Läpp-, käk och gomspalt (LKG) kan medföra svårigheter med tal, artikulation och röst. Enligt tidigare forskning har vuxna individer behandlade för LKG liknande förekomst av röstavvikelser som kontrollpersoner utan spalt. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka grad av röstavvikelser hos vuxna patienter behandlade för enkelsidig LKG och kartlägga eventuella samband mellan röstavvikelser och kirurgiska metoder för gomslutning, kön och operation med eller utan svalglambå samt jämföra röstresultat med data från individer utan LKG. Sjuttio patienter behandlade för enkelsidig genomgående LKG deltog i studien, varav 45 patienter hade opererats med gomslutning i en seans och 25 patienter hade opererats i två seanser. Elva av patienterna i patientgruppen hade genomgått svalglambåoperation. I studien ingick även en åldersmatchad kontrollgrupp med 63 individer utan LKG. Röstinspelningar utvärderades med perceptuell röstbedömning med Stockholm Voice Evaluation Approach (SVEA) av två erfarna logopeder. Skattning skedde individuellt av randomiserade och blindade inspelningar. Inter- och intrabedömarreliabilitet beräknades. Grad av avvikelse i röstkvalité var ca. 5/100 i patientgrupp och kontrollgrupp vilket är lägre jämfört med tidigare studier. “Knarr” fanns lägre i patientgruppen i jämförelse med kontrollgrupp. Skattningar av övriga röstparametrar skiljde sig inte mellan patientgrupp och kontrollgrupp. Patienter opererade med gomslutning i en eller två seanser hade inga skillnader i röstparametrar. Enstaka små skillnader fanns mellan könen. Ingen skillnad fanns mellan patienter som genomgått svalglambåoperation och de som inte gjort det. / Cleft lip and palate (CLP) may cause impairments in speech, articulation and voice. Treatment of patients with CLP include different types of palatoplasty. Recent studies have found a comparable prevalence rate of dysphonia in adult patients treated for CLP and controls without cleft. The purpose of this study was to investigate the rate of dysphonic deviation in adult patients treated for unilateral CLP and determine, if any, the relationship between voice quality outcome and differences in surgical procedures, gender, palatoplasty with or without pharyngeal flap surgery and compare the voice characteristics with age related normative data. Seventy patients treated for unilateral CLP with one- or two-stage palatoplasty participated in this study, of which 45 patientshad undergone one-stage palatoplasty and 25 patients two-stage palatoplasty. Eleven ofthe patients had also undergone pharyngeal flap surgery. Data from an age matched non-cleft group consisted of 63 participants. Sound recordings of participants' voices were perceptually assessed by two speech-language pathologists. Individual ratings of randomized and blinded sound recordings were performed. Inter- and intra-raterreliability was calculated. The study showed a lower degree of dysphonia in patients treated for unilateral CLP than earlier studies. Among patients treated for unilateral CLP and the non-cleft group, a degree of approximately 5/100 voice quality deviation was found. ”Vocal fry” was found significantly lower in patients treated for CLP than the non-cleft group. Measures of voice parameters did not differ significantly between patients and non-cleft groups. Patients that had undergone palatoplasty in one or two stages showed no significant differences in voice parameters. Minor statistical significance was found in a few of the measured voice parameters as related to gender. Between patients that had undergone pharyngeal flap surgery and those that had not no differences were found.

No description available.

A Fuzzy Preference Framework for the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (FGM) is developed so that real-world conflicts in which decision makers (DMs) have uncertain preferences can be modeled and analyzed mathematically in order to gain strategic insights. The graph model methodology constitutes both a formal representation of a multiple participant-multiple objective decision problem and a set of analysis procedures that provide insights into them. Because crisp or definite preference is a special case of fuzzy preference, the new framework of the graph model can include---and integrate into the analysis---both certain and uncertain information about DMs' preferences. In this sense, the FGM is an important generalization of the existing graph model for conflict resolution. One key contribution of this study is to extend the four basic graph model stability definitions to models with fuzzy preferences. Together, fuzzy Nash stability, fuzzy general metarationality, fuzzy symmetric metarationality, and fuzzy sequential stability provide a realistic description of human behavior under conflict in the face of uncertainty. A state is fuzzy stable for a DM if a move to any other state is not sufficiently likely to yield an outcome the DM prefers, where sufficiency is measured according to a fuzzy satisficing threshold that is characteristic of the DM. A fuzzy equilibrium, an outcome that is fuzzy stable for all DMs, therefore represents a possible resolution of the conflict. To demonstrate their applicability, the fuzzy stability definitions are applied to a generic two-DM sustainable development conflict, in which a developer plans to build or operate a project inspected by an environmental agency. This application identifies stable outcomes, and thus clarifies the necessary conditions for sustainability. The methodology is then applied to an actual dispute with more than two DMs concerning groundwater contamination that took place in Elmira, Ontario, Canada, again uncovering valuable strategic insights. To investigate how DMs with fuzzy preferences can cooperate in a strategic conflict, coalition fuzzy stability concepts are developed within FGM. In particular, coalition fuzzy Nash stability, coalition fuzzy general metarationality, coalition fuzzy symmetric metarationality, and coalition fuzzy sequential stability are defined, for both a coalition and a single DM. These concepts constitute a natural generalization of the corresponding non-cooperative fuzzy preference-based definitions for Nash stability, general metarationality, symmetric metarationality, and sequential stability, respectively. As a follow-up analysis of the non-cooperative fuzzy stability results and to demonstrate their applicability, the coalition fuzzy stability definitions are applied to the aforementioned Elmira groundwater contamination conflict. These new concepts can be conveniently utilized in the study of practical problems in order to gain strategic insights and to compare conclusions derived from both cooperative and non-cooperative stability notions. A fuzzy option prioritization technique is developed within the FGM so that uncertain preferences of DMs in strategic conflicts can be efficiently modeled as fuzzy preferences by using the fuzzy truth values they assign to preference statements about feasible states. The preference statements of a DM express desirable combinations of options or courses of action, and are listed in order of importance. A fuzzy truth value is a truth degree, expressed as a number between 0 and 1, capturing uncertainty in the truth of a preference statement at a feasible state. It is established that the output of a fuzzy preference formula, developed based on the fuzzy truth values of preference statements, is always a fuzzy preference relation. The fuzzy option prioritization methodology can also be employed when the truth values of preference statements at feasible states are formally based on Boolean logic, thereby generating a crisp preference over feasible states that is the same as would be found using the existing crisp option prioritization approach. Therefore, crisp option prioritization is a special case of fuzzy option prioritization. To demonstrate how this methodology can be used to represent fuzzy preferences in real-world problems, the new fuzzy option prioritization technique is applied to the Elmira aquifer contamination conflict. It is observed that the fuzzy preferences obtained by employing this technique are very close to those found using the rather complicated and tedious pairwise comparison approach.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe analizuojama atlygintinų paslaugų teikimo sutartis, jos nuostatas reglamentuojantys Lietuvos Respublikos bei kiti Europos Sąjungos teisės aktai, mokslinė literatūra bei Lietuvos Aukščiausiojo Teismo praktika nagrinėjama tema. Vykdant darbo pradžioje iškeltus uždavinius, pateikiama atlygintinų paslaugų teikimo sutarties samprata ir specifika, apžvelgiama jos sudarymo, vykdymo bei sutarties sąlygų ir šalių keitimo tvarka, analizuojamos šios sutarties šalių teisių ir pareigų, atsakomybės ribos. Darbo pabaigoje pateikiamos išvados, išdėstomi argumentai iškeltai hipotezei pagrįsti. Darbo apimtis - 73 puslapiai. / This master's work analyzes contract of repayable services, the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania and European Union, scientific literature and practice of Lithuanian Supreme Court which is related on this topic. In order to implement the tasks, which were set in the beginning of master’s work, author presents the concept and main peculiarities of the contracts of repayable services, contracts compiling, implementation, and possibilities to change the conditions or countries of repayable services contract’s. Also this work presents analyzes of parties rights and obligations, liability limits of this agreement. In the end of this master’s work author presents the conclusions and arguments to approve the raised hypothesis. This master’s work contents 73 pages.

No description available.

Magister Legum - LLM

The present work deals with the numerical solution of dynamic contact and fracture problems. The contact problem is a Signorini problem with or without Coulomb friction. The fracture problem uses a cohesive zone model with a prescribed crack path. These problems are characterized by a non-regular boundary condition and can be formulated with evolutionary variational inequations or differential inclusions. For the numerical solution, we combine, as usual in solid dynamics, a finite element discretization in space and time-integration schemes. For the contact problem, we begin by comparing the main methods proposed in the literature. We then focus on the so-called modified mass method recently introduced by H. Khenous, P. Laborde et Y. Renard, for which we propose a semi-explicit variant. In addition, we prove a convergence result of the space semi-discrete solutions to a continuous solution in the frictionless viscoelastic case. We also analyze the space semi-discrete and fully discrete problems in the friction Coulomb case. For the dynamic fracture problem, using a fully explicit scheme is impossible or not robust enough. Therefore, we propose time-integration schemes where the boundary condition is treated in an implicit way. Finally, we present and analyze augmented Lagrangian methods for static fracture problems

This security study attempts to explain the dynamics of international conflict management of an intrastate conflict, through a combination of three theoretical frameworks. The conflict in Syria is shown to be managed mainly through strategies using coercive diplomacy, and some main contributions within the research field relating to strategies of coercion are used for guidance, to important factors which could affect coercive international conflict management, as well as to additional theories which could enhance the study’s explanatory power through a combined theoretical framework. The two added theoretical frameworks are Power Balancing and a Multidimensional concept of Power. With the aid of analytical tools derived from this combined framework the conflict management is analysed within both a multilateral and unilateral setting, offering some explanation as to why international conflict management (practiced by UNSC multilaterally and USA unilaterally) has shown so little progress in regard to the conflict, as well as why one significant, though limited, result could be achieved regarding the destruction of the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons arsenal.

A Fuzzy Preference Framework for the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (FGM) is developed so that real-world conflicts in which decision makers (DMs) have uncertain preferences can be modeled and analyzed mathematically in order to gain strategic insights. The graph model methodology constitutes both a formal representation of a multiple participant-multiple objective decision problem and a set of analysis procedures that provide insights into them. Because crisp or definite preference is a special case of fuzzy preference, the new framework of the graph model can include---and integrate into the analysis---both certain and uncertain information about DMs' preferences. In this sense, the FGM is an important generalization of the existing graph model for conflict resolution. One key contribution of this study is to extend the four basic graph model stability definitions to models with fuzzy preferences. Together, fuzzy Nash stability, fuzzy general metarationality, fuzzy symmetric metarationality, and fuzzy sequential stability provide a realistic description of human behavior under conflict in the face of uncertainty. A state is fuzzy stable for a DM if a move to any other state is not sufficiently likely to yield an outcome the DM prefers, where sufficiency is measured according to a fuzzy satisficing threshold that is characteristic of the DM. A fuzzy equilibrium, an outcome that is fuzzy stable for all DMs, therefore represents a possible resolution of the conflict. To demonstrate their applicability, the fuzzy stability definitions are applied to a generic two-DM sustainable development conflict, in which a developer plans to build or operate a project inspected by an environmental agency. This application identifies stable outcomes, and thus clarifies the necessary conditions for sustainability. The methodology is then applied to an actual dispute with more than two DMs concerning groundwater contamination that took place in Elmira, Ontario, Canada, again uncovering valuable strategic insights. To investigate how DMs with fuzzy preferences can cooperate in a strategic conflict, coalition fuzzy stability concepts are developed within FGM. In particular, coalition fuzzy Nash stability, coalition fuzzy general metarationality, coalition fuzzy symmetric metarationality, and coalition fuzzy sequential stability are defined, for both a coalition and a single DM. These concepts constitute a natural generalization of the corresponding non-cooperative fuzzy preference-based definitions for Nash stability, general metarationality, symmetric metarationality, and sequential stability, respectively. As a follow-up analysis of the non-cooperative fuzzy stability results and to demonstrate their applicability, the coalition fuzzy stability definitions are applied to the aforementioned Elmira groundwater contamination conflict. These new concepts can be conveniently utilized in the study of practical problems in order to gain strategic insights and to compare conclusions derived from both cooperative and non-cooperative stability notions. A fuzzy option prioritization technique is developed within the FGM so that uncertain preferences of DMs in strategic conflicts can be efficiently modeled as fuzzy preferences by using the fuzzy truth values they assign to preference statements about feasible states. The preference statements of a DM express desirable combinations of options or courses of action, and are listed in order of importance. A fuzzy truth value is a truth degree, expressed as a number between 0 and 1, capturing uncertainty in the truth of a preference statement at a feasible state. It is established that the output of a fuzzy preference formula, developed based on the fuzzy truth values of preference statements, is always a fuzzy preference relation. The fuzzy option prioritization methodology can also be employed when the truth values of preference statements at feasible states are formally based on Boolean logic, thereby generating a crisp preference over feasible states that is the same as would be found using the existing crisp option prioritization approach. Therefore, crisp option prioritization is a special case of fuzzy option prioritization. To demonstrate how this methodology can be used to represent fuzzy preferences in real-world problems, the new fuzzy option prioritization technique is applied to the Elmira aquifer contamination conflict. It is observed that the fuzzy preferences obtained by employing this technique are very close to those found using the rather complicated and tedious pairwise comparison approach.

Dizziness and balance problems are common symptoms at all ages. The aims were; to evaluate rehabilitation, static, dynamic balance and recovery in acute unilateral vestibular loss (AUVL), to evaluate the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) with assessment of static and dynamic balance and to evaluate the prevalence of dizziness and BPPV in a population of 75-year-olds. Study 1: Twenty-seven patients (51years) with AUVL were included and the recovery was followed regarding vestibular function, dizziness, and sick-leave. The recovery was rapid, with disappearance of spontaneous nystagmus and rapid return to work. Study II: Forty two patents (51 years) with AUVL were included and compared with a reference group. Static and dynamic balance were assessed after six months. Significant instability was found both in static and dynamic balance compared to a reference group. Study III: Seventeen patients (52 years) with severe BPPV (> 3 months) were treated with Semonts´s manouver and/or Brandt-Daroff exercises. The recovery was evaluated by Dix-Hallpike test, subjective dizziness, unsteadiness and balance tests, after 1, 6 and 12 months. Semont´s maneouver resolved dizziness but the long term follow up showed impaired balance. Study IV: A large cohort (675) of elderly was assessed regarding dizziness and BPPV. Side lying test and balance tests were applied. A high prevalence of dizziness (36%) and BPPV (11%) was found. Conclusions: Patients with AUVL and BPPV have despite good symptomatic relief, still impaired static and dynamic balance at long term follow up. BPPV in elderly is common and should be examined since it can be treated.