The tangent complex and Hochschild cohomology of E_n-rings

In this work, we study the deformation theory of \cE_n-rings and the \cE_n analogue of the tangent complex, or topological Andr\'e-Quillen cohomology. We prove a generalization of a conjecture of Kontsevich, that there is a fiber sequence A[n-1] \ra T_A\ra \hh^*_{\cE_{n}}(A)[n], relating the \cE_n-tangent complex and \cE_n-Hochschild cohomology of an \cE_n-ring $A$. We give two proofs: The first is direct, reducing the problem to certain stable splittings of configuration spaces of punctured Euclidean spaces; the second is more conceptual, where we identify the sequence as the Lie algebras of a fiber sequence of derived algebraic groups, B^{n-1}A^\times\ra \Aut_A\ra \Aut_{\fB^nA}. Here \fB^nA is an enriched (\oo,n)-category constructed from $A$, and \cE_n-Hochschild cohomology is realized as the infinitesimal automorphisms of \fB^nA. These groups are associated to moduli problems in \cE_{n+1}-geometry, a {\it less} commutative form of derived algebraic geometry, in the sense of To\"en-Vezzosi and Lurie. Applying techniques of Koszul duality, this sequence consequently attains a nonunital \cE_{n+1}-algebra structure; in particular, the shifted tangent complex $T_A[-n]$ is a nonunital \cE_{n+1}-algebra. The \cE_{n+1}-algebra structure of this sequence extends the previously known \cE_{n+1}-algebra structure on \hh^*_{\cE_{n}}(A), given in the higher Deligne conjecture. In order to establish this moduli-theoretic interpretation, we make extensive use of factorization homology, a homology theory for framed $n$-manifolds with coefficients given by \cE_n-algebras, constructed as a topological analogue of Beilinson-Drinfeld's chiral homology. We give a separate exposition of this theory, developing the necessary results used in our proofs. This work is an elaboration of a chapter of the author's 2008 PhD thesis, \cite{thez}.Comment: May vary slightly from the published versio

Renegotiating the Food Aid Convention: Background, context, and issues

"The current global agreement governing food aid—the Food Aid Convention (FAC)—will expire in 2007. It has come under heavy criticism as has the diffuse set of broader food aid governance institutions that has emerged in the last 50 years. These institutions are characterized by overlapping mandates, differing degrees of authority and legitimacy, varied levels of transparency in decisionmaking, and problematic representation of the major stakeholders. A number of issues are likely to arise during the course of negotiations over a new FAC. These include its objectives; the nature of commitments—whether to express them in tonnage, value, or nutritional terms; the level of commitments and their distribution among donor countries; monitoring and enforcement of commitments; representation on the FAC governing body among food aid donor- and recipient-country governments and civil society organizations; and the institutional “home” of the FAC. More specifically, there is debate over such questions as whether the new FAC should have an “instrument focus”—food aid—or a “problem focus” such as “food security” or “hunger.” If the focus is on addressing hunger, should food aid under the FAC be restricted to emergencies only or should it pertain to broader food security issues? Should the FAC be a low-key forum for exchange of information or should it have some meaningful ways of monitoring commitments and encouraging compliance by both donors and recipients? Debates such as these will reflect views on the purposes of food aid itself. Conversely, debates regarding these broader questions carry consequences for the formation of views on the issues involved in the FAC negotiations. This paper's purpose is solely to outline issues and options; hence it does not advocate for particular positions." Authors' AbstractFood aid, International agreements, International organizations, Humanitarian assistance, Human rights, Local purchase, Triangular transaction, Development assistance, Trade agreements, Grain trade, Code of conduct, Needs assessment,

Data Management System (DMS) testbed user's manual development, volumes 1 and 2

A critical review of the network communication services contained in the Tinman User's Manual for Data Management System Test Bed (Tinman DMS User's Manual) is presented. The review is from the perspective of applying modern software engineering principles and using the Ada language effectively to ensure the test bed network communication services provide a robust capability. Overall the material on network communication services reflects a reasonably good grasp of the Ada language. Language features are appropriately used for most services. Design alternatives are offered to provide improved system performance and a basis for better application software development. Section two contains a review and suggests clarifications of the Statement of Policies and Services contained in Appendix B of the Tinman DMS User's Manual. Section three contains a review of the Network Communication Services and section four contains concluding comments

Employee Participation in Pollution Reduction: Preliminary Analysis of the Toxics Release Inventory

Can the amount of toxic waste released into the environment by manufacturing facilities be reduced by formally involving employees in pollution prevention? Pursuant to the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began requiring that manufacturers report human resource management strategies related to source reduction (reduction of waste at the source), as part of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). These strategies often involve employee participation in some form. Here we report the preliminary findings of an ongoing study of the effect of employee participation on source reduction, based on the 1991-1992 TRI database. We find, for example, that manufacturers using a certain combination of three formal employee participation practices had triple the reduction in emissions of manufacturers using none of these practices. We also discuss competing predictors of source reduction, and future research directions