Star Formation Rate Distributions: Inadequacy of the Schechter Function

In this paper we posit that galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) come in two fundamentally different types depending on whether the luminosity traces galaxy stellar mass or its current star formation rate (SFR). Mass function types reflect the older stars and therefore the stellar mass distribution, while SFR function types arise from the young stars and hence the distribution of SFRs. Optical and near-infrared LFs are of the mass function type, and are well fit by a Schechter function (power law with an exponential cutoff at the bright end). In contrast, LFs of the SFR function type are of a different form, one that cannot be adequately described by a Schechter function. We demonstrate this difference by generating SFR distributions for mock samples of galaxies drawn from a Schechter stellar mass distribution along with established empirical relations between the SFR and stellar mass. Compared with the Schechter function, SFR distributions have a shallower decline at the bright end, which can be traced to the large intrinsic scatter of SFRs at any given stellar mass. A superior description of SFR distributions is given by the "Saunders" function, which combines a power law with a Gaussian at the high end. We show that the Schechter-like appearance of UV and H alpha LFs, although they are LFs of SFR function type, results when luminosities are not corrected for dust, or when average statistical corrections are used because individual attenuation measurements are not available. We thus infer that the non-Schechter form of the far-IR LFs is a true reflection of the underlying SFR distribution, rather than the purported artifact of AGN contamination.Comment: Revised after a referee report. Submitted to ApJ. Compatible with B/W printers. Comments are welcom

Dust Attenuation Curves in the Local Universe: Demographics and New Laws for Star-forming Galaxies and High-redshift Analogs

We study dust attenuation curves of 230,000 individual galaxies in the local universe, ranging from quiescent to intensely star-forming systems, using GALEX, SDSS, and WISE photometry calibrated on Herschel-ATLAS. We use a new method of constraining SED fits with infrared luminosity (SED+LIR fitting), and parameterized attenuation curves determined with the CIGALE SED fitting code. Attenuation curve slopes and UV bump strengths are reasonably well constrained independently from one another. We find that $A_{\lambda}/A_V$ attenuation curves exhibit a very wide range of slopes that are on average as steep as the SMC curve slope. The slope is a strong function of optical opacity. Opaque galaxies have shallower curves - in agreement with recent radiate transfer models. The dependence of slopes on the opacity produces an apparent dependence on stellar mass: more massive galaxies having shallower slopes. Attenuation curves exhibit a wide range of UV bump amplitudes, from none to MW-like; with an average strength 1/3 of the MW bump. Notably, local analogs of high-redshift galaxies have an average curve that is somewhat steeper than the SMC curve, with a modest UV bump that can be to first order ignored, as its effect on the near-UV magnitude is 0.1 mag. Neither the slopes nor the strengths of the UV bump depend on gas-phase metallicity. Functional forms for attenuation laws are presented for normal star-forming galaxies, high-z analogs and quiescent galaxies. We release the catalog of associated SFRs and stellar masses (GSWLC-2).Comment: Accepted to ApJ. GSWLC-2 catalog of SED+LIR SFRs and M* to be released Jun 1 at http://pages.iu.edu/~salims/gswlc

On the Mass-Metallicity-Star Formation Rate Relation for Galaxies at z∼2z\sim 2

Recent studies have shown that the local mass-metallicity (M-Z) relation depends on the specific star formation rate (SSFR). Whether such a dependence exists at higher redshifts, and whether the resulting M-Z-SFR relation is redshift invariant, is debated. We re-examine these issues by applying the non-parametric techniques of Salim et al. (2014) to ~130 $z\sim2.3$ galaxies with N2 and O3 measurements from KBSS (Steidel et al. 2014). We find that the KBSS M-Z relation depends on SSFR at intermediate masses, where such dependence exists locally. KBSS and SDSS galaxies of the same mass and SSFR ("local analogs") are similarly offset in the BPT diagram relative to the bulk of local star-forming galaxies, and thus we posit that metallicities can be compared self-consistently at different redshifts as long as the masses and SSFRs of the galaxies are similar. We find that the M-Z-SFR relation of $z\sim2$ galaxies is consistent with the local one at $\log M_*<10$, but is offset up to -0.25 dex at higher masses, so it is altogether not redshift invariant. This high-mass offset could arise from a bias that high-redshift spectroscopic surveys have against high-metallicity galaxies, but additional evidence disfavors this possibility. We identify three causes for the reported discrepancy between N2 and O3N2 metallicities at $z\sim2$: (1) a smaller offset that is also present for SDSS galaxies, which we remove with new N2 calibration, (2) a genuine offset due to differing ISM condition, which is also present in local analogs, (3) an additional offset due to unrecognized AGN contamination.Comment: ApJ accepted. 14 pages. Comments welcom

From Black Holes to Glueballs: The QCD_3 Tensor Glueball at Strong Coupling

A strong coupling calculation of glueball masses based on the duality between supergravity and Yang-Mills theory is presented. Earlier work is extended to non-zero spin. Fluctuations in the gravitational metric lead to the 2^{++} state on the leading Pomeron trajectory with a mass relation: m(0^{++}) < m(2^{++}) < m(1^{-+}). Contrary to expectation, the mass of our new 0^{++} state (m^2=5.4573) associated with the graviton is smaller than the mass of the ${\tilde 0}^{++}$ state (m^2=11.588) from the dilaton, which in fact is exactly degenerate with the tensor 2^{++}.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, Talk at Lattice 99 by R. Browe

Work Goals of Asian Managers: Contrasting Evidence to the Meaning of Working Study

Following the seminal study by George England and his Meaning of Working (MOW) research team (MOW, 1987), which assessed managerial perceptions of the relative importance of a set of 11 work goals, a stream of follow-up research has been undertaken over the past twenty years. With the recent forces of convergence of managerial work goals unleashed by the logic of globalization, it has become relevant to extend these investigations to social contexts where managerial values and assumptions have been different from the contexts of the MOW study. The macro-level economic reform and progress in Asian societies are mostly mediated by the values and goals of managers at the micro-level setting, and, therefore, the replication of the MOW study in these societies has considerable relevance. This paper documents the relative importance of a set of 11 work goals for a sample of 2057 managers in eight Asian nations. The study reveals that as the Asian national environments move forward with divergent reform agenda, there is a convergence emerging in the work goal priorities. These converging findings contrast sharply with the previous MOW findings. The paper provides an analysis and discussion on this outcome

The Empirical Development of a Curriculum on Faith Development

Problem. Professional and lay leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist church need to be sensitive to the dynamics of faith development as it interfaces with human development over the life span, and with its practical implications. Currently, there is no curriculum available, empirically developed or otherwise, to explore this issue. Method. The underlining philosophy of the approach to curriculum design utilized in this study is that curriculum is likely to be more effective when it is developed in a cooperative spirit between an instructor and learners rather than written in isolation, and when there is emphasis on both the cognitive and affective domains of the learning process. The product was empirically developed through 10 systematic steps. They included establishing the need for the product, formulation of behavioral objectives, design of the pre- and post-tests for each session, and the process of trial and revision of the instruction and all supplemental materials. General mastery for cognitive domain was established at the 80% level; that is, at least 80% of the subjects would need to achieve the specified mastery of the criteria established for each of the 24 behavioral objectives. The test for the affective domain was administered and analyzed before and after the series of lectures. In order to complement the objectives of the curriculum in the cognitive and affective domains, a process objective was formulated and outcomes were discussed. After the sessions with a small number of learners, the curriculum was modified. This process was repeated with increasing numbers of learners until mastery was achieved at the predetermined level. Results. The development included four trials of the curriculum with four groups of subjects. The last group of 35 subjects achieved cognitive mastery at the specified levels for each of the objectives, achieved statistically significant modification of affect as measured by the instrument of affect, and realized the process objective. Conclusions. This empirically developed curriculum on faith development provided an insight into the role of the curriculum developer in the process of empirical development. The product is ready for adaptation by qualified instructors in the Seventh-day Adventist church in North America, or, in an appropriately modified version, with other audiences

Lifetime reduction of surface states at Cu, Ag and Au(111) caused by impurity scattering

We present density-functional results on the lifetime of the (111) surface state of the noble metals. We consider scattering on the Fermi surface caused by impurity atoms belonging to the 3d and 4sp series. The results are analyzed with respect to film thickness and with respect to separation of scattering into bulk or into surface states. While for impurities in the surface layer the overall trends are similar to the long-known bulk-state scattering, for adatom-induced scattering we find a surprising behavior with respect to the adatom atomic number. A plateau emerges in the scattering rate of the 3d adatoms, instead of a peak characteristic of the d resonance. Additionally, the scattering rate of 4sp adatoms changes in a zig-zag pattern, contrary to a smooth parabolic increase following Linde's rule that is observed in bulk. We interpret these results in terms of the weaker charge-screening and of interference effects induced by the lowering of symmetry at the surface

Emerging drugs for sickle cell anemia.

INTRODUCTION: The search for effective therapeutic interventions for sickle cell disease (SCD) has been an ongoing endeavor for over 50 years. During this period, only hydroxyurea (HU), which received US FDA approval in February 1998, was identified as an effective therapeutic agent in preventing or ameliorating the frequency of vaso-occlusive crises, acute chest syndrome and the need for blood transfusion. Approximately 25% of patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), however, do not respond to HU and some patients experiencing serious side effects of this chemotherapeutic agent. Nevertheless, the success of HU opened the sluice gates to identify other effective drug therapies. The objective of this review is to describe the emerging drug therapies for SCA. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we describe the pathophysiology of SCD and provide an in-depth analysis of the current and new pharmacologic therapies in the field. Literature searches involved multiple databases including Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus. EXPERT OPINION: SCA is a heterogeneous disease that has caused tremendous global morbidity and early mortality. More effective, individualized and inexpensive therapies are needed. New therapies targeting multiple pathways in its complex pathophysiology are under investigation

The Quantum Physics of Black Holes: Results from String Theory

We review recent progress in our understanding of the physics of black holes. In particular, we discuss the ideas from string theory that explain the entropy of black holes from a counting of microstates of the hole, and the related derivation of unitary Hawking radiation from such holes.Comment: 49 pages, Latex, 4 figures, (Review article