Friends of Musselman Library Newsletter Spring 2004

Table of Contents: From the Director: Events By the Library (Robin Wagner, Janelle Wertzberger, Larry Marschall, Andrea Harries ’04); ONE BOOK Come to Gettysburg (Ursula Hegi); Friends Join Friends for Spring Event April 20th, Featuring Transit of Venus (Larry Marschall); New Book on Stephen H. Warner \u2768 (Arthur J. Amchan, Stephen H. Warner ’68); Library Combats Waste; Scholarly Study Stuckenberg Maps (James Myers, Dan DeNicola, John Docktor); It Takes More Than Two to Tango: Students Paint Library Walls (Nancy Cushing-Daniels, Cassandra Cochran, Ashley Gilgore, Lisa Hinkel, Shianne Settlage); Students Organize WWII Exhibit (Bill Bowman); Emler and Light Named Fortenbaugh Interns (Meggan Emler ’04, Stephen Light ’05) Spotlight on Collections (Jacob Yingling ’52, Keith Swaney ’03); County Histories Come Alive as eBooks (Milton Burgess ’22); Colorful Children’s Toys Exhibit; Klos Gift Transforms Collection (Sarah Wolf Klos ’48, Reverend Frank W. Klos Junior ’46, Reverend G. Edgar Wolfe ‘09); Foreign Films in English (Nancy Johnson); Notable Recent Purchases in Special Collections; Rare Slavery Materials Available; Friends Fundraiser Features Frankenstei

Construction of minimal DFAs from biological motifs

Deterministic finite automata (DFAs) are constructed for various purposes in computational biology. Little attention, however, has been given to the efficient construction of minimal DFAs. In this article, we define simple non-deterministic finite automata (NFAs) and prove that the standard subset construction transforms NFAs of this type into minimal DFAs. Furthermore, we show how simple NFAs can be constructed from two types of patterns popular in bioinformatics, namely (sets of) generalized strings and (generalized) strings with a Hamming neighborhood

The Age, Extinction and Distance of the Old, Metal-Rich Open Cluster NGC 6791

An extensive grid of metal-rich isochrones utilizing the latest available input physics has been calculated for comparison with the old, metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791. The isochrones have been simultaneously fit to BV and VI color magnitude diagrams, with the same composition, reddening and distance modulus required for both colors. Our best fitting isochrone assumes [Fe/H] = +0.4, scaled solar abundance ratios, and dY/dZ = 2 (Y = 0.31), yielding an excellent fit to the data at all points along the major sequences. The resulting age is 8 Gyr, with E(B-V) = 0.10 and (m-M)_v = 13.42. The derived cluster parameters are fairly robust to variations in the isochrone [Fe/H] and helium abundances. All of the acceptable fits indicate that 0.07 < E(B-V) < 0.14$, 13.29 < (m-M)_v < 13.46, and that NGC 6791 has an age of 8.0+/- 0.5 Gyr. The fits also suggest that dY/dZ lies between 1 and 3. A metallicity as low as solar is clearly ruled out, as is dY/dZ = 0. Comparison with previous isochrone studies indicates that the derived reddening is primarily due to our use of the most recent color transformations, whereas the age depends upon both the colors and the input physics. Our isochrones provide an excellent fit to the Hyades zero-age main sequence as determined by Hipparcos, providing evidence that our derived reddening and distance modulus are reliable.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures, to appear in A

Optical Photometry and Spectroscopy of the Suspected Cool Algol AV Delphini: Determination of the Physical Properties

We present new spectroscopic and BVRI photometric observations of the double-lined eclipsing binary AV Del ( period = 3:85 days) conducted over six observing seasons. A detailed radial velocity and light-curve analysis of the optical data shows the system to be most likely semidetached, with the less massive and cooler star filling its Roche lobe. The system is probably a member of the rare class of ‘‘cool Algol’’ systems, which are distinguished from the ‘‘classical’’ Algol systems in that the mass-gaining component is also a late-type star rather than a B- or A-type star. By combining the spectroscopic and photometric analyses, we derive accurate absolute masses for the components of M1 = 1.453 + 0.028 M and M2 = 0.705 + 0.014 M and radii of R1 = 2.632 + 0.030 R and R2 = 4.233 + 0.060 R, as well as effective temperatures of 6000 + 200 and 4275 + 150 K for the primary and secondary, respectively. There are no obvious signs of activity (spottedness) in the optical light curve of the binary

An Astronomical Account: A History of Hatter Planetarium from 1966-2006

When most individuals stare up at the vast dome of Hatter Planetarium, they often gaze upon the projected stars appearing on its surface, listening to an astronomical story told by one of its operators. However, there is a second story told by the planetarium itself. This story is the history of Hatter Planetarium, which spans five decades and includes the events in the lives of several individuals who have played a critical role in its existence at Gettysburg College. Its history has encompassed several phases of Gettysburg College traditions but is in danger of passing permanently and fixedly into the history books. Gettysburg College’s Hatter Planetarium is an example of a facility, rich in history, which has come to represent a steadfast bond between community and campus relations. [excerpt] Course Information: Course Title: HIST 300: Historical Method Academic Term: Spring 2006 Course Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Birkner \u2772 Hidden in Plain Sight is a collection of student papers on objects that are hidden in plain sight around the Gettysburg College campus. Topics range from the Glatfelter Hall gargoyles to the statue of Eisenhower and from historical markers to athletic accomplishments. You can download the paper in pdf format and click View Photo to see the image in greater detail.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/hiddenpapers/1021/thumbnail.jp

Stargazing: Observatories at Gettysburg College, 1874-Present

Astronomy has long been a subject which has attracted the interest of man. Examples of early astronomers can be found in many ancient civilizations, including but not limited to, the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Greeks. As time passed the methods for interpreting the stars and theories that surrounded them changed concordant with the technology available. One of the largest breakthroughs in the world of astronomy was the invention of the telescope in the early seventeenth century. Often mis-attributed to Galileo (who was responsible for building the first reflecting telescope in 1688), the telescope was actually first designed by a Dutch spectacle-maker by the name of Johann Lippershey. Improvements were eventually made upon these designs leading to the creation of government funded observatories, such as the Royal Greenwich Observatory in England, and later private and collegiate research observatories. By the early to mid-nineteenth century, the astronomical craze had begun to develop in America, resulting in the creation of many new observatories in the North and West (now the Mid-West). [excerpt] Course Information: Course Title: HIST 300: Historical Method Academic Term: Spring 2006 Course Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Birkner \u2772 Hidden in Plain Sight is a collection of student papers on objects that are hidden in plain sight around the Gettysburg College campus. Topics range from the Glatfelter Hall gargoyles to the statue of Eisenhower and from historical markers to athletic accomplishments. You can download the paper in pdf format and click View Photo to see the image in greater detail.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/hiddenpapers/1007/thumbnail.jp