Mg II Absorption Characteristics of a Volume-Limited Sample of Galaxies at z ~ 0.1

We present an initial survey of Mg II absorption characteristics in the halos of a carefully constructed, volume-limited subsample of galaxies embedded in the spectroscopic part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We observed quasars near sightlines to 20 low-redshift (z ~ 0.1), luminous M_r <= -20.5 galaxies in SDSS DR4 and DR6 with the LRIS-B spectrograph on the Keck I telescope. The primary systematic criteria for the targeted galaxies are a redshift z >~ 0.1 and the presence of an appropriate bright background quasar within a projected 75 kpc/h of its center, although we preferentially sample galaxies with lower impact parameters and slightly more star formation within this range. Of the observed systems, six exhibit strong [EW(2796) >= 0.3 Ang.] Mg II absorption at the galaxy's redshift, six systems have upper limits which preclude strong Mg II absorption, while the remaining observations rule out very strong [EW(2796) >= 1-2 Ang] absorption. The absorbers fall at higher impact parameters than many non-absorber sightlines, indicating a covering fraction f_c = 0.3-Angstrom absorbers at z ~ 0.1, even at impact parameters <= 35 kpc/h (f_c ~ 0.25). The data are consistent with a possible dependence of covering fraction and/or absorption halo size on the environment or star-forming properties of the central galaxy.Comment: accepted for publication in A

The Long Road to Recovery

Elizabeth Cooke was working in Haiti when the hurricanes of 2008 struck. Now, after yet another devastating national disaster, she offers insights into the resilience and collective spirit of the Haitian people

Illustrated History

Mark Souther and Andrew Feight are using modern technology to build the historical record -- and include the public in the process

Olmstead Mandated Statewide Implementation of Assertive Community Treatment: Precipitating Factors and Participant Experiences

Evidence-based practices for individuals with serious mental illness have not been widely implemented in United States public mental health systems. Mental health advocates have used the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision to force states with underfunded community mental health services to develop more robust treatment systems. Using a case study, this article-based dissertation examines the process of mandated widespread implementation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kentucky through the experiences of individuals involved in ACT creation and documents related to implementation and the state mental health system. Study 1 identifies precipitating factors to the Kentucky Olmstead settlement agreement that contributed to a lack of research-informed practices for individuals with serious mental illness. Study 2 examines how ACT knowledge was communicated by exploring the learning experiences of individuals involved in implementation. Study 3 investigates the impact of requiring program creation through a settlement agreement on individuals responsible for building these new practices. All 3 studies used qualitative methods determine findings. Study 1 used a content analysis of publicly available documents related to the Kentucky mental health system while Studies 2 and 3 relied on the thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in ACT formation. Findings highlight the importance of governments prioritizing evidence-based practice for individuals with serious mental illness. The use of settlement agreements to force service provision may accomplish an important goal of providing needed services to a vulnerable population. However, rushed or poorly planned program creation strains systems of care and is detrimental to the wellbeing of individuals involved. By engaging in a thorough assessment of barriers prior to program creation, entities using settlement agreements can facilitate more effective implementation of evidence-based practice for individuals with serious mental illness

Diminishing Connections: Nature, the Domestic, and Thingness

In my work I am examining Nature/Culture dualism manifested in contemporary material culture through domestic objects. I\u27m surprised by how many things around me (furniture, textiles, wall coverings, etc.) reference something natural but how there isn\u27t anything one would consider Nature . It is evident that traces of the natural are all around us but it is mediated through man-made things. It is as if Nature has been co-opted, commoditized, and grafted into what defines the domestic realm. I question if artificial and abstracted representations of Nature within the domestic space, manufactured or hand made, have relegated Nature to the level of thingness . I use theory from Jane Bennett and Daniel Miller to illustrate the agency that objects and things hold as well as their ability to influence people. My work combines, conflates, and deconstructs objects and materials from the domestic realm to interrogate their underlying order. I tease apart what is instilled by an object\u27s form, aesthetics, function, as well as spatial and socioeconomic location. As I uncover the internal order of a thing I very quickly disrupt that order as a form of critiquing the system it participates in. That system may be consumer culture, Nature/Culture dualism, subject/object relationships, or issues of the individual versus the social. By teasing apart this combination that exists within an object, my work offers viewers the opportunity to reconsider their position in relation to things as well as to reconsider the terms defining what is natural, cultural, and domestic

The WHIQII Survey: Metallicities and Spectroscopic Properties of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies

As part of the WIYN High Image Quality Indiana Irvine (WHIQII) survey, we present 123 spectra of emission-line galaxies, selected on intermediate redshift (.4<z<.8) galaxies with blue colors that appear physically compact. The sample includes 15 true Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) and an additional 27 slightly less extreme emission-line systems. These galaxies represent a highly evolving class that may play an important role in the decline of star formation since z~1, but their exact nature and evolutionary pathways remain a mystery. Here, we use emission lines to determine metallicities and ionization parameters, constraining their intrinsic properties and state of star formation. Some LCBG metallicities are consistent with a "bursting dwarf" scenario, while a substantial fraction of others are not, further confirming that LCBGs are a highly heterogeneous population but are broadly consistent with the intermediate redshift field. In agreement with previous studies, we observe overall evolution in the luminosity-metallicity relation at intermediate redshift. Our sample, and particularly the LCBGs, occupy a region in the empirical R23-O32 plane that differs from luminous local galaxies and is more consistent with dwarf Irregulars at the present epoch, suggesting that cosmic "downsizing" is observable in even the most fundamental parameters that describe star formation. These properties for our sample are also generally consistent with lying between local galaxies and those at high redshift, as expected by this scenario. Surprisingly, our sample exhibits no detectable correlation between compactness and metallicity, strongly suggesting that at these epochs of rapid star formation, the morphology of compact star-forming galaxies is largely transient.Comment: ApJ accepted, 17 pages, 20 figures, 2 tables (complete tables in published version