The Pointing System of the Herschel Space Observatory. Description, Calibration, Performance and Improvements

We present the activities carried out to calibrate and characterise the performance of the elements of attitude control and measurement on board the Herschel spacecraft. The main calibration parameters and the evolution of the indicators of the pointing performance are described, from the initial values derived from the observations carried out in the performance verification phase to those attained in the last year and half of mission, an absolute pointing error around or even below 1 arcsec, a spatial relative pointing error of some 1 arcsec and a pointing stability below 0.2 arsec. The actions carried out at the ground segment to improve the spacecraft pointing measurements are outlined. On-going and future developments towards a final refinement of the Herschel astrometry are also summarised. A brief description of the different components of the attitude control and measurement system (both in the space and in the ground segments) is also given for reference. We stress the importance of the cooperation between the different actors (scientists, flight dynamics and systems engineers, attitude control and measurement hardware designers, star-tracker manufacturers, etc.) to attain the final level of performance.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Faith, Mathematics, and Science: The Priority of Scripture in the Pursuit and Acquisition of Truth

This research will examine some approaches for identifying truth as well as some issues involved in recognizing reliable sources of information. We will proceed from a decidedly Christian perspective including the conviction that God created an orderly universe (and that studying nature provides valuable information about Him) and that His Word, the Bible, even more clearly expresses in- formation about Him. We will discuss some of the essential tools used by mathematicians and scientists for the discovery of truth – namely, models. We will examine some valuable models from history, and briefly discuss that as additional scientific information became available, the models required refinement, and sometimes replacement. The Bible, on the other hand, is perfect and needs no corrections

Adaptation and validation of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2 for a national study of child maltreatment in Australia

Background: To establish national prevalence of child maltreatment, reliable, valid and contextually appropriate measurement is needed. This paper outlines the refinement, adaptation and testing of child maltreatment sections of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ)-R2 for use in the Australian context. Methods: Three phases were undertaken: 1) Conceptual analysis of the five forms of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, and experience of domestic violence), item mapping and review, item development, and independent expert review; 2) Cognitive testing with members of the general population, and individuals who have experienced maltreatment; and 3) Pilot testing and quantitative psychometric assessment with a random sample of Australians aged 16–65+ years. Results: The final measure included a total of 17 child maltreatment screener items, assessing Physical Abuse (2 items), Sexual abuse (5 items (including 2 non-contact items and 3 contact items), Emotional Abuse (3 items), Neglect (3 items), and Experience of Domestic Violence (4 items). Screener items were also included on corporal punishment (1 item), and internet sexual victimization (2 items). The final 17-item revised JVQ had high face and conceptual validity and good internal reliability (α = 0.86 and Ω = 0.87). Test re-test reliability was moderate to high for individual screeners ranging from k = 0.45 to 0.89. Conclusions: Results indicate the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study) is a suitable instrument for assessing population-wide prevalence of maltreatment. It is congruent with conceptual models of maltreatment and shows good reliability and validity in this Australian sample.</p

Is Mathematical Truth Time Dependent? Comments from a Paper by Judith Grabiner

Judith Grabiner, a renowned historian of mathematics, has written many papers related to signifi- cant changes in the content and nature of analysis, from the 17th through the 19th century. In her paper “Is Mathematical Truth Time Dependent?” Professor Grabiner gives several reasons for the changing nature and requirements in rigor that occurred over this period of two hundred years. In this talk I will briefly summarize her conclusions, particularly in light of how they might influence a Christian perspective on mathematics

Outline of Communications Plan for PGR Open Access Research and Research Data Management Policy

This is a new version of the document. This version was uploaded on 10.05.2013This document outlines the communications plan for the Open Access Research and Research Data Management Policy for PGRs.Jis

Lessons from submission and approval process of large-scale energy efficiency CDM methodologies

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) so far has failed to mobilize a substantial amount of energy efficiency projects; less than 4% of credits come from this category. This is due to the fact that only few methodologies for setting of baselines and monitoring project emissions have been approved by the CDM Executive Board (EB). While energy efficiency methodologies have the highest share of methodology submissions, they also suffer from the highest rejection rate. Just 25% of energy efficiency methodology submissions have been approved or consolidated. The applicability of those methodologies is typically narrow and the requirements for monitoring are heavy. Industrial efficiency improvements (e.g. waste heat recovery) are covered relatively well, whereas there are glaring gaps with regards to electricity generation and transmission as well as transport. Demand-side management in households and commercial buildings so far has not been covered either. The EB has not been willing to accept empirical models and performance benchmarks as a basis for baseline emission determination. We see some inconsistencies in decision-making of the Methodology Panel (MP)/ EB particularly with respect to the underlying baseline approach, treatment of rebound effects and endogenous energy efficiency improvement, and additionality assessment of programmatic CDM. A key challenge for energy efficiency projects is determination of additionality; attempts to focus on the barrier analysis only have been rejected by the MP/ EB. A new challenge comes up in the context of programmatic CDM which could give a boost to demand-side activities if the rules are less cumbersome than those for single projects. Here, the application of the additionality test again becomes crucial. --Clean Development Mechanism,Energy efficiency improvement,Baseline and monitoring methodology,Additionality

Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Snapshots Reveal a Dehydrogenase in Action

Aldehydes are ubiquitous intermediates in metabolic pathways and their innate reactivity can often make them quite unstable. There are several aldehydic intermediates in the metabolic pathway for tryptophan degradation that can decay into neuroactive compounds that have been associated with numerous neurological diseases. An enzyme of this pathway, 2-aminomuconate-6-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, is responsible for ‘disarming’ the final aldehydic intermediate. Here we show the crystal structures of a bacterial analogue enzyme in five catalytically relevant forms: resting state, one binary and two ternary complexes, and a covalent, thioacyl intermediate. We also report the crystal structures of a tetrahedral, thiohemiacetal intermediate, a thioacyl intermediate and an NADþ-bound complex from an active site mutant. These covalent intermediates are characterized by single-crystal and solution-state electronic absorption spectroscopy. The crystal structures reveal that the substrate undergoes an E/Z isomerization at the enzyme active site before an sp3-to-sp2 transition during enzyme-mediated oxidation

The Unity of Knowledge and the Faithfulness of God: The Theology of Mathematical Physicist John Polkinghorne

In this paper we will give a brief introduction to Polkinghorne\u27s life and work. We will give an introduction to Polkinghorne\u27s approach to philosophy and theology. We will introduce the two most significant influences on Polkinghorne\u27s development as a theologian and philosopher of science. We will then give a necessarily telegraphic review of some of the topics addressed in Polkinghorne\u27s theology, including his thoughts on science and religion, natural theology, evil, providence, prayer, resurrection, the soul and eschatology. We will then conclude with a few short examples of Polkinghorne\u27s thoughts on mathematics

Novas espécies, nova sinonímia e novo registro em Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) do México e da América do Sul

São descritos três novos táxons de Cerambycinae do Brasil: em Cerambycini, Iuati gen. nov., espécie-tipo, I. spinithorax sp. nov. (Rondônia); em Trachyderini, Ancylosternus annulicorne sp. nov. (Mato Grosso). Em Lamiinae são descritas três espécies novas: em Apomecynini, Ptericoptus avanyae sp. nov. (Brasil, Paraíba); em Desmiphorini, Estoloides (Estoloides) aurantius sp. nov. (México, Quintana Roo); Mimestoloides fasciatus sp. nov. (México, Guerrero). Butherium scabricolle Nonfried, 1895 é considerada sinônimo de Coleoxestia corvina (Germar, 1824). Trachyderomorpha notabilis Tippmann, 1960 é registrada para o Peru.New species, new synonymy and new record in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from Mexico and South America. Three new taxa of Cerambycinae from Brazil are described: in Cerambycini, Iuati gen. nov., type species, I. spinithorax sp. nov. (Rondônia); in Trachyderini, Ancylosternus annulicorne sp. nov. (Mato Grosso). In Lamiinae are described three new species: in Apomecynini, Ptericoptus avanyae sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraíba); in Desmiphorini, Estoloides (Estoloides) aurantius sp. nov. (Mexico, Quintana Roo); Mimestoloides fasciatus sp. nov. (Mexico, Guerrero). Butherium scabricolle Nonfried, 1895 is considered a synonym of Coleoxestia corvina (Germar, 1824). Trachyderomorpha notabilis Tippmann, 1960 is recorded for Peru

Expanding Jonathan Edwards’ Typology Program: The Bell Curve as a Type of Christ

Over two hundred years after his death, an unfinished notebook of Jonathan Edwards’ was published for the first time in1993. Edwards was a father of the Evangelical movement, but because his work on typology was not published until recently, it has received almost no attention. In his notebook, Edwards makes an explicit argument for extending biblical typology to nature in a biblically grounded manner. This study is an attempt to extend that research program into mathematics/statistics.We will consider the following proposition, “The normal distribution (the graph of which is the bell curve) is a biblical type of Christ.” The basic idea is that as the normal distribution is the center of the discipline of Statistics, so Christ is the center of the plan of God (Eph 1:9-10). Evidence for the proposition will be given from four different statistical phenomena regarding the normal distribution: the Central Limit Theorem, limiting distributions, its striking conditional and marginal distributions, and its unique name