Lone Star Productions

Lone Star Productions (LSP) is a concert promotions business that was started in 1981 by Bill Oldman. Since 1986, this company has been the exclusive provider of concert promotion materials for 75% of the top grossing national tours. In 1997, Bill Oldman sold the company to a group of investors headed by Mike Sims. With a background in banking and investments, Sims took over a LSP’s president. Bill Oldman remained as the Chief Executive Officer of the company. Lone Star Productions’ business encompasses several segments, including concert promotions, audio and video production, production staffing, video editing, web site development, and equipment and suite rental. Currently, concert promotions account for 90% of the company’s revenue. Efforts to build business in the areas other than concert promotion have been mildly successful, but LSP considers the further development of these business areas to be critical to the long-term profitability and financial stability of the company, LSP is currently considering buying the largest video production company in the Dallas, Texas area.(Contact author for a copy of the complete report.)Small Busn. Mgmt

Asymmetric Orbifolds, Non-Geometric Fluxes and Non-Commutativity in Closed String Theory

In this paper we consider a class of exactly solvable closed string flux backgrounds that exhibit non-commutativity in the closed string coordinates. They are realized in terms of freely-acting asymmetric Z_N-orbifolds, which are themselves close relatives of twisted torus fibrations with elliptic Z_N-monodromy (elliptic T-folds). We explicitly construct the modular invariant partition function of the models and derive the non-commutative algebra in the string coordinates, which is exact to all orders in {\alpha}'. Finally, we relate these asymmetric orbifold spaces to inherently stringy Scherk-Schwarz backgrounds and non-geometric fluxes.Comment: 30 page

Generalised Geometry for M-Theory

Generalised geometry studies structures on a d-dimensional manifold with a metric and 2-form gauge field on which there is a natural action of the group SO(d,d). This is generalised to d-dimensional manifolds with a metric and 3-form gauge field on which there is a natural action of the group $E_{d}$. This provides a framework for the discussion of M-theory solutions with flux. A different generalisation is to d-dimensional manifolds with a metric, 2-form gauge field and a set of p-forms for $p$ either odd or even on which there is a natural action of the group $E_{d+1}$. This is useful for type IIA or IIB string solutions with flux. Further generalisations give extended tangent bundles and extended spin bundles relevant for non-geometric backgrounds. Special structures that arise for supersymmetric backgrounds are discussed.Comment: 31 page

A Policy Maker’s Guide to Designing Payments for Ecosystem Services

Over the past five years, there has been increasing interest around the globe in payment schemes for the provision of ecosystem services, such as water purification, carbon sequestration, flood control, etc. Written for an Asian Development Bank project in China, this report provides a user-friendly guide to designing payments for the provision of ecosystem services. Part I explains the different types of ecosystem services, different ways of assessing their value, and why they are traditionally under-protected by law and policy. This is followed by an analysis of when payments for services are a preferable approach to other policy instruments. Part II explains the design issues underlying payments for services. These include identification of the service as well as potential buyers and sellers, the level of service needed, payment timing, payment type, and risk allocation. Part II contains a detailed analysis of the different types of payment mechanisms, ranging from general subsidy and certification to mitigation and offset payments. Part III explores the challenges to designing a payment scheme. These include the ability to monitor service provision, secure property rights, perverse incentives, supporting institutions, and poverty alleviation

Generalized Flux Vacua

We consider type II string theory compactified on a symmetric T^6/Z_2 orientifold. We study a general class of discrete deformations of the resulting four-dimensional supergravity theory, including gaugings arising from geometric and "nongeometric'' fluxes, as well as the usual R-R and NS-NS fluxes. Solving the equations of motion associated with the resulting N = 1 superpotential, we find parametrically controllable infinite families of supersymmetric vacua with all moduli stabilized. We also describe some aspects of the distribution of generic solutions to the SUSY equations of motion for this model, and note in particular the existence of an apparently infinite number of solutions in a finite range of the parameter space of the four-dimensional effective theory.Comment: 30 pages, 4 .eps figures; v2, reference adde

Closed String Tachyons and Semi-Classical Instabilities

We conjecture that the end point of bulk closed string tachyon decay at any non-zero coupling, is the annihilation of space time by Witten's bubble of nothing, resulting in a topological phase of the theory. In support of this we present a variety of situations in which there is a correspondence between the existence of perturbative tachyons in one regime and the semi-classical annihilation of space-time. Our discussion will include many recently investigated scenarios in string theory including Scherk-Schwarz compactifications, Melvin magnetic backgrounds, and noncompact orbifolds. We use this conjecture to investigate a possible web of dualities relating the eleven-dimensional Fabinger-Horava background with nonsupersymmetric string theories. Along the way we point out where our conjecture resolves some of the puzzles associated with bulk closed string tachyon condensation.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures 3 figures added, typos corrected and references added. Discussion of Type 0/Heterotic s-duality extended and some other points clarified Revision of discussion on Fabinger-Horava string descendents, section on Scherk-Schwarz compactification of Horava-Witten removed, some references adde

Matrix theory origins of non-geometric fluxes

We explore the origins of non-geometric fluxes within the context of M theory described as a matrix model. Building upon compactifications of Matrix theory on non-commutative tori and twisted tori, we formulate the conditions which describe compactifications with non-geometric fluxes. These turn out to be related to certain deformations of tori with non-commutative and non-associative structures on their phase space. Quantization of flux appears as a natural consequence of the framework and leads to the resolution of non-associativity at the level of the unitary operators. The quantum-mechanical nature of the model bestows an important role on the phase space. In particular, the geometric and non-geometric fluxes exchange their properties when going from position space to momentum space thus providing a duality among the two. Moreover, the operations which connect solutions with different fluxes are described and their relation to T-duality is discussed. Finally, we provide some insights on the effective gauge theories obtained from these matrix compactifications.Comment: 1+31 pages, reference list update

Lectures on Nongeometric Flux Compactifications

These notes present a pedagogical review of nongeometric flux compactifications. We begin by reviewing well-known geometric flux compactifications in Type II string theory, and argue that one must include nongeometric "fluxes" in order to have a superpotential which is invariant under T-duality. Additionally, we discuss some elementary aspects of the worldsheet description of nongeometric backgrounds. This review is based on lectures given at the 2007 RTN Winter School at CERN.Comment: 31 pages, JHEP

Synaesthesia: The prevalence of atypical cross-modal experiences

Sensory and cognitive mechanisms allow stimuli to be perceived with properties relating to sight, sound, touch, etc, and ensure, for example, that visual properties are perceived as visual experiences, rather than sounds, tastes, smells, etc. Theories of normal development can be informed by cases where this modularity breaks down, in a condition known as synaesthesia. Conventional wisdom has held that this occurs extremely rarely (0.05% of births) and affects women more than men. Here we present the first test of synaesthesia prevalence with sampling that does not rely on self-referral, and which uses objective tests to establish genuineness. We show that (a) the prevalence of synaesthesia is 88 times higher than previously assumed, (b) the most common variant is coloured days, (c) the most studied variant (grapheme-colour synaesthesia)-previously believed most common-is prevalent at 1%, and (d) there is no strong asymmetry in the distribution of synaesthesia across the sexes. Hence, we suggest that female biases reported earlier likely arose from (or were exaggerated by) sex differences in self-disclosure