The aim of this thesis is to develop and explore models in, and related to, the sufficient cause framework, and additive interaction. Additive interaction is closely connected with public health interventions and can be used to make inferences about the sufficient causes in order to find the mechanisms behind an outcome, for instance a disease. In paper A we extend the additive interaction, and interventions, to include continuous exposures. We show that there does not exist a model that does not lead to inconsistent conclusions about the interaction. The sufficient cause framework can also be expressed using Boolean functions, which is expanded upon in paper B. In this paper we define a new model based on the multifactor potential outcome model (MFPO) and independence of causal influence models (ICI). In paper C we discuss the modeling and estimation of additive interaction in relation to if the exposures are harmful or protective conditioned on some other exposure. If there is uncertainty about the effects direction there can be errors in the testing of the interaction effect. / Målet med denna avhandling är att utveckla, och utforska modeller i det så kallade sufficent cause ramverket, och additiv interaktion. Additiv interaktion är nära kopplat till interventioner inom epidemiology och sociologi, men kan också användas för statistiska tester för sufficient causes för att förstå mekanimser bakom ett utfall, tex en sjukdom. I artikel A så expanderar vi modellen för additiv interaktion och interventioner till att också inkludera kontinuerliga variabler. Vi visar att det inte finns någon modell som inte leder till motsägelser i slutsatsen om interaktionen. Sufficient cause ramverket kan också utryckas via Boolska funktioner, vilket byggs vidare på i artikel B. I den artikeln definerar vi en modell baserad på mutltifactor potential outcome modellen (MFPO) och independence of causal influence modellen (ICI). I artikel C diskuterar vi modelleringen och estimering av additiv interaktion i relation till om variablerna har skadlig eller skyddande effekt betingat på någon annan variabel. Om det finns osäkerhet kring en effekts riktning så kan det leda till fel i testerna för den additiva interaktionen. / <p>Examinator: Professor Henrik Hult, Matematik, KTH</p>

The moral justification of punishment is the fundamental concern of this thesis. It is argued that a moral response to crime has to be a civilised response; therefore, the notion of "civility" is defined and discussed. Punishment is then defended in such a way that it accords with being a civilised response to crime. It is argued that in order to be such a response, and thereby qualify as a moral response, punishment must have a certain structure, i.e. it must fulfil seven necessary conditions, which, it is argued, together constitute the sufficient condition for morally justified punishment. In arguing for each of the necessary conditions, different onedimensional theories of punishment are dealt with (retributivism, utilitarianism, deterrence theory, rehabilitationism, a paternalistic theory of punishment, and restitutionalism}, indicating that each fulfils some of the criteria for morally justified punishment. None of the onedimensional theories fulfils all the necessary conditions, however, and hence none on its own fulfils the sufficient condition for morally justified punishment. This is not to argue that a straightforward theory could never on its own fulfil the conditions for morally justified punishment, but I have not been able to conceive how this could be done. The theory I here present is therefore a hybrid approach, incorporating elements of all the above-mentioned theories into a unitary theory. In doing so, it fulfils all the necessary conditions for being a civilised response to crime, thereby fulfilling the sufficient condition too, and hence providing a morally defensible account of punishment. Finally, the question of how this theory can be put into practice is addressed. Because the objective of punishment ought to be a civilised response, thereby benefiting both society as a whole and those being punished and rehabilitated, the thesis may be seen as a progressive synthesis of the various approaches examined. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)

L’absentéisme au travail en raison de santé représente un enjeu important dans la société actuelle puisqu’il est en constante croissante. Il engendre plusieurs conséquences négatives pour les entreprises québécoises. Nous nous intéressons à l’absentéisme au travail en raison de santé, abordé sous un angle juridique. Le but de notre recherche consiste à identifier, à partir d’un échantillon de soixante-dix-sept décisions jurisprudentielles, les manquements fautifs et non fautifs qui constituent une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement dans les cas d’absence au travail en raison de santé. En ce qui concerne les manquements fautifs, nos résultats démontrent qu’occuper un second emploi durant une absence du travail, effectuer des activités incompatibles avec l’état de santé déclaré, faire des fausses déclarations, falsifier des documents médicaux, le défaut d’aviser lors d’une absence du travail sans autorisation, le défaut d’aviser lors d’une absence du travail en présence d’une convention collective, le refus de retourner au travail à la suite d’une directive de l’employeur et le refus de fournir les informations médicales nécessaires ne constituent pas indéniablement une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. Pour les manquements non fautifs, notre analyse montre que les manquements reliés à l’assiduité au travail en présence et en l’absence d’une convention collective et les manquements reliés à la capacité de reprendre le travail en l’absence et en présence de limitations fonctionnelles psychologiques et physiques et en tenant compte du risque pour sa santé et sa sécurité ou risque pour celles des autres ne sont pas dans tous les cas une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. Il appert, dans les décisions analysées en fonction des critères de Wohl c. Joly, que l’employeur doit démontrer les trois éléments pour qu’ils constituent une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. / Absenteeism at work due to health represents an important stake in today's society since it is constantly increasing. It creates several negative consequences for Quebec Enterprises. We are interested in work absenteeism due to health, from a legal perspective. The purpose of our research consist in identifying, from a sample of seventy-seven judicial decisions, faulty or not faulty circumstances which constitute a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal in cases of absence from work due to health. As for faulty instances, our results show that to occupy a second job during an absence from work, to carry out incompatible activities with against health limitations, making false statements, falsifying medical documents, failing to notify an absence from work without authorization or in the presence of a collective labour agreement, to refuse to return to work following a directive from the employer or to provide the necessary medical information do not constitute irrefutably a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal. For not faulty incidents, our analysis shows that the incidents related to assiduity at work with or without a collective labour agreement, instances related to the ability to return to work with or without psychological and physical limitations and by taking into account the risk for one’s health and safety, or the risk for others are not at any rate a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal. It seems, in the decisions analyzed according to the criteria Wohl c. Joly, that the employer must prove the three elements that constitute a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal.

Title: Application of Calculus of Variations Author: Anton'ın Bohata Department: Department of Mathematics Education Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Jana Star'a, CSc., Department of Mathematical Analysis Abstract: The thesis deals with the calculus of variation and its applica- tions. We recall the basic concepts from functional analysis that are needed to formulation of variational problems. Further, the simplest variational prob- lem is discussed. In particular, we present well-known Euler's equation which is a necessary condition of a local extremum of the given functional. The re- sults are then applied to solve various examples from geometry, physics, and economy. Some of these examples can be used to teach at secondary school. Keywords: Euler's equation, functionals, local extrema, calculus of variation

L’absentéisme au travail en raison de santé représente un enjeu important dans la société actuelle puisqu’il est en constante croissante. Il engendre plusieurs conséquences négatives pour les entreprises québécoises. Nous nous intéressons à l’absentéisme au travail en raison de santé, abordé sous un angle juridique. Le but de notre recherche consiste à identifier, à partir d’un échantillon de soixante-dix-sept décisions jurisprudentielles, les manquements fautifs et non fautifs qui constituent une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement dans les cas d’absence au travail en raison de santé. En ce qui concerne les manquements fautifs, nos résultats démontrent qu’occuper un second emploi durant une absence du travail, effectuer des activités incompatibles avec l’état de santé déclaré, faire des fausses déclarations, falsifier des documents médicaux, le défaut d’aviser lors d’une absence du travail sans autorisation, le défaut d’aviser lors d’une absence du travail en présence d’une convention collective, le refus de retourner au travail à la suite d’une directive de l’employeur et le refus de fournir les informations médicales nécessaires ne constituent pas indéniablement une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. Pour les manquements non fautifs, notre analyse montre que les manquements reliés à l’assiduité au travail en présence et en l’absence d’une convention collective et les manquements reliés à la capacité de reprendre le travail en l’absence et en présence de limitations fonctionnelles psychologiques et physiques et en tenant compte du risque pour sa santé et sa sécurité ou risque pour celles des autres ne sont pas dans tous les cas une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. Il appert, dans les décisions analysées en fonction des critères de Wohl c. Joly, que l’employeur doit démontrer les trois éléments pour qu’ils constituent une cause juste et suffisante de congédiement. / Absenteeism at work due to health represents an important stake in today's society since it is constantly increasing. It creates several negative consequences for Quebec Enterprises. We are interested in work absenteeism due to health, from a legal perspective. The purpose of our research consist in identifying, from a sample of seventy-seven judicial decisions, faulty or not faulty circumstances which constitute a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal in cases of absence from work due to health. As for faulty instances, our results show that to occupy a second job during an absence from work, to carry out incompatible activities with against health limitations, making false statements, falsifying medical documents, failing to notify an absence from work without authorization or in the presence of a collective labour agreement, to refuse to return to work following a directive from the employer or to provide the necessary medical information do not constitute irrefutably a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal. For not faulty incidents, our analysis shows that the incidents related to assiduity at work with or without a collective labour agreement, instances related to the ability to return to work with or without psychological and physical limitations and by taking into account the risk for one’s health and safety, or the risk for others are not at any rate a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal. It seems, in the decisions analyzed according to the criteria Wohl c. Joly, that the employer must prove the three elements that constitute a fair and sufficient reason for dismissal.

The moral justification of punishment is the fundamental concern of this thesis. It is argued that a moral response to crime has to be a civilised response; therefore, the notion of "civility" is defined and discussed. Punishment is then defended in such a way that it accords with being a civilised response to crime. It is argued that in order to be such a response, and thereby qualify as a moral response, punishment must have a certain structure, i.e. it must fulfil seven necessary conditions, which, it is argued, together constitute the sufficient condition for morally justified punishment. In arguing for each of the necessary conditions, different onedimensional theories of punishment are dealt with (retributivism, utilitarianism, deterrence theory, rehabilitationism, a paternalistic theory of punishment, and restitutionalism}, indicating that each fulfils some of the criteria for morally justified punishment. None of the onedimensional theories fulfils all the necessary conditions, however, and hence none on its own fulfils the sufficient condition for morally justified punishment. This is not to argue that a straightforward theory could never on its own fulfil the conditions for morally justified punishment, but I have not been able to conceive how this could be done. The theory I here present is therefore a hybrid approach, incorporating elements of all the above-mentioned theories into a unitary theory. In doing so, it fulfils all the necessary conditions for being a civilised response to crime, thereby fulfilling the sufficient condition too, and hence providing a morally defensible account of punishment. Finally, the question of how this theory can be put into practice is addressed. Because the objective of punishment ought to be a civilised response, thereby benefiting both society as a whole and those being punished and rehabilitated, the thesis may be seen as a progressive synthesis of the various approaches examined. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)

Au cours des dernières années, s’est développé un intérêt tout particulier pour l’optimisation sans dérivée. Ce domaine de recherche se divise en deux catégories: une déterministe et l’autre stochastique. Bien qu’il s’agisse du même domaine, peu de liens ont déjà été établis entre ces deux branches. Cette thèse a pour objectif de combler cette lacune, en montrant comment les techniques issues de l’optimisation déterministe peuvent améliorer la performance des stratégies évolutionnaires, qui font partie des meilleures méthodes en optimisation stochastique. Sous certaines hypothèses, les modifications réalisées assurent une forme de convergence globale, c’est-à-dire une convergence vers un point stationnaire de premier ordre indépendamment du point de départ choisi. On propose ensuite d’adapter notre algorithme afin qu’il puisse traiter des problèmes avec des contraintes générales. On montrera également comment améliorer les performances numériques des stratégies évolutionnaires en incorporant un pas de recherche au début de chaque itération, dans laquelle on construira alors un modèle quadratique utilisant les points où la fonction coût a déjà été évaluée. Grâce aux récents progrès techniques dans le domaine du calcul parallèle, et à la nature parallélisable des stratégies évolutionnaires, on propose d’appliquer notre algorithme pour résoudre un problème inverse d’imagerie sismique. Les résultats obtenus ont permis d’améliorer la résolution de ce problème. / In recent years, there has been significant and growing interest in Derivative-Free Optimization (DFO). This field can be divided into two categories: deterministic and stochastic. Despite addressing the same problem domain, only few interactions between the two DFO categories were established in the existing literature. In this thesis, we attempt to bridge this gap by showing how ideas from deterministic DFO can improve the efficiency and the rigorousness of one of the most successful class of stochastic algorithms, known as Evolution Strategies (ES’s). We propose to equip a class of ES’s with known techniques from deterministic DFO. The modified ES’s achieve rigorously a form of global convergence under reasonable assumptions. By global convergence, we mean convergence to first-order stationary points independently of the starting point. The modified ES’s are extended to handle general constrained optimization problems. Furthermore, we show how to significantly improve the numerical performance of ES’s by incorporating a search step at the beginning of each iteration. In this step, we build a quadratic model using the points where the objective function has been previously evaluated. Motivated by the recent growth of high performance computing resources and the parallel nature of ES’s, an application of our modified ES’s to Earth imaging Geophysics problem is proposed. The obtained results provide a great improvement for the problem resolution.

L’intégration culture – élevage à l’échelle territoire représente une voie pour améliorer le fonctionnement métabolique et les services écosystémiques fournis par les systèmes agricoles, malgré les contraintes de spécialisation des exploitations. Cette thèse propose une méthodologie de conception de systèmes culture – élevage au niveau du territoire, dans une démarche participative structurée en trois grandes étapes : diagnostic des enjeux, conception d’options techniques et organisationnelles, évaluation multicritère. Chaque étape est outillée par un cadre conceptuel et une grille d’évaluation multicritère adaptée aux dispositifs de terrain menés sur le bassin versant de l’Aveyron. Les scénarios construits présentent deux modèles de l’intégration culture – élevage : une « filière territorialisée » pour la production de luzerne dans les systèmes de culture de l’aval du bassin à destination des élevages de l’amont, un « collectif d’agriculteurs bio » échangeant directement de la luzerne, des méteils et du fumier dans des groupes locaux. Chaque scénario présente des performances de durabilité améliorées et pourraient être complémentaires pour le changement de pratiques sur le territoire. La méthodologie développée permet la conception multi-niveaux et multi-domaines de scénarios d’intégration, et pourrait être renforcée par une évaluation quantitative des bénéfices attendus et des coûts de coordination entre acteurs. / Crop-livestock integration at territory level may be a pathway to impove metabolic functions and delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural systems, overcoming the constraints of farm specialization. This thesis builds on a methodology of participatory design of integrated crop-livestock systems at territory level in three steps: diagnosis of issues, design of technical and organizational options for change, multicriteria assessment. Each step is supported with a conceptual framework and a multicriteria grid adapted to the case study in Aveyron river basin. The designed scenarios show two approaches of crop –livestock integration: the introduction of alfalfa in downstream cropping systems sold to upstream livestock systems through a local supply chain and the direct exchanges of alfalfa, cereal-legume mixtures and animal manure in local groups of organic farmers. Both scenario present improved sustainability performances and could be complementary to initiate more sustainable practices in local farming systems. The methodology allows designing multi-level and multi-domain scenarios of crop-livestock integration. It could be improved with models for quantitative assessment of benefits and coordination costs among stakeholders.

Master thesis deals with usage issues of autonomous, self-sufficient and decentralized systems. In the first part convectional and experimental sources for autonomous systems are disclosed. Second chapter deals with accumulation of electrical and thermal energy and possibilities of applications. 3rd part is focused on pilot project realized for autonomous and smart systems, which were built in last years. In the 4th chapter electrical and thermal energy consumption curves are made on daily and monthly basis for 4 type objects. In the fifth part issue of autonomy is explained, and for type buildings solutions are made with additional return on investment. The last chapter is focused on calculation of thermal accumulator and briefly discloses small district heating.

The aim of this master project is to design an off-grid nearly-zero energy mountain guesthouse. First, the building structure is designed. It is a two-storeys building with roof made of lattice trusses. On first floor is dining room, kitchen, playroom and office. On second floor are guest rooms and an owner´s flat. The vertical load-bearing structures are designed from ceramic blocks. Horizontal load-bearing structures are designed from reinforced concrete monolithic slab. The building envelope is insulated with ETICS. Second, HVAC, lighting, photovoltaics and use of rainwater is designed. TZB system controlled remotely with a PC or cellphone are designed. Third, energy study is made. The project is developed using CAD (drawings), DEKsoft (thermal calculations) and Atrea Duplex (air conditioning design).