Vol 7, No 2, Spring 2010

For the full PDF version of the Spring 2010 Edition, click here.

"Modeling Turbulent Financial Derivatives: A Strategy of Nonuniform Schemes for the Black-Scholes Equation in Finance"
by Myles Baker

The Black-Sholes equation has been used extensively to model option pricing in financial markets around the world, although volatility of such markets can create irregular

solutions when turbulence is involved. This paper addresses the difficulties involved in predicting which investments may provide considerable returns and the impact of numerical approximations of the equation may have when irregularities exist. In an attempt to address these issues, this paper introduces a measurable difference between the uniform and nonuniform explicit, implicit, and leapfrog numerical schemes used for approximating numerical partial differential equations, showing that the nonuniform algorithms are far superior to their counterparts in turbulent situations.

"Canopy Use in a Temporal Aspect by the Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) in Costa Rica"
by Tim Bransford

The mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) utilizes the different levels of its forest ecosystem for various activities. For a period of six days, we observed the mantled howler monkey in its natural habitat at the La Suerta Biological Field Station in Costa Rica. There we studied how the mantled howler monkey’s feeding and thermoregulation habits relate to its utilization of the various forest levels.

"Words Made Flesh: Isaac Watts, Walter Ong, and the Communitas of Hymnody"
by Kevin Georgas

Isaac Watts, the father of English hymnody, composed original hymns with Hebrew poetic style that stay true to the style of Scripture but also enable congregants to experience a deeper importance of worship through song. This paper shows the connection between Walter Ong’s theories about literary and oral expression and community and Watts’s creation of community in congregations through singing worship

"Making Sense of Federal Campaign Finance Reform: An Overview of Legislation, Litigation, and Structural Flaws"
by Matthew Hrna

Throughout American history, federal campaign finance regulations have undergone numerous reforms both in Congress and in the Supreme Court. Each modification came with loopholes and structural flaws which in turn motivated new revisions. This paper summarizes the key developments in campaign finance reform, analyzing the causes and effects of major legislation and litigation and concluding with a discussion of flaws that remain in the regulations today.

"Poussin’s ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’: Convergent Literary Traditions"
by Anna Sitz

Nicolas Poussin draws on the literary traditions of Arcadia and the memento mori in both his Louvre Et in Arcadia Ego and Chatsworth Arcadian Shepherds. The artist’s use of the Arcadian tradition portrays an idealized life, even as he incorporates death through the memento mori topos. Poussin’s Arcadian Shepherds reflects medieval commonplaces surrounding the memento mori tradition; however, his Et in Arcadia Ego rejects a Christian understanding of memento mori in favor of a philosophic tradition expressed in Michel de Montaigne’s Stoic-influenced writings.