This thesis proposes a novel way to describe habit learning and the resulting balancing of goal-directed and habitual behavior using cognitive computational modeling. This approach builds on experimental evidence that habits may be understood as context-dependent automated sequences of behavior embedded in a hierarchical model. These assumptions were implemented in a Bayesian model, where goal-directed action sequences are encoded using a Markov decision process, and habits are interpreted to arise from a Bayesian prior over such sequences. Simulations show that this modeling approach yields key properties of habit learning, such as increased habit strength with increased training duration. This novel mechanistic description may lead to an improved understanding of habit learning mechanisms and individual learning trajectories, which may have implications for mental disorders which are believed to be accompanied by a maladapted balance between goal-directed an habitual control. / Diese Arbeit stellt eine neue mechanistische Beschreibung von Gewohnheitslernen und der daraus resultierenden Balance zwischen zielgerichtetem und habituellem Verhalten vor, die auf einem mathematischen kognitiven Modell aufbaut. Der Ansatz beruht auf experimenteller Evidenz, dass Gewohnheiten als kontext-abhängige, automatisierte Verhaltenssequenzen verstanden werden können, die in ein hierarchisches Modell eingebettet sind. Diese Annahmen werden mathematisch in einem Bayes'schen Modell umgesetzt, in dem zielgerichtetes Handeln als ein Markov'scher Entscheidungsprozess implementiert ist und Gewohnheiten aus einer Bayes'schen a-priori Wahrscheinlichkeit von Verhaltenssequenzen entstehen. Simulationen zeigen, dass dieser Ansatz wichtige Eigenschaften von Gewohnheitslernen reproduzieren kann, wie beispielsweise dass längere Trainingsdauern zu stärkeren Gewohnheiten führen. Diese neue mechanistische Beschreibung kann zu einem besseren Verständis individueller Lerntrajektorien und der Mechanismen beitragen, die dem Gewohnheitslernen zugrundeliegen. Dies könnte auch Auswirkungen auf das Verständnis psychischer Erkrankungen haben, bei denen davon ausgegangen wird, dass sie von einer maladaptiven Balance zwischen zielgerichtetem und habituellem Verhalten begleitet werden.

Late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century Dundee had a strikingly large female workforce and this fact has attracted much scholarly attention. But existing research has not probed the official crime records to determine whether the associated local stereotype of the disorderly mill worker, as a ‘moral blot' on the landscape, is justified. This study looks at female criminality in Dundee 1865–1925. It finds that drunkenness, breach of the peace and theft were the leading female offences and that the women most strongly associated with criminality belonged to the marginalised sections of the working class. Amongst them were the unskilled mill girls prominent in the contemporary discussions, but it was prostitutes and women of ‘No Trade' who appear to have challenged the police most often. They were frequently repeat offenders and consequently this thesis devotes considerable attention to the women entrenched in Dundee's criminal justice system. A pattern noted in the city's recidivism statistics, and often echoed elsewhere, is that the most persistent offenders were women. The fact that men perpetrated the majority of petty crime raises the suspicion that the police statistics capture differential policing of male and female recidivists – an idea that builds upon feminist theory and Howard Taylor's stance on judicial statistics. Yet a detailed study of the archives reveals that there are as many examples of the police treating women fairly as there are of gender-biased law. Indeed, several practical constraints hindered over-zealous policing, one of which was the tendency of the local magistrates to throw out cases against prostitutes and female drunks. This thesis, taking the police and court records as a whole, emphasizes that it was generally pragmatism, rather than prejudice, that guided the sanctioning of female recidivists in Dundee.

This thesis explores the use of domicilium as a criterion in choice of law and jurisdiction in South African law with special reference to private-law status. In this area of the law adherence to the status theory has, in the recent past, resulted in the use of domicile as an exclusive ratio jurisdictionis. This has impacted negatively on choice of law issues in status matters: since domicile constituted the sole jurisdictional criterion, little attention was devoted to choice of law. Even though the lex domicilii was, in actual fact, applied to choice of law issues concerning private-law status, it happened only as a result of the assumption of jurisdiction by the forum domicilii. With the emergence of alternative jurisdictional criteria, such as ordinary residence, choice of law issues will have to be addressed from a conflict of laws perspective, since the jurisdictional criteria will no longer ensure the application of the appropriate lex causae. In this regard recognition of the functional diversification of jurisdictional and conflicts connecting factors is crucial: different principles and policies underlie the fields of jurisdiction and choice of law and this must be borne in mind when a connecting factor is selected. In view of the prominence of domicilium as a connecting factor, problem areas in regard to the interpretation and ascertainment of domicile, especially the domicile of choice, is investigated within the context of the Domicile Act 3 of 1992 and with a view to future reform. It is submitted that the subjective animus requirement for the acquisition of a domicile of choice remains uncertain and undefined. Since domicile constitutes such an important connecting factor in issues pertaining to private-law status, as well as other non-status matters, it is essential that it should be readily and easily ascertainable. In this regard certain concrete proposals for future reform are advanced. Ultimately the domicile of an individual should indicate the community to which he/she truly belongs: only then will domicile constitute a conflicts connecting factor which satisfies the demands of conflicts justice. / Private Law / LL. D. (Law)

Ce mémoire entend présenter les formes de connaissance de soi développées par Thomas d’Aquin: la reditio incompleta, la réfraction sur les phantasmes, la conscience préréflexive, la réflexion par réfluence, l’analyse abstraite, le jugement critique et la reditio completa. L’âme humaine ne pouvant se connaître directement, elle a accès à son essence par le biais de tous ses actes ou actes de conscience. Notre analyse se concentre sur la connaissance habituelle, habitus de toutes les connaissances, qui est la racine de l’image trinitaire en l’homme et garantit la vérité des intellections humaines. Pour ce faire, nous avons procédé à la traduction des questions 87 à 89 de la Somme théologique, dans lesquelles Thomas présente la connaissance humaine des substances séparées et le statut de l’âme séparée, montrant en quoi l’esprit de l’homme partage un certain commun avec les autres esprits de son univers. / The purpose of this thesis is to present the different theories of self-knowledge developed by Thomas Aquinas: namely reditio incompleta, refraction of the soul on its own phantasms, preconscious reflection, reflection by reflux, abstract analysis, critical judgment and reditio completa. Although the human soul cannot have knowledge of itself directly, it can however approach its essence with its own acts or acts of consciousness. The analysis is based on the cognitio habitualis, habitus of all knowledge, that is the root of the trinitarian image in humankind and that guarantees the truth of human intellection. This involved translating questions 87 to 89 of the Summa Theologiae, in which Aquinas considers humanity’s understanding of immaterial substances and the separate soul’s knowledge. This demonstrates how the human soul shares common ground with other substances of the universe.

Since the late 20th century there has been an increase migration in of people due to the development of new technologies, easier ways of travel and the opening of national borders. People travel abroad for jobs, studies, or exploring new countries. During these travels some of them find life partners abroad, settle down there, conclude marriages and establish families. It often happens that such marriages end in divorce. If children are born in such a wedlock questions arise as to who will take care of them, who will pay maintenance etc. In some cases a parent decides to solve a conflict situation in such a way that he/she moves with the child without consent of the other parent to another place within the country or he/she decides to move to another country, usually to the country of his/her origin. He/she wants to settle there with the child and to legalize staying there. Such removal where national borders are crossed is considered to be international child abduction. The basic document dealing with the issue of international child abductions is the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (hereinafter the Hague Convention) adopted on 25 October 1980 and currently acceded to by 87 states. The Hague Convention establishes rules according to which cases of...

This dissertation deals with one of the most significant concepts of contemporary private international law - the concept of habitual residence. The concept of habitual residence was introduced into the field of private international law within the context of the unification work of the Hague Conference of Private International Law in the interest of finding a compromise between the traditional connecting factors of domicile, dominant in the sphere of common law, and nationality, that is historically closely bound to continental legal systems. Thanks to the long and systematic unification work of the Hague Conference of Private International Law, the connecting factor of habitual residence has gained a permanent indisputable position in private international law. The concept of habitual residence has also forcefully made its way through into the rapidly developing sphere of European private international law. The European Union has followed in the footsteps of the Hague Conference of Private International Law: habitual residence is today the central, most frequently adopted connecting factor in the unified conflict-of-laws rules, that determine the applicable law, as well as in the rules that determine the jurisdiction of the forum. Building on the recent intense development in this field of...

Introdução: O padrão alimentar, com alto teor de gordura, colesterol, açúcar refinado e o baixo teor de ácido graxos poliinsaturados e fibras presente na dieta dos adolescentes, é considerado o principal responsável pelo aumento da morbidade e mortalidade em adultos, pois resulta em aumento da prevalência de obesidade e conseqüentemente de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis. Objetivo: Avaliar a dieta habitual qualitativa e quantitativamente de adolescentes de ambos os sexos de uma Escola Estadual do Município de São Paulo - SP. Casuística e Métodos: Foram avaliados adolescentes de ambos os gêneros entre 14 e 18 anos e 11 meses de idade, em quatro momentos diferentes durante seis meses. Utilizou-se o Recordatório 24 horas para avaliar o consumo alimentar e os dados foram processados pelo software Virtual Nutri. As análises estatísticas (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, teste T Student bicaudal para amostras repetidas, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test e McNemar) foram realizadas pelo SPSS 11.0. Resultados: O consumo de gordura total foi superior a 30% em todos os dias de análise; o consumo de fibras obteve uma tendência de melhora nos dias úteis, assim como a gordura insaturada; o alimento com consumo mais freqüente foi o arroz e o consumo dos salgados (pão de queijo, coxinha, esfiha, etc.) aumentou durante os dias da semana. O café da manhã teve um declínio de consumo durante o feriado. Conclusões: O conhecimento do da dieta habitual dos adolescentes possibilita o planejamento de políticas públicas de saúde voltadas à nutrição, orientações dietéticas específicas ao grupo e possíveis intervenções. / Introduction: High amounts of fat, cholesterol, refined sugar, and low amounts of fat acid and fibers present in the diets of adolescents is results in high rates of obesity, chronic non-communicable diseases, and death in adults. Objective: Evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively the daily eating habits of adolescent males and females from a São Paulo city state school. Methods: Students between the ages of 14 years and 18 years 11 months old in four different times in a six month period were evaluated. The students logged their food intake over a 24 hour period and the data was processed by the Virtual Nutri software. The statistical analysis (Kolmogorov-Smirnow, T Student test for two repeated samples, Wilcoxon Signed Tank Test, and McNemar) was made by SPSS 11.0. Results: For every day of the test, fat accounted for more than 30% of the caloric intake. The fiber intake showed a tendency to improve on week days when compared with weekends, as did the intake of unsaturated fats. The food most frequently consumed was rice. Snacks were consumed mostly on the holiday, and during holidays the students frequently skipped breakfast. Conclusions: This study of the eating habits of adolescents can help shape the public policies of health, nutrition, and diet for specific groups and interventions.

Insufficient sleep may be associated with obesity via increased energy intake and/or decreased energy expenditure. The present study therefore aimed to investigate effects of sleep restriction on energy balance in healthy young adults. Participants (14 men, 13 women) aged 35.3 ± 1.0 y with 23.6 ± 0.2 kg/m2 BMI completed a randomized, crossover study exposed to short and habitual sleep with 4 wk washout. Controlled diets were provided during the first 4 d, followed by 2 d of ad libitum eating. Ad libitum energy intake, energy expenditure and physical activity level were determined as well as energy balance and body weight. Results showed that ad libitum energy intake (p = 0.031), as well as total fat (p = 0.018) increased after short compared with habitual sleep, but physical activity level, energy expenditure, energy balance, and body weight remained unaffected by sleep duration. In conclusion, sleep deprivation elevates energy intake, which may lead to positive energy balance over time and increase the risk of weight gain and/or obesity.

Ce mémoire entend présenter les formes de connaissance de soi développées par Thomas d’Aquin: la reditio incompleta, la réfraction sur les phantasmes, la conscience préréflexive, la réflexion par réfluence, l’analyse abstraite, le jugement critique et la reditio completa. L’âme humaine ne pouvant se connaître directement, elle a accès à son essence par le biais de tous ses actes ou actes de conscience. Notre analyse se concentre sur la connaissance habituelle, habitus de toutes les connaissances, qui est la racine de l’image trinitaire en l’homme et garantit la vérité des intellections humaines. Pour ce faire, nous avons procédé à la traduction des questions 87 à 89 de la Somme théologique, dans lesquelles Thomas présente la connaissance humaine des substances séparées et le statut de l’âme séparée, montrant en quoi l’esprit de l’homme partage un certain commun avec les autres esprits de son univers. / The purpose of this thesis is to present the different theories of self-knowledge developed by Thomas Aquinas: namely reditio incompleta, refraction of the soul on its own phantasms, preconscious reflection, reflection by reflux, abstract analysis, critical judgment and reditio completa. Although the human soul cannot have knowledge of itself directly, it can however approach its essence with its own acts or acts of consciousness. The analysis is based on the cognitio habitualis, habitus of all knowledge, that is the root of the trinitarian image in humankind and that guarantees the truth of human intellection. This involved translating questions 87 to 89 of the Summa Theologiae, in which Aquinas considers humanity’s understanding of immaterial substances and the separate soul’s knowledge. This demonstrates how the human soul shares common ground with other substances of the universe.

Insufficient sleep may be associated with obesity via increased energy intake and/or decreased energy expenditure. The present study therefore aimed to investigate effects of sleep restriction on energy balance in healthy young adults. Participants (14 men, 13 women) aged 35.3 ± 1.0 y with 23.6 ± 0.2 kg/m2 BMI completed a randomized, crossover study exposed to short and habitual sleep with 4 wk washout. Controlled diets were provided during the first 4 d, followed by 2 d of ad libitum eating. Ad libitum energy intake, energy expenditure and physical activity level were determined as well as energy balance and body weight. Results showed that ad libitum energy intake (p = 0.031), as well as total fat (p = 0.018) increased after short compared with habitual sleep, but physical activity level, energy expenditure, energy balance, and body weight remained unaffected by sleep duration. In conclusion, sleep deprivation elevates energy intake, which may lead to positive energy balance over time and increase the risk of weight gain and/or obesity.