The evolution of conifolds

We simulate the gravitational dynamics of the conifold geometries (resolved and deformed) involved in the description of certain compact spacetimes. As the cycles of the conifold collapse towards a singular geometry we find that a horizon develops, shielding the external spacetime from the curvature singularity of the newly formed black hole. The structure of the black hole is examined for a range of initial conditions, and we find a candidate black-hole solution for the final state of the collapse.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure

Grammatically speaking: Religious authority and development discourse in Buddhist Ladakh

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the link in this record.Tibetan Buddhist teachings are transmitted through a sacred grammar ascribed to the seventh century treatise, sum rtags (the root grammar in thirty versus), composed by Thonmi Sambhota, historically believed to be a manifestation of the celestial deity Manjusri. Exiled Tibetans now encourage literacy in this grammar amongst the laity, albeit in a modified style. Across the Tibetan speaking Himalaya, however, regional dialects diverge considerably from these rules. The Indian region of Ladakh has linguistic connections with Tibet. Education reformists Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) began publishing a local language magazine, Ladags Melong, to stimulate interest in the indigenous script. The magazine’s colloquial style angered Buddhist scholars, who fear that altering written styles will result in the eradication of the sacred grammar. SECMOL argues that grammar is separate from religion, and literature in the vernacular is more accessible for the majority of Ladakhis. Drawing upon fifteen months of fieldwork, the paper examines the political, cultural, and religious ramifications inherent in the distinctive definitions of grammar through the controversial experience in Ladakh.The research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Fredrick Williamson Memorial Fund

Using Wave-Packet Interferometry to Monitor the External Vibrational Control of Electronic Excitation Transfer

We investigate the control of electronic energy transfer in molecular dimers through the preparation of specific vibrational coherences prior to electronic excitation, and its observation by nonlinear wave-packet interferometry. Laser-driven coherent nuclear motion can affect the instantaneous resonance between site-excited electronic states and thereby influence short-time electronic excitation transfer (EET). We first illustrate this control mechanism with calculations on a dimer whose constituent monomers undergo harmonic vibrations. We then consider the use of nonlinear wave-packet interferometry (nl-WPI) experiments to monitor the nuclear dynamics accompanying EET in general dimer complexes following impulsive vibrational excitation by a sub-resonant control pulse (or control pulse sequence). In measurements of this kind, two pairs of polarized phase-related femtosecond pulses following the control pulse generate superpositions of coherent nuclear wave packets in optically accessible electronic states. Interference contributions to the time- and frequency-integrated fluorescence signal due to overlaps among the superposed wave packets provide amplitude-level information on the nuclear and electronic dynamics. We derive the basic expression for a control-pulse-dependent nl-WPI signal. The electronic transition moments of the constituent monomers are assumed to have a fixed relative orientation, while the overall orientation of the complex is distributed isotropically. We include the limiting case of coincident arrival by pulses within each phase-related pair in which control-influenced nl-WPI reduces to a fluorescence-detected pump-probe difference experiment. Numerical calculations of pump-probe signals based on these theoretical expressions are presented in the following paper

SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER PERCEPTIONS REGARDING PREFERRED LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS FOR SUPERINTENDENTS IN WEST VIRGINIA

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of West Virginia school superintendents and West Virginia district school board of education members regarding the preferred leadership behaviors for superintendents in West Virginia. A review of the literature provided a list of 11 leadership behaviors: (a) leadership for vision and organizational culture; (b) leadership for policy and governance; (c) leadership for organizational management; (d) leadership for the instructional program; (e) leadership for system improvement; (f) leadership for budgeting and finance; (g) leadership for recruiting, developing and motivating personnel; (h) leadership that demonstrates effective communication; (i) leadership for improving community relations; (j) leadership that demonstrates political acuity; and (k) leadership that demonstrates moral and ethical behavior. The survey instrument used in this study, the Survey of Leadership Behaviors for Superintendents in West Virginia, consisted of 26 questions in four parts. Participants of this study consisted of current public school district superintendents and members of boards of education in West Virginia. Data were generated regarding the respondent’s perceptions of leadership behaviors for superintendents. Major findings of this study suggest that, while the 11 leadership behaviors identified in this study are seen as important to be an effective superintendent in West Virginia, the three leadership behaviors of communication, vision, and ethics were viewed by both superintendents and board of education members as essential to the success of superintendents in West Virginia, regardless of district characteristics. Superintendents should devote time and attention to establishing a clear and guiding vision for the school district, establishing effective and ongoing communication systems regarding their role in leading the district, and in being a model for moral and ethical decision-making in leading the school district. Superintendents participating in this study view system improvement, community relations and political acuity significantly more important than do board of education members. These three areas are increasing in importance due to the increased accountability for student performance and resulting stakeholder concern and involvement in the operation of the school district. Certification and training programs for current and aspiring superintendents should prepare candidates for leading system improvement, improving community involvement and relations and developing political acuity. Participants in this study perceive that effective superintendents are able to create and build strong central office leadership teams. As the responsibilities of leading a school system become increasingly complex, it is essential for superintendents to develop the collaborative leadership skills needed to create central office leadership teams that model effective distributive leadership. Finally, participants in this study perceive that it is essential for superintendents to develop and maintain relationships of trust with board of education members

Teaching Facial Emotion Recognition to Low-Functioning 4-7 Year Old Students with Autism

Autism Symptom Disorder (ASD) is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. This study investigated the development of facial emotion recognition in three individuals aged 4 - 7 years old with Autism Symptom Disorder. It incorporated both objective measures for facial recognition and subjective measures for motivation, time on task, and increased enjoyment of school. A multiple baseline design was utilized which included establishment of the baseline for each of the three students and then a period of intervention and evaluation. It was hypothesized that the use of the DVD, The Transporters, would increase facial recognition, improve motivation, increase time on task, and increase levels of enjoyment of school. The impact of the intervention for correct answers, motivation, time on task, and enjoyment of school were each minimal and resulted in little benefit and improvement for each of these students. The impact of the intervention for correct answers, motivation, and time on task were each minimal and resulted in little benefit and improvement for each of these students. Visual analysis, use of the split-middle trend estimation, and statistical analysis all indicate that there was minimal change resulting from the intervention for Students 1 and 3. The results from Student 2 demonstrated minimal involvement in the Baseline or Intervention Phase activities. Results of paired t-tests all suggest that there were no significant benefits to the students in being able to correctly identify facial emotions, motivation, time on task, or enjoyment from the use of the DVD The Transporters and the computer. Though the software The Transporters was found to be ineffective with the students in the current study, it must be noted that the small sample size does not lend itself to definitive conclusions towards the general population. The results of the current study were contradictory to those of several other studies. There are several possible explanations for the differences. Previous studies focused on older, high-functioning individuals with ASD whereas this one focused on younger, low-functioning individuals with ASD. This study has identified several notable cautions that should be considered prior to the start of any additional formal research

The Road Less Travelled; Women\u27s Journeys to Community Leadership in the Waterloo Region

The purpose of this research study is to explore the experiences of women within the Region of Waterloo along their journeys to community leadership. The literature review reveals the predominance of deficits-based research on the barriers preventing women from attaining positions of leadership and a significant gap in scholarship on female community leaders. This qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with 15 female community leaders. It was influenced by an intersectional feminist perspective and used a constructivist grounded theory approach. The findings of this study offer three groups of related factors that can encourage, support and recognize the increasing number of women attaining positions of leadership within their communities. The first group of related factors reconceptualises community leadership based on the experiences of the participants. The second group of related factors addresses the precursors that foster the emergence of community leadership capacity in girls and young women. The third group of related factors addresses the main sustaining factors for female community leaders. Recommendations and possible implementation channels are described for each of these groups of related factors. The findings of this pioneering research study provide initial contributions to this under-theorized area of leadership scholarship

Stability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio

We report a limit on the fractional temporal variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio as, obtained by comparing the frequency of a rovibrational transition in SF6 with the fundamental hyperfine transition in Cs. The SF6 transition was accessed using a CO2 laser to interrogate spatial 2-photon Ramsey fringes. The atomic transition was accessed using a primary standard controlled with a Cs fountain. This result is direct and model-free

Enrichment of innate lymphoid cell populations in gingival tissue

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a population of lymphocytes that act as the first line of immunologic defense at mucosal surfaces. The ILC family in the skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tissues has been investigated, and there are reports of individual subsets of ILCs in the oral tissues. We sought to investigate the whole ILC population (group 1, 2, and 3 subsets) in the murine gingivae and the lymph nodes draining the oral cavity. We show that ILCs made up a greater proportion of the whole CD45+ lymphocyte population in the murine gingivae (0.356% ± 0.039%) as compared with the proportion of ILCs in the draining lymph nodes (0.158% ± 0.005%). Cytokine profiling of the ILC populations demonstrated different proportions of ILC subsets in the murine gingivae versus the regional lymph nodes. The majority of ILCs in the draining lymph nodes expressed IL-5, whereas there were equal proportions of IFN-γ- and IL-5 expressing ILCs in the oral mucosa. The percentage of IL-17+ ILCs was comparable between the murine gingivae and the oral draining lymph nodes. These data suggest an enrichment of ILCs in the murine gingivae, and these ILCs reflect a cytokine profile discrepant to that of the local draining lymph nodes. These studies indicate diversity and enrichment of ILCs at the oral mucosal surface. The function of ILCs in the oral cavity remains to be determined; here, we provide a premise of ILC populations that merits future consideration in investigations of mouse models and human tissues