Wealth Effects of Banks' Rights to Market and Originate Annuities

We examine wealth effects, for banks and insurers, of bank rights to sell and underwrite annuities. The stock-price reactions to four court and regulatory decisions are consistent with expectations of bank gains at insurers' expense. Cross-sectionally, smaller, riskier insurers with higher distribution costs and substantial annuity business sustain larger wealth losses. Larger, riskier bank holding companies with fee- based and consumer business gain most, consistent with the extension of federal safety-net guarantees as a source of gains. Banking stock-price reactions to the Supreme Court's decision are opposite other findings, possibly reflecting unfulfilled expectations of a broader mandate for expanded bank rights.Annuities, VALIC, financial modernization, deregulation, deposit insurance, Blackfeet National Bank, event studies

Spin-Current Relaxation Time in Spin-Polarized Heisenberg Paramagnets

We study the spatial Fourier transform of the spin correlation function G_q(t) in paramagnetic quantum crystals by direct simulation of a 1d lattice of atoms interacting via a nearest-neighbor Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian. Since it is not practical to diagonalize the s=1/2 exchange Hamiltonian for a lattice which is of sufficient size to study long-wavelength (hydrodynamic) fluctuations, we instead study the s -> infinity limit and treat each spin as a vector with a classical equation of motion. The simulations give a detailed picture of the correlation function G_q(t) and its time derivatives. At high polarization, there seems to be a hierarchy of frequency scales: the local exchange frequency, a wavelength-independent relaxation rate 1/tau that vanishes at large polarization P ->1, and a wavelength-dependent spin-wave frequency proportional to q^2. This suggests a form for the correlation function which modifies the spin diffusion coefficients obtained in a moments calculation by Cowan and Mullin, who used a standard Gaussian ansatz for the second derivative of the correlation function.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Number skills and knowledge in children with specific language impairment.

The number skills of groups of 7- to 9-year-old children with specific language impairment (SLI) attending mainstream or special schools were compared with an age and nonverbal reasoning matched group (age control [AC]) and with a younger group matched on oral language comprehension. The SLI groups performed below the AC group on every skill. They also showed lower working memory functioning and had received lower levels of instruction. Nonverbal reasoning, working memory functioning, language comprehension, and instruction accounted for individual variation in number skills to differing extents depending on the skill. These factors did not explain the differences between SLI and AC groups on most skill

The role of language in mathematical development; Evidence from children with specific language impairments.

A sample (n = 48) of eight-year-olds with specific language impairments is compared with age-matched (n = 55) and language matched controls (n = 55) on a range of tasks designed to test the interdependence of language and mathematical development. Performance across tasks varies substantially in the SLI group, showing profound deficits in production of the count word sequence and basic calculation and significant deficits in understanding of the place-value principle in Hindu-Arabic notation. Only in understanding of arithmetic principles does SLI performance approximate that of age-matched-controls, indicating that principled understanding can develop even where number sequence production and other aspects of number processing are severely compromised

Theoretical study of resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy of Mn films on Ag

We report a theoretical study on resonant x-ray emission spectra (RXES) in the whole energy region of the Mn $L_{2,3}$ white lines for three prototypical Mn/Ag(001) systems: (i) a Mn impurity in Ag, (ii) an adsorbed Mn monolayer on Ag, and (iii) a thick Mn film. The calculated RXES spectra depend strongly on the excitation energy. At $L_3$ excitation, the spectra of all three systems are dominated by the elastic peak. For excitation energies around $L_2$, and between $L_3$ and $L_2$, however, most of the spectral weight comes from inelastic x-ray scattering. The line shape of these inelastic ``satellite'' structures changes considerably between the three considered Mn/Ag systems, a fact that may be attributed to changes in the bonding nature of the Mn-$d$ orbitals. The system-dependence of the RXES spectrum is thus found to be much stronger than that of the corresponding absorption spectrum. Our results suggest that RXES in the Mn $L_{2,3}$ region may be used as a sensitive probe of the local environment of Mn atoms.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

It’s the way he tells them (and who is listening):men’s dominance is positively correlated with their preference for jokes told by dominant-sounding men

While much research has explored humorous exchange in relation to mate choice, recent perspectives have emphasized the importance of humor for monitoring interest within social partnerships more generally. Indeed, given that similarity is thought to be important in the maintenance of social partnerships, we may expect humor appreciation to vary according to the degree of similarity between humor producers and recipients. In the current study we report evidence for such variation that is specific to men’s judgments of other men’s humor. Here we manipulated voice pitch in a set of ‘one-liner’ jokes to create low-pitched and high-pitched versions of men and women telling jokes. A composite measure of men’s own dominance was positively correlated with their preference for jokes told by other men with lowered voice pitch (a vocal cue to dominance). A follow-up study demonstrated that self-reported dominance was positively related to men’s choice of low-pitch men as friends when judging humorous audio clips but not when judging neutral control audio clips, suggesting that humor may be important in mediating the effect of dominance on friendship choice. These studies indicate systematic variation in humor appreciation related to friendship choices which may function to promote cohesion within male partnerships based on status

A theoretical study of the C- 4So_3/2 and 2Do_{3/2,5/2} bound states and C ground configuration: fine and hyperfine structures, isotope shifts and transition probabilities

This work is an ab initio study of the 2p3 4So_3/2, and 2Do_{3/2,5/2} states of C- and 2p2 3P_{0,1,2}, 1D_2, and 1S_0 states of neutral carbon. We use the multi-configuration Hartree-Fock approach, focusing on the accuracy of the wave function itself. We obtain all C- detachment thresholds, including correlation effects to about 0.5%. Isotope shifts and hyperfine structures are calculated. The achieved accuracy of the latter is of the order of 0.1 MHz. Intra-configuration transition probabilities are also estimated.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, 12 table

Number development and children with Specific Language Impairment.

The aims of this chapter is to investigate whether the number skills of children with specific language impairment (SLI) differ from those of their typically developing peers, matched in nonverbal reasoning, and a group of younger typically developing children matched on language comprehension. It assesses whether small number quantification accuracy accounts for additional variation in number tasks beyond the other influences. How children develop competence with numbers and why they differ so much in their progress are important questions whether one is concerned with numeracy, the skills and knowledge for dealing with numerical information in everyday life, or mathematics, the sciences dealing with the logic of quantity, shape, and arrangement. The study of number development in children with SLI has the potential to contribute both to the understanding of the factors that influence children's progress generally and to the knowledge base for professionals working with these children. Previous work on number in children with SLI had indicated selective impairments: children with SLI showed impaired procedural skills, particularly in counting, from an early age but less impaired understanding of number, for example counting principles. An investigation of children with SLI provided ample evidence of the continuing deficit in counting and calculation

Ageing, sport and physical activity participation in Scotland

Aim: As sport and physical activity are vital to support extended health spans, this study aimed to analyse the current trends in sports participation and physical activity rates among individuals aged 65 years and older in Scotland. Data were compared with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) guidelines and analysed the influence of key factors on participation rates.Methods: The study used data from the Scottish Health Survey and the Scottish Household Survey (2019) to investigate self-reported participation in physical activity and sports across different age groups. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were used to analyse the relationships between participation rates and influencing factors. Participation data for Parkrun events in Scotland were also analysed for the years 2008–2018.Results: The study found a clear decline in sports participation with age, with a steep decline after the age of 65, particularly in women. The majority of participation among individuals aged 65+ was in walking, with a sport participation rate of only 31.2% when walking was excluded. Physical activity and sport participation was lower in women across all age ranges but particularly so in the 75+ age group. The most popular sporting activities in the older age group were keep fit/aerobics, swimming and golf. Additionally, the study found that social deprivation had a major impact on sports participation rates, with the most deprived households exhibiting the lowest participation levels irrespective of age. The prevalence of loneliness was lower among individuals who participated in sports or adhered to the CMO guidelines for moderate/vigorous physical activity and strength-building exercises.Discussion: The findings of this study have implications for promoting physical activity and sports participation among older adults, particularly in deprived communities. This study highlights the importance of balance exercises within sport and the need for more targeted efforts to increase participation rates among older adults. The study also emphasizes the positive impact of sports participation on reducing loneliness among older adults. Overall, the findings suggest the need for ongoing efforts to promote physical activity and sports participation among older adults to improve their overall health and well-being

Fission Cycling in a Supernova r-process

Recent halo star abundance observations exhibit an important feature of consequence to the r-process: the presence of a main r-process between the second and third peaks which is consistent among halo stars. We explore fission cycling and steady-beta flow as the driving mechanisms behind this feature. The presence of fission cycling during the r-process can account for nucleosynthesis yields between the second and third peaks, whereas the presence of steady-beta flow can account for consistent r-process patterns, robust under small variations in astrophysical conditions. We employ the neutrino-driven wind of the core-collapse supernova to examine fission cycling and steady-beta flow in the r-process. As the traditional neutrino-driven wind model does not produce the required very neutron-rich conditions for these mechanisms, we examine changes to the neutrino physics necessary for fission cycling to occur in the neutrino-driven wind environment, and we explore under what conditions steady-beta flow is obtained.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure