Comparing Teacher Education and Finance Majors’ Agreement with Financial Morality Topics

The authors describe findings of a survey that contains items related to financial morality. They analyzed responses of 382 teacher education majors and finance majors at a Midwestern institution of higher learning. The study found highest agreement with items measuring business responsibilities, and lowest agreement with items related to wealth distribution. It notes significant differences and varying effect sizes among education and finance majors’ interpretation of items concerning business responsibility, wealth distribution, and business management. Analysis of items concerning consumer attitudes and consumer behaviors found significant differences and moderate effect sizes. The authors argue for additional research that explores the concepts related to financial morality and provide suggestions for related study.

Insight into Resonant Activation in Discrete Systems

The resonant activation phenomenon (RAP) in a discrete system is studied using the master equation formalism. We show that the RAP corresponds to a non-monotonic behavior of the frequency dependent first passage time probability density function (pdf). An analytical expression for the resonant frequency is introduced, which, together with numerical results, helps understand the RAP behavior in the space spanned by the transition rates for the case of reflecting and absorbing boundary conditions. The limited range of system parameters for which the RAP occurs is discussed. We show that a minimum and a maximum in the mean first passage time (MFPT) can be obtained when both boundaries are absorbing. Relationships to some biological systems are suggested.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Phys. Rev. E., in pres

The Social Construction of Frivolity

Leisure is a continuum of behavior from normative to deviant. Some forms of leisure reflect widely shared cultural norms while others reflect only marginal or sub-cultural acceptance. Within this continuum, we label some harmless forms of non-traditional behavior frivolity. The social construction of frivolity is tempered by time, place, social class and tradition. In addition, frivolity can be a two-edged sword, defining the abnormal as normal or the normal as abnormal. Anthropologists document the functional nature of frivolity as a safety-valve to the pressures of conformity. Sociologists explore how patterns of interaction are altered or suspended in response to special events defined as periods of frivolity. Likewise, students of popular culture study the emergent norms, behaviors and the social definitions associated with carnivals, festivals and special environments dedicated to frivolity

A Special Homotopy Continuation Method For A Class of Polynomial Systems

A special homotopy continuation method, as a combination of the polyhedral homotopy and the linear product homotopy, is proposed for computing all the isolated solutions to a special class of polynomial systems. The root number bound of this method is between the total degree bound and the mixed volume bound and can be easily computed. The new algorithm has been implemented as a program called LPH using C++. Our experiments show its efficiency compared to the polyhedral or other homotopies on such systems. As an application, the algorithm can be used to find witness points on each connected component of a real variety

Geometry and topology of knotted ring polymers in an array of obstacles

We study knotted polymers in equilibrium with an array of obstacles which models confinement in a gel or immersion in a melt. We find a crossover in both the geometrical and the topological behavior of the polymer. When the polymers' radius of gyration, $R_G$, and that of the region containing the knot, $R_{G,k}$, are small compared to the distance b between the obstacles, the knot is weakly localised and $R_G$ scales as in a good solvent with an amplitude that depends on knot type. In an intermediate regime where $R_G > b > R_{G,k}$, the geometry of the polymer becomes branched. When $R_{G,k}$ exceeds b, the knot delocalises and becomes also branched. In this regime, $R_G$ is independent of knot type. We discuss the implications of this behavior for gel electrophoresis experiments on knotted DNA in weak fields.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Non-Supersymmetric Attractor Flow in Symmetric Spaces

We derive extremal black hole solutions for a variety of four dimensional models which, after Kaluza-Klein reduction, admit a description in terms of 3D gravity coupled to a sigma model with symmetric target space. The solutions are in correspondence with certain nilpotent generators of the isometry group. In particular, we provide the exact solution for a non-BPS black hole with generic charges and asymptotic moduli in N=2 supergravity coupled to one vector multiplet. Multi-centered solutions can also be generated with this technique. It is shown that the non-supersymmetric solutions lack the intricate moduli space of bound configurations that are typical of the supersymmetric case.Comment: 50 pages, 4 figures; v2: Reference added. To appear in JHE

Bostonia. Volume 14

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Inversion of the Diffraction Pattern from an Inhomogeneously Strained Crystal using an Iterative Algorithm

The displacement field in highly non uniformly strained crystals is obtained by addition of constraints to an iterative phase retrieval algorithm. These constraints include direct space density uniformity and also constraints to the sign and derivatives of the different components of the displacement field. This algorithm is applied to an experimental reciprocal space map measured using high resolution X-ray diffraction from an array of silicon lines and the obtained component of the displacement field is in very good agreement with the one calculated using a finite element model.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure