An ultra-weak sector, the strong CP problem and the pseudo-Goldstone dilaton

In the context of a Coleman-Weinberg mechanism for the Higgs boson mass, we address the strong CP problem. We show that a DFSZ-like invisible axion model with a gauge-singlet complex scalar field S, whose couplings to the Standard Model are naturally ultra-weak, can solve the strong CP problem and simultaneously generate acceptable electroweak symmetry breaking. The ultra-weak couplings of the singlet S are associated with underlying approximate shift symmetries that act as custodial symmetries and maintain technical naturalness. The model also contains a very light pseudo-Goldstone dilaton that is consistent with cosmological Polonyi bounds, and the axion can be the dark matter of the universe. We further outline how a SUSY version of this model, which may be required in the context of Grand Unification, can avoid introducing a hierarchy problem.Comment: 9 page

Ultra-weak sector, Higgs boson mass, and the dilaton

The Higgs boson mass may arise from a portal coupling to a singlet field $\sigma$ which has a very large VEV $f \gg m_\text{Higgs}$. This requires a sector of "ultra-weak" couplings $\zeta_i$, where $\zeta_i \lesssim m_\text{Higgs}^2 / f^2$. Ultra-weak couplings are technically naturally small due to a custodial shift symmetry of $\sigma$ in the $\zeta_i \rightarrow 0$ limit. The singlet field $\sigma$ has properties similar to a pseudo-dilaton. We engineer explicit breaking of scale invariance in the ultra-weak sector via a Coleman-Weinberg potential, which requires hierarchies amongst the ultra-weak couplings.Comment: 6 page

Reviewing the image of the photojournalist in film: how ethical dilemmas shape stereotypes of the on-screen press photographer in motion pictures from 1954 to 2006

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on January 7, 2007)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Journalism.Since the 1930s, photojournalists in motion pictures have been portrayed as everything from screwball and comic relief characters to stubborn and ruthless sidekicks. With the exception of James Cagney's tabloid photographer character in Picture Snatcher (1933), the early on-screen photojournalists were largely supporting characters who displayed absurd, unethical behaviors. However, the 1930s and 1940s image of the photojournalist changed with James Stewart's portrayal of a lonely and voyeuristic magazine photographer in Rear Window (1954). Stewart's cynical and detached L. B. Jeffries established a stereotype that would persist through the 1970s. By the 1980s, the heroic but ethically challenged war photojournalist stereotype evolved. Under Fire (1983), The Killing Fields (1984) and Salvador (1986) were a few of the films that perpetuated this recurring leading character. The films from the final decade of the 20th Century, and into the mid-2000s, projected varied and alternative stereotypes of photojournalist characters. Although the number of appearances of on-screen cameramen in motion pictures has increased, their role-related responsibilities and ethical dilemmas have changed alongside trends and technological advances within the field

Courageous Conversations: Advising the Foreclosed Student

Institutions with restricted enrollment programs share the common predicament of working with students who have steadfastly dedicated themselves to the goal of admission to one program and no other. For these students, those who are identified as foreclosed through their attachment to one major without consideration of other options, the admission/denial situation becomes an endless cycle of frustration and possible attrition. GPA requirements, global competition for placement, frequent admission criteria changes, and a confusing array of requirements across institutions all contribute to the stress felt by these students, parents, support team members, and most certainly, advisors. This article offers an approach for advisors to engage students in a broader and improved awareness of options available when students face denial from their intended major

The Effect of Carcass Weight and Ribeye Size on Beef Carcass Composition and Retail Cutting Yields

According to the NBQA, average HCW and REA of beef carcasses have increased from the first audit in 1995 to the most recent in 2016 by 51.9 kg and 7.6 cm2 , respectively. These factors have been correlated to the relative size of other muscles in the body, which effect the overall cut size consistency for foodservice professionals, retailers and consumers alike. The objectives of this study were to collect weights, dimensional measurements, and retail yield data from specified muscles and subprimals to determine the impact of varying HCW and REA sizes on carcass composition. Beef carcasses (n = 36) were selected to fill a 3 X 3 treatment structure of HCW categories of 340.6 to 385.6 kg, 386.0 to 430.9 kg and 431.4 to 476.3 kg as well as REA categories of 83.9 to 89.8 cm2 , 90.3 to 96.1 cm2 and 96.7 to 102.6 cm2 with four carcasses in each of the nine treatment groups. One hindquarter from each carcass (n = 18) was randomly selected to undergo a dissection while the remaining side (n = 18) was subjected to conventional fabrication at a collaborating beef packer. Dissected muscles and subprimals were cut into retail steaks at a commercial case-ready facility to be cut into retail to derive a true percentage of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts. Muscles grow largely in concert to one another, with statistical differences in dimensional properties, especially muscle weight occurring between carcasses in the lightest HCW category and the heaviest HCW category. HCW accounted for a greater number of significant differences than did REA, suggesting that HCW could be a more accurate predictor of muscle size. Retail yield from this study showed differences in the number of steaks produced between weight categories with the lightest HCW category producing fewer steaks and roasts than heavier HCW categories. Compositional data were also analyzed to determine the percentage changes in muscle weight as REA and HCW increased. HCW produced the greatest effect on the M. longissimus lumborum as the muscles from the lightest weight category made up 1.9% more of their respective hindquarter weights than those muscles in the 386.0 to 430.9 kg category and 0.8% more than the heaviest HCW category. These findings will prove useful in developing new marketing strategies and predictive methods to satisfy foodservice and retailers demanding a more consistent subprimal size

Distinct amino acid compositional requirements for formation and maintenance of the [PSI+] prion in yeast

Multiple yeast prions have been identified that result from the structural conversion of proteins into a self-propagating amyloid form. Amyloid-based prion activity in yeast requires a series of discrete steps. First, the prion protein must form an amyloid nucleus that can recruit and structurally convert additional soluble proteins. Subsequently, maintenance of the prion during cell division requires fragmentation of these aggregates to create new heritable propagons. For the Saccharomyces cerevisiae prion protein Sup35, these different activities are encoded by different regions of the Sup35 prion domain. An N-terminal glutamine/asparagine-rich nucleation domain is required for nucleation and fiber growth, while an adjacent oligopeptide repeat domain is largely dispensable for prion nucleation and fiber growth but is required for chaperone-dependent prion maintenance. Although prion activity of glutamine/asparagine-rich proteins is predominantly determined by amino acid composition, the nucleation and oligopeptide repeat domains of Sup35 have distinct compositional requirements. Here, we quantitatively define these compositional requirements in vivo. We show that aromatic residues strongly promote both prion formation and chaperone-dependent prion maintenance. In contrast, nonaromatic hydrophobic residues strongly promote prion formation but inhibit prion propagation. These results provide insight into why some aggregation-prone proteins are unable to propagate as prions

Queer Representation and Public Pedagogy in American Musical Theatre

This paper explores the Broadway musical as a site of queerness and queer representation through the lens of queer public pedagogy

Study in agency and representation

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (p. 159).Systems of architectural representation, and their implied balance of agency, are a potential site of tectonic, spatial, and programmatic reinvention. By altering only the roles of those involved in the design/construction process, and the system of representation employed, one will necessarily reinvent the architecture produced. My semester circulates around two devices - two games. String, as performed in the game of cat's cradle, which can be thought of a as a kind of one-dimensional folding; and paper, which evolved as an attempt to bring the properties of the string's one-dimensional folding into two dimensions. The problem of this thesis is to reimagine these devices as systems of representation - as drawings, or as bridges between drawing and building. Further, to ask: How can a drawing practice which is inspired by these devices, and contains inherent properties derived from these devices, become generative of a building practice?Kyle Ross Steinfeld.M.Arch