In this thesis, using the principles of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the cause-effect concept associated with structural equation modelling (SEM), a new flexible statistical framework for evaluation of climate model simulations against observational data is suggested. The design of the framework also makes it possible to investigate the magnitude of the influence of different forcings on the temperature as well as to investigate a general causal latent structure of temperature data. In terms of the questions of interest, the framework suggested here can be viewed as a natural extension of the statistical approach of 'optimal fingerprinting', employed in many Detection and Attribution (D&amp;A) studies. Its flexibility means that it can be applied under different circumstances concerning such aspects as the availability of simulated data, the number of forcings in question, the climate-relevant properties of these forcings, and the properties of the climate model under study, in particular, those concerning the reconstructions of forcings and their implementation. It should also be added that although the framework involves the near-surface temperature as a climate variable of interest and focuses on the time period covering approximately the last millennium prior to the industrialisation period, the statistical models, included in the framework, can in principle be generalised to any period in the geological past as soon as simulations and proxy data on any continuous climate variable are available.  Within the confines of this thesis, performance of some CFA- and SEM-models is evaluated in pseudo-proxy experiments, in which the true unobservable temperature series is replaced by temperature data from a selected climate model simulation. The results indicated that depending on the climate model and the region under consideration, the underlying latent structure of temperature data can be of varying complexity, thereby rendering our statistical framework, serving as a basis for a wide range of CFA- and SEM-models, a powerful and flexible tool. Thanks to these properties, its application ultimately may contribute to an increased confidence in the conclusions about the ability of the climate model in question to simulate observed climate changes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

The diploma thesis deals with takeover techniques and regulation of takeovers in the Czech law system. In the theoretical part of the paper there are explained key definitions and general facts concerning with takeovers. The main theme of the theoretical part analyzes the most frequent takeover techniques. The paper studies how particular techniques work. It also takes into account expert discussions about the takeover theme. The takeover laws of the Czech Republic are analyzed in the second part of the diploma thesis. The paper contains a synthesis of theoretical findings and regulation of corresponding laws. It reveals practical use of particular takeover techniques in the Czech Republic.

One third of all patients with acute stroke acquire the language impairment aphasia. The assessment of aphasia is important in order to give a correct diagnosis and treatment. Two types of aphasia assessments are assessment of language function and assessment of functional communication (communication in everyday life). The assessment is usually performed by a speech and language pathologist (SLP) but it can also be performed by a family member or close friend with a proxy rating questionnaire. In this study the correlation between proxy rating of functional communication and SLP assessment of both language function and functional communication were examined. The assessments were performed at 16 days and 6 months after stroke onset. The study also examined if two proxy ratings correlated. The study was conducted using ANH and CETI proxy ratings, and the SLP assessments NGTA and ANELT. The results revealed a strong, statistically significant, correlation between proxy rating and SLP assessment and a very strong, statistically significant, correlation between the two proxy ratings. All correlations remained strong over time. When differences between proxy rating and SLP assessment were observed there was a tendency that proxies rated the functional communication higher than the SLP did. When the participants were divided into groups based on severity of aphasia, the results revealed a greater consistency between proxy rating and SLP assessment for people with mild aphasia than for those with moderate to severe aphasia. / En tredjedel av alla som drabbas av stroke får den förvärvade språkstörningen afasi. Det är viktigt att bedöma afasi för att bland annat kunna diagnosticera och lägga upp behandling. Två sätt att bedöma afasi är bedömning av språkfunktion och bedömning av funktionell kommunikation (kommunikation i vardagslivet). Vanligtvis utförs bedömningen av logoped men svårigheterna kan också bedömas genom anhörigskattning. I denna studie undersöktes samband mellan anhörigskattning av funktionell kommunikation med logopedisk bedömning av både språklig funktion och funktionell kommunikation vid 16 dagar samt vid 6 månader efter insjuknandet i stroke. Dessutom undersöktes huruvida två olika anhörigskattningar korrelerade med varandra. Testerna som användes var anhörigskattningarna ANH och CETI samt logopedbedömningarna NGTA och ANELT. Resultaten visade en stark, statistiskt signifikant korrelation mellan anhörigskattning och logopedbedömning samt en mycket stark, statistiskt signifikant korrelation mellan anhörigskattningarna. Korrelationerna var fortsatt starka över tid för alla jämförelser. Observation av skillnader mellan anhörigskattning och logopedisk bedömning visade att anhöriga tenderade att skatta den funktionella kommunikationsförmågan högre än logopedbedömningen av samma förmåga. Vid gruppindelning efter afasigrad observerades att för personer med lätt afasi fanns större samstämmighet mellan anhörigskattning och logopedisk bedömning än för personer med måttlig till grav afasi.

Bakgrund: Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) är en psykisk sjukdom som drabbar föräldrar där barnet/barnen blir offer. Föräldrarna, ofta modern drivs av uppmärksamheten de får av sjukvården. Föräldrarna manipulerar sjukvårdspersonalen då de ofta blir indragna i misshandeln genom diverse behandlingar/ingrepp. Svårigheter med att påvisa misshandeln för allmänsjuksköterskan/sjukvårdspersonalen är svår då det sker i det tysta samt att kunskapen kring MSBP är liten. Vid all misstanke om att ett barn far illa har sjukvårdspersonalen anmälningsplikt och på så sätt kan barnens rättigheter enligt Barnkonventionen skyddas. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka faktorer som kan leda till tidig upptäckt av förälder med MSBP. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie baserad på case studies/case reports som innehåller narrativa berättelser som bygger på empiri och induktiv ansats. Litteraturstudien genomfördes utifrån Polit och Becks (2017) niostegsanalys.   Resultat: Fyra kategorier framkom. Vanliga symtom hos barnen, vanliga undersökningar av barnen, vanlig behandling av barnen samt beteenden hos barn respektive föräldrar. Slutsats: De faktorer som vårdpersonal ska vara uppmärksamma på är barns beteendeförändringar och förseningar i utvecklingen, föräldrar som för barnets talan, som ej lämnar barnets sida på sjukhuset samt vill ta och lämna in egna provmaterial från sitt barn. En annan faktor är familjer som frekvent söker vård för sitt barn eller varit inlagda trots att ingen sjukdom kunnat diagnostiseras eller bekräftats till följd av de diffusa symtomen som funnit hos barnen. Ytterligare en faktor är familjer som har haft många vårdkontakter och flyttar ofta. För att denna medvetenheten ska finnas behöver kunskap kring Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy spridas.

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This thesis applies the concept of religious (national) identity to the cases of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their proxy allies - state and non-state actors - in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The aim was to show that in the Middle East, Sunni and Shiite affiliations matter in the relationship between the regional powers and respective proxies, as opposing to realist statement that alliances, conflicts and political developments are only governed by pragmatic power interests. Additionally, the work examines whether religious national identities have impact on the dynamics of proxy conflicts. Overall, the objective was to establish comprehensive image of how ideational/constructivist and pragmatic/realist factors work in combination to influence alliances, enmities and conflicts in the Middle East. Using qualitative methods of research, religious (national) identities of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their allies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen were constructed so as to create ideational and realist points of departure, and then interlinked to show how convergence of religious identities helps in creating durable alliances if used in targeted manner as a strategic tool which can help safeguard national interests. The work shows notable differences in the use of this tool between Saudi Arabia and Iran, suggesting that it...

The current international system with its emphasis on state sovereignty was designed to restrain interference in domestic affairs by other states. However, this notion has been repeatedly challenged throughout the past 70 years by states intervening with military instruments in internal armed conflicts. Possible motives that led states to jeopardize the lives of their soldiers and convinced them to bear the costs of interventions have engendered a rich debate in the studies of International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies. In this dissertation, two arguments based on the logic of the realist theory of international relations are brought forward to augment our understanding of factors contributing to military interventionism. First, it is shown that economic linkages between states transcend the debate on trade and include the effects of foreign direct investment on their willingness to intervene by force. Corporate investment is shown to significantly raise the willingness of states to intervene when existing FDI is endangered by the dynamics unfolding during internal armed conflicts. Second, great powers are apt to harness other states to alter the conflict dynamics in civil wars. Applying the principal-agent framework in combination with the logic of arms trade allows identifying unequal...

Private Military Companies (PMCs) have increased significantly since the end of the Cold War, primarily hailing from the Western countries and South Africa, and notably employed in the War on Terror. In recent years, the Russian group generically known as ‘Wagner PMC’ has been deployed in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa. While often referred to as Russian ‘proxies’, the Wagner group has not previously been analysed through the lens of proxy theory, and academics are divided on whether PMCs may be considered proxies at all.  Russia’s intervention in the Central African Republic through Wagner provides an important case to study this new development. Employing a theoretical framework combining elements from both proxy and PMC literature, this thesis contributes to both fields by suggesting key analytical elements through which a PMC may be considered a proxy and explains how this alters the dynamics between the intervener and its proxy. Moreover, this permits a novel analysis of Russian strategies to expand its influence in Africa, suggesting that intervention through Wagner may serve as a model for interventions in other weak countries requiring security support.

Cloud gaming has emerged as a popular solution to meet the increasing hardware de-mands of modern video games, allowing players with dated or non-sufficient hardwareto access high-quality gaming experiences. However, the growing reliance on cloud ser-vices has led to heightened concerns regarding user privacy and the risk of fingerprintingattacks. In this paper, we investigate the effects of varying send rates on cloud gamingQoS and QoE metrics when applying a fixed-rate fingerprinting defense, BuFLO. Findingsshow that lower send rates impact both client-side and host-side applied defense differ-ently. Based on the results, specific send rates are suggested for maintaining a stable cloudgaming experience. The research offers insights into the trade-offs between security andperformance in cloud gaming and provides recommendations for mitigating fingerprintingattacks. Future work may investigate alternative defenses, device types, and connectionmethods.

Ancient harbour sediment archives can provide long-term records of changes in coastal palaeoenvironments, settlement history, and anthropogenic impacts on coastal systems. In this study, multi-proxy geoarchaeological investigations were conducted at two long-occupied coastal archaeological sites (Liman Tepe-Clazomenae, western Anatolia, Turkey; Lechaion, northeast Peloponnese, Greece) to document coastal palaeoenvironmental change and harbour basin evolution. Multi-proxy core analyses (micropalaeontology, sedimentary facies) were integrated with geophysical mapping and micro-XRF core scanning (chemofacies) to investigate harbour sediment archives and to reconstruct coastal palaeoenvironments. At Liman Tepe-Clazomenae, the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (ca. 6700-3000 BCE) coastal palaeogeography was reconstructed using a large subsurface database (>20 cores, ~600-line km geophysical surveys) to determine palaeoshoreline positions and potential locations of prehistoric proto-harbour basins. Geophysical mapping revealed a submerged palaeolandscape with relict river channels and shorelines recording inundation of a middle Neolithic coastal plain. A transgressive systems tract was identified by marine foreshore and shoreface deposits overlying paleosol and lagoonal sediments. Shoreline positions were estimated by back-strip analysis of the de-compacted sediment thickness from the marine transgressive surface. During the middle Neolithic (ca. 6700 BCE) the shoreline was >500 m seaward of the modern shore and transgressed to its maximum extent (~1 km inland) during the Chalcolithic (ca. 4000 BCE). After 4000 BCE, sea level decelerated and the coastline prograded under a high-stand systems tract by barrier accretion. The transition from a Late Bronze Age (LBA) proto-harbour to Iron Age semi-enclosed harbour basin was recorded by shifts in geochemical proxies (Ti/Ca, Si, Br), foraminifera, and sedimentary facies. Shifts in Ti/Ca record potential signals of land clearance and evidence for a 300-year LBA drought period (“Greek Dark Age”). Geophysical mapping of Clazomenae’s Archaic (ca. 7th-6th c. BCE) harbour basin revealed two rubble-constructed breakwater structures and a submerged headland separating east and west basins. Linear magnetic anomalies within the eastern mole indicate a buried (LBA?) pier or breakwater within the rubble mass. At Lechaion, a multi-proxy analysis was conducted on seven cores to determine the timing and causes of the Roman harbour decline and abandonment. Coring identified a basin-wide paraconformity surface separating harbour sediments and overlying marl deposits, which records a rapid transition from a marine-estuarine to restricted evaporitic lake environment. Rapid basin restriction was indicated by a decrease in terrigenous elements (Si, Ti, K, Fe), increased Sr and δ18O, and a shift from marine-estuarine to marsh-freshwater taxa. The event records the 6th c. CE tectonic uplift and destruction of the harbour basin, linked with uplift on the nearby Perachora Peninsula (~1.1 m) during destructive earthquakes in 524 and 551/552 CE. No evidence was found for tsunami events proposed in previous work. This study has documented the development, evolution, and abandonment of harbour basins on two tectonically active coastlines with complex relative sea level histories. Palaeogeographic mapping at Liman Tepe has identified a drowned palaeolandscape with areas of high archaeological potential for submerged prehistoric sites and proto-harbour anchorage areas. At Lechaion, multi-proxy analysis has resolved a long-standing debate, demonstrating that the harbour basin decline in the 6th c. CE was caused by coastal tectonic uplift and rapid basin restriction. / Dissertation / Doctor of Science (PhD)