The Full Anisotropic Adaptive Fourier Modal Method and its Application to Periodic and Aperiodic Photonic Nanostructures

The thesis introduces the Fourier Modal Method as simulation tool for periodic photonic nanostructures, and extends the method towards the simulation of aperiodic structures using real and complex coordinate transformations. As exemplary cases, the method is applied for the characterization of a woodpile photonic crystal with the first complete photonic bandgap in the visible spectrum, and to the transmission properties of a long period fiber grating

The Einstein Toolkit: A Community Computational Infrastructure for Relativistic Astrophysics

We describe the Einstein Toolkit, a community-driven, freely accessible computational infrastructure intended for use in numerical relativity, relativistic astrophysics, and other applications. The Toolkit, developed by a collaboration involving researchers from multiple institutions around the world, combines a core set of components needed to simulate astrophysical objects such as black holes, compact objects, and collapsing stars, as well as a full suite of analysis tools. The Einstein Toolkit is currently based on the Cactus Framework for high-performance computing and the Carpet adaptive mesh refinement driver. It implements spacetime evolution via the BSSN evolution system and general-relativistic hydrodynamics in a finite-volume discretization. The toolkit is under continuous development and contains many new code components that have been publicly released for the first time and are described in this article. We discuss the motivation behind the release of the toolkit, the philosophy underlying its development, and the goals of the project. A summary of the implemented numerical techniques is included, as are results of numerical test covering a variety of sample astrophysical problems.Comment: 62 pages, 20 figure

Factors associated with continued solvent use in Indigenous petrol sniffers following treatment

Introduction and Aims: While petrol sniffing afflicts several isolated Indigenous groups internationally, few studies have examined the factors contributing to continued sniffing following treatment. This study aims to describe those factors in a group of Aboriginal Australian users.\ud \ud Design and Methods: During residential treatment, 56 petrol sniffers completed baseline demographic and substance use questionnaires and cognitive and psychological assessments. Eighty per cent were reassessed and interviewed an average of 9 months (SD = 4) later. Cognitive, psychological, substance use and sociocultural factors were compared between those who relapsed at follow up and those who maintained abstinence.\ud \ud Results: More males (n = 44) than females (n = 12) were studied. Of the 45 individuals followed up, 58% (n = 26) relapsed. Significant risk factors for relapse included the ready availability of petrol, living in urban centres, being unmarried and living with fewer people (P < 0.05). Other potential risk factors, indicated by P-values < 0.10, included younger age of first petrol use, having sniffed within 14 days prior to treatment, poly substance use, sniffing in response to negative emotions, and feeling lonely at baseline and having sleep problems at follow up.\ud \ud Discussion and Conclusion: This study identified psychosocial factors that may be associated with continued petrol sniffing among Aboriginal Australians post treatment. Future research, interventions and policy relating to petrol sniffing should consider these factors