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

Behaviour of Bridge Abutment on Fractured Chalk

Loading tests on 865 mm diameter plates showed that the fractured chalk was much more compressible than at other sites on the same deposit but it was still considered that slab foundations would be adequate for the bridges at most locations. Detailed measurements have been made on one of the bridge abutment foundations both during and following construction. Measurements were made of vertical pressures applied to the ground, lateral earth pressures acting on the abutment wall, settlements of the foundation slab, tilt of the wall, and vertical displacements in the ground below the foundations. These observations confirmed the adequacy of slab type foundations for simple single span highway bridges founded on highly fractured chalk. Values of deformation moduli back analysed from the measurements on the bridge foundation were in reasonable agreement with the values obtained from loading tests on 865 mm diameter plates at the bridge site and the low values obtained at another local site. The values back analysed from the bridge measurements were however much lower than those determined from a large tank loading test and 865 mm diameter plate tests on the same grade of chalk in another part of the deposit

The role of the Fulbe in the urban life and economy of Lunsar, Sierra Leone: being a study of the adaptation of an immigrant group

In 1954 Dr. J. Littlejohn conducted a pilot survey of the town of Lunsar in Sierra Leone on behalf of the Department of Social Anthropology in the University of Edinburgh. Five years later, in May 1959 under the direction of Dr. K. L. Little, Dr. Littlejohn returned to Sierra Leone as leader of the University of Edinburgh, Lunsar Research Team. The other two team members at that time were Dr. D. Gamble (anthropologist) and Dr. R. Mills (physician). This team, generous- ly financed by the Nuffield Foundation, had the aim of studying the process of urbanisation in a town which had grown solely as a result of open cast iron mining activities taking place less than a mile away. During the course of his investi- gations Dr. Littlejohn reported that one tribal group, the Fula or Fulbe, were different from the other immigrants in that they kept separate from the other tribes, appeared to be strongly Muslim, and had defeated the Temne on a number of occasions in Historical times. It was recommended that I go to Lunsar and study the Fulbe to find out how they adapted themselves to living in Lunsar so that the Fulbe might be compared with the other tribal groups. An outline of techniques used in the study of the Fulbe is given below. Participant observation. This in itself is more of a way of life than a special technique, a kind of omnidirectional departure point from which the field worker gathers information by a number of means, viz: - a. observation and noting of the physical distribution and movement of the subjects of study. b. the interception by ear and eye of distribution and content of communications between subjects. c. the asking of direct and indirect questions to elucidate what has been seen or heard, or read as being the behaviour of the subjects. The taking up of a special identity, the effort of learning the language, the assumption of a local name, the sharing of food when offered and the other deli- berate acts of behaviour already mentioned are in fact 'participant observations' which are unstructured and can themselves only lead to impressions based on chance contacts. The study period in Lunsar was originally to be six months, although this was later extended to ten months. Clearly, to collect enough data within this time a very intensive study had to be conducted. Selection of informants. Since there were so few Fulbe in Lunsar it was important to obtain certain basic data on all the residents and as many Fulbe passing through Lunsar as possible. To assist in this an interview guide was drawn up which appears as an Appendix. From information gained in this way the demography and statistical structure of Lunsar and itinerant Fulbe was calculated. In analysis, all Fulbe who had stayed in Lunsar longer than nine months were treated as residents, and those staying for a shorter period were regarded as itinerants. This is a purely arbitrary division but no other could be adopted because of the unpredictability and high mobility of the Fulbe. Additional specialist information, for example on occupations, ritual and vi. family was obtained directly from the persons best able to provide the informa- tion. An attempt was made to avoid using one informant more than others. Pachometric Tests. The psychometric tests used were not intended to be anything more than a more exact way of verifying or refuting hypothesesmade on the basis of data obtained by observation and interview. Where the data from such tests appears in the text only a minimum of arithmetic appears, and the main calcula- tions appear separately in an appendix. Samples. The informants subjected to tests of one kind or another were not all selected at random. Although random samples may be ideal, especially when the distribution of variations in the population is known, they were found to be un- satisfactory because of the informant's' continuous coming and going as they went about their business, trailing, etc. Also, even if the population in Lunsar had been correctly represented, the total statistical universe of Fulbe all over Africa could not be. To get round this difficulty large samples were used (3 plus) stratified by age and occupation in as similar manner as possible as the total Lunsar Fulbe population. Also appearing as an appendix is a list of Fulbe informants in Lunsar and the tests set them. It will be noted that few women have been used in these special studies. This is because the Fulbe women although very independent are not considered by their menfolk as repositories of knowledge and wisdom. The women themselves act according to their society's expectations of them and consider intensive question- ing on topics other than domestic issues embarrassing and answer such questions by "mi anda" - I do not know. Documentary material. Although there is an enormous literature on the Fulbe, most of it takes its subject matter from areas dominated by Fulbe. Little has been written about the behaviour of Fulbe on the peripheries of these concentra- reemburs oÇ tions, where they are faced with the problem of interacting with ,(other cultures ulture, while maintaining their own c vii. A few articles on Fulbe in Sierra Leone have been written and where possible the relevant material has been incorporated in this study. Native Authority court records were consulted, although they reported few cases involving Fulbe. A far richer source of information way, the District Commissioner's files at Port Lokko, from which the history of political conflict since the war between Fulbe and the Temnes and Lokkos was in part obtained. Mechanical E uioment, a. A camera was used to obtain pictorial illustrations, some it of which appear in the text. However, it was found that /was very difficult to com- bine note taking and picture taking, so most photographs were taken on outings specifically assigned for this purpose. It was found that the best technique was to write down a list of the photographs required and systematically tick off each subject as it was photographed. when the social situation to be studied is out- side the control of the field worker, e.g. rituals, a decision has to be made at the time on whether notes or photographs will be of most use. When long sequen- ces of photographs can be taken and the films processed locally it is fairly easy to ask informants to explain them afterwards. b. A tape recorder was used to collect material at cere- monies, although for various reasons it did not work on some important occasions. The tape recorder was sometimes used during interviews when more than one informant was being used. This enabled me to find out afterwards what was discussed by people not actually talking to me at the time. c. General information on each informant was transferred on to 'Cope. Chat Paramount Punch Cards' to assist in the processing of statistical data. Each informant was given a code number on being first interviewed. This helped me to differentiate between a number of people with the same names. Each individuals card could also be sorted out by the code number. A complete descrip- tion of the card system and codes appearsin appendix D. This was written in the field so that in the event of an accident to myself, the material would be understandable to anyone else