Effects of self-consistent rest-ultraviolet colours in semi-empirical galaxy formation models

Connecting the observed rest-ultraviolet (UV) luminosities of high-$z$ galaxies to their intrinsic luminosities (and thus star formation rates) requires correcting for the presence of dust. We bypass a common dust-correction approach that uses empirical relationships between infrared (IR) emission and UV colours, and instead augment a semi-empirical model for galaxy formation with a simple -- but self-consistent -- dust model and use it to jointly fit high-$z$ rest-UV luminosity functions (LFs) and colour-magnitude relations ($M_{\mathrm{UV}}$-$\beta$). In doing so, we find that UV colours evolve with redshift (at fixed UV magnitude), as suggested by observations, even in cases without underlying evolution in dust production, destruction, absorption, or geometry. The observed evolution in our model arises due to the reduction in the mean stellar age and rise in specific star formation rates with increasing $z$. The UV extinction, $A_{\mathrm{UV}}$, evolves similarly with redshift, though we find a systematically shallower relation between $A_{\mathrm{UV}}$ and $M_{\mathrm{UV}}$ than that predicted by IRX-$\beta$ relationships derived from $z \sim 3$ galaxy samples. Finally, assuming that high $1600 \r{A}$ transmission ($\gtrsim 0.6$) is a reliable LAE indicator, modest scatter in the effective dust surface density of galaxies can explain the evolution both in $M_{\mathrm{UV}}$-$\beta$ and LAE fractions. These predictions are readily testable by deep surveys with the James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: 14+4 pages, 11+5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

No Longer Innocent Until Proven Guilty: How Ohio Violates the Fourth Amendment Through Familial DNA Searches of Felony Arrestees

In 2013, the United States Supreme Court legalized DNA collection of all felony arrestees upon arrest through its decision in Maryland v. King. Since then, the State of Ohio has broadened the use of arrestee DNA by subjecting it to familial DNA searches. Ohio’s practice of conducting familial DNA searches of arrestee DNA violates the Fourth Amendment because arrestees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the information that is extracted from a familial DNA search and it fails both the totality of the circumstances and the special needs tests. Further, these tests go against the intention of the Supreme Court when it legalized arrestee DNA collection as it specifically precluded the use of arrestee DNA collection in its Maryland v. King decision

Here They Are, SEND Them: An Evaluation of the SEND Program at Merrimack College

The purpose of this study was to gather a deeper understanding of the SEND Program at Merrimack College. This program evaluation sought to determine if the SEND Program was meeting its short-term outcomes for the program. The current literature highlights the important and significant aspects of alternative break/global service-learning programs as they can provide great educational experiences for students. A survey was sent out to a cohort of alumni SEND participants to gather their perspectives of the program. Overall, the survey respondents noted positive responses of their experiences in this program, indicating that they had some level of a positive educational experience. Further, results demonstrated growth in leadership skills, teamwork skills, emotional intelligence, and increased knowledge of social and ecological issues in the real world