Gravitational Radiation in the Limit of High Frequency

This dissertation deals with a technique for obtaining approximate radiative solutions to the Einstein equations of general relativity in situations where the gravitational fields of interest are quite strong. In the first chapter, we review the history of the problem and discuss previous work along related lines. In the second chapter, we assume the radiation to be of high frequency and expand the field equations in powers of the small wavelength this supplies. This assumption provides an approximation scheme valid for all orders of 1/r, for arbitrary velocities up to that of light, and for arbitrary intensities of the gravitational field. To lowest order we obtain a gauge invariant linear wave equation for gravitational radiation, which is a covariant generalization of that for massless spin-two fields in flat space, This wave equation is then solved by the W.K.B. approximation to show that gravitational waves travel on null geodesics with amplitude and frequency modified by gravitational fields in exactly the same way as are those of light waves, and with their polarization parallel transported along the geodesics, again as is the case for light. The metric containing high frequency gravitational waves is shown to be type N to lowest order, and some limits to the methods used are discussed. In the third chapter we go beyond the linear terms in the high frequency expansion, and consider the lowest order non-linear terms. They are shown to provide a natural, gauge invariant, averaged effective stress tensor for the energy localized in the high frequency radiation. By assuming the W.K.B. form for the field, this tensor is found to have the same structure as that for an electromagnetic null field. A Poynting vector is used to investigate the flow of energy and momentum in the gravitational wave field, and it is seen that high frequency waves propagate along null hypersurfaces and are not backscattered off by the curvature of space. Expressions for the total energy and momentum carried by the field to flat null infinity are given in terms of coordinate independent integrals valid within regions of strong field strength. The formalism is applied to the case of spherical gravitational waves where a news function is obtained, and where the source is found to lose exactly the energy and momentum contained in the radiation field

A web-based Alcohol Clinical Training (ACT) curriculum: Is in-person faculty development necessary to affect teaching?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physicians receive little education about unhealthy alcohol use and as a result patients often do not receive efficacious interventions. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether a free web-based alcohol curriculum would be used by physician educators and whether in-person faculty development would increase its use, confidence in teaching and teaching itself.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were physician educators who applied to attend a workshop on the use of a web-based curriculum about alcohol screening and brief intervention and cross-cultural efficacy. All physicians were provided the curriculum web address. Intervention subjects attended a 3-hour workshop including demonstration of the website, modeling of teaching, and development of a plan for using the curriculum. All subjects completed a survey prior to and 3 months after the workshop.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 20 intervention and 13 control subjects, 19 (95%) and 10 (77%), respectively, completed follow-up. Compared to controls, intervention subjects had greater increases in confidence in teaching alcohol screening, and in the frequency of two teaching practices – teaching about screening and eliciting patient health beliefs. Teaching confidence and teaching practices improved significantly in 9 of 10 comparisons for intervention, and in 0 comparisons for control subjects. At follow-up 79% of intervention but only 50% of control subjects reported using any part of the curriculum (p = 0.20).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In-person training for physician educators on the use of a web-based alcohol curriculum can increase teaching confidence and practices. Although the web is frequently used for disemination, in-person training may be preferable to effect widespread teaching of clinical skills like alcohol screening and brief intervention.</p

Protein regulation of Carotenoid binding : Gatekeeper and locking amino acid residues in reaction centres of rhodobacter sphaeroides

X-ray diffraction was used to determine high-resolution structures of the reaction center (RC) complex from the carotenoidless mutant, Rb. sphaeroides R-26.1, without or reconstituted with carotenoids. The results are compared with the structure of the RC from a semiaerobically grown Rb. sphaeroides strain 2.4.1. The investigation reveals the structure of the carotenoid in the different protein preparations, the nature of its binding site, and a plausible mechanism by which the carotenoid is incorporated unidirectionally in its characteristic geometric configuration. The structural data suggest that the accessibility of the carotenoid to the binding site is controlled by a specific “gatekeeper” residue which allows the carotenoid to approach the binding site from only one direction. Carotenoid binding to the protein is secured by hydrogen bonding to a separate “locking” amino acid. The study reveals the specific molecular interactions that control how the carotenoid protects the photosynthetic apparatus against photo-induced oxidative destruction