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This dissertation consists of three essays examining the impacts of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures on agricultural trade. The first essay estimates the impact of the 2003 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak in the US on Japanese beef imports. I develop a source-differentiated demand system of fresh/chilled and frozen beef imports augmented with endogenous smooth transition functions. Results suggest that over one-half of the estimated income, own-price, and cross-price elasticities reached a new regime in the post-BSE period of Japanese beef imports where the competitive relationship and substitutability between US and Australian beef exports changed significantly. The second essay develops a product-line structural gravity model to estimate the trade flow effects of SPS measures that have been flagged as specific trade concerns in the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) SPS Committee meetings for the top 30 agricultural trading countries covering four major product sectors. Our findings are striking and call attention to the need for a deeper understanding of the impacts of SPS measures on WTO members' agricultural trade. Results show that the trade effects of SPS trade concern measures reduce exporters' agricultural trade by 67%, on average, during periods in which concerns were active. Significant heterogeneity in the trade effect of SPS measures exists with average estimated ad valorem equivalent tariffs ranging from 33% to 106%. The AVE effect of SPS concern measures maintained by the US is estimated at 42%, less than a half (a third) of the AVE effects of SPS concern measures imposed by the European Union (China). China's restrictions on Avian Influenza and ractopamine restrictions in pork exports are estimated to be the most prohibitive, causing an AVE effect of 120.3% and 88.9%, respectively. The third essay develops a discrete-time duration model to examine the extent to which these SPS concern measures affect the hazard rate of US agri-food exports during the 1995-2016 period. Results show that SPS concern measures raise the hazard rate of US agri-food exports by a range of 2.1%~15.3%, causing the predicted hazard rate to increase from 21.8% to a range of 23.6%~27.9%. This effect is heterogeneous across different agricultural sectors, with the most substantial effects occurring in US exports of meat, fruits, and vegetables. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation consists of three essays on the examination of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures and their impacts on agricultural trade. The first essay estimates the impact of the US 2003 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) outbreaks on Japanese beef imports. Using a source-differentiated demand system of fresh/chilled and frozen beef imports embedded with endogenous smooth transition functions, we find that over one-half of the estimated income, own-price, and cross-price elasticities have changed remarkably, causing the Japanese beef import market to reach a new regime in the post-BSE period where the substitution and/or competition relationships between the US and Australia have changed. The second essay develops a product-line structural gravity model to estimate the trade effects of SPS measures flagged as concerns in the WTO's SPS Committee meetings for the top 30 agricultural trading countries covering four major product sectors. Results show that the trade effects of SPS concern measures are negative and significant, with the average estimated AVE tariffs ranging 33%~106%. The AVE effect of SPS concern measures maintained by the US is estimated to be 42%, less than a half (a third) of the AVE effects of SPS concern measures imposed by the European Union (China). China's restrictions on Avian Influenza and various ractopamine restrictions in the production and export of pork products are estimated to be the most prohibitive, causing an AVE effect of 120.3% and 88.9%, respectively. The third essay applies a discrete-time duration model to examine the extent to which SPS concern measures affect the hazard rate of US agri-food exports in 1995-2016. Results show that SPS concern measures raise the hazard rate of US agri-food exports by a range of 2.1%~15.3%, causing the predicted hazard rate to increase from 21.8% to a range of 23.6%~27.9%. This effect is heterogeneous across different agricultural sectors, with the most substantial effects occurring in US exports of meat, fruits, and vegetables.

[pt] Modelos equivalentes de rede podem ser usados na avaliação de segurança online, no planejamento da operação de grandes sistemas e na simulação em tempo real. A representação de partes não observadas do sistema por equivalentes melhora significativamente o desempenho computacional, que é um requisito importante na avaliação de segurança on-line, e necessário quando não estão disponíveis informações sobre áreas não observadas. Em simuladores em tempo real, devido a limitações de hardware, é obrigatório o uso de equivalentes. Para estudos de planejamento, as reduções de rede fazem sentido se o sistema for muito grande e o foco da análise restrito a uma parte relativamente pequena do sistema, para os quais o uso de equivalentes de rede pode poupar uma enorme quantidade de tempo. O tema dos equivalentes de rede recebeu atenção significativa nos anos 70 e 80, principalmente na avaliação da segurança estática. Entretanto, para aquelas perturbações que envolvem respostas de potência pelo sistema externo, simples modelos estáticos podem não ser suficientes. Para isso, utiliza-se a representação dinâmica nesses equivalentes. O sistema externo deve manter uma resposta semelhante às oscilações eletromecânicas do sistema original. Tendo em vista a expansão do Sistema Interligado Nacional (SIN), a crescente inserção de elos de corrente contínua e a elevada da participação de fontes de geração distribuída, especialmente a eólica, é esperado um aumento significativo do número e complexidade dos modelos para simulações dinâmicas. Assim, é de extrema relevância o aperfeiçoamento dos equivalentes dinâmicos, tanto para utilização on-line como para o planejamento da operação. Portanto, esta dissertação visa explorar os limites das técnicas de equivalentes dinâmicos de rede mais recentes, bem como possíveis caminhos para o aperfeiçoamento de sua aplicação, inclusive com a consideração do seu uso para acelerar o cálculo de regiões de segurança. Além de uma revisão da teoria recente de equivalentes estáticos e dinâmicos, serão apresentadas aplicações de equivalentes dinâmicos em diferentes regiões do SIN. A primeira região, mais restrita, representa a rede de atendimento aos estados do Acre e Rondônia, com o restante do SIN reduzido. A segunda região, mais geral, reduz partes do SIN considerando o bloqueio total do Bipolo Xingu-Estreito e seu impacto na rede. Os resultados obtidos são amplamente discutidos. / [en] Equivalent network models can be used for online security assessment, operation planning of large systems, and real-time simulation. Representing unobserved parts of large networks by equivalents significantly improves computational performance, which is an important requirement in online security assessment and required when no information on unobserved areas is available. In real-time simulators, due to hardware limitations, the use of equivalents is mandatory. For planning studies, network reductions make sense if the system is too large and the focus of analysis is restricted to a relatively small part of the system, for which the use of network equivalents can save a huge amount of time. The topic of network equivalents received significant attention in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in static security assessments. However, for those perturbations involving power responses by the external system, simple static models may not be sufficient. For this, the dynamic representation in these equivalents is used. The external system must preserve a response similar to the electromechanical oscillations of the original system. Considering the expansion of the Brazilian Interconnected System (BIS), the increasing insertion of DC links and the high contribution of distributed generation sources, especially wind, a significant increase in the number and complexity of the models for dynamic simulations is expected. Thus, it is extremely important to improve the dynamic equivalents, for both online use and for operation planning. Therefore, this dissertation aims to explore the limits of the latest dynamic network equivalent techniques as well as possible ways to improve its application, including its use to speed up the assessment of security regions. In addition to a review of the recent theory of static and dynamic equivalents, applications of dynamic equivalents will be presented in different regions of the BIS. The first region, more restricted, represents the network transmission services to the states of Acre and Rondônia, with the rest of the BIS reduced. The second region, more general, reduces parts of the BIS considering the total block of the Xingu-Estreito bipole and its impact on the network. The results obtained are widely discussed.

<p>Energy Director is a control and measuring system for energy consumption and is part of the product portfolio of E.ON AG for more efficient use of energy, offered to business customers. As of today, the system has only one parameter of control, namely power, and the objective of this essay has been to investigate whether other ones could be added. The emphasis is on the environmental perspective, which is why carbon dioxide has served as an example for this parameter in question.</p><p>Parallel with the study of Energy Director electricity on the margin, calculations of carbon dioxide equivalents and also the Swedish trade of electricity have all been highlighted. Results indicate that when reductions in energy are made it is endorsed to omit from electricity on the margin rather than some mean distributed electricity, under certain conditions, and in addition the calculations of the reductions should be modified regarding the efficiency of the power stations fuelled by lignite and bituminous coal. Sweden practices trade with the Nordic countries as well as Poland and Germany. Import and export represents essential factors in the discussion of electricity on the margin but they can nonetheless today be included in calculations concerning savings in emission of carbon dioxide.</p><p>The development of Energy Director is suggested to follow a model that includes the total emissions of carbon dioxide at each installation. Contributions are descended from local sources at the site, which are continuously measured, and from the energy that is obtained, where the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide has to be theoretically estimated. The total carbon dioxide limit control is then accomplished by means of controlling the obtained energy.</p> / <p>EnergiDirigent är ett styr- och mätsystem som ingår i E.ON:s produktsortiment för effektivare energianvändning. I dagsläget har systemet en styrparameter, uttagen effekt, och syftet med detta arbete har varit att undersöka om ytterligare styrparametrar kan infogas. Fokus för arbetet har varit att undersöka vilken potential EnergiDirigent har att bli miljövänlig. Styrparameter som tjänat som exempel för utredning har varit koldioxid.</p><p>Marginalel, det svenska elutbytet samt beräkning av koldioxidekvivalenter har behandlats parallellt med arbetet med EnergiDirigent. Arbetsgången har varit teoretisk med litteraturstudier, studiebesök och intervjuer. Resultat visar att vid en miljövärdering av el är det befogat att utgå ifrån marginalel vid besparingar, dock under vissa villkor, och att beräkningarna av besparingarna bör modifieras genom att verkningsgraden för kolkraftverk revideras. Sverige bedriver mycket handel med Norden samt Polen och Tyskland varför de har inkluderats i handelssystemet. Import och export är viktiga faktorer i behandling av marginalel men resurser saknas idag för att implementera faktorerna på ett adekvat sätt i besparingsuträkningar.</p><p>Utvecklingen av EnergiDirigent bör följa en modell som inkluderar det totala utsläppet av koldioxid vid varje installation. Bidrag till det totala utsläppet kommer ifrån lokala källor hos installationen, som hela tiden mäts, samt från den mängd energi som införskaffas, där motsvarande mängd koldioxid uppskattas teoretiskt. En styrgräns sätts på de totala utsläppen och följs sedan genom styrning på den inkommande energin.</p>

This thesis presents a contrastive analysis of the English pragmatic markers now and well and their Czech translation equivalents. The overall material is based on 200+12 occurrences that were excerpted from the electronic parallel corpus InterCorp, with all the instances appearing in fictional dialogues. The contrastive study focuses on the role of translation as a means to understand better the nature of the two pragmatic markers. It analyzes specific marker-collocate sequences and the respective Czech translation equivalents. It demonstrates that certain marker-collocate sequences have a tendency to be translated by specific Czech translation equivalents and that the role of other factors, such as position in discourse structure, prosody, and broader context, play in this respect an important role as well. All this and the finding that both now and well share certain Czech translation equivalents add to the multifunctionality of both now and well and prove that a combination of other factors is needed to comprehend the use of the two pragmatic markers in English. The comparison of the Czech translation equivalents in this thesis to the Czech translation equivalents in the Czech-English dictionary Lingea attempted to provide an example of how a contrastive analysis can be useful in Lexicography.

Processos fotodinâmicos aplicados a sistemas biológicos têm sido utilizados in vitro e in vivo como uma modalidade terapêutica seletiva e não invasiva em diversas áreas da saúde, incluindo a Medicina Regenerativa. Neste trabalho, propomos o seu estudo na reparação e regeneração tecidual, pela utilização de um fármaco fotossensibilizante associado a um sistema de veiculação e sua ação fotobiológica, monitorada pela atividade celular (sistemas 2D e 3D). Para superar limitações do modelo celular convencional em monocamada, tais como baixa interação célula-célula e célula-matriz extracelular, propomos o uso de modelos tridimensionais de pele (denominados equivalentes dérmicos). Desta forma, algumas condições existentes in vivo podem ser mimetizadas in vitro, conduzindo à observação de um comportamento mais próximo à situação real. Os equivalentes dérmicos foram preparados através do cultivo celular em uma matriz de colágeno tipo I, que foi extraído de tendões da cauda de ratos Wistar. Foram escolhidas duas linhagens celulares para a padronização dos modelos tridimensionais: fibroblastos NIH/3T3 (ATCC® CRL-1658TM) e células-tronco humanas HBMS (Human Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, ATCC® PCS-500-012TM). Os ED produzidos foram monitorados por um período de 14 dias para o estudo do perfil de cinética de contração e também observamos a formação da matriz tridimensional de colágeno através da microscopia óptica. O perfil de contração observado é mais acentuado nos primeiros dias e tende a se estabilizar no final do período analisado. Fatores como concentração celular e de colágeno interferem nesta cinética. Estudos de histologia, microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e microscopia confocal também foram realizados para melhor caracterizar o modelo. Em uma segunda etapa deste trabalho, estudos de fotobiomodulação foram conduzidos nestes modelos celulares, associando-se o uso de fotoprocessos com luz visível de baixa intensidade (doses 70, 140 e 300 mJ/cm2) e o fármaco fotossensibilizante ftalocianina de cloro alumínio (ClAlPc), veiculado em um sistema de liberação nanoestruturado clássico do tipo nanoemulsão. A expressão de metaloproteinases de matriz (MMPs), enzimas associadas a eventos biológicos de remodelação da matriz extracelular, foi avaliada através da técnica de zimografia. / Photodynamic Process applied to biological systems has been used in vitro and in vivo as selective and noninvasive modality in several areas including Regenerative Medicine. In this research project, we propose to study wound healing and tissue regeneration, induced by the use of a photosensitizer drug into 2D and 3D cellular models. In order to perform experiments with high level of biological complexity, we propose to use three-dimensional tissue models (called dermal equivalents). The aim is to mimic in vitro, the conditions existing in in vivo, such as cell-cell contact and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, which cannot be observed in monolayer cultures. The dermal equivalents were obtained combing fibroblasts cells NIH /3T3 (ATCC® CRL-1658TM) or Human Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (ATCC® PCS-500-012TM) with collagen matrix. Collagen type I was obtained from tail tendons of Wistar rats. The three-dimensional model was monitored over 14 days and to study the kinetic contraction, the diameter of each disc was measured. Also, the collagen matrix was evaluated by bright field microscopy. The classical profile observed is more pronounced in the early days and tends to stabilize at the end of the period. This kinetic can be modified by the concentration of cells and collagen. Histological analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy were also important to describe this model. Second, photobiology tests were performed, combining low-intensity laser (70, 140 e 300 mJ/cm2) and a classical Chloro Aluminum Phthalocyanine photosensitizer drug encapsulated into polymeric nanoemulsion. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression in the cell culture was evaluated by zymography. These are endopeptidases associated with wound healing and remodeling processes.

In various international policy processes such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, an urgent demand for robust consumption-based indicators of material flows, or material footprints (MFs), has emerged over the past years. Yet, MFs for national economies diverge when calculated with different Global Multiregional Input-Output (GMRIO) databases, constituting a significant barrier to a broad policy uptake of these indicators. The objective of this paper is to quantify the impact of data deviations between GMRIO databases on the resulting MF. We use two methods, structural decomposition analysis and structural production layer decomposition, and apply them for a pairwise assessment of three GMRIO databases, EXIOBASE, Eora, and the OECD Inter-Country Input-Output (ICIO) database, using an identical set of material extensions. Although all three GMRIO databases accord for the directionality of footprint results, that is, whether a countries' final demand depends on net imports of raw materials from abroad or is a net exporter, they sometimes show significant differences in level and composition of material flows. Decomposing the effects from the Leontief matrices (economic structures), we observe that a few sectors at the very first stages of the supply chain, that is, raw material extraction and basic processing, explain 60% of the total deviations stemming from the technology matrices. We conclude that further development of methods to align results from GMRIOs, in particular for material-intensive sectors and supply chains, should be an important research priority. This will be vital to strengthen the uptake of demand-based material flow indicators in the resource policy context.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:40:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ModelosAdministCaixa-final.pdf: 398880 bytes, checksum: d603d80b6b81b6b275d8aa7a9cdefe88 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-09-13 / nenhum / The cash consists in the more critical asset and most liquid to be managed by the company, in function of its relative unpredictably, of the costs incurred into its funding when of the existence of a cash deficit and of the opportunity cost of its investments how much a surplus of cash occurs (cash excess). As much the lack as the cash excess compromises the reach the main objective of the administration who is the maximization of the company s value for the shareholders. The main purpose of this study is to identify the application of cash management models presented in the theory of financial management by sugar and alcohol plants, hosted in the region of Sertãozinho in the State of São Paulo. First of all we study the theoretical aspects of the cash management and research of field through questionnaire sent to five companies later selected. We conclude that the companies do not use the cash management models existing in the theoretical field substantially by the ignorance and by the transaction cost disregard regarding the benefit generated by the interest income provided by financial market. Analyses of cost benefit are accomplished considering only the opportunity cost or interest income. We notice that the companies focus to work with cash balance near to zero using tools of purchase, production and sale budget for projection to long term and historical of lasts payments combined with information from areas of Accounts Payable and Collecting for short term projection. As they are large companies they use resources investment and funding agile bank products that favors a cash management satisfactory management, even without the models utilization mentioned by the theory / O caixa consiste no ativo mais líquido e mais crítico de ser administrado pela empresa, em função de sua relativa imprevisibilidade, dos custos incorridos na sua obtenção quando da existência de um déficit de caixa (falta de caixa) e dos custos de oportunidades decorrentes de sua aplicação quanto ocorre um superávit de caixa (excesso de caixa). Tanto a falta como o excesso de caixa compromete o alcance do objetivo principal da administração que é a maximização do valor da empresa para o acionista. O principal objetivo deste estudo é identificar a aplicação dos modelos de administração de caixa apresentados na teoria de administração financeira pelas usinas de açúcar e álcool sediadas na região de Sertãozinho no Estado de São Paulo. Inicialmente estudamos os aspectos teóricos da administração de caixa detalhados no capítulo de fundamentação teórica e posteriormente pesquisa de campo através de envio de questionário as cinco empresas selecionadas. Concluímos que as empresas não utilizam os modelos de administração de caixa existentes no campo teórico substancialmente pelo desconhecimento e pela desconsideração do custo de transação em relação ao beneficio gerado pelos rendimentos do mercado financeiro. Analises de custo beneficio são realizadas considerando somente o custo de oportunidade ou juros. Notamos que as empresas objetivam trabalhar com caixa próximo de zero utilizando ferramentas de orçamento de compras, produção e vendas para projeção de longo prazo e histórico de últimos pagamentos combinado com informações das áreas de Contas a Pagar e Cobrança para projeção a curto prazo. Como são empresas de grande porte utilizam ágeis produtos bancários de investimento e captação de recursos o que favorece uma satisfatória administração de caixa, mesmo sem a utilização dos modelos abordados pela teoria

The diploma thesis deals with the bank valuation and this theme is viewed on in terms of standard as well as brand new approach. In its first part, the thesis focuses on understanding of the difference between the valuation of non-financial companies and banks in particular. The following section describes the above mentioned basic method which is represented by the dividend discount model and it also analyzes some partial problems associated with it. The core of this thesis represents the Sonntag model,that solves the evaluation by closing of counter-positions arising from the individual business cases -- namely taking of deposits and lending. Another part of this thesis is devoted to the issue of the discount rate, respectively the discounted value. Here I concentrate on the evaluation of applicability of the CAPM model in domestic conditions and compare it with the certainty equivalent concept based on the Black-Scholes theory of option valuation. Finally, the thesis presents a practical example -- i.e. valuation of Banco Popolare ČR (nowadays Equa Bank), application and comparison of the both mentioned models and formulation of the final recommendations for appraisers

This dissertation deals with the verbal expressions in Japanese, which respond to infinitive constructions in Czech. Japanese does not have grammatical form corresponding with infinitive. The aim of the dissertation is therefore to find semantic equivalents on the basis of contrastive analysis and to evaluate their typicality from the point of view of frequency of repetition. The theoretical background of dissertation provides systematic description of the infinitive category and description of morphology of the Japanese verbal expressions, which were drawn up on the basis of the accumulated materials from different grammars, Czech and Japanese. The study deals with the analysis of examples as such, corresponding expressions are described in terms of their grammatical function and meaning. In the bachelor work, we came from the Czech texts translated into Japanese, in the dissertation we worked with the Japanese texts translated into the Czech language. The confrontational analysis was carried out in the opposite direction with the intention to find out to which extent the expressions are translated into Czech using the infinitive which the Japanese translators replace with the Czech infinitive.