Investment Decisions and Offspring Gender

Economic research has documented many economic affects of offspring gender on parental behavior. However, an open question exists as to whether offspring gender has any influence on parental investment decision making. Specifically, I investigate whether female offspring have an impact on investment decisions with respect to stock and bondholding. Using a panel data set, I find that for male respondents, having only female offspring increases the probability of stockholding by over 17%. In contrast, a relationship between stockholding and offspring gender was not at all present for female respondents.Financial Economics, G11, D14,

Microfinance Institutions: Does Capital Structure Matter?

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have risen to the forefront as invaluable institutions in the development process. Nevertheless, capital constraints have hindered the expansion of microfinance programs such that the demand for financial services still far exceeds the currently available supply. Moreover, it is observed that microfinance organizations have had various degrees of sustainability. Thus, the question of how best to fund these programs is a key issue. Recognizing the potential of microfinance in the development process, this paper examines the existing sources of funding for MFIs by geographic region, and explores how changes in capital structure could facilitate future growth and improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of MFIs. Using panel data, I establish a link between capital structure and key measures of MFI success. Notably, I find causal evidence supporting the assertion that an increased use of grants by MFIs decreases operational self-sufficiency.Microfinance Institutions, capital structure, Financial Economics, F3, G21, G32, O1,

Post-Recession Financial Strategies for Households: How to Deal with Debt

CaRDI Research & Policy Brief Issue 7

Examining the natural history and biogeography of an endemic timberline pine (Pinus balfouriana)

The foxtail pine of the Southern Sierra (Pinus balfouriana ssp. austrina Grev & Balf) is a relatively unstudied timberline pine species. It inhabits the high country of the Sierra Nevada between the 37th and 36th parallels between 2700 and 3550 m, and often is the sole tree of the subalpine ecosystem. In this project, three sites on the margin and one site in the center of the foxtail pine\u27s distribution were examined to identify how the tree\u27s ecological characteristics change over its range. In addition, a raw ring-width database for three sites was analyzed to obtain a foxtail pine ring-growth index for the last 1000 years. From field visits it appears that the western and eastern margins of ditribution are altitude limited, while the northern and southern limits may be due to ecological displacement from other timberline tree species: by limber pine (P. flexilis) in the south and by whitebark pine (P. albicaulis) in the north. Common ecological characteristics across the tree\u27s range were the dominant granitic substrate, the omnipresent chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens) understory shrub, and sightings of Clark\u27s Nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana). Foxtail pine growth is temperature sensitive, so paleoclimatic data can be inferred from a tree-ring index analysis. From this study\u27s analysis, it was inferred that significant climatic departures of at least a 30-year length have occurred in the last 500 years. Interpolation of paleoclimatic data should be used to inform current climate and resource management policies, given that many current policies are only adequate to compensate for trends far shorter than 30 years. Further studies of the foxtail pine are necessary so that a greater understanding of its sensitivity to climate change and clues to its evolutionary history can be obtained

The Impact of Teacher Talk on Student Engagement During an Integrated STEM Unit

This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate the effect of teacher talk on the engagement of students in target groups during an integrated STEM unit. Each student in the target groups responded to the teacher talk in a unique way. The results of this study do not fully support the results of prior research because the engagement of only one of the eight target students was affected by the autonomy supportive talk of the teacher during the unit

Growth and chemical characterisation studies of Mn silicate barrier layers on SiO2 and CDO

This thesis investigates the suitability of manganese silicate (MnSiO3) as a possible copper interconnect diffusion barrier layer on both a 5.4 nm thick thermally grown SiO2 and a low dielectric constant carbon doped oxide (CDO), with the focus of understanding the barrier formation process. The self forming nature of this diffusion barrier layer resulting from the chemical interaction of deposited Mn with the insulating substrate has potential application in future generations of copper interconnect technologies as they are significantly thinner than the conventional deposited barrier layers. The principle technique used to study the interface chemistry resulting from the interaction of deposited manganese with the insulating substrates to form a MnSiO3 layer was x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements provided information on the structure of the barrier layers which could be correlated with the XPS results. Significant differences in the extent of the interface interaction which resulted in the formation of the MnSiO3 barrier layer were found to depend on whether the deposited Mn was partially oxidised. The studies performed on the 5.4 nm thermally grown SiO2 confirmed that the growth of the MnSiO3 resulted in a corresponding reduction in the SiO2 layer thickness. Interactions between residual metallic Mn and subsequently deposited copper layers were also investigated and showed that in order to reduce the width of the barrier layer, it was preferable that all the deposited Mn was fully incorporated into the silicate. TEM measurements were also used to investigate thicker thermally deposited Mn/Cu heterostructures on SiO2 which were subsequently annealed in order to study the diffusion interactions between copper and manganese. The formation of Mn silicate layers on low dielectric constant carbon doped oxide (CDO) was also investigated and compared with the formation characteristics on the thermally grown SiO2

Postcard, Kay Bogan, Jr., to Her Mother, Catherine F. Bogan, May 1, 1945

This postcard, dated May 1, 1945, is written from Kay Bogan in Meridian, Mississippi to her mother, Catherine F. Bogan in West Point, Mississippi. The note describes how good it was to see her recently and what her dentist appointment was like. The card is postmarked, Meridian, Mississippi, May 2, 1945 and includes a green one cent postage stamp. The front of the postcard is a cartoon depiction of a man wearing eyeglasses and a graduation cap with a tobacco pipe in his mouth and a book in his hands. The books is backwards and upside down and reads How to be Smart . The title across the top of the postcard reads This is CBS...The Columbia Broadcasting System and Tom Howard is behind the cartoon man. The postcard description text on the back reads Phillip Morris presents IT PAYS TO BE IGNORANT...a hilarious quiz where Tom Howard and his daffy team of experts prove that it pays to listen! Tune In Every Friday!https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/mss-bogan-correspondence/1325/thumbnail.jp