Curvature representation of the gonihedric action

We analyse the curvature representation of the gonihedric action $A(M)$ for the cases when the dependence on the dihedral angle is arbitrary.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 3 embedded figures with psfig, submitted to Phys.Lett.

Peeping at chaos: Nondestructive monitoring of chaotic systems by measuring long-time escape rates

One or more small holes provide non-destructive windows to observe corresponding closed systems, for example by measuring long time escape rates of particles as a function of hole sizes and positions. To leading order the escape rate of chaotic systems is proportional to the hole size and independent of position. Here we give exact formulas for the subsequent terms, as sums of correlation functions; these depend on hole size and position, hence yield information on the closed system dynamics. Conversely, the theory can be readily applied to experimental design, for example to control escape rates.Comment: Originally 4 pages and 2 eps figures incorporated into the text; v2 has more numerical results and discussion: now 6 pages, 4 figure

Fourier, Gauss, Fraunhofer, Porod and the Shape from Moments Problem

We show how the Fourier transform of a shape in any number of dimensions can be simplified using Gauss's law and evaluated explicitly for polygons in two dimensions, polyhedra three dimensions, etc. We also show how this combination of Fourier and Gauss can be related to numerous classical problems in physics and mathematics. Examples include Fraunhofer diffraction patterns, Porods law, Hopfs Umlaufsatz, the isoperimetric inequality and Didos problem. We also use this approach to provide an alternative derivation of Davis's extension of the Motzkin-Schoenberg formula to polygons in the complex plane.Comment: 21 pages, no figure

Redirecting research efforts on the diversification-performance linkage: The search for synergy

We review the literature on the diversification-performance (D-P) relationship to a) propose that the time is ripe for a renewed attack on understanding the relationship between diversification and firm performance, and b) outline a new approach to attacking the question. Our paper makes four main contributions. First, through a review of the literature we establish the inherent complexities in the D-P relationship and the methodological challenges confronted by the literature in reaching its current conclusion of a non-linear relationship between diversification and performance. Second, we argue that to better guide managers the literature needs to develop along a complementary path – whereas past research has often focused on answering the big question of does diversification affect firm performance, this second path would focus more on identifying the precise micro-mechanisms through which diversification adds or subtracts value. Third, we outline a new approach to the investigation of this topic, based on (a) identifying the precise underlying mechanisms through which diversification affects performance; (b) identifying performance outcomes that are “proximate” to the mechanism that the researcher is studying, and (c) identifying an appropriate research design that can enable a causal claim. Finally, we outline a set of directions for future research

The Boca Bauhaus Marcel Breuer, BRiC and Lynn University’s NFT museum

‘Art and Technology – A New Unity.’ This was a slogan of the Bauhaus art school, but it could also be a slogan for digital artworks that have been minted as NFTs. We trace the lineage of the idea of the unity of art and technology from: the Bauhaus art school, which operated from 1919–1933; to buildings in Boca Raton that were co-designed in the late 1960s by a former Bauhaus teacher, Marcel Breuer; to an exhibit of the Lynn University NFT museum that, as of July 2023, is displayed in a building that was co-designed by Breuer and is now part of the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC). We juxtapose the Bauhaus’s approach to the unity of art and technology, understood by reflecting on Breuer’s architecture, with the unity of art and technology exemplified by NFT artworks. We argue that while audiences do not experience NFT artworks with the same ‘aura’ that audiences experienced when viewing artworks in the past, audiences can experience NFT artworks with what we call the ‘simulacrum’ of aura. Audiences can experience the simulacrum of aura because an NFT can be understood as original and authentic and cannot be identically reproduced