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Overture: Journal of International Affairs
No full textFull issue of Overture: Journal of International Affairs vol. 2. Editors-in-Chief: Keerthi Martyn \u2722 & Ravi Joshi-Wander \u2722. Faculty Advisory: Kimberly Flowers. Sponsored by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs
Q&AI: Provost Margaret McFadden discusses the new Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence and how the liberal arts can shape the future of AI
Get PDFFollowing the announcement in January of a $30-million gift from the Davis family and trustee of its charitable foundation Andrew Davis ’85, LL.D. ’15 to establish the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the first of its kind at a liberal arts college, Provost and Dean of Faculty Margaret McFadden sat down with Colby Magazine’s Laura Meader to better explain the institute and its developing academic program
Gravity as a Gauge Theory in the Poincare Group
No full textGravity is explored as a gauge theory in the Poincare group. Vierbein formalism is used and torsion is included in the theory to incorporate fermions into the theory of general relativity. Specifically, spontaneous and explicit breaking of the translation symmetry is studied in a simple model in flat spacetime. The associated Nambu- Goldstone modes are explored. Then in a general model with gravity in Riemann- Cartan spacetime, Noether’s identities from Lorentz invariance and diffeomorphism invariance are compared with Noether’s identites from the Poincare invariance. We find that the Poincare transformation gives exactly the same Noether’s identities as those from using Lorentz invariance and diffeomorphism invariance. This shows that gravity can be described as a gauge theory in the Poincare group
The Bittersweet Tooth: Understanding French Identity Through the Colonial Empire, Commodity Fetishism, and Pâtisserie
No full textThis thesis argues that patisserie and the French relationship with dessert are a part of national identity. The historical context of patisserie runs parallel to the growth and power of the French colonial empire. Patisserie feels removed from the empire, and yet the two show how gastronomy, luxury, and exploitative power in the form of empire are components of French history and identity. Marx’s theory on commodity fetishism serves as the backbone for this argument. This theoretical idea supposes that value is an objective concept and society attributes importance and perceived meaning. Patisserie exemplifies commodity fetishism as a good with high social value that receives reverence without question, despite the exploitation needed to create it, as represented by the history of the French colonies, specifically with sugar in Haiti, vanilla in Madagascar, and cacao in Cote d\u27Ivoire. French society has attributed the power to sweetness, in the form of colonial exports and in dessert itself. This value enhances French reliance on empire, reinforces the importance of gastronomy in culture, and reveals the relationship between value and luxury. Creating an industry in patisserie of the ultimate dessert explains the quest for sweetness beyond borders. This history reveals a concluding idea about the role of sweetness within French identity and how it can explain the power of patisserie and gastronomy, the exploitative pursuit of empire, and the significant national value of luxury
‘The Making of Mountains:\u27 The Development of Chair-Lift Technology in the American Skiing Industry
No full textSkiing is a sport that is entirely reliant on its setting and the elements that occur around it. This paper takes a science, technology, and society approach to one of the few human controls in the sport, chair lifts. By examining the skiing and chair lift industries, lift technology and their role on a mountain, this paper aims to build a foundational understanding of the overall value of a chair lift in the American skiing scene. With knowledge collected from critical analysis, interviews, maps, and firsthand experiences, the dialogue is rooted in a strong understanding of the role that the development of this technology has on the sport. With new technology and improvement of carriers, skiers are now able to move up mountains at unprecedented speeds while avoiding the elements. By engaging in a case study approach of Big Sky, Jackson Hole, and Snowbird, the paper takes the foundation of knowledge and applies it to ski resorts and their lift networks. The paper finds that a resort’s business model, current lift system, location, and culture on the mountain are key factors in determining the development of lifts. Using those cases, a modern case is examined; the Little Cottonwood Canyon is located due east from Salt Lake City and accesses two of the world’s premier resorts, Alta and Snowbird. With the ongoing debate about a potential gondola in the Canyon, this paper provides context to both sides of the argument within the framework of the development of chair lift technology
Science and Sadness: Critiques On How We Handle Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
No full textIn our society, an individual’s worth is tied to the state of their cognitive function which affects the discourse about neurodegenerative illnesses, causing it to mostly fall under two branches: “The Dread” and “Science as the Holy Grail”. “The Dread” addresses how Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other dementias are typically perceived as devastating illnesses to be feared. “Science as the Holy Grail” represents the hope and faith that is invested into potential technoscientific developments without the guarantee of any consequential results. Limiting the narrative to these two categories negatively impacts the quality of life (QOL) of AD patients, caregivers, and families. Disciplines such as music, art, and literature, are not traditionally consulted as ways of helping AD patients and caregivers. The majority of resources available for AD and dementia are designated to support scientific studies and research projects that anticipate the development of solutions in the future. Putting monetary and labor resources into science has been disappointing so far. It is unlikely that the humanities will find the cure for dementia but investing time and energy into alternative approaches could yield some real time solutions directed towards improving QOL for AD and dementia patients and caregivers. Through analysis of a graphic novel and an artist’s self portraits, I honed in on some of the ways that people affected by AD and dementia could really benefit from what the humanities has to offer and to showcase what different humanities-based therapies have already been able to achieve for dementia patients
Three Waves: The United States Opioid Crisis
No full textThe past two and a half decades have witnessed widespread suffering, addiction, and death at the hands of the opioid crisis. This paper analyzes the crisis through a series of time periods, broken down into “waves.” Drawing upon primary material in relation to OxyContin advertisements in the 1990’s, this research takes aim at the origin of widespread opioid abuse disorder. By building upon analysis done on the Sackler Family, Purdue Pharma, heroin abuse, fentanyl overdoses, the COVID-19 pandemic and opioids and addiction in modern pop culture, this thesis shows how despite constant change in public policy, the opioid crisis continues to worsen year over year
Dynamic Double Auctions: An Analysis of Secondary Sneaker Market and its Future as an NFT Marketplace
No full textA theoretical analysis of a dynamic double auction over time shows that greater market density can result in more aggressive trading strategies from buyers and sellers. In addition, my model suggests a fast price discovery period initially, with impatient investors having a more aggressive approach. I confirm these results using resale sneaker data from the StockX website for five deadstock sneakers. I find that market density is positively correlated with bid prices, and the bid-ask spread decreases over time during the price discovery period. However, the results also indicate that sellers price in additional transaction costs and lags in their asking prices. This leads them to increase their ask prices even with more sellers in the market. Hence, an NFT marketplace can improve efficiency and welfare significantly by introducing a faster and cheaper trading experience. The dynamic double auction model fits well in the contents of the NFT marketplace
Double Trouble: The Development and Use of a Novel Spatial Memory Task to Study Depression in a Female Rodent Model
No full textPreclinical rodent models of depression are important for improving our understanding of the behavioral and neurobiological implications of the disorder. However, the current behavioral assays used to assess depressive symptoms in rodents have substantial shortcomings; they are basic, test animals individually, and do not evaluate animals for extended periods. The primary goals of the present study, which was divided into two experiments, were to develop a novel task that could be used to study spatial memory and to apply the task to rodent models of depression. Both experiments used a circular arena with 10 identical jars to analyze the spatial navigation abilities of rats. To target the intersection between social and cognitive changes that result from depression, the location of a food reward in the arena was signaled to the rats by a social cue. Unlike a traditional conditional discrimination task, the identity of a conspecific rat served as the context which indicated where an animal should navigate, and rats performed the task in pairs. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that rats were able to use a social context to determine the location of the food reward. Moreover, rats performed better in the task when they were paired with their cagemate compared to when they were paired with a different rat. In Experiment 2, the task was applied to corticosterone models of depression. We found that performance on the task may have been impaired by exposure to high levels of corticosterone. Thus, the present thesis contributes to our understanding of the corticosterone model of depression and extends upon the current behavioral assessments used to study depression in rodents