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The Romakasiddhānta is a quite special Hindu luni-solar canon being the only one using Metonic intercalation and implementing a tropical solar year. As the name suggests it has a Hellenistic origin. The known facts about the canon are scanty but in spite of this it is possible to draw some conclusions from them. A hypothetical calendar based on its known characterist

In this chapter we examine calendars in general and also give a condensed political history of the region. We then discuss the influences of Indian, Chinese, and Islamic astronomy in Southeast Asia. In subsequent papers in this series we will examine in detail the astronomy and calendars found in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, and

In this paper we investigate three Burmese calendars: the Arakanese, Makaranta and Thandeikta calendars. It is shown that the lunar calendar of the two first ones imply a tropical solar year, something that puts the lunar calendar out of phase with the sidereal solar calendar used and possibly indicates a Hellenistic origin. We then examine the calendars of Thailand, Laos and Cambodi

The archipelago region of Southeast Asia is characterised by a great number of calendars of which we treat only a few. The early calendars were essentially original Indian calendars although with modified intercalation schemes. From the fifteenth century in the Christian era the region was increasingly dominated by Islamic influences and successively adopted Muslim calendars alth

Many of the calendrical records in Southeast Asia contain information on the longitudes of the Sun, the Moon and the planets—something that is valuable for the dating of these records. Both the Burmese and the Thai use calculation schemes for the longitudes of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets that are almost identical to the original Sūryasiddhānta schemes.

Calendrical inscriptions and chronicles are an important source of information on the history and civilisation of Southeast Asia. Most of the records are horoscopes but there are also inscriptions commemorating the foundation of temples and other important buildings, and on Buddha images. Stone inscriptions are necessarily commemorative and the event celebrated is fre

Large medieval clocks were built in a number of Hanseatic towns in the Baltic region from the end of the fourteenth century to the middle of the fifteenth century. Several factors contributed to their building: there was a need for public display of time in the rapidly growing medieval towns, the technique of constructing mechanical clocks became available with the invention of th

We investigate the golden numbers on the calendar disk of the astronomical clock in Lund, Sweden. Using methods of internal consistency we find printing errors and locate several golden numbers misplaced by one day. However, from the available data it is not possible to determine the principles that were used for calculation of the location of these golden numbers when the calendar disk was resto

‘Modern astronomy’ was introduced to Siam (present-day Thailand) when the Belgian Jesuit missionary-astronomer Father Antoine Thomas carried out astronomical observations in 1681 and 1682 in order to determine the latitude and longitude of Ayutthaya. Three years later a contingent of French Jesuit missionary astronomers observed a total lunar eclipse from Lop Buri, which marked the start of an int

The Burmese uḍhaya procedure represents a simplified calculation of the oblique ascension of the Sun that was used in Indian astronomy and astrology. The calculation has obvious connections with an Indian astronomical work, the Pauliśasiddhânta, and with works written by Brahmagupta. We investigate the Burrnese procedure mathematically to find out why it works.

Automatic tuning of PID controllers using relay feedback experiments has received attention on and off since it was first proposed and industrially implemented in a control system in the 1980s. While optimal experiment design and modern system identification easily outperform the original automatic tuner, they rely on computational resources that are not always available in industrial control syst

We study artificial halos generated by microscopic crystals suspended in an aqueous solution which is illuminated by a divergent light source. By measuring the diameters of the halos we can deduct the refracting angles of the crystals and compare them with known values.

The first great ruler to encourage the adoption of Western culture and technology throughout Siam was King Narai, who also had a passion for astronomy. He showed this by encouraging French and other Jesuit missionaries, some with astronomical interests and training, to settle in Siam from the early 1660s. One of these was Father Antoine Thomas, and he was the first European known to have carried o

People learn new languages with varying degrees of success but what are the neuroanatomical correlates of the difference in language-learning aptitude? In this study, we set out to investigate how differences in cortical morphology and white matter microstructure correlate with aptitudes for vocabulary learning, phonetic memory, and grammatical inferencing as measured by the first-language neutral

For decades, cluster initiatives and funding programmes have been used as instruments of industrial and innovation policy – addressing system failures by strengthening linkages among actors, fostering innovation and developing more effective innovation systems. More recently, a growing segment of these initiatives are also focused on driving system-level transformation and contributing to broader For decades, cluster initiatives and funding programmes have been used as instruments of industrial and innovation policy – addressing system failures by strengthening linkages among actors, fostering innovation and developing more effective innovation systems. More recently, a growing segment of these initiatives are also focused on driving system-level transformation and contributing to broader

Over the last decade, universities and other institutions of higher education (HEIs) worldwide have witnessed an evolution to their role relative to society – with increasing attention to external engagement and expectations on societal impact. This has fostered an upswing in activity as research and innovation funding bodies and universities alike explore new approaches to working with external eOver the last decade, universities and other institutions of higher education (HEIs) worldwide have witnessed an evolution to their role relative to society – with increasing attention to external engagement and expectations on societal impact. This has fostered an upswing in activity as research and innovation funding bodies and universities alike explore new approaches to working with external e