scholarly journals Star Formation: From OB Associations to Protostars

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Lada
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
International Astronomical ◽  
Critical Experiment ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Astrophysical Research ◽  
Made In

The study of star formation is a relatively young discipline of the field of astronomy. Up until the mid point of the twentieth century only a most rudimentary understanding of the subject was possible. This is because prior to that time there did not exist any substantive body of empirical data which could be used to critically test even the most basic hypotheses concerning stellar origins. However, as a result of impressive advances in observational technology and in our understanding of stellar evolution during the last forty years, the subject of star formation has developed into one of the most important branches of modern astrophysical research. A large body of observational data and a considerable literature pertaining to this subject now exist and a significant fraction of the international astronomical community devotes their efforts towards trying to comprehend the origins of stars and planets. Yet, despite these efforts we have yet to observationally identify, with any certainty, a single object in the process of stellar birth! Moreover, we have not yet produced a viable theory of star formation, one capable of being tested and refined by critical experiment. In many ways, stellar birth is as much a mystery today as it was forty years ago. However, there can be little doubt that during the last two decades truly revolutionary progress has been made in the quest to understand the star formation process in our galaxy. This apparent paradox in the state of our knowledge concerning stellar origins is resolved with the realization that the history of the study of star formation has been a history of the study of progressively earlier and earlier stages of stellar evolution. Indeed, it is in precisely this area of endeavor that we have learned so much.

XXIII. On the water-barometer erected in the hall of the Royal Society

1832 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 539-574 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Physical Science ◽  
The Other ◽  
Metallic Tube ◽  
French Academy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Made In

I have for some time entertained an opinion, in common with some others who have turned their attention tot he subject, that a good series of observations with a Water-Barometer, accurately constructed, might throw some light upon several important points of physical science: amongst others, upon the tides of the atmosphere; the horary oscillations of the counterpoising column; the ascending and descending rate of its greater oscillations; and the tension of vapour at different atmospheric temperatures. I have sought in vain in various scientific works, and in the Transactions of Philosophical Societies, for the record of any such observations, or for a description of an instrument calculated to afford the required information with anything approaching to precision. In the first volume of the History of the French Academy of Sciences, a cursory reference is made, in the following words, to some experiments of M. Mariotte upon the subject, of which no particulars appear to have been preserved. “Le même M. Mariotte fit aussi à l’observatoire des experiences sur le baromètre ordinaire à mercure comparé au baromètre à eau. Dans l’un le mercure s’eléva à 28 polices, et dans Fautre l’eau fut a 31 pieds Cequi donne le rapport du mercure à l’eau de 13½ à 1.” Histoire de I'Acadérmie, tom. i. p. 234. It also appears that Otto Guricke constructed a philosophical toy for the amusement of himself and friends, upon the principle of the water-barometer; but the column of water probably in this, as in all the other instances which I have met with, was raised by the imperfect rarefaction of the air in the tube above it, or by filling with water a metallic tube, of sufficient length, cemented to a glass one at its upper extremity, and fitted with a stop-cock at each end; so that when full the upper one might be closed and the lower opened, when the water would fall till it afforded an equipoise to the pressure of the atmo­sphere. The imperfections of such an instrument, it is quite clear, would render it totally unfit for the delicate investigations required in the present state of science; as, to render the observations of any value, it is absolutely necessary that the water should be thoroughly purged of air, by boiling, and its insinuation or reabsorption effectually guarded against. I was convinced that the only chance of securing these two necessary ends, was to form the whole length of tube of one piece of glass, and to boil the water in it, as is done with mercury in the common barometer. The practical difficulties which opposed themselves to such a construction long appeared to me insurmount­able; but I at length contrived a plan for the purpose, which, having been honoured with the approval of the late Meteorological Committee of this Society, was ordered to be carried into execution by the President and Council.

scholarly journals Special issue on Aspects of OV and VO order in the history of English

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANN TAYLOR ◽  
WIM VAN DER WURFF
Keyword(s):  
Large Body ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Diachronic Syntax ◽  
University Of Leiden ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
English Syntax ◽  
The University ◽  
Recent Monograph ◽  
Detailed Picture

Whether judged by the amount of intrinsic interest, the number of knock-on effects, or the sheer volume of scholarly work devoted to it, it seems safe to say that one of the major issues in English historical syntax is the shift from object–verb (OV) to verb–object (VO) order. Over the last three decades in particular, a large body of literature has grown up that has resulted in an increasingly detailed picture of this change. No doubt in part because the recent introduction of electronic corpora has provided a boost to data-oriented work, the popularity of this change shows no imminent signs of abating. Evidence for the continuing popularity of this topic was demonstrated at two conferences held at the University of Leiden Centre for Linguistics in 2003 (the second Holland–York Symposium on the History of English Syntax in April 2003, and the Conference on Comparative Diachronic Syntax in August 2003). Although neither of the meetings had the shift from OV to VO in English as a special theme, the conference programmes together included no fewer than eight papers on the topic. Seven of these can be found in this special issue, which aims to illuminate selected aspects of the alternation between OV and VO order in the history of English; the collection of articles is rounded off by a review of a recent monograph on the subject.

scholarly journals XXIII.—Some Account of the Recent Progress of Sanskrit Studies

1863 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-283
Author(s):  
J. Muir
Keyword(s):  
Present State ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
Indian Literature ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Made In

In compliance with the desire which the Council have done me the honour to express, I have drawn up the following account of the recent progress and present state of Sanskrit studies, prefixing such an outline of the earlier history of these researches as may serve to complete the review, and render it more easily intelligible.In this sketch I do not profess to communicate anything new, but merely seek to present such a summary of the results already obtained, as may convey to those who have not bestowed any special attention on the subject some idea of the character and affinities of the Sanskrit language, and of the nature and contents of Indian literature, as well as of the advances which have of late years been made in the principal branches of the study.

scholarly journals Applying the Canon in Islam

1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-115
Author(s):  
Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Use Of Models ◽  
Made In

According to Smith, the Ndembu diviner applies a "canon" of twenty-four fixedobjects to a client's situation, first selecting a few of the objects by shaking the basket,interpreting the selected objects according to a range of meanings fixed by pub­lic convention, and matching the meanings to the client's particular condition.Brannon Wheeler, in his Introduction to Applying the Canon in IslamWhen the idolaters inimical to the message of Muhammad, upon him bepeace, attempted to criticize the Qur'an for its use of the lowly and the trivial inits rhetorical repertoire, the following verse was revealed in reply.Behold, God does not disdain to propound a parable of a gnat, or of something evenless than that. Now, as for those who have attained to faith, they know that it is thetruth from their Sustainer whereas those who are bent on denying the truth say,What could God mean by this parable? (2:26)This exchange then became the basis for djscussion and debate among theclassical Arabic rhetoricians on the subject of what might and what might not besuitable for use in similes, metaphors, and other comparative ljterary devices.That this debate shouJd be recalled at the outset of a review of a work dealingwith Hanafi fiqh scholarship might seem slrangely out of place. Yet, once onehas acqurunted oneself with the underlying premise of this work, one cannothelp but recall the classical debate and the verses of Qur'anic scripture so oftencited in regard to it. What lies at the heart of the matter is that comparisonsdrawn between disparate and remote subjects are sometimes delightful andsometimes awful. This, after all, is the stuff of literature. There are some comparisons,however, that are simply offensive.In fact, there are some things people just don't like to see compared at all.Period. Things held near and dear often fall under this category, things like one'sreligion, ethnicity, culture, and so on. This is human nature. And that is dangerousground.Of course, I've oversimplified the matter. ln fact, I'm going in a direction thatwas certrunly not intended by the author for his readership. Wheeler's Applyingthe Canon in Islam is not a work of literature. Likewise, hjs use of models andexamples from other disciplines, like anthropology and the history of religion,is a methodological rather than a literary choice. But the fact remains that thechoice Professor Wheeler has made in this matter is one that will not likely bemet with objectivity by Muslims. If I may venture a comparison of my own, thisis rather akin to inviting a Muslim to partake of a meal, a sumptuous and hearty ...

Intermediate-age and Old Populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud

1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Hatzidimitriou
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Small Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Formation History ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

The star formation history and kinematics of intermediate-age and old populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud are the subject of this brief review. New results confirm the occurrence of a period of enhanced SF about 8–10 Gyr ago in the SMC. Younger populations are confirmed to be more centrally concentrated than older ones. The SMC, at least in the areas studied (which do not include the Bar) seems to have had a different history of star formation from the LMC. Although the kinematics of the SMC have been extensively studied, it is still unclear if there are distinct Bar, disk and halo components, or if all populations share the same kinematics.

Zîn-ə Hördemîr: A Lekî Satirical Verse from Lekistan

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-309
Author(s):  
MUSTAFA DEHQAN
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Area ◽  
Intellectual Life ◽  
Oral Literature ◽  
The West ◽  
New Era ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
A Minor ◽  
North Western ◽  
Made In

With the exception of a minor mention, which Sharaf Khān (b.1543) made in theSharafnāma, the first information about the most southern group of Kurdish tribes in Iranian Kurdistan, the Lek, first became available to modern readers inBustān al-Sīyāḥa, a geographical and historical Persian text by Shīrwānī (1773–1832). These hitherto unknown Lek communities, were probably settled in north-western and northern Luristan, known as Lekistan, by order of Shāh ‘Abbās, who wished in this way to create some support for Ḥusayn Khān, thewālīof Luristan. Many of the centres of Lekî intellectual life in the late Afshārīd and early Zand period, which is also of much importance in that the Zand dynasty arose from it, are located in this geographical area. One has only to call to mind the names of such places as Alishtar (Silsila), Kūhdasht, Khāwa, Nūr Ābād, Uthmānwand and Jalālwand in the most southern districts of Kirmānshāh, and also the Lek tribes of eastern Īlām. The very mention of these cities and villages already sets in motion in one's imagination the parade of Twelver Shiites, Ahl-i Haqq heretics, and non-religious oral literary councils which constitutes the history of Lekî new era. But unfortunately little of this is known in the West and Lekî literature remains one of the neglected subjects of literary and linguistic Kurdish studies. This important oral literature and also some written manuscripts are unpublished and untranslated into western languages. The subject of this article is the translation ofZîn-ə Hördemîr, as an example of a genre of Lekî written literature which also provides linguistic data for the Lekî dialect of southern Kurdish.

Reaching for Archive Fever: A Tall Tale about Queer ‘Made in France’

Paragraph ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Cox
Keyword(s):  
Queer Theory ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
French Culture ◽  
Police Official ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
French Theory ◽  
Made In

This article reflects on the history of queer theory's entry in France by turning to two critics, Marie-Hélène Bourcier and François Cusset, who claim to have introduced the term ‘queer’ into French culture. It analogizes these critics' claims as a battle of the ‘archons’ as conceptualized by Derrida in Archive Fever. Archons police official memory and search for the ‘authentic’ origins of the event, practice or discipline that is archived. The Derridean formulation allows me to consider the narrative that Bourcier and Cusset assert, particularly that concerning the status of French theory as the progenitor of queer theory, in terms of the authority of the archon. The Derridean analogy also enables me to consider what gets written out of each account in the archontic endeavour. The article finally turns to the subject of the possibility of a more disruptively queer archive by arguing for a re-evaluation of Bourcier's earlier collaborative work. I argue that what Derrida pinpointed as an anarchivizing ‘fever’ that threatens stable, exclusionary memory may be detected in this early work.

A golden age for maser surveys

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S336) ◽  
pp. 219-224
Author(s):  
Shari L. Breen
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
The Subject ◽  
To Come ◽  
Star Formation Regions ◽  
Made In

AbstractMasers are becoming increasingly important probes of high-mass star formation, revealing details about the kinematics and physical conditions at the elusive, early stages of formation. Over the last decade significant investment has been made in a number of large-scale, sensitive maser surveys targeting transitions found in the vicinity of young, high-mass stars. Individually, these searches have led to valuable insights into maser populations, their associated star formation regions, and often revealed further details such as Galactic structure. In combination, they become even more powerful, especially when considered together with complementary multi-wavelength data. Another consequence of large maser surveys has been the identification of a number of especially interesting sources that have been the subject of subsequent detailed studies. I summarize the recent plethora of maser surveys, their results, and how they are contributing to our understanding of star formation. Ongoing searches will ensure a bright future of maser surveys in the decade to come.

‘Beowulf’ and the Celtic World: The Uses of Evidence

Traditio ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 109-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Dumville
Keyword(s):  
Old English ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Old English Literature ◽  
Under Five ◽  
English Poem ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Made In

Sporadic attempts have been made in the past to demonstrate direct connexions between the various Celtic literatures andBeowulf; I think it fair to say that the proposed links have always seemed tenuous or imaginary and have not been taken seriously by most students of the Old English poem. A century of desultory comparisons, leading to a negative result, by persons qualified in either Old English or Celtic or neither, does not, however, exhaust the subject or indicate its irrelevance. It seems to me that a determined attack on the subject may indicate desirable approaches and cautions which students ofBeowulfcould consider as they contemplate further work on the poem. I shall organise my remarks under five headings: the possibility of Irish (or other Celtic) influence onBeowulfin particular and on Old English literature in general; archaism in the language and metrics of ‘traditional’ verse; problems of archaism and anachronism in ‘traditional’ literature; the search for a text-history ofBeowulfwith its consequent issues of transmission and problems of dating; and general historical questions.

scholarly journals IV. Examination of the proximate principles of some of the lichens

1848 ◽  
Vol 138 ◽  
pp. 63-89 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Early Period ◽  
Considerable Progress ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Cape Of Good Hope ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Cursory Examination ◽  
Usual Process ◽  
Made In

The examination of the proximate principles of the lichens, especially of those which yield red colouring matters with ammonia, attracted the attention of some very eminent chemists at a comparatively early period in the history of organic chemistry, and by the labours of Messrs. Robiquet, Heeren, Dumas and Kane, very considerable progress was made in their investigation. Within the last four or five years, Messrs. Schunck, Rochleder, Heldt and Knop have resumed the subject and greatly extended our acquaintance with this interesting but rather difficult depart­ment of organic research. It is but justice to Mr. Schunck to state that he has been by far the most successful cultivator of this field, and that he has done more to elucidate it than any of his predecessors. Nearly two years ago my attention was directed by Dr. Pereira to a kind of Orcella weed which had been recently imported into London from the Cape of Good Hope, but which had been rejected by the London archil manufacturers as unfit for their use, from the small quantity of colouring matter it yielded when subjected to the usual process. The lichen was of considerable size, from eight to ten inches long, and was pronounced by an eminent botanist, Dr. Scouler of Dublin, to whom submitted it, to be merely a large variety of the Roccella tinctoria . I soon ascertained on a very cursory examination, why the lichen had been rejected by the archil makers, for it only contained a small portion of a crystalline principle which yields a red colour with ammonia; I found in its stead, however, a considerable quantity of another crystalline body on which ammonia had no action, and which appeared to have been hitherto undescribed. As it seemed important to ascertain whether or not the red dyes obtained from the various lichens resulted from the action of am­monia on the same crystalline principle, described by Mr. Schunck under the name of Lecanorin, I procured quantities of the several lichens usually employed by the archil makers, and subjected them to investigation. These lichens consisted, —1st, of a large species of Roccella tinctoria from the west coast of South America; 2nd, of the R. tinctoria from the Cape of Good Hope; 3rd, of the R. Montagnei from Angola; and 4th, of the Lecanora tartarea . I had made considerable progress with the investigation of these lichens, and also with that of the Evernia prunastri , when Mr. Schunck’s elaborate paper on the Angola lichen appeared, from which it was evident that at least two varieties of the red colouring principle existed in these lichens. I now therefore proceed to give a detail of the results of these examinations.

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