On representation varieties of 3-manifold groups

We prove universality theorems ("Murphy's Laws") for representation schemes of fundamental groups of closed 3-dimensional manifolds. We show that germs of SL(2,C)-representation schemes of such groups are essentially the same as germs of schemes of over rational numbers.Comment: 28 page

Universality theorems for configuration spaces of planar linkages

We prove realizability theorems for vector-valued polynomial mappings, real-algebraic sets and compact smooth manifolds by moduli spaces of planar linkages. We also establish a relation between universality theorems for moduli spaces of mechanical linkages and projective arrangements.Comment: 45 pages, 15 figures. See also http://www.math.utah.edu/~kapovich/eprints.htm

Interview with John Roger Stemen, June 26, 2001

John Roger Stemen was interviewed on June 26, 2001 by Michael J. Birkner about his experiences before he became a professor of History at Gettysburg College. He discusses his childhood in Indiana and focuses on his undergraduate education at Yale University and his service in the photolithography unit in Korea. After the war he attended Indiana University and Johns Hopkins University, where he obtained his doctorate. Collection Note: This oral history was selected from the Oral History Collection maintained by Special Collections & College Archives. Transcripts are available for browsing in the Special Collections Reading Room, 4th floor, Musselman Library. GettDigital contains the complete listing of oral histories done from 1978 to the present. To view this list and to access selected digital versions please visit -- http://gettysburg.cdmhost.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16274coll

Automatic CAD-model Repair: Shell-Closure

Shell-closure is critical to the repair of CAD-models described in the .STL file-format, the de facto solid freeform fabrication industry-standard. Polyhedral CAD-models that do not exhibit shell-closure, i.e. have cracks, holes, or gaps, do not constitute valid solids and frequently cause problems during fabrication. This paper describes a solution for achieving shell-closure of polyhedral CAD-models. The solution accommodates nonmanifold conditions, and guarantees orientable shells. There are several topologically ambiguous situations that might arise during the shell-closure process, and the solution applies intuitively pleasing heuristics in these cases.Mechanical Engineerin

The Proprietary Foundations of Corporate Law

Recent work in both the theory of the firm and of corporate law has called into question the appropriateness of analysing corporate law as ‘merely’ a set of standard form contracts. This article develops these ideas by focusing on property law’s role in underpinning corporate enterprise. Rights to control assets are a significant mechanism of governance in the firm. Practical circumstances dictate that such rights must be shared. Property law protects the rights of co-owners against each other’s opportunistic attempts to grant entitlements to t hird parties. At the same time, it uses a range of strategies to minimise the costs such protection imposes on third parties. The choice of strategy significantly affects co-owners’ freedom to customise their control-sharing arrangements. This theory is applied to give an account of the ‘proprietary foundations’ of corporate law, which has significant implications for the way in which the subject’s functions are understood and evaluated.theory of corporate law, shared ownership, property rights