Fundamentals of Riemannian geometry and its evolution : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mathematics at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

In this thesis we study the theory of Riemannian manifolds: these are smooth manifolds equipped with Riemannian metrics, which allow one to measure geometric quantities such as distances and angles. The main objectives are: (i) to introduce some of the main ideas of Riemannian geometry, the geometry of curved spaces. (ii) to present the basic concepts of Riemannian geometry such as Riemannian connections, geodesics, curvature (which describes the most important geometric features of universes) and Jacobi fields (which provide the relationship between geodesics and curvature). (iii) to show how we can generalize the notion of Gaussian curvature for surfaces to the notion of sectional curvature for Riemannian manifolds using the second fundamental form associated with an isometric immersion. Finally we compute the sectional curvatures of our model Riemannian manifolds - Euclidean spaces, spheres and hyperbolic spaces

Market Competitiveness and Demographic Profiles of Dairy Alternative Beverages in the United States: The Case of Soymilk

Data from U.S. households for year 2008 were used in examining market competitiveness of soymilk using tobit procedure. Unconditional own- and cross-price elasticities are larger than their conditional counterparts. Income, age, employment status, education level, race, ethnicity, region and presence of children are significant drivers affecting the demand for soymilk.Soymilk, white milk, flavored milk, Nielsen HomeScan data, tobit procedure, Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Marketing, D11, D12,

Is Chocolate Milk the New-Age Energy\Sports Drink in the United States?

Data from U.S. households for calendar year 2008 were used in examining demographic and economic factors affecting demand for chocolate milk using Heckman two-step procedure. Price, income, age, education, region, race, Hispanic status, and presence of children were significant drivers of consumption of chocolate milk. Sample selection bias was statistically significant.Chocolate milk, Nielsen HomeScan data, Heckman two-step, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, D11, D12,

Physical Vacua in IIB Compactifications with a Single Kaehler Modulus

We search for phenomenologically viable vacua of IIB string flux compactifications on Calabi-Yau orientifolds with a single Kaehler modulus. We perform both analytic studies and numerical searches in order to find models with de Sitter vacua and TeV-scale SUSY particle phenomenology.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, version to be published in JHEP with minor revisions and a reference adde

Partial versus General Equilibrium Calorie and Revenue Effects of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax

The current obesity crisis in the United States is generating numerous alternative policy options for combating the problem. One alternative that has been widely proposed is an excise or sales tax on sugar-sweetened non-alcoholic beverages. This literature started out within a very simple partial equilibrium framework. Not considering the feedback effects (or general equilibrium effects) across interrelated market is a shortcoming of these partial equilibrium analyses. Our study is carried out to ascertain stochastic partial and general equilibrium calorie, body weight and revenue effects of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as well as incidence of such tax. We used Nielsen Homescan data on prices and quantities of selected non-alcoholic beverages purchased over the period January 1998 through December 2008. Probability density functions (pdfs) generated using simulations of calorie outcomes reveal that the calorie reduction due to tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is between 465 and 716 calories per person per month. However, consideration of both direct and indirect effects in generating the effect of the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages reveal reduction as low as 199 calories per person per month and as high as707 calories per person per month.Partial equilibrium, general equilibrium, tax effects, sugar-sweetened beverages, beverage tax, calorie effects, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, D11, D12, I18,

Nutritional Contributions of Nonalcoholic Beverages to the U.S. Diet: 1998-2003

Using data from U.S. households over the period 1998 to 2003, we examine economic and demographic factors affecting per capita daily intake of calories, calcium, caffeine, and vitamin C derived from the consumption of nonalcoholic beverages. Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of the USDA 2000 Dietary Guidelines in reducing such caloric and nutrient intake.nonalcoholic beverages, nutritional elements, calories, calcium, vitamin C, caffeine, and econometric analysis, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Advertising in the U.S. Non-Alcoholic Beverage Industry: Are Spillover Effects Negative or Positive? Revisited using a Dynamic Approach

Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, D11, D12,

The Dodd-Frank Act doesn’t solve the principal-agent problem in asset securitisation

A global meltdown is still possible, since the securitisation of ‘deadly assets’ can still flow between the lines, writes Shanuka Senarat

Demographic and Economic Profiling of U.S. Demand for Probiotics: The Case of Drinkable Yogurt

Data from U.S. households for calendar year 2008 were used in examining demographic and economic factors affecting demand for drinkable yogurts using Heckman two-step procedure. Price, region, race and gender of household head were significant drivers of consumption of drinkable yogurts. Statistically significant sample selection bias was observed.Probiotics, drinkable yogurts, Nielsen HomeScan data, Heckman two-step, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, D11, D12,