91 research outputs found
Bianchi VIII Empty Futures
Using a qualitative analysis based on the Hamiltonian formalism and the
orthonormal frame representation we investigate whether the chaotic behaviour
which occurs close to the initial singularity is still present in the far
future of Bianchi VIII models. We describe some features of the vacuum Bianchi
VIII models at late times which might be relevant for studying the nature of
the future asymptote of the general vacuum inhomogeneous solution to the
Einstein field equations.Comment: 22 pages, no figures, Latex fil
Cosmological Co-evolution of Yang-Mills Fields and Perfect Fluids
We study the co-evolution of Yang-Mills fields and perfect fluids in Bianchi
type I universes. We investigate numerically the evolution of the universe and
the Yang-Mills fields during the radiation and dust eras of a universe that is
almost isotropic. The Yang-Mills field undergoes small amplitude chaotic
oscillations, which are also displayed by the expansion scale factors of the
universe. The results of the numerical simulations are interpreted analytically
and compared with past studies of the cosmological evolution of magnetic fields
in radiation and dust universes. We find that, whereas magnetic universes are
strongly constrained by the microwave background anisotropy, Yang-Mills
universes are principally constrained by primordial nucleosynthesis and the
bound is comparatively weak, and Omega_YM < 0.105 Omega_rad.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR
A simplified structure for the second order cosmological perturbation equations
Increasingly accurate observations of the cosmic microwave background and the
large scale distribution of galaxies necessitate the study of nonlinear
perturbations of Friedmann-Lemaitre cosmologies, whose equations are
notoriously complicated. In this paper we present a new derivation of the
governing equations for second order perturbations within the framework of the
metric-based approach that is minimal, as regards amount of calculation and
length of expressions, and flexible, as regards choice of gauge and
stress-energy tensor. Because of their generality and the simplicity of their
structure our equations provide a convenient starting point for determining the
behaviour of nonlinear perturbations of FL cosmologies with any given
stress-energy content, using either the Poisson gauge or the uniform curvature
gauge.Comment: 30 pages, no figures. Changed title to the one in published version
and some minor changes and addition
Dynamical systems approach to G2 cosmology
In this paper we present a new approach for studying the dynamics of
spatially inhomogeneous cosmological models with one spatial degree of freedom.
By introducing suitable scale-invariant dependent variables we write the
evolution equations of the Einstein field equations as a system of autonomous
partial differential equations in first-order symmetric hyperbolic format,
whose explicit form depends on the choice of gauge. As a first application, we
show that the asymptotic behaviour near the cosmological initial singularity
can be given a simple geometrical description in terms of the local past
attractor on the boundary of the scale-invariant dynamical state space. The
analysis suggests the name ``asymptotic silence'' to describe the evolution of
the gravitational field near the cosmological initial singularity.Comment: 28 pages, 3 tables, 1 *.eps figure, LaTeX2e (10pt), matches version
accepted for publication by Classical and Quantum Gravit
Structure and stability of the Lukash plane-wave spacetime
We study the vacuum, plane-wave Bianchi spacetimes described by
the Lukash metric. Combining covariant with orthonormal frame techniques, we
describe these models in terms of their irreducible kinematical and geometrical
quantities. This covariant description is used to study analytically the
response of the Lukash spacetime to linear perturbations. We find that the
stability of the vacuum solution depends crucially on the background shear
anisotropy. The stronger the deviation from the Hubble expansion, the more
likely the overall linear instability of the model. Our analysis addresses
rotational, shear and Weyl curvature perturbations and identifies conditions
sufficient for the linear growth of these distortions.Comment: Revised version, references added. To appear in Class. Quantum Gra
The Isotropy of Compact Universes
We discuss the problem of the stability of the isotropy of the universe in
the space of ever-expanding spatially homogeneous universes with a compact
spatial topology. The anisotropic modes which prevent isotropy being
asymptotically stable in Bianchi-type universes with non-compact
topologies are excluded by topological compactness. Bianchi type and type
universes with compact topologies must be exactly isotropic. In the
flat case we calculate the dynamical degrees of freedom of Bianchi-type and
universes with compact 3-spaces and show that type solutions
are more general than type solutions for systems with perfect fluid,
although the type models are more general than type in the vacuum
case. For particular topologies the 4-velocity of any perfect fluid is required
to be non-tilted. Various consequences for the problems of the isotropy,
homogeneity, and flatness of the universe are discussed.Comment: 22 pages in LaTeX2e with the amsmath packag
Is there chaos in string cosmology?
Bianchi type IX, 'Mixmaster' universes are investigated in
low-energy-effective-action string cosmology. We show that, unlike in general
relativity, there is no chaos in these string cosmologies for the case of the
tree-level action. The characteristic Mixmaster evolution through a series of
Kasner epochs is studied in detail. In the Einstein frame an infinite sequence
of chaotic oscillations of the scale factors on approach to the initial
singularity is impossible, as it was in general relativistic Mixmaster
universes in the presence of a massless scalar field.
A finite sequence of oscillations of the scale factors described by
approximate Kasner metrics is possible, but it always ceases when all expansion
rates become positive. In the string frame the evolution through Kasner epochs
changes to a new form which reflects the duality symmetry of the theory. Again,
we show that chaotic oscillations must end after a finite time. The need for
duality symmetry appears to be incompatible with the presence of chaotic
behaviour as . We also obtain our results using the Hamiltonian
qualitative cosmological picture for Mixmaster models. We also prove that a
time-independent pseudoscalar axion field is not admitted by the Bianchi IX
geometry.Comment: 49 pages, Revtex 3.0, 4 postscript figures, typos in references
corrected, one reference adde
Schools, families, and social reproduction
Neoliberal educational discourse across the Global North is marked by an increasing homogeneity, but this masks significant socio-spatial differences in the enactment of policy. The authors focus on four facets of roll-out neoliberalism in English education policy that have expanded the function of primary schools, and redrawn the boundary between state and family responsibilities. Specifically, these are increased state support for: (1) working parenthood through provision of wraparound childcare; (2) parent-child relationships through school-led provision of parenting classes; (3) parental involvement in children’s learning; and (4) child development through schools’ fostering of extracurricular activities. The politics of policies that both enhance state responsibility for, and influence in, matters that were previously within the purview of families are complex. The collective impact of these developments has been both to reform how the work of daily and generational social reproduction is done, and to reshape the social reproduction of a classed and gendered society
Theorems on existence and global dynamics for the Einstein equations
This article is a guide to theorems on existence and global dynamics of
solutions of the Einstein equations. It draws attention to open questions in
the field. The local-in-time Cauchy problem, which is relatively well
understood, is surveyed. Global results for solutions with various types of
symmetry are discussed. A selection of results from Newtonian theory and
special relativity that offer useful comparisons is presented. Treatments of
global results in the case of small data and results on constructing spacetimes
with prescribed singularity structure or late-time asymptotics are given. A
conjectural picture of the asymptotic behaviour of general cosmological
solutions of the Einstein equations is built up. Some miscellaneous topics
connected with the main theme are collected in a separate section.Comment: Submitted to Living Reviews in Relativity, major update of Living
Rev. Rel. 5 (2002)
Proteomic Analysis of Fractionated Toxoplasma Oocysts Reveals Clues to Their Environmental Resistance
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that is unique in its ability to infect a broad range of birds and mammals, including humans, leading to an extremely high worldwide prevalence and distribution. This work focuses on the environmentally resistant oocyst, which is the product of sexual replication in felids and an important source of human infection. Due to the difficulty in producing and working with oocysts, relatively little is known about how this stage is able to resist extreme environmental stresses and how they initiate a new infection, once ingested. To fill this gap, the proteome of the wall and sporocyst/sporozoite fractions of mature, sporulated oocysts were characterized using one-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by LC-MS/MS on trypsin-digested peptides. A combined total of 1021 non-redundant T. gondii proteins were identified in the sporocyst/sporozoite fraction and 226 were identified in the oocyst wall fraction. Significantly, 172 of the identified proteins have not previously been identified in Toxoplasma proteomic studies. Among these are several of interest for their likely role in conferring environmental resistance including a family of small, tyrosine-rich proteins present in the oocyst wall fractions and late embryogenesis abundant domain-containing (LEA) proteins in the cytosolic fractions. The latter are known from other systems to be key to enabling survival against desiccation
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