The atmospheres of Mars and Venus

Of all the planets which may exist in the Universe, only nine have been studied by man. As a result, one cannot classify planets with the same confidence that one has in classifying stars; there is no theory of planetary evolution comparable in development to the theory of stellar evolution. Nevertheless, many of the goals of planetary science and stellar astronomy are the same: to classify objects according to their most fundamental properties in order to understand their present physical state and their evolution. From this point of view, the terrestrial planets comprise a group which can usefully be considered together. By comparing the similarities and differences between them, we may hope to gain insight into the evolution of the entire group

Conformal Field Theories, Representations and Lattice Constructions

An account is given of the structure and representations of chiral bosonic meromorphic conformal field theories (CFT's), and, in particular, the conditions under which such a CFT may be extended by a representation to form a new theory. This general approach is illustrated by considering the untwisted and $Z_2$-twisted theories, $H(\Lambda)$ and $\tilde H(\Lambda)$ respectively, which may be constructed from a suitable even Euclidean lattice $\Lambda$. Similarly, one may construct lattices $\Lambda_C$ and $\tilde\Lambda_C$ by analogous constructions from a doubly-even binary code $C$. In the case when $C$ is self-dual, the corresponding lattices are also. Similarly, $H(\Lambda)$ and $\tilde H(\Lambda)$ are self-dual if and only if $\Lambda$ is. We show that $H(\Lambda_C)$ has a natural ``triality'' structure, which induces an isomorphism $H(\tilde\Lambda_C)\equiv\tilde H(\Lambda_C)$ and also a triality structure on $\tilde H(\tilde\Lambda_C)$. For $C$ the Golay code, $\tilde\Lambda_C$ is the Leech lattice, and the triality on $\tilde H(\tilde\Lambda_C)$ is the symmetry which extends the natural action of (an extension of) Conway's group on this theory to the Monster, so setting triality and Frenkel, Lepowsky and Meurman's construction of the natural Monster module in a more general context. The results also serve to shed some light on the classification of self-dual CFT's. We find that of the 48 theories $H(\Lambda)$ and $\tilde H(\Lambda)$ with central charge 24 that there are 39 distinct ones, and further that all 9 coincidences are accounted for by the isomorphism detailed above, induced by the existence of a doubly-even self-dual binary code.Comment: 65 page

Professional boundaries: research report

In 2008 the General Social Care Council (GSCC) published Raising standards: Social work conduct in England 2003-2008. This constituted the GSCC’s first report covering the work undertaken to uphold standards and protect people who use social care services. The GSCC’s analysis revealed that a considerable proportion of conduct cases, some 40%, involved allegations of 'inappropriate relations'. In the light of this finding, and the release by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) of sexual boundaries guidance for healthcare workers at the beginning of this year (Halter et al, 2009), the GSCC committed itself to exploring the possibility of producing professional boundaries guidance for social workers. To begin this exploration, the GSCC commissioned a study in early 2009.This is the report of that study. There were two main purposes. First, to establish what professional boundaries1 guidance currently exists for social workers, or for sections of the workforce that includes social workers in the United Kingdom, and the content of any such guidance. Secondly, to identify and discuss a number of other examples of professional boundaries guidance to act as points of reference for the GSCC’s project. The aim was to identify and discuss examples relevant to the GSCC’s project

Neural spike train synchronization indices: Definitions, interpretations, and applications

A comparison of previously defined spike train synchronization indices is undertaken within a stochastic point process framework. The second-order cumulant density (covariance density) is shown to be common to all the indices. Simulation studies were used to investigate the sampling variability of a single index based on the second-order cumulant. The simulations used a paired motoneurone model and a paired regular spiking cortical neurone model. The sampling variability of spike trains generated under identical conditions from the paired motoneurone model varied from 50% to 160% of the estimated value. On theoretical grounds, and on the basis of simulated data a rate dependence is present in all synchronization indices. The application of coherence and pooled coherence estimates to the issue of synchronization indices is considered. This alternative frequency domain approach allows an arbitrary number of spike train pairs to be evaluated for statistically significant differences, and combined into a single population measure. The pooled coherence framework allows pooled time domain measures to be derived, application of this to the simulated data is illustrated. Data from the cortical neurone model is generated over a wide range of firing rates (1-250 spikes/s). The pooled coherence framework correctly characterizes the sampling variability as not significant over this wide operating range. The broader applicability of this approach to multielectrode array data is briefly discussed

Kingdom Witness in Nashville: Connecting the Small Groups of the Acklen Church to Community Ministry

The purpose of this project was to lead the existing small groups of the Acklen Church in forming ongoing partnerships with local community ministries. After surviving and rebuilding after the flood of 2010, the Acklen Church wrestled with its relationship to its neighborhood, currently in the late stages of gentrification yet within walking distance of many in poverty. Despite the abundance of churches in Nashville, community ministries and nonprofits consistently lack volunteers. For this reason, this paper argues for neighborhood partnerships, in contrast to mere episodic involvement. In the two years prior to the project, the Acklen Church developed positive momentum in a weekly relationship with Room in the Inn, organized through its small groups. Therefore, this paper argues that small groups represent a hopeful paradigm for further community partnerships. The paper centers on a ten-week series entitled Kingdom Witness in City, conducted in the spring of 2013. The author wrote and presented a Sunday morning curriculum centering on the belief that the church is a community of kingdom exiles. Moreover, the mission of the church is to witness to the kingdom, and Christian exiles witness to the kingdom by loving the city. In developing the curriculum, the author drew inspiration from the writings of Gareth Icenogle, Everett Ferguson, Timothy Keller, Lesslie Newbigin, Ron Sider, James K.A. Smith, and Dallas Willard. On Wednesday nights, guest speakers from community ministries and non-profits presented on ministry in the city and offered avenues for partnership. On Sunday nights, small groups discussed these presentations and discerned opportunities, giftedness, and obstacles in relation to involvement. At the end of the series, the groups received opportunities to make partnership commitments. In the spring of 2014, the author analyzed the mixed results of the series. The number of community partnerships of the Acklen Church more than doubled. However, the partnerships did not always come from the small groups. Moreover, busyness revealed itself as a formable foe to community service. In addition, the Acklen Church discovered that many of its members already participated in community partnerships yet never really shared or vocalized their involvement. Finally, the paper offers an assessment of a way forward in the Acklen Church’s quest to witness to the Kingdom in Nashville

Traveller Horses, Local Authorities and Public Policy in Contemporary Ireland.

The abstract is included in the text

Traveller Horses, Local Authorities and Public Policy in Contemporary Ireland.

The abstract is included in the text