General Relativity, the Cosmological Constant and Modular Forms

Strong field (exact) solutions of the gravitational field equations of General Relativity in the presence of a Cosmological Constant are investigated. In particular, a full exact solution is derived within the inhomogeneous Szekeres-Szafron family of space-time line element with a nonzero Cosmological Constant. The resulting solution connects, in an intrinsic way, General Relativity with the theory of modular forms and elliptic curves. The homogeneous FLRW limit of the above space-time elements is recovered and we solve exactly the resulting Friedmann Robertson field equation with the appropriate matter density for generic values of the Cosmological Constant %Lambda and curvature constant K. A formal expression for the Hubble constant is derived. The cosmological implications of the resulting non-linear solutions are systematically investigated. Two particularly interesting solutions i) the case of a flat universe K=0, Lambda not= 0 and ii) a case with all three cosmological parameters non-zero, are described by elliptic curves with the property of complex multiplication and absolute modular invariant j=0 and 1728, respectively. The possibility that all non-linear solutions of General Relativity are expressed in terms of theta functions associated with Riemann-surfaces is discussed.Comment: LaTeX file, 34 pages plus 9 EPS figures, Accepted for Publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Interactions between KSHV ORF57 and the novel human TREX proteins, CHTOP and CIP29

The coupling of mRNA processing steps is essential for precise and efficient gene expression. The human transcription/export (hTREX) complex is a highly conserved multi-protein complex responsible for eukaryotic mRNA stability and nuclear export. We have previously shown that the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated ORF57 protein orchestrates the recruitment of the hTREX complex onto viral intronless mRNA forming a stable and export competent viral ribonucleoprotein particle (vRNP). Recently, additional cellular proteins, namely CHTOP, CIP29 and POLDIP3 have been proposed as novel hTREX components. Herein we extend our previous research and provide evidence that ORF57 interacts with CHTOP and CIP29, in contrast to POLDIP3. Moreover, depletion studies show both CHTOP and CIP29 effect ORF57-mediated viral mRNA processing. As such, these results suggest both CHTOP and CIP29 are hTREX components and are recruited to an ORF57-mediated vRNP

Loudly sing cuckoo : More-than-human seasonalities in Britain

This research was funded by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, grant number AH/E009573/1.Peer reviewedPostprin

A novel profiling concept leading to a significant increase in the mechanical performance of metal to composite joints

In this work, we designed metal-CFRP joints with a profiled adherend termination to improve the mechanical performance. We have applied several profiles to the edge of titanium adherends which were adhesively bonded to CFRP substrates. We conducted finite element modelling and experimental 4PB (4-Point-Bend) testing to investigate how the geometry of the adherend edge profile effects the mechanical performance of the joint. This work shows that profiling of the metal adherend can result in increases of at least 27% in the peak load, and of at least 272% in the energy dissipated up to critical failure normalised by the mechanical energy

Are autistic traits in the general population stable across development?

There is accumulating evidence that autistic traits (AT) are on a continuum in the general population, with clinical autism representing the extreme end of a quantitative distribution. While the nature and severity of symptoms in clinical autism are known to persist over time, no study has examined the long-term stability of AT among typically developing toddlers. The current investigation measured AT in 360 males and 400 males from the general population close to two decades apart, using the Pervasive Developmental Disorder subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist in early childhood (M = 2.14 years; SD = 0.15), and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient in early adulthood (M = 19.50 years; SD = 0.70). Items from each scale were further divided into social (difficulties with social interaction and communication) and non-social (restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests) AT. The association between child and adult measurements of AT as well the influence of potentially confounding sociodemographic, antenatal and obstetric variables were assessed using Pearson's correlations and linear regression. For males, Total AT in early childhood were positively correlated with total AT (r = .16, p = .002) and social AT (r = .16, p = .002) in adulthood. There was also a positive correlation for males between social AT measured in early childhood and Total (r = .17, p = .001) and social AT (r = .16, p = .002) measured in adulthood. Correlations for non-social AT did not achieve significance in males. Furthermore, there was no significant longitudinal association in AT observed for males or females. Despite the constraints of using different measures and different raters at the two ages, this study found modest developmental stability of social AT from early childhood to adulthood in boys

Outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Yersinia pestis in Afghanistan.

Plague, which is most often caused by the bite of Yersinia pestis-infected fleas, is a rapidly progressing, serious disease that can be fatal without prompt antibiotic treatment. In late December 2007, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred in Nimroz Province of southern Afghanistan. Of the 83 probable cases of illness, 17 died (case fatality 20·5%). Being a case was associated with consumption or handling of camel meat (adjusted odds ratio 4·4, 95% confidence interval 2·2-8·8, P<0·001). Molecular testing of patient clinical samples and of tissue from the camel using PCR/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry revealed DNA signatures consistent with Yersinia pestis. Confirmatory testing using real-time PCR and immunological seroconversion of one of the patients confirmed that the outbreak was caused by plague, with a rare gastrointestinal presentation. The study highlights the challenges of identifying infectious agents in low-resource settings; it is the first reported occurrence of plague in Afghanistan