Constitution as Promise contends that constitutions are sets of promises. As such, it argues that they must be interpreted in a living constitutionalist manner. Chapter One argues that constitutions meet the analytic criteria to be considered promises. It is argued that constitutions are expressions of the intention of a government to bind itself to a set of principles. Absent this expression, citizens lack assurance of the protection of their rights and legal recourse when their rights are violated. Chapter Two considers the use of promise in contract theory and investigates its viability in constitutional theory. Some theories of contract are skeptical of promise as a basis for contract. The chapter argues that while promise may be an inadequate moral underpinning for the law of contract, it is apt for the law of constitutions. Chapter Three notes that constitutions are sets of vague promises. Vague promises ought not be interpreted solely in accordance with the intentions of promisors or promisees. Traditional forms of originalism contend that constitutions should be interpreted according to the intentions of their framers. So, constitution as promise rules out traditional forms of originalism. Chapter Four considers the positive consequences of constitution as promise. It argues that vague promises ought to be interpreted through a negotiation process between promisor and promisee. This negotiation should consider what moral reasoning reveals about the promise’s terms, the context in which the promise was uttered, the capacities and competing obligations of the promisor, and the expectations of the promisee. To properly consider these factors, the chapter maintains that the negotiation must occur on a case-by-case basis, incrementally specifying the promise’s terms. The chapter then notes the similarities between this negotiation process and the interpretive suggestions of living constitutionalism. It concludes that living constitutionalism is entailed by the promissory nature of constitutions. / Thesis / Master of Philosophy (MA) / Constitution as Promise investigates the interpretive consequences of conceptualizing constitutions as promises from governments to citizens. It first argues that constitutions satisfy the criteria to be considered promises. It then maintains that the morality of promising is apt for application to constitutional law. In the third and fourth chapters, it considers how one ought to interpret vague promises. Vague promises, it argues, should be interpreted incrementally, on a case-by-case basis. The promisor and the promisee must come to an agreement about what their vague promise requires, as new cases arise. When they cannot agree, promisor and promisee need an adjudicator. Since constitutions are sets of vague promises, they must also be interpreted incrementally, on a case-by-case basis and require adjudication where agreement is impossible. Constitution as Promise concludes that the only available interpretive theory that is sensitive to constitution’s nature as vague promise is living constitutionalism. As such, constitutions ought to be interpreted in a living constitutionalist manner.

In my work, I deal with the specifics of the business environment of Egypt with the possibility of doing business for Czech subjects there. The aim of this thesis is to describe the specifics of Egypt's business environment, identify promising sectors for Czech exporters and process useful information of companies and individuals who operate in this market. The second part deals with the evaluation of research experience of Czech companies operating in Egypt.

<p>It was hypothesized that in a decision-making situation, individuals will not only think of an optimal alternative but also as the most promising alternative, choose the alternative that is closest to their optimal alternative. Therefore, based on participants’ optimal alternative, five alternatives, each equal in terms of constant Multi-attribute Utility, were presented to participants. Two of the alternatives were constructed to be most similar to the participant’s optimal alternative, two alternatives were associated with two non-compensatory rules, and one alternative was not linked to any decision making rule. Results showed that participants thought not only of an optimal alternative in the given decision-making situation, they also chose the alternative that was most similar to their optimal. This alternative also got highest preference ratings. These findings present an optimal alternative. In addition, they demonstrate the influence that such an alternative have on the outcome in a decision-making situation.</p>

It was hypothesized that in a decision-making situation, individuals will not only think of an optimal alternative but also as the most promising alternative, choose the alternative that is closest to their optimal alternative. Therefore, based on participants’ optimal alternative, five alternatives, each equal in terms of constant Multi-attribute Utility, were presented to participants. Two of the alternatives were constructed to be most similar to the participant’s optimal alternative, two alternatives were associated with two non-compensatory rules, and one alternative was not linked to any decision making rule. Results showed that participants thought not only of an optimal alternative in the given decision-making situation, they also chose the alternative that was most similar to their optimal. This alternative also got highest preference ratings. These findings present an optimal alternative. In addition, they demonstrate the influence that such an alternative have on the outcome in a decision-making situation.

Pitaya (Hylocereus peruvianus Backeb.) is an epiphytic wild cacti specie that grows in deciduous forests of northwestern Peru. It can be found in the district of Saña (Chiclayo-Lambayeque), Piura and Tumbes; however, they are not exploited in their natural state. The specie is considered a promising commercial crop due to its high nutritional value, medicinal properties and its elevated price in the national and international market. For people that are involved in this activity along the value chain, it may also improve their quality of life. Therefore, the cultivation and commercialization of pitaya is proposed as a strategy to create jobs, promote better consumption patterns and this, overall, improve the population’s quality of life in the district of Frias (Ayabaca-Piura) that will eventually lead to broader territorial development processes. / La pitaya (Hylocereus peruvianus Backeb.) es una especie de cactus epífito que se desarrolla de manera silvestre en el bosque deciduo del noroeste peruano. Puede ser encontrada en el distrito de Saña (Chiclayo-Lambayeque), Piura y Tumbes; sin embargo no es explotada en su estado natural. La especie es considerada un cultivo promisorio debido a su gran valor nutricional, propiedades medicinales y su alto precio en el mercado nacional e internacional siendo posible mejorar los niveles de calidad de vida de las poblaciones involucradas en esta actividad a lo largo de la cadena de valor. Por ello, se propone el cultivo y comercialización de pitaya como estrategia para generar empleo, mejorar los patrones de consumo y por lo tanto mejorar el nivel de calidad de vida de la población del distrito de Frías (Ayabaca-Piura) apoyando, de esta manera, procesos más amplios de desarrollo del territorio.

The Finkelstein and Schoenfeld (FS) test is a popular generalized pairwise comparison approach to analyze prioritized composite endpoints (e.g., components are assessed in order of clinical importance). Power and sample size estimation for the FS test, however, are generally done via simulation studies. This simulation approach can be extremely computationally burdensome, compounded by an increasing number of composite endpoints and with increasing sample size. We propose an analytic solution to calculate power and sample size for commonly encountered two-component hierarchical composite endpoints. The power formulas are derived assuming underlying distributions in each of the component outcomes on the population level, which provide a computationally efficient and practical alternative to the standard simulation approach. The proposed analytic approach is extended to derive conditional power formulas, which are used in combination with the promising zone methodology to perform sample size re-estimation in the setting of adaptive clinical trials. Prioritized composite endpoints with more than two components are also investigated. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation studies were conducted to demonstrate that the performance of the proposed analytic approach is consistent with that of the standard simulation approach. We also demonstrate through simulations that the proposed methodology possesses generally desirable objective properties including robustness to mis-specified underlying distributional assumptions. We illustrate our proposed methods through application of the proposed formulas by calculating power and sample size for the Transthyretin Amyloidosis Cardiomyopathy Clinical Trial (ATTR-ACT) and the EMPULSE trial for empagliozin treatment of acute heart failure.

This study examined the lived experiences of teachers and administrators as reflected in their responses regarding instructional materials, instructional delivery, social and emotional well-being of students, and access to critical school services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants shared their experiences about how the instructional materials and delivery modes were selected as well as the guidance and support given by school administrators. Major challenges and concerns along with promising practices related to student engagement, social and emotional well-being of students, and access to critical school services were identified.

The U.S. furniture industry is facing intense foreign competition due to globalization. U.S. Competitiveness Survey identified responsiveness and on-time delivery as the major strategic areas to improve competitive advantage. To enable the U.S. furniture industry to become more responsive to customers and simultaneously ensure on-time delivery, an order promising framework was proposed for a make-to-order environment. The proposed order promising strategy was to implement advanced scheduling based on a drum-rope-buffer control system. A study was conducted on an upholstery manufacturing industry to demonstrate the potential lead-time improvement that may arise from implementing the proposed strategy. To carry out the study, a prototype database application was developed based on the operational policy of the example company to support order promising. The study results showed a possible improvement of 67% in the current lead-time performance of the company. Finally, a set of recommendations was made to develop an order promising system for the furniture industry.

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