Intraday Empirical Analysis and Modeling of Diversified World Stock Indices

This paper proposes an approach to the intraday analysis of diversified world stock accumulation indices. The growth optimal portfolio (GOP) is used as reference unit or benchmark in a continuous financial market model. Diversified portfolios, covering the world stock market, are constructed and shown to approximate the GOP, providing the basis for a range of financial applications. The normalized GOP is modeled as a time transformed square root process of dimension four. Its dynamics are empirically verified for several world stock indices. Furthermore, the evolution of the transformed time is modeled as the integral over a rapidly evolving mean-reverting market activity process with deterministic volatility. The empirical findings suggest a rather simple and robust model for a world stock index that reflects the historical evolution, by using only a few readily observable parameters.world stock index; intraday analysis; growth optimal portfolio; diversified portfolio; market activity; deseasonalization; square root process

Election SLAPPs: Effective at Suppressing Political Participation and Giving Anti-SLAPP Statutes the Slip

Most states have established an intricate network of rules and procedures that independent candidates need to follow in order to get on the state’s ballot for the presidential election. If a candidate manages to make it onto a state’s ballot, most states also have a mechanism that allows almost anyone to challenge the process the candidate went through to get on the ballot. Citizens can challenge the candidate’s nomination petition, and then appeal the decision on the challenge at several different levels. An independent candidate running for national office can become embroiled in simultaneous petition challenges, and appeals, throughout the country. The process consumes a candidate’s precious resources during a critical time in the campaign. Nominees of the major parties do not face this potential labyrinth of litigation. A SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) is a lawsuit that typically has no merit, but is filed to prevent the defendant from participating in a political process. The nuance and variance of nomination petition requirements, combined with the availability of private challenges to the petitions, lay fertile ground for Election SLAPPs. In the mid-1990’s, many states enacted anti-SLAPP statutes, which are intended to curb the effects of SLAPPS. Anti-SLAPP statutes provide a vehicle for early dismissal of frivolous suits that appear to have been filed for collateral political purposes. This Article begins by outlining the hurdles an independent candidate needs to clear in order to appear on a state’s ballot. Then, using Ralph Nader’s 2004 campaign experience as an example, it demonstrates how the availability of private challenges to nomination petitions exponentially compounds the burden of initial compliance, without any accompanying benefit to the political process or advancement of any state interest. Next, this Article argues the futility of seeking legal redress for Election SLAPPs, using Nader’s attempts to do so as an illustration. The procedural history of Nader’s case in Maine also provides an example of how some litigants have used Maine’s anti-SLAPP statute to dismiss the suits that followed in the wake of their own frivolous lawsuits. The Article concludes by arguing that 1) Maine’s anti-SLAPP statute should not be interpreted to allow a singular nonfrivolous petition challenge to protect frivolous petition challenges in the same filing from sanction; 2) Maine’s anti-SLAPP statute should be applied without either of the burden-shifting mechanisms imposed by the courts construing it; and 3) states should eliminate the availability of private challenges to nomination petitions

Reclaiming Indigeneity and Sovereignty: Anticolonial Resistance among Indigenous Peoples in Northeastern Turtle Island

Indigenous peoples living on Turtle Island, or what is now known as North America, are under constant threat of both erasure and domination. This study explores the intersecting concepts of Indigenous identity and sovereignty through the perspectives of Indigenous interviewees in the Northeast region of the continent as they navigate settler-colonial society and practice anticolonial resistance. It reveals the ways in which colonizing forces reappropriate and redefine the meanings of indigeneity and sovereignty in order to control Indigenous peoples and inhibit their ability to live self-sustainably. Incorporating qualitative sociological research methods, decolonizing methodologies, a settler-colonial framework, previous scholarly literature, and interviews with 12 participants, this study seeks to answer two main questions: 1) How has settler-colonial society reconstructed notions of Indigenous identity and sovereignty in a way that harms Indigenous peoples? 2) How can Indigenous peoples reclaim the meanings and practices of indigeneity and sovereignty to achieve justice in a colonized world? On a broader level, this thesis seeks to amplify Indigenous voices and contribute in some way to their fight for justice. It also attempts to provide non-Indigenous people with a better understanding of the challenges facing their Indigenous neighbors on this continent. Finally, it highlights a path forward for Indigenous peoples’ resistance, illustrating how by reclaiming indigeneity and sovereignty, Indigenous peoples can more effectively assert their rights, escape settler-colonial control, and achieve justice for their communities

Estimating for Discretely Observed Diffusions Using Transform Functions

This paper introduces a new estimation technique for discretely observed diffusion processes. Transform functions are applied to transform the data to obtain good and easily calculated estimators of both the drift and diffusion coefficients. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the resulting estimators is investigated. Power transforms are used to estimate the parameters of affine diffusions, for which explicit estimators are obtained.

Increased Sensitivity to Physical Activity in Healthy Older Adults Predicts Worse Pain and Functional Outcomes

poster abstractPrior research indicates older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have increased sensitivity to physical activity (SPA) and respond to physical activities of stable intensity with increases in pain. SPA predicted self-reported pain and function in older adults with knee OA. It is unknown whether SPA is present in healthy older adults without chronic pain and predicts functional outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if SPA in response to a standardized 6-minute Walk Test cross-sectionally predicted selfreported pain, physical function, and physical activity behaviors in healthy older adults. Forty-two older adults (age=67.5±5 years) completed the Pain subscale of the Quality of Well Being scale (QWB–measures the frequency and severity of pain during common daily activities), the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36–measure of physical function), the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and wore an accelerometer on the hip for 7 days. Subjects rated overall bodily discomfort (0-100 scale) prior to and during each minute of the 6MWT. RPE was recorded at the end of the walk. An SPA index was created by subtracting the initial bodily discomfort ratings from the peak ratings. Average moderate to vigorous physical activity/day (MVPA) and steps/day were recorded from the accelerometer. Dependent variables were analyzed with hierarchical linear regressions with SPA as the final predictor. Sixty percent of older adults experienced SPA (SPA=9.5±15.6). After accounting for age, sex, BMI, and meters walked on the 6MWT, SPA significantly predicted steps and MVPA per day, RPE on the 6MWT, and severity and frequency of activity related pain on the QWB scale. These results revealed that increased SPA in healthy older adults was associated with fewer steps and MVPA per day, greater exertion on 6MWT, and greater self-reported activity-related pain. This study was funded by the IUPUI School of PETM Faculty Research Opportunity Grant

Intraday Empirical Analysis and Modeling of Diversified World Stock Indices

This paper proposes an approach to the intraday analysis of diversified world stock accumulation indices. The growth optimal portfolio (GOP) is used as reference unit or benchmark in a continuous financial market model. Diversified portfolios, covering the world stock market, are constructed and shown to approximate the GOP, providing the basis for a range of financial applications. The normalized GOP is modeled as a time transformed square root process of dimension four. Its dynamics are empirically verified for several world stock indices. Furthermore, the evolution of the transformed time is modeled as the integral over a rapidly evolving mean-reverting market activity process with deterministic volatility. The empirical findings suggest a rather simple and robust model for a world stock index that reflects the historical evolution, by using only a few readily observable parameter

An Exploratory Survey of Participants in Urban and Suburban Teacher Academy Programs

In an era plagued by teacher shortages, recruitment and training strategies are crucial. One promising early recruitment strategy is the use of teacher academies, pre-collegiate programs for aspiring teachers. Yet precious little is known about these programs or their students, many of whom appear to mirror the much sought-after diversity hoped for in practicing teachers (Darling-Hammond, Berry, Hasselkorn, & Fideler, 1999). This paper reports results of a survey of 133 students enrolled in 11 teacher academies surrounding a large Midwestern city. Data on students’ demographics, future goals, and perceived program needs are reported. Results indicate strengths in program experiences and cohesiveness, and the need for greater emphasis on college readiness and program organization. Further research on these programs is imperative

Sensitivity to Physical Activity Predicts Daily Activity Among Pain-Free Older Adults

Objective Prior research indicates that older adults with knee osteoarthritis have increased sensitivity to physical activity (SPA) and respond to physical activities of stable intensity with increases in pain. Whether SPA is present in healthy older adults without chronic pain and predicts functional outcomes remains relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of SPA in healthy older adults in response to a standardized walking task, and whether SPA was associated with temporal summation of pain, pain-related fear of movement, and functional outcomes. Methods Fifty-two older adults without chronic pain completed self-reported measures of activity-related pain and physical function, completed the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), underwent quantitative sensory testing to measure temporal summation of heat pain, and wore an accelerometer for one week to measure physical activity behavior. Subjects rated overall bodily discomfort (0–100 scale) prior to and during each minute of the 6MWT. An SPA index was created by subtracting the initial bodily discomfort ratings from the peak ratings. Results Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that bodily discomfort significantly increased across the walking task, with approximately 60% of the sample experiencing SPA. Hierarchical regressions indicated that greater SPA was associated with fewer average steps per day and greater activity-related pain. Additionally, analyses revealed that temporal summation of pain and pain-related fear of movement significantly predicted the degree of SPA on the walking task. Conclusions These findings shed light on potential mechanisms underlying SPA in older adults and suggest that SPA might be a risk factor for reduced physical activity

El enfoque de Uganda respecto de la autonomía de los refugiados

Uganda ha preferido la inclusión a la marginación; en lugar de obligar a los refugiados a permanecer en los campamentos, Uganda defiende el derecho a trabajar, a asistir a la escuela y a moverse con libertad

Winter Wheat Row Spacing and Alternative Crop Effects on Relay-Intercrop, Double-Crop, and Wheat Yields

In Missouri as well as much of the Midwest, the most popular double-cropping system was winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) followed by soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr). These two crops can also be used in an intercrop system, but optimal row spacing was important to increase crop productivity. Research was conducted to evaluate (1) winter wheat inter- and double-crop production systems, using a variety of alternative crops, and (2) the impact of different wheat row spacings on intercrop establishment and yields within the various cropping systems. Field research was conducted during droughts in 2012 and 2013. Spacing of wheat rows impacted wheat yields by 150 kg ha−1, as well as yields of the alternative crops. Narrower row spacings (150 kg ha−1) and the double-crop system (575 kg ha−1) increased yield due to the lack of interference for resources with wheat in 2013. Land equivalent ratio (LER) values determining productivity of intercrop systems of 19 and 38 cm row showed an advantage for alternative crops in 2013, but not 2012. This signified that farmers in Northeast Missouri could potentially boost yield potential for a given field and produce additional forage or green manure yields in a year with less severe drought