3-manifolds with(out) metrics of nonpositive curvature

In the context of Thurstons geometrisation program we address the question which compact aspherical 3-manifolds admit Riemannian metrics of nonpositive curvature. We show that non-geometric Haken manifolds generically, but not always, admit such metrics. More precisely, we prove that a Haken manifold with, possibly empty, boundary of zero Euler characteristic admits metrics of nonpositive curvature if the boundary is non-empty or if at least one atoroidal component occurs in its canonical topological decomposition. Our arguments are based on Thurstons Hyperbolisation Theorem. We give examples of closed graph-manifolds with linear gluing graph and arbitrarily many Seifert components which do not admit metrics of nonpositive curvature.Comment: 16 page

Infinitely many universally tight contact manifolds with trivial Ozsvath-Szabo contact invariants

In this article we present infinitely many 3-manifolds admitting infinitely many universally tight contact structures each with trivial Ozsvath-Szabo contact invariants. By known properties of these invariants the contact structures constructed here are non weakly symplectically fillable.Comment: This is the version published by Geometry & Topology on 2 April 200

Criteria for virtual fibering

We prove that an irreducible 3-manifold whose fundamental group satisfies a certain group-theoretic property called RFRS is virtually fibered. As a corollary, we show that 3-dimensional reflection orbifolds and arithmetic hyperbolic orbifolds defined by a quadratic form virtually fiber. These include the Seifert Weber dodecahedral space and the Bianchi orbifolds. Moreover, we show that a taut sutured compression body has a finite-sheeted cover with a depth one taut-oriented foliation.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures; new theorem 7.2; to appear in Journal of Topolog

Innovative Poetry in Britain today

Innovative Poetry in Britain has undergone considerable change in how it is published and read in recent years. This article examines Richard Caddel and Peter Quartermain’s 1998 introduction to their anthology OTHER: British and Irish Poetry since 1970, to derive concepts useful in surveying the field. These concepts include: the poetics of displacement, the politics of British identity, and the tradition of dissent. The article introduces the work of three innovative poets: Robert Sheppard (b. 1955), Caroline Bergvall (b. 1962) and Andrea Brady (b. 1974), in order to illustrate the dynamic range of this writing.En los últimos años, la manera de publicar y de leer la poesía innovadora en el Reino Unido ha experimentado cambios considerables. Como punto de partida para examinar conceptos útiles en este campo, el presente artículo estudia la introducción de Richard Caddel y Peter Quartermain de 1988 a su antología OTHER: British and Irish Poetry since 1970. Entre tales conceptos se incluyen: la poética del desplazamiento, políticas de identidad británica y la tradición de la disensión. El artículo presenta el trabajo de tres poetas innovadores con el fin de ilustrar el dinamismo y la variedad de esta poesía: Robert Sheppard (n. 1955), Caroline Bergvall (n. 1962) y Andrea Brady (n. 1974)

Comments on Closed Bianchi Models

We show several kinematical properties that are intrinsic to the Bianchi models with compact spatial sections. Especially, with spacelike hypersurfaces being closed, (A) no anisotropic expansion is allowed for Bianchi type V and VII(A\not=0), and (B) type IV and VI(A\not=0,1) does not exist. In order to show them, we put into geometric terms what is meant by spatial homogeneity and employ a mathematical result on 3-manifolds. We make clear the relation between the Bianchi type symmetry of space-time and spatial compactness, some part of which seem to be unnoticed in the literature. Especially, it is shown under what conditions class B Bianchi models do not possess compact spatial sections. Finally we briefly describe how this study is useful in investigating global dynamics in (3+1)-dimensional gravity.Comment: 14 pages with one table, KUCP-5

On knot Floer homology and lens space surgeries

In an earlier paper, we used the absolute grading on Heegaard Floer homology to give restrictions on knots in $S^3$ which admit lens space surgeries. The aim of the present article is to exhibit stronger restrictions on such knots, arising from knot Floer homology. One consequence is that all the non-zero coefficients of the Alexander polynomial of such a knot are $\pm 1$. This information in turn can be used to prove that certain lens spaces are not obtained as integral surgeries on knots. In fact, combining our results with constructions of Berge, we classify lens spaces $L(p,q)$ which arise as integral surgeries on knots in $S^3$ with $|p|\leq 1500$. Other applications include bounds on the four-ball genera of knots admitting lens space surgeries (which are sharp for Berge's knots), and a constraint on three-manifolds obtained as integer surgeries on alternating knots, which is closely to related to a theorem of Delman and Roberts.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure

Geometric Cone Surfaces and (2+1)- Gravity coupled to Particles

We introduce the (2+1)-spacetimes with compact space of genus g and with r gravitating particles which arise by ``Minkowskian suspensions of flat or hyperbolic cone surfaces'', by ``distinguished deformations'' of hyperbolic suspensions and by ``patchworking'' of suspensions. Similarly to the matter-free case, these spacetimes have nice properties with respect to the canonical Cosmological Time Function. When the values of the masses are sufficiently large and the cone points are suitably spaced, the distinguished deformations of hyperbolic suspensions determine a relevant open subset of the full parameter space; this open subset is homeomorphic to the product of an Euclidean space of dimension 6g-6+2r with an open subset of the Teichm\"uller Space of Riemann surfaces of genus g with r punctures. By patchworking of suspensions one can produce examples of spacetimes which are not distinguished deformations of any hyperbolic suspensions, although they have the same masses; in fact, we will guess that they belong to different connected components of the parameter space.Comment: 14 pages Late

Viewing the dream as process: A key to effective dreamwork

The Co-creative dream paradigm posits that dreams are indeterminate from the outset and unfold in real time according to the dream ego’s moment-to-moment responses to the emergent content. This interactive dynamic can illuminate process parallels between the dream and waking relationships, even if content parallels cannot be easily discerned. If generic process can be unambiguously observed in the dream report, and maps onto waking relational process, then one might argue that the best initial approach to dream analysis should be to analyze the dream process as a prelude to further analysis, especially in cases where the visual content may seem unrelated to, or discontinuous with waking life concerns.We contend that the analysis of generic process establishes a context or framework that focuses, and meaningfully constrains the range of dreamer associations in subsequent steps of the dreamwork, and may reap considerable insights apart from those derived from a consideration of the dream imagery alone. As for research implications, we propose that the continuity hypothesis can be tested in a novel way by analyzing dreaming-waking process parallels rather than content parallels. We also suggest that the process narrative may represent an underlying “conceptual” (Lakoff and Johnson, 1986) or “major” metaphor (Ullman, 1969) that functions as a continuous plot (Hartman, 1999) onto which the visual imagery is mapped

Reflections on offering a therapeutic creative arts intervention with cult survivors:A collective biography

A new, evidence-based, multimodal, and creative psychological therapy, Arts for the Blues, was piloted with survivors of cultic abuse in a workshop within a conference setting. The five facilitators, who occupied diverse roles and perspectives within the workshop and research project, reflected on heir experiences of introducing this novel intervention to the cult-survivor population. In this underreported territory of using structured, arts-based, psychological therapy with those who have survived cultic abuse, the authors used a process of collective biography to compile a first person, combined narrative based on those reflections. This approach allows for a visceral insight into the dynamics and obstacles encountered, and the counter transference responses of the facilitators. This reflexive process shined a light into aspects of research and practice that were not all visible to the individual researchers previously, with implications for research ethics, psychological therapy, and creative arts within the cult-survivor field

Cosmology, cohomology, and compactification

Ashtekar and Samuel have shown that Bianchi cosmological models with compact spatial sections must be of Bianchi class A. Motivated by general results on the symmetry reduction of variational principles, we show how to extend the Ashtekar-Samuel results to the setting of weakly locally homogeneous spaces as defined, e.g., by Singer and Thurston. In particular, it is shown that any m-dimensional homogeneous space G/K admitting a G-invariant volume form will allow a compact discrete quotient only if the Lie algebra cohomology of G relative to K is non-vanishing at degree m.Comment: 6 pages, LaTe