Although the Black-Scholes (BS) model and its alternatives have been widely applied in finance, their flaws have drawn the attention of many investors and risk managers. The Black-Scholes (BS) model fails to explain the volatility smile. Its alternatives, such as the BS model with a Poisson jump process, fail to explain the volatility clustering. Based on the literature, a novel dynamic regime-switching option-pricing model is developed in this thesis, to overcome the flaws of the traditional option pricing models. Five macroeconomic indicators are identified as the drivers of economic states over time. Two regimes are selected among all likely numbers of regimes under the Bayes Information Criterion (BIC). Both in-sample and out-of-sample tests are constructed to examine the prediction of the model. Empirical results show that the two-state regime-switching option-pricing model exhibits significant prediction power.

Syftet med denna socialpsykologiska studie om etnisk diskriminering vid anställningsintervjuer är att belysa hur upplevelsen av detta kan se ut, vilka motiven är samt förstå de primära emotioner som de olika respondenterna upplever i dessa situationer. Vår frågeställning lyder; Hur upplever arbetssökande personer vad de anser vara etnisk diskriminering vid en anställningsintervju och vad menar de var motiven bakom den? Genom kvalitativa intervjuer ville vi få de diskriminerades egen upplevelse och erfarenhet av diskriminering, men även få en bredare förståelse för etnisk diskriminering genom intervju med vår nyckelinformant som var en utredare från Diskrimineringsombudsmannen (DO). Genom intervjuer med två arbetsgivare, en från privat respektive en från offentlig sektor, ville vi få veta deras allmänna syn på anställning och etnisk diskriminering, hur de går tillväga vid anställning samt för hur de arbetar för att motverka etnisk diskriminering, men även för att visa att det finns arbetsgivare som inte diskriminerar någon p.g.a. dess etnicitet och att invandrare faktiskt integreras på arbetsmarknaden. Våra intervjuer med de tre respondenter som har upplevt sig bli etniskt diskriminerade tyder på att upplevelserna kan se olika ut, beroende på hur man är som person. Det var olika motiv som de uppfattade låg bakom deras upplevelse av att bli diskriminerade - det var bärandet av slöja, att de hade mörkt hår samt uppfattades ha ett kriminellt utseende. Även den emotionella upplevelsen bland dessa respondenter var vid den upplevda etniska diskrimineringen mycket varierande. / Abstract The purpose of this social psychological study of ethnic discrimination during the job interview is to illustrate how the experience of this can be like, see what the reasons are and identify which the primary emotions of the various respondents are. Our research question is: How do job seekers experience what they consider to be ethnic discrimination at a job interview, and what do they claim was the motive behind it? Through qualitative interviews we wanted to get information about the respondents own experience of the discrimination, but also get a broader view of ethnic discrimination by the interview with our key-respondent – which was an investigator from the Diskrimineringsombudsmannen (DO). Through interviews with two employers, one from the private sector and one from the public sector, we wanted to obtain their general views on employment and ethnic discrimination, to get information on how they go about the job and to counter ethnic discrimination, but also to show that there are employers who do not discriminate ethnic and that immigrants actually integrate into the labor market. Based on our interviews with the three respondents who have experienced themselves to be ethnically discriminated our result suggests that the experiences may vary, depending on how you are as a person. The motives that were contributing to the discrimination were different – it was a veil, dark hair and criminal appearance. Also the emotions among these respondents in the perceived ethnic discrimination were highly variable.

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The goal of this dissertation was to understand the issue of load in a more operationally realistic way, while examining underlying segmental relations and postural regulation related to functional capability. The ecological approach provides a foundation for this work, as its approach seeks understanding across nested relations and at the level of the Organism-Environment system. First, a landing task was used to examine transitions from movement to upright stance, evaluating the effects of load on changes relevant to prospective control of action. Greater negative head angles, reductions in the field of regard, and reduced variability in orienting coordination (trunk-head relations) under load all suggest reductions in the postural affordances for visual perception. The heaviest load was not the worst; as the asymmetrically loaded Vest configuration had greater negative effects on postural affordances. This was further supported by the increased power and frequency content in the Center of Pressure dynamics, suggesting much more difficult postural regulation in this configuration. The second study examined the effects of load on dynamic marksmanship performance using large loads on the torso and small loads on the extremities (night vision goggles and extremity armor on the arms) while establishing two different postures determined by target placement. Load and Posture both had negative impacts on the speed-accuracy trade-off, with larger loads affecting gross postural transitions and smaller loads degrading fine-aiming performance. The more challenging posture degraded accuracy on target substantially, suggesting that reorientation of multiple segments may be necessary for assessing the consequences of load on marksmanship performance. Increases in the total coordinative variability of Head-Trunk-Gun relations with load at a high target suggests that increased inertial and interactive forces during movement "push" the system out of the optimal segmental relations. Moreover, the results from Postural-Focal coupling suggest that load "freezes" previously available degrees of freedom, making the system more deterministic and less flexible in goal-directed achievement. The two previous paradigms are joined in the third study to understand perception-action coupling during movement cessation to marksmanship transitions, a ubiquitous task in combat. Increased time to discriminate targets was found with load and was related to peak head velocities and the inability to dissipate energy at the head/eyes under load. Again, Load and Posture had significant effects on the speed-accuracy trade-off, especially at the load most similar to that seen in current missions. Segmental coordination in this effort ballasts the findings in study 2, as significant shifts from optimal Head-Trunk-Gun relations were observed with load as well as increased variability that was detrimental to task performance. This dissertation demonstrates that science can be "Operationalized" in a way that maintains scientific integrity during complex task analysis; providing additional insight into the issue of load across multiple scales of analysis related to functional capability and survivability in combat and others encumbered by load.

Translanguaging (Transspråkande) har det senaste åren blivit väldigt omtalat och ses som ett effektivt verktyg i engelska undervisning i ett flerspråkigt klassrum. Translanguaging innebär att ge flerspråkiga elever möjlighet att använda alla sina språk som resurs i lärandet. Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur engelsklärare ställer sig till användning av translanguaging i flerspråkiga klassrum i åk 4–6. Studiens ansats är kvalitativ och valet av metod föll på semistrukturerade intervjuer. De medverkande sex lärarna i studien undervisade i engelska i årskurserna 4–6. Resultatet kan presenteras på detta vis: (1) Lärarnas inställning till translanguaging är positivt. (2) De ser på translanguaging som en möjlighet, då det förbättrar skolresultat och identitet. (3) Lärarna är medvetna om vad translanguaging innebär. (4) Erfarenheten av att använda translanguaging i ett flerspråkigt engelskt klassrum är litet och begreppet är mindre talad i skolan. (5) Det råder en osäkerhet kring implementeringen av translanguaging, det saknas även relevanta läromedel.(6) Uppmuntran till att använda translanguaging i engelska undervisningen från skolan saknas (7) Eleverna kan ha negativ syn på deras flerspråkighet pga. konflikter i världen. (8) Samarbetet lärare emellan saknas. / Translanguaging has grown in popularity in recent years as a useful tool for teaching English in a multilingual classroom. Translanguaging means allowing multilingual learners to use all of their languages as a learning resource. The purpose of this research is to add to understanding of English teachers' attitudes toward the use of translanguaging in multilingual classrooms in grades 4-6. The study takes a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to aid in the development of methodology for this study. The six teachers who took part in the study taught English in grades 4-6. The findings are presented as following: (1) Teachers have positive attitudes toward translanguaging. (2) Teachers see translanguaging as an opportunity because it improves school performance and identity. (3) Teachers understand what translanguaging entails (4) There is little experience with translanguaging, and the concept is rarely discussed in schools. (5) There is considerable uncertainty about implementation, as well as a scarcity of teaching materials. (6) There is lack of encouragement from schools in translanguaging. (7) Due to global conflicts, students may have a negative perception of their multilingualism. (8) A failure to collaborate with other teachers.

No description available.

Despite the important values forests play in the tropics, sustainable forest management still remains a challenge as manifested through continued forest loss. The objective of this study was to provide information on the dynamics of forest cover and their drivers vital for enhancing sustainable forest management in the Lake Victoria crescent, Uganda. Several methodologies including remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems techniques, analysis of landscape patterns and various social science techniques were integrated in working towards the stated goal. Results showed that the Lake Victoria crescent, Uganda covering an area of about 1,509,228 ha, experienced a decline in forest cover from 9.0% in 1989 to 4.4% in 2009. This was in comparison with non-forest cover which increased from 58.7% in 1989 to 63.5% in 2009 while open water coverage generally remained unchanged averaging 32.3% from 1989 to 2009. Mean annual deforestation rate from 1989 to 2009 decreased with a weighted mean rate of 2.56%. Both deforestation and afforestation declined between 1989 and 2009 although deforestation still exceeded afforestation. In addition to deforestation, the Lake Victoria crescent also experienced forest fragmentation from 1989 to 2009. Forests greater than 100 ha in size were the most vulnerable to forest fragmentation yet they still constituted a big proportion of forest cover in 2009. Deforestation was a consequence of proximate causes which were triggered by a number of underlying drivers acting singly or in combination, with underlying drivers being more influential. In a bid to promote sustainable forest management, there is a need to continue with efforts to curb deforestation and forest fragmentation, especially amongst forests greater than 100 ha. This could be achieved through empowerment of local communities to take a core role in sustainable management of forest resources. / Ph. D.

Bank guarantee Even after recodification of the private law in the Czech Republic, the bank guarantee remains an important means of covering risk; mostly due to its universal nature. The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive view on the topic of bank guarantees, especially in light of the new Civil Code. The work will focus on defining the nature of the bank guarantee, as well as the ties between the subjects of the relationship formed within bank guarantees, and its basic principles. I have chosen this subject matter, as the bank guarantee remains pertinent, not only in foreign trade, but also in the Czech Republic, as evidenced by legislation such as the Public Procurement Act, the Act on Public Auction, or in the Customs Law. However, the most important role of bank guarantees remains in international trade, where in addition to market risk and performance risk of the contractual counterparty, a territorial risk prevails. In international trade, usually multiple banks take part in the guarantee relationship. This thesis is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter deals with ways of debt security in the new Czech Civil Code and conceptual and terminological changes. It briefly outlines and defines the institutes of insuring debt in new Civil Code. The second chapter concentrates...

La notion de principe directeur est apparue en procédure civile il y a une quarantaine d’années et sert depuis de guide établissant les garanties fondamentales de bonne justice dans le procès civil. Elle s’est, ensuite, implantée en matière administrative et pénale. Un engouement pour cette notion l'a fait apparaître récemment en droit des contrats à un double niveau : au plan interne tout d'abord, depuis 2008, les différents projets de réforme du droit des contrats innovent par la création d’une nouvelle catégorie juridique, les principes directeurs. En fonction des projets, il est proposé d’intégrer dans cette catégorie la liberté contractuelle, la force obligatoire, la bonne foi, la cohérence. Au plan européen ensuite, les autorités bruxelloises s'interrogent, depuis un certain temps, sur l'opportunité de l'élaboration d'un droit européen des contrats commun à tous les États Membres. À cet effet, on retrouve des principes directeurs dans divers textes, codifications savantes et propositions à venir. Dès lors, ce concept a suscité un grand intérêt et les commentateurs ont majoritairement porté un regard très critique sur cette éventuelle introduction. Plus rarement, cette dernière a provoqué une certaine approbation. L’objet de la recherche consiste donc à approfondir le concept de principes directeurs du droit des contrats car après les premières questions liées à la curiosité scientifique doivent venir les recherches portant sur la science des principes directeurs du droit des contrats. Et si la notion est aujourd’hui fréquemment utilisée, son concept demeure énigmatique, aucun consensus ne s’étant opéré sur le sens même à lui donner et sur ses effets. La notion présente donc de nombreuses zones d’ombres qu’il faudra révéler, d’autant plus, qu’après de multiples résistances du Sénat, la loi du 16 février 2015 a habilité le gouvernement à réformer le droit des contrats par la voie de l’ordonnance. Or, les derniers projets reconnaissent des principes directeurs, il est donc temps d'apprécier la notion et ses effets potentiels. / The notion of guiding principle appeared in the field of civil procedure forty years ago and has been since then used as a guide establishing fundamental guarantees for fair justice in the civil trial. Later on, it was implemented in the criminal and administrative matters. Enthusiasm for this notion made it emerge recently in the field of contract law at a double layer: firstly in the domestic legal order, the different reform projects for contract law have been innovating since 2008 because guiding principles have been determined as a new legal category in this matter. According to the project, including in this category contractual freedom, binding force, good faith and coherence has been proposed. Secondly, from a European perspective, Brussels authorities have been questioning for quite a long time the opportunity to elaborate a European contract law common to all member States. As a consequence, some guiding principles can be identified in several sources, scientific codifications and proposals to come. Since then, this concept has generated a great interest and commentators have mainly severely criticised a hypothetic introduction. More rarely, it has been significantly supported. Therefore the purpose of the research is to study in depth the concept of guiding principles in contract law since after the first questions relying on scientific curiosity, researches related to the science of guiding principles in contract law must come. Even though the notion is today often used, its concept remains an enigma, no consensus has been found on its sense or effects. The notion carries many shadowy aspects that will have to be enlightened, especially as after several oppositions from the Senate, the Act adopted on the 16th of February in 2015 authorised the Government to reform contract law by executive orders. Nonetheless, the latest projects recognise some guiding principles so it is time to evaluate the relevance of the notion and determine its potential effects.

Introdução: A proporção de óbitos classificados como de causa básica mal definida é um dos principais indicadores da qualidade das estatísticas de mortalidade, de grande importância na avaliação da situação e na orientação das políticas de saúde. Estudos preliminares encontraram uma evolução temporal discrepante na comparação da mortalidade proporcional por causa mal definida no Brasil, no Estado de São Paulo, na Baixada Santista e no Município do Guarujá. Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de tentar compreender tais diferenças. Métodos: A evolução temporal da proporção de óbitos por causa mal definida foi analisada no período de 1980 a 2002, dividindo-se o Estado de São Paulo em grupos de municípios com e sem o Serviço de Verificação de Óbitos (SVO) e a Baixada Santista. Além da mortalidade proporcional, a classificação do óbito por causa mal definida foi estudada com base no que se convencionou chamar de ?primeiro médico? a avaliar a causa de morte. Ou seja, o profissional que preenche a Declaração de Óbito ou encaminha o caso ao SVO ou ao Instituto Médico Legal (IML). Exclui os médicos do SVO e do IML que preenchem a declaração. A qualidade do preenchimento foi avaliada nos óbitos ocorridos em hospitais e em domicílios, baseada nas informações do tipo de atestante. Resultados: Observou-se um aumento na proporção de óbitos por causa mal definida pelo primeiro médico avaliador da causa de morte em todas as áreas do Estado de São Paulo. Em 1980, na Baixada Santista, a mortalidade proporcional por causa mal definida (MPCMD) era muito baixa, pois mais de 90% dos casos classificados como de causa mal definida pelo primeiro médico avaliador da causa de morte eram encaminhados aos IMLs da região ou ao SVO do Guarujá, onde a maioria dos casos era reclassificada para óbito de causa definida sem a realização de necropsia. A partir de 1984, progressivamente, os casos deixaram de ser encaminhados aos IMLs e passaram a ser classificados como de causa mal definida, com aumento da mortalidade proporcional de mais de nove vezes. A MPCMD no Estado de São Paulo manteve-se estável no período analisado em virtude do aumento da proporção de óbitos em serviços de saúde e de realização de necropsias. No Brasil, onde se observou uma queda de 36,4% da MPCMD, pode-se atribuir ao aumento dos óbitos hospitalares mais de 50% da redução desse indicador. O aumento do encaminhamento dos casos aos SVOs e aos IMLs foi fator importante na redução da mortalidade por causa mal definida nos óbitos domiciliares. Na Baixada Santista, no Estado de São Paulo e nos óbitos hospitalares do país, verificou-se uma piora na qualidade do preenchimento da Declaração de Óbito. Conclusão: A despeito da melhoria dos recursos diagnósticos, observou-se no período estudado uma piora na qualidade do preenchimento da Declaração de Óbito no Estado de São Paulo e nos óbitos hospitalares do país. Para enfrentar o problema da elevada mortalidade proporcional por causa mal definida, sugere-se rediscutir o modelo do fluxo de preenchimento das declarações de óbito, com redefinição das atribuições dos SVOs e dos IMLs. / Introduction: The proportion of deaths classified as due to ill-defined causes is one of the major indicators of the quality of mortality statistics, and is of great value for evaluating and orienting public policies. Preliminary studies indicate discrepant time trends in the evolution of the proportion of deaths due to ill-defined causes between Brazil as a whole, the state of Sao Paulo, the Baixada Santista region, and the municipality of Guarujá. The present study was designed as an attempt to understand these discrepancies. Methods: We analyzed the temporal evolution in the proportion of deaths due to illdefined causes between 1980 and 2002, dividing the state of Sao Paulo into three groups of municipalities: those with Death Verification Service (DVS), those without DVS, and those located in the Baixada Santista. In addition to proportional mortality, we also studied the classification of ill-defined deaths based on what was defined as the ?first physician? to evaluate cause of death. This consisted either of the professional who completed the Death Certificate or who referred the case to the DVS or medical examiner. This definition excludes any DVS or Medical Examiner physicians who filled certificates. The quality of the information in the certificate was evaluated for deaths occurred in hospitals and at home based on information on the type of physician. Results: There was an increase in the proportion of deaths due to ill-defined causes as defined by the first physician to evaluate cause of death in all areas of the State of Sao Paulo. In 1980, in the Baixada Santista, proportional mortality due to ill-defined causes (PMIDC) was very low, with over 90% of cases considered as due to illdefined causes by the first physician being referred to the region?s Medical Examiners or to the Guarujá DVS, where the majority of cases was assigned to a defined cause without need for autopsy. Beginning in 1984, the number of cases referred to Medical Examiners began to fall, leading to a 9-fold increase in PMIDC. PMIDC in the State of Sao Paulo remained stable throughout the period as a consequence of the increase in the proportion of autopsies and of deaths occurred within healthcare facilities. In the country as a whole, there was a 36.4% decrease in PMIDC, of which more than 50% can be attributed to the increase in the number of hospital deaths. Increased referral of cases to DVSs and medical examiners was an important factor in the reduction of mortality due to ill-defined causes among athome deaths. The quality of information in Death Certificates decreased in the Baixada Santista, in the State of Sao Paulo, and among hospital deaths in Brazil as a whole. Conclusion: Despite improvements in diagnosis, quality of information in Death Certificates decreased during the studied period in the State of Sao Paulo and among hospital deaths in the country as a whole. In order to tackle the issue of high proportional mortality due to ill-defined causes, we suggest a reevaluation of the flow of information in Death Certificates, with a redefinition of the role of medical examiners and DVSs.