Photonic Jackiw-Rebbi states in all-dielectric structures controlled by bianisotropy

Electric and magnetic resonances of dielectric particles have recently uncovered a range of exciting applications in steering of light at the nanoscale. Breaking of particle inversion symmetry further modifies its electromagnetic response giving rise to bianisotropy known also as magneto-electric coupling. Recent studies suggest the crucial role of magneto-electric coupling in realization of photonic topological metamaterials. To further unmask this fundamental link, we design and test experimentally one-dimensional array composed of dielectric particles with overlapping electric and magnetic resonances and broken mirror symmetry. Flipping over half of the meta-atoms in the array, we observe the emergence of interface states providing photonic realization of the celebrated Jackiw-Rebbi model. We trace the origin of these states to the fact that local modification of particle bianisotropic response affects its effective coupling with the neighboring meta-atoms which provides a promising avenue to engineer topological states of light.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Knowledge, Food and Place: a way of producing a way of knowing

The article examines the dynamics of knowledge in the valorisation of local food, drawing on the results from the CORASON project (A cognitive approach to rural sustainable development: the dynamics of expert and lay knowledge), funded by the EU under its Framework Programme 6. It is based on the analysis of several in-depth case studies on food relocalisation carried out in 10 European countries

Інноваційна діяльність та педагогічна комунікація виклaдача загальної хірургії

The authors focused on the aspects of the students’ intellectual abilities improvement of the general surgery department at the medical educational institution. The special feature is the impact of the teacher’s self-management on the working process effectiveness of the future specialists. The authors have provided the knowledge productivity increase in the learning process with the help of a number of modern methods of educational process optimization by students. Knowledge of bases of management and self-management, the practice of self-management improves the teacher’s skills and speeding up the formation of the national intellec tual medical elite.У роботі зосереджено увагу на аспектах покращення інтелектуальних здібностей студентів на кафедрі загальної хірургії ви­щого медичного навчального закладу. Особливістю є вплив самоменеджменту викладача на ефективність робочого процесу майбутніх спеціалістів. Передбачено збільшення продуктивності застосування знань у процесі навчання, що здійснюється шляхом виконання ряду сучасних методів оптимізації навчального процесу студентів. Знання основ менеджменту і само­менеджменту, практика самоменеджменту вдосконалює навички викладача та прискорює темпи формування національної інтелектуальної медичної еліти

Electromagnetic realization of topological states in one-dimensional arrays of bianisotropic particles

We propose a strategy to realize one-dimensional electromagnetic topologically protected states by modifying on-site properties of particles keeping linear equidistant geometry of the array. Based on the discrete dipole approximation, we demonstrate the existence of non-trivial topology of photonic bands and mapping to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. We investigate the properties of an isolated ceramic disk to optimize its electromagnetic response, namely, the splitting of electric and magnetic dipole resonances due to bianisotropy. Using fullwave simulations we demonstrate the presence of the topological interface state in the microwave spectral range.This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 16-19-10538). M.A.G. acknowledges partial support by the Foundation for the Advancement of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics “Basis”

Preliminary effects of fertilization on ecochemical soil condition in mature spruce stands experiencing dieback in the Beskid Śla̧ski and Żywiecki Mountains, Poland

In recent years, there has been the phenomena of spruce dieback in Europe. Significant areas of spruce low mortality now cover both sides of the Polish southern border. We evaluated ecochemical parameters influencing the heavy dieback occurring in mature spruce stands in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Dolomite, magnesite and serpentinite fertilizers were applied to experimental plots located in 100-year-old stands in the autumn of 2008. The experimental plots were located in the mid-elevational forest zone (900-950 m) on two nappes of the flysch Carpathians: Magura (Ujsoły Forest District) and Silesian (Wisła Forest District). The saturation of the studied soils demonstrates moderate resilience of soils in Wisła Forest District in relation to acid load and high flexibility of the Ujsoły soils. After application of the fertilizers, an increase of Mg, Ca and Mb was noted in the soil solution, determined in the overlaying highly acidic organic horizons through the ion-exchange buffering mechanism of highly protonated functional groups with high buffering capacity. Magnesium concentration increased following fertilization, presenting a potential improvement of forest growth capacity without the hazard of adverse side effects of liming. Aluminium stress in old spruce is unlikely, while trees in the control plots in Wisła Forest District may already be sensitive to aluminium stress. Serpentinite fertilization improved the supply of soils in magnesium without causing significant changes in the pH of the soil. Such changes in the pH were found in dolomite and magnesite fertilizer. © The Author(s) 2014

GADD34 keeps the mTOR pathway inactivated in endoplasmic reticulum stress related autophagy

The balance of protein synthesis and proteolysis (i.e. proteostasis) is maintained by a complex regulatory network in which mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin serine/threonine kinase) pathway and unfolded protein response are prominent positive and negative actors. The interplay between the two systems has been revealed; however the mechanistic details of this crosstalk are largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the elements of crosstalk during endoplasmic reticulum stress and to verify the key role of GADD34 in the connection with the mTOR pathway. Here, we demonstrate that a transient activation of autophagy is present in endoplasmic reticulum stress provoked by thapsigargin or tunicamycin, which is turned into apoptotic cell death. The transient phase can be characterized by the elevation of the autophagic marker LC3II/I, by mTOR inactivation, AMP-activated protein kinase activation and increased GADD34 level. The switch from autophagy to apoptosis is accompanied with the appearance of apoptotic markers, mTOR reactivation, AMP-activated protein kinase inactivation and a decrease in GADD34. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine shortens the transient phase, while inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin or resveratrol prolongs it. Inhibition of GADD34 by guanabenz or transfection of the cells with siGADD34 results in down-regulation of autophagy-dependent survival and a quick activation of mTOR, followed by apoptotic cell death. The negative effect of GADD34 inhibition is diminished when guanabenz or siGADD34 treatment is combined with rapamycin or resveratrol addition. These data confirm that GADD34 constitutes a mechanistic link between endoplasmic reticulum stress and mTOR inactivation, therefore promotes cell survival during endoplasmic reticulum stress. © 2016 Holczer et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Roadmap on structured waves

Structured waves are ubiquitous for all areas of wave physics, both classical and quantum, where the wavefields are inhomogeneous and cannot be approximated by a single plane wave. Even the interference of two plane waves, or a single inhomogeneous (evanescent) wave, provides a number of nontrivial phenomena and additional functionalities as compared to a single plane wave. Complex wavefields with inhomogeneities in the amplitude, phase, and polarization, including topological structures and singularities, underpin modern nanooptics and photonics, yet they are equally important, e.g., for quantum matter waves, acoustics, water waves, etc. Structured waves are crucial in optical and electron microscopy, wave propagation and scattering, imaging, communications, quantum optics, topological and non-Hermitian wave systems, quantum condensed-matter systems, optomechanics, plasmonics and metamaterials, optical and acoustic manipulation, and so forth. This Roadmap is written collectively by prominent researchers and aims to survey the role of structured waves in various areas of wave physics. Providing background, current research, and anticipating future developments, it will be of interest to a wide cross-disciplinary audience.Comment: 110 pages, many figure