Effects of Exchange Rate Changes on S&P 500 Price Movement

This paper investigates the relationship between the S&P 500 stock price movements compared to the currency exchange rate movement of the five largest trading partners of the United States. The top five countries that the United States trades with are Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and Mexico. The purpose of this research is to answer the following question: Can the movement of the S&P 500 be determined by the currency exchange rates of the top five countries the United States trade with the most? For this paper, we assume that exchange rates explain the trading patterns of countries. To further analyze our question, we looked at the movement of China, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Mexico stock market indices based on their closing prices as well. Our regression estimates that the main dependent variable, the S&P 500, is significantly correlated with exchange rate movements. Furthermore, Canada has the most significant affect on the S&P 500 through both the money market and the goods market. Other dependent variables, the stock indices of China, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Mexico, show significant correlation between trading patterns and the indices. However, our findings indicated that China’s index was not significantly correlated with any of the independent variables

Testing the Theory of Resilience and Relational Load in the Context of Empty Nesters

In examining the marital communication of recent empty nesters, the aim of this study was to test the theory of resilience and relational load (TRRL) (Afifi et al., 2016). The postparental period that follows directly after children leave their parents’ places of residence may present unique challenges for married individuals to navigate together. The TRRL offers a potential explanation as to why some married couples demonstrate resilience and flourish through a stressful season while others do not. To test the TRRL in this context, 113 married persons who became empty nesters within the previous 18 months filled out an online survey. Two covariates (i.e., time elapsed since the last child left their home and closeness with the last of their children (or child) to leave during the month prior to the last child leaving their home) were identified in the preliminary analyses and were used in all subsequent analyses. Results of a second-order partial correlation indicated that empty nesters’ communal orientation and received active-empathic listening were both negatively associated with relational load, but not associated with resilience. In addition, the results of the second-order partial correlation revealed that empty nesters’ communal orientation and received active-empathic listening were both negatively associated with marital conflict, but only communal orientation was negatively associated with stress (i.e., received active-empathic listening was not associated with stress). Finally, the results of the second-order partial correlation indicated that empty nesters’ stress and marital conflict were both positively associated with relational load, but only stress was negatively associated with resilience (i.e., marital conflict was not associated with resilience). Next, four parallel multiple mediation models were run, still controlling for the two formerly identified covariates. Empty nesters’ communal orientation indirectly decreased relational load through stress and marital conflict, controlling for each other as mediators; however, communal orientation still emerged as a direct predictor of reduced relational load in the model. Empty nesters’ received active-empathic listening indirectly decreased relational load through marital conflict, but not through stress, controlling for each other as mediators. Received active-empathic listening did not emerge as a direct predictor of relational load in the model. Interestingly, empty nesters’ communal orientation indirectly increased resilience through stress, but also indirectly decreased resilience through marital conflict, controlling for each other as mediators. Communal orientation did not emerge as a direct predictor of resilience in the model. Lastly, empty nesters’ received active-empathic listening did not indirectly predict resilience through stress or through marital conflict, controlling for each other as mediators; yet, received active-empathic listening did emerge as a direct predictor of resilience in the model. The discussion points to and underscores the importance of having a communal orientation for married, recent empty nesters, as well as the possible individual benefits of having a spouse who displays wonderful listening skills in this season, such as empathically sensing, processing, and responding (Bodie, 2011). Considering what was gleaned in conducting this study, theoretical and methodological future directions are advanced

Search for the Neutron Decay n→\rightarrow X+γ\gamma where X is a dark matter particle

In a recent paper submitted to Physical Review Letters, Fornal and Grinstein have suggested that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods can be explained by a previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n$\rightarrow$ X+$\gamma$ where X is a dark matter particle. We have performed a search for this decay mode over the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic gamma ray for X to be a dark matter particle. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to explain the lifetime discrepancy with greater than 4 sigma confidence.Comment: 6 pages 3 figure

Measurement of the neutron lifetime using an asymmetric magneto- gravitational trap and in situ detection

The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, $\tau_n$, plays an important role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is a key input for predicting the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and is used to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. There is a 3.9 standard deviation discrepancy between $\tau_n$ measured by counting the decay rate of free neutrons in a beam (887.7 $\pm$ 2.2 s) and by counting surviving ultracold neutrons stored for different storage times in a material trap (878.5$\pm$0.8 s). The experiment described here eliminates loss mechanisms present in previous trap experiments by levitating polarized ultracold neutrons above the surface of an asymmetric storage trap using a repulsive magnetic field gradient so that the stored neutrons do not interact with material trap walls and neutrons in quasi-stable orbits rapidly exit the trap. As a result of this approach and the use of a new in situ neutron detector, the lifetime reported here (877.7 $\pm$ 0.7 (stat) +0.4/-0.2 (sys) s) is the first modern measurement of $\tau_n$ that does not require corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Status of the UCNτ experiment

The neutron is the simplest nuclear system that can be used to probe the structure of the weak interaction and search for physics beyond the standard model. Measurements of neutron lifetime and β-decay correlation coefficients with precisions of 0.02% and 0.1%, respectively, would allow for stringent constraints on new physics. The UCNτ experiment uses an asymmetric magneto-gravitational UCN trap with in situ counting of surviving neutrons to measure the neutron lifetime, τ_n = 877.7s (0.7s)_(stat) (+0.4/−0.2s)_(sys). We discuss the recent result from UCNτ, the status of ongoing data collection and analysis, and the path toward a 0.25 s measurement of the neutron lifetime with UCNτ

Resistance to wheat rusts identified in wheat/Amblyopyrum muticum chromosome introgressions

© 2020 The Authors. Crop Science © 2020 Crop Science Society of America Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rusts are a worldwide production problem. Plant breeders have used genetic resistance to combat these fungi. However, single-gene resistance is rapidly overcome as a result of frequent occurrence of new virulent fungal strains. Thus, a supply of new resistance sources is continually needed, and new resistance sources are limited within hexaploid wheat genetic stocks. Wild relatives are able to be a resource for new resistance genes but are hindered because of chromosome incapability with domesticated wheats. Twenty-eight double-haploid hexaploid wheat/Amblyopyrum muticum (Boiss.) Eig introgression lines, with introgressions covering the majority of the T genome, were evaluated for resistance to Puccinia triticina Erikss., P. graminis Pers.:Pers. f.sp. tritici Erikss. & E. Henning, and P. striiformis Westend. f.sp. tritici Erikss. At the seedling level, four lines were resistant to races of P. triticina, six lines were resistant to P. graminis, and 15 lines were resistant to P. striiformis. At the adult stage, 16 lines were resistant to P. triticina. Line 355 had resistance to all three rusts and line 161 had resistance to all tested races of P. triticina. Some of these lines will require further work to reduce the size of the introgressed segment; however, lines 92 and 355 have very small fragments and can be used directly as new resistance donors

Search for the Neutron Decay n → X + γ, Where X is a Dark Matter Particle

Fornal and Grinstein recently proposed that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods, can be explained by a previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n → X + γ. We perform a search for this decay mode over the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic γray for X to be dark matter. A Compton-suppressed high-purity germanium detector is used to identify γrays from neutron decay in a nickel-phosphorous-coated stainless-steel bottle. A combination of Monte Carlo and radioactive source calibrations is used to determine the absolute efficiency for detecting γ rays arising from the dark matter decay mode. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to explain the lifetime discrepancy with 97% confidence