On the cosmological distance and redshift between any two objects

We discuss the problem of how to calculate the distance between two cosmological objects given their redshifts and angular separation on the sky. Although of a fundamental nature, this problem and its solution seem to lack a detailed description in the literature. We present a new variant of its solution and quantitatively assess the most commonly used approximation.Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX, 7 Postscript figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Brexit, dewolucja i niepodległość Szkocji : znaczenie prawne i polityczne konwenansu Sewela w Zjednoczonym Królestwie

Nadchodzące wystąpienie Zjednoczonego Królestwa Wielkiej Brytanii i Irlandii Północnej z Unii Europejskiej jest źródłem napięć w ramach systemu politycznego tego kraju. Brexit z dużym prawdopodobieństwem wpłynie na dewolucję w UK, powodując konflikty pomiędzy Zjednoczonym Królestwem jako całością oraz Szkocją jako jego częścią. Konwenans Sewela jest polityczną normą konstytucyjną ustanawiającą pozaprawne reguły współpracy pomiędzy oboma ciałami politycznymi. Pomimo tego, że konwenans został umieszczony w ustawie, nie jest możliwy do wyegzekwowania przez sądy, polityczne konsekwencje jego złamania mogą być jednak znaczne. Rozdźwięk pomiędzy siłą polityczną szkockiego nacjonalizmu, potwierdzoną w ostatnich wyborach parlamentarnych, a konstytucyjnym brakiem „głosu” Szkocji w odniesieniu do Brexitu może doprowadzić do poważnego kryzysu politycznego w Zjednoczonym Królestwie.The upcoming withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is a source of tensions within the political system of the UK. Devolution is most likely to be affected by Brexit which can lead to conflicts between the UK as a whole and Scotland as its part. The Sewel Convention is a political constitutional norm establishing non-legal rules of cooperation between these two political bodies. Despite having been written in a statute, the Sewel Convention remains unenforceable by the courts. Nonetheless, the political consequences of diminishing it may be severe. The discrepancy between the political strength of Scottish nationalism, confirmed in the latest general election, and constitutional lack of Scottish “voice” in regard to Brexit may lead to a severe political crisis within the UK

The Role of the Quote from Psalm 82 in John 10:34-36

Our investigation will therefore begin with a detailed study of the present position of research regarding John 1034-36and an analysis in detail of the two points mentioned in Jesus’ argument. The investigation of the first point in the argument will be a critical study of Psalm 82, both in its ancient and modern exegesis, and the study of the second will include an analysis of early second century A.D. Rabbinic exegesis of three Old Testament passages which deal with the concept of blasphemy, Finally, we will attempt to explicate the relation between the two points in their immediate and broader contexts

“The Holy Brick of Birth-giving”: A Reassessment of Ancient Near Eastern Birth Bricks and Their Medical Role in Delivery

The bricks of birth are often described as a birthing tool in ancient Near Eastern societies. Assertions about their function and usage are based almost solely on two sources: ancient religious texts and ethnographic studies. However, upon closer investigation, the religious texts suggest that the bricks were primarily ritual implements, and the ethnographic studies cited only briefly allude to the possible use of bricks prior to delivery. In order to assess the likelihood that birth bricks were used as a medical aid during labor, this project evaluates the available textual and archaeological sources, the central terminology, and commonly-cited ethnographic studies. The project then makes suggestions about the actual functionality of the bricks based on modern clinical studies and analysis of the aforementioned sources. The research suggests that bricks may have served a ritual function during birth in the ancient Near East, but are unlikely to have played a functional or medical role during delivery

The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: The nearby supermassive black hole mass function

We highlight the correlation between a galaxy's supermassive black hole mass and the Sersic-index of the host spheroid or bulge component. From our bulge-disk decompositions of 10 095 galaxies, drawn from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue, we construct the local (z < 0.18) mass function of supermassive black holes. We compare our results to those of McLure & Dunlop (2004) and conclude that the mass density of supermassive black holes may be marginally higher than previously supposed. This increase is predominantly due to the inclusion of low mass and later-type bulges. More details will be presented in a forthcoming paper.Comment: Contributed article to the Fabulous Destiny of Galaxies meetin

The Effects of Type of Web Support and Instructional Mode on the Knowledge and Discrimination of Musical Texture Among Undergraduate Elementary Education Majors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of varying types of out-of-class web support media and active (performance) versus passive (listening) modes of in-class instructional activities on the ability of university level non-musicians (N = 58) to define and identify specific characteristics of music texture from printed and recorded musical excerpts. Near and far transfer of learning was also examined. Three web support treatments consisted of investigator-designed supplementary web sites, available for out-of-class access, containing visual content only, audio and visual content, or progressively disclosed text, graphics, and sound. Two instructional mode treatments consisted of participation in children\u27s song performance activities or listening to illustrative excerpts representing a wide variety of standard musical styles, genres, and performance media. Both treatments were administered in conjunction with a musical texture unit consisting of six consecutive lessons within the context of a music fundamentals/methods course for undergraduate elementary education majors. Pretest and posttest definition, printed excerpt, and listening excerpt scores, along with post-treatment near and far transfer listening test scores were recorded. Post-treatment subject attitudes were assessed, and web use time was reported. Although posttest gains were significant, results indicated no significant effect on content mastery resulting from variations in web support medium or mode of in-class instruction (p \u3e .05). Participation in children\u27s song performance activities was as effective as listening experiences for texture instruction. Near and far transfer test results were also similar among all subgroups, however, there was a significant interaction between transfer response and instructional mode (p = .0002). Subjects in both the performance group (n = 29) and the listening group (n = 29) were able to identify texture characteristics for recordings of standard literature better than for recordings of children\u27s songs. Self-reported web use time suggested that increased use of web support materials did not result in increased posttest gains, and use of web materials decreased as technical complexity and file size of media increased. Student attitudes toward out-of-class web support were generally positive, but reflected some frustration with home access difficulties and lengthy download times for multimedia files

Parsec-scale HI absorption structure in a low-redshift galaxy seen against a Compact Symmetric Object

We present global VLBI observations of the 21-cm transition of atomic hydrogen seen in absorption against the radio source J0855+5751. The foreground absorber (SDSS~J085519.05+575140.7) is a dwarf galaxy at $z$ = 0.026. As the background source is heavily resolved by VLBI, the data allow us to map the properties of the foreground HI gas with a spatial resolution of 2pc. The absorbing gas corresponds to a single coherent structure with an extent $>$35pc, but we also detect significant and coherent variations, including a change in the HI optical depth by a factor of five across a distance of $\leq$6pc. The large size of the structure provides support for the Heiles & Troland model of the ISM, as well as its applicability to external galaxies. The large variations in HI optical depth also suggest that caution should be applied when interpreting $T_S$ measurements from radio-detected DLAs. In addition, the distorted appearance of the background radio source is indicative of a strong jet-cloud interaction in its host galaxy. We have measured its redshift ($z$ = 0.54186) using optical spectroscopy on the William Herschel Telescope and this confirms that J0855+5751 is a FRII radio source with a physical extent of $<$1kpc and supports the previous identification of this source as a Compact Symmetric Object. These sources often show absorption associated with the host galaxy and we suggest that both HI and OH should be searched for in J0855+5751.Comment: 14 pages and 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA