RETAIL OLIGOPOLY POWER AND FLUID MILK PRICES IN BOSTON

This paper assesses the independent and joint impacts of oligopoly power of market intermediaries and the Northeast Dairy Compact (NEDC) on fluid milk prices in Boston. Empirical results reveal that price increases due to oligopoly power far outweighed those caused by the NEDC by more than 10 times. In fact, markups are estimated at approximately 33% of the retail milk price, translating into approximately $1/gallon overcharge at 2002 milk prices averaging around$3/gallon.Demand and Price Analysis,

RETAIL OLIGOPOLY POWER, DAIRY COMPACT, AND BOSTON MILK PRICES

This paper assesses the impacts of the Northeast Dairy Compact (NEDC) and retail oligopoly power on fluid milk prices in Boston. Empirical results reveal that price increases due to oligopoly power outweighed those caused by the NEDC by nearly seven times. In fact, markups are estimated at approximately 25% of the retail milk price, translating into approximately a little less than $0.75/gallon. We also estimated that only around two-thirds of the raw milk price changes were passed forward to consumers. This helps explain why consumer prices have come down only little after elimination of the NEDC. In fact, the new milk income loss contract program, which basically provides partial price subsidies to farmers, has contributed to low raw milk prices that have generated substantial benefits to milk processors and retailers, modest benefits to farmers and consumers, all at the expense of taxpayers.Industrial Organization, Livestock Production/Industries,

A Supermarket-Level Analysis of Demand for Breakfast Cereals: A Random Coefficients Approach

This paper applies the BLP approach to the demand for ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) at the supermarket-chain level in Boston using IRI monthly data. The Random Coefficient Model is used to estimate the demand for 37 brands of RTECs at the leading supermarkets in the Boston area. The empirical results provide a wealth of consumer behavior information, including own- and cross-price elasticites for 37 brands of RTECs at four leading supermarkets in Boston. The demand for RTECs is generally price elastic (ranging between -3 and -8). Consumers respond positively and strongly to promotion, negatively and strongly to price, calories and fiber, and weakly to sugar content. Income has a strong interactive effect with product characteristics and thus is a useful variable for market segmentation. In comparison, the results with the more commonly used Logit model indicate significantly lower price elasticities, provide a limited window on consumer behavior, and yield predicted brand and supermarket market shares that are quite divergent from observed values.Demand and Price Analysis,

United Hispanic Congregations In Worship of Christ

United Hispanic Congregations worshipping in Spirit and Truth. Churches gathered to offer a relevant and Biblical worship. They carried out a seasonal ministry project

Surface wind convergence as a short-term predictor of cloud-to-ground lightning at Kennedy Space Center: A four-year summary and evaluation

Since 1986, USAF forecasters at NASA-Kennedy have had available a surface wind convergence technique for use during periods of convective development. In Florida during the summer, most of the thunderstorm development is forced by boundary layer processes. The basic premise is that the life cycle of convection is reflected in the surface wind field beneath these storms. Therefore the monitoring of the local surface divergence and/or convergence fields can be used to determine timing, location, longevity, and the lightning hazards which accompany these thunderstorms. This study evaluates four years of monitoring thunderstorm development using surface wind convergence, particularly the average over the area. Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning is related in time and space with surface convergence for 346 days during the summers of 1987 through 1990 over the expanded wind network at KSC. The relationships are subdivided according to low level wind flow and midlevel moisture patterns. Results show a one in three chance of CG lightning when a convergence event is identified. However, when there is no convergence, the chance of CG lightning is negligible

Weak positive cloud-to-ground flashes in Northeastern Colorado

The frequency distributions of the peak magnetic field associated with the first detected return stroke of positive and negative cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes were studied using lightning data from northeastern Colorado. These data were obtained during 1985 with a medium-to-high gain network of three direction finders (DF's). The median signal strength of positive flashes was almost two times that of the negatives for flashes within 300 km of the DF's, which have an inherent detection-threshold bias that tends to discriminate against weak signals. This bias increases with range, and affects the detection of positive and negative flashes in different ways, because of the differing character of their distributions. Positive flashes appear to have a large percentage of signals clustered around very weak values that are lost to the medium-to-high gain Colorado Detection System very quickly with increasing range. The resulting median for positive signals could thus appear to be much larger than the median for negative signals, which are more clustered around intermediate values. When only flashes very close to the DF's are considered, however, the two distributions have almost identical medians. The large percentage of weak positive signals detected close to the DF's has not been explored previously. They have been suggested to come from intracloud discharges and thus are improperly classified as CG flashes. Evidence in hand, points to their being real positive, albeit weak CG flashes. Whether or not they are real positive ground flashes, it is important to be aware of their presence in data from magnetic DF networks

Mice lacking sialyltransferase ST3Gal-II develop late-onset obesity and insulin resistance

Sialyltransferases are a family of 20 gene products in mice and humans that transfer sialic acid from its activated precursor, CMP-sialic acid, to the terminus of glycoprotein and glycolipid acceptors. ST3Gal-II (coded by the St3gal2 gene) transfers sialic acid preferentially to the three positions of galactose on the Galβ1-3GalNAc terminus of gangliosides GM1 and GD1b to synthesize GD1a and GT1b, respectively. Mice with a targeted disruption of St3gal2 unexpectedly displayed lateonset obesity and insulin resistance. At 3 months of age, St3gal2-null mice were the same weight as their wild type (WT) counterparts, but by 13 months on standard chow they were visibly obese, 22% heavier and with 37% greater fat/lean ratio than WT mice. St3gal2-null mice became hyperglycemic and displayed impaired glucose tolerance by 9 months of age. They had sharply reduced insulin responsiveness despite equivalent pancreatic islet morphology. Analyses of insulin receptor (IR) tyrosine kinase substrate IRS-1 and downstream target Akt revealed decreased insulininduced phosphorylation in adipose tissue but not liver or skeletal muscle of St3gal2-null mice. Thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry revealed altered ganglioside profiles in the adipose tissue of St3gal2-null mice compared to WT littermates. Metabolically, St3gal2-null mice display a reduced respiratory exchange ratio compared to WT mice, indicating a preference for lipid oxidation as an energy source. Despite their altered metabolism, St3gal2-null mice were hyperactive. We conclude that altered ganglioside expression in adipose tissue results in diminished IR sensitivity and late-onset obesity.Fil: Lopez, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Aja, Susan. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Aoki, Kazuhiro. University of Georgia; GreciaFil: Seldin, Marcus M.. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lei, Xia. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Ronnett, Gabriele V. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Wong, G. William. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Schnaar, Ronald L.. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Estados Unido

Plan de mercadeo para el polo turístico Caño Negro– Río Celeste, Región Huetar Norte – Costa Rica

Proyecto de Graduación (Maestría en Administración de Empresas) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Escuela Administración de Empresas, 2003.PLAN DE MERCADEO PARA EL POLO TURÍSTICO CAÑO NEGRO – RÍO CELESTE, REGIÓN HUETAR NORTE – COSTA RICA El presente proyecto de investigación tiene como principal objetivo elaborar un Plan de Mercadeo para el Polo Turístico Caño Negro – Río Celeste, en la Región Huetar Norte de Costa Rica. La información necesaria para lograr dicho objetivo fue brindada por representantes de empresas turísticas, de la Zona Económica Especial de la Región Huetar Norte, de las municipalidades de Guatuso, Upala y Los Chiles, del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Sede San Carlos, de Eco Tec, del Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía, y del Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, mediante entrevistas no estructuradas. Con dicha información y con la recolectada mediante fuentes bibliográficas, fue posible determinar que el Polo Turístico Caño Negro – Río Celeste cuenta con todas las condiciones necesarias para el desarrollo del turismo científico, por lo que el plan de mercadeo se puede dirigir a un nicho muy especializado, el de los grupos académicos universitarios y preuniversitarios de turismo científico, de aventura y de naturalismo suave en la costa este de los Estados Unidos y Canadá, que les guste el turismo basado en la naturaleza. La objetivo de mercadeo principal que persigue el presente plan, es aumentar la cantidad de visitantes y el nivel de consumo de los mismos en el Polo Turístico Caño Negro – Río Celeste, con el fin de hacer del turismo una actividad significativa que ayude a elevar el nivel de vida de sus habitantes, el cual se encuentra entre los más bajos del país. viii x En vista de que actualmente dentro del Polo turístico no hay un ente que pueda llevar a cabo el presente plan de mercadeo, Eco Tec, un proyecto de extensión de la Escuela de Ciencias y Letras y de la Dirección de Sede del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica Sede San Carlos, adscrito a la Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión, que se dedica a la promoción y práctica del turismo científico, asumirá la tarea de impulsar el turismo del Polo Turístico apoyado en la presente propuesta de plan de mercadeo. Eventualmente, al tiempo que se superen las carencias organizacionales de la sociedad civil del Polo Turístico, crecerá la capacidad local de atención a los visitantes y con esto las oportunidades de hacer del turismo la actividad que efectivamente contribuya a levantar y mantener una calidad de vida aceptable para los habitantes de dicho Polo. La inversión inicial necesaria para llevar a cabo el plan de mercadeo es de 1,836 dólares, suma que no toma en cuenta muchos costos que ya cubre el proyecto Eco Tec como consecuencia de sus funciones y que no se van a ver afectados con la realización del plan

La informalidad en la construcción de viviendas de tapial y la vulnerabilidad por deslizamientos en el C.P Acobamba – distrito de Huariaca – Pasco – 2021

En la presente investigación se ha determinado la relación entre la informalidad en la construcción de viviendas de tapial y la vulnerabilidad por deslizamientos. Por tal motivo, se tuvo como punto de inicio el análisis situacional del centro poblado de Acobamba en el marco del nivel de peligro en el cual se encuentra. Mediante la metodología de enfoque cuantitativo se indago las variables de informalidad en la construcción y vulnerabilidad por deslizamiento, la cual fueron verificadas teniendo en cuenta las 120 viviendas de tapial ubicadas en la zona de estudio. Los resultados muestran que existe una relación entre la informalidad en la construcción con la vulnerabilidad por deslizamiento puesto que se presenta altos niveles de peligro en la zona de estudio. Lo cual explica a su vez que, si las viviendas en el centro poblado son construidas con malos materiales, mal diseño y sin asesoramiento técnico el nivel de peligro en relación a la vulnerabilidad por deslizamiento de tierras se verá incrementado. Finalmente, el estudio discute y reflexiona los resultados en comparación con las realidades equivalentes, con el fin de consensuar sobre la relación que hay entre la informalidad en la construcción en las viviendas de tapial y la vulnerabilidad por deslizamiento en tierra