Sectional curvature for Riemannian manifolds with density

In this paper we introduce two new notions of sectional curvature for Riemannian manifolds with density. Under both notions of curvature we classify the constant curvature manifolds. We also prove generalizations of the theorems of Cartan-Hadamard, Synge, and Bonnet-Myers as well as a generalization of the (non-smooth) 1/4-pinched sphere theorem. The main idea is to modify the radial curvature equation and second variation formula and then apply the techniques of classical Riemannian geometry to these new equations.Comment: 19 pages, The expositiion of the paper has been shortened by a few pages and some of the arguments streamlined at the suggestion of the referee. Final version, to appear in Geometriae Dedicat

Introduction: Doing Archaeology as a Feminist

Gender research archaeology has made significant contributions, but its dissociation from the resources of feminist scholarship and feminist activism is a significantly limiting factor in its development. The essays that make up this special issue illustrate what is to be gained by making systematic use of these resources. Their distinctively feminist contributions are characterized in terms of the recommendations for “doing science as a feminist” that have taken shape in the context of the long running “feminist method debate” in the social sciences

Interdisciplinary Practice

In commenting on the state of affairs in contemporary archaeology, Wylie outlines an agenda for archaeology as an interdisciplinary science rooted in ethical practices of stewardship. In so doing she lays the foundations for an informed and philosophically relevant “meta-archaeology.

Interview with Marlon James

Marlon James is the author of three novels, most recently A Brief History of Seven Killings, which won the coveted Man Booker Prize in 2015. He is also the writer behind John Crow’s Devil, published 2005, and The Book of Night Women, published 2009. Since 2007, James has been a professor of creative writing at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has also written for numerous publications, including The New York Times. During his visit to Butler University as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series, James took the time to speak with Manuscripts staff member Julian Wyllie

Perturbed and Permuted: Signal Integration in Network-Structured Dynamic Systems

Biological systems (among others) may respond to a large variety of distinct external stimuli, or signals. These perturbations will generally be presented to the system not singly, but in various combinations, so that a proper understanding of the system response requires assessment of the degree to which the effects of one signal modulate the effects of another. This paper develops a pair of structural metrics for sparse differential equation models of complex dynamic systems and demonstrates that said metrics correlate with proxies of the susceptibility of one signal-response to be altered in the context of a second signal. One of these metrics may be interpreted as a normalized arc density in the neighborhood of certain influential nodes; this metric appears to correlate with increased independence of signal response

Interview with Meghan Daum

Meghan Daum is the author of four books, most recently the collection of original essays The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, which won the 2015 PEN Center USA Award for creative nonfiction. She is also the editor of the New York Times bestseller Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not To Have Kids. Her other books include the essay collection My Misspent Youth, the novel The Quality of Life Report, and Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived In That House, a memoir. Since 2005, Daum has been an opinion columnist at The Los Angeles Times, covering cultural and political topics. She has written for numerous magazines, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and Vogue. She is the recipient of a 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2016 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and is an adjunct associate professor in the MFA Writing Program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. During her visit to Butler University as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series, Daum took the time to speak with Manuscripts staff member Julian Wyllie