Variable Speed of Light Cosmology and Bimetric Gravity: An Alternative to Standard Inflation

A scalar-tensor bimetric gravity model of early universe cosmology is reviewed. The metric frame with a variable speed of light (VSL) and a constant speed of gravitational waves is used to describe a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. The Friedmann equations are solved for a radiation dominated equation of state and the power spectrum is predicted to be scale invariant with a scalar mode spectral index $n_s=0.97$. The scalar modes are born in a ground state superhorizon and the fluctuation modes are causally connected by the VSL mechanism. The cosmological constant is equated to zero and there is no significant dependence on the scalar field potential energy. A possible way of distinguishing the metric gravity model from standard inflationary models is discussed.Comment: 10 pages. Latex file. No figures. Talk given at the Coral Gables Conference on High Energy Physics and Cosmology, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, December 17-21, 2003. Typos corrected. Reference adde

Endogenous musculoskeletal tissue engineering - a focused perspective

Two major difficulties facing widespread clinical implementation of existing Tissue Engineering (TE) strategies for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders are (1) the cost, space and time required for ex vivo culture of a patient’s autologous cells prior to re-implantation as part of a TE construct, and (2) the potential risks and availability constraints associated with transplanting exogenous (foreign) cells. These hurdles have led to recent interest in endogenous TE strategies, in which the regenerative potential of a patient’s own cells is harnessed to promote tissue regrowth without ex vivo cell culture. This article provides a focused perspective on key issues in the development of endogenous TE strategies, progress to date, and suggested future research directions toward endogenous repair and regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues and organs

Living the multicultural city: acceptance, belonging and young identities in the city of Leicester, England

Drawing upon research conducted with young people in the city of Leicester, England, this paper explores what it means for those from black and minority ethnic communities, particularly more recent arrivals, to live within and adapt to specific multicultural urban contexts. After introducing prevailing racisms and accommodations, the paper examines how forms of belonging are expressed, re-produced and negotiated through the spatial trajectories of everyday life. This includes the value of emerging versions of place through community, religious practice as a form of social capital, the importance of routine, and the construction of multifaceted identities. Such experiences relate to contingent hierarchies of acceptance and legitimacy, histories of settlement, economic marginalization, as well as gendered and generational roles. These young people negotiate everyday life and belonging by retaining, extending and forging local and trans-national ties; highlighting the relationship between sociospatial positions, everyday practice and identity formation

Working on: choice or necessity?

The research focus is on personal and other factors that pre-dispose, motivate and enable people to have longer working lives, drawing on both primary research and secondary sources. After a statistical overview of the European situation, most of the data used is from the United Kingdom, where substantial research has been carried out. Unless otherwise stated, research data are British. Surveys have shown a range of predictive factors, and that financial necessity and job satisfaction are two of the most important reasons for working after normal retirement age. These are illustrated by selected biographies drawn from two research projects, followed by an analysis of enabling factors, including qualifications, the availability of jobs, attitudes and policies of employers, health, government policy and vocational guidance and mentoring. The paper concludes that working after retirement age ought to be a matter of individual choice

Preliminary studies of the time-dependent shear and uniaxial tensile behaviour of oriented polymers

Summary The work reported in this memo is the initial stages of an investigation of the time-dependent behaviour of certain anisotropic polymers. In the first instance low density polyethylene with a transversely isotropic symmetry is being examined. Different degrees of anisotropy have been induced by cold drawing and the time dependent material parameters necessary to describe the stiffness of the anisotropic polyethylene have been determined. This involved the measurement of uniaxial tensile creep: lateral contraction creep, and torsional creep under conditions of constant load at 20°C ± 0.5°C. The tensile creep and contraction creep apparatus has been described elsewhere (Darlington (a) 1968) and only the principle of the apparatus is discussed here. The torsional creep apparatus is described in detail. Analysis of the experimental data is not yet complete. The data is tabulated in section 5 and a preliminary analysis is presented in section G. Details of proposed future work are discussed in section 7