Integrable clusters

The goal of this note is to study quantum clusters in which cluster variables (not coefficients) commute which each other. It turns out that this property is preserved by mutations. Remarkably, this is equivalent to the celebrated sign coherence conjecture recently proved by M. Gross, P. Hacking, S. Keel and M. KontsevichComment: 3 page

CHARTING A NEW (DIS)COURSE: DEFINITIONS, METAPHORS, AND IDENTITY IN POLARIZATION AND POLITICS

The United States is more politically divided than any other wealthy democracy in modern history. This thesis examines the role of discourse in the polarization process and suggests a way to change course. Using a social constructionist approach and an analytical framework focusing on definitions, metaphors, and identity, it analyzes the discourse of the Civil War and 9/11 to understand how these elements influence the understanding and outcomes of sociocultural events. It then examines the current political landscape, including the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, through the same discursive lens. This thesis finds that today’s political discourse is strikingly similar to that of the Civil War and 9/11, pitting the “true heirs” of the nation against an evil “other” using the same rhetorical devices. This similarity suggests that the language of division is consistent, and that the framework is broadly applicable. Given the catastrophic outcomes of the Civil War and 9/11 and the subsequent Global War on Terror (GWOT), the nation must take steps to change its discourse. This thesis concludes by providing recommendations that take advantage of the transformative potential of the framework’s components, which include pragmatic definitions, generative metaphors, and complex identities.Civilian, City of Tamarac Fire RescueApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Analysis of international expansion as a Tier 2 supplier to the auto industry

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1997, and Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (p. 130).by David Greenstein, Jennifer Hsu.M.S

Between two worlds: Americans and Soviets after the Bolshevik Revolution

This dissertation investigates the ways that migration and the ongoing legacies of imperialism shaped the United States’ engagement with the world in the early twentieth century. It focuses on interaction between Americans and Russian Soviets during an era marked by both multidirectional migration and the increasing deployment of American power abroad. In the decade after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Americans attempted to transform Russia through military occupation, humanitarian work, and the spread of cultural and industrial products. Between Two Worlds shows that such ventures were not unilateral extensions of American values and interests. Russian émigrés, workers, and refugees substantially affected American programs and even core questions about the United States’ role in the world and what it meant to be an American. This research also shows that rather than precursors to the cold war, American approaches to Russia were part of the history of early twentieth century imperialism. Chapters trace these interactions through a series of case studies. A chapter on economic connections engages histories of international business, labor, and migration during Ford Motor Company’s Russian operations. A study on cultural interaction examines the circulation of filmmaking techniques and sentimental narratives in the Russian and American motion picture industries. Solders’ on-the-ground encounters in the context of overlapping U.S. and Russian development projects are the focus of a chapter on the Allied military occupation of North Russia. A chapter on humanitarian intervention explores American famine relief projects in Soviet Russia and the pathways they opened and foreclosed for migrants. An epilogue follows the circumnavigation of a group of refugees and aid workers through outposts of U.S. empire. Highlighting movement and multidirectional interaction, these histories challenge pervasive narratives about Americans and Russians as nationally, ideologically, and culturally divergent

Reevaluation of the role of LIP-1 as an ERK/MPK-1 dual specificity phosphatase in the C. elegans germline

The fidelity of a signaling pathway depends on its tight regulation in space and time. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) controls wide-ranging cellular processes to promote organismal development and tissue homeostasis. ERK activation depends on a reversible dual phosphorylation on the TEY motif in its active site by ERK kinase (MEK) and dephosphorylation by DUSPs (dual specificity phosphatases). LIP-1, a DUSP6/7 homolog, was proposed to function as an ERK (MPK-1) DUSP in th

On the analytic continuation of functions which map the upper half plane into itself

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32441/1/0000523.pd

Consistent Histories in Quantum Cosmology

We illustrate the crucial role played by decoherence (consistency of quantum histories) in extracting consistent quantum probabilities for alternative histories in quantum cosmology. Specifically, within a Wheeler-DeWitt quantization of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model sourced with a free massless scalar field, we calculate the probability that the univese is singular in the sense that it assumes zero volume. Classical solutions of this model are a disjoint set of expanding and contracting singular branches. A naive assessment of the behavior of quantum states which are superpositions of expanding and contracting universes may suggest that a "quantum bounce" is possible i.e. that the wave function of the universe may remain peaked on a non-singular classical solution throughout its history. However, a more careful consistent histories analysis shows that for arbitrary states in the physical Hilbert space the probability of this Wheeler-DeWitt quantum universe encountering the big bang/crunch singularity is equal to unity. A quantum Wheeler-DeWitt universe is inevitably singular, and a "quantum bounce" is thus not possible in these models.Comment: To appear in Foundations of Physics special issue on quantum foundation

Not lesser but Greater fractional anisotropy in adolescents with alcohol use disorders

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this study is to examine white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a sample of adolescents with alcohol use disorders (AUD) and no psychiatric or substance co-morbidity.MethodsFifty adolescents with AUD and fifty non-alcohol abusing controls matched on gender and age were studied with DTI, neurocognitive testing, and a clinical assessment that included measures of alcohol use and childhood trauma. Maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were computed, registered to a common template, and voxel-wise statistical analysis used to assess group differences. Associations between regions of altered WM microstructure and clinical or neurocognitive measures were also assessed.ResultsCompared with controls, adolescent drinkers without co-morbid substance abuse or externalizing disorder, showed 1) no regions of significantly lower FA, 2) increased FA in WM tracts of the limbic system; 3) no MD differences; and 4) within the region of higher FA in AUD, there were no associations between FA and alcohol use, cognition, or trauma.DiscussionThe most important observation of this study is our failure to observe significantly smaller FA in this relatively large alcohol abuse/dependent adolescent sample. Greater FA in the limbic regions observed in this study may index a risk for adolescent AUD instead of a consequence of drinking. Drinking behavior may be reinforced in those with higher FA and perhaps greater myelination in these brain regions involved in reward and reinforcement

Innexin function dictates the spatial relationship between distal somatic cells in the Caenorhabditis elegans gonad without impacting the germline stem cell pool

Gap-junctional signaling mediates myriad cellular interactions in metazoans. Yet, how gap junctions control the positioning of cells in organs is not well understood. Innexins compose gap junctions in invertebrates and affect organ architecture. Here, we investigate the roles of gap-junctions in controlling distal somatic gonad architecture and its relationship to underlying germline stem cells i

Canadian Jewish Poetry: A Roundtable

Is Canadian Jewish Poetry a meaningful category of study? Are there particular traits that differentiate Canadian Jewish poets from poets of other countries, or from writers in other genres? How do contemporary poets confront the looming legacy of Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, and A.M. Klein? Six prominent poets and scholars conduct a roundtable discussion to articulate recent developments in the field.La poésie juive canadienne est-elle une catégorie d’étude significative? Y a-t-il des traits particuliers qui différencient les poètes juifs canadiens des poètes d’autres pays, ou des écrivains d’autres genres? Comment les poètes contemporains font-ils face à l’héritage imminent d’Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen et A.M. Klein ? Six poètes et universitaires éminents organisent une table ronde pour exposer les développements récents dans ce domaine