This thesis investigates coordinating units through simultaneous coalition structuregeneration and task assignment in a complex Euclidean environment. The environmentused is StarCraft II, and the problem modeled and solved in the game is the distribution ofcombat units over the game’s map. The map was split into regions, and every region wasmodeled as a task to which the combat units were assigned.In a number of experiments, we compare the performance of our approach with thegame’s built-in bots. Against most of the non cheating options, our agent wins 20% of thegames played on a large map, against the Hard built-in bot. On a smaller and simpler mapit wins 22% of games played against the hardest non-cheating difficulty.One of the main limitations of the method used to solve the assignment was the utility function. Which should describe the quality of a coalition and the task assignment.However, as the utility function described the state’s utility better, the win rate increased.Therefore the result indicates that the simultaneous coalition structure generation and taskassignment work for unit distribution in a complex environment like StarCraft II if a sufficient utility function is provided.

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of burnout among student affairs professionals at the 52 U.S. member institutions of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. Packets containing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Moos Work Environment Scale (WES), and a demographic survey were mailed to 371 senior student affairs administrators at the member institutions, with a completed response rate of 58.22%. The senior student affairs administrators surveyed included the chief student affairs officers and the professional staff who reported to them. The research design employed t-tests, analyses of variance, and Pearson's Product Moment correlations. The scores obtained from the MBI and WES subscales were compared overall and along 9 independent variablestitle of position, size of institution, appointment, salary, years in current position, years in profession, age, gender, and highest degree attained. Average levels of burnout were found on each of the MBI subscores. Contrary to earlier studies, women did not suffer from statistically significant higher levels of burnout than men, and burnout levels decreased with age and years in the profession for both sexes. Lower scores on the MBI depersonalization subscale were found in employees in mid-career and in professionals from smaller schools. Emotional exhaustion was not a factor. Environmental factors relating to burnout and job satisfaction were also explored. Statistically significant differences on the WES were found on all of the independent variables except the years in the current position variable. The metropolitan environment may have been effective in reducing the amount of burnout felt by this group of student affairs professionals. The study underscored the need for continuing research in burnout for student affairs professionals and for continued professional development throughout the career span.

Contenu1) (Introduction) Parren, N. (2017). Le naturel cognitif (possible) des croyances de sorcellerie: une exploration de la littérature existante. Journal de la cognition et de la culture, 17 (5), 396-418.2) Boyer, P., & Parren, N. (2015). L'information liée à la menace suggère la compétence: un facteur possible dans la propagation des rumeurs. PloS un, 10 (6), e0128421.3) Parren, N., & Boyer, P. (Soumis). Préférence pour les sources d'informations liées aux menaces. PloS un4) Parren, N., & Boyer, P. (Soumis). L'effet de vérité: fluidité ou consensus implicite? Conscience et Cognition5) Parren, N., van Leeuwen, F., Miton, H., & Boyer, P. (manuscrit non publié) Mésaventure, Agence, et Contre-Intuitivité Minimale6) Conclusion chapitre / 1) (Introduction) Parren, N. (2017). The (possible) Cognitive Naturalness of Witchcraft Beliefs: An Exploration of the Existing Literature. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 17(5), 396-418.2) Boyer, P., & Parren, N. (2015). Threat-related information suggests competence: a possible factor in the spread of rumors. PloS one, 10(6), e0128421.3) Parren, N., & Boyer, P. (Submitted). Preference for Sources of Threat-Related Information. PloS one4) Parren, N., & Boyer, P. (Submitted). The Truth Effect: Fluency or Implicit Consensus? Consciousness and Cognition5) Parren, N., van Leeuwen, F., Miton, H., & Boyer, P. (unpublished manuscript) Misfortune, Agency, and Minimal Counter-Intuitiveness6) Conclusion chapter

Avec les problèmes présents dans le secteur de transport, qu'ils soient financiers ou environnementaux, la mobilité avancée peut y remédier avec la mise à profit de la complémentarité entre les différents modes de transport. Dans ce contexte, nous nous focalisons dans cette thèse à la mise en œuvre d'un système d’information de transport avec la recherche et la composition des itinéraires comodaux pour les clients. L'enjeu est d'être capable de répondre aux attentes des usagers avec des solutions satisfaisantes permettant de proposer des itinéraires optimaux pour gérer efficacement l’intermodalité. Dans un souci pratique, nous fournirons des itinéraires attractifs respectant les contraintes imposées même pour les requêtes simultanées. Nous utilisons des techniques d'accélération permettant de réduire l'espace de recherche pour la planification d’itinéraire. Les itinéraires attractifs sont décomposés en sections de route sur lesquelles les différentes demandes et les offres disponibles sont mises en relation. Les combinaisons des sections de route permettent d'aboutir à un ensemble de solutions intéressantes. L’aspect distribué et dynamique du problème nous a permis d'employer une modélisation basée sur le paradigme agent. Ainsi, l’alliance entre les systèmes multi-agents et les algorithmes génétiques que nous avons mis en place s'avère très utile pour gérer l’articulation de l’intermodalité entre ces différents modes de transport. Les résultats de simulation présentés montrent l’efficacité des méthodes proposées. / Nowadays, the environment impact of transport is significant. In an attempt to address these problems, in this work, we are interested in the implementation of a transport information system, which integrates the existing means of transport to respond users' requests, including public transport and the shared transport like carpooling and car-sharing. In this context of application, we elaborate algorithms to provide attractive paths with respect to the imposed constraints, even for simultaneous requests. Different acceleration techniques for path planning are used to reduce the search space for a better performance. The attractive paths are divided into route sections on which the available offers are allocated to different requests, which is treated as one resource allocation problem using metaheuristics algorithms. With consideration of the distributed and dynamic aspects of the problem, the solving strategy makes use of several concepts like multi-agents system and different optimization methods. The proposed methods are tested with realistic scenarios with instances extracted from real world transport networks. The obtained results indicate that our proposed approaches can efficiently solve the itinerary planning problems by providing good and complete solutions.

This thesis investigates the role of ideas in policy processes. It does so using three theories as a starting point, selected for being alike yet unique in their description of how ideas may “get stuck” in the organization’s production and reproduction of policy. The theories are Discourse Coalition Framework, Advocacy Coalition Framework, and Punctuated Equilibrium Theory. These theories have very different emphases but share constructivist traits and an interest in how social processes of meaning making take form in a rather “traditional” organizational setting, thus paying attention to, if not reducing the study to, the institutions of representative democracy. Two theoretical problems are identified within these theories. They concern 1) the mechanism and 2) the object of analysis. The theoretical question addressed in part I is: How are we to understand the proposition that ideas may cause stability in policy processes? What is the underlying mechanism? It is argued that the cognitive mechanism which the theories use should be substituted with a social psychological one. The assumption that stability is created when political actors conform to the ideas of others when they are confronted with apparent unanimity among policy makers, rather than that they internalize these ideas, makes both greater stability and instability in policy processes more plausible. Part II poses the question; if we are to investigate policy stability and instability using the discussed theoretical perspective, what unit of analysis should we use? In other words, what is a policy? It is argued that if ideological stability is seen as an effect of how policy formulation is organized (as is argued in part I), then close attention must be paid to processual factors when it is decided what unit of policy, on what level, might be explained. It is furthermore argued that although we may theoretically form an idea about substantially coherent patterns of policy recognizable as a policy, which should result from stable organizational patterns of communication in the policy process, it remains an empirical question if and where these patterns can actually be found. An analysis of Swedish environmental policy is performed to allow for observations of the degree to which empirical evidence is consistent with the policy patterns predicted by the theoretical assumptions outlined in part one.

Cette thèse interroge les processus de construction de la réalité́ à l’oeuvre lors de l’émergence duproblème politique de l’autisme. Un mécanisme largement bottom-up s’est imposé, sousl’impulsion déterminante de « coalitions de causes » (notamment celle des associations deparents) qui ont opéré un véritable travail de capacitation et d’expertisation pour s’approprier destravaux de recherche, contester la légitimité du pouvoir médical, revendiquer des droits auprès despouvoirs publics en utilisant différentes armes, médiatiques, et judiciaires principalement.Expliquer pourquoi l’autisme est devenu un problème politique au milieu des années 1990 jusqu’àêtre reconnu « grande cause nationale » en 2012 suppose d’analyser, sur un temps long, lesprocessus qui changent le statut de l’autisme (d’un problème familial d’abord, social ensuite,politique enfin) et en définissent les traitements publics possibles. / This thesis questions the processes and mecanisms in the emergence of the political problem ofAutism in France. A bottom-up movement has emerged, thanks to the actions of "coalitions ofcauses" (especially those of parents' associations) which have carried out a work of empowerment,in order to appropriate the research work, legitimate themself against the medical power, and claimrights with the public authorities.This reasearch explore the reasons why Autism became a political issue in the mid-1990s untilbeing recognized as a "Great national cause" in 2012. It elaborate an analysis of the process thatchange the status of autism (family problem first, social problem then, and political problem at end)and define the possible public treatment.

Cette recherche fait état de la crise du syndicalisme qui affecte la capacité d’action et l’efficacité des pratiques des organisations syndicales à travers le monde. Elle dresse un portrait complet des éléments de crise qu’elle décline sous les niveaux économique, politique et social. Cette recherche expose ainsi la nécessité d’un renouveau syndical pour porter précisément sur les coalitions, hétérogènes notamment, comme stratégie de renouveau syndical. Au plan analytique, elle évalue l’impact de l’identité et de la capacité organisationnelle d’une organisation syndicale aux Philippines sur son choix de se coaliser, mais aussi l’influence de ses objectifs et du contexte national dans lequel elle évolue. Les données empiriques pour mener cette étude proviennent principalement de près de 24 entrevues semi-dirigées, tenues auprès de représentants de l’une des plus grandes organisations syndicales des Philippines, de représentants d’organisations non syndicales alliées et de répondants externes à celle-ci. Premièrement, nos résultats montrent qu’une identité collective sociétale forte influence favorablement le choix de l’organisation syndicale étudiée de se coaliser. Elle confirme également le rôle essentiel de l’identité dans l’orientation de son action collective. Deuxièmement, nos résultats permettent de conclure qu’une capacité organisationnelle forte influence favorablement le choix de cette organisation syndicale de se coaliser, considérant qu’elle permet à celle-ci d’identifier les opportunités d’action, de mettre en œuvre de nouvelles stratégies et d’assurer la légitimité et la mobilisation des membres quant aux actions entreprises. De nos résultats ressort l’importance de l’éducation sur l’accroissement de la capacité organisationnelle et, particulièrement, sur la formation et le renforcement de l’identité collective de l’organisation syndicale étudiée. Plus encore, nos résultats exposent l’interaction entre les dimensions de l’identité et de la capacité organisationnelle : précisément, nous avons observé une relation de renforcement positif entre ces deux variables. Troisièmement, nos résultats mettent de l’avant l’interaction entre les différents niveaux de transformations résultantes de sa participation à différents types de coalitions. Ainsi dans le cas observé, l’obtention de transformation au plan intraorganisationnel permet à rebours d’obtenir des transformations au plan extraorganisationnel et vice-versa. Finalement, le contexte répressif des Philippines et les objectifs de l’organisation syndicale étudiée apparaissent favorables à son choix de se coaliser à différents niveaux (local, régional, national et international). / This research aims to survey the crisis, which affects the effectiveness and action-readiness of labor unions around the world. It portrays crisis elements happening at the economic, political and social levels, thus exposing the necessity of implementing union renewal. The research puts the focus on how coalitions might be one of the many key elements to this revitalization. It evaluates the influence of identity and organizational capacity on choosing whether to coalesce, while taking into account the specific union objectives and the national context in which it operates. The research has been conducted in a trade union organization based in the Philippines. The empirical data used in the research comes from 24 semi-structured interviews with representatives from one of the largest labor union in the country, representatives from non-union allies to this organization, and other actors not directly involved with the trade union organization under study. First, the results show that a strong societal, collective identity influences the choice of this union organization to join coalitions. Collective identity is also a fundamental element to better understand the orientation of the collective action displayed by this organization. Second, our results also suggest that a strong and visionary organizational capacity influences positively the choice of joining a coalition, since the union is reputed by then to be better-equipped to identify opportunities to act differently, to elaborate strategies of union renewal, and to ensure that these actions are properly understood and legitimized by the rank-and-file members. Our case study also demonstrates the importance of education for increasing organizational capacity, especially when it comes to collective identity formation and empowerment. Furthermore, our findings confirm the interaction between identity and organizational capacity: specifically, we observe a positive, mutually reinforcing relationship between the two variables. Third, our results reveal the interaction between the different levels of transformations resulting from the participation in coalitions. In fact, our case study shows that intraorganizational transformation leads to extraorganizational transformation and vice-versa. Lastly, our study shows that the combined effect of the repressive context of the Philippines and the specific objectives of the interviewed labor union seem to support its decision to coalesce at different (local, regional, national and international) levels.

The topic of this diploma thesis is the development of the policy of inclusive education in the Czech Republic from the 1990s to 2018. Its objective is to describe this development and at least partially clarify the reasons for the controversy created by this policy and the increase in the public interest about this topic after the amendment of the education law in 2015. Using the process tracing method, it is testing if these reasons can be described by the theory of the advocacy coalition framework. The work finds out that considering the set hypotheses the explanation using this theory cannot be disproved. During this testing, main actors are identified and divided into advocacy coalitions. Therefore, an overview of the theory of advocacy coalition framework is included in this work, set in the context of the inclusive education policy, together with a quantitative media analysis looking at the number of relevant articles in the three most-read newspapers, a description of the interviews with the involved actors and an extensive qualitative analysis of available resources. In the last part of this work, there is an attempt to suggest measures that could at least partially calm down the discussion about the current inclusive education policy. The attachment to this work includes the scenario...

Coalitions are collections of agents that join together to solve a common problem that either cannot be solved individually or can be solved more efficiently as a group. Each individual agent has capabilities that can benefit the group when working together as a coalition. Typically, individual capabilities are joined together in an additive way when forming a coalition. This work will introduce a new operator that is used when combining capabilities, and suggest that the behavior of the operator is contextual, depending on the nature of the capability itself. This work considers six different capabilities of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and determines the nature of the new operator in the context of each capability as coalitions (squadrons) of UAVs are formed. Coalitions are formed using three different search algorithms, both with and without heuristics: Depth-First, Depth-First Iterative Deepening, and Genetic Algorithm (GA). The effectiveness of each algorithm is evaluated. Multi agent-based UAV simulation software was developed and used to test the ideas presented. In addition to coalition formation, the software aims to address additional multi-agent issues such as agent identity, mutability, and communication as applied to UAV systems, in a realistic simulated environment. Social potential fields provide a means of modeling a clustering attractive force at the same time as a collision-avoiding repulsive force, and are used by the simulation to maintain aircraft position relative to other UAVs.

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Thomas Logan / Typical building sanitary lines are sloped at a minimum of 1/8” to utilize gravity and prevent liquid separation from solid waste. The purpose of this research is to analyze how a lesser amount of water from a 1.6 gallon per flush water closet affects drainage in a four inch diameter pipe at 1/4" slope. Low flow water closet manufacturers ensure that waste clears the bowl, but there is no significant research following the flushed water further down the pipe line. This research utilizes a 1.6 gallon per flush floor-mounted water closet connected to 30 feet of sloped four inch PVC Drain Waste Vent piping. Data presented from 25 flush trials indicates that further research needs to be conducted at a smaller pipe diameter. Four-inch piping is too large, causing the 1.6 gallons of water to quickly lose the required force over the course of 30 feet, resulting in pipe line clogs. An average of four additional water-only flushes are necessary to completely clear the test media and toilet paper from the pipe. This research references previously published research and focuses on test results presented by the Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition. Two case studies of city wide replacements of old water closets are presented to discuss the viability of city wide mandates in relation to water conservation.