'n "Nuwe Benaderingswyse" van ons Geskiedenis

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Die inhoud en die doel van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk se bediening, met verwysing na die ampte

The substance and purpose of the ministry of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk, with reference to ecclesiastical offices. For close on a decade, the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika has been debating the issue of appropriate structures and patterns for its ministry. In this article it is argued that the debate not only reflects dissatisfaction with structures and patterns, but also brings to light dissatisfaction with the substance and purpose of the ministry of the Word as such. The ministry of the church should be understood in the light of the essence of being a church, which resides in the fact that the church belongs to the Lord. It is possible to belong to the Lord only on the basis of faith in the Word of God. The church, therefore, has one ministry only: the ministry of the Word. Appropriate ecclesiastical offices, structures and patterns are those that minister the Word

High-speed photometry of the eclipsing polar UZ Fornacis

We present 33 new mid-eclipse times spanning approximately eight years of the eclipsing polar UZ Fornacis. We have used our new observations to test the two-planet model previously proposed to explain the variations in its eclipse times measured over the past $\sim$35 years. We find that the proposed model does indeed follow the general trend of the new eclipse times, however, there are significant departures. In order to accommodate the new eclipse times, the two-planet model requires that one or both of the planets require highly eccentric orbits, that is, $e \geq$ 0.4. Such multiple planet orbits are considered to be unstable. Whilst our new observations are consistent with two cyclic variations as previously predicted, significant residuals remain. We conclude that either additional cyclic terms, possibly associated with more planets, or other mechanisms, such as the Applegate mechanism are contributing to the eclipse time variations. Further long-term monitoring is required.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

IGR J19552+0044: A new asynchronous short period polar: "Filling the gap between intermediate and ordinary polars"

Based on XMM--Newton X-ray observations IGR J19552+0044 appears to be either a pre-polar or an asynchronous polar. We conducted follow-up optical observations to identify the sources and periods of variability precisely and to classify this X-ray source correctly. Extensive multicolor photometric and medium- to high-resolution spectroscopy observations were performed and period search codes were applied to sort out the complex variability of the object. We found firm evidence of discording spectroscopic (81.29+/-0.01m) and photometric (83.599+/-0.002m) periods that we ascribe to the white dwarf (WD)\ spin period and binary orbital period, respectively. This confirms that IGR J19552+0044 is an asynchronous polar. Wavelength-dependent variability and its continuously changing shape point at a cyclotron emission from a magnetic WD with a relatively low magnetic field below 20 MG. The difference between the WD spin period and the binary orbital period proves that IGR J19552+0044 is a polar with the largest known degree of asynchronism (0.97 or 3%).Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, A&A accepte

Diversity and biogeographical patterns of legumes (Leguminosae) indigenous to southern Africa

The principal aim of this study was to establish biogeographical patterns in the legume flora of southern Africa so as to facilitate the selection of species with agricultural potential. Plant collection data from the National Herbarium, South Africa, were analysed to establish the diversity and areas covered by legumes (Leguminosae/Fabaceae) indigenous to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. A total of 27,322 records from 1,619 quarter degree grid cells, representing 1,580 species, 122 genera and 24 tribes were included in the analyses. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering was applied to the presence or absence of legume species in quarter degree grid cells, the resultant natural biogeographical regions (choria) being referred to as leguminochoria. The description of the 16 uniquely formed leguminochoria focuses on defining the associated bioregions and biomes, as well as on the key climate and soil properties. Legume species with a high occurrence in a leguminochorion are listed as key species. The dominant growth form of key species, species richness and range within each leguminochorion is discussed. Floristic links between the leguminochoria are established, by examining and comparing key species common to clusters, using a vegetation classification program. Soil pH and mean annual minimum temperature were found to be the main drivers for distinguishing among legume assemblages. This is the first time that distribution data for legumes has been used to identify biogeographical areas covered by leguminochoria on the subcontinent. One potential application of the results of this study is to assist in the selection of legumes for pasture breeding and soil conservation programs, especially in arid and semi-arid environments.This paper is dedicated to the memory of Robert Howard (Bobby) Westfall (17 December 1944–21 January 2016), vegetation ecologist and friend whose sudden death during the preparation of this manuscript deprived us of an invaluable collaborator.Financial assistance from the University of Pretoria is acknowledged with thanks.http://phytokeys.pensoft.nethttp://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/am2016Plant Scienc

The structure of Chariklo's rings from stellar occultations

Two narrow and dense rings (called C1R and C2R) were discovered around the Centaur object (10199) Chariklo during a stellar occultation observed on 2013 June 3. Following this discovery, we planned observations of several occultations by Chariklo's system in order to better characterize the physical properties of the ring and main body. Here, we use 12 successful occulations by Chariklo observed between 2014 and 2016. They provide ring profiles (physical width, opacity, edge structure) and constraints on the radii and pole position. Our new observations are currently consistent with the circular ring solution and pole position, to within the $\pm 3.3$ km formal uncertainty for the ring radii derived by Braga-Ribas et al. The six resolved C1R profiles reveal significant width variations from $\sim 5$ to 7.5 km. The width of the fainter ring C2R is less constrained, and may vary between 0.1 and 1 km. The inner and outer edges of C1R are consistent with infinitely sharp boundaries, with typical upper limits of one kilometer for the transition zone between the ring and empty space. No constraint on the sharpness of C2R's edges is available. A 1$\sigma$ upper limit of $\sim 20$ m is derived for the equivalent width of narrow (physical width <4 km) rings up to distances of 12,000 km, counted in the ring plane

Diversity and biogeographical patterns of legumes (Leguminosae) indigenous to southern Africa

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Robert Howard (Bobby) Westfall (17 December 1944–21 January 2016), vegetation ecologist and friend whose sudden death during the preparation of this manuscript deprived us of an invaluable collaborator.The principal aim of this study was to establish biogeographical patterns in the legume flora of southern Africa so as to facilitate the selection of species with agricultural potential. Plant collection data from the National Herbarium, South Africa, were analysed to establish the diversity and areas covered by legumes (Leguminosae/Fabaceae) indigenous to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. A total of 27,322 records from 1,619 quarter degree grid cells, representing 1,580 species, 122 genera and 24 tribes were included in the analyses. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering was applied to the presence or absence of legume species in quarter degree grid cells, the resultant natural biogeographical regions (choria) being referred to as leguminochoria. The description of the 16 uniquely formed leguminochoria focuses on defining the associated bioregions and biomes, as well as on the key climate and soil properties. Legume species with a high occurrence in a leguminochorion are listed as key species. The dominant growth form of key species, species richness and range within each leguminochorion is discussed. Floristic links between the leguminochoria are established, by examining and comparing key species common to clusters, using a vegetation classification program. Soil pH and mean annual minimum temperature were found to be the main drivers for distinguishing among legume assemblages. This is the first time that distribution data for legumes has been used to identify biogeographical areas covered by leguminochoria on the subcontinent. One potential application of the results of this study is to assist in the selection of legumes for pasture breeding and soil conservation programs, especially in arid and semi-arid environments.Financial assistance from the University of Pretoria is acknowledged with thanks.http://phytokeys.pensoft.nethttp://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/am2016Plant Scienc