522 research outputs found
Asymptotic dynamics of the exceptional Bianchi cosmologies
In this paper we give, for the first time, a qualitative description of the
asymptotic dynamics of a class of non-tilted spatially homogeneous (SH)
cosmologies, the so-called exceptional Bianchi cosmologies, which are of
Bianchi type VI. This class is of interest for two reasons. Firstly,
it is generic within the class of non-tilted SH cosmologies, being of the same
generality as the models of Bianchi types VIII and IX. Secondly, it is the SH
limit of a generic class of spatially inhomogeneous cosmologies.
Using the orthonormal frame formalism and Hubble-normalized variables, we
show that the exceptional Bianchi cosmologies differ from the non-exceptional
Bianchi cosmologies of type VI in two significant ways. Firstly, the
models exhibit an oscillatory approach to the initial singularity and hence are
not asymptotically self-similar. Secondly, at late times, although the models
are asymptotically self-similar, the future attractor for the vacuum-dominated
models is the so-called Robinson-Trautman SH model instead of the vacuum SH
plane wave models.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Class. Quantum Gra
The effects of passing speed distribution on rail corrugation growth rate
The transportation phenomenon known as wear-type rail corrugation is a significant problem in railway engineering, which manifests as a periodic wear pattern developing on the surface of the wheel and rail with use. Some field studies and recent theoretical results by the current authors have suggested that uniformity in pass speed causes an increase in corrugation growth rate. This paper presents the predicted change in corrugation growth rate and dominant wavelengths with change in passing speed distribution, based on state of the art cornering growth modelling techniques
Future asymptotic expansions of Bianchi VIII vacuum metrics
Bianchi VIII vacuum solutions to Einstein's equations are causally
geodesically complete to the future, given an appropriate time orientation, and
the objective of this article is to analyze the asymptotic behaviour of
solutions in this time direction. For the Bianchi class A spacetimes, there is
a formulation of the field equations that was presented in an article by
Wainwright and Hsu, and in a previous article we analyzed the asymptotic
behaviour of solutions in these variables. One objective of this paper is to
give an asymptotic expansion for the metric. Furthermore, we relate this
expansion to the topology of the compactified spatial hypersurfaces of
homogeneity. The compactified spatial hypersurfaces have the topology of
Seifert fibred spaces and we prove that in the case of NUT Bianchi VIII
spacetimes, the length of a circle fibre converges to a positive constant but
that in the case of general Bianchi VIII solutions, the length tends to
infinity at a rate we determine.Comment: 50 pages, no figures. Erronous definition of Seifert fibred spaces
correcte
A novel alphaherpesvirus and concurrent respiratory cryptococcosis in a captive koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
A novel alphaherpesvirus was detected in a captive adult, lactating, female koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) admitted to James Cook University Veterinary Emergency Teaching & Clinical Hospital in March 2019, showing signs of anorexia and severe respiratory disease. Postmortem examination revealed gross pathology indicative of pneumonia. Histopathology demonstrated a chronic interstitial pneumonia, multifocal necrotising adrenalitis and hepatitis. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were detected by light microscopy in the respiratory epithelium of the bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and hepatocytes, biliary epithelium and adrenal gland associated with foci of necrosis. Cryptococcus gattii was isolated from fresh lung on necropsy, positively identified by PCR, and detected histologically by light microscopy, only in the lung tissue. A universal viral family-level PCR indicated that the virus was a member of the Herpesviruses. Sequence analysis in comparison to other known and published herpesviruses, indicated the virus was a novel alphaherpesvirus, with 97% nucleotide identity to macropodid alphaherpesvirus 1. We provisionally name the novel virus phascolarctid alphaherpesvirus 3 (PhaHV-3). Further research is needed to determine the distribution of this novel alphaherpesvirus in koala populations and establish associations with disease in this host species
Future geodesic completeness of some spatially homogeneous solutions of the vacuum Einstein equations in higher dimensions
It is known that all spatially homogeneous solutions of the vacuum Einstein
equations in four dimensions which exist for an infinite proper time towards
the future are future geodesically complete. This paper investigates whether
the analogous statement holds in higher dimensions. A positive answer to this
question is obtained for a large class of models which can be studied with the
help of Kaluza-Klein reduction to solutions of the Einstein-scalar field
equations in four dimensions. The proof of this result makes use of a criterion
for geodesic completeness which is applicable to more general spatially
homogeneous models.Comment: 18 page
Arboviral disease outbreaks in the Pacific Islands countries and areas, 2014 to 2020: a systematic literature and document review
Arthropod-borne diseases pose a significant public health threat, accounting for greater than 17% of infectious disease cases and 1 million deaths annually. Across Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs), outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are increasing in frequency and scale. Data about arbovirus outbreaks are incomplete, with reports sporadic, delayed, and often based solely on syndromic surveillance. We undertook a systematic review of published and grey literature and contacted relevant regional authorities to collect information about arboviral activity affecting PICs between October 2014 and June 2020. Our literature search identified 1176 unique peer-reviewed articles that were reduced to 25 relevant publications when screened. Our grey literature search identified 873 sources. Collectively, these data reported 104 unique outbreaks, including 72 dengue outbreaks affecting 19 (out of 22) PICs, 14 chikungunya outbreaks affecting 11 PICs, and 18 Zika outbreaks affecting 14 PICs. Our review is the most complete account of arboviral outbreaks to affect PICs since comparable work was published in 2014. It highlights the continued elevated level of arboviral activity across the Pacific and inconsistencies in how information about outbreaks is reported and recorded. It demonstrates the importance of a One-Health approach and the role that improved communication and reporting between different governments and sectors play in understanding the emergence, circulation, and transboundary risks posed by arboviral diseases
Equivalence problem for the orthogonal webs on the sphere
We solve the equivalence problem for the orthogonally separable webs on the
three-sphere under the action of the isometry group. This continues a classical
project initiated by Olevsky in which he solved the corresponding canonical
forms problem. The solution to the equivalence problem together with the
results by Olevsky forms a complete solution to the problem of orthogonal
separation of variables to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation defined on the
three-sphere via orthogonal separation of variables. It is based on invariant
properties of the characteristic Killing two-tensors in addition to properties
of the corresponding algebraic curvature tensor and the associated Ricci
tensor. The result is illustrated by a non-trivial application to a natural
Hamiltonian defined on the three-sphere.Comment: 32 page
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