progressin the globalsearch forgravitationalwaves. ThethreeLIG O interferom etershavebeen carryingoutnearly continuousobservationsattheir design sensitivity for the 5th Science Run (S5),joined for substantialperiods by the G EO 600 interferom eter. S5s goalof one years worth ofcoincident data willsoon be achieved. discussions were held between the LIG O Laboratory and the LIG O Scienti(cid:12)c Collaboration (which includes the m em bers of G EO ) and V irgo and EG O (the European G ravitationalO bservatory which operatestheV irgo interferom eter)on arrangem entsforjoint observing and data analysis.Thosediscussionscam eto a successfulconclusion,asm arked by two eventsin 2007:thesigning ofa M em orandum ofU nderstanding laying outtheagreem ent to observe and analyze data together,and then,on M ay 18,2007,the startofthe (cid:12)rstV irgo Science Run (V SR1)in coordination with LIG O sS5. Theagreem entservesasa m odelforglobalnetwork analysisofdata from allgravitational wave detectors, as they com e on line. The basic structure is not a m erger, but instead a com m itm ent from independent projects to work together on both the operation oftheir on data analysis.The collaboration on data analysisisespecially close.Except for closing out ofpapers on pre-agreem ent observations,allanalysis willbe carried out by jointteam s,and willbe published in papers bearing the nam es ofthe m em bers ofallofthe projects. energy is a surprisingly di(cid:14)cult problem in generalrelativity. Forinstance,the energy density ofthe gravitational(cid:12)eld ofa planetata particularpointcould be determ ined by a com oving observer m easuring the kinetic energy ofa freely falling object. D ue to the equivalence principle,both the object and the observer fallat equalrates. Therefore, the observer would notassign any energy to the object. O therobservers like an observer who is at rest with respect to the planet would m easure di(cid:11)erent values. This raises the question ofhow energy depends on the choice ofan observer which violates the philosophy ofgeneral relativity whose tensorialequationsare independent ofthe used reference system In ics the stress-energy tensor is a m easure ofthe energy and m om entum the electrom agnetic due to a source distribution . A sim ilar in generalrelativity so-called Bel-Robinson T which can be thoughtofasbeing induced by a stress-energy tensor T (cid:22)(cid:23) .Itsphysicalm eaning however rem ainsunknown itdoesnoteven have unitsofenergy density.Thisisa con-sequence ofthe equivalence principle which equates the gravitationalm ass (the "charge" of gravity)with theinertialm ass.Thesourceterm ,i.e. (cid:22) in electrodynam icsand T (cid:22)(cid:23) in relativity,doesnotcontain the energy ofthegravitational(cid:12)eld.H owever,since the equations ofgeneralrelativity The interest in cosm ic string (CS) research has seen a renewalrecently when it was ob-served thatfundam ental(super)stringscould actasactualtopologicaldefects,although with possibly rather di(cid:11)erent properties. It was even said,obviously in an excess ofenthusiasm , thatthe observation ofa single cosm ic string in the sky would be \a proof" ofthe existence ofsuperstring theory! This article should perhaps begin with a disclaim er: when we talk about‘m ountains’on neutron stars we speak not ofprecipitous projections from the surface,but rather oflarge scalem assasym m etries.O verthelastdecadea seriesofpapershasappeared in theliterature attem pting to calculatejusthow largesuch m ountainsm ightbe.Thereisa strong m otivation behind this:In a spinning starsuch asym m etriesdirectly source gravitationalwave em ission, and with theLIG O and G EO 600detectorsup and running,and V IRG O closebehind,accurate m odeling ofthis class ofpotentialsource is vital. A s em phasized recently by O wen (2005), having estim ates ofpossible m ountain sizes enables us to assess the signi(cid:12)cance not just of gravitationalwave detectionsbut(currently m ore usefully!) of upper bounds ,telling uswhen the physics atleastwould perm ita detection. on G eneralRelativity and G ravitation and the G ravitationalW aves O on theSydney Convention and Exhibition Centeratspectacular D arling H arbour. There were 15 plenary talks and 55 parallelsessions. A typicalday had one \A m aldi" and two \G R" plenary talksand there were (cid:12)ve \G R" and only one \A m aldi" parallelsessions in the afternoon. The form atwas a bitofa departure from the tradition of A m aldis,where in the pastthere wasno division between plenariesand parallels. the the m ittee ofthe InternationalSociety ofG eneralRelativity m et. A m ong othertopics,theresultsfortheelection ofthepresidentofthesociety wereannounced, A bhay A shtekar elected. The next venue for the G R conference was also selected,the responsibility going to a proposalfrom a group ofM exican institutionsto hold theconference at the Banam ex conference center at M exico City. The G ravitationalW aves International Com m ittee (G W IC)also m etbefore the conference started,and am ong otherthingsdecided the venue for the next A m aldiConference,choosing Colum bia U niversity in N ew York for 2009 am ong severalcontenders. loop a Interferom pass particle astrophysics. gravity,string theory cosm transcend individualareas. exploring the universe allfour ature:stronginteractionsthrough thePierreA The W ashington U G ravity G roup hosted a dynam ic and exciting m eeting in St. Louis entitled \N um ericalRelativity m eets 3PN :A W orkshop",from February 8-11,2007. In attendance were m any ofthe leading researchersin the (cid:12)eldsofnum ericalrelativity,post-N ewtonian theory,and gravitational-wave data analysis. The purpose ofthe m eeting wasto bring these researchers togetherin an e(cid:11)ortto stim ulate progress atthe im portantinterface between these (cid:12)elds. The workshop was organized with a set ofinvited talks each m orning, designed to probe the centralquestions and problem swith am ple tim e fordiscussions. Each afternoon started with a sm allnum ber ofshortcontributed talksfollowed by an open ended working/discussion session focused on a di(cid:11)erent topic each afternoon. The workshop program can be found athttp://nrm 3pn.wustl.edu/.Below,we sum m arize the highlightsofthe m eeting and attem ptto give propercreditto individuals and the groupsthey represent. W e apologize for any errors or om ission,and for the fact that we cannot m ention everyone who contributed to thisvery successfulm eeting.

ObjectiveTo assess the ability of baseline MRI characteristics to predict the early development of clinically definite MS (CDMS) and combined CDMS/MRI outcomes in 190 patients with a positive MRI at the time of their first demyelinating event. Methods Based on individual and sets of baseline MRI characteristics, the authors evaluated the percentage of patients meeting outcomes of CDMS and various combined CDMS/MRI outcomes by 18 months. They also optimized a cutpoint for dichotomizing each baseline MRI characteristic and evaluated these variables using logistic regression to determine which MRI characteristics best predicted CDMS by 18 months. Results The presence of two or more gadolinium-enhancing lesions better predicted the development of CDMS and combined CDMS/MRI outcomes by 18 months than any other individual MRI characteristic or set of MRI characteristics. Among patients with two or more gadolinium-enhancing lesions, 52% developed CDMS compared with 24% of patients with fewer than two lesions. For those meeting the criteria of Barkhof et al., 32% of patients developed CDMS compared with 16% of those not meeting these criteria. Irrespective of individual or sets of criteria, however, the majority of patients developed either CDMS or demonstrated disease activity on brain MRI by 18 months. Conclusions For patients with positive MRI at the time of their initial neurologic event, both gadolinium-enhancing lesions and the Barkhof criteria are predictors for development of CDMS over a short interval. However, these results, based on a combined CDMS/MRI outcome, suggest that the majority of these patients are already in the earliest stages of MS, regardless of whether any further MRI criteria are met.

We evaluated 190 patients in the placebo group of the CHAMPS trial in order to assess factors associated with short-term clinical and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes in patients with a first clinical demyelinating event involving the optic nerve, spinal cord, or brainstem/cerebellum, and subclinical demyelination on brain MRI. The two study outcomes were 1) development of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) and 2) development of CDMS or two or more new or enlarging brain MRI T2 lesions. The presence of godolinium (Gd)-enhancing lesions on the baseline scan was the only MRI characteristic associated with a higher risk of both the clinical and combined outcomes (p=0.003 and <0.001, respectively). The only demographic or clinical characteristic associated with an increased risk of these outcomes was younger age (p<0.001 for both outcomes). The lowest risk subgroups we could define had a 30% risk of CDMS and a 65% risk of the combined clinical/MRI outcome. Our results indicate that all patients presenting with a first demyelinating event who also have brain MRI evidence of subclinical demyelination have at least a moderate risk of short-term disease activity. This finding provides support for initiating disease-modifying therapy at the time of the first demyelinating event in patients meeting the CHAMPS enrollment criteria.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of treatment with interferon beta -1a (Avonex) initiated at the time of a first episode of optic neuritis in patients at high risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial METHODS: Prospective. SETTING: Fifty clinical centers throughout the US and Canada. STUDY POPULATION: After the onset of a first episode of optic neuritis treated with intravenous and oral corticosteroids, 192 patients with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of subclinical demyelination were randomly assigned to receive weekly intramuscular injections of 30 mug interferon beta -1a or placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The study outcomes were the development of clinically definite MS within 3 years of follow,up and brain MRI changes at 6, 12, and 18 months. RESULTS: The rates of clinically definite MS and of a combined MS/MRI outcome were lower in the interferon beta -1a group than in the placebo group (adjusted rate ratios 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.34 to 1.00; and 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.34 to 0.73, respectively). Compared with the placebo group, on the 18,month brain MRI the interferon beta -1a group had a smaller change from baseline in T2 lesion volume (P = .02), fewer new or enlarging T2 lesions (P < .001), and a lower frequency of Gd-enhancing lesions (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The clinical and brain MRI results of this trial support initiating interferon beta -1a treatment at the time of a first episode of optic neuritis occurring in patients at high risk for MS based on the presence of subclinical brain MRI lesions. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Extracorporeal photopheresis is a safe therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and may have efficacy in certain autoimmune disorders. We performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of monthly photopheresis therapy in 16 patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). All patients had progressed during the preceding year with entry Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores between 3.0 and 7.0. Patients received photopheresis or sham therapy for 1 year and were followed for an additional 6 to 12 months. Patients were clinically evaluated by three disability scales: (1) EDSS; (2) Ambulation index and (3) Scripp's quantitative neurologic assessment. No serious side effects occurred in either group. There were no differences between the photopheresis and sham therapy groups by the disability measures. Additionally, there were no differences in progression of MRI plaque burden or evoked potential latencies. In this limited study, photopheresis was found to be safe but did not significantly alter the course of chronic progressive MS.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a neuroactive cytokine found in Schwann cells, which appears to be released in response to nerve injury. The ALS CNTF Treatment Study (ACTS) clinical trial was a phase II-III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of subcutaneous administration of recombinantly produced human CNTF (rHCNTF) in slowing disease progression in 730 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Patients were randomized to receive 30 mu g/kg or 15 mu g/kg rHCNTF or placebo subcutaneously three times a week for 9 months, The primary endpoint of the study, the slope of decline of isometric muscle strength in treated versus placebo patients, showed no statistically significant difference between rHCNTF and placebo-treated patients, and was complicated by an initial statistically significant decrease in strength early in rHCNTF-treated patients. Mortality was similar in all three study arms. There were no statistically significant treatment effects among the secondary measures. Side effects of rHCNTF included anorexia, weight loss, and cough and were sufficient to limit dosing in many patients.