Phase transitions in a piecewise expanding coupled map lattice with linear nearest neighbour coupling

We construct a mixing continuous piecewise linear map on [-1,1] with the property that a two-dimensional lattice made of these maps with a linear north and east nearest neighbour coupling admits a phase transition. We also provide a modification of this construction where the local map is an expanding analytic circle map. The basic strategy is borroughed from [Gielis-MacKay (2000)], namely we compare the dynamics of the CML to those of a probabilistic cellular automaton of Toom's type.Comment: 19 page

Stochastically stable globally coupled maps with bistable thermodynamic limit

We study systems of globally coupled interval maps, where the identical individual maps have two expanding, fractional linear, onto branches, and where the coupling is introduced via a parameter - common to all individual maps - that depends in an analytic way on the mean field of the system. We show: 1) For the range of coupling parameters we consider, finite-size coupled systems always have a unique invariant probability density which is strictly positive and analytic, and all finite-size systems exhibit exponential decay of correlations. 2) For the same range of parameters, the self-consistent Perron-Frobenius operator which captures essential aspects of the corresponding infinite-size system (arising as the limit of the above when the system size tends to infinity), undergoes a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation from a unique stable equilibrium to the coexistence of two stable and one unstable equilibrium.Comment: 37 page

Limit theorems for coupled interval maps

We prove a local limit theorem for Lipschitz continuous observables on a weakly coupled lattice of piecewise expanding interval maps. The core of the paper is a proof that the spectral radii of the Fourier-transfer operators for such a system are strictly less than 1. This extends the approach of [KL2] where the ordinary transfer operator was studied.Comment: 17 page

Rethinking Ruddick and the Ethnocentrism Critique of \u3ci\u3eMaternal Thinking\u3c/i\u3e

In the early 1990s, Sara Ruddick\u27s Maternal Thinking was criticized for harboring a latent ethnocentrism. Ruddick responded to these critiques in the 1995 edition of her book, but her response has not yet been addressed in the feminist philosophical literature. This essay addresses this lacuna in the scholarship on Ruddick. In the last installment of this critique, Alison Bailey and Patrice DiQuinzio suggested that the only way for Ruddick to avoid the ethnocentrism charge would require her near-universalistic claims about mothering to be rejected in favor of \u27particularized, localized accounts of mothering.\u27 In this essay I\u27ll show that this claim goes too far. After reviewing Lugones\u27s and Bailey\u27s critiques of Ruddick, along with Ruddick\u27s response, I propose a \u27modified universalism\u27 that addresses the concerns raised by Ruddick\u27s critics while preserving key elements of her theory

ICA-based sparse feature recovery from fMRI datasets

Spatial Independent Components Analysis (ICA) is increasingly used in the context of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study cognition and brain pathologies. Salient features present in some of the extracted Independent Components (ICs) can be interpreted as brain networks, but the segmentation of the corresponding regions from ICs is still ill-controlled. Here we propose a new ICA-based procedure for extraction of sparse features from fMRI datasets. Specifically, we introduce a new thresholding procedure that controls the deviation from isotropy in the ICA mixing model. Unlike current heuristics, our procedure guarantees an exact, possibly conservative, level of specificity in feature detection. We evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the method on synthetic and fMRI data and show that it outperforms state-of-the-art approaches

Interview with Jean Wyatt

Jean Wyatt talks about her involvement with the County Fairhttps://digital.kenyon.edu/ps_interviews/1022/thumbnail.jp

A Brief Taxonomy of Inclusive Pedagogies: What Faculty Can Do Differently to Teach More Inclusively

At the All-Campus Forum in August 2016, President Mary Dana Hinton called for us to create an “ecosystem of inclusion” at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSB/SJU). Faculty members’ work with students is central to creating such an ecosystem, but what do we mean by “inclusion?” In this essay, we provide an overview of our evolving understanding of “inclusive pedagogy,” as informed by our work administering and participating in multiple faculty development workshops funded by twin grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.1 “Faculty Formation to Support Liberal Learning for All” was awarded to CSB under principal investigator President Mary Dana Hinton. It is administered by Jean Keller and includes a cohort of humanities faculty members. “Faculty Development to Engage Increasingly Diverse Students” was awarded to SJU under principal investigator President Michael Hemesath. It is administered by Kyhl Lyndgaard and includes a cohort of First-Year Seminar faculty members. Both grants run throughout the 2015-2017 academic years