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The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) was founded 20 years ago with the purpose of fostering multi-wavelength / multi-archive data access and interoperability. The IVOA is a standards organization that has embraced what is now known as the FAIR data principle and has focused on data management and access, data-literature-tool interoperability and ‘big data’ access and analysis. Interfaces based on IVOA standards are found in the major astronomy data centers. Data reproducibility and ‘open science’ are the natural next step in this process that can be supported by reviewing and extending the IVOA standards.

The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) was founded 20 years ago with the purpose of fostering multi-wavelength / multi-archive data access and interoperability. The IVOA is a standards organization that has embraced what is now known as the FAIR data principle and has focused on data management and access, data-literature-tool interoperability and ‘big data’ access and analysis. Interfaces based on IVOA standards are found in the major astronomy data centers. Data reproducibility and ‘open science’ are the natural next step in this process that can be supported by reviewing and extending the IVOA standards.

International audience; The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) held its bi-annual Interoperability Meeting over two and half days prior to the ADASS 2018 conference. We provide a brief report on the status of the IVOA and the activities of the Interoperability Meeting held in College Park.

The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) held its bi-annual Interoperability Meetings in May 2019, and in October 2019 following the ADASS XXIX conference. We provide a brief report on the status of the IVOA and the activities of the Interoperability Meetings., Comment: 4 pages, submitted to proceedings of ADASS XXIV to be published in ASP Conf. Series

The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) held its bi-annual Interoperability Meeting over two and half days prior to the ADASS 2018 conference. We provide a brief report on the status of the IVOA and the activities of the Interoperability Meeting held in College Park., 6 pages, to appear in the proceedings of Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XXVIII published by ASP

This paper describes the miniaturized X-ray telescope payload, CubeX, in the context of a lunar mission. The first part describes the payload in detail, the second part summarizes a small satellite mission concept that utilizes its compact form factor and performance. This instrument can be used for both X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging spectroscopy and X-ray pulsar timing-based navigation (XNAV). It combines high angular resolution (< 1 >arcminutes) Miniature Wolter-I X-ray optics (MiXO) with a common focal plane consisting of high spectral resolution (keV) CMOS X-ray sensors and a high timing resolution (< 1 μsec) SDD X-ray sensor. This novel combination of the instruments enables both XRF measurements and XNAV operations without moving parts, in a small form factor (~1×1×6U

Since its inception in the early 2000, the Virtual Observatory (VO), developed as a collaboration of many national and international projects, has become a major factor in the discovery and dissemination of astronomical information worldwide. The IVOA has been coordinating all these efforts worldwide to ensure a common VO framework that enables transparent access to and interoperability of astronomy resources (data and software) around the world. The VO is not a magic solution to all astronomy data management challenges but it does bring useful solutions in many areas borne out by the fact that VO interfaces are broadly found in astronomy major data centres and projects worldwide. Astronomy data centres have been building VO services on top of their existing data services to increase interoperability with other VO-compliant data resources to take advantage of the continuous and increasing development of VO applications. VO applications have made multi-instrument and multi-wavelength science, a difficult and fruitful part of astronomy, somewhat easier. More recently, several major new astronomy projects have been directly adopting VO standards to build their data management infrastructure, giving birth to VO built-in archives. Embracing the VO framework from the beginning brings the double gain of not needing to reinvent the wheel and ensuring from the start interoperability with other astronomy VO resources. Some of the IVOA standards are also starting to be used by neighbour disciplines like planetary sciences. There is still quite a lot to be done on the VO, in particular tackling the upcoming big data challenge and how to find interoperable solutions to the new data analysis paradigm of bringing and running the software close to the data., Comment: 4 pages, no figures, ADASS 2015 conference proceedings

Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange (STE) is the bi-directional exchange or transfer of mass and chemical species between the stratosphere and troposphere. STE helps determine the chemical composition of the stratosphere and troposphere, and thus affects climate, stratospheric ozone, and oxidation reactions in the troposphere. However, the ways it occurs are poorly understood. STE is expected across the tropopause, located between the troposphere and stratosphere. Data from three observational projects were studied for evidence of mixing: SUCCESS, TRACE-P, and CRYSTAL-FACE. Aircraft measurements were used to make correlation graphs of ozone versus carbon monoxide concentrations. Mixing, evident in high carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in the lower stratosphere, was found for all projects. TRACE-P measurements showed relatively lower CO concentrations in the lower stratosphere, in spite of the high CO concentrations seen in the upper troposphere due to pollution episodes. CRYSTAL-FACE showed the highest CO concentration deep into the stratosphere on July 7 and 9, 2002. During these days, plumes from surface fires reached high into the stratosphere. High CO concentrations were recorded on July 3 for CRYSTAL-FACE and May 2 for SUCCESS, although they were not as deep into the stratosphere. Back trajectories possibly show fire plumes that reached the lower stratosphere on July 3. Back trajectories could possibly show a Warm Conveyor Belt on the Eastern Central Pacific that could have lifted polluted air from Asia to the vicinity of the tropopause on May 2.

This study focuses on parenting styles as adopted by men and women during pregnancy and early parenthood. Parenting style is examined following the categories outlined by Raphael-Left's model (1983, 1985b, 1991 ). The sample consisted of 57 women and 39 men. Mailed, self administered questionnaires were used with all participants. The psychometric properties of the questionnaires devised by Raphael-Left (1983, 1985b, 1991) are examined. The study also assesses the stability of these orientations from the beginning of pregnancy into early parenthood. The results of the psychometric evaluation reveal that the questionnaires are not internally consistent. Further, a model consisting of a continuum of parenting style is not supported. The stability of parental orientation over time was not established, parenting style appears to change particularly after childbirth.

The first release of the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) contains ~95,000 X-ray sources in a total area of ~0.75% of the entire sky, using data from ~3,900 separate ACIS observations of a multitude of different types of X-ray sources. In order to maximize the scientific benefit of such a large, heterogeneous data-set, careful characterization of the statistical properties of the catalog, i.e., completeness, sensitivity, false source rate, and accuracy of source properties, is required. Characterization efforts of other, large Chandra catalogs, such as the ChaMP Point Source Catalog (Kim et al. 2007) or the 2 Mega-second Deep Field Surveys (Alexander et al. 2003), while informative, cannot serve this purpose, since the CSC analysis procedures are significantly different and the range of allowable data is much less restrictive. We describe here the characterization process for the CSC. This process includes both a comparison of real CSC results with those of other, deeper Chandra catalogs of the same targets and extensive simulations of blank-sky and point source populations., To be published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (Fig. 52 replaced with a version which astro-ph can convert to PDF without issues.)

The aim of this thesis is to consider the impact, on the perpetrator, of committing an act of serious violence against another person. The first chapter of this thesis presents a narrative literature review of the impact of killing another person, considering three distinct contexts; as a member of the armed forces, in the line of duty as a police officer and as a criminal act. Research addressing the impact of killing another in these three differing contexts is presented and critiqued, providing a broad summary of the different effects suggested in the literature. A model is then presented that may be relevant in explaining experiences resulting from killing in all three of these contexts. The second chapter of this thesis presents a piece of qualitative research that attempts to further understanding of the impact of committing violence in specific circumstances. It explores the impact of committing a serious act of criminal violence, for individuals who have not committed any prior serious violent offences.