Tackling Arithmophobia : Teaching How to Read, Understand, and Analyze Financial Statements

This discussion presents different ideas on how to teach accounting and practical finance to law students

A Comparative Study of Riparian Vegetation in Two Drainage Areas of the Black Hills

In recent years riparian or streamside habitats have received a great deal of attention by field scientists and ecologists. Considerable research has been conducted to determine the effects of grazing, mining, road building, logging, and recreation in riparian areas. The reason for this attention is the fact that riparian areas are extremely productive for livestock, wildlife, and fish. As much information as possible needs to be collected about riparian areas so they may be effectively managed. This study was conducted to characterize the vegetation associated with two riparian areas of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The geographical focus of the project was on two distinct drainages in the Black Hills -- the Rapid Creek and the Battle Creek drainage areas. Research was conducted to fulfil1 two objectives: 1. Determine how Black Hills riparian vegetation changes with variation in elevation, and 2. Evaluate differences between dominant vegetation of the Rapid Creek and the Battle Creek drainage areas. Results of the study provide a comparison of plant diversity and species composition in relatively undisturbed riparian areas. Such information will assist resource managers in effectively managing these important resource areas. In addition, it is hoped that the information will influence future policy direction by those entrusted with decisions shaping Black Hills resource utilization

Bab edh-Dhra\u27, Numeira, and the Biblical Patriarchs: a Chronological Study

Problem. Bab edh-Dhra\u27 and Numeira have been identified by archaeologists as possible candidates for two of the biblical cities of the plain, but their existence in the Early Bronze Age III is too early to match the biblical narrative (Gen 19) by many chronologies of ancient Canaan. This study sought to determine if there is sufficient flexibility in the archaeological and biblical chronologies to make the identification of Bab edh-Dhra\u27 and Numeira with the cities of the plain a viable interpretation. Method. The range of dates possible for both the archaeological data and the biblical narratives was analyzed. For the archaeological data this involved a study of the absolute dates for contemporary periods in Mesopotamia and Egypt, with particular emphasis on the trends in dating for both areas over the last century or so, as well as a study of radiocarbon dating in the region for this time period. For the biblical narratives the study consisted of a review of the spectrum of absolute dates that have been suggested for the patriarchs. The results of these two datasets were then compared for possible overlap. Results. Chronologies for both Mesopotamia and Egypt have been steadily lowered over the past century, and it is not clear that the trend is over. This trend has not been yet fully embraced by mainstream archaeology in Syria/Palestine. Radiocarbon was found to generally favor higher dates, but the method has problems that render it inconclusive by itself. The absolute dates possible for the patriarchs span a lengthy period, the early end of which may overlap the newer low chronologies for Mesopotamia and Egypt. Conclusions. Combining the new lower archaeological chronologies and the higher dates for the patriarchs indicates the possibility that Bab edh-Dhra\u27 and Numeira could be two of the biblical cities of the plain. Further investigation into this possible identification is merited

The role of technology in overcoming disability : an individualized technology plan for students with dyslexia

The purpose of this study was to identify the technology skills and strategies that students with dyslexia use to overcome their learning disability. The literature suggests that there are many technologies that help students with dyslexia. However, the problem is that many students, families, and teachers do not know the skills and strategies that are most effective. The literature suggests many strategies that aid dyslexics performance in reading and writing. This research uses an Individualized Technology Plan to identify the technology skills and strategies that eighth grade students are using at a technology enriched independent school for students with language-based learning disabilities. This study compares student performance on the Test of Written Language (TOWL) when administered with a handwritten narrative and with a word processed narrative. The results indicate that students improve an average of 2.3 grade levels when they use a computer on written conventions and written language. All students use at least one technology strategy to help them with reading and an average of three technology strategies with writing. In conclusion, teaching students with dyslexia technology strategies for reading and writing makes a significant difference in their performance

Optimal Monte Carlo Updating

Based on Peskun's theorem it is shown that optimal transition matrices in Markov chain Monte Carlo should have zero diagonal elements except for the diagonal element corresponding to the largest weight. We will compare the statistical efficiency of this sampler to existing algorithms, such as heat-bath updating and the Metropolis algorithm. We provide numerical results for the Potts model as an application in classical physics. As an application in quantum physics we consider the spin 3/2 XY model and the Bose-Hubbard model which have been simulated by the directed loop algorithm in the stochastic series expansion framework.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, replaced with published versio