Using a quasi-experimental approach, this study analyses the effects of a specific exogenous shock on ethnic discrimination in Sweden by treating the terror attacks of 2015 in Paris as a natural experiment. Our research is based on cross-sectional survey data published by the European Social Survey (ESS). Slightly deviating from the traditional analytical approach, we observe individuals’ perception of being discriminated against rather than factual discrimination, thus contributing by analysing a common topic from a different perspective. We find that immigrants generally have a higher probability of perceiving themselves as discriminated against compared to natives. Subsequently, the probability increases further for Middle Eastern immigrants, females and for those who have experienced unemployment for at least three months.  When implementing a Difference-in-Difference method we find that average differences in perceived discrimination between immigrants and natives, but also between males and females, had increased after the terror attacks in Paris. Contrary to our expectations, our results indicate that Middle Eastern immigrants did not feel more discriminated after the terror attacks. However, the perception of being discriminated against is indicated to have increased for men. Nonetheless, in absence of statistically significant treatment effects we cannot conclude a relationship between the changes in average differences and the exogenous shock, suggesting that that the changes might be attributed to other factors.

The concept of roles is a promising approach to cope with context dependency and adaptivity of modern software systems. While roles have been investigated in conceptual modeling, programming languages and multi-agent systems, they have been given little consideration within component-based systems. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical role-based approach for modeling relationships and collaborations between components. In particular, we consider the channel-based, exogenous coordination language Reo and discuss possible realizations of roles and related concepts. The static requirements on the binding of roles are modeled by rule sets expressed in many-sorted second-order logic and annotations on the Reo networks for role binding, context and collaborations, while Reo connectors are used to model the coordination of runtime role playing. The ideas presented in this paper may serve as a basis for the formalization and formal analysis of role-based software systems.

Volatility is a measure of the risk of an investment and plays an essential role in several areas of finance, including portfolio management and pricing of options. In this thesis, we have implemented and evaluated several so-called GARCH models for volatility prediction based on historical price series. The evaluation builds on different metrics and uses a comprehensive data set consisting of many assets of various types. We found that more advanced models do not, on average, outperform simpler ones. We also found that the length of the historical training data was critical for GARCH models to perform well and that the length was asset-dependent. Further, we developed and tested a method for taking exogenous variables into account in the model to improve the predictive performance of the model. This approach was successful for some of the large US/European indices such as Russell 2000 and S&P 500. / Volatilitet är ett mått på risken i en investering och spelar en viktig roll inom flera olika områden av finans, såsom portföljteori och prissättning av optioner. I det här projektet har vi implementerat och utvärderat olika, så kallade, GARCH modeller för prediktering av volatiliteten givet historisk prisdata. Utvärderingen av modellerna bygger på olika metriker och använder ett omfattande dataset med prishistorik för tillgångar av olika typer. Vi fann att mer komplexa modeller inte i allmänhet ger bättre resultat än enklare modeller. Vidare fann vi att en kritisk parameter för att erhålla goda resultat är att välja rätt längd på tidshistoriken av data som används för att träna modellen, och att den längden skiljer sig mellan olika tillgångar. Slutligen, vidareutvecklade vi modellen genom att inkorporera exogena variabler på olika sätt. Vi fann att det gick att förbättra GARCH modellerna främst med hjälp av några av de stora amerikanska och europeiska index som Russell 2000 och S&P 500.

The gender wage gap in the labour market has long been a topic of study, highlighting the disadvantages faced by women in terms of earningscompared to men. This study aims to investigate if the Great Recession had additional impacts on women's earnings differentials. Using census data from 2006 to 2012 in the US, two different quantile regressions were conducted for various income quantiles. One regression excluded variables, while the other included socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicate clear wage differences for women before, during, and after the Great Recession.The first regression shows statistically significant negative correlations between logarithmic income and gender. The quantile regressions also reveal decrease in the gender wage gap during the recession, with education returns favouring women in 2008 and 2009 before returning to pre-recession levels. Additionally, the results suggest that married women and women with children tend to have lower earnings compared to their male counterparts.These findings provide evidence of a glass ceiling in the US labour market, which may have been exacerbated by the exogenous shock of the Great Recession.

This study is an analysis of lyrics from popular American music albums since the 1990s to understand public discourse about and experience with public administration. Albums included in the study came from two prominent sources: Billboard and Pitchfork decade-end lists. The study is framed by critical, postmodern, and responsiveness theories, methodologically grounded in critical discourse analysis, and technically approached using standard qualitative methods, including especially qualitative content analysis and iterative, inductive coding techniques. Findings from the qualitative study demonstrate public discourse on the themes of institutional and systemic racism and violence within and perpetuated by public administration and public institutions. Implications for critical self-reflection and responsiveness from the field on these themes are included, and a theory of administrative listening to exogenous discourse is developed. By using exogenous-discourse analysis, including especially that found in popular music, public administration can listen and respond to discourse that originates outside the institutions and systems it controls, broadening its understanding of public sentiment, contributing to a more democratic administration, and building public trust in public institutions.

How did the Italian mafia affect honest Italian descendants on the American labor market? This is a study about how an exogenous shock to ethnic discrimination on the labor market affected a whole ethnic group. The goal with this study is to analyze how a massacre by Al Capone’s crew in 1929 affected Italian workers on the American labor market. Using linked census-data of all working-age men 1920-30, this paper studies the ethnic discrimination of second-generation Italian immigrants. The treatment group is Italian men, and the control groups are other immigrants and natives. Three different outcome variables will be used, employment, wage employment, and self-employment. The results suggest that Italians saw lower chances of being employed, lower chances of being wage employed, and higher chances of being self-employed post 1930 compared to other immigrants and natives. This suggest that Italians were forced into self-employment. A conclusion that the ethnic discrimination towards Italians is a result of the tragic massacre cannot be made due to no data on the news distribution. The news distribution system in America could give an indication on how the news were shown in surrounding areas and this could therefore reflect the employers’ attitudes towards Italians. Further studies are therefore required in order to conclude if the massacre gave Italians a harder time on the labor market or not but for now, we have an indication on that Italians were more affected post 1930 compared to other immigrants and natives.

Human rights violations and exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar is something which has been extensively researched during recent years. However, a lot of these studies are focusing on specific rights violations; the functioning of the kafala-system; responsibility of actions; or economic gains of Qatar. To a lesser extent, focus have been pointed towards the structural pillars of the Qatari society and how the government is using these structures as means of controlling, and thereby exploiting, migrant workers. Thus, this thesis is striving to fill this research gap by analyzing how different structural facets have been utilized by the state of Qatar in order to control and manipulate these people. The study is working with a qualitative content analysis and is utilizing a specific branch of social harm theory deemed as work-based harm. As such, different angles of structural control are examined and how this control is implicit in worker exploitation. It is concluded that extensive control mechanisms within both political, legal, cultural and economic pillars have been used by the state of Qatar as means of exploitation.

Yes / Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans, describes a group of lung conditions characterised by airflow limitation that is poorly reversible. The airflow limitation usually progresses slowly and is related to an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung to toxic particles. COPD is characterised by oxidative stress and an increased risk of lung carcinoma. The 2-amino-3-methylimidazo [4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is one of a number of mutagenic/carcinogenic heterocyclic amines found mainly in well-cooked meats which are thus part of the regular diet. Antioxidants are very important in order to protect the cells against oxidative damage. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of IQ on the level of DNA damage and susceptibility to a potent mutagen in peripheral blood cells of COPD patients. DNA damage and the frequency of micronuclei (MNi) were evaluated using the Comet and micronucleus assays, respectively. Differential expressions of both mRNA and protein of the endogenous antioxidant enzyme catalase were evaluated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of bulk and nano forms of quercetin and their combination with IQ were examined. Results of the present study clearly demonstrated that MNi frequency in the peripheral blood lymphocytes exhibited a positive correlation with the DNA damage as evident from the different Comet assay parameters. Increase of the endogenous antioxidant catalase also showed there was a stimulation of this enzyme system by IQ. Whereas, the endogenous antioxidant quercetin significantly reduced oxidative stress in COPD patients and healthy individuals. / Libyan Government

The principle of effective demand states that given endogenous expenditure patterns, the level of exogenous expenditure determines the level of employment. If investment represents the sole form of exogenous expenditure, employment adjusts to the level of investment. If exogenous expenditure changes, equilibrium is restored via the equilibrating variable, employment. If employment is linked in a unique way to income, we have what is referred to as the income adjustment process. The income adjustment process is investigated in a closed and a small open economy (SOE) which imports consumption and capital goods. If a SOE imports its capital goods, the causal link between investment and employment is weakened. When capital goods are imported, investment adjusts to the balance of payments and animal spirits are constrained. Certain South African data are analysed within the framework of the income adjustment process. / M.A.(Economics)

本研究使用含外生多變數為門檻值之TAR模型，分析並預測103年到105年的台股指數。建構多變量之門檻自迴歸模式較傳統以時變或自變數自動控制值更能反映出時間數列結構改變的過程與趨勢。這對於模式分析與預測有更優的解釋能力。且含外生多變數為門檻值之多變量門檻模式的可適用範圍很廣，尤其是當時間數列中的結構改變的現象，來自於外在多個變數衝擊，或非線性現象。此時加入多個外生變數作為考量，更能精準分析資料和做預測。我們以台股指數為例，實證結果顯示，我們所提出之模型，較傳統預測方法有更高之準確度。 / In this research, we use exogenous multi-variables as threshold values to construct a threshold autoregressive model in order to analysis and forecast TAIEX index between 103 years and 105 years. Constructing the threshold autoregressive model with multi-variables is better to reflect the process and trend of the change in time series structure than traditional model. This provides the better explanatory ability for model analysis and forecast. Also, the threshold autoregressive model with multi-variables containing exogenous multi-variables can apply more range, especially, as the structure change in time series due to the exogenous multi-variables shock. Through adding more exogenous variables, one can analyze data and forecast accurately. In this paper, the empirical results of TAIEX index shows that the threshold autoregressive model with multi-variables containing exogenous multi-variables is more precise than the traditional way.