Securitization and Lending Standards: Evidence from the Wholesale Loan Market

securitization;bank risk taking;syndicated loans;financial crisis

"Multicultural teaching in the early childhood classroom: Approaches, strategies, and tools, pre-school to 2nd grade"

21. sajandi koolid Ameerika Ühendriikides on enneolematute rahvastikumuutuste paigaks, sest õpilaskonna keeleline, etniline, religioosne ja rassiline mitmekesisus üha süveneb. Sellise kiiresti areneva mitmekesisusega toimetulekuks juhindutakse koolides multikultuurilisuse põhimõttest, mille kohaselt on kõigi ühiskonnarühmade liikmetel võrdsed õigused. Mariana Souto-Manningu raamat "Multicultural teaching in the early childhood classroom" (2013) annab ülevaate, kuidas rakendada seda põhimõtet lasteaiast kuni teise klassini. Iga peatükk algab metoodilise käsitluse lühitutvustusega ja kasutusvõimaluste ülevaatega, millele järgnevad soovitused selle kohta, kuidas mõnd meetodit kasutada ning millised probleemid võivad sellega kaasneda. Seejärel esitatakse näiteid meetodi rakendamise kohta koos õpetajate kommentaaridega. Metoodikapeatükkide lõpus kommenteerib autor lühidalt õpetajate toodud näiteid ja esitab viiteid lisalugemisele

A Survey: Frequency of Spondylolysis or Spondylolisthesis in Young Athletes

The purpose of this survey research is to survey male and female high school varsity track athletes regarding the occurrence of low back pain, and then correlating the occurrence of a spondylolysis and/or spondylolisthesis with athletic involvement in the sport of track. A questionnaire was sent to 115 high school varsity track athletes in varsity track programs in the state of North Dakota. Only those athletes who participate in high jump, pole vault, discus, shot put, javelin, and 400M sprints or shorter were asked to take part in the survey. The survey results were unable to answer the research question stated in the purpose statement due to a number of limitations; however, the survey results were reported with traditional descriptive statistics described graphically in table form. Suggestions for improving outcome of the survey results in this study are given in the discussion

Caught in the act: Measuring the changes in the corona that cause the extreme variability of 1H 0707-495

The X-ray spectra of the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy, 1H 0707-495, obtained with XMM-Newton, from time periods of varying X-ray luminosity are analysed in the context of understanding the changes to the X-ray emitting corona that lead to the extreme variability seen in the X-ray emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN). The emissivity profile of the accretion disc, illuminated by the X-ray emitting corona, along with previous measurements of reverberation time lags are used to infer the spatial extent of the X-ray source. By fitting a twice-broken power law emissivity profile to the relativistically-broadened iron K fluorescence line, it is inferred that the X-ray emitting corona expands radially, over the plane of the accretion disc, by 25 to 30 per cent as the luminosity increases, contracting again as the luminosity decreases, while increases in the measured reverberation lag as the luminosity increases would require also variation in the vertical extent of the source above the disc. The spectrum of the X-ray continuum is found to soften as the total X-ray luminosity increases and we explore the variation in reflected flux as a function of directly-observed continuum flux. These three observations combined with simple, first-principles models constructed from ray tracing simulations of extended coron self-consistently portray an expanding corona whose average energy density decreases, but with a greater number of scattering particles as the luminosity of this extreme object increases.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Art portfolio 2

pages 97-10

\u27We are the Big Six:’ Maasai Perceptions and Organization of Cultural Tourism in Kenya

Kenya’s wildlife has long been considered an international treasure. Travelling to the renowned Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) to capture the ‘big five,’ those five large wild animals considered to be Africa’s greatest, with their camera lenses, visitors will also see or even meet local Maasai living and/or working in the area. Employing ethnographic methods this research examines three sites: the Enkang Oloirien Village Homestay, Olapa village and the main entrance to the MMNR where Maasai women sell souvenirs to explore Maasai perceptions and organization of cultural tourism. Responding to literature which considers benefits from tourism to accrue when hosts control cultural representation, this thesis reveals the incorporation of cultural tourism into daily life and how images and narratives with both Maasai and foreign origins are mixed, employed, manipulated and resisted at tourism sites, to achieve the central benefits of meeting basic needs, educating children, and supplementing and bolstering pastoral activities

Sea level rise and sediment elevation dynamics in a hydrologically altered Puget Sound estuary

As sea level rise (SLR) accelerates in response to climate change, coastal wetlands must accrete vertically to prevent submergence and habitat loss. Padilla Bay, an estuary in the Puget Sound containing an expansive eelgrass meadow, has been hydrologically altered such that insufficient sedimentation may now prevent vertical accretion, potentially affecting the long-term survival of the eelgrass meadow. The objective of this study was to quantify trends in surface elevation change throughout Padilla Bay. To this end, our research group monitored surface elevation change at 19 sites from 2002-2010 using sediment elevation tables (SET\u27s). Additionally, I explored potential ecogeomorphic relationships between surface elevation change and selected physical (elevation, sediment characteristics) and biological (eelgrass biomass) variables. Only 1 of 19 study sites exhibited significant surface elevation gain, whereas, 9 sites exhibited significant elevation loss. The mean rate of surface elevation change throughout Padilla Bay was -0.22 ± 0.27 cm yr-¹, values ranged from -0.80 cm yr-¹ to 0.22 cm yr-¹. Accounting for surface elevation change, eustatic SLR (0.33 cm yr-¹), and regional geologic uplift (0.09 cm yr-¹), I calculated a mean surface elevation deficit of -0.46 ± 0.27 cm yr-¹. These findings indicate that surface elevation change in Padilla Bay is not keeping pace with the current rate of SLR. A negative relationship between surface elevation change and elevation, and a positive relationship between surface elevation change and eelgrass biomass were apparent, although correlations were non-significant. There was a significant negative correlation between elevation and eelgrass biomass. Surface elevation change did not correlate with the sediment properties measured (bulk density, mineral matter, organic matter). Although some ecogeomorphic patterns were detected, relationships remained indistinct and require further study. Sediment scour, induced by the SET benchmark, was observed at several SET sites in Padilla Bay, particularly un-vegetated and high elevation sites. Addressing potential bias introduced by sediment scour required a supplementary analysis providing both a detailed description of scour and the development of an analytical method for removing scour bias. This assessment provided a precise determination of when scour began to impact the SET data, indicated a specific location for truncating impacted datasets, and allowed scour bias in surface elevation change measurements to be removed. Scour was an unforeseen and undocumented byproduct of surface elevation monitoring, this study provides the first indication that alternative SET designs are necessary for use in macro-tidal mudflat habitats