Showing papers by "Denison University published in 2007"

The Inner Jet of the Radio Galaxy M87

Abstract: We report new 2 cm VLBA images of the inner radio jet of M87 showing a limb-brightened structure and unambiguous evidence for a faint 3 mas long counterfeature which also appears limb brightened. Multiepoch observations of seven separate jet features show typical speeds of less than a few percent of the speed of light, despite the highly asymmetric jet structure and the implications of the canonical relativistic beaming scenario. The observed morphology is consistent with a two-stream spine-sheath velocity gradient across the jet, as might be expected from the recently discovered strong and variable TeV emission as well as from numerical modeling of relativistic jets. Considering the large jet-to-counterjet flux density ratio and lack of observed fast motion in the jet, we conclude that either the inner part of the M87 jet is intrinsically asymmetric or that the bulk plasma flow speed is much greater than any propagation of shocks or other pattern motions.

Relativistic beaming and the intrinsic properties of extragalactic radio jets

Abstract: Relations between the observed quantities for a beamed radio jet, which are the apparent transverse speed and the apparent luminosity (βapp, L), and the intrinsic quantities, which are the Lorentz factor and the intrinsic luminosity (γ, L0), are investigated. The inversion from measured to intrinsic values is not unique, but approximate limits to γ and L0 can be found using probability arguments. Roughly half the sources in a flux density-limited, beamed sample have a value of γ close to the measured value of βapp. The methods are applied to observations of 119 AGN jets made with the VLBA at 15 GHz during 1994-2002. The results strongly support the common relativistic beam model for an extragalactic radio jet. The (βapp, L) data are closely bounded by a theoretical envelope, an "aspect" curve for γ = 32 and L0 = 1025 W Hz-1. This gives limits to the maximum values of γ and L0 in the sample: γmax ≈ 32, and L0,max ~ 1026 W Hz-1. No sources with both high values of βapp and low values of L are observed. This is not the result of selection effects due to the observing limits, which are a flux density of S > 0.5 Jy and an angular velocity of μ < 4 mas yr-1. Many of the fastest quasars have a pattern Lorentz factor, γp, that is close to that of the beam, γb, but some of the slow quasars must have γp γb. Three of the 10 galaxies in the sample have a superluminal feature, with speeds up to βapp ≈ 6. The others are at most mildly relativistic. The galaxies are not off-axis versions of the powerful quasars, but Cygnus A might be an exception.

Becoming American: Stereotype Threat Effects in Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Groups*

Abstract: Educational and occupational data suggest that second-generation West Indian immigrants have less favorable outcomes than their first-generation counterparts, who are typically shown to outperform comparison groups of African Americans. In two studies, we explore the social psychological process of stereotype threat as it differentially affects the performance of first- and second-generation West Indian students. An initial questionnaire study of 270 West Indian students provided data on perceived favorability of African American and West Indian stereotypes, ethnic identification, and perceptions of discrimination. An experimental study of stereotype threat showed a significant interaction between generation and stereotype threat condition: first- and second- generation West Indian students performed equally in neutral conditions, but differed significantly when stereotype threat was present. While first-generation students increased their performance in the threat condition, second-generation students showed the performance decrements characteristic of African American students. Effects due to the race of the experimenter were also found, suggesting the importance of context in testing situations. Overall, the findings argue for the relevance of psychological processes in understanding broader demographic patterns of immigration and change.

The Social Constitution of Perceiver-Environment Reciprocity

Abstract: Although animal—environment reciprocity is central to ecological psychology, one facet of this viewpoint remains underappreciated: organisms alter environments so as to better function in them In many species this activity of “niche construction” includes coordinated actions by individuals jointly working toward common ends Mounting paleontological and archeological evidence indicates that human evolution should be viewed in the light of such social considerations The environment of our immediate human ancestors was marked by, among other things, group settlements, manufactured stone tools, and extensive migration An emerging species such as ours, whose distinctive psychological qualities offered a selective advantage relative to these conditions, would flourish particularly if it could preserve the gains of prior generations even as its members continued to transform econiche features in functionally significant ways This evolutionary perspective, with its due recognition of sociocultural processes,

The Inner Jet of the Radio Galaxy M87

Abstract: We report new 2 cm VLBA images of the inner radio jet of M87 showing a limb brightened structure and unambiguous evidence for a faint 3 mas long counter-feature which also appears limb brightened. Multi-epoch observations of seven separate jet features show typical speeds of less than a few percent of the speed of light, despite the highly asymmetric jet structure and the implications of the canonical relativistic beaming scenario. The observed morphology is consistent with a two stream spine-sheath velocity gradient across the jet, as might be expected from the recently discovered strong and variable TeV emission as well as from numerical modeling of relativistic jets. Considering the large jet to counter-jet flux density ratio and lack of observed fast motion in the jet, we conclude that either the inner part of the M87 jet is intrinsically asymmetric or that the bulk plasma flow speed is much greater than any propagation of shocks or other pattern motions.

Insights from quartz cathodoluminescence zoning into crystallization of the Vinalhaven granite, coastal Maine

Abstract: The Vinalhaven intrusive complex provides field and petrographic evidence for multiple replenishments of mafic and silicic magmas, mingling and limited mixing, and rejuvenation of granite. Quartz in granitic rocks preserves a record of those processes, in the form of cathodoluminescence (CL) zoning, which is related to concentration of titanium, and to temperature of crystallization using the new TitaniQ (Ti in quartz) geothermometer. Injection of mafic melts into partly crystalline Vinalhaven granite resulted in partial quartz resorption followed by higher-temperature growth from H2O-undersaturated melt. This is shown by steep, rimward increases in CL intensity and Ti content across discordant boundaries that truncate older growth zones. Quartz zoning in granite affected by mafic magmas displays large rimward jumps in Ti content, whereas quartz in granitic feeders and in granite far from mafic rocks typically displays broad rims with decreasing Ti contents, consistent with slow cooling without thermal disruptions due to mafic recharge.

Infrared Molecular Starburst Fingerprints in Deeply Obscured (Ultra)Luminous Infrared Galaxy Nuclei

Abstract: High-resolution spectra of the Spitzer Space Telescope show vibration-rotation absorption bands of gaseous C2H2, HCN, and CO2 molecules toward a sample of deeply obscured (U)LIRG nuclei. The observed bands reveal the presence of dense (n k10 7 cm � 3 ), warm (Tex ¼ 200Y700 K) molecular gas with high column densities of these moleculesrangingfromafew10 15 to10 17 cm � 2 .AbundancesrelativetoH2,inferredfromthesilicateopticaldepth, rangefrom � 10 � 7 to10 � 6 andshownocorrelationwithtemperature.Theoreticalstudiesshowthatthehighabundances of both C2H2 and HCN exclude an X-ray dominated region (XDR) associated with the toroid surrounding an AGN as the origin of this dense warm molecular gas. Galactic massive protostars in the so-called hot-core phase have similar physical characteristics with comparable high abundances of C2H2 ,H CN, and CO2 in the hot phase. However, the abundances of C2H2and HCN and the C2H2/CO2 and HCN/CO2 ratios are much higher toward the (U)LIRGs in the cooler (Tex P 400K) phase. We suggest that the warm dense moleculargas revealed by the mid-IR absorption lines is associated with a phase of deeply embedded star formation, where the extreme pressures and densities of the nuclear starburst environment have inhibited the expansion of H ii regions and the global disruption of the starforming molecular cloud cores and have ‘‘trapped’’ the star formation process in an ‘‘extended’’ hot-core phase. Subject headingg galaxies: ISM — galaxies: nuclei — infrared: ISM — ISM: evolution — ISM: molecules

Lack of innate preference for morph and species identity in mate-searching Enallagma damselflies

Abstract: Insect mate recognition is often viewed as stereotypic, innate, and species-specific. However, male damselflies can learn to identify female-specific color morphs as potential mates. A suite of male mimicry hypotheses assume that heteromorphic females, which differ from males in color pattern, are more easily recognized as “female” and thus lack the inherent, anti-harassment advantage that the more male-like signal provides for andromorphs. Using two measures of male preference, we investigated whether naive males have a preexisting sensory bias for a given morph color in Enallagma civile, a species that appeared to exhibit extreme plasticity in morph expression across generations within a breeding season. E. civile males raised in the absence of females exhibited no preference for either morph, whereas males raised with one female type exhibited a learned sensory bias for that morph. Male Enallagma also lacked a bias toward conspecific females over a congeneric sister species. In a naturally naive population of Enallagma ebrium, males reacted sexually to both morphs of Enallagma hageni as often as they did to conspecific females, whose thoracic spectra were nearly identical with those of E. hageni. Moreover, despite the similar thoracic spectra of males and andromorphs, both of which reflected UV, males rarely reacted sexually to other males. Our results falsified implicit assumptions of male mimicry hypotheses, supported learned mate recognition, and suggested a scenario for speciation via sexual conflict.

Present but Not Accounted For? Gender Differences in Civic Resource Acquisition

Abstract: We investigate the sources of an important form of social inequality: the social processes by which men and women acquire participatory resources in organizations. In particular, we investigate the extent to which men and women acquire civic skills and are targets for political recruitment within churches. Integrating theory about social interaction within an organizational structure, we hypothesize that the ways in which women gain politically relevant resources from the church are simply different from those of men. Three factors explain the institutional treatment of women in churches: (1) women's political contributions are devalued; (2) women respond to social cues more than men do; (3) women respond to political cues from clergy—especially female clergy—whereas men do not. Our findings of gender differences in civic resource acquisition provide a more nuanced treatment of the mobilization process and have broad implications for the relationship between political difference and participatory democracy.

Tracing high energy radiation with molecular lines near deeply embedded protostars

Abstract: Aims. The aim is to probe high energy radiation emitted by deeply embedded protostars. Methods. Submillimeter lines of CN, NO, CO + and SO + , and upper limits on SH + and N 2 O are observed with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in two high-mass and up to nine low-mass young stellar objects and compared with chemical models. Results. Constant fractional abundances derived from radiative transfer modeling of the line strengths are $x({\rm CN}) \approx$ a few $\times$10 -11 –10 -8 , $x({\rm NO}) \approx 10^{-9}$–10 -8 and $x({\rm CO^+}) \approx 10^{-12}$–10 -10 . SO + has abundances of a few $\times 10^{-11}$ in the high-mass objects and upper limits of ≈ 10 -12 –10 -11 in the low-mass sources. All abundances are up to 1–2 orders of magnitude higher if the molecular emission is assumed to originate mainly from the inner region ( ≲ 1000 AU) of the envelope. For high-mass sources, the CN, SO + and CO + abundances and abundance ratios are best explained by an enhanced far-ultraviolet (FUV) field impacting gas at temperatures of a few hundred K. The observed column densities require that this region of enhanced FUV has scales comparable to the observing beam, such as in a geometry in which the enhanced FUV irradiates outflow walls. For low-mass sources, the required temperatures within the FUV models of $T \gtrsim 300$ K are much higher than found in models, so that an X-ray enhanced region close to the protostar ($r \lesssim 500$ AU) is more plausible. Gas-phase chemical models produce more NO than observed, suggesting an additional reduction mechanism not included in current models. Conclusions. The observed CN, CO + and SO + abundances can be explained with either enhanced X-rays or FUV fields from the central source. High-mass sources likely have low opacity regions that allow the FUV photons to reach large distances from the central source. X-rays are suggested to be more effective than FUV fields in the low-mass sources. The observed abundances imply X-ray fluxes for the Class 0 objects of $L_{\rm X} \approx 10^{29}$–10 31 erg s -1 , comparable to those observed from low-mass Class I protostars. Spatially resolved data are needed to clearly distinguish the effects of FUV and X-rays for individual species.

Technically speaking: fostering the communication skills of computer science and mathematics students

Abstract: The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Denison University has introduced a significant new oral communication component early in both majors. The sophomore computer science and mathematics majors meet together each week for a "lab" taught jointly by a computer scientist and a mathematician. There were three goals in this endeavor: (1) to prepare students for the workforce and graduate school by improving their oral communication skills, (2) to nurture future researchers in both fields by exposing them to research early in their undergraduate training, and (3) to increase computer science students' exposure to mathematics. In the following, we establish the need for such a course, describe our approach, how it satisfies our three goals, and additional outcomes.

Doppler boosting, superluminal motion, and the kinematics of AGN jets

Abstract: c Springer-Verlag Abstract We discuss results from a decade long pro- gram to study the fine-scale structure and the kine- matics of relativistic AGN jets with the aim of better understanding the acceleration and collimation of the relativistic plasma forming AGN jets. From the ob- served distribution of brightness temperature, apparent velocity, flux density, time variability, and apparent lu- minosity, the intrinsic properties of the jets including Lorentz factor, luminosity, orientation, and brightness temperature are discussed. Special attention is given

Above threshold dissociation of vibrationally cold HD + molecules

Abstract: The experimental study of molecular dissociation of $\mathrm{H}_{2}{}^{+}$ by intense laser pulses is complicated by the fact that the ions are initially produced in a wide range of vibrational states, each of which responds differently to the laser field. An electrostatic storage device has been used to radiatively cool ${\mathrm{HD}}^{+}$ ions enabling the observation of above threshold dissociation from the ground vibrational state by 40 fs laser pulses at 800 nm. At the highest intensities used, dissociation through the absorption of at least four photons is found to be the dominant process.

Proceedings of twenty-first ACM SIGOPS symposium on Operating systems principles

Abstract: Please enjoy the proceedings of the 21st ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles--SOSP'07. In the SOSP tradition, the 25 papers herein explore a wide range of computer systems topics, including traditional ones such as concurrency as well as new ones such as "hardening" Web browsers. Collectively these papers report on some of the most creative and thought-provoking ideas in computer systems today and how they work out in practice. The 25 papers were shepherded by PC members to ensure that they are easy to read. We hope you will enjoy learning from these papers. Selecting 25 papers out of 131 submissions was difficult because so many of the submissions were of high quality. To make the selection process as fair and as consistent as possible the program committee employed a different process than used by previous SOSPs (but used successfully by other conferences such as SIGCOMM). The program committee consisted of 13 "heavy"-load and 13 "light"-load members. The heavy-load members reviewed about 34 submissions each and attended the face-to-face PC meeting in Cambridge, MA USA. The light-load members reviewed about 24 papers each and did not attend the PC meeting. In contrast, recent SOSPs used a small number of PC members (12-15) who read a large fraction of all submissions, sometimes assisted by external reviewers. SOSPs before that required all PC members to read all submissions. The goal of the new process was to resolve the tension between having high-quality, consistent reviews, a large number of submissions (it has been steadily growing over the years), and a productive face-to-face meeting. With more PC members the PC did not have to rely on external reviews, which can be inconsistent because the external reviewers see only a small sample of the submissions, yet the workload for the individual PC members was manageable, allowing thorough reviewing. By having a subset of the PC members meet in person, the PC was able to have in-depth discussion and reach consensus through discussion (rather than voting). The larger overall PC also allowed a broader group of people to participate in the decisions. Paper selection was a three round process, with multiple reviews by the PC generated in each round and with reviewers targeted by subject expertise. The first two rounds reduced the pool of considered papers by 50%. The 62 remaining papers produced another two reviews apiece and all 705 reviews were assessed in preparation for the PC meeting. At the PC meeting, the 62 papers were ranked by review scores for discussion order and each assigned a champion to summarize content and strengths and to lead the discussion on individual papers. The PC discussion for each paper followed until consensus was reached. Throughout the process anonymity was maintained and conflicts of interest precluded by removing authors or those with direct association with an author from the discussion. In the final selection, 3 papers were co-authored by heavy-load PC members, and 6 were co-authored by light-load PC members. Did the PC make good decisions? This question is probably best answered by you after reading the papers! It is interesting to note, however, that a shadow PC chaired and organized by Rebecca Isaacs (Microsoft Research, Cambridge, England) reviewed 101 of the 131 submissions (which included 18 of the 25 papers accepted by the real PC) and accepted 16 papers. Of the 18 papers accepted by the real PC, 9 were accepted by the shadow PC, 4 were discussed by the shadow PC, and 5 didn't make it to the discussion at the shadow PC meeting (the shadow PC discussed 40 submissions). An informal review suggests that the variations in decisions were partially due to the fact that the shadow PC's goals were different from the real PC's. The shadow PC's main goal was to educate participants about how a PC works, how to review papers, etc. and members volunteered to participate; the real PC members were carefully chosen to provide both depth and breadth across a wide range of topics. This difference in focus resulted in a few important modifications to the decision process: the shadow PC members produced 4 reviews per submission and saw fewer submissions, had less time to absorb the reviews before the meeting, and had less expertise in certain areas. A full report will be submitted to SIGOPS Operating Systems Review. A successful conference goes beyond the accepted papers, building and supporting its community. At SOSP this year, and in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the SYSTERS group, we have introduced two special programs. First, we recognize the importance of increasing the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in systems research. And to be successful, this participation has to reach to undergraduates and show them the excitement and interesting problems in systems. Toward this end, we established an additional scholarship opportunity, supported by industry contributors, that has supported these targeted groups to attend SOSP. Second, the participation by women works best when undergraduates and graduates are shown the way by women already participating in the field. For this, we created a special one-day workshop for women to develop this community as a prelude to the beginning of the SOSP conference. Support from our industry contributors and from NSF and CRA-W has been outstanding. Equally impressive has been the support from the organizing team and all who have made this possible. These initiatives have been embraced enthusiastically.

Infrared photodetachment of Ce-: Threshold spectroscopy and resonance structure

Abstract: The negative ion of cerium is investigated using tunable laser photodetachment threshold spectroscopy. The relative cross section for photodetachment from ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ is measured over the photon energy range $0.61--0.75\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ using a crossed laser-beam--ion-beam technique. The spectrum of neutral atom production reveals a photodetachment threshold at $0.65\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$, which is interpreted as the threshold for the ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ $(4f5{d}^{2}6{s}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{4}H_{7∕2})$ to Ce $(4f5d6{s}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}^{1}G_{4})$ ground-state to ground-state transition yielding the electron affinity of Ce to be 0.65(3) eV. At least five narrow peaks are observed in the cross section over the range $0.62--0.70\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ due to negative ion resonances, and their energies and widths are measured. The results are compared to other recent experimental and theoretical studies of ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$.

Construct Validity of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Self-Report of Personality: Evidence From Adolescents Referred to Residential Treatment

Abstract: The authors investigate the construct validity of the Behavior Assessment System for Children Self-Report of Personality (BASC-SRP; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1998). A sample of 970 adolescents (16-18 years) with histories of disruptive behavior problems and truancy complete the SRP; a subsample of 290 adolescents also completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (Butcher et al., 1992). Confirmatory factor analysis support a three-factor structure for the SRP. The Clinical Maladjustment and Personal Adjustment composites show adequate convergent, discriminant, and discriminative validity. Less evidence for the validity of the School Maladjustment composite is found. Results support the overall construct validity of the SRP with adolescents referred for behavior problems but suggest that the SRP composites and scales measure a wider range of psychopathology than their labels imply.

Content Analysis of Suicide Notes as a Test of the Motivational Component of the Existential-Constructivist Model of Suicide

Abstract: A sample of 40 suicide notes were analyzed for motivational content in relation to an existential-constructivist theory of suicide. Results generally supported the 4 theoretical categories of somatic, relational, spiritual, and psychological motivations, with 39 notes having content that could be classified according to the aforementioned categories. Psychological motivations were found to be the most prevalent, followed by relational, spiritual, and somatic concerns. Notes of completed suicides included more relational motivations than did those of suicide attempters, and older writers of notes showed more psychological and fewer spiritual motivations than did younger writers. Recommendations are offered for revising the theory to provide a stronger meaning-based understanding of suicidal behavior.

Scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory study of initial bilayer growth of Ag films on NiAl(110)

Abstract: Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies of the deposition of Ag on bcc NiAl(110) in the temperature range from 200 to 300 K reveal an initial bilayer growth mode. In this regime, which encompasses at least the first two levels of bilayer islands, the film appears to have an fcc Ag(110)-like structure. Selection of this structure reflects an almost perfect lateral match between the Ag(110) and NiAl(110) lattice constants. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis of supported Ag films with an ideal fcc(110) structure on NiAl(110) indicates that the bilayer growth mode is promoted by a quantum size effect. However, the system does not exhibit perfect Ag(110) film growth. STM analysis reveals that the tops of Ag islands are decorated by a ripple structure even in the initial levels of growth and also shows a deviation from Ag(110)-like bilayer growth to Ag(111)-like monolayer growth for thick films. DFT analysis is also applied to provide some insight into the observed deviations from perfect Ag(110) film structure.

'I don't eat meat' : Discourse on food among transnational Hindus

Abstract: Hindu transmigrants use discourse on diet as a way to maintain connections with India, as well as to construct Indian, Hindu and caste identities. In this article, I argue that such discourse on food is a meta-discourse that reframes the symbolic meaning of food in the transnational context. This article examines a transnational Hindu community's discourse on food, and pairs R.S. Khare's arguments about the communicative function of food in a South Asian context with transnational and performance theories, as well as with Arjun Appadurai's argument about the significance of imagination in creating lived realities. Through their narratives involving food, this community is actively engaged in shifting the meanings of what it eats to emphasise their connections with each other, and with India. Thus, a vegetarian diet and the use of ‘authentic’ Indian ingredients become the symbols of Indian identity through discourse, which is then solidified through the acts of cooking and eating. This article is based on ...

Shape resonances in the absolute K -shell photodetachment of B

Abstract: $K$-shell photodetachment of ${\mathrm{B}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ has been measured using the collinear photon-ion beamline at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as well as calculated using two separate $R$-matrix methods. The measurement of the absolute photodetachment cross section, as a function of photon energy, exhibits three near-threshold shape resonances due to the $^{3}S$, $^{3}P$, and $^{3}D$ final partial waves. A fit to the measured data using three resonance profiles shows good overall qualitative agreement with the three partial wave cross sections calculated using either $R$-matrix method. However, certain significant and unresolved quantitative discrepancies exist between the experimentally inferred and the calculated resonance profiles.

Depauperate parasite faunas in introduced populations of Podarcis (Squamata: Lacertidae) lizards in North America.

Abstract: We surveyed all four extant North America populations of introduced Podarcis (Podarcis muralis and Podarcis sicula) for helminths and hematozoans; both parasite groups infect these lizards in their native European habitats. We found only small numbers of helminths and no hematozoans. We conclude that either these two Podarcis species did not bring many parasites with them, appropriate intermediate hosts are lacking, or that these populations have not been in North America long enough for new parasite faunas to become established.

Open partial isometries and positivity in operator spaces

Abstract: We study positivity in C*-modules and operator spaces using open tripotents, and an ordered version of the `noncommutative Shilov boundary'. Because of their independent interest, we also systematically study open tripotents and their properties.

Ordered Involutive Operator Spaces

Abstract: This is a companion to recent papers of the authors; here we construct the ‘noncommutative Shilov boundary’ of a (possibly nonunital) selfadjoint ordered space of Hilbert space operators. The morphisms in the universal property of the boundary preserve order. As an application, we consider ‘maximal’ and ‘minimal’ unitizations of such ordered operator spaces.

Doing the Public's Business: Florida's Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers, 1959–1964

Abstract: A decade after Kinsey published his famous studies on sexuality, a special legislative committee in Florida targeted gay and lesbian teachers in an investigation that led to the dismissal and loss of credentials for scores of educators. The Florida purge of 1959–1964 remains without parallel in educational history in terms of its intensity and scope. This historical analysis traces the actions of the legislative committee, the State Department of Education, the Florida Education Association, and the Florida Supreme Court in pressing discrimination against gay and lesbian teachers into law as the locus of oppression shifted from a renegade legislative committee to a permanent state institution. Homosexuality is not an illness like chickenpox—you cannot see it by looking into another person's face …. The revocation of a teaching certificate is the public's business …. The presence of even one homosexual teacher in our schools is not to be tolerated. (Bailey 1961, 2–3)

‘Line of Wreckage’: Towards a Postindustrial Environmental Aesthetics

Abstract: Environmental aesthetics, largely because of its focus on ‘natural’ rather than artifactual environments, has ignored postindustrial sites. This article argues that this shortcoming stems from the nature–culture divide and that such sites ought to be considered by environmental aestheticians. Three forms of artistic engagement with postindustrial sites are explicated by looking at the work of Serra, Smithson, and others. It is argued that postindustrial art leads to a successively richer ability to see and thus think about such sites. Finally, a new category is proposed, the interesting, in order to capture the aesthetic experience of postindustrial landscape art that eludes current terminology.

Ordered involutive operator spaces

Abstract: This is a companion to recent papers of the authors; here we construct the `noncommutative Shilov boundary' of a (possibly nonunital) selfadjoint ordered space of Hilbert space operators. The morphisms in the universal property of the boundary preserve order. As an application, we consider `maximal' and `minimal' unitizations of such ordered operator spaces.