1,995 research outputs found
On the Geroch-Traschen class of metrics
We compare two approaches to semi-Riemannian metrics of low regularity. The maximally 'reasonable' distributional setting of Geroch and Traschen is shown to be consistently contained in the more general setting of nonlinear distributional geometry in the sense of Colombea
The Efficiency of Gravitational Bremsstrahlung Production in the Collision of Two Schwarzschild Black Holes
We examine the efficiency of gravitational bremsstrahlung production in the
process of head-on collision of two boosted Schwarzschild black holes. We
constructed initial data for the characteristic initial value problem in
Robinson-Trautman spacetimes, that represent two instantaneously stationary
Schwarzschild black holes in motion towards each other with the same velocity.
The Robinson-Trautman equation was integrated for these initial data using a
numerical code based on the Galerkin method. The final resulting configuration
is a boosted black hole with Bondi mass greater than the sum of the individual
mass of each initial black hole. Two relevant aspects of the process are
presented. The first relates the efficiency of the energy extraction
by gravitational wave emission to the mass of the final black hole. This
relation is fitted by a distribution function of non-extensive thermostatistics
with entropic parameter ; the result extends and validates
analysis based on the linearized theory of gravitational wave emission. The
second is a typical bremsstrahlung angular pattern in the early period of
emission at the wave zone, a consequence of the deceleration of the black holes
as they coalesce; this pattern evolves to a quadrupole form for later times.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Int. J. Modern Phys. D (2008
Curvature singularity of the distributional BTZ black hole geometry
For the non-rotating BTZ black hole, the distributional curvature tensor
field is found. It is shown to have singular parts proportional to a
-distribution with support at the origin. This singularity is related,
through Einstein field equations, to a point source. Coordinate invariance and
independence on the choice of differentiable structure of the results are
addressed.Comment: Latex, 7 page
The Ethnic 'Other' in Ukrainian History Textbooks: The Case of Russia and the Russians
This paper examines portrayals of Russia and the Russians in two generations of Ukrainian history textbooks. It observes that the textbooks are highly condemning of Ukraine's main ethnic other in the guise of foreign ruler: the tsarist authorities and the Soviet regime are always attributed dubious and malicious intentions even if there is appreciation for some of their policies. By contrast, the books, certainly those of the second generation, refrain from presenting highly biased accounts of the ethnic other as a national group (i.e. Russians). Instances where negative judgements do fall onto Russians are counterbalanced by excerpts criticizing ethnic Ukrainians or highlighting conflicting interests within the Ukrainian ethnic group. The negative appraisal of the ethnic other as foreign ruler is clearly instrumental for the nation-building project as it sustains a discourse legitimating the existence of Ukraine as independent state. However, recent trends in history education, the paper concludes, suggest that the importance of nurturing patriotism as a national policy objective is diminishing
Dynamical extensions for shell-crossing singularities
We derive global weak solutions of Einstein's equations for spherically
symmetric dust-filled space-times which admit shell-crossing singularities. In
the marginally bound case, the solutions are weak solutions of a conservation
law. In the non-marginally bound case, the equations are solved in a
generalized sense involving metric functions of bounded variation. The
solutions are not unique to the future of the shell-crossing singularity, which
is replaced by a shock wave in the present treatment; the metric is bounded but
not continuous.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur
Conservation and global distribution of non-canonical antigens in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
BACKGROUND: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause significant diarrheal morbidity and mortality in children of resource-limited regions, warranting development of effective vaccine strategies. Genetic diversity of the ETEC pathovar has impeded development of broadly protective vaccines centered on the classical canonical antigens, the colonization factors and heat-labile toxin. Two non-canonical ETEC antigens, the EtpA adhesin, and the EatA mucinase are immunogenic in humans and protective in animal models. To foster rational vaccine design that complements existing strategies, we examined the distribution and molecular conservation of these antigens in a diverse population of ETEC isolates.
METHODS: Geographically diverse ETEC isolates (n = 1159) were interrogated by PCR, immunoblotting, and/or whole genome sequencing (n = 46) to examine antigen conservation. The most divergent proteins were purified and their core functions assessed in vitro.
RESULTS: EatA and EtpA or their coding sequences were present in 57.0% and 51.5% of the ETEC isolates overall, respectively; and were globally dispersed without significant regional differences in antigen distribution. These antigens also exhibited \u3e93% amino acid sequence identity with even the most divergent proteins retaining the core adhesin and mucinase activity assigned to the prototype molecules.
CONCLUSIONS: EtpA and EatA are well-conserved molecules in the ETEC pathovar, suggesting that they serve important roles in virulence and that they could be exploited for rational vaccine design
Volterra Distortions, Spinning Strings, and Cosmic Defects
Cosmic strings, as topological spacetime defects, show striking resemblance
to defects in solid continua: distortions, which can be classified into
disclinations and dislocations, are line-like defects characterized by a delta
function-valued curvature and torsion distribution giving rise to rotational
and translational holonomy. We exploit this analogy and investigate how
distortions can be adapted in a systematic manner from solid state systems to
Einstein-Cartan gravity. As distortions are efficiently described within the
framework of a SO(3) {\rlap{\supset}\times}} T(3) gauge theory of solid
continua with line defects, we are led in a straightforward way to a Poincar\'e
gauge approach to gravity which is a natural framework for introducing the
notion of distorted spacetimes. Constructing all ten possible distorted
spacetimes, we recover, inter alia, the well-known exterior spacetime of a
spin-polarized cosmic string as a special case of such a geometry. In a second
step, we search for matter distributions which, in Einstein-Cartan gravity, act
as sources of distorted spacetimes. The resulting solutions, appropriately
matched to the distorted vacua, are cylindrically symmetric and are interpreted
as spin-polarized cosmic strings and cosmic dislocations.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, 9 eps figures; remarks on energy conditions added,
discussion extended, version to be published in Class. Quantum Gra
Deep-water macroalgae from the Canary Islands: new records and biogeographical relationships
Due to the geographical location and paleobiogeography of the Canary Islands, the
seaweed flora contains macroalgae with different distributional patterns. In this contribution, the biogeographical relations of several new records of deep-water macroalgae recently collected around the Canarian archipelago are discussed. These are Bryopsidella neglecta (Berthotd) Rietema,Discosporangium mesarthrocarpum (Meneghini) Hauck, Hincksia onslowensis (Amsler et Kapraun)P.C. Silva, Syringoderma floridana Henry, Peyssonnelia harveyana J. Agardh, Cryptonemia seminervis(C. Agardh) J. Agardh, Botryodadia wynnei Ballantine, Gloiocladia blomquistii (Searles) R. E.Norris, PIahchrysis peltata (W. R. Taylor) P. Huv4 et H. Huv4, Leptofauchea brasiliensis Joly, and Sarcodiotheca divaricata W. R. Taylor. These new records, especially those in the Florideophyceae,support the strong affinity of the Canary Islands seaweed flora with the warm-temperate Mediterranean-Atlantic region. Some species are recorded for the first time from the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, enhancing the biogeographic relations of the Canarian marine flora with that of the western Atlantic regions
Can processes make relationships work? The Triple Helix between structure and action
This contribution seeks to explore how complex adaptive theory can be applied at the conceptual level to unpack Triple Helix models. We use two cases to examine this issue â the Finnish Strategic Centres for Science, Technology & Innovation (SHOKs) and the Canadian Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE). Both types of centres are organisational structures that aspire to be business-led, with a considerable portion of their activities driven by (industrial) usersâ interests and requirements. Reflecting on the centresâ activities along three dimensions â knowledge generation, consensus building and innovation â we contend that conceptualising the Triple Helix from a process perspective will improve the dialogue between stakeholders and shareholders
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