Spies, wiretaps, and secret operations : an encyclopedia of American espionage

Galaxies with stellar masses as high as roughly 1011 solar masses have been identified1-3 out to redshifts z of roughly 6, around 1 billion years after the Big Bang. It has been difficult to find massive galaxies at even earlier times, as the Balmer break region, which is needed for accurate mass estimates, is redshifted to wavelengths beyond 2.5 μm. Here we make use of the 1-5 μm coverage of the James Webb Space Telescope early release observations to search for intrinsically red galaxies in the first roughly 750 million years of cosmic history. In the survey area, we find six candidate massive galaxies (stellar mass more than 1010 solar masses) at 7.4 ≤ z ≤ 9.1, 500-700 Myr after the Big Bang, including one galaxy with a possible stellar mass of roughly 1011 solar masses. If verified with spectroscopy, the stellar mass density in massive galaxies would be much higher than anticipated from previous studies on the basis of rest-frame ultraviolet-selected samples. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05786-2_reference.pdf

A population of red candidate massive galaxies ~600 Myr after the Big Bang

Crowding is identified both internationally and in New Zealand as a key issue in public transport. Unfortunately, the concerns of public transport providers are focussed on economic imperative rather than a concern for the actual experiences of patrons. The social needs of public transport passengers are neglected, both in practice and in research. This research examines the delicate balance between the need for privacy and the need for social interaction in the setting of public transport. These needs are examined through naturalistic observation of 1703 passengers' behaviours, such as seat selection, activity use, and conversation on buses and trains. This was followed by a survey-based Exploratory study examining a range of individual difference variables. Based on the findings of this Exploratory study measures were identified for use in a series of subsequent surveys of public and private transport users. Specifically, questionnaires measuring the attitudes and self-reported behaviour of train (N = 319), car (N = 305) and bus commuters (N = 216). Results suggest that the seating layout of public transport forces people into an intimate distance with strangers, causing social discomfort. Hall's (1966) proxemic theory suggests that these intimate distances are typically reserved for people with closer relations. People compensate by adapting to this close yet impersonal social situation. There is evidence that interactive strategies such as talking and positive body language with other passengers reduces the level of social discomfort, whereas defensive strategies do not reduce discomfort, but do form a negative relationship with social interaction which helps perpetuate a socially stagnant atmosphere. Discomfort from close interpersonal distance and less positive attitudes towards other passengers, while not as important as instrumental variables (such as longer trip durations), are still potential barriers to public transport patronage and should be given greater attention. In conclusion, interactive behaviours are determined to be necessary to reduce social discomfort in public transport. Festinger and colleague's (1950) passive contact theory (PCT) is interrupted in the public transport setting, and it is posited that pro-social behaviours, such as smiling, and acknowledging other passengers with greetings are a precondition for successful interpersonal interaction.

The Social Environment of Public Transport

We report multiple lines of evidence for a stochastic signal that is correlated among 67 pulsars from the 15 yr pulsar timing data set collected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. The correlations follow the Hellings–Downs pattern expected for a stochastic gravitational-wave background. The presence of such a gravitational-wave background with a power-law spectrum is favored over a model with only independent pulsar noises with a Bayes factor in excess of 1014, and this same model is favored over an uncorrelated common power-law spectrum model with Bayes factors of 200–1000, depending on spectral modeling choices. We have built a statistical background distribution for the latter Bayes factors using a method that removes interpulsar correlations from our data set, finding p = 10−3 (≈3σ) for the observed Bayes factors in the null no-correlation scenario. A frequentist test statistic built directly as a weighted sum of interpulsar correlations yields p = 5 × 10−5 to 1.9 × 10−4 (≈3.5σ–4σ). Assuming a fiducial f −2/3 characteristic strain spectrum, as appropriate for an ensemble of binary supermassive black hole inspirals, the strain amplitude is 2.4−0.6+0.7×10−15 (median + 90% credible interval) at a reference frequency of 1 yr−1. The inferred gravitational-wave background amplitude and spectrum are consistent with astrophysical expectations for a signal from a population of supermassive black hole binaries, although more exotic cosmological and astrophysical sources cannot be excluded. The observation of Hellings–Downs correlations points to the gravitational-wave origin of this signal.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/acdac6/pdf

The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Evidence for a Gravitational-wave Background

And yet you may know me. I am an amiable man. I can be most personable, if not charming, and whatever I possess in this life is more or less the result of a talent I have for making you feel good about yourself when you are with me. In this sense I am not a seducer. I am hardly seen. I won't speak untruths to you, I won't pass easy compliments or odious offerings of flattery. I make do with on-hand materials, what I can chip out of you, your natural ore. Then I fuel the fire of your most secret vanity. —Chang-rae Lee, Native Speaker

Impersonation and Other Disappearing Acts in Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee

The Astropy Project supports and fosters the development of open-source and openly developed Python packages that provide commonly needed functionality to the astronomical community. A key element of the Astropy Project is the core package astropy, which serves as the foundation for more specialized projects and packages. In this article, we summarize key features in the core package as of the recent major release, version 5.0, and provide major updates on the Project. We then discuss supporting a broader ecosystem of interoperable packages, including connections with several astronomical observatories and missions. We also revisit the future outlook of the Astropy Project and the current status of Learn Astropy. We conclude by raising and discussing the current and future challenges facing the Project.

Bruce Merry

Papers

The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package

Anatomy of the spy thriller

Dialogue on the Infinity of Love

Encyclopedia of modern Greek literature

Eugenio Montale : the private language of poetry