Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Gabriel de Melo Rico.pdf: 1637174 bytes, checksum: a9ab3f284960c75cb6055be0489822e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-03 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Given that the fight against corruption in Democratic Law States depends greatly on the ability and cooperation between organs of the state itself to prevent unlawful acts, this research focuses on one of these institutions from the perspective of "checks and balances", trying to understand their role in the Web of Accountability Institutions of Brazil. Established in 2003 as an advisory body to the Presidency and composed of servers of the careers in internal control, CGU emerged relatively quickly in the Brazilian scene as a typical anti-corruption agency. With skills to prevent corruption, promote administrative accountabilities, ombudsman ( ouvidorias ) and internal control, this body had direct or indirect participation in deepening democratic control of the state activities. Among them include a significant increase of administrative sanctions under the federal executive branch, establishing systematic cooperation with other institutions of horizontal accountability, the contribution in the development of related laws, and participation in international forums. In this exhibition, apart from finding the main results achieved, we intend to understand how and why those results were obtained. We advocate the interpretation that, for this, CGU catalyzed previously existing devices, the main one being the new internal control system of the Federal Executive, which starts with the creation of the Federal Bureau of Internal Control (SFC) in 1994. CGU would instrumental part of these works to the topic discussed here, so that audits of internal control would subsidize the improvement of prevention, of administrative penalties and also of the investigative work of other bodies of horizontal accountability. In the last two chapters, we still problematize the seemingly unusual fact of an organ of internal control exercising such an important role in the role of checks and balances of the Brazilian State / Dado que o combate à corrupção em Estados Democráticos de Direito depende profundamente da habilidade e da cooperação entre órgãos do próprio Estado para prevenirem e responsabilizarem atos ilícitos, esta pesquisa foca uma destas instituições sob a ótica dos freios e contrapesos , tentando compreender seu papel no chamado Sistema de Integridade Brasileiro. Criada em 2003 enquanto órgão assessor da Presidência da República e composta por servidores das carreiras de controle interno, a Controladoria-Geral da União (CGU) emergiu com relativa rapidez no cenário brasileiro como uma típica agência anticorrupção. Com competências para trabalhos de prevenção da corrupção, promoção de responsabilizações administrativas, ouvidoria e controle interno, este órgão teve participação direta ou indireta em atividades de aprofundamento dos controles democráticos do Estado. Entre os resultados atingidos, figuram um expressivo crescimento de sanções administrativas no âmbito do Poder Executivo Federal, o estabelecimento de uma sistemática cooperação com outras instituições de accountability horizontal, a contribuição na elaboração de leis relacionadas, e a participação em fóruns internacionais. Nesta exposição, além de observar tais atividades, pretendemos compreender como e por quê tais resultados foram obtidos. Defendemos a interpretação de que, para isso, a CGU catalisou dispositivos já anteriormente existentes, sendo o principal deles o novo sistema de controle interno do Executivo Federal, inaugurado com a criação da Secretaria Federal de Controle Interno (SFC) em 1994. A CGU teria instrumentalizado parte desses trabalhos para o tema aqui abordado, de modo que as auditorias do controle interno passariam a subsidiar o aprimoramento da prevenção, sanções administrativas e também trabalhos investigativos de outros órgãos de accountability horizontal. Nos dois últimos capítulos, problematiza-se ainda o fato aparentemente incomum de um órgão tipicamente de controle interno passar a exercer tão importante papel no cenário de freios e contrapesos do Estado Brasileiro

Bakgrund och problem: Stora förändringar har skett i tillverkningsindustrin sedan i början av tjugohundratalet. Företagen måste ständigt utvecklas och söka nya sätt att organisera sig för att kunna vara konkurrenskraftiga i dagens globala marknad. Detta föder nya problem och frågor om hur de kan vara kostnadseffektiva och ha en personalflexibilitet som följer volymsvängningarna. Det har funnits bra uppföljningar och kostnadskontroller på kollektivsidan, men inte på tjänstemannasidan. Detta väcker två frågor. Hur personalrörlighet strategiskt planeras i de undersökta företagen? På vilket sätt strategisk behandling skiljer tjänstemän från kollektivarbetare?Syfte: Huvudsyftet var att belysa strategisk planering inom personalrörlighet i tre företag (Se 2.1).Ett delsyftet var att identifiera på vilket sätt strategisk planering påverkas av personalkostnader. Ett andra delsyfte är att belysa vilka andra informationskällor som tillämpas i strategisk planering.Avgränsningar: Studien fokuserar sig på strategisk planering av rörlighet på tjänstemannasidan i tillverkningsindustrin. Det lades ingen fokus på skillnader mellan fastanställda och inhyrda både när det gäller tjänstemän och kollektivarbetare. Empiriska data hämtades från intervjuer med ledande befattningar inom Ericsson AB, Volvo AB och Assa Abloy. Studien utgår från antagande att volymförändringar översätts i strategisk planering av personalrörlighet. Vidare utgår studien från antagande att kostnadsinformation tillämpas vid planering av tjänstemannarörlighet.Metod: Metoden som användes var av kvalitativ art. Ostrukturerade intervjuer har använts för att få fram primärdata. Förutom kvalitativ data har även kvantitativ data använts för att bättre kunna se rörlighetsskillnader mellan tjänstemän och kollektivarbetare i olika volymer.Resultat och slutsats: I studiens resultatdel framkommer det att faktorer som påverkar strategisk planering av personalrörlighet är volymförändringar och de höga kostnaderna vid låga volymer. För att eliminera de stora kostnaderna som uppstår vid låga volymer vill företagen produktionseffektivisera och kostnadseffektivisera även på tjänstemannasidan och genom detta få tjänstemännen rörliga. Studien har även kommit fram till att vid volymförändringar är tjänstemännen inte rörliga i förhållande till kollektivarbetare. Anledning till skillnaden i strategiska behandlingen är tjänstemännens roll, deras komplexa arbetsuppgifter och den kompetens de besitter vilket skiljer sig från den roll kollektivarbetarna har. Tjänstemän jobbar med långsiktiga mål vilket gör de svårare att ersätta och svårare att bli rörliga. Företagen tar även hänsyn till andra faktorer så som samhällsfaktorer, etiska faktorer och externa faktorer. När företagen tar till åtgärder och effektiviserar och har en slimmad organisation påverkar detta samhället.Externa faktorer gör att företagen har vissa kostnader och inte kan varsla hur som helst.Studien har bidragit med följande punkterV1. Kostnadsmodeller används inte i strategisk planering och strategiska beslut gällande personalrörlighet.2. Ur strategiskt planeringsperspektiv behandlas tjänstemän och kollektivarbetare olika.3. Argumenten för tjänstemän är baserad på deras erfarenhet och utbildning.4. Strategiska beslut är även baserade på etiska frågor så som att:A. Företagen har en ambition att upptäcka volymsvängningar i marknaden långt innan det påverkar den operativa aktiviteten i företaget för att kunna agera och informera i god tid innan det händer.B. Ericsson har en ambition att omplacera tjänstemän inom produktion och skapa relation mellan tjänstemannasidan och kollektivsidan.5. Det är svårt att bevisa att företagen i studien bara har vinstmaximering som strategi. De måste också ta hänsyn till etiska frågor.Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Företag saknar kostnadsmodeller för strategisk planering inom personalrörlighet. Företagen bör därmed bli mer konkreta gällande tjänstemannakostnader. Framtida studier bör göras i företag som har utvecklat personalredovisning både när det gäller kollektivarbetare och tjänstemän och studera hur de företagen använder sig av detta. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

The goal of this research is to answer a single question. During an urban evacuation, is it advisable for regional planners to allow transit units signal priority in cases where police assisted traffic controls are not an option? Standard practice for emergency evacuation is to place police officers at intersection throughout the evacuation area. However, this is not always an option where environmental factors such as the presence of fire, chemical plume, radioactive fallout (nuclear contaminated wind and dust) do not permit police presence. Results from a case study conducted on Washington D.C. show that it would take four non-prioritized transit units to accomplish the same task as three prioritized vehicles. Furthermore, allowing transit signal priority during an urban evacuation has little to no effect on evacuation clearance time or evacuee travel time. Moreover, when transit signal priority is restricted to operate only on evacuation routes, evacuee travel and delay time decreases. / by Scott A. Parr. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

INTRODUÇÃO: O câncer de mama masculino é uma doença rara, apresentando uma baixa frequência, representando cerca de 0,2% de todos os cânceres, 1% dos cânceres de mama e 1,5% de todos os tumores malignos em homens. A etiologia e o prognóstico do câncer de mama masculino são pouco conhecidos. Estudos pareados de grupo controle foram realizados para melhor responder a estes questionamentos, porém o número limitado de casos de câncer de mama nos homens nos diversos serviços dificulta maiores estudos. O uso dos marcadores moleculares e técnicas imuno-histoquímicas têm sido muito úteis na compreensão do desenvolvimento e progressão desta patologia, e a relação destes marcadores moleculares com a sobrevida global e sobrevida livre de doença, bem como a sua relação entre o câncer de mama nos homens e nas mulheres não estão bem estabelecidos. O objetivo foi analisar as características clínicas, patológicas e imuno-histoquímicas do câncer de mama no sexo masculino observadas em uma coorte histórica, em comparação com aquelas observadas no sexo feminino, relacionando com a sobrevida global e sobrevida livre de doença destes grupos de pacientes. MÉTODOS: Estudo caso-controle retrospectivo de pacientes portadores de câncer de mama masculino, atendidos no período de 1983 a 2008, no Hospital de Câncer de Barretos e no Hospital A.C. Camargo. No grupo controle foram incluídas mulheres com câncer de mama, pareadas por década de diagnóstico, estádio clínico e faixa etária. Foram incluídos 44 pacientes do sexo masculino e 136 do sexo feminino e foram analisadas as variáveis clínicas (sexo, idade, história familiar de câncer, comorbidades associadas, tamanho do tumor, estado linfonodal da axila, estádio clínico/TNM e modalidades de tratamento realizado), patológicas (tipo e grau histológico, embolização linfática, embolização sanguínea, invasão perineural) e as expressas pela imuno-histoquímica (receptor de estrógeno, receptor de progesterona, receptor de andrógeno, bcl-2, Ki-67, ciclina D1, citoqueratinas 5, 6, 8, 14, 17,18 e HER2, confirmada por FISH). No presente estudo, a caracterização dos subtipos moleculares pelo método imuno-histoquímico foi baseada no modelo proposto por Carey et al. (2006), resultando nos grupos Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2 superexpresso, basal-like e não classificável. Avaliou-se a sobrevida global e livre de doença. RESULTADOS: O câncer de mama no homem apresentou-se mais frequentemente com histologia não lobular, receptores hormonais positivos e HER2 negativos, e maior expressão de bcl-2 e ciclina D1. O estádio clínico e o estado linfonodal tiveram influência na sobrevida, sendo de pior prognóstico os pacientes em estádios clínicos mais avançados e com linfonodos axilares positivos. O receptor de andrógeno positivo foi mais frequente nos homens, nos fenótipos luminais e não teve correlação com a sobrevida. Não houve diferença entre os fenótipos moleculares caracterizados pela imuno-histoquímica e o fenótipo basal-like teve pior prognóstico nos sexos masculino e feminino. Porém, o sexo não foi considerado fator prognóstico independente e não houve diferença na sobrevida entre os homens e mulheres. CONCLUSÕES: Apesar de apresentarem características clínicas, histológicas e expressão de marcadores pela imunohistoquímica diferentes, a sobrevida foi semelhante nos sexos masculino e feminino, não sendo o sexo um fator prognóstico independente no câncer de mama / INTRODUCTION: The male breast cancer is a rare disease, presenting a low frequency, representing about 0,2% of all the cancers, 1% of breast cancers and 1,5% of all the evil tumors in men. The etiology and the prognostic of the male breast cancer are little known. Group control studies they were accomplished for best to answer to these questions, however the limited number of cases of breast cancer in the men in the several services it hinders larger studies. The use of the molecular markers and immunohistochemistry have been very useful in the understanding of the development and progression of this pathology, and the relationship of these molecular markers with the overall survival and disease free survival, as well as your relationship among breast cancer in the men and in the women they are not very established. The objective was to analyze the clinical, pathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of breast cancer in the masculine sex observed in a historical cohort, in comparison with observed them in the feminine sex, relating with the overall survival and disease free survival of these groups of patients. METHODS: a retrospective case-control study of patient bearers of male breast cancer was accomplished, assisted in the period from 1983 to 2008, in the Hospital of Cancer of Barretos and in the Hospital A.C. Camargo. In the group control women were included with breast cancer, selected for decade of diagnosis, clinical stadium and age group. Forty four patients of the masculine sex were included and 136 of the feminine sex, and the clinical variables were analyzed (sex, age, family history of cancer, associated comorbidities, size of the tumor, nodal status, clinical stadium/TNM and treatment modalities accomplished), pathological (type and grade histological) and the expressed ones for the immunohistochemical (estrogen, progesterone and androgens receptors, bcl-2, Ki-67, ciclina D1,cytokeratins 5, 6, 8, 14, 17,18 and HER2, confirmed by FISH). In the present study, the immunohistochemical characterization of molecular subtypes was based on the model proposed by Carey et al. (2006), resulting in the groups Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2, basal-like and not classifiable. The overall survival and disease free survival was evaluated. RESULTS: Breast cancer in the man more frequently came with histology non lobular, positive hormonal receptor, negative HER2, and larger bcl2 and ciclina D1 expression. The clinical stadium and the state nodal had influence in the survival, being of worse prognostic the patients in stadiums more advanced and with positive axillary node. The positive androgen receptor was more frequent in the men, in the phenotype luminal and it didn\'t have correlation with the survival. There was not difference among the molecular phenotypes characterized by the immunohistochemistry and the phenotype basal-like had worse prognostic in the masculine and feminine sexes. However the sex was not considered factor independent prognostic and there was not difference in the survival between the men and women. CONCLUSION: In spite of they present different clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics, the survival was similar in the masculine and feminine sexes, not being the sex a factor independent prognostic in breast cancer

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:55:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Gabriel de Melo Rico.pdf: 1637174 bytes, checksum: a9ab3f284960c75cb6055be0489822e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-03 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Given that the fight against corruption in Democratic Law States depends greatly on the ability and cooperation between organs of the state itself to prevent unlawful acts, this research focuses on one of these institutions from the perspective of "checks and balances", trying to understand their role in the Web of Accountability Institutions of Brazil. Established in 2003 as an advisory body to the Presidency and composed of servers of the careers in internal control, CGU emerged relatively quickly in the Brazilian scene as a typical anti-corruption agency. With skills to prevent corruption, promote administrative accountabilities, ombudsman ( ouvidorias ) and internal control, this body had direct or indirect participation in deepening democratic control of the state activities. Among them include a significant increase of administrative sanctions under the federal executive branch, establishing systematic cooperation with other institutions of horizontal accountability, the contribution in the development of related laws, and participation in international forums. In this exhibition, apart from finding the main results achieved, we intend to understand how and why those results were obtained. We advocate the interpretation that, for this, CGU catalyzed previously existing devices, the main one being the new internal control system of the Federal Executive, which starts with the creation of the Federal Bureau of Internal Control (SFC) in 1994. CGU would instrumental part of these works to the topic discussed here, so that audits of internal control would subsidize the improvement of prevention, of administrative penalties and also of the investigative work of other bodies of horizontal accountability. In the last two chapters, we still problematize the seemingly unusual fact of an organ of internal control exercising such an important role in the role of checks and balances of the Brazilian State / Dado que o combate à corrupção em Estados Democráticos de Direito depende profundamente da habilidade e da cooperação entre órgãos do próprio Estado para prevenirem e responsabilizarem atos ilícitos, esta pesquisa foca uma destas instituições sob a ótica dos freios e contrapesos , tentando compreender seu papel no chamado Sistema de Integridade Brasileiro. Criada em 2003 enquanto órgão assessor da Presidência da República e composta por servidores das carreiras de controle interno, a Controladoria-Geral da União (CGU) emergiu com relativa rapidez no cenário brasileiro como uma típica agência anticorrupção. Com competências para trabalhos de prevenção da corrupção, promoção de responsabilizações administrativas, ouvidoria e controle interno, este órgão teve participação direta ou indireta em atividades de aprofundamento dos controles democráticos do Estado. Entre os resultados atingidos, figuram um expressivo crescimento de sanções administrativas no âmbito do Poder Executivo Federal, o estabelecimento de uma sistemática cooperação com outras instituições de accountability horizontal, a contribuição na elaboração de leis relacionadas, e a participação em fóruns internacionais. Nesta exposição, além de observar tais atividades, pretendemos compreender como e por quê tais resultados foram obtidos. Defendemos a interpretação de que, para isso, a CGU catalisou dispositivos já anteriormente existentes, sendo o principal deles o novo sistema de controle interno do Executivo Federal, inaugurado com a criação da Secretaria Federal de Controle Interno (SFC) em 1994. A CGU teria instrumentalizado parte desses trabalhos para o tema aqui abordado, de modo que as auditorias do controle interno passariam a subsidiar o aprimoramento da prevenção, sanções administrativas e também trabalhos investigativos de outros órgãos de accountability horizontal. Nos dois últimos capítulos, problematiza-se ainda o fato aparentemente incomum de um órgão tipicamente de controle interno passar a exercer tão importante papel no cenário de freios e contrapesos do Estado Brasileiro

INTRODUÇÃO: O câncer de mama masculino é uma doença rara, apresentando uma baixa frequência, representando cerca de 0,2% de todos os cânceres, 1% dos cânceres de mama e 1,5% de todos os tumores malignos em homens. A etiologia e o prognóstico do câncer de mama masculino são pouco conhecidos. Estudos pareados de grupo controle foram realizados para melhor responder a estes questionamentos, porém o número limitado de casos de câncer de mama nos homens nos diversos serviços dificulta maiores estudos. O uso dos marcadores moleculares e técnicas imuno-histoquímicas têm sido muito úteis na compreensão do desenvolvimento e progressão desta patologia, e a relação destes marcadores moleculares com a sobrevida global e sobrevida livre de doença, bem como a sua relação entre o câncer de mama nos homens e nas mulheres não estão bem estabelecidos. O objetivo foi analisar as características clínicas, patológicas e imuno-histoquímicas do câncer de mama no sexo masculino observadas em uma coorte histórica, em comparação com aquelas observadas no sexo feminino, relacionando com a sobrevida global e sobrevida livre de doença destes grupos de pacientes. MÉTODOS: Estudo caso-controle retrospectivo de pacientes portadores de câncer de mama masculino, atendidos no período de 1983 a 2008, no Hospital de Câncer de Barretos e no Hospital A.C. Camargo. No grupo controle foram incluídas mulheres com câncer de mama, pareadas por década de diagnóstico, estádio clínico e faixa etária. Foram incluídos 44 pacientes do sexo masculino e 136 do sexo feminino e foram analisadas as variáveis clínicas (sexo, idade, história familiar de câncer, comorbidades associadas, tamanho do tumor, estado linfonodal da axila, estádio clínico/TNM e modalidades de tratamento realizado), patológicas (tipo e grau histológico, embolização linfática, embolização sanguínea, invasão perineural) e as expressas pela imuno-histoquímica (receptor de estrógeno, receptor de progesterona, receptor de andrógeno, bcl-2, Ki-67, ciclina D1, citoqueratinas 5, 6, 8, 14, 17,18 e HER2, confirmada por FISH). No presente estudo, a caracterização dos subtipos moleculares pelo método imuno-histoquímico foi baseada no modelo proposto por Carey et al. (2006), resultando nos grupos Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2 superexpresso, basal-like e não classificável. Avaliou-se a sobrevida global e livre de doença. RESULTADOS: O câncer de mama no homem apresentou-se mais frequentemente com histologia não lobular, receptores hormonais positivos e HER2 negativos, e maior expressão de bcl-2 e ciclina D1. O estádio clínico e o estado linfonodal tiveram influência na sobrevida, sendo de pior prognóstico os pacientes em estádios clínicos mais avançados e com linfonodos axilares positivos. O receptor de andrógeno positivo foi mais frequente nos homens, nos fenótipos luminais e não teve correlação com a sobrevida. Não houve diferença entre os fenótipos moleculares caracterizados pela imuno-histoquímica e o fenótipo basal-like teve pior prognóstico nos sexos masculino e feminino. Porém, o sexo não foi considerado fator prognóstico independente e não houve diferença na sobrevida entre os homens e mulheres. CONCLUSÕES: Apesar de apresentarem características clínicas, histológicas e expressão de marcadores pela imunohistoquímica diferentes, a sobrevida foi semelhante nos sexos masculino e feminino, não sendo o sexo um fator prognóstico independente no câncer de mama / INTRODUCTION: The male breast cancer is a rare disease, presenting a low frequency, representing about 0,2% of all the cancers, 1% of breast cancers and 1,5% of all the evil tumors in men. The etiology and the prognostic of the male breast cancer are little known. Group control studies they were accomplished for best to answer to these questions, however the limited number of cases of breast cancer in the men in the several services it hinders larger studies. The use of the molecular markers and immunohistochemistry have been very useful in the understanding of the development and progression of this pathology, and the relationship of these molecular markers with the overall survival and disease free survival, as well as your relationship among breast cancer in the men and in the women they are not very established. The objective was to analyze the clinical, pathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of breast cancer in the masculine sex observed in a historical cohort, in comparison with observed them in the feminine sex, relating with the overall survival and disease free survival of these groups of patients. METHODS: a retrospective case-control study of patient bearers of male breast cancer was accomplished, assisted in the period from 1983 to 2008, in the Hospital of Cancer of Barretos and in the Hospital A.C. Camargo. In the group control women were included with breast cancer, selected for decade of diagnosis, clinical stadium and age group. Forty four patients of the masculine sex were included and 136 of the feminine sex, and the clinical variables were analyzed (sex, age, family history of cancer, associated comorbidities, size of the tumor, nodal status, clinical stadium/TNM and treatment modalities accomplished), pathological (type and grade histological) and the expressed ones for the immunohistochemical (estrogen, progesterone and androgens receptors, bcl-2, Ki-67, ciclina D1,cytokeratins 5, 6, 8, 14, 17,18 and HER2, confirmed by FISH). In the present study, the immunohistochemical characterization of molecular subtypes was based on the model proposed by Carey et al. (2006), resulting in the groups Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2, basal-like and not classifiable. The overall survival and disease free survival was evaluated. RESULTS: Breast cancer in the man more frequently came with histology non lobular, positive hormonal receptor, negative HER2, and larger bcl2 and ciclina D1 expression. The clinical stadium and the state nodal had influence in the survival, being of worse prognostic the patients in stadiums more advanced and with positive axillary node. The positive androgen receptor was more frequent in the men, in the phenotype luminal and it didn\'t have correlation with the survival. There was not difference among the molecular phenotypes characterized by the immunohistochemistry and the phenotype basal-like had worse prognostic in the masculine and feminine sexes. However the sex was not considered factor independent prognostic and there was not difference in the survival between the men and women. CONCLUSION: In spite of they present different clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics, the survival was similar in the masculine and feminine sexes, not being the sex a factor independent prognostic in breast cancer

Abstract is available through the Journal of Hearing Science.

This dissertation consists of essays that study exchange rate pass-through, China’s de facto exchange rate regime, and China’s capital controls. The first essay studies exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) by using a set of data from ten countries including four advanced economies and six Asian emerging markets. The price indices used in this essay include consumer price, producer price, import price and export price indices. While most literature only include the import price index, this essay also puts emphasis on the export price index. It investigates the asymmetry in the ERPT between depreciation and appreciation of domestic currency by using a non-linear OLS model; meanwhile, the short-run and long-run effects of ERPT are also compared with each other. It also detects possible structural change in the ERPT and finds most structural change points are around the Great Recession and Asia financial crisis. Finally, a VAR model is developed to detect the impulse responses of prices to exchange rate shock. The second essay is about China’s exchange rate regime. It has changed a lot since the 2005 reform. It is interesting and important to investigate China’s de facto exchange rate regime with the most recent data. This essay follows Frankel and Wei’s (2008) method, by applying both the basic model and new model with the exchange market pressure (EMP) variable to currency basket for the Chinese yuan exchange rate. I select the US dollar, the Euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar and the Russian ruble as component currencies of the basket, based on free floaters, GDP and trade volume. I also add results from a VAR model, considering the endogeneity issue, and the results are consistent with those of OLS. I find the weight of the US dollar declines dramatically and the variation of the Chinese yuan becomes much larger after 2015. This implies that China has been transferring its exchange rate regime from dollar pegged to free floating. The third essay investigates the effectiveness of China’s capital controls. In recent years, after 2014, China’s foreign reserves declined dramatically, from 4 trillion US dollars to 3 trillion US dollars. There was a huge amount of capital outflows from China during 2015 to 2016. This phenomenon lets us reconsider the question: Are China’s capital controls still effective? I will use five methods to measure the effectiveness of China’s capital controls, including de jure indicators, saving-investment correlation test, covered interest rate parity, real interest rate differentials and Edwards-Kahn model. The de jure indicators I use are from Fernández et al. (2016) and Chinn and Ito (2008). I compare China with the US, the UK and Japan in the saving-investment correlation test, and with the Eurozone and Japan in covered interest rate parity, real interest rate differentials and Edwards-Kahn model. Various results indicate that China’s capital controls are still effective.

Empirical models based on flow resistivity are commonly used to determine the bulk properties of porous sound absorbing materials. The bulk properties include the complex wavenumber and complex characteristic impedance which can be used directly in simulation models. Moreover, the bulk properties can also be utilized to determine the normal incidence sound absorption and specific acoustic impedance for sound absorbing materials of any thickness and for design of layered materials. The sound absorption coefficient of sound absorbing materials is measured in an impedance tube using wave decomposition and the measured data is used to determine the flow resistivity of the materials by least squares curve fitting to empirical equations. Results for several commonly used foams and fibers are tabulated to form a rudimentary materials database. The same approach is then used to determine the flow resistivity of compressed sound absorbing materials. The flow resistivities of the compressed materials are determined as a function of the compression ratio. Results are then used in conjunction with transfer matrix theory to predict the sound absorptive performance of layered compressed absorbers with good agreement to measurement.

Partial enclosures are commonly used to reduce machinery noise. However, it is well known in industry that enclosures sometimes amplify the sound at low frequencies due to strong acoustic resonances compromising the performance. These noise issues are preventable if predicted prior to prototyping and production. Though boundary and finite element approaches can be used to accurately predict partial enclosure insertion loss, modifications to the model require time for remeshing and solving. In this work, partial enclosure performance at low frequencies is simulated using a plane wave transfer matrix approach. Models can be constructed and the effect of design modifications can be predicted rapidly. Results are compared to finite element analysis and measurement with good agreement. The approach is then used to design and place resonators into a sample enclosure. Improvements in enclosure performance are predicted using plane wave simulation, compared with acoustic finite element analysis, and then validated via measurement.