The VizieR database of Astronomical Catalogues

VizieR is a database grouping in an homogeneous way thousands of astronomical catalogues gathered since decades by the Centre de Donnees de Strasbourg (CDS) and participating institutes. The history and current status of this large collection is briefly presented, and the way these catalogues are being standardized to fit in the VizieR system is described. The architecture of the database is then presented, with emphasis on the management of links and of accesses to very large catalogues. Several query interfaces are currently available, making use of the ASU protocol, for browsing purposes or for use by other data processing systems such as visualisation tools.Comment: 10 pages, 2 Postscript figures; to be published in A&A

Southern Durchmusterung (Schoenfeld 1886): Documentation for the machine-readable version

The machine-readable version of the catalog, as it is currently being distributed from the Astronomical Data Center, is described. The Southern Durchmusterung (SD) was computerized at the Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg and at the Astronomical Data Center at the National Space Science Data Center, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Corrigenda listed in the original SD volume and published by Kuenster and Sticker were incorporated into the machine file. In addition, one star indicated to be missing in a published list, and later verified, is flagged so that it can be omitted from computer plotted charts if desired. Stars deleted in the various errata lists were similarly flagged, while those with revised data are flagged and listed in a separate table. This catalog covers the zones -02 to -23 degrees; zones +89 to -01 degrees (the Bonner Durchmusterung) are included in a separate catalog available in machine-readable form

The ALADIN Interactive Sky Atlas

The Aladin interactive sky atlas, developed at CDS, is a service providing simultaneous access to digitized images of the sky, astronomical catalogues, and databases. The driving motivation is to facilitate direct, visual comparison of observational data at any wavelength with images of the optical sky, and with reference catalogues. The set of available sky images consists of the STScI Digitized Sky Surveys, completed with high resolution images of crowded regions scanned at the MAMA facility in Paris. A Java WWW interface to the system is available at: http://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/Comment: 8 pages, 3 Postscript figures; to be published in A&

The SIMBAD astronomical database

Simbad is the reference database for identification and bibliography of astronomical objects. It contains identifications, `basic data', bibliography, and selected observational measurements for several million astronomical objects. Simbad is developed and maintained by CDS, Strasbourg. Building the database contents is achieved with the help of several contributing institutes. Scanning the bibliography is the result of the collaboration of CDS with bibliographers in Observatoire de Paris (DASGAL), Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and Observatoire de Bordeaux. When selecting catalogues and tables for inclusion, priority is given to optimal multi-wavelength coverage of the database, and to support of research developments linked to large projects. In parallel, the systematic scanning of the bibliography reflects the diversity and general trends of astronomical research. A WWW interface to Simbad is available at: http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/SimbadComment: 14 pages, 5 Postscript figures; to be published in A&A

IVOA Recommendation: The UCD1+ controlled vocabulary Version 1.23

This document describes the list of controlled terms used to build the Unified Content Descriptors, Version 1+ (UCD1+). The document describing the UCD1+ can be found at the URL: http://www.ivoa.net/Documents/latest/UCD.html. This document reviews the structure of the UCD1+ and presents the current vocabulary

Optimal anchoring of a foldamer inhibitor of ASF1 histone chaperone through backbone plasticity

Sequence-specific oligomers with predictable folding patterns, i.e., foldamers, provide new opportunities to mimic.-helical peptides and design inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. One major hurdle of this strategy is to retain the correct orientation of key side chains involved in protein surface recognition. Here, we show that the structural plasticity of a foldamer backbone may notably contribute to the required spatial adjustment for optimal interaction with the protein surface. By using oligoureas as. helix mimics, we designed a foldamer/peptide hybrid inhibitor of histone chaperone ASF1, a key regulator of chromatin dynamics. The crystal structure of its complex with ASF1 reveals a notable plasticity of the urea backbone, which adapts to the ASF1 surface to maintain the same binding interface. One additional benefit of generating ASF1 ligands with nonpeptide oligourea segments is the resistance to proteolysis in human plasma, which was highly improved compared to the cognate alpha-helical peptide

Extracting Photometry Measurements from VizieR Catalogs

International audiencePhotometry measurements in astronomical catalogs cover a wide range of spectral bandpasses with many different photometric systems and units. The VizieR Catalog service has recently extended the standardized description of catalogs to include photometry . This includes the observed frequency and bandwidth in GHz and conversion of magnitudes and other units to flux densities in Jy. We present various prototype interfaces for extracting and combining photometry across multiple catalogs and discuss the uses and limitations of this service

The new MQ/AAO/Strasbourg Galactic PNe database: MASPN

There have been a LOT of new Galactic PNe discovered over the last 15 years, more than doubling the totals accrued by all telescopes over the previous 200+ years.. The scope of PNe studies for these ~3500 GPN should reflect this new landscape, coloured and nuanced by these new discoveries and the massive, new high sensitivity, high resolution, multi-wavelength imaging surveys now available. Following this motivation we provide, for the first time, an accessible, reliable on-line "one-stop" shop for essential, up-to date information for all known Galactic PN. We aim to: * Reliably remove the many PN mimics/false ID's that have biased previous compilations and subsequent studies * Provide accurate, updated positions, sizes, morphologies, radial velocities, fluxes, multi-wavelength imagery and spectroscopy * Link to CDS/Vizier and hence provide archival history for each object * Provide an SQL interface to sift, select, browse, collate, investigate, download and visualise the complete currently known Galactic PNe diaspora * ence to provide the community with the most complete data with which to undertake new science