This thesis critically analyses the law of promise. It does so for the purposes of identifying potential solutions to practical and doctrinal problems in the Thai law of promise. Scots law is chosen as the main point of comparison because, inter alia, both jurisdictions are mixed jurisdictions. Scots promissory law was influenced by the Canon Law and was part of the ius commune tradition. Scots law was not influenced by English law in this area. Scots law has developed its own promissory obligation as a free standing legal entity outwith contract. Thai promissory legal principles were derived from both Civilian and English sources. Consequently, promissory language is used both in the sense of a unilateral obligation and a contractual promise. Moreover, the Thai drafters did not acknowledge the different attitude towards a unilateral promise of French law (where a promise must be accepted in order to be binding) and German law (where particular types of unilateral obligations are recognised). This thesis argues that the flaws in promissory provisions under the Thai Code stem from the fact that, inter alia, the drafters did not understand the difference between unilateral and bilateral obligations. This thesis argues that the Scots promissory approach presents a more efficient structure of the law of obligations than the Thai approach. It encounters fewer problems than Thai law because a promise is deemed to be a standalone obligation. This thesis further analyses the practical applications of promise, arguing that a promissory analysis is useful in conceptualising practical circumstances. Adopting a promissory approach is beneficial, making doctrinal analysis clearer in comparison with the offer and acceptance approach. This thesis takes into account the role given to promise in the DCFR. The notion of a unilateral undertaking in the DCFR illustrates that the most recent model rule of European private law recognises the importance of a unilateral obligation. This reflects the fact that the notion of a contract cannot appropriately deal with certain situations in which a person unilaterally intends his/her undertaking to be bound without acceptance. It is concluded that the Scots approach of regarding a promise as an independent obligation separate from contract could be adapted to Thai law. There are certain resemblances between Scots and Thai law in promissory theories and the obligational nature of a promise. Therefore, Thai law is not unfamiliar with the notion that a declaration of wills can unilaterally create an obligation. The proposed approach provides a number of advantages e.g. eradicating an overlap between a promise and an offer; clarifying the legal status of promise; and making the legal status of a promise to make a contract compatible with a promise of reward. In particular, this thesis postulates that promise has a substantive role to play in governing an offer specifying a period of acceptance. This particular observation has, to date, not been made in relation to Thai law.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciano Pereira de Souza.pdf: 2162167 bytes, checksum: 035697d20bc043f5d9b1cb45aa63617b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-27 / In the view of the failure to meet the Global Objectives on Forests set forth by means of a soft law instrument approved within the United Nations, notably the failure to achieve zero deforestation in 2015, the scope of this research was to study the protection of forests under International Environmental Law, addressing as central problem the legally binding nature or not of the commitments related to the forest sector that were unilaterally established by the States in their contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions presented under the Paris Agreement, known as NDCs. The research adopts Norberto Bobbio's proposal that recognizes a promotional function of the Law, when it uses legal mechanisms of incentive as prize sanctions to reflect on the possibility that obligations of forest protection may acquire legally binding status, but in a form different from the traditional responsibility based on the imposition of punitive sanctions. Through this alternative pathway, the principle of good faith guiding international law of treatise, also the principle of international cooperation and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in the equitable distribution of burdens and duties among states could be evoked for solving common problems of Mankind, such as the preservation and sustainable use of forests, by means of adoption of governance processes. Starting from the norm of customary International Law ruling that States have sovereignty over natural resources in their territories, including forests, but cannot make use of nor let these resources be used to the detriment of other states and of humanity itself, it is possible to establish legal expectations of State behavior in relation to forests based on soft law commitments assumed collectively or unilaterally by the States. Using bibliographical and documentary research, this study adopted a dialectical approach when inserting its object in a totality undergoing a process of transformation powered by permanent tensions.The first part of this research described an overviewed forest protection on the international global community, within and beyond international regimes, with greater attention to the climate change regime, demonstrating the existence of a global forest protection´s culture (opinio iuris et necessitatis), as well as an emerging repeated practice of conservation and sustainable use of forests. The second part of the research reflected on the concept of forests, based on the notion of geographic object found in Milton Santos and it was tried to provide a brief overview of the forest cover on the planet and especially of the Amazon Forest, over the last 25 years, revealing a scenario of permanent forest loss. The third part of the study sought to determine the legal status of forestry obligations, under ethical, scientific and legal basis, which included Human Rights and ius cogens, soft law and its obligations, international cooperation and sovereignty over natural resources, closing with the study of the NDCs as autonomous unilateral acts and their status as source of Law and obligations under International Law, seeking a response to whether the commitments, objectives and forest goals inserted in these unilateral acts under Paris Agreement are binding or not. / Diante do insucesso no cumprimento dos objetivos globais sobre florestas estabelecidos em instrumento de soft law aprovado pelas Nações Unidas, notadamente o fracasso no alcance da meta desmatamento zero em 2015, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a proteção das florestas no âmbito do Direito Ambiental Internacional, tendo como problema central o caráter juridicamente vinculante ou não dos compromissos relacionados ao setor florestal que foram definidos unilateralmente pelos Estados em suas contribuições para reduzir emissões de gases de efeito estufa, apresentadas no âmbito do Acordo de Paris, conhecidas como NDCs. O trabalho adota como referencial a proposta de Norberto Bobbio que reconhece no direito uma função promocional quando utiliza mecanismos jurídicos de incentivo como sanções premiais para poder refletir sobre a possibilidade de que obrigações de proteção florestal adquiram caráter juridicamente vinculante, porém sob forma diversa da tradicional responsabilização baseada na imposição de sanções punitivas. Nessa via alternativa, evoca-se o princípio da boa-fé norteador do direito internacional pactício, o princípio da cooperação internacional e o princípio das responsabilidades comuns, porém diferenciadas na distribuição equitativa de ônus e deveres entre os Estados para a solução de problemas comuns da humanidade, como a preservação e o uso sustentável das florestas, por meio da adoção de processos de governança. Partindo da norma de direito geral internacional costumeiro de que os Estados tem soberania sobre os recursos naturais em seus territórios, inclusive as florestas, mas não podem fazer uso ou deixar que se faça uso desses recursos em prejuízo de outros Estados e da própria humanidade mostra-se possível estabelecer expectativas jurídicas de comportamento estatal em relação às florestas a partir de compromissos como soft law assumidos coletivamente ou unilateralmente pelos Estados. Utilizando pesquisa bibliográfica e documental o trabalho adotou abordagem dialética ao inserir seu objeto na totalidade em processo de transformação alimentado por tensões permanentes. Na primeira parte desse estudo foi desenvolvido trabalho descritivo sobre a proteção florestal na sociedade global no âmbito dos regimes internacionais e além deles, com maior atenção ao regime das mudanças climáticas, sendo demonstrada a existência de consciência global de proteção florestal (opinio iuris et necessitatis), bem como a prática reiterada de ações de conservação e uso sustentável das florestas. Na segunda parte do trabalho realizou-se reflexão sobre o conceito de florestas fincado na noção de objeto geográfico em Milton Santos e procurou-se estabelecer panorama global da cobertura florestal do planeta, em especial da Floresta Amazônica nos últimos 25 anos, sendo evidenciado cenário de crescente degradação. A última parte do trabalho procurou definir o estatuto jurídico das obrigações florestais, partindo de fundamentação ética, científica e jurídica, que incluiu direitos humanos e ius cogens, soft law normativo, cooperação internacional e soberania sobre recursos naturais, encerrando-se com o estudo das NDCs enquanto atos unilaterais autonormativos e seu status como fonte do direito e das obrigações no Direito Internacional, procurando-se resposta para indagação a respeito do caráter vinculante ou não que poderão assumir os compromissos florestais inseridos nesses atos unilaterais no âmbito do Acordo de Paris.

Abstract available through Journal of Vestibular Research.

No description available.

It has been suggested that the presence of a limited area of damaged outer hair cells (OHCs) with intact inner hair cells, which may not be detected on the conventional audiogram, results in unbalanced neural activity between Type I and Type II fibers leading to tinnitus. In normal-hearing tinnitus patients, DPOAEs provided ambiguous data of OHC function when compared to non-tinnitus controls. Hearing loss in the extended high-frequency (EHF) region may decrease DPOAEs evoked at lower frequencies. Results of EHF audiometry in tinnitus patients are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate DPOAEs and EHF thresholds in normal-hearing patients reporting unilateral tinnitus in left ear. Thus, each subject acted as their own control. Data were obtained for 26 subjects with bilateral hearing thresholds10, 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz. The DP-grams were measured in the 0.5-8 kHz range using 65/55-dB SPL primaries and f2/f1=1.2. The data analyses included DPOAEs with S/N>3 dB. Median audiometric data showed that thresholds in the left ears were significantly higher than those in the right ears at all four EHFs. Mean DPOAE levels of the left ears were lower than those of the right ears in the frequency range above 1 kHz. Additionally, a paired-comparison test of DPOAE levels of each patient’s right and left ear revealed significant differences at 6 and 8 kHz. The results indicate that: 1. OHC impairment in the most basal region reduces contribution to more apically generated DPOAEs; 2. OHC impairment in a limited area, which may be revealed by DPOAEs but not by conventional audiometry, can contribute to tinnitus generation; and 3. patients with unilateral tinnitus and normal hearing on the conventional audiogram are likely to demonstrate hearing loss in the EHF region.

No description available.

Le risque zéro n'existe pas ! Aussi, pour se protéger contre d'éventuels impayés, les créanciers n'hésitent pas à demander à leurs futurs débiteurs des garanties. Parmi ces dernières, le cautionnement tient une place de choix. Grâce à sa rapidité, sa simplicité, il séduit et devient au fil du temps « la reine des sûretés » mais dont le royaume cache bien des surprises, surtout pour les cautions qui ne se posent guère de questions lors de la formation du contrat. Prenant le risque d'autrui, les cautions disposent-elles des bonnes clés pour entrer en relations contractuelles ? Mesurent-elles la portée de leur engagement ? Il est permis d'en douter au regard de l'important contentieux qui agite la matière. Dans ce cas, comment les protéger efficacement sans mettre en péril le cautionnement ? Définit, ou plus exactement décrit à l'article 2288 du Code civil comme « celui qui se rend caution d'une obligation se soumet envers le créancier à satisfaire à cette obligation si le débiteur n'y satisfait pas lui-même », le cautionnement est soumis à de vives critiques. On s'interroge sur son efficacité, on doute de sa souplesse, de son aptitude à offrir la sécurité juridique attendue. On fustige également l'intrusion excessive du législateur et de la jurisprudence dans le contrat. Mais ces derniers se sont donnés pour mission de délivrer à la caution le fameux « mode d'emploi » qui doit l'avertir des menaces que dissimule cette sûreté. Mais la philosophie protectrice des cautions a poussé le raisonnement très loin, peut-être trop loin. Or, il faut un ajustement des règles du cautionnement à la mesure du droit des sûretés qui demeure une matière foisonnante où la vivacité, la créativité rythment les rapports contractuels. Le droit du cautionnement doit dès lors se garder d'être figé, immobile dans un monde qui est en perpétuelle mouvement et où le temps est à la révision, aux recherches pour être en adéquation avec les besoins économiques, sociaux et juridiques de notre société. De fait le cautionnement doit s'extraire de ce cercle vicieux dans lequel il est tombé. / The zero risk does not exist! So, to protect itself against possible outstanding payments, the creditors do not hesitate to ask their future debtors of guarantees. Among the latter, the guarantee holds a special place.Thanks to it speed, its simplicity, its seduces and becomes over time “the queen of the safeties” but from whom the kingdom hides many surprises, especially for the guarantee which raise themselves not many questions during the training of the contract. Taking the risk of others, pledges do they arrange good keys to enter contractual relations? Do they measure the impact of their commitment? It is allowed to doubt it with regard to the important dispute which shakes the subject. In this cas, how protect them effectively without putting in danger the guarenty? Defines, or more exactly described in the article 2288 of the Civil code “as the one who goes pledge of an obligation submits itself to the creditor to satisfy this obligation if the debtor does not satisfy it himself”, the guarenty is subjected to deep criticisms.We wonder about his efficiency, we doubt his flexibility, its capacity to offer the expected legal security. We also castigate the excessive intrusion of the legislator and the jurisprudence in the contract. But the latter gave for mission to deliver to the pledge the famous “instructions for use” which has to warn it of threats which hides this safety. But the protective philosophy of pledges pushed the very far reasoning, maybe too far. Now, one needs that an adjustment of the rules of the guarenty for the measure of the law of the safeties which remains an abundant material where the liveliness, the creativity give rhythm to the contractual reports. The law of the guarenty has to be careful not from then on to be congealed, to motionless in a world which is in perpetual movement and where the time is for the revision, for the searches to be in adequacy with the economic, social and legal needs for our society. De facto the guarenty has to extract of vicious circle in which it fell.

The incidence data provided by previous investigations of peripheral vestibulopathy in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) are quite variable. This variability may be explained, in part, by the otologic history of the patients included in these studies. Specifically, patients with a prior history of other otologic disease and BPPV should be more likely to present with peripheral vestibulopathy than patients without no prior history of otologic disease and BPPV. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of peripheral vestibulopathy in these two groups of BPPV patients. Caloric responses were analyzed for two groups of patients with posterior canal BPPV, those with a positive history of otologic disease and those with a negative history of otologic disease. Data were analyzed retrospectively for 157 BPPV patients. Patients with a positive history of otologic disease exhibited a greater incidence of peripheral vestibulopathy than the negative history group. The positive history group, on average, also exhibited a larger unilateral weakness than those patients in the negative history group. We conclude that patients with BPPV and a prior history of otologic disease are more likely to present with peripheral vestibulopathy than patients with BPPV and no history of otologic disease.

The benefits of intentional friction damping to reduce the occurrence of wear and premature failure of turbomachinery bladed-disk assemblies are well known and many studies on this topic have focused on the analysis and prediction of the complicated nonlinear forced response exhibited by these structures. In this research, extensions of the recently introduced multi-harmonic Hybrid Frequency-Time method are proposed for the efficient analysis of the response of realistic structures featuring displacement-dependent nonlinearities, such as the friction and impact phenomena that may occur in the presence of friction dampers or when two parts of the same structure periodically contact each other. These theoretical extensions are adapted to the study of large scale, industrial bladed-disk structures that may feature cyclic symmetry or mistuning. Two analysis techniques are developed for the modeling of displacement-dependent nonlinearities. In the first technique friction dampers are modeled as nonlinear operators representing the contact forces acting on the blades, from the simple case of monodirectional friction with constant normal load to the more complex case of three dimensional contact with variable normal load. The analysis of the forced response of several nonlinear systems illustrates the capabilities of this approach as well as the complexity of the typical behavior exhibited by friction damped structures. The second technique introduced helps analyze structures experiencing intermittent contact or friction between two parts or sub-components of the same assembly. This method is applied to the study of the forced response of several simple systems and is used with great efficiency to predict the nonlinear behavior of a beam with a crack. This approach also allows the dampers to be modeled realistically as stand-alone components appended to the bladed disk assembly. In this case the bladed disk assembly as well as the friction dampers are modeled as independent structures that interact at their contacting interfaces. This allows the use of detailed finite element models of dampers rather than having to make simplifying assumptions regarding their geometry. These two methods are applied to the study of the nonlinear forced response a realistic bladed-disk assembly featuring a wedge damper model and a structure-like damper model.

<p>Uppsatsen kartlägger forskning kring psykosociala konsekvenser av plötslig idiopatisk hörselnedsättning och en studie beskrivs närmare. Definitionen av plötslig idiopatisk hörselnedsättning är vanligen en sensorineural hörselnedsättning som uppkommit inom 3 dagar på 3 frekvenser i följd och är mer än 30 dB HL. Vid en hörselskada måste uppmärksamhet riktas mot de psykosociala konsekvenserna som kan uppkomma i arbetslivet och äktenskapet samt leda till isolering. Det finns skillnader i den psykologiska anpassningen till en hörselskada beroende på vilken sorts skada det är, samt individuella skillnader i upplevelsen av de konsekvenser en hörselskada ger. Syftet med uppsatsen var att genom en systematisk litteraturstudie kartlägga den forskning som finns kring de psykosociala konsekvenser som plötslig hörselnedsättning kan medföra. Litteratursökning har skett via databaser och manuellt. En studie kunde inkluderas i den djupare analysen. Resultatet visade att personer med unilateral plötslig idiopatisk hörselnedsättning upplevde psykologiska och sociala konsekvenser på grund av symtomen tinnitus och hörselnedsättning. Några slutsatser kunde inte dras då underlaget var för litet. Men det kan tänkas att plötslig idiopatisk hörselnedsättning faktiskt leder till psykosociala konsekvenser. Den slutsats som kunde dras är att det finns få studier gjorda och därmed lite kunskap kring området, och att mer forskning behövs.</p>