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,

Computational analysis of enhancer deregulation in Multiple Myeloma

Gene regulation is a complex process, which dictates how the body reacts to different situations through gene expression. Enhancers are sequences of a few hundred base pairs, involved in the regulation of transcription. This work focuses on enhancer activity changes during the cancer multiple myeloma, an incurable malignancy of the plasma cells: B-cells, which are long-lived, produce immunoglobin and provide protection against antigens that activated them. In this thesis, data from different assays is combined for multiple myeloma and plasma cells samples to determine cancer-specific and subgroup-specific enhancers and these are correlated with target genes based on activity of both actors. I find hundreds of enhancers linked to expression of nearby genes, with a large fraction of these being specific to MAF translocated tumors. Changes in de-novo open chromatin distant to the promoter of a gene are more predictive of gene expression than opening of the promoter. Also, combination of chromatin accessibility data and gene expression data is better at distinguishing cancer subtypes than either alone. Many of the regulated genes are known to be important in multiple myeloma, and this study provides a potential mechanism for their deregulation. In addition, I identify novel genes of interest. These enhancers show motif enrichment for transcription factors expressed in plasma cells as opposed to cancer specific factors. In particular, a large, MAF binding, open chromatin region is identified that correlates with the expression of the oncogene CCND2, and distinguishes mutually exclusive sets of samples expressing CCND2 or CCND1, going some way to explaining the known CCND dichotomy. This work lays the foundations of in vivo and de novo Myeloma vs. PC and MM subgroup specific enhancer – promoter interactions essential for the oncogenic state. Given that currently Myeloma is an incurable cancer, this should be of significant relevance for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment

Practical aspects determining the modelling of the space structure for the free-form envelope enclosing Baku's Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre

p. 1263-1274Zaha Hadid Architects designed a complex free-form envelope to house the new Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan. The cultural centre comprises a library, an auditorium and a museum together with other complementary facilities. The architectural space envelope is double layered, that is, it consists of an external and an internal skin with a variable distance in between. A special requirement for the appearance of the cladding panels is the paths of their intermediate joints, which visibly run parallel in one direction, thus accentuating the smoothness of the surface and suggesting a natural flow. The present paper discusses and illustrates how visual, architectural and constructional requirements posed very demanding conditions for designing and modelling the MERO-TSK space structure, which is the actual structural system not only supporting the space envelopes, but a convenient form-giving construction basis to materialise their cladding surfaces.Sanchez-Alvarez, J. (2010). Practical aspects determining the modelling of the space structure for the free-form envelope enclosing Baku's Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/707

Consumer participation in human services planning : a historical overview and force field analysis as applied to health care systems planning.

EducationDoctor of Education (Ed.D.

Care-Teach: Proposing an Open-Source Approach to Personalized Learning

Care-Teach is an algorithmic educational model that provides teachers and educators with the tools to create interactive, text-based lessons that address a student’s need for continuity and reinforcement. Care-Teach is built around two core components: a Student Behavior Profile and the Skill Tree. These models work together to give each student a personalized learning experience that reinforces their pre-existing strengths and inclinations. The Student Behavior Profile model keeps track of a learner’s inclinations and mood, utilizing metrics such as average response time and accuracy to categorize opportunities for educator involvement. The Skill Tree is an organizational model that guides progress through learning objectives. Each activity is linked to an expected set of skills, and each skill is descended from a core axiom, allowing one to draw a clear line from a lesson to the most basic concept needed to understand it. Informed by the Student Behavior Profile, one can serve up activities and axioms from previous lessons to promote a holistic understanding of the subject with each assignment. The Care-Teach system provides a versatile foundation for the development of open-source companion apps, which will assist educators in enriching their programs in both online and traditional teaching situations