Thesis advisor: Alicia Munnell / Since 1975, Social Security retirement benefits have been tied to the Consumer Price Index to adjust for inflation. The CPI measures price changes for a market basket of goods and services designed to replicate the average consumer's expenditures. The elderly, however, consume a market basket different from that of the typical person. In particular, the elderly tend to purchase more medical services than other consumers. Because the price of medical care increases more rapidly than other prices, the inflation rate experienced by the elderly is greater than the inflation rate for the general population, even when controlling for the upward quality bias in the medical care component of pricing data. However, given that this difference in inflation rates is less than the size of the total measurement error in the CPI, recipients of Social Security retirement benefits are actually overcompensated for increases in inflation. Over the course of a beneficiary's retirement, this overcompensation results in a total benefit that is 5.4 – 6.6% greater than what the total benefit would have been under an ideal inflation indexing scheme. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2005. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics Honors Program.

Korruption utmålas av biståndsorgan som ett av de största hoten mot ett lands utveckling. Detär inte endast ett problem i sig självt, utan korruption genererar även andra samhällsproblem.Detta gör att anti-korruptionsarbete är på agendan för många biståndsgivare, då ett lyckatresultat kan leda till förbättringar inom många områden. I teorin låter det som att länder medhög korruption bör få hjälp att stävja denna, men är det så i praktiken? Denna studieundersöker hur mottagarländernas korruptionsnivå påverkar biståndet de mottar, genom enfixed effects-regression av paneldata över 79 länder för åren 2005 till 2016. Resultaten visaringen statistisk signifikant effekt av mottagarländernas korruptionsnivå på dess bistånd.Däremot går det att säkerställa att korruptionsnivån påverkar Sveriges bilaterala bistånd.

The Zero-Coupon Inflation Indexed Swap (ZCIIS) is a derivative contract through which inflation expectations on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are actively traded in the US. In this thesis we consider different ways to use the information from the ZCIIS market for modeling forward inflation in a risk-neutral framework. We choose to implement a model using a Monte Carlo methodology that simulates the evolution of the forward CPI ratio. We prefer this approach for its flexibility, ease of implementation, instant calibration to the ZCIIS market and intrinsic convexity adjustment on the inflation-linked payoff. Subsequently, we present a series of results we obtain when modeling a chain of consecutive CPI ratios for simulating the evolution of spot inflation. Furthermore, we use this for pricing inflation caplets and floorlets. Finally, we use the intuition gained from this exercise to analyse our results for pricing inflation caps.

The Zero-Coupon Inflation Indexed Swap (ZCIIS) is a derivative contract through which inflation expectations on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are actively traded in the US. In this thesis we consider different ways to use the information from the ZCIIS market for modeling forward inflation in a risk-neutral framework. We choose to implement a model using a Monte Carlo methodology that simulates the evolution of the forward CPI ratio. We prefer this approach for its flexibility, ease of implementation, instant calibration to the ZCIIS market and intrinsic convexity adjustment on the inflation-linked payoff. Subsequently, we present a series of results we obtain when modeling a chain of consecutive CPI ratios for simulating the evolution of spot inflation. Furthermore, we use this for pricing inflation caplets and floorlets. Finally, we use the intuition gained from this exercise to analyse our results for pricing inflation caps.

abstract: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) General Abilities Index (GAI) and Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) have been advanced as possible diagnostic markers of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Diagnostic utility statistics were used to test the ability of GAI-CPI difference scores to identify children with ADHD. Participants included an ADHD sample (n = 78), a referred but non-diagnosed hospital sample (n = 66), and a simulated sample with virtually identical psychometric characteristics as the WISC-IV 2,200 child standardization sample. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were computed to determine the utility of GAI-CPI difference scores to identify children with ADHD. The GAI-CPI discrepancy method had an AUC of .64, 95% CI [0.58, 0.71] for the ADHD sample compared to the simulated normative sample and an AUC of .46, 95% CI [0.37, 0.56] for the ADHD sample compared to the referred but non-diagnosed hospital sample. These AUC scores indicate that the GAI-CPI discrepancy method has low accuracy. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2010

MONTE, José Cleyton Vasconcelos. Interfaces da corrupção política no Brasil: a CPMI dos correios. 2012. 119f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Sociologia) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Ciências Sociais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia, Fortaleza-CE, 2012. / Submitted by Maria Josineide Góis (josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-31T12:16:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_Dis_JCVMonte.pdf: 1078237 bytes, checksum: 8ab49b48e37c939e47119b7ec8ce292d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2013-02-16T18:35:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_Dis_JCVMonte.pdf: 1078237 bytes, checksum: 8ab49b48e37c939e47119b7ec8ce292d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-02-16T18:35:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_Dis_JCVMonte.pdf: 1078237 bytes, checksum: 8ab49b48e37c939e47119b7ec8ce292d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / The research aims to understand the phenomenon of political corruption in Brazil. Initially, I trace elements that characterize these practices, discussing the causes and implications of corrupt behavior to democracy, by reference to the international analysis and the main Brazilian studies on this topic. Next, we analyze the role of parliamentary committees of inquiry (PCI), highlighting its major challenges and critical discourse on corruption in the parliamentary arena and the relationship with the journalistic field. Based on material produced by the press and especially the Final Report prepared by the JPCI of the Post Office, which in 2005 and 2006 investigated famous scandal of the "monthly allowance", an elaborate analysis of the relationship between the Brazilian political system and corrupt practices highlighting the main points of discussion during the period of this scandal: the issue of campaign finance and the complex relationship between political parties, private and state companies, treated from the "valerioduct" and the debate on the formation and maintenance of parliamentary coalitions, approached through the "monthly allowance". In conclusion, it just draws attentions to some proposals for political reform, brought to the fore at the time of research and the need for parliamentary participation by civil society, conceived as mechanisms to combat corruption. / A pesquisa tem como objetivo compreender o fenômeno da corrupção política no Brasil. Inicialmente, traço os elementos que caracterizam essas práticas, discutindo as causas e consequências do comportamento corrupto para a democracia, tomando como referência as análises internacionais e os principais estudos brasileiros sobre o tema. Em seguida, analiso o papel das comissões parlamentares de inquérito (CPIs), ressaltando seus maiores desafios e críticas, os discursos sobre corrupção na arena parlamentar e a relação com o campo jornalístico. Partindo de matérias produzidas pela imprensa e, principalmente, do Relatório Final elaborado pela CPMI dos Correios, que investigou nos anos de 2005 e 2006 o famoso escândalo do “mensalão”, elaboro uma análise sobre a relação entre o sistema político brasileiro e as práticas de corrupção, destacando os principais pontos de discussão no período do referido escândalo: a questão do financiamento de campanha e a complexa relação entre partidos, empresas privadas e estatais, tratados a partir do “valerioduto” e o debate sobre a formação e manutenção das coalizões parlamentares, abordado através do “mensalão”. Na conclusão, chamo atenção para algumas propostas de reforma política, trazidas à tona no momento dos trabalhos de investigação parlamentar e a necessidade de participação por parte da sociedade civil, pensados como mecanismos para combater a corrupção.

RISC-V is growing in popularity as a free and open RISC Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) in academia and research. Also, the openness, simplicity, extensibility, and modularity, among its advantages, make it more and more used by designers in industry. The aim of this thesis is to design an open-source RISC-V processor. The development of this RISC-V processor was based on the prototype which was made in the course IL2232 Embedded Systems Design Project (SoI-CMOS Design group), against an experimental high-temperature SoC CMOS process. SystemVerilog was used for RTL coding. ModelSim was used for RTL simulation. Genus was used for digital synthesis and Innovus was used for digital place & route. The thesis concludes that this RISC-V processor can run the compiled C-code which has been produced by the virtual platform tool Imperas OVP. The instruction set RV32IM is the Instruction Set base for this processor. Through simulation, the CPI of this RISC-V processor can be collected while running different benchmark programs developed in two parallel Master thesis to this one. To a certain extent, it can reflect the performance of the processor. However, the actual execution time needs to be tested by loading the processor to the hardware. This part will not be discussed in this thesis but is left for future work. The gate count is collected by digital synthesis and the corresponding area is collected after digital place & route. / RISC-V växer i popularitet som en gratis och öppen RISC ISA inom akademi och forskning. Öppenheten, enkelheten, utbyggbarheten och modulariteten, bland dess fördelar, gör att den används mer och mer av designers inom industrin. Syftet med denna avhandling är att designa en RISC-V-processor med öppen källkod. Utvecklingen av denna RISC-V-processor baserades på prototypen som gjordes i kursen IL2232 Embedded Systems Design Project (SoI-CMOS Design group). Mot en experimentell högtemperatur, SoC CMOS-process diskuteras. SystemVerilog användes för RTL-kodning. ModelSim användes för RTL-simulering. Genus användes för digital syntes och Innovus användes för digital plats & rutt. Avhandlingen drar slutsatsen att denna RISC-V-processor kan köra den kompilerade C-koden som har producerats av det virtuella plattformsverktyget Imperas OVP. Instruktionsuppsättningen RV32IM är instruktionsuppsättningens bas för denna processor. Genom simulering kan CPI för denna RISC-V-processor samlas in samtidigt som man kör olika benchmarkprogram utvecklade i två parallella masteruppsatser till denna. Till viss del kan det spegla processorns prestanda. Den faktiska exekveringstiden måste dock testas genom att ladda processorn till hårdvaran. Denna del kommer att diskuteras i denna uppsats men lämnas för framtida arbete. Grindräkningen samlas in genom digital syntes och motsvarande yta samlas in efter den digitala platsen & rutten.

This research paper revolves around the world’s oldest financial asset, gold, and whatdrives its price, which is of importance for all investors looking to be exposed to gold.The aim of this paper is to identify the main drivers behind the gold price, whichis done by performing a multiple linear regression analysis on the gold price and aset of explanatory variables. The results show that the real yield, measured as theTIPS-rate, has the largest impact on the gold price, followed by the inflation rate.The conclusion that is drawn in the paper is that it is reasonable that the real yield isthe main driver of the gold price, because the higher the real yield, the less attractiveit becomes for investors to own gold, as it is not an interest-bearing asset. / Den här uppsatsen handlar om väarldens äldsta finansiella tillgåang, guld, och vad som driver dess pris, vilket är till nytta för alla investerare som ämnar vara exponerade mot guld. Syftet med uppsatsen är att identifiera de huvudsakliga drivkrafterna bakom guldpriset, vilket görs genom att utföra en multipel linjär regressionsanalys på guldpriset och ett antal förklaringsvariabler. Resultatet visar att realräntan, mätt i form av TIPS-räntan, har störst påverkan på guldpriset, följt av inflationstakten. Slutsatsen som dras i uppsatsen är att det är rimligt att realräntan har störst påverkan på guldpriset, i och med att ju högre realränta, desto mindre attraktivtblir det för investerare att äga guld, då guld inte är en räntebärande tillgång.

La libération de l'acide arachidonique (AA) de la membrane des cellules par les phospholipases activées, le rend accessible pour être métabolisé par plusieurs enzymes impliquées dans la biosynthèse des eicosanoïdes. Ceux-ci incluent les cyclooxygénases (COX), les lipoxygénases (LOX) et plusieurs isoformes des cytochromes P450 (CYP450) qui produisent les acides époxy-eicosatriénoïques (EET) et les acides hydroxy-eicosatétraénoïques (HETE). Tandis qu'une attention considérable a été accordée aux rôles des eicosanoïdes dérivés des COX et des LOX, relativement peu de données sont disponibles sur les rôles potentiels des eicosanoïdes produits par les CYP450 sur la réactivité des muscles lisses des voies respiratoires (MLVR). L'objectif général de ce projet était de déterminer les modes d'action de ces eicosanoïdes bioactifs sur les tissus pulmonaires humains. L' idée étant de mieux cerner les mécanismes cellulaires et moléculaires activés lorsque ces tissus sont traités avec différents médiateurs lipidiques (eicosanoïdes) et inflammatoires (cytokines). Pour cela les propriétés électrophysiologiques, pharmacomécaniques et biochimiques susceptibles d'être modulées par ces eicosanoïdes sur les MLVR ont été analysées. Premièrement, nous avons démontré que l'acide 14,15-époxy-eicosatriénoïques (14,15-EET) hyperpolarise et relaxe les MLVR humains via l'activation des canaux potassiques de grande conductance activé par le Ca[exposant]2+ (BK[indice]Ca ). De plus, nous avons démontré que cet époxy-eicosanoïde diminue la sensibilité au Ca[indice]2+ des bronchioles perméabilisées à la [bêta]-escine, ce qui est corrélé avec une baisse du niveau de phosphorylation et d'expression de la protéine CPI-17 (protein kinase C-potentiated myosin phosphatase inhibitor). Par la suite, nous avons mis au point un modèle d'hyperréactivité bronchique (HRB) induit par un prétraitement des tissus au tumor necrosis factor [alpha] (TNF[alpha]). Ce modèle nous a permis d'évaluer les effets anti-inflammatoires des époxy-eicosanoïdes. Nous avons démontré que ces eicosanoïdes interfèrent avec l'activation du Nuclear Factor [kappa] B (NF[kappa]B) via leur interaction avec le peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors [gamma] (PPAR[gamma]). De plus, le 14,15-EET et l'acide 17,18-époxy-eicosatetraénoïque (17,18-EpETE) diminuent l'hypersensibilité au Ca[exposant]2+ des bronchioles prétraitées au TNF[alpha], en interférant avec la voie de signalisation de p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK), ce qui entraîne une réduction de la phosphorylation et de l'expression de la protéine CPI-17. L'introduction de siRNA dirigés contre les transcrits de la CPI-17 dans les bronchioles humaines traitées au TNF[alpha] a permis de mettre en évidence le rôle crucial de cette protéine dans l'HRB. Cette étude a aussi permis de démontrer que l'époxyde hydrolase soluble (sEH) est surexprimée dans les bronchioles humaines traitées au TNF[alpha] et dans les biopsies de patients asthmatiques. L'utilisation d'un inhibiteur pharmacologique de la sEH, le 12-(3-adamantyl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA), a permis d'augmenter la biodisponibilité des époxy-eicosanoïdes et leurs effets bénéfiques sur les tissus bronchiques traités au TNF[alpha]. Les stratégies expérimentales établies ont permis de définir les modes d'action de ces eicosanoïdes et de démontrer leurs rôles potentiels contre l'HRB.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.