Price Impacts of Increased Peruvian Table Grape Supply

In the last decade, Peru has begun to structure its economy and complete infrastructure projects to promote agricultural export growth. Bolstered by the signing of the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) with the U.S., table grape production has increased significantly since 2006. Peru has a climatic advantage for a quality harvest from November to March, which overlaps the end of the U.S. growing season. With this supply increase expected to continue, U.S. producers and marketers question the effect Peru will have on late-season table grape prices in North America. This thesis is a study of the effects of an increase of Peruvian table-grape supply in U.S. markets. Using an equilibrium displacement model to quantify the supply and demand interaction in the U.S., after inducing a supply shock, the relationship between Peruvian supply quantities and the price for U.S. and Peruvian grown grapes was determined. These price effects are presented based on calculated sets of elasticity scenarios determined through the Hotelling-Jureen Relation. Results are presented in two timelines, one year and three years of projected growth from Peru. Results are heavily reliant on assumptions about elasticity and time. The price of Peruvian table grapes is effected in much larger proportions than U.S. grape prices. Within the time parameters of this model, the price for late season U.S. table grapes will see slower price declines allowing producers to change production strategies safely

A Study on Judean Cultural Identity in Egypt during the Fifth Century BCE:characterizing Judean Cultural Identity using elements of Judean Matrimonial Law attested in the Aramaic Matrimonial Property Arrangements from Elephantine Island

The fifth century BCE can be characterized as a century during which the globalization of the ancient world continued to expand. The rise of the Achaemenid Empire caused individuals to settle in new areas within the empire and establish new communities. One of such communities is the Judean community on Elephantine Island. In this dissertation, I will study the effects of the settlement of the Judean community into the culturally diverse social context on Elephantine Island on the development of their cultural identity. I will do so, by approaching the question from the perspective of the legal tradition attested in the Aramaic papyri which have been discovered on Elephantine Island during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on the contents of Judean matrimonial property arrangements, I will demonstrate that Judeans not only adapted themselves to the legal practices of their contractual partners, but also continued to use elements of a distinct Judean legal tradition in the context of matrimonial law. Not only will this contribute to a more profound understanding of Judean cultural identity during the fifth century BCE, but it will also demonstrate that (matrimonial) law was an integral part of Judean cultural identity on Elephantine Island, in addition to religion

Voorspelde onderhandelingsresultaten van coalitiebesprekingen

De PvdA wil het liefst dat de SP in het kabinet plaatsneemt, omdat de SP in de oppositie kans heeft om te groeien ten koste van de PvdA. Aangezien het CDA en de PvdA beleidstechnisch coalities met de CU en/of GL prefereren boven een coalitie met de SP, is de kans dat de onderhandelingen met de SP stuklopen echter aanzienlijk. Een breekpunt in deze coalitie is de hypotheekrenteaftrek. Als de onderhandelingen met de SP vastlopen, is een vierpartijen coalitie CDA-PvdA-GL-CU zeer waarschijnlijk. In een coalitie met de PvdA heeft het CDA de voorkeur voor een coalitie met alleen de CU, de PvdA met alleen GL. Deze vierpartijen coalitie, waarin zowel het CDA als de PvdA een ‘klein broertje’ zien aanschuiven, is voor beide grote partijen een zeer aantrekkelijk alternatief. Zowel GL als de CU vinden deze coalitie aanmerkelijk beter dan een coalitie waarin alleen de ander deelneemt. Mogelijke breekpunten in deze coalitie zijn de hypotheekrenteaftrek, de fiscalisering van de AOW en de kinderopvang. Alleen afgaande op het beleid, is de coalitie CDA-PvdA-CU aantrekkelijk voor de deelnemende partijen. Dit is de favoriete coalitie van het CDA en de CU en wordt door de PvdA als zeer goed alternatief voor een coalitie met GL gezien. Bovendien zijn er nauwelijks breekpunten in deze coalitie. Wij voorspellen als uitkomst hetzij de vierpartijen coalitie of nieuwe verkiezingen. De fiscalisering van de AOW kan een breekpunt zijn in coalities met de PvdA en GL samen. De hypotheekrenteaftrek is een breekpunt wanneer de SP in de coalitie zit, of wanneer PvdA, GL en CU als driemansblok aan het CDA-standpunt gaan trekken. In coalities met de SP zal met name verdere liberalisering worden gestopt of zelfs teruggedraaid en zal het zorgstelsel flink worden aangepast. In coalities met de PvdA zal een begin worden gemaakt met de verdere fiscalisering van de AOW. Wanneer de CU aanschuift zal er een fiks kindgebonden budget voor de kinderopvang komen. In andere coalities komt dit budget er ook, maar zal het lager uitvallen. Onderhandelingen met de CU kunnen stuklopen op de kinderopvang. Milieu krijgt sowieso meer prioriteit dan economische groei, maar zeker als GL mee regeert. Er komt in alle coalities een generaal pardon. Aan de inkomstenbelasting en de hypotheekrenteaftrek zal niet of nauwelijks worden getornd. Het ontslagrecht wordt alleen versoepeld als werknemers en werkgevers daar overeenstemming over bereiken en wordt in een coalitie met SP en GL überhaupt niet versoepeld. Marktwerking wordt in coalities met de SP deels teruggedraaid. In coalities met GL zal er geen verdere liberalisering plaatsvinden. Alleen in de coalitie CDA-PvdA-CU is er ruimte voor gereguleerde marktwerking, met name in de zorg en het hoger onderwijs. De staatsschuld zal in alle coalities flink gereduceerd worden

An overview of the cutaneous porphyrias

This is an overview of the cutaneous porphyrias. It is a narrative review based on the published literature and my personal experience; it is not based on a formal systematic search of the literature. The cutaneous porphyrias are a diverse group of conditions due to inherited or acquired enzyme defects in the porphyrin–haem biosynthetic pathway. All the cutaneous porphyrias can have (either as a consequence of the porphyria or as part of the cause of the porphyria) involvement of other organs as well as the skin. The single commonest cutaneous porphyria in most parts of the world is acquired porphyria cutanea tarda, which is usually due to chronic liver disease and liver iron overload. The next most common cutaneous porphyria, erythropoietic protoporphyria, is an inherited disorder in which the accumulation of bile-excreted protoporphyrin can cause gallstones and, rarely, liver disease. Some of the porphyrias that cause blistering (usually bullae) and fragility (clinically and histologically identical to porphyria cutanea tarda) can also be associated with acute neurovisceral porphyria attacks, particularly variegate porphyria and hereditary coproporphyria. Management of porphyria cutanea tarda mainly consists of visible-light photoprotection measures while awaiting the effects of treating the underlying liver disease (if possible) and treatments to reduce serum iron and porphyrin levels. In erythropoietic protoporphyria, the underlying cause can be resolved only with a bone marrow transplant (which is rarely justifiable in this condition), so management consists particularly of visible-light photoprotection and, in some countries, narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy. Afamelanotide is a promising and newly available treatment for erythropoietic protoporphyria and has been approved in Europe since 2014

Learning to enhance reliability of electronic systems through effective modeling and risk assessment

Now that electronic components have demonstrated high reliability, attention has centered upon enhancing the reliability of electronic systems. We introduce a modeling framework to support decision-making during electronic systems design with a view to enhancing operational reliability. We differentiate our work from those models that seek only to provide reliability predictions. Our premise is that modeling can be used to give a better understanding of the impact of engineering decisions on those factors affecting reliability. Through modeling, the decision-maker is encouraged to reflect upon the consequences of actions to learn how a design might be enhanced. The model formulation and data management processes are described for an assumed evolutionary design process. Bayesian approaches are used to combine data types and sources. Exploratory data analysis identifies those factors affecting operational reliability. Expert knowledge is elicited to assess how these factors might impact upon proposed designs. Statistical inference procedures are used to support an assessment of risks associated with design decisions. Applications to the design of electronic systems for aircraft illustrate the usefulness of the model. On-going research is being conducted to fully evaluate the proposed approach

VR og Fysisk aktivitet - Energiforbruk og intensitet under en økt med VR-spill

Formål: Formålet med studien var å kartlegge energiforbruk og intensitet under en VR økt, og om VR-spilling kan brukes som en aktivitet for å imøtekomme de nasjonale anbefalingene for fysisk aktivitet fra Helsedirektoratet. Metode: Utvalget bestod av 8 deltakere, 6 mannlige og 2 kvinnelige deltakere. Alle deltakere gjennomførte en VO2maks test, en enkel synsundersøkelse og en 30 minutters økt med VR-spillet Beat saber på selvvalgt vanskelighetsgrad. Vanskelighetsgraden var inndelt i normal-hard, hard-ekspert og ekspert-ekspert+. Under spill økten ble det målt VO2 og hjertefrekvens. Ut ifra målingene ble det regnet ut Kcal/min, Kcal totalt for VR økta og metabolsk ekvivalent (MET). Resultat: Studien fant at gjennomsnittlig Kcal/min forbrukt under økta var 6,2 ± 2,1, gjennomsnittlig totalt energiforbruk for økta var 185,2 ± 63,2 Kcal, og gjennomsnittlig MET for økta var 3,8 ± 1,0. For vanskelighetsgrad normal-hard (n=8) var gjennomsnittlig Kcal/min 5,9 ± 0,2, gjennomsnittlig Kcal totalt 178,5 ± 5,3 og gjennomsnittlig MET 3,4 ± 0,01 gjennom økta. For vanskelighetsgrad hard-ekspert (n=8) var gjennomsnittlig Kcal/min 4,5 ± 1,8, gjennomsnittlig Kcal totalt 135,6 ± 53,8 og gjennomsnittlig MET 3,1 ± 0,7. For vanskelighetsgraden ekspert-ekspert+ (n=8) var gjennomsnittlig Kcal/min 7,9 ± 1,8, gjennomsnittlig Kcal totalt 239,1 ± 54,7 og gjennomsnittlig MET 4,6 ± 1,0. Konklusjon: Denne studien tyder på at VR-spilling på spillet Beat saber ga stor individuell variasjon i energiforbruk, hvor spill på høyeste vanskelighetsgrad ga høyest energiforbruk og intensitetsnivå. Intensitets nivå målt i MET lå på lett intensitet på de laveste vanskelighets-gradene og moderat intensitet på høyeste vanskelighetsgrad. VR-spilling på de høyeste vanskelighets-gradene er dermed fysisk aktivitet som kan bidra til å imøtekomme de nasjonale anbefalingene for fysisk aktivitet

Database for SNA analysis of the Judean community on Elephantine Island

Database includes the general database made in Excel, nodes and edges file in .csv associated with the database and HTML file that leads to the visualization program.