1,103 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
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Accommodation and vergence response gains to different near cues characterize specific esotropias
Aim. To describe preliminary findings of how the profile of the use of blur, disparity and proximal cues varies between non-strabismic groups and those with different types of esotropia.
Design. Case control study
Methodology. A remote haploscopic photorefractor measured simultaneous convergence and accommodation to a range of targets containing all combinations of binocular disparity, blur and proximal (looming) cues. 13 constant esotropes, 16 fully accommodative esotropes, and 8 convergence excess esotropes were compared with age and refractive error matched controls, and 27 young adult emmetropic controls. All wore full refractive correction if not emmetropic. Response AC/A and CA/C ratios were also assessed.
Results. Cue use differed between the groups. Even esotropes with constant suppression and no binocular vision (BV) responded to disparity in cues. The constant esotropes with weak BV showed trends for more stable responses and better vergence and accommodation than those without any BV. The accommodative esotropes made less use of disparity cues to drive accommodation (p=0.04) and more use of blur to drive vergence (p=0.008) than controls. All esotropic groups failed to show the strong bias for better responses to disparity cues found in the controls, with convergence excess esotropes favoring blur cues. AC/A and CA/C ratios existed in an inverse relationship in the different groups. Accommodative lag of >1.0D at 33cm was common (46%) in the pooled esotropia groups compared with 11% in typical children (p=0.05).
Conclusion. Esotropic children use near cues differently from matched non-esotropic children in ways characteristic to their deviations. Relatively higher weighting for blur cues was found in accommodative esotropia compared to matched controls
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
Investigating whether adverse prenatal and perinatal events are associated with non-clinical psychotic symptoms at age 12 years in the ALSPAC birth cohort
Background. Non-clinical psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) occur in about 15% of the population. It is not clear
whether adverse events during early development alter the risk of developing PLIKS. We aimed to examine whether
maternal infection, diabetes or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, gestational age, perinatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation
or 5-min Apgar score were associated with development of psychotic symptoms during early adolescence.
Method. A longitudinal study of 6356 12-year-old adolescents who completed a semi-structured interview for
psychotic symptoms in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort. Prenatal and
perinatal data were obtained from obstetric records and maternal questionnaires completed during pregnancy.
Results. The presence of definite psychotic symptoms was associated with maternal infection during pregnancy
[adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.86, p=0.006], maternal diabetes (adjusted OR 3.43,
95% CI 1.14–10.36, p=0.029), need for resuscitation (adjusted OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.97–2.31, p=0.065) and 5-min Apgar
score (adjusted OR per unit decrease 1.30, 95% CI 1.12–1.50, p<0.001). None of these associations were mediated by
childhood IQ score. Most associations persisted, but were less strong, when including suspected symptoms as part of
the outcome. There was no association between PLIKS and gestational age or pre-eclampsia.
Conclusions. Adverse events during early development may lead to an increased risk of developing PLIKS.
Although the status of PLIKS in relation to clinical disorders such as schizophrenia is not clear, the similarity
between these results and findings reported for schizophrenia indicates that future studies of PLIKS may help us to
understand how psychotic experiences and clinical disorders develop throughout the life-course
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