320 research outputs found
An analytic model for redshift-space distortions
Understanding the formation and evolution of large-scale structure is a
central problem in cosmology and enables precise tests of General Relativity on
cosmological scales and constraints on dark energy. An essential ingredient is
an accurate description of the pairwise velocities of biased tracers of the
matter field. In this paper we compute the first and second moments of the
pairwise velocity distribution by extending the Convolution Lagrangian
Perturbation theory (CLPT) formalism of Carlson et al. (2012). Our predictions
outperform standard perturbation theory calculations in many cases when
compared to statistics measured in N-body simulations. We combine the CLPT
predictions of real-space clustering and velocity statistics in the Gaussian
streaming model of Reid & White (2011) to obtain predictions for the monopole
and quadrupole correlation functions accurate to 2 and 4 per cent respectively
down to <25Mpc/h for halos hosting the massive galaxies observed by SDSS-III
BOSS. We also discuss contours of the 2D correlation function and clustering
"wedges". We generalize the scheme to cross-correlation functions.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures. Minor modifications to match version accepted
by MNRA
Non-Gaussian halo assembly bias
The strong dependence of the large-scale dark matter halo bias on the (local)
non-Gaussianity parameter, f_NL, offers a promising avenue towards constraining
primordial non-Gaussianity with large-scale structure surveys. In this paper,
we present the first detection of the dependence of the non-Gaussian halo bias
on halo formation history using N-body simulations. We also present an analytic
derivation of the expected signal based on the extended Press-Schechter
formalism. In excellent agreement with our analytic prediction, we find that
the halo formation history-dependent contribution to the non-Gaussian halo bias
(which we call non-Gaussian halo assembly bias) can be factorized in a form
approximately independent of redshift and halo mass. The correction to the
non-Gaussian halo bias due to the halo formation history can be as large as
100%, with a suppression of the signal for recently formed halos and
enhancement for old halos. This could in principle be a problem for realistic
galaxy surveys if observational selection effects were to pick galaxies
occupying only recently formed halos. Current semi-analytic galaxy formation
models, for example, imply an enhancement in the expected signal of ~23% and
~48% for galaxies at z=1 selected by stellar mass and star formation rate,
respectively.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCAP. v2: accepted version, minor
change
A 2.5% measurement of the growth rate from small-scale redshift space clustering of SDSS-III CMASS galaxies
We perform the first fit to the anisotropic clustering of SDSS-III CMASS DR10
galaxies on scales of ~ 0.8 - 32 Mpc/h. A standard halo occupation distribution
model evaluated near the best fit Planck LCDM cosmology provides a good fit to
the observed anisotropic clustering, and implies a normalization for the
peculiar velocity field of M ~ 2 x 10^13 Msun/h halos of f*sigma8(z=0.57) =
0.450 +/- 0.011. Since this constraint includes both quasi-linear and
non-linear scales, it should severely constrain modified gravity models that
enhance pairwise infall velocities on these scales. Though model dependent, our
measurement represents a factor of 2.5 improvement in precision over the
analysis of DR11 on large scales, f*sigma8(z=0.57) = 0.447 +/- 0.028, and is
the tightest single constraint on the growth rate of cosmic structure to date.
Our measurement is consistent with the Planck LCDM prediction of 0.480 +/-
0.010 at the ~1.9 sigma level. Assuming a halo mass function evaluated at the
best fit Planck cosmology, we also find that 10% of CMASS galaxies are
satellites in halos of mass M ~ 6 x 10^13 Msun/h. While none of our tests and
model generalizations indicate systematic errors due to an insufficiently
detailed model of the galaxy-halo connection, the precision of these first
results warrant further investigation into the modeling uncertainties and
degeneracies with cosmological parameters.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures, submitted to MNRAS. v2 is 27 pages, 23 figures,
accepted by MNRA
Goal Directed Learning: Early Assessment And Individualized Education Plans for Family Medicine Interns
Articulate rationale for early assessment Describe process of assessment and feedback sessions List benefits of process based on: Objective data Opinion of interns over past 2 year
Prenatal to Grade 3 Alignment Initiative
The purpose of this project is to create stronger connections between elementary schools & providers of early childhood care/education programs; and between schools & parents of young children in 10 grantee communities across Oregon. The evaluation team developed data collection tools and is currently providing data collection and utilization training and technical assistance, and conducting systems evaluation data collection and analysis
Tests of redshift-space distortions models in configuration space for the analysis of the BOSS final data release
Observations of redshift-space distortions in spectroscopic galaxy surveys
offer an attractive method for observing the build-up of cosmological
structure, which depends both on the expansion rate of the Universe and our
theory of gravity. In preparation for analysis of redshift-space distortions
from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) final data release we
compare a number of analytic and phenomenological `streaming' models, specified
in configuration space, to mock catalogs derived in different ways from several
N-body simulations. The galaxies in each mock catalog have properties similar
to those of the higher redshift galaxies measured by BOSS but differ in the
details of how small-scale velocities and halo occupancy are determined. We
find that all of the analytic models fit the simulations over a limited range
of scales while failing at small scales. We discuss which models are most
robust and on which scales they return reliable estimates of the rate of growth
of structure: we find that models based on some form of resummation can fit our
N-body data for BOSS-like galaxies above Mpc well enough to return
unbiased parameter estimates.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, matches version accepted by MNRA
Recommended from our members
Rural Community Colleges and the Nursing Shortage in Severely Distressed Counties
The United States is in the middle of a gripping nursing shortage; a shortage that is putting patients' lives in danger. This study determined the impact community and tribal colleges in severely economically distressed counties of the United States have on the nursing shortage faced by health care facilities serving these areas. The initial sample of 24 institutions selected in the Ford Foundation's Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) (1995-2000). Data were collected from the Fall 1998 National Study of Post Secondary Faculty to obtain characteristics of faculty and from the 2003 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to obtain characteristics of students, both at all publicly-controlled community colleges, all tribal colleges, and the 24 RCCI colleges that included 18 community and six tribal colleges. A survey was sent to the directors/deans/chairs of the nursing programs to ascertain issues related to the nursing program, nursing faculty, and nursing students. Respondents were asked to identify the healthcare facilities used for students' clinical experiences. A survey was then sent to each of these facilities asking about rural health, and source of nursing staff. Findings: 1) 87% of these these rural healthcare facilities are experiencing a significant shortage of nurses, and they are challenged to recruit and retain nursing staff; 2) Nursing programs, including both Licensed Practical Nursing and Associate's Degree Nursing are important to these rural community and tribal colleges, have seen growth over the past 5 years and expect to continue growth (86%); 3) Financial aid for nursing students is critically important; 4) Students are predominantly white and female; minorities are significantly under-represented; 5) Lack of subsidized public transportation and child care for nursing students even at tribal colleges are barriers that impact program completion; and 6) A shortage of nursing faculty exists at rural community and tribal colleges that negatively impacts student enrollment in these programs, thus reducing the rural nursing workforce pipeline. It is the rural community and tribal college nursing programs help provide severely economically distressed counties of the United States with the nursing workforce needed to decrease the nurse to patient ratio
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