Effects of Saving and Spending Patterns on Holding Time Distribution

The effects of saving and spending patterns on holding time distribution of money are investigated based on the ideal gas-like models. We show the steady-state distribution obeys an exponential law when the saving factor is set uniformly, and a power law when the saving factor is set diversely. The power distribution can also be obtained by proposing a new model where the preferential spending behavior is considered. The association of the distribution with the probability of money to be exchanged has also been discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

By the Word of God Alone: Sola Scriptura and the Leaders of the Reformation

Prominent Reformers, such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and Thomas Müntzer, had sharp disagreements on what parts of the Bible were the most important, what worship should look like, what is allowed and forbidden for Christians, the meaning of the most sacred rituals, whether there is any other source of communication between God and mortals besides the Scripture, and the relationship between believers and temporal rulers. By analyzing their commentaries and treatises on theological matters, one concludes that sola scriptura did more to divide the reformers than to unite them since anyone could find some part of the Bible to support their positions. That was an effect of the Scripture being a diverse collection of several histories, prophecies, letters, and sayings that span from the beginning of time to the Roman Empire written by many authors from countless places and backgrounds rather than a single cohesive document

Comparison of two efficient methods for calculating partition functions

In the long-time pursuit of the solution to calculate the partition function (or free energy) of condensed matter, Monte-Carlo-based nested sampling should be the state-of-the-art method, and very recently, we established a direct integral approach that works at least four orders faster. In present work, the above two methods were applied to solid argon at temperatures up to $300$K, and the derived internal energy and pressure were compared with the molecular dynamics simulation as well as experimental measurements, showing that the calculation precision of our approach is about 10 times higher than that of the nested sampling method.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Compassion and National Interest: Race, Culture, and Politics behind the Reception of Refugees of the Ukraine War

This paper aims to analyze the response to and representations of Ukrainian refugees in European countries such as Poland and the reasoning behind it. Generally, Ukrainian refugees have received a very warm and generous welcome, from both the political leaders and ordinary citizens. However, it stands in stark contrast to the way the same countries reacted to refugees fleeing places like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The primary reasons for the differing attitudes are the perception of Ukraine as a fellow civilized Christian and European nation with strong cultural and historical ties to countries such as Poland, women and children making up the vast majority of refugees, a sense of solidarity arising from Ukraine’s neighbors vividly remembering life behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, and the pragmatic understanding of Ukrainian victory as a bulwark against Russian aggression towards other countries in its former sphere of influence. The point is not to downplay the horrific trauma and suffering of Ukraine but to examine the variety of cultural, political, economic, and geographic factors that affect how nations see humanitarian crises that supposedly are all equally deserving of empathy and aid in the name of our shared humanity

The Downfall of a President: The Media Coverage of Richard Nixon’s Resignation

The Watergate Scandal stands out as being the first, and so-far only, event that was catastrophic and damming enough to force a sitting President of the United States to resign from office. The exceptional circumstances of Richard Nixon’s departure from presidency invites many questions regarding how Nixon deciding to resign was initially covered by the new media. An analysis of excerpts from newspaper editorials from a variety of places around the United States demonstrates that there was a strong consensus that resigning was the best and only thing Nixon could have done. Yet, wide support for Nixon’s resignation co-existed with a wide range of views on what, if it was even necessary at all, should be done to rebuild the atrophied public trust in government and how Nixon deserved to be judged by history

Comparison of two efficient methods for calculating partition functions

In the long-time pursuit of the solution to calculate the partition function (or free energy) of condensed matter, Monte-Carlo-based nested sampling should be the state-of-the-art method, and very recently, we established a direct integral approach that works at least four orders faster. In present work, the above two methods were applied to solid argon at temperatures up to $300$K, and the derived internal energy and pressure were compared with the molecular dynamics simulation as well as experimental measurements, showing that the calculation precision of our approach is about 10 times higher than that of the nested sampling method.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure