, and the more modern substantive due process analysis. The authors conclude that the opinions in Griswold are dead as far as precedential value is concerned; that the privacy right is found in the first, third, fourth, fifth, and fourteenth amendments accord- ing to the Burger Court, and that the test for the privacy right varies from amendment to amendment, finding its basis in the history of the amendment to which it attaches. As far as state action is concerned, all of the rights enumerated in the first, third, fourth, and fifth amendments are applicable to the states through the fourteenth amendment

Degenerate ground states and nonunique potentials: breakdown and restoration of density functionals

The Hohenberg-Kohn (HK) theorem is one of the most fundamental theorems of quantum mechanics, and constitutes the basis for the very successful density-functional approach to inhomogeneous interacting many-particle systems. Here we show that in formulations of density-functional theory (DFT) that employ more than one density variable, applied to systems with a degenerate ground state, there is a subtle loophole in the HK theorem, as all mappings between densities, wave functions and potentials can break down. Two weaker theorems which we prove here, the joint-degeneracy theorem and the internal-energy theorem, restore the internal, total and exchange-correlation energy functionals to the extent needed in applications of DFT to atomic, molecular and solid-state physics and quantum chemistry. The joint-degeneracy theorem constrains the nature of possible degeneracies in general many-body systems

When winners need help: Mental health in elite sport

What connects these individuals Frank Bruno, Dame Kelly Holmes, Marcus Trescothick and Clarke Carlisle? If you said are all are winners you would be correct, if you said all are elite sports individuals you would also be correct, but there is something else that connects these elitelevel athletes. They have all reported having mental health concerns either whilst performing or shortly after retiring. Boxer Frank Bruno has bipolar disorder and depression and has been admitted to psychiatric wards 3 times in the last 12 years. Dame Kelly Holmes was battling depression in the lead up to the 2004 Olympics. Marcus Trescothick was playing cricket for England when depression forced his retirement. In 2014, Clarke Carlisle attempted to take his own life by jumping in front of an oncoming lorry and was later admitted to a psychiatric unit for depression. These elite sportspeople are not alone, the list could have included Gary Speed, footballer and Manager who took his own life in November 2012 after battling with depression or Terry Newton, Rugby league player, who also sadly took his own life in 2010, after being sacked and being found to have used performance-enhancing drugs

DVT Surveillance Program in the ICU: Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness

Background Venous Thrombo-embolism (VTE – Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) – in traumatized patients causes significant morbidity and mortality. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of DVT surveillance in reducing PE, and performs a cost-effectiveness analysis. Methods All traumatized patients admitted to the adult ICU underwent twice weekly DVT surveillance by bilateral lower extremity venous Duplex examination (48-month surveillance period – SP). The rates of DVT and PE were recorded and compared to the rates observed in the 36-month pre-surveillance period (PSP). All patients in both periods received mechanical and pharmacologic prophylaxis unless contraindicated. Total costs – diagnostic, therapeutic and surveillance – for both periods were recorded and the incremental cost for each Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained was calculated. Results 4234 patients were eligible (PSP – 1422 and SP – 2812). Rate of DVT in SP (2.8%) was significantly higher than in PSP (1.3%) – p Conclusions Surveillance of traumatized ICU patients increases DVT detection and reduces PE incidence. Costs in terms of QALY gained compares favorably with other interventions accepted by society

The Blob Algebra and the Periodic Temperley-Lieb Algebra

We determine the structure of two variations on the Temperley-Lieb algebra, both used for dealing with special kinds of boundary conditions in statistical mechanics models. The first is a new algebra, the `blob' algebra (the reason for the name will become obvious shortly!). We determine both the generic and all the exceptional structures for this two parameter algebra. The second is the periodic Temperley-Lieb algebra. The generic structure and part of the exceptional structure of this algebra have already been studied. Here we complete the analysis, using results from the study of the blob algebra.Comment: 12 page