Linear determinantal equations for all projective schemes

We prove that every projective embedding of a connected scheme determined by the complete linear series of a sufficiently ample line bundle is defined by the 2-minors of a 1-generic matrix of linear forms. Extending the work of Eisenbud-Koh-Stillman for integral curves, we also provide effective descriptions for such determinantally presented ample line bundles on products of projective spaces, Gorenstein toric varieties, and smooth n-folds.Comment: 17 pages; several improvements in the exposition following the referee's suggestion

Does A Veridical Libertarian Experience Require Quantum Indeterminacy?

I argue that the question of whether or not all of our choices are determined by the past and the laws of physics requires answering the question of whether or not quantum mechanisms could have a functional role in the parts of our brain that are identical to conscious experience. I take a physicalist position on the mind-body problem as opposed to a dualist position. I present Mark Balaguer\u27s theory of how a libertarian experience might be veridical. I suggest additions to Balaguer\u27s theory that address further what is necessary for libertarian free will. I argue that our choices must be affected by an indeterministic process that occurs within the set of brain processes that are identitcal to consciousness in order for our libertarian experiences to be veridical

A report on an internship with the National D-Day Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana

From May 28, 2002 to August 20, 2002, I served as an intern in the collections department at The National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. The National D-Day Museum (NDDM) is a 501(c) (3) history museum that specializes in the amphibious invasions of World War II. The institute is very new, opening in 2000, and has experienced an unpredictable amount of success and acclaim. This rapid success and growth has created unique challenges for the organization as it tries to develop. The following paper is broken into five chapters and a conclusion. Chapter 1 is an introduction to NDDM, including its history, mission, organizational structure, funding and programs. Chapter 2 is a description on my internship that includes tasks and responsibilities. Chapter 3 discusses the major problem that the collections department faces (lack of staff) and Chapter 4 gives a recommendation on how to solve this problem. Chapter S discusses my effect on the organization and the paper ends in a conclusion of the organization and my experiences

Effects of Relative Abundance on Sexual Isolation and Hybridization Risk in a Naturally Occurring Hybrid Zone of Chrysochus Leaf Beetles

Reinforcement theory is a controversial mechanism by which speciation can occur through reduced hybrid fitness promoting the evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms. Populations within a hybrid zone may be at differing relative abundances which may affect their risk of hybridization and strength of sexual isolation. The effect of relative abundance has been seldom examined in studies of reinforcement. Chrysochus cobaltinus and C. auratus leaf beetles from a zone of secondary contact in central Washington were run in various multi-choice mating trials to determine if lab results were indicative of those occurring in nature and whether relative abundance had an effect on risk of hybridization, pairwise sexual isolation (PSI) and overall isolation (IPSI). Results from lab experiments were found to be representative of those in nature. Relative abundance had a significant effect on both the risk of hybridization. In addition, our results suggested that overall sexual isolation and that as a species became rarer, they also became choosier. This sets the stage for further research on hybridization risk and relative abundance to be taken into the field setting, and indicates that studies of reinforcement should consider not only relative abundance, but also the relationship between relative abundance and choosiness, to better understand the risk of hybridization

Differences in Stimulus-Response Prediction and Reorientation of Attention Relative to Student Athletic Background

Within the game of baseball, every hit, pitch, and catch, rely on a player’s ability to respond quickly and appropriately to the resulting play in a manner that allows them to be an asset on the field. The most successful athletes are those best able to allocate their attention to accomplish these goal-oriented tasks. To explore this attentional orientation, occipital neural recordings of alpha waves often show a preemptive shift in phase alignment according to temporal anticipations. Here we aimed to identify influences on voluntary attention using cueing paradigms to examine stimulus-response timing relative to validity and athletic background, while also analyzing the neural effects resulting from the anticipatory guiding of attention. Statistical analysis demonstrated that valid spatial cues and simple motor responses elicited significantly shorter reaction times than invalid trials and localized motor responses. The pre-stimulus shift in alpha phase was also significantly different between temporally predictive trials and those lacking. In contrast, the presence of a significant positive correlation between temporally invalid reaction times and years of baseball experience was unexpected, indicating the more experienced baseball players took longer to respond to temporally invalid trials opposing the hypothesized relationship. Similarly, years of experience in both baseball and other externally-paced sports were positively correlated with the alpha phase shift within temporally valid trials suggesting a greater experience-dependent modulation of alpha phase. While the initial results followed the expected within-subjects effects of factor manipulation, the athletic correlations surprisingly indicated towards larger effect differences for students with more dynamic athletic experience

Unbundling the Regime Complex: The Effects of Private Authority

There is a commonly held view that forms of private regulation and governance arise when intergovernmental cooperation fails. While we do not dispute that this is sometimes the case, this paper focuses on the longer-term effects of private authority – namely, the ways that public and private authority interact over time. We argue that a more complete understanding of regime complexity must include private authority, which we define as situations in which non-state actors make rules or set standards that other actors in world politics adopt, and its interactions with public authority. Interactions among public and private actors occur in two ways – one static and one dynamic. We show how each of these interactions affects the overall “design” of the regime complex and its evolution over time. To explore these two arguments, we propose an “unbundling” of the regime complex, to trace the specific mechanisms through which public and private authority co-exist and interact. We argue that private authority is not merely a response to gaps in public authority, rather, we explore the possibility that private authority can address the political and institutional constraints present in public authority. We argue that private authority can provide functional improvements to existing regime complexes by helping to overcome path dependencies that public authority may face. We describe three specific mechanisms through which this might occur: by providing a redefinition of the problem, supplying a “repository” where different policy approaches can exist until their time becomes “ripe”, or serving as an additional means through which to diffuse public authority

Unbundling the Regime Complex: The Effects of Private Authority

There is a commonly held view that forms of private regulation and governance arise when intergovernmental cooperation fails. While we do not dispute that this is sometimes the case, this paper focuses on the longer-term effects of private authority—namely, the ways that public and private authority interact over time. We argue that a more complete understanding of regime complexity must include private authority, which we define as situations in which non-state actors make rules or set standards that other actors in world politics adopt, and its interactions with public authority. Interactions among public and private actors occur in two ways—one static and one dynamic. We show how each of these interactions affects the overall design of the regime complex and its evolution over time. To explore these two arguments, we propose an unbundling of the regime complex, to trace the specific mechanism through which public and private authority co-exist and interact. We argue that private authority is not merely a response to gaps in public authority; rather, we explore the possibility that private authority can address the political and institutional constraints present in public authority. We argue that private authority can provide functional improvements to existing regime complexes by helping to overcome path dependencies that public authority may face. We describe three specific mechanisms through which this might occur: by providing a redefinition of the problem, supplying a repository where different policy approaches can exist until their time becomes ripe , or serving as an additional means through which to diffuse public authority

Unbundling the Regime Complex: The Effects of Private Authority

There is a commonly held view that forms of private regulation and governance arise when intergovernmental cooperation fails. While we do not dispute that this is sometimes the case, this paper focuses on the longer-term effects of private authority – namely, the ways that public and private authority interact over time. We argue that a more complete understanding of regime complexity must include private authority, which we define as situations in which non-state actors make rules or set standards that other actors in world politics adopt, and its interactions with public authority. Interactions among public and private actors occur in two ways – one static and one dynamic. We show how each of these interactions affects the overall “design” of the regime complex and its evolution over time. To explore these two arguments, we propose an “unbundling” of the regime complex, to trace the specific mechanisms through which public and private authority co-exist and interact. We argue that private authority is not merely a response to gaps in public authority, rather, we explore the possibility that private authority can address the political and institutional constraints present in public authority. We argue that private authority can provide functional improvements to existing regime complexes by helping to overcome path dependencies that public authority may face. We describe three specific mechanisms through which this might occur: by providing a redefinition of the problem, supplying a “repository” where different policy approaches can exist until their time becomes “ripe”, or serving as an additional means through which to diffuse public authority

Dog tales: mindful dog interactions evoke similar experiences to dog assisted mindfulness meditations

Stay-at-home regulations in response to COVID-19 have put humans at increased risk of loneliness. Some studies support dog ownership as a protection against loneliness, while other studies have suggested the lockdowns can be used to reflect upon the similar restrictions owners impose on their pets on a daily basis. This study evaluated two novel ways to enrich the lives of pet dogs in the home, while also providing benefits to owners. It was hypothesized that a six-week Dog Assisted Mindfulness (DAM) intervention and a Dog Interactions (DI) intervention would positively impact owner-rated loneliness, mindfulness, and owner–dog emotional attachment, compared to a control group. Seventy-three participants were randomly assigned to each group. Mixed methods ANOVAs found no significant main effects of group, nor any group × time interaction effects. Qualitative analyses revealed common experiences among participants in the two active interventions, including enhanced owner–dog connection, and feelings of relaxation, happiness and engagement both during and after participating in the weekly activities. There was also an added benefit of ‘dog happiness’ in the interactions group. Future studies should investigate this in a more objective manner and in the meantime, regular owner–dog interactions should be encouraged, especially during times of extended lockdown

Development and assessment of management practices in a flock-specific lameness control plan : a stepped-wedge trial on 44 English sheep flocks

Lameness in sheep has economic and welfare implications, including loss of ewe body condition, lower lambing percentages, and poor lamb growth rates. It costs the UK sheep industry around £80 million per year. The majority of lameness is caused by the infectious diseases footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis, with white line separation, white line abscesses, and toe granulomas also reported by farmers. Most sheep farmers in the UK have other enterprises and care for their flock part-time. A lameness control plan (LCP) consisting of 37 management practices that covered all aspects of control of lameness was developed for part-time sheep farmers. Testing of the LCP was done using a stepped-wedge trial design with 7 visits to 44 flocks in England over 18 months. Flocks had 100–500 breeding ewes. Locomotion scoring was carried out at every visit, and farmers were interviewed every 6 months to record management practices. Clinical significance of changes in prevalence of lameness within each flock was analysed using the reliable change index (RCI). Management practices associated with prevalence of lameness were assessed using a multi-level multivariable over-dispersed Poisson model. The geometric mean (GM) prevalence of lameness at the start of the trial was 7.3% (95% confidence interval(CI) = 6.3–8.3%). Flocks with a clinically significant lameness reduction had a GM prevalence of lameness of 4.6% (95% CI = 4.1–5.2%), while flocks with a clinically significant increase in lameness had a GM prevalence of 10.5% (95% CI = 9.4–11.6%). Always separating lame sheep at treatment (relative risk (RR) = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.43-0.84) and culling sheep lame ≥2 occasions in a year (RR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.61-0.92) were associated with a significant reduction in lameness. Compared with not footbathing at all, footbathing sheep when there were outbreaks of interdigital dermatitis reduced lameness (RR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75-0.96), however, ‘routine’ footbathing was not associated with a reduction in lameness. Housing during the previous lambing period was associated with a higher prevalence of lameness (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04–1.46). Vaccination in flocks with period prevalence ≥10% did not significantly reduce their risk of lameness compared to lower prevalence flocks. In conclusion, separating lame sheep at treatment, culling sheep lame ≥2 occasions per year, and only using a footbath to treat outbreaks of interdigital dermatitis are flock managements that contribute to improved control of lameness in flocks with part-time farmers