Background: Career ending injuries are known to cause negative psychosocial and behavioural outcomes in retired athletes. However, there has been a limited amount of quantitative studies to complement mostly qualitative research. Furthermore, qualitative studies have typically assessed the effects of athletic identity, mental health/mood disturbances, loss, coping mechanisms and social support with minimal research regarding physical body transitions and body-esteem throughout the retirement process. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between affective, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes and athletic retirement (voluntary, involuntary) among elite and competitive athletes. Method: A retrospective mixed method (questionnaire and interview) study was utilized to examine how participants interpreted their experience during the transitional process into retirement. Inclusion criteria consisted of male and female, elite and competitive athletes who have voluntarily or involuntarily (career ending injury) retired, ages 18 and above. Exclusion criteria included non-athletes/recreational athletes, athletes who were able to return to play or retired due to illness, health problems or deselection as well as who were less than 18 years of age. Posters were advertised in sports clubs, fitness centers, sports centers, physiotherapy offices and universities as well as on social media (Facebook and Instagram). The main outcome measures are as follows:1) Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS); 2) Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), 3) Mental Health and 4) COPE Inventory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from both retirement (voluntary and involuntary) groups. All interviews (telephone, zoom) were recorded, transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was implemented to further determine the various themes and subthemes. An independent t-test explored the impacts of body dimensions and coping mechanisms on retirement type. Then a factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of the dependent variables (mental health, mood disturbances and coping mechanisms) on the main analysis (retirement) and the exploratory (strength of athletic identity) analysis. Results: 50 (26 involuntary and 24 voluntary) questionnaires and eight (four voluntary and four involuntary) interviews were completed by the participants. Results from the quantitative data revealed a borderline main effect of retirement type on both mental health and mood disturbances. An exploratory analysis found retirees who weakly identified with the athletic role were less likely to experience severe mood disturbances and demonstrated higher levels of mental health than retirees who strongly identified with the athletic role. Information from qualitative data suggested participants who involuntarily retired and possessed a strong athletic identity experienced higher levels of mood disturbances (depression, frustrations, loss etc.), lower levels of mental health, identity loss, physical discomfort, negative effects of mind and body dualism as well as utilized maladaptive coping techniques than their counterpart who voluntarily retired or weakly identified with the athletic role. Conclusion: Both retirement types are subjected to various athletic and non-athletic demands and psychosocial effects of athletic retirement however, what sets them apart from experiencing a successful or unsuccessful transition into retirement is the intensity and severity of their emotional reaction to their retirement. Limitations of said study included a decrease in sample size, memory recall bias, the participant’s own bias, limited diversity of the sample population as well as the inability to verify the findings from the interviews. The following study can be implemented to aid researchers, retired or soon to be retired athletes, coaches and athletic personnel to comprehend the diverse areas of athletic retirement. Future research should aim to investigate the impacts of mood disorders, the utilization of psychologist or mental performance consultant during the retirement process as well as the effects of body dimensions in retired athletes. Lastly, a longitudinal study should be employed to examine the athlete’s emotional response and reaction throughout retirement (time of injury, during physiotherapy, post- surgery and recovery). / Graduate

[ES] La gran mayoría de procesos del mundo real tienen incertidumbres inherentes, las cuales, al ser consideradas en el proceso de modelado, se puede obtener una representación que describa con la mayor precisión posible el comportamiento del proceso real. En la mayoría de casos prácticos, se considera que éstas tienen un comportamiento estocástico y sus descripciones como distribuciones de probabilidades son conocidas. Las estrategias de MPC estocástico están desarrolladas para el control de procesos con incertidumbres de naturaleza estocástica, donde el conocimiento de las propiedades estadísticas de las incertidumbres es aprovechado al incluirlo en el planteamiento de un problema de control óptimo (OCP). En éste, y contrario a otros esquemas de MPC, las restricciones duras son relajadas al reformularlas como restricciones de tipo probabilísticas con el fin de reducir el conservadurismo. Esto es, se permiten las violaciones de las restricciones duras originales, pero tales violaciones no deben exceder un nivel de riesgo permitido. La no-convexidad de tales restricciones probabilísticas hacen que el problema de optimización sea prohibitivo, por lo que la mayoría de las estrategias de MPC estocástico en la literatura se diferencian en la forma en que abordan tales restricciones y las incertidumbres, para volver el problema computacionalmente manejable. Por un lado, están las estrategias deterministas que, fuera de línea, convierten las restricciones probabilísticas en unas nuevas de tipo deterministas, usando la propagación de las incertidumbres a lo largo del horizonte de predicción para ajustar las restricciones duras originales. Por otra parte, las estrategias basadas en escenarios usan la información de las incertidumbres para, en cada instante de muestreo, generar de forma aleatoria un conjunto de posibles evoluciones de éstas a lo largo del horizonte de predicción. De esta manera, convierten las restricciones probabilísticas en un conjunto de restricciones deterministas que deben cumplirse para todos los escenarios generados. Estas estrategias se destacan por su capacidad de incluir en tiempo real información actualizada de las incertidumbres. No obstante, esta ventaja genera inconvenientes como su gasto computacional, el cual aumenta conforme lo hace el número de escenarios y; por otra parte, el efecto no deseado en el problema de optimización, causado por los escenarios con baja probabilidad de ocurrencia, cuando se usa un conjunto de escenarios pequeño. Los retos mencionados anteriormente orientaron esta tesis hacia los enfoques de MPC estocástico basado en escenarios, produciendo tres contribuciones principales. La primera consiste en un estudio comparativo de un algoritmo del grupo determinista con otro del grupo basado en escenarios; se hace un especial énfasis en cómo cada uno de estos aborda las incertidumbres, transforma las restricciones probabilísticas y en la estructura de su OCP, además de señalar sus aspectos más destacados y desafíos. La segunda contribución es una nueva propuesta de algoritmo MPC, el cual se basa en escenarios condicionales, diseñado para sistemas lineales con incertidumbres correlacionadas. Este esquema aprovecha la existencia de tal correlación para convertir un conjunto de escenarios inicial de gran tamaño en un conjunto de escenarios más pequeño con sus probabilidades de ocurrencia, el cual conserva las características del conjunto inicial. El conjunto reducido es usado en un OCP en el que las predicciones de los estados y entradas del sistema son penalizadas de acuerdo con las probabilidades de los escenarios que las componen, dando menor importancia a los escenarios con menores probabilidades de ocurrencia. La tercera contribución consiste en un procedimiento para la implementación del nuevo algoritmo MPC como gestor de la energía en una microrred en la que las previsiones de las energías renovables y las cargas están correlacionadas. / [CA] La gran majoria de processos del món real tenen incerteses inherents, les quals, en ser considerades en el procés de modelatge, es pot obtenir una representació que descriga amb la major precisió possible el comportament del procés real. En la majoria de casos pràctics, es considera que aquestes tenen un comportament estocàstic i les seues descripcions com a distribucions de probabilitats són conegudes. Les estratègies de MPC estocàstic estan desenvolupades per al control de processos amb incerteses de naturalesa estocàstica, on el coneixement de les propietats estadístiques de les incerteses és aprofitat en incloure'l en el plantejament d'un problema de control òptim (OCP). En aquest, i contrari a altres esquemes de MPC, les restriccions dures són relaxades en reformulades com a restriccions de tipus probabilístiques amb la finalitat de reduir el conservadorisme. Això és, es permeten les violacions de les restriccions dures originals, però tals violacions no han d'excedir un nivell de risc permès. La no-convexitat de tals restriccions probabilístiques fan que el problema d'optimització siga computacionalment immanejable, per la qual cosa la majoria de les estratègies de MPC estocàstic en la literatura es diferencien en la forma en què aborden tals restriccions i les incerteses, per a tornar el problema computacionalment manejable. D'una banda, estan les estratègies deterministes que, fora de línia, converteixen les restriccions probabilístiques en unes noves de tipus deterministes, usant la propagació de les incerteses al llarg de l'horitzó de predicció per a ajustar les restriccions dures originals. D'altra banda, les estratègies basades en escenaris usen la informació de les incerteses per a, en cada instant de mostreig, generar de manera aleatòria un conjunt de possibles evolucions d'aquestes al llarg de l'horitzó de predicció. D'aquesta manera, converteixen les restriccions probabilístiques en un conjunt de restriccions deterministes que s'han de complir per a tots els escenaris generats. Aquestes estratègies es destaquen per la seua capacitat d'incloure en temps real informació actualitzada de les incerteses. No obstant això, aquest avantatge genera inconvenients com la seua despesa computacional, el qual augmenta conforme ho fa el nombre d'escenaris i; d'altra banda, l'efecte no desitjat en el problema d'optimització, causat pels escenaris amb baixa probabilitat d'ocurrència, quan s'usa un conjunt d'escenaris xicotet. Els reptes esmentats anteriorment van orientar aquesta tesi cap als enfocaments de MPC estocàstic basat en escenaris, produint tres contribucions principals. La primera consisteix en un estudi comparatiu d'un algorisme del grup determinista amb un altre del grup basat en escenaris; on es fa un especial èmfasi en com cadascun d'aquests aborda les incerteses, transforma les restriccions probabilístiques i en l'estructura del seu problema d'optimització, a més d'assenyalar els seus aspectes més destacats i desafiaments. La segona contribució és una nova proposta d'algorisme MPC, el qual es basa en escenaris condicionals, dissenyat per a sistemes lineals amb incerteses correlacionades. Aquest esquema aprofita l'existència de tal correlació per a convertir un conjunt d'escenaris inicial de gran grandària en un conjunt d'escenaris més xicotet amb les seues probabilitats d'ocurrència, el qual conserva les característiques del conjunt inicial. El conjunt reduït és usat en un OCP en el qual les prediccions dels estats i entrades del sistema són penalitzades d'acord amb les probabilitats dels escenaris que les componen, donant menor importància als escenaris amb menors probabilitats d'ocurrència. La tercera contribució consisteix en un procediment per a la implementació del nou algorisme MPC com a gestor de l'energia en una microxarxa en la qual les previsions de les energies renovables i les càrregues estan correlacionades. / [EN] The vast majority of real-world processes have inherent uncertainties, which, when considered in the modelling process, can provide a representation that most accurately describes the behaviour of the real process. In most practical cases, these are considered to have stochastic behaviour and their descriptions as probability distributions are known. Stochastic model predictive control algorithms are developed to control processes with uncertainties of a stochastic nature, where the knowledge of the statistical properties of the uncertainties is exploited by including it in the optimal control problem (OCP) statement. Contrary to other model predictive control (MPC) schemes, hard constraints are relaxed by reformulating them as probabilistic constraints to reduce conservatism. That is, violations of the original hard constraints are allowed, but such violations must not exceed a permitted level of risk. The non-convexity of such probabilistic constraints renders the optimisation problem computationally unmanageable, thus most stochastic MPC strategies in the literature differ in how they deal with such constraints and uncertainties to turn the problem computationally tractable. On the one hand, there are deterministic strategies that, offline, convert probabilistic constraints into new deterministic ones, using the propagation of uncertainties along the prediction horizon to tighten the original hard constraints. Scenario-based approaches, on the other hand, use the uncertainty information to randomly generate, at each sampling instant, a set of possible evolutions of uncertainties over the prediction horizon. In this fashion, they convert the probabilistic constraints into a set of deterministic constraints that must be fulfilled for all the scenarios generated. These strategies stand out for their ability to include real-time updated uncertainty information. However, this advantage comes with inconveniences such as computational effort, which grows as the number of scenarios does, and the undesired effect on the optimisation problem caused by scenarios with a low probability of occurrence when a small set of scenarios is used. The aforementioned challenges steered this thesis toward stochastic scenario-based MPC approaches, and yielded three main contributions. The first one consists of a comparative study of an algorithm from the deterministic group with another one from the scenario-based group, where a special emphasis is made on how each of them deals with uncertainties, transforms the probabilistic constraints and on the structure of the optimisation problem, as well as pointing out their most outstanding aspects and challenges. The second contribution is a new proposal for a MPC algorithm, which is based on conditional scenarios, developed for linear systems with correlated uncertainties. This scheme exploits the existence of such correlation to convert a large initial set of scenarios into a smaller one with their probabilities of occurrence, which preserves the characteristics of the initial set. The reduced set is used in an OCP in which the predictions of the system states and inputs are penalised according to the probabilities of the scenarios that compose them, giving less importance to the scenarios with lower probabilities of occurrence. The third contribution consists of a procedure for the implementation of the new MPC algorithm as an energy manager in a microgrid in which the forecasts of renewables and loads are correlated. / González Querubín, EA. (2024). Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Systems with Correlated Uncertainties [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/203887

1. Unterschiedliche Definitionen der Gesundheit mit verschiedenen Betrachtungsweisen (WHO: Der Mensch eine biopsychosoziale Einheit. Schulmedizin: ohne klinischen und paraklinischen Befund mit Orientierung an kritikbedürftigen Referenzmittelwerten) führt bei Fachleuten, Behörden und Laien zu Verwirrungen, wenn es um die Beurteilung gesundheitlicher Schäden geht. 2. Es wurde die Aufgabe gestellt zu prüfen, welche der beiden Definitionen der Realität näher kommt. 3. Mittels der chronopsychobiologischen Regulationsdiagnostik, des Dreiphasenentspannungstests (Hecht und Balzer 2001), wurden unter dem Aspekt der beiden Gesundheitsdefinitionen drei Gruppen untersucht (je 40 Probanden). - klinisch Gesunde (klinisch Gesunde nach Schulmedizin ) - Gesunde nach Definition der WHO - Probanden mit nichtorganische Insomnie (ohne pathologische klinische und paraklinische Befunde) 4. Die mit den verwendeten Methoden gewonnenen Daten wiesen aus, dass zwischen den klinisch Gesunden und den Probanden mit nichtorganischer Insomnie weitgehend größere Ähnlichkeiten bestehen. Beide Gruppen zeigten aber zu der Gruppe der Gesunden nach WHO-Definition, welche die biopsychosoziale Einheit des Menschen berücksichtigt, noch hochsignifikante Unterschiede. Die Gruppe der klinisch Gesunden kann daher auf Grund unserer Ergebnisse nicht den Anspruch erheben, real gesund zu sein. 5. Mit der Bezugnahme auf die Internationale Klassifikation der Krankheiten (ICD 10F) haben die von uns untersuchten klinisch Gesunden und die nichtorganischen Insomniker eine mehr oder weniger stark ausgeprägte Symptomatik von psychischen Störungen. Dies müsste bei der Beurteilung von Schadstoff-, Lärm-, und EMF-Wirkungen auf den Menschen, wie auch bei den klinisch-pharmakoloischen Untersuchungen beachtet werden. Die in der Arbeit erzielten Ergebnisse bedürfen durch weitere Untersuchungen eine Fundierung. Sie signalisieren aber sowohl unter praktischen als auch unter theoretischen Aspekten einen dringenden Forschungsbedarf. / 1. Differing definitions of health using different criterea (WHO: The human being as a bio- psycho-social unit versus classical medicine: without clinical and paraclinical results based on suspect reference values) bring confusion to experts, authorities and laymen when assessing health damages. 2. The given task was to check which of the two definitions is closer to reality. 3. Using the chrono-psycho-biological diagnostic of regulation, the three-phase-relaxation test (Hecht and Balzer 2001), three groups were examined considering the aspects of the two health definitions (40 test subjects in the study group). - clinically healthy (clinically healthy per classical medicine definition) - healthy per definition of the WHO - test persons with non organic insomnia (i.e. no pathological or paraclinical findings) 4. The data gained from the employed methods revealed bigger similarities between clinically healthy persons and those with non organic insomnia. Both groups still showed highly significant differences to the group which fulfils the definition of the WHO regarding a human as a bio-psycho-social unit. As a result of this study, persons, though classified as "clinically healthy" might nevertheless not absolutely be healthy in reality. 5. In reference to the international classification of illnesses (ICD 10 F) the groups examined, both of clinically healthy and those with non organic insomnia, have more or less severe psychological symptoms. This should be taken into account when assessing the effects of pollution, noise, and EMF as well as clinical pharmacological studies. These present findings still need broader confirmation by further investigations. However, they clearly indicate, for practical and theoretical considerations, an urgent need for further research.

Text in Afrikaans / Children in children’s homes often make use of specific behaviour - defined as contact boundary disturbances in Gestalt theory - as a result of their intense emotional needs, but also to protect themselves or to be assertive in their current environment. This qualitative, applied study aimed to determine and describe the way the child care workers of a rural child and youth care centre manage and experience the contact boundary disturbances of children in the children’s home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight child care workers. In conducting the study, the researcher found that the child care workers had inadequate knowledge and insight regarding contact boundary disturbances and how to handle it. It was concluded that the management of children’s homes must ensure that training and support are provided to child care workers so that their needs are addressed in order to prevent burnout. Recommendations that will be valuable with respect to the handling skills and emotional experiences of child care workers were made. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Text in Afrikaans / Children in children’s homes often make use of specific behaviour - defined as contact boundary disturbances in Gestalt theory - as a result of their intense emotional needs, but also to protect themselves or to be assertive in their current environment. This qualitative, applied study aimed to determine and describe the way the child care workers of a rural child and youth care centre manage and experience the contact boundary disturbances of children in the children’s home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight child care workers. In conducting the study, the researcher found that the child care workers had inadequate knowledge and insight regarding contact boundary disturbances and how to handle it. It was concluded that the management of children’s homes must ensure that training and support are provided to child care workers so that their needs are addressed in order to prevent burnout. Recommendations that will be valuable with respect to the handling skills and emotional experiences of child care workers were made. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Alors que l’on enseigne classiquement la distinction radicale du droit pénal et de la responsabilité civile, une étude approfondie du droit positif révèle une tendance générale et profonde à la confusion des deux disciplines. Face à ce paradoxe, le juriste s’interroge : comment articuler le droit civil et le droit pénal de la responsabilité ? Pour y répondre, cette thèse suggère d’abandonner l’approche traditionnelle de la matière, consistant à la tenir pour une simple catégorie de classement des différentes branches, civile et pénale, du droit de la responsabilité. La responsabilité juridique est présentée comme une institution autonome et générale organisant la réaction du système à la perturbation anormale de l’équilibre social. Quant au droit de la responsabilité civile et au droit criminel, ils ne sont plus conçus que comme les applications techniques de cette institution en droit positif.Sur le fondement de cette approche renouvelée et par le prisme de l’étude des conditions de la responsabilité en droit privé, la thèse propose un ordonnancement technique et rationnel du droit pénal et de la responsabilité civile susceptible de fournir les principes directeurs d’une véritable théorie générale de la responsabilité juridique. En tant qu’institution générale, celle-ci engendre à la fois un concept de responsabilité, composé des exigences de dégradation d’un intérêt juridiquement protégé, d’anormalité et de causalité juridique et qui fonde la convergence du droit pénal et du droit civil, et un système de responsabilité, qui en commande les divergences et pousse le premier vers la protection de l’intérêt général et le second vers celle des victimes. / While the radical distinction between criminal law and civil liability is classically taught, a thorough survey of positive law reveals a general and profound trend towards a confusion of these two disciplines. Faced with this paradox, the jurist wonders : how to articulate the civil and criminal laws of responsibility ? To answer this question, the thesis suggests abandoning the traditional approach of the subject, which consists in treating it as a mere category of classification of the different branches, civil and criminal, of responsibility/liability. Legal responsibility is presented as an autonomous and general institution organizing the response from the system to abnormal disturbance of social equilibrium. Civil liability law and criminal law are, as far as they are concerned, henceforth conceived as the mere technical applications of this institution in positive law.On the basis of this new approach and through the prism of the study of liability conditions in private law, the thesis proposes a technical and rational organization of criminal law and civil liability that may provide the guiding principles of a real general theory of legal responsibility. As a general institution, it gives not only a concept of responsibility, requiring degradation of a legally protected interest, abnormality and legal causation, and establishing the convergence of criminal law and civil law, but also a system of responsibility, determining the divergences of them and steering the first towards the protection of general interest and the second towards the protection of victims.