Actualmente existe una creciente demanda de sistemas flexibles, adaptables y con gran escalabilidad para apoyar las interacciones de personas e instituciones distribuidas en entornos heterogéneos. Esto se debe principalmente al incremento en la necesidad de trabajo colaborativo y la descentralización de los procesos en muchos dominios de aplicación. Por lo general, estas aplicaciones de software deben seguir legislaciones y normativas específicas, es decir, las entidades que participan en el sistema tienen derechos, deberes y restricciones específicas. Al igual que en otros trabajos del área, en esta tesis se utiliza el término sistemas normativos abiertos para referirse a los sistemas de este tipo. El desarrollo de sistemas normativos abiertos puede producir importantes beneficios para las compañías que los usen, ya que permiten la comunicación de instituciones, entidades heterogéneas y diferentes dispositivos con el fin de lograr tanto los objetivos globales del sistema como los individuales de cada institución y entidad. Sin embargo, también hay algunas cuestiones importantes que potencialmente pueden complicar el análisis, diseño e implementación de estos sistemas. La mayoría de estos problemas están relacionados con la interoperabilidad de sus procesos, la privacidad, la combinación de los objetivos individuales y la combinación de las restricciones y la legislación de cada una de las entidades del sistema. Por lo tanto, es necesario el uso de métodos de ingeniería del software y herramientas de desarrollo para hacer frente a estos problemas y guiar a los desarrolladores durante el proceso de desarrollo. La tecnología basada en sistemas multiagente (SMA) es considerada una buena candidata para el desarrollo de sistemas normativos abiertos. Durante los últimos años, el uso de las tecnologías SMA se ha incrementado no sólo en el ámbito académico, sino también en el desarrollo e implementación de aplicaciones industriales. Los SMA se han establecido como un paradigma de la ingeniería de software para la creación de sistemas adaptativos complejos, en entornos distribuidos y heterogéneos. Esta tesis se centra en el análisis y diseño de sistemas normativos abiertos utilizando la tecnología SMA. Algunas metodologías SMA se dedican al desarrollo de sistemas de este tipo. Sin embargo, después de analizar en qué medida las metodologías SMA actuales soportan el análisis y el diseño de estos sistemas, podemos concluir que todavía hay importantes problemas a resolver en el área. Algunos de estos problemas son la integración del contexto normativo del sistema durante el proceso de desarrollo, la falta de directrices para identificar y formalizar este contexto normativo, la falta de técnicas de validación y verificación que garanticen la coherencia del diseño final respecto a los requisitos del sistema, la coherencia entre los objetivos individuales, y la coherencia de las restricciones de cada entidad respecto al contexto normativo del sistema global. La principal aportación de esta tesis es una nueva metodología SMA llamada ROMAS (Sistemas Multiagente Regulados y Abiertos), que se centra en el análisis y diseño de procesos para el desarrollo de sistemas multiagente organizacionales, donde los agentes interactúan por medio de servicios estándares, y donde las relaciones sociales y contractuales se formalizan mediante normas y contratos. La metodología ROMAS define un proceso de desarrollo orientado a agentes y proporciona guías específicas para identificar y formalizar el marco normativo del sistema, así como las comunicaciones y los intercambios de servicios y recursos. ROMAS especifica tanto el comportamiento global del sistema como las características individuales de cada entidad. En la metodología ROMAS, agentes, roles y organizaciones se definen a través de una estructura social formal basada en un arquitectura orientada a servicios. Aquí, las organizaciones representan un conjunto de personas e instituciones que tienen que coor / Garcia Marques, ME. (2013). Engineering Regulated Open Multiagent Systems [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/28588

Yes / Purpose – The main purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of how different aspects of the national institutional environment may influence the level of innovative entrepreneurial activity across countries. Several institutional and conductive factors affecting a country’s capacity to support innovative entrepreneurship is explored. Design/methodology/approach – Institutional theory is used to examine the national regulatory, normative, cognitive, and conducive aspects that measure a country's ability to support innovative entrepreneurship. A cross-national institutional profile is constructed to validate an entrepreneurial innovation model. The impact of country-level national institutions on innovative entrepreneurial activity as measured by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data is assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – Knowledge about the influence of specific institutional aspects on innovative entrepreneurship, and hence of institutional structures within and across countries, is enhanced. For new innovative enterprises, conductive and regulatory aspects seem to matter most. All conductive factors have a significant and positive impact on entrepreneurial activity rates. Research limitations/implications – Results could support policy makers and practitioners in evaluating government policies’ effect on innovative entrepreneurship. Interventions should target both individual attributes and context. Future research could include longitudinal designs to measure the direction of causality. Practical implications – Aspects such as regulatory institutions, and conductive factors such as ICT use and technology adoption, are important for innovation entrepreneurship development. / The full text will be made available when the article is officially published.

Yes / Purpose: To demonstrate methods that enable visual field sensitivities to be compared with normative data without restriction to a fixed test pattern. Methods: Healthy participants (n = 60, age 19–50) undertook microperimetry (MAIA-2) using 237 spatially dense locations up to 13° eccentricity. Surfaces were fit to the mean, variance, and 5th percentile sensitivities. Goodness-of-fit was assessed by refitting the surfaces 1000 times to the dataset and comparing estimated and measured sensitivities at 50 randomly excluded locations. A leave-one-out method was used to compare individual data with the 5th percentile surface. We also considered cases with unknown fovea location by adding error sampled from the distribution of relative fovea–optic disc positions to the test locations and comparing shifted data to the fixed surface. Results: Root mean square (RMS) difference between estimated and measured sensitivities were less than 0.5 dB and less than 1.0 dB for the mean and 5th percentile surfaces, respectively. Root mean square differences were greater for the variance surface, median 1.4 dB, range 0.8 to 2.7 dB. Across all participants 3.9% (interquartile range, 1.8–8.9%) of sensitivities fell beneath the 5th percentile surface, close to the expected 5%. Positional error added to the test grid altered the number of locations falling beneath the 5th percentile surface by less than 1.3% in 95% of participants. Conclusions: Spatial interpolation of normative data enables comparison of sensitivity measurements from varied visual field locations. Conventional indices and probability maps familiar from standard automated perimetry can be produced. These methods may enhance the clinical use of microperimetry, especially in cases of nonfoveal fixation.

No / This paper provides the results of re-evaluation of a young adult individual from the Romano-British cemetery of 76 Kingsholm, Gloucester with club foot defomity by (Roberts et al 2004). Our reanalysis revealed an extensive bilateral asymmetry involving the lower and upper limb, spine and cranium and a right scoliosis, indicating more than the lower limb was affected. Consideration of the position and shape of the articulated club foot indicated a positional rather than a developmental condition, probably due to unilateral paralysis. Differential diagnosis considered congenital and acquired neuromuscular conditions; we argue that poliomyelitis is the most likely cause. Poliomyelitis is secondary to the infection with poliovirus that can affect the motor neurons from the spinal cord, causing a flaccid paralysis without sensory affection. Because the virus affects individual nerves, the paralysis is muscle-specific causing muscle imbalances and poor posture which can result in deformities and muscle disuse atrophy. Shortening of the leg is the most characteristic sign, however other typical deformations are in the lower limbs are external rotation of the knee, knee hyperestension, ankle and foot deformities (all observed in K131). The evaluation of K131’s entheses and bone structure suggests that, in life, this individual showed physical deformities consisting of a possibly visible atrophy of the left arm and leg, asymmetric gait, clubfoot and slight scoliosis which would have affected not only his appearance but also his ability to move and perform certain tasks. K131’s burial treatment is entirely normative for the period and the wider cemetery context. This could suggest that despite their impairment, this individual was not necessarily marginalised within their social context. However, historical sources account for extensive marginalisation and cruel treatment of the disabled and deformed in this period. So, whilst K131 was buried in a normative manner, it is difficult to reach definitive conclusions regarding how this individual was treated by their contemporaries.

A normative study of a regional organisation exercising governance using Global governance as a guiding theory. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of the biggest regional organisations, often compared to the European Union (EU) in terms of efficacy and non-legal binding approach, as well as the non-conformity of western liberal ideology. This thesis conducts a case study of ASEAN through the lens of interpretivist ontology and epistemology using critical discourse analysis while considering the deviation of the regional history, experience, and identity. The inevitable fully leaning reliance on technology that runs the societal and political infrastructure today has resulted in many states and regions to develop their Privacy law or internet governance. The thesis analyses frameworks, publications, and dialogues among ASEAN Member states as well as their dialogue partners. The texts are placed within the discursive practices that ASEAN functions as a collective entity in international relations in which governance no longer requires an official body of government. ASEAN’s long record of cooperation has always been motivated by economic prosperity. There is a notable growing concerns of privacy which is in need of data protection, ASEAN has displayed the realisation as well as a potential and gradual shift into a mindset where digital footprint can transcend from a nascent norm into what other community might take for granted as a universal right to the general public and the basic obligation of the government.

No description available.

The international arms trade is of strategic and economic importance for the sending and receiving state. Due to the violent nature of arms however, the rhetoric of ethical considerations has become more profound in Western democracies following the end of the cold war. Despite this, previous research has shown that there is a discrepancy between words and actions. This phenomenon is captured in the term organized hypocrisy. No similar study on the case of Sweden has been done however, which I deem best suited for a least likely case study. Using quantitative methods to estimate the effect of variables on the probability of Sweden exporting arms, I find a positive correlation between the potential recipient’s democratic situation and the probability of exporting arms. These results contradict the theory of organized hypocrisy, hopefully contributing to the field and the debate on contemporary arms trade.

German text / Die vorliegende Arbeit schlägt eine Brücke über den Graben zwischen dem normativ-ethischen Anspruch an die Lebenslänglichkeit einer Ehe und Gottes gnädigem Handeln gegenüber dem scheiternden Menschen. Anhand des Umgangs der Kirchen und Glaubensgemeinschaften mit Ehescheidung und Wiederheirat wird dieser Graben aufgezeigt. Es ergibt sich, dass die bestehende Spannung jeweils durch die einseitige Betonung von Norm oder Gnade aufgelöst wird. Die Grundlage für die Diskussion bilden das massgebende Eheverständnis sowie die Bestimmung des Verhältnisses zwischen theologischer Ethik und dem Konzept der Gnade als Handlungsprinzip Gottes. Darum werden in dieser Forschungsarbeit zuerst die theologiegeschichtlich gewachsenen Eheverständnisse und die unterschiedlichen Normen- und Gnadenverständnisse der römisch katholischen Kirche, der evangelischen Kirchen und der evangelikalen Gemeinschaften in Bezug auf den Umgang mit Scheidung und Wiederheirat untersucht. Aufgrund der herausgearbeiteten Übereinstimmungen und Unterschiede wird anschliessend anhand eines von der Vergebung ausgehenden Denkansatzes der Graben zwischen normativer Ethik und dem Konzept der Gnade überbrückt, die Spannung aber nicht aufgehoben. Daraus werden mögliche Auswirkungen im Umgang mit Scheidung und Wiederheirat für die Kirchen und Gemeinschaften abgeleitet. / The present thesis bridges the gap between the normative-ethical standard of lifelong marriage on the one hand and God’s grace for men‘s failures on the other hand. Considering the practices of churches and communities with regard to divorce and remarriage, this gap is demonstrated. It is found that the associated tension is eliminated by an unilateral choice of either the normative aspect or the principle of grace. The basis for the discussion is provided by the relevant understanding of marriage and the determination of the relationship between theological ethics and grace as the principle of God's action towards mankind. Therefore, this thesis investigates the evolution of the theological understanding of marriage during history and the different understandings of norms and grace in the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Evangelical Free Communities with regard to their handling of divorce and remarriage. Considering the resulting similarities and differences, I propose – building on the fact of God’s forgiveness – how to bridge the gap between normative ethics and the concept of grace without eliminating the obvious tension. Finally, possible consequences for how to handle divorce and remarriage by churches and communities are drawn. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Theological Ethics)

Le droit international véhicule des principes de droits des femmes dits universels. Pourtant, ces droits prennent un tout autre sens lorsque confrontés aux réalités locales. En Inde, le droit hindou entretient la notion de devoirs par opposition aux droits individuels. Ainsi, la femme est définie selon ses relations à la famille et au mariage plutôt que selon ses libertés sociales. Toute dérogation dans les devoirs de la femme envers sa famille ou son mari est une raison valable pour punir la délinquance et discipliner. Cette étude s’intéresse aux tensions entre les standards internationaux et locaux à partir de l’étude de la Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act de 2005 (PWDVA). Cette loi se trouve au confluent de l’universalisme du droit international des droits humains et du pluralisme culturel en Inde. La PWDVA semble remettre en question le statut de la femme et de la famille dans la société. Les idéaux du droit peuvent-ils être adaptés aux diverses réalités nationales et locales? Comment les organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) s’inscrivent-elles dans la conjugaison du droit vivant et du droit international pour contrer la violence domestique? Cette recherche étudie le rôle des ONG dans l’adaptation et la traduction des normes internationales dans le contexte culturel et social indien. Une analyse approfondie de documents théoriques et juridiques, des observations participatives et des entrevues au sein d'une ONG à Mumbai en 2013 ont permis d’observer la transition des normes internationales vers le local. Un tel séjour de recherche fut possible à l’aide d'une méthodologie suivant le cadre théorique du féminisme postmoderne et de l’anthropologie juridique. L’analyse des résultats a mené à la conclusion que les ONG jouent un rôle de médiateur entre les normes appartenant au droit international, au droit national indien et au droit vivant. Celles-ci doivent interpréter les droits humains intégrés à la PWDVA en reconnaissant ce qui est idéaliste et ce qui est réaliste à la lumière des réalités locales, faisant ainsi l’équilibre entre le besoin de transformations des communautés et le respect des valeurs à préserver. Cette recherche offre donc une ouverture quant aux solutions possibles pour contrer les tensions entre droits des femmes et droits culturels dans un contexte de développement international. / International law carries principles of women’s rights that are called universal. However, those rights take on a whole new meaning when confronted to local realities. In India, Hindu law embodies notion of duty rather than individual rights. Thereby, a woman is defined through her relations towards her family and husband at the expense of social freedoms. In her duties towards her family and husband, any deviation will justify punishment and discipline. This research focuses on the tensions between international and local standards through the study of the 2005 Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA). This law is at the conjunction of the universality of human rights law and the Indian cultural pluralism. The PWDVA seems to question the status of woman and family in India. Can legal ideals be adapted within diverse national and local realities? How do non-governmental organizations (NGOs) get involved in the conjugation of living law and international law to counter domestic violence? This thesis studies the NGOs’ role in the adaptation and the translation of international norms into Indian cultural and social context. A depth analysis of theoretical and legal literature, participative observations and interviews without an NGO in Mumbai in 2013 helped to show the transition of international norms to local justice. The field study was possible through the methodology related to postmodern feminism and legal anthropology. The data analysis led to the conclusion that NGOs play a mediating role between norms for international, national and living law. They have to interpret the PWDVA and the human rights imbedded in it while recognizing different idealistic and realistic components in local realities. They strive to establish a balance between communities’ need of change and observance of values to be preserved. This research provides an overview of local solutions to counter those tensions between women’s rights and cultural rights in an international development context.

Sous l’angle du droit international, la responsabilité de protéger est traditionnellement analysée dans le but de déterminer sa portée normative. L’attrait de la doctrine internationaliste pour la question de la normativité du principe et l’indifférence habituelle du droit international vis-à-vis du système politique des États ont fini par confiner les développements sous les prismes parfois trop réducteurs du droit international et des relations internationales. Cette recherche entend proposer une perspective différente en prenant le contre-pied de cette approche classique. Elle aborde la problématique de la responsabilité de protéger non plus seulement sous l’angle des intervenants tiers à l’État défaillant, mais également, et surtout sous celui de cet État lui-même et de sa population. Il s’agit donc de revisiter la façon d’appréhender la responsabilité de protéger afin de montrer que le droit international n’est plus indifférent face aux systèmes politiques des États — a fortiori en crise. En interrogeant le lien entre la responsabilité de protéger et le système politique de l’État, l’analyse aboutit irrémédiablement à la conclusion selon laquelle la responsabilité de protéger est « enchassée » dans de normes qui ne sont pas exclusivement juridiques et qu’il convient dorénavant d’analyser en réseau. L’étude propose donc désormais de la qualifier de norme de congruence dès lors qu’elle conduit à apprécier la valeur juridique d’une règle de droit en tenant compte des différentes influences contenues dans celle-ci / From the perspective of international law, the responsibility to protect is traditionally analyzed in order to determine its normative scope. The attractiveness of the internationalist doctrine for the question of the normativity of the principle and the habitual indifference of international law to the political system of States ended up confining developments to the sometimes overly simplistic prisms of international law and international relations.This research intends to propose a different perspective by taking a contrary view of this classic approach. It addresses the issue of the responsibility to protect not only the point of view of third parties to the failed state, but also, and above all, the State itself and its population. It is therefore a question of revisiting the approach of apprehending the responsibility to protect in order to show that international law is no longer indifferent to the political systems of the States - let alone in crisis.In questioning the link between the responsibility to protect and the state's political system, the analysis leads irreparably to the conclusion that the responsibility to protect is “enshrined” in norms that are not exclusively legal and that currently analyze in the network. The study therefore proposes to define it as an norme de congruence since it leads to the assessment of the legal value of a rule of law taking into account the different influences contained in it