Hyperkahler geometry and Teichmuller space

We consider the hyperk???????hler extension of Teichm???????ller space with the Weil- Petersson metric. We describe its recent construction as a hyperk???????hler quotient and examine the defining equations for the resulting moduli space. We examine relations between this moduli space and the quasi-Fuchsian deformation space of the surface, with particular attention to the connection with the canonical holomorphic symplectic structure. We also consider the connection with Taubes moduli space of hyperbolic germs and whether it is possible to extend the hyperk???????hler structure in any fashion.Imperial Users onl

Tonsil Cell Products which Modify in Vitro Proliferation of Blood Lymphocytes

Human palatine tonsil lymphocytes, when compared to peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), were in an activated state even though there was no in vitro stimulation. When these tonsil lymphocytes were cultured in the absence of serum and polyclonal mitogens or antigens, the supernatant fluid often inhibited the proliferative response of target PBL to con A. The extent of this suppression ranged from 22% to 84%, and target cell viability was 90% or greater. There was no evidence for the presence of immunoglobulins or (alpha)2-macroglobulin in whole supernatant fluids. The suppressor was partially denatured at 80(DEGREES)C and was rendered completely inactive upon exposure to 100(DEGREES)C for 5 min. It was trypsin sensitive, and had an apparent molecular weight of 100,000 or greater. The protein adhered strongly to DE-52 cellulose, and the most active material eluted with 0.4-0.6 M NaCl. The suppressor was active in the pH range 5.0 (+OR-) 0.6 as demonstrated by isoelectric focusing. Occasionally, supernatant fluids comprised material which augmented the expected response of con A stimulated PBL. The augmentor was 30,000 in molecular weight and was eluted from DE-52 cellulose in the 0.15-0.25 M NaCl range. Nearly all supernatant preparations tested contained a mitogenic substance which stimulated naive allogeneic human PBL without the necessity of co-stimulation by a mitogen. The mitogenic factor (MF) behaved in a dose dependent fashion and was evidently different from the augmentor since the MF stimulated PBL independently of lectin co-stimulation

Cryptography in the digital age

Despite it not being an armed conflict between nations, there is a war that has been waged for over 5000 years and is still being fought today. Battles have been won and lost by both sides. The battlefield is the world of cryptography. Our combatants are cryptographers, personnel who make secret codes; and cryptanalysts, personnel who try to break the secret codes; In this thesis, we examine public-key or asymmetric cryptography, the are of writing or deciphering secret codes or ciphers. We begin by taking a brief look at the overall history of cryptography. Our primary focus involves studying the mathematics behind today\u27s public-key cryptographic methods such as the theory of congruences by Carl Friedrich Gauss, Fermat\u27s little theorem, Euler\u27s phi-function, primitive roots and indices, and elliptic curves over finite fields. Once we have explore the preliminaries we will consider some of the more popular methods of encryption and decryption, for example RSA. We not only discuss how to encrypt and decrypt plain text using these methods but explain why it is hard to break the encrypted text. We conclude our study by inspecting the shortfall of these ciphers, techniques used to break the encryption, and what the future possibly holds

Hunting Nature

In Hunting Nature, Thomas P. Hodge explores Ivan Turgenev's relationship to nature through his conception, description, and practice of hunting—the most unquenchable passion of his life. Informed by an ecocritical perspective, Hodge takes an approach that is equal parts interpretive and documentarian, grounding his observations thoroughly in Russian cultural and linguistic context and a wide range of Turgenev's fiction, poetry, correspondence, and other writings. Included within the book are some of Turgenev's important writings on nature—never previously translated into English. Turgenev, who is traditionally identified as a chronicler of Russia's ideological struggles, is presented in Hunting Nature as an expert naturalist whose intimate knowledge of flora and fauna deeply informed his view of philosophy, politics, and the role of literature in society. Ultimately, Hodge argues that we stand to learn a great deal about Turgenev's thought and complex literary technique when we read him in both cultural and environmental contexts. Hodge details how Turgenev remains mindful of the way textual detail is wedded to the organic world—the priroda that he observed, and ached for, more keenly than perhaps any other Russian writer

Measuring the Effectiveness of the Communications Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CE-LCMC) Internship Pilot Training Program

Joint Applied ProjectOver the next seven years, more than 50 percent of DoD’s acquisition workforce will be eligible for retirement. To replace these highly skilled acquisition professionals, the Department of Defense (DoD) will need to efficiently and effectively train employees who are entering the contracting profession. In 2003, the Communications Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CE-LCMC) established a pilot training program that was intended to accelerate the training and development of contracting interns. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of this program from the perspectives of the 91 participating interns, the Contracting Officers who work with these interns, and the managers/supervisors in the Acquisition Center. Based on the analysis of five surveys, recommendations are offered for the improvement of the CE-LCMC’s pilot intern training program.http://archive.org/details/measuringeffecti109457604United States Army,United States Army,United States Arm

Stress and Coping among College Students in the Dominican Republic

Background and Purpose: Stress is a common complaint among college students; however, stress is understudied specifically among Hispanics outside of the United States. A cross-sectional study investigating the stress-coping approaches utilized by Dominican college students living in the Dominican Republic (DR) is reported. Methods: Three-hundred three students, 27% male and 73% female, attending a private DR college completed a self-administered survey that inquired about their stress-coping approaches. Results: Older students in good academic standing were five times more likely to engage in exercise in response to stress (p= .006). Smoking cigarettes was significantly higher among White male students (p= .018). Students most often reported listening to music, using more than one stress-coping approach, or exercising in response to stress. Conclusion: This study identified stresscoping approaches utilized by college students attending a private university in the DR. Adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies were described. These findings differ from findings reported in studies conducted among other Hispanic college student populations that more often reported social support as a more commonly-used stress-coping approach

Small Business Sustainability: What is the CPA’s Role?

The purpose of this paper is to provide information for both small businesses and CPAs concerning the importance and possible impact of sustainability reporting and practices on each group. The sustainability reporting process not only considers the economic bottom line, but also includes consideration of how a business impacts society and the environment. The challenges involved in establishing sustainable practices and reporting will be significant. The push for businesses to become more sustainable is a market-driven phenomenon in which consumers are increasingly shopping for products and services provided by companies that practice sustainability. Large multinational corporations are placing greater pressure on small business supply chain vendors to adopt sustainability practices. The sustainability movement creates both threats and opportunities for both LMCs and SMEs, and businesses that fail to develop sustainable strategies could be negatively impacted. CPAs have traditionally provided SMEs with financial, tax and audit services. As sustainability demands increase for SMEs, small and medium-sized CPA firms must develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide these clients with sustainability services

Stress and Coping among College Students in the Dominican Republic

Background and Purpose: Stress is a common complaint among college students; however, stress is understudied specifically among Hispanics outside of the United States. A cross-sectional study investigating the stress-coping approaches utilized by Dominican college students living in the Dominican Republic (DR) is reported. Methods: Three-hundred three students, 27% male and 73% female, attending a private DR college completed a self-administered survey that inquired about their stress-coping approaches. Results: Older students in good academic standing were five times more likely to engage in exercise in response to stress (p= .006). Smoking cigarettes was significantly higher among White male students (p= .018). Students most often reported listening to music, using more than one stress-coping approach, or exercising in response to stress. Conclusion: This study identified stresscoping approaches utilized by college students attending a private university in the DR. Adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies were described. These findings differ from findings reported in studies conducted among other Hispanic college student populations that more often reported social support as a more commonly-used stress-coping approach