The UNLV Jazz Ensemble II and III

Program listing performers and works performe

Community development spending, 1981–2004

Millions of low-income individuals in the U.S. are aided through community development programs, which are funded by federal, state, and local governments. The authors consider whether federal transfers and expenditures from moneys generated by states and localities respond to state-level trends in unemployment and poverty.Community development ; Expenditures, Public

Three essays on risk and uncertainty in agriculture

The general theme of this dissertation is risk and uncertainty in agriculture, with each chapter addressing a specific topic related to agricultural risk and uncertainty. Chapter 2 examines the effects of production uncertainty on the types of contract structures used in specialty grain markets. A theoretical model of a contractual relationship between a monopsonistic processor and risk-neutral producers is presented. Two common contract structures, and their resulting effects on the sharing of production risk between buyer and seller, are compared. The spatial structure of yields and farm-level yield volatility are shown to have significant impacts on the processor\u27s preferred choice of contract structure and expected profits of both the processor and farmers in the resulting equilibrium. Chapter 3 provides a critical look at a classic definition regarding the relationship between input use and risk, and attempts to reconcile an apparent paradox in the production literature. Experimental corn yield response data is used to estimate a stochastic production relationship between applied fertilizer, soil nutrient availability, and corn output. Optimal fertilizer application rates for risk-averse and risk-neutral producers are found using numerical methods. In addition to the empirical analysis, primary data collected through a farmer survey instrument, designed to elicit information from farmers regarding their risk attitudes and subjective beliefs regarding the relationship between risk and fertilizer use, is presented and compared with the results of the empirical analysis. Chapter 4 turns to the opportunities for managing weather risk using weather derivative markets. Developing regions are areas in which weather based risk management tools show significant potential. However, the success and long-term viability of insurance programs depends heavily on the availability of accurate and reliable historical data. The lack of this type of historical data for developing regions is one of the largest obstacles to insurance program development in these regions. A framework which utilizes statistical methods to estimate unbiased rainfall histories from sparse data is developed. To validate the methodology\u27s usefulness, a drought insurance example is presented using a rich data set of historical rainfall at weather stations across the state of Iowa

A comparison of three heuristics to choose the variable ordering for CAD

Cylindrical algebraic decomposition (CAD) is a key tool for problems in real algebraic geometry and beyond. When using CAD there is often a choice over the variable ordering to use, with some problems infeasible in one ordering but simple in another. Here we discuss a recent experiment comparing three heuristics for making this choice on thousands of examples

Magmatic processes in the Jurassic Bonanza arc: insights from the Alberni region of Vancouver Island, Canada

The Early to Middle Jurassic Bonanza island arc on Vancouver Island, Canada, exposes the middle and upper crust of an ancient arc crustal section. The arc is exposed for a length of ~500 km along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The three components of the Bonanza arc represent different crustal levels of magmatism. The deepest level of magmatism is represented by the Westcoast Crystalline Complex, the intermediate level is represented by the Island Intrusions Suite, and the surficial level is the represented by Bonanza Group volcanics. Samples of the volcanic section were collected in the Pemberton Hills region of northern Vancouver Island, the Nootka Sound region in central Vancouver Island, and the Alberni region of southern Vancouver Island. These three localities represent ~400 km of strike length. The Bonanza volcanics are medium K and calc-alkaline. They range from high-alumina basalt (Al2O3 \u3e15 wt.%) to dacite, with 48.5-72.5 wt.% SiO2 and 4.0-8.7 wt.% MgO. They have a moderate enrichment in the light rare earth elements (LREEs), with abundances 25-90x chondrite with chondrite-normalized (La/Yb)n values from 4.0 to 14. Geochemistry of the volcanics was analyzed to document along-strike variations that occur within the Bonanza arc. Examination of specific trace elements and trace element ratios suggests that the Bonanza Arc was influenced by the addition of a sediment component during magma generation, with the greatest influence in the Alberni and Pemberton Hills region. While an altered oceanic basaltic slab fluid signature is present in all portions of the arc, it is less pronounced than the sediment component. However, some of the slab fluid component signature may have been modified by alteration. Geochemical modeling of fractionation processes (least squares calculations for major elements and Rayleigh fractionation of the REE) and magma mixing were undertaken to evaluate processes that diversify parental melts in the arc. In the Alberni region, where this analysis was focused, the volcanic stratigraphy is divided into two distinct facies: The Red Bed Creek facies and the Klanawa facies. A model that combines both crystal fractionation and magma mixing has moderate success for reproducing compositions in the Klanawa facies, while compositions in the Red Bed Creek facies requires assimilation of country rock, crystal fractionation and magma mixing between primitive melts and silicic melts derived from the Westcoast Crystalline Complex

Rubidium and lead abundances in giant stars of the globular clusters M 13 and NGC 6752

We present measurements of the neutron-capture elements Rb and Pb in five giant stars of the globular cluster NGC 6752 and Pb measurements in four giants of the globular cluster M 13. The abundances were derived by comparing synthetic spectra with high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra obtained using HDS on the Subaru telescope and MIKE on the Magellan telescope. The program stars span the range of the O-Al abundance variation. In NGC 6752, the mean abundances are [Rb/Fe] = -0.17 +/- 0.06 (sigma = 0.14), [Rb/Zr] = -0.12 +/- 0.06 (sigma = 0.13), and [Pb/Fe] = -0.17 +/- 0.04 (sigma = 0.08). In M 13 the mean abundance is [Pb/Fe] = -0.28 +/- 0.03 (sigma = 0.06). Within the measurement uncertainties, we find no evidence for a star-to-star variation for either Rb or Pb within these clusters. None of the abundance ratios [Rb/Fe], [Rb/Zr], or [Pb/Fe] are correlated with the Al abundance. NGC 6752 may have slightly lower abundances of [Rb/Fe] and [Rb/Zr] compared to the small sample of field stars at the same metallicity. For M 13 and NGC 6752 the Pb abundances are in accord with predictions from a Galactic chemical evolution model. If metal-poor intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars did produce the globular cluster abundance anomalies, then such stars do not synthesize significant quantities of Rb or Pb. Alternatively, if such stars do synthesize large amounts of Rb or Pb, then they are not responsible for the abundance anomalies seen in globular clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Rubidium and Lead Abundances in Giant Stars of the Globular Clusters M4 and M5

We present measurements of the neutron-capture elements Rb and Pb for bright giants in the globular clusters M4 and M5. The clusters are of similar metallicity ([Fe/H] ≃ -1.2), but M4 is decidedly s-process enriched relative to M5: [Ba/Fe] = +0.6 for M

Significance Of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Expression On Regulation Of Osteoclast Differentiation And Specific Gene Expression

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis.May 2019. Major: Dentistry. Advisor: Kim Mansky. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 54 pages.N/

A self-study in middle school social studies engagement

We live in a time of great challenge and great opportunity. Neoliberal socioeconomic paradigms have become a global norm. Economic and military competition are driving forces on the world stage. Postmodern thinking has cast considerable and justified doubt upon traditional narratives and ideologies. The digital age has connected people, places, things, and ideas in ways that have never before been seen. For a young person who is trying to make sense of it all, authentic humanizing education has never been more necessary. Social studies teachers are uniquely positioned to empower young people to construct meaning and forge connections in a world of nonstop information. Despite the seemingly obvious need for powerful social studies education, like many other social studies teachers, I have experienced profound disinterest and disengagement from my students. To address student disengagement in social studies classes at my middle school I considered academic literature regarding engagement as a construct, the potential factors that could influence student disengagement, and the pedagogical frameworks and philosophies that might be useful in improving student engagement. I found that modeling my educational practice in the style of Paulo Freire’s (1970) problem-posing education had an altering effect on my perception of my role as a teacher and a positive effect on my relationships with my students and my perceived self-efficacy. I grew to perceive many aspects of American public-education as unhelpful, oppressive, and harmful for students and teachers. My findings implicate problem-posing as a powerful framework for a reconstructed social studies curriculum to address contemporary social issues and create solidarity among all stakeholders in public education

Reparative Futures

The past is present in all future making activities. However, there is more that futuring processes can do to engage with past-present relationships, namely by bringing to the fore frameworks of reparation and redress. This article explores how ideas of reparative action may offer generative resources for Futures Studies. It suggests that in order to create futures characterised by justice it is essential to listen to and engage with ongoing histories of repression, violence and domination and find ways to talk about the past that support individuals, communities and nations to reimagine and remake social relations that are just and inclusive. The article explores reparative futures as they are negotiated in practice, through the lens of their pedagogical potential and ethical demands, and as world-making political possibilities. In doing so, it highlights the necessity for enhanced dialogue between Future Studies and the ‘reparative turn’ within the humanities and social sciences. We explore the tensions and unresolved questions of reparative futures along with the possibilities for future-making practices characterised by justice, care, creativity and humility for humans and nonhumans