The thesis consists of four chapters. The introductory chapter clarifies different notions of rationality used by economists and gives a summary of the remainder of the thesis. Chapter 2 proposes an explanation for the common empirical observation of the coexistence of infrequently-changing regular price ceilings and promotion-like price patterns. The results derive from enriching an otherwise standard, albeit stylized, general equilibrium model with two elements. First, the consumer-producer interaction is modeled in the spirit of the price dispersion literature, by introducing oligopolistic markets, consumer search costs and heterogeneity. Second, consumers are assumed to be boundedly-rational: In order to incorporate new information about the general price level, they have to incur a small cognitive cost. The decision whether to re-optimize or act according to the obsolete knowledge about prices is itself a result of optimization. It is shown that in this economy, individual retail prices are capped below the monopoly price, but are otherwise flexible. Moreover, they have the following three properties: 1) An individual price has a positive probability of being equal to the ceiling. 2) Prices have a tendency to fall below the ceiling and then be reset back to the cap value. 3) The ceiling remains constant for extended time intervals even when the mean rate of inflation is positive. Properties 1) and 2) can be associated with promotions and properties 1) and 3) imply the emergence of nominal price rigidity. The results do not rely on any type of direct costs of price adjustment. Instead, price stickiness derives from frictions on the consumers’ side of the market, in line with the results of several managerial surveys. It is shown that the developed theory, compared to the classic menu costs-based approach, does better in matching the stylized facts about the reaction of individual prices to inflation. In terms of quantitative assessment, the model, when calibrated to realistic parameter values, produces median price ceiling durations that match values reported in empirical studies.<p><p>The starting point of the essay in Chapter 3 is the observation that the baseline New-Keynesian model, which relies solely on the notion of infrequent price adjustment, cannot account for the observed degree of inflation sluggishness. Therefore, it is a common practice among macro- modelers to introduce an ad hoc additional source of persistence to their models, by assuming that price setters, when adjusting a price of their product, do not set it equal to its unobserved individual optimal level, but instead catch up with the optimal price only gradually. In the paper, a model of incomplete adjustment is built which allows for explicitly testing whether price-setters adjust to the shocks to the unobserved optimal price only gradually and, if so, measure the speed of the catching up process. According to the author, a similar test has not been performed before. It is found that new prices do not generally match their estimated optimal level. However, only in some sectors, e.g. for some industrial goods and services, prices adjust to this level gradually, which should add to the aggregate inflation sluggishness. In other sectors, particularly food, price-setters seem to overreact to shocks, with new prices overshooting the optimal level. These sectors are likely to contribute to decreasing the aggregate inflation sluggishness. Overall, these findings are consistent with the view that price-setters are boundedly-rational. However, they do not provide clear-cut support for the existence of an additional source of inflation persistence due to gradual individual price adjustment. Instead, they suggest that general equilibrium macroeconomic models may need to include at least two types of production sectors, characterized by a contrasting behavior of price-setters. An additional finding stemming from this work is that the idiosyncratic component of the optimal individual price is well approximated by a random walk. This is in line with the assumptions maintained in most of the theoretical literature. <p><p>Chapter 4 of the thesis has been co-authored by Julia Lendvai. In this paper a full-fledged production economy model with Kahneman and Tversky’s Prospect Theory features is constructed. The agents’ objective function is assumed to be a weighted sum of the usual utility over consumption and leisure and the utility over relative changes of agents’ wealth. It is also assumed that agents are loss-averse: They are more sensitive to wealth losses than to gains. Apart from the changes in the utility, the model is set-up in a standard Real Business Cycle framework. The authors study prices of stocks and risk-free bonds in this economy. Their work shows that under plausible parameterizations of the objective function, the model is able to explain a wide set of unconditional asset return moments, including the mean return on risk-free bonds, equity premium and the Sharpe Ratio. When the degree of loss aversion in the model is additionally assumed to be state-dependent, the model also produces countercyclical risk premia. This helps it match an array of conditional moments and in particular the predictability pattern of stock returns. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Never before have humans wielded a greater ability to alter and disrupt planetary processes. Our impact is becoming so noticeable that a new geological epoch has been proposed – the Anthropocene – in which Earth systems might no longer maintain the stable and predictable conditions of the past 12 millennia. This is particularly evident in the rapid expansion of urban areas, where a majority of humans now live and where environmental changes such as rising temperatures and habitat loss are happening faster than elsewhere.  In light of this, questions have been raised about what a more responsible relationship between humans and the rest of the planet might look like. Scholars in sustainability science employ the concept of ‘stewardship’ in searching for an answer; however, with multiple different applications and definitions, there is a need to better understand what stewardship is or what novelty it might add to sustainability research. This thesis investigates stewardship empirically through two case studies of civic engagement for protecting nature in cities – Bengaluru, India and New York City, USA. Further, the thesis also proposes a conceptual framework for how to understand stewardship as a relation between humans and the rest of nature, based on three dimensions: care, knowledge and agency. This investigation into stewardship in the urban context uses a social–ecological systems approach to guide the use of mixed theory and methods from social and natural sciences. The thesis is organized in five papers. Paper I reviews defining challenges in managing urban social–ecological systems and proposes that these can more effectively be addressed by collaborative networks where public, civic, other actors contribute unique skills and abilities. Paper II and Paper III study water resource governance in Bengaluru, a city that has become dependent on external sources while its own water bodies become degraded and depleted.Paper II analyzes how locally based ‘lake groups’ are able to affect change through co-management arrangements, reversing decades of centralization and neglect of lakes’ role in Bengaluru’s water supply.Paper III uses social–ecological network analysis to analyze how patterns in lake groups’ engagements and collaborations show better fit with ecological connectivity of lakes.Paper IV employs sense of place methods to explore how personal bonds to a site shapes motivation and goals in waterfront stewardship in New York City. Finally,Paper V reviews literature on stewardship and proposes a conceptual framework to understand and relate different uses and underlying epistemological approaches in the field. In summary, this thesis presents an empirically grounded contribution to how stewardship can be understood as a human–nature relation emergent from a deep sense ofcare and responsibility, knowledge and learning about how to understand social–ecological dynamics, and theagency and skills needed to influence these dynamics in a way that benefits a greater community of humans as others. Here, the care dimension is particularly important as an underappreciated aspect of social–ecological relations, and asset for addressing spatial and temporal misalignment between management institutions and ecosystem. This thesis shows that care for nature does not erode just because green spaces are degraded by human activities – which may be crucial for promoting stewardship in the Anthropocene. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>

Le glaucome est la première cause de cécité irréversible dans le monde. Bien que sa pathogenèse demeure encore nébuleuse, les propriétés biomécaniques de l’oeil sembleraient jouer un rôle important dans le développement et la progression de cette maladie. Il est stipulé que la rigidité oculaire (RO) est altérée au travers les divers stades de la maladie et qu’elle serait le facteur le plus influent sur la réponse du nerf optique aux variations de la pression intraoculaire (PIO) au sein du glaucome. Pour permettre l’investigation du rôle de la RO dans le glaucome primaire à angle ouvert (GPAO), la capacité de quantifier la RO in vivo par l’entremise d’une méthode fiable et non-invasive est essentielle. Une telle méthode n’est disponible que depuis 2015. Basée sur l'équation de Friedenwald, cette approche combine l'imagerie par tomographie par cohérence optique (TCO) et la segmentation choroïdienne automatisée afin de mesurer le changement de volume choroïdien pulsatile (ΔV), ainsi que la tonométrie dynamique de contour Pascal pour mesurer le changement de pression pulsatile correspondant. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’évaluer la validité de cette méthode, et d’en faire usage afin d’investiguer le rôle de la RO dans les maladies oculaires, particulièrement le GPAO. Plus spécifiquement, cette thèse vise à : 1) améliorer la méthode proposée et évaluer sa validité ainsi que sa répétabilité, 2) investiguer l’association entre la RO et le dommage neuro-rétinien chez les patients glaucomateux, et ceux atteints d’un syndrome de vasospasticité, 3) évaluer l’association entre la RO et les paramètres biomécaniques de la cornée, 4) évaluer l’association entre la RO et les pics de PIO survenant suite aux thérapies par injections intravitréennes (IIV), afin de les prédire et de les prévenir chez les patients à haut risque, et 5) confirmer que la RO est réduite dans les yeux myopes. D’abord, nous avons amélioré le modèle mathématique de l’oeil utilisé pour dériver ΔV en le rendant plus précis anatomiquement et en tenant compte de la choroïde périphérique. Nous avons démontré la validité et la bonne répétabilité de cette méthodologie. Puis, nous avons effectué la mesure des coefficients de RO sur un large éventail de sujets sains et glaucomateux en utilisant notre méthode non-invasive, et avons démontré, pour la première fois, qu'une RO basse est corrélée aux dommages glaucomateux. Les corrélations observées étaient comparables à celles obtenues avec des facteurs de risque reconnus tels que la PIO maximale. Une forte corrélation entre la RO et les dommages neuro-rétiniens a été observée chez les patients vasospastiques, mais pas chez ceux atteints d'une maladie vasculaire ischémique. Cela pourrait potentiellement indiquer une plus grande susceptibilité au glaucome due à la biomécanique oculaire chez les patients vasospastiques. Bien que les paramètres biomécaniques cornéens aient été largement adoptés dans la pratique clinique en tant que substitut pour la RO, propriété biomécanique globale de l'oeil, nous avons démontré une association limitée entre la RO et ces paramètres, offrant une nouvelle perspective sur la relation entre les propriétés biomécaniques cornéennes et globales de l’oeil. Seule une faible corrélation entre le facteur de résistance cornéenne et la RO demeure après ajustement pour les facteurs de confusion dans le groupe des patients glaucomateux. Ensuite, nous avons présenté un modèle pour prédire l'amplitude des pics de PIO après IIV à partir de la mesure non-invasive de la RO. Ceci est particulièrement utile pour les patients à haut risque atteints de maladies rétiniennes exsudatives et de glaucome qui nécessiteraient des IIV thérapeutiques, et pourrait permettre aux cliniciens d'ajuster ou de personnaliser le traitement pour éviter toute perte de vision additionnelle. Enfin, nous avons étudié les différences de RO entre les yeux myopes et les non-myopes en utilisant cette technique, et avons démontré une RO inférieure dans la myopie axiale, facteur de risque du GPAO. Dans l'ensemble, ces résultats contribuent à l’avancement des connaissances sur la physiopathologie du GPAO. Le développement de notre méthode permettra non seulement de mieux explorer le rôle de la RO dans les maladies oculaires, mais contribuera également à élucider les mécanismes et développer de nouveaux traitements ciblant la RO pour contrer la déficience visuelle liée à ces maladies. / Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. While its pathogenesis is yet to be fully understood, the biomechanical properties of the eye are thought to be involved in the development and progression of this disease. Ocular rigidity (OR) is thought to be altered through disease processes and has been suggested to be the most influential factor on the optic nerve head’s response to variations in intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma. To further investigate the role of OR in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and other ocular diseases such as myopia, the ability to quantify OR in living human eyes using a reliable and non-invasive method is essential. Such a method has only become available in 2015. Based on the Friedenwald equation, the method uses time-lapse optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and automated choroidal segmentation to measure the pulsatile choroidal volume change (ΔV), and Pascal dynamic contour tonometry to measure the corresponding pulsatile pressure change. The purpose of this thesis work was to assess the validity of the methodology, then use it to investigate the role of OR in ocular diseases, particularly in OAG. More specifically, the objectives were: 1) To improve the extrapolation of ΔV and evaluate the method’s validity and repeatability, 2) To investigate the association between OR and neuro-retinal damage in glaucomatous patients, as well as those with concomitant vasospasticity, 3) To evaluate the association between OR and corneal biomechanical parameters, 4) To assess the association between OR and IOP spikes following therapeutic intravitreal injections (IVIs), to predict and prevent them in high-risk patients, and 5) To confirm that OR is lower in myopia. First, we improved the mathematical model of the eye used to derive ΔV by rendering it more anatomically accurate and accounting for the peripheral choroid. We also confirmed the validity and good repeatability of the method. We carried out the measurement of OR coefficients on a wide range of healthy and glaucomatous subjects using this non-invasive method, and were able to show, for the first time, that lower OR is correlated with more glaucomatous damage. The correlations observed were comparable to those obtained with recognized risk factors such as maximum IOP. A strong correlation between OR and neuro-retinal damage was found in patients with concurrent vasospastic syndrome, but not in those with ischemic vascular disease. This could perhaps indicate a greater susceptibility to glaucoma due to ocular biomechanics in vasospastic patients. While corneal biomechanical parameters have been widely adopted in clinical practice as surrogate measurements for the eye’s overall biomechanical properties represented by OR, we have shown a limited association between these parameters, bringing new insight unto the relationship between corneal and global biomechanical properties. Only a weak correlation between the corneal resistance factor and OR remained in glaucomatous eyes after adjusting for confounding factors. In addition, we presented a model to predict the magnitude of IOP spikes following IVIs from the non-invasive measurement of OR. This is particularly useful for high-risk patients with exudative retinal diseases and glaucoma that require therapeutic IVIs, and could provide the clinician an opportunity to adjust or customize treatment to prevent further vision loss. Finally, we investigated OR differences between non-myopic and myopic eyes using this technique, and demonstrated lower OR in axial myopia, a risk factor for OAG. Overall, these findings provide new insights unto the pathophysiology of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. The development of our method will permit further investigation of the role of OR in ocular diseases, contributing to elucidate mechanisms and provide novel management options to counter vision impairment caused by these diseases.

The thesis Difficulties of the EU - Cohesion Policy Implementation System in the Czech Republic in the Programming period 2007-2013 deals with application of the theories of the European integration on two case studies. In the first part of the thesis the general history of the EU - structural policy is described. The second part is dedicated to the history of the structural policy in the Czech Republic. The third part is concerned with the theoretical definition of the topic and leads to a definition of the hypothesis and the research method. The main theoretical approach for the case studies is the multi-level governance theory, which describes multi-level sharing of authority among different types of actors. None of those actors has a power to define final version of the given policy. The case studies, which in detail examine the development and the efficiency of the implementation system of structural policy in Czech Republic, prove that this environment can cause the coordination dilemma connected with overuse of the free-riding tactics and high transaction costs. The combination of those elements leads to highly rigid system of implementation.

The aim of this final thesis was static protection for castle in Miroslavské Knínice. It was necessary to explore several respects and find signs of violation. Next analyze and propose suitable assurance of individual parts. Separe into the stages of construction and to consider the proposal in terms of ensuring the resistance of materials. Finally create a detailed documentation in the range suitable for performance. Based on engineering geology and visual survey was designed horizontal bracing prestressing cables at three levels. The first level "A" consists of a closed circuit of prestressed reinforced concrete passports, supplemented by the cross and construction of prestressed reinforced concrete passports. Next level "B,C" is used to secure the top of the building. Levels “B,C” are proposed using prestressed cable in spare cable channels.

Esta investigación aborda la real influencia que tiene el agrietamiento de los elementos estructurales en la reducción de rigidez cuando se produce un evento sísmico. Para ello, en primer lugar, describió la realidad problemática, los antecedentes y generalidades previos acerca del tema para determinar qué tipo de edificación utilizar. En segundo lugar, el marco teórico expuso un conjunto de conceptos fundamentales necesarios para entender el agrietamiento del concreto, la obtención de la inercia efectiva, la irregularidad de edificaciones y se dio un repaso sobre las consideraciones de normas extranjeras. En tercer lugar, se determinó trabajar con 6 planos de viviendas multifamiliares, de los cuales 3 fueron estructuras regulares y 3 fueron irregulares. Asimismo, se subdividió las estructuras en alturas de 5, 10 y 15 pisos, ya que son el tipo de edificación que más se construyen en Lima. Después se halló los parámetros geográficos, de uso y geométricos a partir de la Norma E-030, para luego realizar el análisis sísmico lineal (estático y dinámico). Luego, se realizó los diagramas de momento – curvatura (vigas, columnas y placas), para que, a partir de ellos, obtener un factor de reducción de la inercia bruta y realizar un nuevo análisis sísmico considerando este valor como efecto del agrietamiento. Finalmente, se realizó un análisis comparativo entre los resultados obtenidos de acuerdo a la altura en edificaciones regulares e irregulares. / This research addresses the real influence of the cracking of structural elements in the reduction of rigidity when a seismic event occurs. To do this, first, he described the problematic reality, the background and previous generalities about the topic to determine what type of building to use. Secondly, the theoretical framework exposed a set of fundamental concepts necessary to understand the cracking of concrete, the obtaining of effective inertia, the irregularity of buildings and a review of the considerations of foreign standards. In the third place, it was determined to work with 6 multifamily housing plans, of which 3 were regular structures and 3 were irregular. Likewise, the structures were subdivided into heights of 5, 10 and 15 floors, since they are the type of building that is most constructed in Lima. Afterwards, the geographic, use and geometrical parameters were found from the E-030 standard, to then perform the linear seismic analysis (static and dynamic). Then, the moment diagrams - curvature (beams, columns and plates) were made, so that from them, obtain a reduction factor of the gross inertia and perform a new seismic analysis considering this value as an effect of cracking. Finally, a comparative analysis was made between the results obtained according to the height in regular and irregular buildings. / Tesis

Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-04T12:36:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009 / Este trabalho propõe analisar o fenômeno da terceirização desenvolvido ao longo das duas últimas décadas em Bio-Manguinhos. Trata-se de um estudo de caso realizado na unidade de produção de vacinas e reagentes para diagnóstico da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Inicialmente foi realizado um estudo de cenário, analisando a política de gestão do trabalho desenvolvida pelo Estado brasileiro para as instituições públicas. A seguir, a análise passou a verificar a inserção da Fiocruz nessas políticas, desde a sua criação e no decorrer de vigência de diferentes formas de contratação, alternando da extrema rigidez para a total flexibilidade sempre com foco na gestão do trabalho, e, como essas políticas se refletiram no desempenho de Bio-Manguinhos. Baseado no contexto da conformação do Estado e na análise do desempenho da unidade, o trabalho critica a falta de planejamento e de prospecção dessas políticas, que favoreça a inovação de processos, produtos e procedimentos e o desempenho pleno de uma unidade de produção de insumos para a saúde, tão necessários ao atendimento das necessidades da população brasileira. Critica também, a ausência de um modelo de Estado consolidado que sirva de arcabouço à formulação dessas políticas. Devido às fortes críticas dos órgãos de controle acerca da extrapolação dos limites da terceirização praticada nas últimas duas décadas e à falta de definição clara desses marcos legais, o trabalho apresenta uma metodologia baseada nas atribuições dos cargos do plano de carreiras da Fiocruz e culmina com a apresentação de uma matriz de atribuições passíveis de serem realizadas por contratação indireta. Conclui pela necessidade de convivência de dois quadros de trabalhadores: um permanente formado por servidores, estáveis e de carreira e outro flexível, executado por contratação indireta, de caráter eventual, temporário ou de apoio às atividades relacionadas à missão de Bio-Manguinhos. O trabalho ainda sugere a aplicação da mesma metodologia às demais unidades da Fiocruz e que a instituição afirme, frente aos órgãos de controle, quais atividades que ela precisa manter no quadro de servidores permanente e quais ela quer delegar a terceiros sem contudo, ferir a legislação vigente. Por fim, constata-se que a metodologia apresentada ameniza, mas não resolve o problema, dessa forma, recomenda-se à Fiocruz buscar mecanismos que altere o modelo de gestão pelo qual está submetida a fim de viabilizar as duas formas de incorporação de mão-de-obra.