Adjusting to economic integration with the United States: Mexico's exchange rate policy and business cycle features since 1980

Valenzuela, Manuel Valenzuela The University of New Mexico 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

Mexico is in the middle of a long lasting process of economic integration with its NAFTA partners, especially with the United States. This process started in the 1980s with unilateral trade liberalization and was reinforced in 1994 by the enactment of NAFTA. For more than two decades the Mexican government has adjusted institutions and public policies to achieve economic stability and sustainable economic growth in the new context of globalization and economic integration. In addition to trade liberalization, the Mexican government has implemented successive economic reforms including deregulation of economic activity, privatization of the banking system and state-owned enterprises, restructuring of external debt, and legal reform of rural property. These reforms have contributed to economic stability in the country. However, sustainable economic growth is still to come. In this study we investigate two important issues related to the process of economic integration: Mexico's exchange rate policy and features of the business cycles of Mexico and the United States. Chapter I presents a brief overview of the Mexican economy. Chapter 2 analyzes the role of two different kinds of exchange rate policies (pegged and floating) for the behavior of inflation and economic growth using a vector error correction approach. The main conclusion is that the exchange rate regime does matter for inflation during the 1980--2004 period. With respect to economic growth, however, our findings are not conclusive. Chapter 3 examines the main characteristics of the Mexican and U.S. business cycles and some of their interactions using the classical approach based on second moment statistics as well as modern time series tools. We also investigate the effect of NAFTA on business cycle synchronization in the two countries and the nature of the long-run relationship among them. Our findings indicate that Mexican and U.S. gross domestic products have shared a long-run equilibrium relationship since 1980, with the U.S. driving the Mexican business cycle. It is also clear that the Mexican economy has strengthened its ties with the U.S. economic activity since the enactment of NAFTA. Chapter 4 presents some concluding remarks and suggests some pending tasks for Mexico's economic policy.

Violence against women in Latin America : analysis of femicide in Ecuador

Valenzuela Trivino, Gilda Martina Ewha Womans University 2020 국내석사

In Ecuador, violence against women is a problem entrenched in the country's social practices and the patriarchal structure. This violence manifests itself in different ways. Femicide (the death of women for gender reasons), is the most extreme form of violence against women, The country's criminal legislation was amended in 2014 to include the classification of femicide in its regulations and thus visualize a phenomenon that was being ignored. However, the inclusion of this crime in the law has been only the first step. Without a proper judicial structure and gender training, there is no guarantee that judicial processes and women's rights will be properly respected and enforced. By reviewing the judicial expedients of recorded cases of deaths of women on the basis of gender in Ecuador between 2015 and 2018, the current situation of femicide in the country could be characterized, identifying the prevalence of women’s deaths perpetrated by their intimate partners. In the same way, the review of the judicial process carried out in cases in which the judges changed the denomination of femicide of the crime to that of murder or general homicide, suppressing the gender name in the crime. This demonstrates the need for deep training in a gender focus for the Ecuadorian Judicial System. 여성 대상 폭력 범죄는 에콰도르의 사회적 관습과 가부장제적 구조와 깊게 관련되어 있다. 이 폭력은 다양한 방식으로 표출되는데, 그 중에서도 여성살해는 가장 극단적인 방법으로 간주 된다. 에콰도르의 형법은 2014년 법개정을 통해 여성살해를 포함시켰고, 이는 이전까지 주목받지 못했던 현상을 가시화 시키는 역할을 하였다. 그러나 법 개정을 통해 항목을 포함시킨 것은 겨우 첫 걸음을 뗀 것에 불과하다. 적절한 사법 제도의 구축과 젠더 교육이 선행되지 않는다면, 여성의 권리가 사법절차를 통해 보호 받고 존중될 것이라 보장할 수 없다. 본 논문은 2015년부터 2018년까지 젠더적 원인으로 사망한 여성들의 재판 속기록을 살펴봄으로써 친밀한 파트너에 의해 반복적으로 일어나는 여성살해를 진단하고, 현 에콰도르의 여성살해의 성격을 파악하고자 한다. 동일한 방식으로, 재판이 진행되는 과정에서 판사가 여성살해를 일반 살인이나 일반 연쇄살인으로 변경한 사례를 살펴봄으로써 에콰도르의 사법제도에 소속된 공무원들에게 성인지 교육을 제공해야 할 중요성과 필요성을 증명한다.

Local People Participation in Mangrove Restoration Projects: Impacts on Social Capital and Livelihood : A Case Study in the Philippines

Valenzuela, Roswin B. 서울대학교 대학원 2019 국내석사

Climate change is a global problem caused by cumulative actions of multi-level actors; hence, solving the climate change problem requires collective action. Networks have been created to establish cooperation and collaboration between multi-level stakeholders; this facilitates the exchange of knowledge and strengthens the cooperation between countries and stakeholders. Cooperation is not only relevant for actions against climate change, but it also contributes to the development of the local communities by increasing their social capital through their involvement and participation in climate change mitigation projects. Through social relations, local communities expand their assets which are relevant to gaining more economic profits. This study assessed the impacts of local community participation in mangrove restoration projects to social capital; and further analyzed its implications people’s access to information and access to services—both variables are essential in improving one’s livelihoods. This study was conducted in the Province of Quezon, Philippines using face-to-face interview as the main method for data collection. The results of this study suggest that participation is beneficial to the local people as it can improve their livelihoods. Their participation increases social capital, consequently, improves their access to information and access to services. 기후변화는 여러 나라와 지역의 행위자들이 행동한 것이 누적되어 야기되는 세계적 문제이다. 따라서, 기후 변화 문제를 해결하기 위해서는 여러 협력적 집단 행동이 요구된다. 이런 다층의 이해관계자들간 협력과 협동은 네트워크에 의하여 가능하다. 이는 국가와 이해관계자 사이에서 지식의 교환을 용이하게 하며 협력을 강화한다. 기후 변화 문제 해결을 위한 행동에는 이해당사자들의 협력이 필요하며 지역 공동체가 기후 변화 완화 프로젝트에 참여하는 협력 활동은 사회적 자본을 증가시켜 지역 공동체의 발전에도 기여한다. 네트워크에 기반한 사회적 관계를 통해 지역 공동체들은 더 많은 경제적 이익을 얻는 기반이 되는 자산을 확장한다. 본 연구는 맹그로브 복원 프로젝트에 지역 사회가 참여하는 것이 사회적 자본에 미치는 영향을 평가했다. 더 나아가 본 연구는 사회적 자본이 지역 주민의 정보 접근 및 서비스 접근에 미치는 영향을 분석했다. 이 연구는 필리핀 퀘존 (Quezon)에서 실시되었으며 데이터 수집을 위해서 대면 인터뷰가 수행되었다. 본 연구의 결과로는 지역 주민의 참여가 그들의 생계를 향상하는데 도움이 되며 사회적 자본을 증진하는 것으로 확인되었다. 결과적으로 지역사회의 맹그로브 복원사업 참여가 사회자본 확장을 통하여 지역주민의 정보와 서비스 접근성을 향상시키는데도 기여함을 밝혔다.

DYNAMICS OF SELENIUM IN CIBOLA LAKE, ARIZONA (SEDIMENT LOADING, BIOREMEDIATION, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANT, FLUSHING)

VILLEGAS, SELSO VALENZUELA THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1997 국내박사

Ablation of cereblon attenuates endoplasmic reticulum stress in type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy

Maria Victoria Faith Valenzuela Garcia 인제대학교 일반대학원 2024 국내박사

Objectives: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by insulin dysfunction, brought about by chronic hyperglycemia. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been implicated in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) progression. This study aimed to determine a novel target for new therapeutic modality to address T2DM-induced cardiomyopathy. Cereblon (CRBN) has been found to function cardiovascular disease and so, this study further elucidated how CRBN can induce cardioprotection via attenuation of ER stress response in T2DM. Methods: 11-week-old C57BL/6 and CRBN knockout mice were fed with high fat diet for 4 weeks and administered with streptozotocin to induce T2DM in vivo after which samples were collected when mice reached 20 weeks of age. Mouse cardiac fibroblasts treated with high glucose and palmitic acid were used to induce ER stress in vitro. Pharmacologic and genetic CRBN knockdown was also done on in vitro T2DM mode using TD-165, a PROTAC-based CRBN degrader, and shCRBN adenovirus, respectively. Western blot and RT-PCR analyses was used to assess ER stress protein and RNA expression under T2DM conditions. Results: Higher CRBN levels were observed in the T2DM model in vivo and in vitro. ER stress proteins were modulated upon knockdown of CRBN, both genetic and pharmacological, suggesting the possible interaction of CRBN with ER stress proteins. Additionally, fibrosis was also alleviated upon knockdown of CRBN−/−. Conclusions: Knockdown of CRBN regulated the quantitative expression of ER stress proteins and RNA indicating that CRBN may be used as a novel target in alleviating ER stress in T2DM. 목적: 당뇨병(T2DM)은 만성 고혈당증으로 인한 인슐린 기능 장애가 특징이다. 소포체(ER)의 조절 기전은 당뇨병성 심근병증의 진행과도 관련이 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이 연구는 당뇨병성 심근병증(T2DM)으로 인한 심장병의 이완기 조절을 통한 심장섬유화의 새로운 표적 타깃과 소포체의 분자적 조절기전을 규명하는 것이다. 더 나아가 새로운 진단 및 치료제 개발에도 기여할 것이다. 세레블론(CRBN)은 심혈관 질환에 중요한 표적 단백질이며, 이번 연구에서는 CRBN이 소포체 기능 조절 기전을 통해 당뇨병성 심근병증 모델에서 심장섬유화 억제 및 심장 보호를 유도하는 기전을 규명하고자 한다. 방법: 동물 모델은 11주령의 C57BL/6 과 CRBN 결핍 마우스에 4주 동안 고지방식이를 섭취 후 스트렙토조토신을 투여하여 당뇨병성 심근병증(T2DM)을 유도한 후 마우스 20주령에 샘플링하였다. 세포 모델에서는 마우스 심장 섬유아세포에 당뇨병성 조건인 고포도당과 팔미틴산 처리로 소포체(ER) 스트레스를 유도했다. 또한 PROTAC 기반 CRBN 분해제인 TD-165와 아데노바이러스 기반 shCRBN를 사용하여 약리학적 및 유전학적 CRBN 결손을 유도하여 소포체 기능 조절을 통한 당뇨병성 심근병증의 분사생물학적 기전 규명했다. 웨스턴 블롯 및 RT-PCR 분석을 통해 ER 스트레스 단백질 발현 및 RNA 발현을 평가하였다. 결과: 세포수준과 동물수준에서 대조군보다 당뇨병성 심근병증 조건군에서 CRBN 발현이 높게 발현되는것을 관찰하였다. 유전학적 및 약리학적 방법으로 CRBN 결핍시 ER 스트레스 단백질이 조절되었으며, 이는 CRBN과 ER 스트레스 단백질의 상호 작용 가능성을 시사한다. 또한 CRBN결핍마우스에서도 ER 스트레스 단백질의 변화를 확인하였으며 심장섬유화도 완화되었다. 결론: 당뇨병성 조건에서, CRBN 결핍시 ER 스트레스 단백질과 RNA의 정량적 발현이 조절되어졌다. 이는 CRBN이 ER 스트레스를 완화하는 새로운 표적으로 사용될 수 있음을 나타내며 심장섬유화를 억제하여 심장 기능을 개선하는 치료제 개발에 기여할 것이다.

Immunosenescence: Telomere and telomerase dynamics in human T cells

Valenzuela, Hector Fernando University of California, Los Angeles 2001 해외박사(DDOD)

An essential feature of T lymphocyte activation is the induction of clonal expansion of reactive cells that function to control and/or eliminate foreign antigen. However, the massive clonal expansion of T lymphocytes is ultimately constrained, since all normal human somatic cells have an innate replicative limit that is dependent on telomere length. Telomeres, which are specialized regions on the ends of chromosomes that function as a mitotic clock to control proliferative potential, are regulated by telomerase activity. The studies described in this thesis focused on examining the longterm dynamics of telomerase activity and the mechanism of telomere shortening in human T cells. The kinetics of telomerase induction in long term T cell cultures was studied by subjecting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), purified CD4<super>+</super>, and CD8<super>+</super> T cells to repeated stimulation with an allogeneic EBV-transformed B cell line. Initial stimulation induced a dramatic increase of telomerase activity in PBMC, CD4<super>+</super> and CD8<super>+</super> T cell subsets, but repeated stimulation resulted in loss of telomerase activity in CD8<super>+</super> T cells, despite continued proliferation. The decline in telomerase inducibility in PBMC and CD8<super>+</super> T cells correlates with the loss of surface expression of the CD28 co-stimulatory receptor. Moreover, blockage of CD28 engagement with its ligands, B7.1 and B7.2, during antigenic stimulation markedly decreases telomerase activity. Additionally, we show that the induction of telomerase activity in T cells by CD3 and CD28 stimulation is significantly enhanced by estrogen. Remarkably, estrogen even enhances telomerase activity in long-term repeatedly stimulated T cell cultures that were no longer capable of inducing telomerase inducibility in response to CD3 and CD28 stimulation. Finally, we demonstrate that ectopic expression of hTERT, the catalytic protein component of telomerase, induces high levels of telomerase activity, telomere length maintenance and extension of T cell lifespan. Collectively, these studies provide new insights into the mechanism(s) by which telomerase activity is regulated in human T cells that have been subjected to repeated antigenic stimulation. The results of this research enhance our understanding of T cell dysfunction during aging, as well as in the context of chronic infections or repeatedly encountered pathogens.

Machine learning, optimization, and anti-training with sacrificial data

Valenzuela, Michael The University of Arizona 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Traditionally the machine learning community has viewed the No Free Lunch (NFL) theorems for search and optimization as a limitation. I review, analyze, and unify the NFL theorem with the many frameworks to arrive at necessary conditions for improving black-box optimization, model selection, and machine learning in general. I review meta-learning literature to determine when and how meta-learning can benefit machine learning. We generalize meta-learning, in context of the NFL theorems, to arrive at a novel technique called Anti-Training with Sacrificial Data (ATSD). My technique applies at the meta level to arrive at domain specific algorithms and models. I also show how to generate sacrificial data. An extensive case study is presented along with simulated annealing results to demonstrate the efficacy of the ATSD method.

Effects of Nonuniform Root-zone Salinity on Na+, Cl- and Nitrate Uptake in Irrigated Almond

Valenzuela Acevedo, Francisco Jose Gabriel University of California, Davis ProQuest Dissertat 2018 해외박사(DDOD)

Californian agriculture is under increasing threat from salinity as a consequence of scarcer water resources, combined with the increasing use of low quality ground water. In many regions of California, groundwater used for irrigation, is compro. Almond is an important crop for California's with a surface of 890,000 acres planted supplying ~80% of the world almond exports and contributes $11 billion of total value added to California's economy and generates 104,000 direct and indi. Currently the main strategy used to manage salts consists of the application of water in excess of plant needs to leach salts from the root zone, traditionally this would be achieved by flood irrigation so the movement of water deep into the soi. As a consequence of the mobility of nitrate in the soil, salinity management imposes an additional environmental risk since the leaching of saline salts can easily result in the loss of nitrate from the cropping system. Collectively these constr. Historically salt levels in the root zone have been measured in saturated paste extracts (EC~e~) of soil cores collected from within the main rooting zone at different depth. The average value of all depths represents the saline level of the roo. Under the complex scenario of heterogeneous salinity the main challenge for studies on saline stress for California almond orchards is to develop methodologies that better simulate field conditions, and to conduct pot or other studies that attem. Two experiment experiments were carried out to test tree response under non-uniform saline conditions. Experiment 1: Non-uniform saline, osmotic and nutritional conditions in root sub-zones of plants were evaluated by the use of a split-root met.

Finding Comunidad: Latino Gay/Queer Students' Co-curricular Experiences of Empowerment and Marginality at a Public University

Valenzuela, Marco Antonio ProQuest Dissertations & Theses University of Cali 2018 해외박사(DDOD)

This qualitative study focused on finding the strategies that Latino gay/queer students used to help them navigate the intersection of their marginalized identities during college. The counter stories of 15 participants offered profound, intimat.

Polarimetric image reconstruction algorithms

Valenzuela, John R University of Michigan 2010 해외박사(DDOD)

In the field of imaging polarimetry Stokes parameters are sought and must be inferred from noisy and blurred intensity measurements. Using a penalized-likelihood estimation framework we investigate reconstruction quality when estimating intensity images and then transforming to Stokes parameters (traditional estimator), and when estimating Stokes parameters directly (Stokes estimator). We define our cost function for reconstruction by a weighted least squares data fit term and a regularization penalty. It is shown that under quadratic regularization, the traditional and Stokes estimators can be made equal by appropriate choice of regularization parameters. It is empirically shown that, when using edge preserving regularization, estimating the Stokes parameters directly leads to lower RMS error in reconstruction. Also, the addition of a cross channel regularization term further lowers the RMS error for both methods especially in the case of low SNR. The technique of phase diversity has been used in traditional incoherent imaging systems to jointly estimate an object and optical system aberrations. We extend the technique of phase diversity to polarimetric imaging systems. Specifically, we describe penalized-likelihood methods for jointly estimating Stokes images and optical system aberrations from measurements that contain phase diversity. Jointly estimating Stokes images and optical system aberrations involves a large parameter space. A closed-form expression for the estimate of the Stokes images in terms of the aberration parameters is derived and used in a formulation that reduces the dimensionality of the search space to the number of aberration parameters only. We compare the performance of the joint estimator under both quadratic and edge-preserving regularization. The joint estimator with edge-preserving regularization yields higher fidelity polarization estimates than with quadratic regularization. Under quadratic regularization, using the reduced-parameter search strategy, accurate aberration estimates can be obtained without recourse to regularization "tuning". Phase-diverse wavefront sensing is emerging as a viable candidate wavefront sensor for adaptive-optics systems. In a quadratically penalized weighted least squares estimation framework a closed form expression for the object being imaged in terms of the aberrations in the system is available. This expression offers a dramatic reduction of the dimensionality of the estimation problem and thus is of great interest for practical applications. We have derived an expression for an approximate joint covariance matrix for object and aberrations in the phase diversity context. Our expression for the approximate joint covariance is compared with the "known-object" Cramer-Rao lower bound that is typically used for system parameter optimization. Estimates of the optimal amount of defocus in a phase-diverse wavefront sensor derived from the joint-covariance matrix, the known-object Cramer-Rao bound, and Monte Carlo simulations are compared for an extended scene and a point object. It is found that our variance approximation, that incorporates the uncertainty of the object, leads to an improvement in predicting the optimal amount of defocus to use in a phase-diverse wavefront sensor.