Absorption of the x ray background by the large magellanic cloud

Soft x ray flux of extragalactic origin should be partially absorbed during passage through the Large Magellanic Cloud. Past attempts to measure this absorption have been frustrated by the LMC's intrinsic x ray emission. New calibration techniques were developed to enable precise (within 5 pct.) measurement of the flux and spectrum of diffuse x rays detected by the Einstein Observatory IPC. These techniques were used to measure the absorption of extragalactic flux by neutral gas in the LMC, and to determine that at least 50 pct. of the observed flux in the 0.16 to 2 keV band is of extragalactic origin

Non-Noetherian Cohen-Macaulay rings

In this paper we investigate a property for commutative rings with identity which is possessed by every coherent regular ring and is equivalent to Cohen-Macaulay for Noetherian rings. We study the behavior of this property in the context of ring extensions (of various types) and rings of invariants.Comment: 16 page

Ocean views: coastal environmental problems as seen by downeast Maine residents

This brief contends that loss of fishing jobs and income is the top environment-related concern among residents of Maine\u27s Hancock and Washington counties, as well as forestry decline and water pollution. Also of note, across a wide range of environmental issues, political party affiliation is associated with level of concern about environmental problems

Global isoform-specific transcript alterations and deregulated networks in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Extensive genome-wide analyses of deregulated gene expression have now been performed for many types of cancer. However, most studies have focused on deregulation at the gene-level, which may overlook the alterations of specific transcripts for a given gene. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the best-characterized and most pervasive renal cancers, and ccRCCs are well-documented to have aberrant RNA processing. In the present study, we examine the extent of aberrant isoform-specific RNA expression by reporting a comprehensive transcript-level analysis, using the new kallisto-sleuth-RATs pipeline, investigating coding and non-coding differential transcript expression in ccRCC. We analyzed 50 ccRCC tumors and their matched normal samples from The Cancer Genome Altas datasets. We identified 7,339 differentially expressed transcripts and 94 genes exhibiting differential transcript isoform usage in ccRCC. Additionally, transcript-level coexpression network analyses identified vasculature development and the tricarboxylic acid cycle as the most significantly deregulated networks correlating with ccRCC progression. These analyses uncovered several uncharacterized transcripts, including lncRNAs FGD5-AS1 and AL035661.1, as potential regulators of the tricarboxylic acid cycle associated with ccRCC progression. As ccRCC still presents treatment challenges, our results provide a new resource of potential therapeutics targets and highlight the importance of exploring alternative methodologies in transcriptome-wide studies

The Zika Virus Threat: How Concerns About Scientists May Undermine Efforts to Combat the Pandemic

Using data from the University of New Hampshire’s October 2016 Granite State Poll, authors Thomas Safford, Lawrence Hamilton, and Emily Whitmore investigate how New Hampshire residents view the Zika crisis. They report that most New Hampshire residents believe Zika is only a minor threat to public health in the United States, and they generally trust the CDC as a source of information about the virus. The data also show that, while there is doubt about the government’s ability to control the spread of the virus, the public feels that emergency federal funding to combat Zika should be a priority. They discuss that many Granite Staters have real concerns about the practice of science, believing scientists change their findings to get the answers they want. More importantly, individuals who questioned the integrity of scientists are less likely to believe Zika is a threat, have confidence in the government’s ability to combat the virus, trust the CDC, and to prioritize emergency funding. They conclude that these results suggest that health officials working to engage the public in efforts to control the spread of Zika must not only discuss risks associated with the virus and mechanisms of transmission, but also confront science skepticism and potential concerns about the integrity of the scientists gathering data related to Zika and other infectious diseases

Variation of complex structures and the stability of K\"ahler-Ricci Solitons

We investigate the linear stability of K\"ahler-Ricci solitons for perturbations induced by varying the complex structure within a fixed K\"ahler class. We calculate stability for the known examples of K\"ahler-Ricci solitons.Comment: 13 pages v2 added reference to work of Y. Wan

In the Wake of the Spill: Environmental Views Along the Gulf Coast

Abstract Objectives We analyze patterns in environmental views of Gulf Coast residents, in the wake of the 2010 oil spill. To what extent do spill-related and other environmental views vary with individual characteristics, personal experience with the spill, or characteristics of place? Methods About 2,000 residents of selected coastal regions in Louisiana and Florida were interviewed by telephone in late summer 2010. Results One-quarter of the respondents said that their environmental views had changed as a result of the spill. Despite reporting more change, more spill effects, and greater threats from climate-induced sea-level rise, Louisiana respondents were less likely to support a deepwater moratorium, alternative energy, or resource conservation. Conclusions Results are consistent with real effects from the spill. Differences between Louisiana and Florida respondents are not explained by spill effects or individual characteristics, however. The patterns reflect biophysical differences of the coastlines that shaped their socioeconomic development

The State of Logistics Performance Measurement: A Comparison of Literature and Practice

In the increasingly global and complex environment in which modern business operate, business leaders are being forced to squeeze competitive advantage from every facet of their operations. Research in the field of logistics performance measurement establishes the link between success in performance measurement and improved organizational performance. Through the lens of management fashion theory, this research effort assesses to what extent logistics academic discourse addresses the performance measurement requirements and practices of industry practitioners. This research effort represents the first such application of the management fashion theory within the logistics field. Consistencies between logistics performance measurement emphases within the investigated body of literature and those practices represented by the annual metrics study conducted by the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) reveal that logistics scholars are playing a fashion setting role and, in some instances, are leading industry performance measurement practices. Aligning with the principles of the management fashion theory, the results of this study suggest that academic institutions are succeeding as fashion setters not only through the education of future leaders but by developing the logistics performance measures that industry needs