LONG-TERM HEDGING ANALYSIS FOR SOYBEANS, 1973-95

The study analyzed a two-year hedge for soybeans in three states trying to capture high prices. The differences in prices received over a 23 year period were not significant when compared to annual hedges or cash sales.Demand and Price Analysis, Marketing,

U.S. --MEXICO FOOD SYSTEMS AND THE TOMATO TRADE DISPUTE

Mexican produce exports into the U.S. increased considerably during the latter months of 1995 and the first nine months of 1996. Because of these increased imports, Florida tomato growers requested the executive branch of the U.S. government and Congress to put into effect seven trade protection measures to reduce or stop fresh tomato imports from Mexico. This study was carried out to determine if the United State Department of Commerce (USDOC) and the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) found valid and reliable indications that the tomato industry in the U.S. was materially injured by imports from Mexico.International Relations/Trade,

Queer Nightlife as Social Infrastructure: Nightlife Regulation Initiatives in New York and London

Many cities are beginning to understand the value of night time economies. As municipal night time commissions and offices continue to grow in the United States and Europe, researchers and activists attempt to highlight vulnerable groups that have historically relied on nightlife for community building. Given these histories, are cities doing enough in highlighting and protecting LGBTQ+ (queer) nightlife, especially for people of color (POC), through these municipal nightlife commissions and offices? Using qualitative data and a multiple case study design focusing on New York and London, this research attempts to understand how night time commissions and offices in both cities address the vulnerability of queer POC nightlife through community outreach and/or research initiatives. Through interviews, field observations and analysis of policy initiatives, the framing of nightlife as culture or entertainment has an impact on structural financing mechanisms that ultimately commodify queer nightlife. However, these structures also reveal the social infrastructural network of nightlife collectives and opportunities that promote the creation of safe spaces

Effects of Seated Load Carriage on Mobility

Research has determined significant health detriments associated with sitting for extended periods of time, including chronic disease risk, pain, and mobility. Additionally, although it is not researched commonly, sitting is an essential component of job related tasks for tactical professionals such as military, police and firefighters. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between seated load carriage and dynamic mobility. METHODS: Eighteen recreationally active Merrimack College Students (age: 23.33 +/- 1.45 yr) participated in the randomized, within groups, crossover study. All subjects completed a total of three study visits which consisted of a familiarization session, a seated load carriage session and an unloaded session. Directly before and after the seated portion of both sessions, subjects were assessed in the deep squat (DS), shoulder mobility (SM), and straight leg raise (SLR) from the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between pre- and post-sitting FMS score for any of the tests in the unloaded condition, or for the SLR and SM tests in the loaded condition. However, there was a significant difference between pre- and post-sitting for the DS (P\u3c0.05) in the loaded condition. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the use of a weighted vest may decrease ability to move through a full range of motion and therefore perform job tasks in a tactical profession. More research should be completed to confirm these findings in active duty tactical professionals and utilizing longer periods of sitting

History, Material Culture, and the Search for the Mythic American Dream in Angie Cruz’s Let it Rain Coffee

This thesis examines the connection between Dominican history, the influence of American material culture, and the mythic American Dream as catalysts for migration. The two U.S. occupations and American propaganda through media had a great effect on the deceptive perception of an American life as an effortless method for attaining wealth. Let it Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz, will focus on the character, Esperanza Colon, and her obsession with the lavish lifestyle she views on the television show, Dallas. Material objects, as argued by Daniel Miller in his book, Stuff, work in subtle yet significant ways and determine our function, identification, and experience in society. If the ideal purpose of material culture is to presuppose our roles as individuals, one can conclude that the novel showcases the issues of a subordinate class struggling to attain the material goods that represent economic wealth while maintaining a sense of self-identification and self-agency

Domestic Violence and the Faith Community: A Training for Faith Leaders

Domestic violence is a social ill that affects many families in the state of Massachusetts. Domestic violence can be manifested in different ways by a member of a family, household, or an intimate partner against another member of the family, household, or against the intimate partner. Faith leaders are uniquely placed to reach out to victims and help direct victims to services and safety. Faith-based leaders can support victims with knowledge and compassion. However, they do not always feel prepared to respond or worse, an abuser may have already used faith as a weapon against the victim. As a result, victims may believe that they should forgive, live with the abuse, or honor the covenant of marriage no matter what. The goal of the training is to break the cycle of domestic violence and to provide church leaders with the tools necessary to help their worshipers

Impact of Stoplight Policies on Urban Traffic System Emissions

With increasing urban populations (Boyd 2015), also comes higher land resource demands and more concentrated pollution levels. Increasing the efficiency of transportation systems is key to fostering sustainable urban development because it can decrease urban pollution levels, better meet the social demands of its residents, and decrease vehicle fuel consumption – encompassing the three pillars of sustainability: social, environment, and economic. This study aims to better understand the environmental impact of traffic light coordination and their timing policies in a randomly generated traffic network on an urban area. We focus on the effect of three different stoplight policies on emission and congestion. Transportation is a basic human need and an area of sustainable development with great potential. The United Nations states that achieving sustainable transportation is a key component in the development of sustainable cities across the world (United Nations 2016). The number of vehicles on the roads are increasing, as are their emission levels (Environmental Protection Agency 2017). In the United States alone, over 263 million vehicles were registered by 2015 (Bureau Of Transportation Statistics 2015). The coordination of stoplight timing has the potential to mitigate not only traffic-related congestion, but also traffic-related emissions. An acceleration following either a deceleration or a complete stop due to a red light that has turned green is responsible for significantly more carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than cruising at a constant speed when approaching a green light (Ericsson 2001). Congestion decreases the fuel efficiency of all vehicle types on the road (Bigazzi, Clifton and Gregor 2014). With decreased fuel efficiency comes increased CO2 emissions (Barth et al. 2007). Stoplights are responsible for much of vehicles’ halts and changes in acceleration. Depending on the sequences of the traffic lights and the flow of traffic, the lights can both cause and relieve congestion, especially in large cities because of the high concentration of intersections with traffic lights. Just in New York City there were 12,460 recorded intersections that were stoplight-regulated (NYC DOT 2012), and out of the 3,360 intersections found in the Manhattan borough (Howe 2010), 2,820 of them are operated by traffic lights (NYC DOT 2012). In this study, three stoplight timing policies are assessed for their effect on vehicle emissions for random traffic scenarios on a given downtown area. Without loss of generality, vehicle emissions are assumed to be primarily caused by acceleration and deceleration. Traffic is modeled using a variation of a cell transition model to capture traffic as density-dependent flows (Daganzo 1995). To block any secondary effects in the system, all vehicles are assumed to have identical characteristics. This study assumes 100% penetration of vehicle autonomy, or in other words driver-less vehicles. It also assumes vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology, which includes vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication of the vehicles’ locations and speeds as well as communication with other network infrastructure such as traffic lights. These vehicle assumptions aid in the simplicity and accuracy of the cell transmission model application. V2X is also known for its potential to improve traffic safety and decrease idling time (Abboud, Omar and Zhuang 2016). We compare the performance, as captured on the total emission levels of traffic controlled by three stoplight timing policies: a conventionally timed traffic light system, a system with traffic flow-dependent lights, and a light-less system

Dance Your Way Into Culture: A Teacher’s Experience Using Dance In The Foreign Language Classroom

Although dance is an expression of culture, it has seldom been used in the foreign language classroom as a teaching tool. Using Patrick Moran’s Cultural Knowings Framework as an organizational foundation throughout the paper, the author shares why this topic became of great interest to her. She also addresses research and perceptions on movement and dance in an educational environment, and attempts to describe benefits and ways of including movement and dance in any foreign language classroom. Though this paper focuses on the author’s experience using merengue music and dance in the teaching of Spanish, it is intended for any teacher who would like a fresh approach to language and culture