We discuss a few examples in 2+1 dimensions and 1+1 dimensions supporting a recent conjecture concerning the relation between the Planck scale and the coupling strength of a non-gravitional interaction, unlike those examples in 3+1 dimensions, we do not have to resort to exotic physics such as small black holes. However, the result concerning these low dimensional examples is a direct consequence of the 3+1 dimensional conjecture.

We classify three fold isolated quotient Gorenstein singularity C^ 3/G . These singularities are rigid, ie there is no non-trivial deformation, and we conjecture that they define 4d C^ 3/G SCFTs which do not have a Coulomb branch.

We provide an explicit desingularization and study the resulting fiber geometry of elliptically fibered four-folds defined by Weierstrass models admitting a split ilde {A} _4 singularity over a divisor of the discriminant locus. Such varieties are used to geometrically engineer SU (5) grand unified theories in F-theory. The desingularization is given by a small resolution of singularities. The ilde {A} _4 fiber naturally appears after resolving the singularities in codimension-one in the base. The remaining higher codimension singularities are then beautifully described by a four-dimensional affine binomial variety which leads to six different small resolutions of the elliptically fibered four-fold. These six small resolutions define distinct four-folds connected to each other by a network of flop transitions forming a dihedral group. The location of these exotic fibers in the base is mapped to conifold points of the three-folds that defines the type IIB

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We impose constraints on the odd coordinates of super-Teichmüller space in the uniformization picture for the monodromies around Ramond punctures, thus reducing the overall odd dimension to be compatible with that of the moduli spaces of super Riemann surfaces. Namely, the monodromy of a puncture must be a true parabolic element of the canonical subgroup SL(2 , R) of OSp(1\2).