Features and New Physical Scales in Primordial Observables: Theory and Observation

All cosmological observations to date are consistent with adiabatic, Gaussian and nearly scale invariant initial conditions. These findings provide strong evidence for a particular symmetry breaking pattern in the very early universe (with a close to vanishing order parameter, $\epsilon$), widely accepted as conforming to the predictions of the simplest realizations of the inflationary paradigm. However, given that our observations are only privy to perturbations, in inferring something about the background that gave rise to them, it should be clear that many different underlying constructions project onto the same set of cosmological observables. Features in the primordial correlation functions, if present, would offer a unique and discriminating window onto the parent theory in which the mechanism that generated the initial conditions is embedded. In certain contexts, simple linear response theory allows us to infer new characteristic scales from the presence of features that can break the aforementioned degeneracies among different background models, and in some cases can even offer a limited spectroscopy of the heavier degrees of freedom that couple to the inflaton. In this review, we offer a pedagogical survey of the diverse, theoretically well grounded mechanisms which can imprint features into primordial correlation functions in addition to reviewing the techniques one can employ to probe observations. These observations include cosmic microwave background anisotropies and spectral distortions as well as the matter two and three point functions as inferred from large-scale structure and potentially, 21 cm surveys.Comment: Invited review to IJMPD, 101 pages + 2 appendices, 29 figures, references added, matches journal versio

Exploration of Sense of Belonging Phenomenon for Students Who Commute to Campus at Private, Not-For-Profit, Four-Year Institutions

There has been substantial research conducted around facilitating student success at institutions of higher education and exploring the student experience of undergraduate students, specifically, those students who take part in the residential communities which have become synonymous with the college experience. Through these studies, higher education administrators have learned the significant role residential communities play in a student’s success and persistence and have used these findings to inform master plans for institution’s capital improvements, programmatic initiatives for residential communities and more. Although this research is helpful for informing the decisions of higher education administrators as they create plans for student success at their institution, it is important to note this literature and the prevailing student development theories and academic research focuses primarily on residential students at higher education institutions or utilized samples which neglected to differentiate between students who commute to campus and those who live on campus throughout the academic year. The purpose of this study is to identify if the prevailing theories of student development still reign true for students who commute to campus and what are the factors which contribute to the sense of belonging for students who commute to campus. Data collect in this study suggests a correlation does exist between a student’s sense of belonging score and student success, as defined by grade point average. Additionally, the data suggest the sense of belonging for a student who commutes to campus is more influenced by the number of campus activities the student attends each month and the amount of time the student spends on campus each week outside of their classes

Sic et Non: Are We So Sure of Matthean Dependence on Mark?

Let’s take another look at the view that Matthew depends on Mark, especially at the way in which G. M. Styler has recently defended it. The author then examines the pros and cons of the arguments and concludes that the case for Markan priority is not as open and shut as some would argue

The Quasar-frame Velocity Distribution of Narrow CIV Absorbers

We report on a survey for narrow (FWHM < 600 km/s) CIV absorption lines in a sample of bright quasars at redshifts $1.8 \le z < 2.25$ in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our main goal is to understand the relationship of narrow CIV absorbers to quasar outflows and, more generally, to quasar environments. We determine velocity zero-points using the broad MgII emission line, and then measure the absorbers' quasar-frame velocity distribution. We examine the distribution of lines arising in quasar outflows by subtracting model fits to the contributions from cosmologically intervening absorbers and absorption due to the quasar host galaxy or cluster environment. We find a substantial number ($\ge 43\pm6$ per cent) of absorbers with REW $> 0.3$ \AA in the velocity range +750 km/s \la v \la +12000 km/s are intrinsic to the AGN outflow. This `outflow fraction' peaks near $v=+2000$ km/s with a value of $f_{outflow} \simeq 0.81 \pm 0.13$. At velocities below $v \approx +2000$ km/s the incidence of outflowing systems drops, possibly due to geometric effects or to the over-ionization of gas that is nearer the accretion disk. Furthermore, we find that outflow-absorbers are on average broader and stronger than cosmologically-intervening systems. Finally, we find that $\sim 14$ per cent of the quasars in our sample exhibit narrow, outflowing CIV absorption with REW $> 0.3$\AA, slightly larger than that for broad absorption line systems.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Justification by Faith in Modern Theology (Continued)

We shall begin the final installment of this article with the judgment that one of the truths about justification that St. Paul holds is that justification is complete before there is such a thing as faith. This fact of Paul\u27s teaching has been known, particularly in the theological literature of Missouri Lutherans, as objective justification. The term is not a good one, chiefly for the reason that the counterpart to it, subjective justification, if it means anything, should mean a justification that goes on in the believer, a thing which no Missourian ever held

Justification by Faith in Modern Theology (Continued)

In accordance with the writer\u27s convictions concerning the source of St. Paul\u27s teachings mentioned in the previous article we begin the investigation of the present topic with the questions: What might Paul be expected to mean by words like righteous (δίχαιοζ), righteousness (διχαιοςύνη) , justify (διχαιοῦν) on the basis of his knowledge of the Old Testament? What effect would the use of these terms and related ones in Aramaic by the rabbis be expected to have on his own usage

Justification by Faith in Modern Theology (Continued)

The LXX does not afford us much help as we try to understand what St. Paul means by faith, except in one respect, which will be clear later. There is, of course, in the Old Testament the apostle\u27s great example of faith, the patriarch Abraham. The Psalms, moreover, are replete with expressions which are the accents of faith. As Stewart has well said, The thing itself can be traced everywhere from Genesis to Malachi, and the same writer quite correctly points to Heb. 11 and its many examples of faith drawn from the Old Testament. But the term itself is rather rare. Paul, too, never attempts a definition. However, what the apostle does say about it, the parallel and contrasted ideas with which he brings faith into connection, quite decisively makes the modern view impossible