Temperature-based metallicity measurements at z=0.8: direct calibration of strong-line diagnostics at intermediate redshift

We present the first direct calibration of strong-line metallicity diagnostics at significant cosmological distances using a sample at z=0.8 drawn from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey. Oxygen and neon abundances are derived from measurements of electron temperature and density. We directly compare various commonly used relations between gas-phase metallicity and strong line ratios of O, Ne, and H at z=0.8 and z=0. There is no evolution with redshift at high precision ($\Delta \log{\mathrm{O/H}} = -0.01\pm0.03$, $\Delta \log{\mathrm{Ne/O}} = 0.01 \pm 0.01$). O, Ne, and H line ratios follow the same locus at z=0.8 as at z=0 with $\lesssim$0.02 dex evolution and low scatter ($\lesssim$0.04 dex). This suggests little or no evolution in physical conditions of HII regions at fixed oxygen abundance, in contrast to models which invoke more extreme properties at high redshifts. We speculate that offsets observed in the [N II]/H$\alpha$ versus [O III]/H$\beta$ diagram at high redshift are therefore due to [NII] emission, likely as a result of relatively high N/O abundance. If this is indeed the case, then nitrogen-based metallicity diagnostics suffer from systematic errors at high redshift. Our findings indicate that locally calibrated abundance diagnostics based on alpha-capture elements can be reliably applied at z$\simeq$1 and possibly at much higher redshifts. This constitutes the first firm basis for the widespread use of empirical calibrations in high redshift metallicity studies.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted to Ap

Linear relations between polynomial orbits

We study the orbits of a polynomial f in C[X], namely the sets {e,f(e),f(f(e)),...} with e in C. We prove that if nonlinear complex polynomials f and g have orbits with infinite intersection, then f and g have a common iterate. More generally, we describe the intersection of any line in C^d with a d-tuple of orbits of nonlinear polynomials, and we formulate a question which generalizes both this result and the Mordell--Lang conjecture.Comment: 27 page

Exceptional covers and bijections on rational points

We show that if f: X --> Y is a finite, separable morphism of smooth curves defined over a finite field F_q, where q is larger than an explicit constant depending only on the degree of f and the genus of X, then f maps X(F_q) surjectively onto Y(F_q) if and only if f maps X(F_q) injectively into Y(F_q). Surprisingly, the bounds on q for these two implications have different orders of magnitude. The main tools used in our proof are the Chebotarev density theorem for covers of curves over finite fields, the Castelnuovo genus inequality, and ideas from Galois theory.Comment: 19 pages; various minor changes to previous version. To appear in International Mathematics Research Notice

An Analysis of Standardized Reading Test Scores to Determine the Effectiveness of a Junior High Reading Program

The Millard School District is the fourth largest district in Nebraska. The student enrollment in June, 1976, was 8305. The school district is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The district presently includes eleven elementary schools, two junior highs, and one senior high. The junior and senior high schools are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. One of the goals established by the Millard School District is to provide a comprehensive instructional program with sufficient alternatives for the maximum growth and development of students

Hemingway\u27s Cante Jondo: The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and The Sea leads to a reading of The Epistle of James through Ernest Hemingway\u27s deep understanding of Spanish Catholicism and Cuban culture; Hemingway\u27s greatest work, it is his cante jondo, his deep song in homage to the suffering of his generation. Cante jondo, like The Old Man and The Sea, moves at a ballad tempo, speaks to life and death struggles, and embraces sorrow and joy in equal measure. Cante jondo, similarly, casts a mournful tone in its flamenco rhythms not unlike that Hemingway reveals in The Old Man and The Sea. What Flamenco Sketches is to the lexicon of Miles Davis - a highly-crafted, lyrical, deeply spiritual, and passionate expression of Davis\u27 jazz aesthetic framed in the cante jondo of Spanish flamenco music - The Old Man and The Sea is to Hemingway\u27s work: an impassioned expression of Hemingway\u27s lyric voic evoking the soul of Spanish culture and Cuban culture, rich in spiritual and mythological connections. Santiago is a fitting protagonist for Hemingway\u27s greatest work. Like Hemingway all of his life as a writer, Santiago is willing to enter the seas of life with joy for the journey before him, with faith to endure any struggle and a will to survive. Cuba, as the contemporary Cuban scholar Mary Cruz relates, is a land of Santiagos (Cruz 204). Cuba is a land of fisherman poor in material possessions but wealthy beyond measure in spirit. It is no coincidence that Hemingway comes upon the tale of a Cuban fisherman towed out to sea by a great marlin, and after four days, rescued by other fishermen who drove off sharks circling his small skiff, lashed the skiff to their craft, and brought him home to Havana in 1934 (Scribner xxvii). Hemingway is in Cuba in the early 1930s because he, like Santiago, follows his calling. Hemingway\u27s calling leads him to his greatest catch as a writer, just as Santiago\u27s refusal to abandon his calling leads him to his greatest catch, the spiritual victory at the end of his odyssey at high sea on the Gulf Stream. Santiago\u27s journey of the soul in The Old Man and the Sea is at one with his outer journey to catch the great marlin in the hurricane season in the Caribbean, when he goes to sea knowing that death may storm down upon him. Santiago, like Hemingway and other artists of his time, does not hesitate to follow his calling in the face of death. We witness his pain, his suffering, and his survival on his four-day journey as Hemingway witnesses the pain, suffering, and survival of his comrades in desperate circumstances throughout his life: in Northern Italy in the Great War, in the mountains of the Guadarrama and the streets of Madrid in teh Spanish Civil War, and in Europe in the Second World War. Cante jondo, at its core, is a classical flamenco expression of suffering. Hemingway\u27s generation suffers in its struggle to defeat totalitarianism like no other generation in American history. The Old Man and The Sea reads to me as only natural for Hemingway to write. Ultimately, it is his destiny as a writer. Everything in his life as a writer directs him to create this passionate and lyrical story or a man\u27s struggle to fulfill his destiny. I argue The Old Man and The Sea is Hemingway\u27s cante jondo, his deep song for the tremendous sacrifices his generation endures to sustain Western culture in the face of oppressive forces of fascism and communism in Asia and Europe; likewise, it is Hemingway\u27s lyrical deep song inspired by a Cuban fisherman in 1934 who goes far on a journey for a great marlin on the Gulf Stream and loses his dream catch to sharks on his return to his home shores of Cuba (Scribner xxvii)

Hemingway\u27s Cante Jondo: The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and The Sea leads to a reading of The Epistle of James through Ernest Hemingway\u27s deep understanding of Spanish Catholicism and Cuban culture; Hemingway\u27s greatest work, it is his cante jondo, his deep song in homage to the suffering of his generation. Cante jondo, like The Old Man and The Sea, moves at a ballad tempo, speaks to life and death struggles, and embraces sorrow and joy in equal measure. Cante jondo, similarly, casts a mournful tone in its flamenco rhythms not unlike that Hemingway reveals in The Old Man and The Sea. What Flamenco Sketches is to the lexicon of Miles Davis - a highly-crafted, lyrical, deeply spiritual, and passionate expression of Davis\u27 jazz aesthetic framed in the cante jondo of Spanish flamenco music - The Old Man and The Sea is to Hemingway\u27s work: an impassioned expression of Hemingway\u27s lyric voic evoking the soul of Spanish culture and Cuban culture, rich in spiritual and mythological connections. Santiago is a fitting protagonist for Hemingway\u27s greatest work. Like Hemingway all of his life as a writer, Santiago is willing to enter the seas of life with joy for the journey before him, with faith to endure any struggle and a will to survive. Cuba, as the contemporary Cuban scholar Mary Cruz relates, is a land of Santiagos (Cruz 204). Cuba is a land of fisherman poor in material possessions but wealthy beyond measure in spirit. It is no coincidence that Hemingway comes upon the tale of a Cuban fisherman towed out to sea by a great marlin, and after four days, rescued by other fishermen who drove off sharks circling his small skiff, lashed the skiff to their craft, and brought him home to Havana in 1934 (Scribner xxvii). Hemingway is in Cuba in the early 1930s because he, like Santiago, follows his calling. Hemingway\u27s calling leads him to his greatest catch as a writer, just as Santiago\u27s refusal to abandon his calling leads him to his greatest catch, the spiritual victory at the end of his odyssey at high sea on the Gulf Stream. Santiago\u27s journey of the soul in The Old Man and the Sea is at one with his outer journey to catch the great marlin in the hurricane season in the Caribbean, when he goes to sea knowing that death may storm down upon him. Santiago, like Hemingway and other artists of his time, does not hesitate to follow his calling in the face of death. We witness his pain, his suffering, and his survival on his four-day journey as Hemingway witnesses the pain, suffering, and survival of his comrades in desperate circumstances throughout his life: in Northern Italy in the Great War, in the mountains of the Guadarrama and the streets of Madrid in teh Spanish Civil War, and in Europe in the Second World War. Cante jondo, at its core, is a classical flamenco expression of suffering. Hemingway\u27s generation suffers in its struggle to defeat totalitarianism like no other generation in American history. The Old Man and The Sea reads to me as only natural for Hemingway to write. Ultimately, it is his destiny as a writer. Everything in his life as a writer directs him to create this passionate and lyrical story or a man\u27s struggle to fulfill his destiny. I argue The Old Man and The Sea is Hemingway\u27s cante jondo, his deep song for the tremendous sacrifices his generation endures to sustain Western culture in the face of oppressive forces of fascism and communism in Asia and Europe; likewise, it is Hemingway\u27s lyrical deep song inspired by a Cuban fisherman in 1934 who goes far on a journey for a great marlin on the Gulf Stream and loses his dream catch to sharks on his return to his home shores of Cuba (Scribner xxvii)

The Correlates of Right-wing Extremism

Research into the correlates of right-wing extremism has been focused on the group level, mainly ignoring the individual right-wing extremist behaviors, characteristics, and traits. Although group milieu strongly affects the ideology of individuals, personal decisions making often comes from a combination of unique experiences, cognitive abilities and biases, and differences in individual traits. This biographical study aimed to examine the life course events of twenty-five individual right-wing extremists identifying common biological and circumstantial correlates among and between the subjects. By analyzing the different correlates, this study created a matrix that identifies the correlates for significance. The results of the analysis created an individual right-wing extremist profile able to assist the United States law enforcement agencies, the intelligence community, and the criminal justice system by making a list of factors that can be used to identify individuals that are predisposed to the use of violence in the furtherance of their political, religious, and social ideologies. The data collected in this study suggests that a right-wing extremist who utilizes violence is a white male, radicalized under the age of 30, from a suburban or rural environment, has a high school education, has peers involved in right-wing extremist movements, having previously been exposed to traditional religion, married at least one time, and adhere to multiple right-wing extremist ideologies. Additionally, the right-wing extremist profile created in this study suggests that the individual is highly likely to be a military veteran with combat experience