Report from the Field: Multi-cultural Dialogue and Transformative Learning in Arts & Minds Programs at The Studio Museum in Harlem

This paper presents a report from the field of museum education programs for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers. Research is beginning to document the impact of museums on the cognitive and emotional health of people with dementia (PWD) and those who care for them. At the Studio Museum in Harlem, Arts Minds programs have created a dynamic learning environment for the very forgetful through dialogic interpretation of art and expressive art making. The stories recounted here reveal the powerful potential of multi-cultural dialogue in the museum space to create transformative learning experiences for participants and educators alike

Polymer Adsorption on Disordered Substrate

We analyze the recently proposed "pattern-matching" phase of a Gaussian random heteropolymer adsorbed on a disordered substrate [S. Srebnik, A.K. Chakraborty and E.I. Shakhnovich, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3157 (1996)]. By mapping the problem to that of a directed homopolymer in higher-dimensional random media, we show that the pattern-matching phase is asymptotically weakly unstable, and the large scale properties of the system are given by that of an adsorbed homopolymer.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX, text also available at http://matisse.ucsd.edu/~hw

Dynamics of Multidimensional Secession

We explore a generalized Seceder Model with variable size selection groups and higher dimensional genotypes, uncovering its well-defined mean-field limiting behavior. Mapping to a discrete, deterministic version, we pin down the upper critical size of the multiplet selection group, characterize all relevant dynamically stable fixed points, and provide a complete analytical description of its self-similar hierarchy of multiple branch solutions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, PR

Universal correlators and distributions as experimental signatures of 2+1 Kardar-Parisi-Zhang growth

We examine height-height correlations in the transient growth regime of the 2+1 Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class, with a particular focus on the {\it spatial covariance} of the underlying two-point statistics, higher-dimensional analog of the 1+1 KPZ Class Airy$_1$ process. Making comparison to AFM kinetic roughening data in 2d organic thin films, we use our universal 2+1 KPZ spatial covariance to extract key scaling parameters for this experimental system. Additionally, we explore the i) height, ii) local roughness, and iii) extreme value distributions characteristic of these oligomer films, finding compelling agreement in all instances with our numerical integration of the KPZ equation itself. Finally, investigating nonequilibrium relaxation phenomena exhibited by 2+1 KPZ Class models, we have unearthed a universal KPZ ageing kinetics. In experiments with ample data in the time domain, our 2+1 KPZ Euler {\it temporal covariance} will allow a quick, independent estimate of the central KPZ scaling parameter.Comment: 6 Pages, 5 Figure

Directed polymers in random media under confining force

The scaling behavior of a directed polymer in a two-dimensional (2D) random potential under confining force is investigated. The energy of a polymer with configuration $\{y(x)\}$ is given by H\big(\{y(x)\}\big) = \sum_{x=1}^N \exyx + \epsilon \Wa^\alpha, where $\eta(x,y)$ is an uncorrelated random potential and \Wa is the width of the polymer. Using an energy argument, it is conjectured that the radius of gyration $R_g(N)$ and the energy fluctuation $\Delta E(N)$ of the polymer of length $N$ in the ground state increase as $R_g(N)\sim N^{\nu}$ and $\Delta E(N)\sim N^\omega$ respectively with $\nu = 1/(1+\alpha)$ and $\omega = (1+2\alpha)/(4+4\alpha)$ for $\alpha\ge 1/2$. A novel algorithm of finding the exact ground state, with the effective time complexity of \cO(N^3), is introduced and used to confirm the conjecture numerically.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Structure and Function of a Transposon-Encoded CRISPR-Cas System

CRISPR-Cas defense systems are employed by their hosts to prevent parasitization by mobile genetic elements. The discovery of nuclease-deficient CRISPR-Cas systems contained within transposon ends suggested a repurposing of the contained defense system. One such Type I-F3 CRISPR-Cas system was found inside Tn6677, a Tn7-like transposon within the genome of a Vibrio cholerae strain. Tn6677 requires coordination between the contained CRISPR-Cas system and the transposition proteins for effective transposition. Isolation of this system, and reduction to its minimal components, enabled RNA-guided integration of donor DNA in Escherichia coli. Base-pairing interactions between the user-specified CRISPR RNA and the target sequence precede the integration of donor DNA approximately 49-bp downstream of the end of the target sequence. This system is specific regardless of the supplied RNA guide, and successfully integrates donors of different lengths. The donor DNA is indicated by flanking cognate transposon end sequences. While clearly functional, the mechanism by which the transposition proteins and the CRISPR-Cas proteins interact remained unclear. To this end we purified the multi-protein RNA-guided DNA binding complex (Cascade) from the transposon-encoded minimal I-F3 CRISPR-Cas system in complex with the transposition protein TniQ. De novo modeling revealed the unexpected dimerization of TniQ, and its location within the complex, bound to the Cas6-end of the transposon-encoded Type I-F3 Cascade. Additional models obtained from DNA-bound structures of the complex demonstrate initial steps in target binding alongside novel conformations of Cascade subunits. This work reveals the mechanism by which the Tn6677 components guide integration and will enable rational engineering of these systems for further experimentation and tool development