Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Movement assistance'

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2008.
Thesis Advisor(s): Salmeron, Javier. "March 2008." Description based on title screen as viewed on May 16, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-60). Also available in print.

Spacesuits utilized a rubberized layer of material to contain a pressurized atmosphere to facilitate respiration and maintain the physiologic functions of the astronaut residing within. However, the elasticity of the material makes it resistant to deformation increasing the amount of work required during movement. This becomes particularly fatiguing for the muscle groups controlling the motion of the hands and fingers. To mitigate this a robotic system was proposed and developed. The system built upon previous concepts and prototypes discovered through research efforts. It utilized electric motors to pull the index, ring, and middle fingers of the right hand closed, ideally overcoming the resistive force posed by the pressurized elastic material. The effect of the system was determined by comparing qualitative and quantitative data obtained during activities conducted with and without it within a glove box. It was found that the system was able to offload some of this elastic force though several characteristics of the design limited the full potential this device offered. None the less, the project was met with success and provides a solid platform for continued research and development.

La libération complète des mouvements de capitaux, devenue tangible depuis le 1er juillet 1990, autorise les ressortissants d'un EM à placer leur épargne dans un autre EM sans aucun obstacle. En l'absence de réglementation européenne, les EM ont toute latitude pour adopter toutes les règles qu'ils jugent nécessaires et souhaitables pour « appâter » les contribuables. Dès lors, les finalités recherchées par la libre circulation des capitaux ne sont pas nécessairement celles produites : certains contribuables sont tentés de placer leurs actifs non pas selon des particularités des différentes offres de placement, mais seulement pour éluder l'impôt. Dans ces conditions, l’assistance administrative « peut » permettre de lutter contre la fraude et l’évasion fiscales en accordant à une administration fiscale la possibilité de réaliser certains actes à l’extérieur de ses frontières nationales sans être entravée par les limites qu’impose la souveraineté d'autres Etats. Toutefois, une question subsiste : l’assistance ainsi accordée repose-t-elle sur une obligation consentie ou sur une obligation imposée ? De cette réponse procède l’efficacité de la procédure d’entraide administrative. En effet, l’intensité de l’assistance administrative dépend des moyens mis en oeuvre pour sa réalisation. Ainsi, le mécanisme d’assistance administrative de l’UE se caractérise, dans sa forme, par une adjonction d’exceptions, de restrictions et de toutes sortes de limitations à l’application des différentes mesures. Ainsi, tantôt dans leur totalité, tantôt sur des dispositions particulières, ces mesures ont été amputées de leur substance. Dès lors, les causes de refus sont multiples et parfois discrétionnaires. Aujourd’hui, on se retrouve avec des textes qui éclairent davantage sur ce qu’ils ne font pas que sur ce qu’ils font. En définitive, les dispositions de l’assistance administrative de l’UE laissent beaucoup à désirer : les mesures qu’elles ne proposent pas sont bien plus nombreuses et bien plus importantes que celles qu’elles préconisent. En réalité, ces dispositions servent surtout d’instrument de coordination et non un outil de coopération ou de rapprochement des législations. En sommes, si l’assistance administrative en droit européen « fait souvent double emploi avec les conventions fiscales internationales », elle n’impose pas aux EM un dispositif plus contraignant. Dans ces conditions, on est en droit de se demander si en l’état de la construction européenne, il est judicieux de garder un dispositif qui ne se démarque pas du droit conventionnel ? C’est ainsi qu’à défaut d’une intégration positive juridique qui renforcerait l’efficacité du mécanisme d’assistance administrative de l’UE, il pourrait être envisagé d’autres voies pour en optimiser le fonctionnement : une européanisation du modèle d’assistance OCDE
The administrative assistance, in tax matters, in the European Union

In their daily lives, stroke survivors must often choose between attempting upper-extremity activities using their impaired limb, or compensating with their less impaired limb. Choosing their impaired limb can be difficult and discouraging, but might elicit beneficial neuroplasticity that further reduces motor impairments, a phenomenon referred to as “the virtuous cycle”. In contrast, compensation is often quicker, easier, and more effective, but can reinforce maladaptive changes that limit motor recovery, a phenomenon referred to as “learned non-use”. This dissertation evaluated the role of robotic assistance in, and designed a wearable sensing system for, promoting the virtuous cycle.

In the first half of the dissertation, we use the FINGER robot to test the hypothesis that robotic assistance during clinical movement training triggers the virtual cycle. FINGER consists of two singly-actuated mechanisms that assist individuated movement of the index and middle fingers. 30 chronic stroke participants trained in FINGER using a GuitarHero-like game for nine sessions. Half were guided by an adaptive impedance controller towards a success rate of 85%, while the other half were guided towards 50%. Increasing assistance to enable successful practice decreased effort, but primarily for less-impaired participants. Overall, however, high success practice was as effective (or more) as low success practice and even more effective for highly impaired individuals. Participants who received high assistance training were more motivated and reported using their impaired hand more at home. These results support the hypothesis that high assistance clinical movement training motivates impaired hand use, leading to greater use of the hand in daily life, resulting in a self-training effect that reduces motor impairment.

The second half of the dissertation describes the development of the manumeter - a non-obtrusive wearable device for monitoring and incentivizing impaired hand use. Contrasted against wrist accelerometry (the most comparable technology), the manumeter uses a magnetic ring and a wristband with mangetometers to detect wrist and finger movement rather than gross arm movement. We describe 1) the inference of wrist and finger movement from differential magnetometer readings using a radial basis function network, 2) initial testing in which distance traveled estimates were within 94.7%±19.3 of their goniometricly measured values, 3) experiments with non-impaired participants in which the manumeter detected some functional activities better than wrist accelerometry, and 4) improvements to the hardware and data processing that allow both subject-independent tracking of the position of the finger relative to the wrist (RMS errors < 1cm) and highly reliable detection of whether the hand is open or closed. Its performance and non-obtrusive design make the manumeter well suited for measuring and reinforcing impaired hand use in daily life after stroke.

The contributions of this dissertation are experimental confirmation that high assistance movement training promotes the virtuous cycle, and development of a wearable sensor for monitoring hand movement in daily life. Training with robotic assistance and hand use feedback may ultimately help individuals with stroke recover to their full potential.

Community legal centres (CLCs) emerged from social movements organising for increased access to justice for disadvantaged Australians. Over the past decades, however, CLCs have become increasingly integrated into the mainstream legal system and derive the majority of their funding from state and federal governments. This has generated tensions between their frontline services in assisting clients with legal matters and their goals of systemic advocacy, law reform, and community education, particularly as conservative governments continue to limit the political activities of CLCs and threaten ever-impending funding cuts. This turbulent relationship between governments and CLCs has an impact on the everyday realities in these organisations, including the values, identities, activities, and actions of the people who work, manage, and volunteer in CLCs. This thesis will argue that everyday realities of work in the New South Wales CLC sector have a structural impact on the provision of services for clients and the community. By employing critical sociological perspectives on everyday life, organisations, social movements, and law and justice, this thesis will consider how CLC work practices aim to navigate tensions between resource scarcity, the chaos this produces in the sector, and organisational goals of expanding access to justice. This thesis will ultimately argue that to understand CLCs, we must examine how labour is recognised and alienated in the sector, how CLCs become fragmented as a result of government policy, and how CLCs mobilise power in intriguing, multi-faceted ways. This thesis expands the scholarship on social movement and legal organisations and reaches a sociological understanding on the relationship between labour, resources, emotions, power and the ‘doing of everyday justice’

Les exosquelettes sont des dispositifs prometteurs notamment pour la prévention de troubles musculo-squelettiques, pour la rééducation post-AVC ou pour compenser les pertes motrices après une lésion médullaire. Afin de pouvoir intégrer l'industrie, les hôpitaux ou les résidences, ils doivent cependant être contrôlés de manière adaptée.Pour cela, il est d'abord nécessaire d'établir quelle assistance doit être apportée lors du mouvement de l'utilisateur. Ces travaux de thèse ont donc d'abord visé à développer et évaluer des techniques de détection d'intention basées sur les signaux électromyographiques. L'évaluation de leur précision a alors montré que le mouvement que l'utilisateur souhaite effectuer et la force qu'il souhaite appliquer à son environnement peuvent être estimés en temps réel à partir de ces signaux.Une fois cette évaluation effectuée, ces travaux ont ensuite été dédiés au développement d'un contrôleur d'assistance exploitant cette estimation. Plusieurs contrôleurs ont alors été proposés et testés sur une tâche fonctionnelle de déplacement d'une masse d'un point à un autre. Les variables liées à l'énergie mécanique et l'intuitivité du mouvement ont ainsi été évaluées, montrant la réduction de l'effort de l'utilisateur assisté, et l'existence d'un compromis entre l'intuitivité et la force de l'assistance. Ces travaux ouvrent des perspectives intéressantes quant à l'utilisation de signaux électromyographiques dans le cadre de l'assistance au mouvement dans un exosquelette
Exoskeletons are promising devices, particularly for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, post-stroke rehabilitation or compensating for motor loss after spinal cord injury. However, they need to be properly controlled before they can be used in industry, hospitals or homes.To achieve this, it is first necessary to establish what assistance needs to be provided during the user's movement. The aim of this thesis work was therefore first to develop and evaluate intention detection techniques based on electromyographic signals. Evaluation of their accuracy showed that the movement the user wishes to make and the force he wishes to apply to his environment can be estimated in real time from these signals.Once this assessment had been made, this work was then dedicated to the development of an assistance controller exploiting this estimation. Several controllers were proposed and tested on the functional task of moving a mass from one point to another. Variables linked to the mechanical energy and intuitiveness of the movement were evaluated, demonstrating the reduction in effort required by the assisted user, and the existence of a compromise between intuitiveness and the strength of the assistance. This work opens up interesting prospects for the use of electromyographic signals to assist movement in an exoskeleton

Le syndrome de parésie spastique consécutif à un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) comprend plusieurs composantes dont la rétraction musculaire, la parésie sensible à l’étirement et l’hyperactivité musculaire, trois symptômes concourant à une altération de la fonction motrice du membre supérieur dans l’hémiparésie. Les progrès d’un patient atteint par ce syndrome peuvent reposer sur deux types de plasticité cérébrale : post-lésionnelle et liée à l’activité. Les maîtres-mots pour optimiser une récupération motrice par la plasticité liée à l’activité sont : intensité, répétition, effort, attention portée au mouvement, tâche dirigée vers un but et mouvement actif. Au regard des différentes techniques de rééducation, la thérapie utilisant un dispositif robotisé répond à ces principes stimulateurs de la plasticité cérébrale liée à l’activité. Cependant les modalités exactes de l’intervention robotisée et sa durée souhaitable n’ont pas été clarifiées.Une première étude rétrospective a montré que les bénéfices cliniques et cinématiques associés à l’utilisation combinée de l’ergothérapie conventionnelle et de la robot-thérapie sur au moins trois mois suggèrent l’intérêt d’une durée de traitement longue chez des patients aux limitations modérées en phase tardive de la période subaiguë. Une deuxième étude rétrospective suggère qu’à quatre ans, l’évolution lente de la fonction motrice pour ces mêmes patients semble fonction de la sévérité initiale, où finalement les moins bons régressent et les meilleurs s’améliorent un peu. Enfin, une étude prospective randomisée contrôlée en phase subaiguë a démontré que l’entraînement de mouvements sur robot sans assistance améliore l’amplitude active d’extension du coude plus que le même entraînement avec assistance au besoin, qui pourtant a permis au patient d’effectuer environ un tiers de mouvements en plus par séance. Aussi, le facteur difficulté de l’effort prévaudrait sur celui du nombre de répétitions pour stimuler la plasticité cérébrale. Ce dernier principe ne s’exprime cependant que sur le mouvement élémentaire qui est directement entraîné par le robot, en l’occurrence l’extension du coude, tandis que d’autres mouvements fondamentaux dans l’utilisation du bras humain, par exemple la flexion de l’épaule en charge, l’extension du poignet et la préhension digitale, ne sont pas exercés avec la plupart des versions actuelles des robots d’assistance à la rééducation. L’autre limite majeure de la thérapie assistée par un dispositif robotisé est qu’elle ignore la maladie musculaire présentée par les patients (rétractions), ne s’adressant qu’à la composante neurologique de la parésie spastique (parésie de l’agoniste et cocontraction de l’antagoniste). C’est ainsi que malgré le grand nombre de répétitions de mouvements qu’elle permet, nous n’avons pas constaté que la thérapie assistée par un robot se montrait plus efficace que la thérapie conventionnelle seule sur la progression de la fonction globale du membre supérieur en phase subaiguë après un AVC.Les données issues de ce travail devraient permettre aux thérapeutes ayant accès à des dispositifs robotisés d’aide à la rééducation du membre supérieur d’affiner les modalités et la durée de leur prise en charge. L’association de la thérapie assistée par robots à d’autres thérapies pourrait permettre d’optimiser la réduction des troubles moteurs dans l’hémiparésie après un AVC
Following stroke, the syndrome of deforming spastic paresis includes several components in which three main symptoms, soft tissue contracture, stretch-sensitive paresis and spastic muscle overactivity, impede motor function. Patient progress may utilize two types of brain plasticity: lesion-induced and behavior-induced. The key notions to optimize motor recovery through behavior-induced plasticity are: repetition, effort, attention to movement, goal-directed task and active movement. Robot-assisted therapy fulfills all these conditions. However, the exact modalities of use and optimal duration are yet to be defined.From a first retrospective study, the magnitude of the clinical and kinematic benefits associated with the combined use of robot-assisted and conventional occupational therapies during three months suggest the value of a long duration treatment in the late subacute phase for moderately impaired hemiparetic patients. A second retrospective study observed the four-year long-term evolution of motor function for these patients, which appears to be related to the baseline severity, in which the more severely affected deteriorate and the less severe patients improve a little. Finally, a prospective randomized controlled study demonstrated that non-assisted movement training was associated with greater active elbow extension improvement than training with the assist-as-needed modality even though the latter offered the patient 33% movements more in each session. Therefore, the difficulty of effort appears to be a more effective factor of brain plasticity than the number of movement repetitions. This principle has however been demonstrated only for the primary movement directly trained by the robot, that is, elbow extension. The other movements that are essential in human upper limb use, such as shoulder flexion, wrist extension, gross and fine digit prehension, are not trained with the most current versions of robots used in upper limb rehabilitation. In addition, another important limitation of robot-assisted therapy is that it ignores the muscle disorder (antagonist shortening) of spastic paresis by focusing only on the neural disorder component (paresis in agonists and cocontraction in antagonists). Despite the high number of movement repetitions in robot-assisted therapy, our prospective study has not been able to show superiority of robot-assisted therapy over conventional occupational therapy in improving overall upper limb motor function in the subacute phase after stroke.The findings of this work should help therapists with access to robotic devices to refine the modalities and duration of their use in patient care. Combining robot-assisted therapy with other therapies might optimize the reduction of motor disorder in hemiparesis following stroke

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Esta dissertação versa sobre a rede socioassistencial destinada ao atendimento da população adulta em situação de rua em Salvador - BA. Entende-se esse segmento populacional como uma das expressões da questão social presente nas cidades, agravada pelas políticas neoliberais adotadas pelo Brasil, que provocaram no país o processo de reestruturação produtiva, privatizações e restrições de investimentos nas políticas públicas. A partir desse pressuposto, descrevemos como tais orientações levaram ao agravamento do desemprego na década de 1990 até os primeiros anos deste novo milênio, ocasionando um aumento do exército de trabalhadores alijados do mercado e, conseqüentemente, o crescimento do número de pessoas vivendo nas ruas. Abordamos a evolução da proteção e da Política de Assistência Social, após a promulgação da Magna Carta de 1988, o conceito e o perfil desses sujeitos e a luta deflagrada pelo Movimento Nacional da População de Rua pela garantia de direitos. Nesse contexto, analisamos as instituições mantidas pelos governos municipal e estadual, além da assistência prestada pelas entidades confessionais. Nas visitas aos equipamentos socioassitenciais observamos, que às instalações não são suficientes e nem adequadas para atender o contingente de moradores em situação de rua na capital baiana. Outro aspecto constatado é que o quadro de recursos humanos é constituído, em sua maioria, por profissionais terceirizados, o que vai de encontro às normativas proclamadas para garantir os direitos desse grupo. Nas entrevistas realizadas com os assistidos apuramos o desejo de reinserção social. Verificamos, portanto, com o estudo que os serviços de acolhimento estão voltados basicamente para atender de forma precária às necessidades básicas desse público, deixando em plano secundário medidas voltadas para a inclusão social de homens e mulheres que fazem da rua seu local de moradia e sustento.
This dissertation discusses the social assistance network involving the homeless adult population of Salvador, Bahia. This segment of the population is a phenomenon of urban social issues, which have been aggravated by the neo-liberal policies adopted by Brazil that placed the country under a process of productive restructuring, privatizations and restrictions on investments in public policies. On this basis, we describe how these guidelines worsened the level of unemployment during the 1990s through to the first years of this millennium, causing a growth in the army of workers excluded from the market and, consequently, the rise in the number of people living on the streets. We address the evolution of the Social Assistance Policy and protection, following the enactment of the 1988 Constitution, the concept and profile of these subjects, and the fight for the guarantee of their rights, sponsored by the National Movement of the Homeless People. In this context we analyze the institutions maintained by both the municipal and state governments, as well as the assistance provided by religious entities. Visiting the social assistance establishments we found that these facilities are insufficient and inadequate to meet the needs of the number of homeless people in Salvador. Another aspect was that the staff was mostly comprised of outsourced professionals, which goes against the standards for ensuring the rights of this group. Interviews with the assisted people revealed their desire of belonging and of citizenship, corroborating our views that the care services are precarious, do not meet the basic needs of this public, and consider of lesser importance measures aimed at the social inclusion of men and women who make the streets their home and livelihood.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by 2012 there were 15.4 million refugees and 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to flee their homes due to war or violent conflict across the globe. Upon arrival in their host settings, forced migrants struggle with acute health and material needs, as well as issues related to identity, politics, power and place. The Karen ethnic minority of Burma (also known as Myanmar) has been involved in a prolonged civil conflict with the Burmese military government for nearly six decades. This fighting has resulted in massive internal displacement and refugee flight, and although a ceasefire was signed in 2012, continued violence has been reported. This study among the displaced Karen population along the Thai-Burma border examines the relationships between traditional – or indigenous – medicine, the population's health needs, and the broader social and political context. Research was conducted using an ethnographic case-study approach among 170 participants along the Thai-Burma border between 2003 and 2011. Research findings document the rapid evolution and formalisation of the Karen traditional medical system. Findings show how the evolutionary process was influenced by social needs, an existing base medical knowledge among traditional health practitioners, and a dynamic social and political environment. Evidence suggests that that Karen traditional medicine practitioners, under the leadership of the Karen National Union (KNU) Department of Health and Welfare, are serving neglected and culturally-specific health needs among border populations. Moreover, this research also provides evidence that Karen authorities are revitalising their traditional medicine, as part of a larger effort to strengthen their social infrastructure including the Karen self-determination movement. In particular, these Karen authorities are focused on building a sustainable health infrastructure that can serve Karen State in the long term. From the perspectives of both refugee health and development studies, the revival of Karen traditional medicine within a refugee and IDP setting represents an adaptive response by otherwise medically under-served populations. This case offers a model of healthcare self-sufficiency that breaks with the dependency relationships characteristic of most conventional refugee and IDP health services. And, through the mobilisation of tradition for contemporary needs, it offers a dimension of cultural continuity in a context where discontinuity and loss of culture are hallmarks of the forced migration experience.

The aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate traffic safety and mobility for individuals with hearing loss (HL). Three studies were conducted: 1. a questionnaire survey aimed to evaluate differences in choice of transportation that might be related to HL, 2. a driving simulator study that looked into compensatory strategies and evaluated the efficiency of a tactile signal to alert the driver, and 3. a field study to evaluate these effects in real traffic and to evaluate a navigation system with a supportive tactile signal. The effects of HL discovered in this thesis add to the knowledge and understanding of the influence of HL on traffic safety and mobility. Differences found consistently point to a generally more cautious behavior. Compensatory and coping strategies associated with HL are bound to driving complexity and appear when complexity increases. These strategies include driving at lower speeds, using a more comprehensive visual search behavior and being less engaged in distracting activities. Evaluation of a tactile signal showed that by adding a tactile modality, some driver assistance systems can also be made accessible to drivers with HL. At the same time, the systems might be more effective for all users, since the driver can be more focused on the road. Based on the results in this thesis, drivers with HL cannot be considered an increased traffic safety risk, and there should be no need for adjustments of the requirements of hearing for a license to drive a car.
Syftet med den här doktorsavhandlingen var att undersöka trafiksäkerhet och mobilitet för individer med hörselnedsättning (HN). Tre studier har genomförts: 1. en enkätstudie för att undersöka skillnader i transportvanor relaterade till HN, 2. en körsimulatorstudie for att titta på kompensatoriska strategier och utvärdera effektiviteten i en taktil signal för att påkalla förarens uppmärksamhet och 3. en fältstudie för att undersöka effekterna i riktig trafik samt utvärdera ett navigationssystem med en taktil signal som stöd för navigering. Effekterna av HN som kom fram i denna avhandling bidrar till kunskapen och förståelsen för hur HN påverkar trafiksäkerhet och mobilitet. De funna skillnaderna pekar konsistent mot ett generelltmera försiktigt beteende. Kompensatoriska - och copingstrategier förknippade med HN beror på körkomplexitet och observeras när komplexiteten ökar. Dessa strategier innebär körning med lägre hastighet, mera heltäckande visuell avsökning och mindre engagemang i distraherande uppgifter. Utvärdering av en taktil signal visade att genom att lägga till en taktil modalitet kan vissa förarstödsystem bli tillgängliga även för förare med HN. Samtidigt kan systemen bli mera effektiva för alla användare eftersom föraren då kan fokusera mera på vägen. Baserat på resultaten i den här avhandlingen kan inte förare med HN betraktas som någon förhöjd risk och det bör därmed inte finnas något behov av att justera hörselkraven när det gäller körkortsinnehav.

La Direction générale responsable de l’aide humanitaire de la Commission européenne(DG ECHO) est un acteur particulier des relations internationales. Sa singularité est marquée par une institutionnalisation progressive et par un fonctionnement distinct au sein des institutions européennes.L’étude de la stratégie qu’elle a élaborée pour lutter contre la malnutrition au Sahel révèle tout particulièrement les forces, les faiblesses, mais aussi les opportunités et les contraintes de l’aide humanitaire de la Commission européenne. À la lumière de cette stratégie, la DG ECHO est parvenue à promouvoir une approche crédible et reconnue afin de combattre la malnutrition. Néanmoins, l’enjeu sécuritaire que représente ce phénomène expose les vulnérabilités de la Commission européenne, à plus forte raison dans le contexte volatil du Sahel. Le manque de cohérence des actions extérieures et l’administration de l’Union européenne se révèlent particulièrement contraignants.Pourtant, l’autorité et la maturité dont fait preuve la DG ECHO, notamment dans la dimension nutritionnelle de l’aide, lui offrent la légitimité d’exister et le privilège d’être devenu un acte urfondamental, voire incontournable, du système humanitaire. La plus-value qu’elle apporte repose sur l’expertise de son personnel mais aussi sur un partenariat original avec des opérateurs spécialisés. Au terme de deux décennies d’existence, la DG ECHO s’affirme et exerce une influence croissante sur la scène européenne, où elle contribue à la construction de l’identité de l’Union, mais aussi internationale
The European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) has become a unique actor in international relations. Its singularity is defined by a progressive institutionalisation and a proper functioning within the European institutions. In particular, the study of the strategy ECHO has developed to fight malnutrition in the Sahel reveals the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the constraints of the European Commission humanitarian aid system. Indeed, ECHO has succeeded in promoting a credible and recognized policy to combat malnutrition. However, the security challenge posed by malnutrition exposes the European Commission’s vulnerabilities, which are heightened in the volatile environment of the Sahel. The lack of coherence of the EuropeanUnion external actions and administration are particularly constraining. Though, the authority and maturity displayed by ECHO, specifically in the nutritional dimensions of aid, has increased its legitimacy to exist and to be a key player in the humanitarian aid system. The added value it provides is based on the expertise of its staff,but also on a unique system of partnerships with specialized operators. Twenty years after its creation, ECHO has asserted itself and has a growing influence on the international and European scene, where it contributes to the construction of the EU identity

This study examines the nature and intensity of collective action in five Central American nations during the period 1950-1980. Using a historical comparative analysis, I found that Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua have had guerrilla movements and Honduras and Costa Rica have not. Instead, Honduras and Costa Rica have developed workers and peasant movements that are important political forces in their respective societies. These differences are explained by comparing and contrasting the five countries in terms of distribution of land and income, their political structure and their political influence of the United States. Unequal distribution of land and income is commonly thought to produce frustration and discontent, and in turn, higher frequencies of collective action. In Central America, land and income inequality have remained, for the most part, constant, while the nature and intensity of collective action varies over time and across country. Consequently, I concluded that inequality alone does not facilitate the origin and development of forms of collective protest. More compelling theoretical arguments can be made for the political structure of each country and the political influence of the United States as preconditions for the nature and intensity of collective action. The strength of worker and peasant organizations, and their ability to protest non-violently during these times, occurred when the United States encouraged democratic government in these nations. These forms of governance provided freedom and protection for organizing and collective protest. But as the United States supported and encouraged repressive governments, non-violent actions were repressed, and in turn, violent forms of protest originated. Then guerrilla movements appeared and developed when the United States reduced or withdrew military assistance to these repressive governments.

À la fin du 19ème siècle s'organise progressivement en Belgique un vaste mouvement de lutte contre la mortalité infantile. Des médecins et des femmes philanthropes créent des oeuvres, les consultations de nourrissons, qui visent à apprendre aux mères à soigner leurs enfants suivant les nouveaux préceptes de l'hygiène. Durant la Première Guerre mondiale, elles connaissent un formidable essor et finissent par couvrir le pays. Après la guerre, le principe de la protection sanitaire du jeune enfant est inscrit dans la loi et un organisme est spécialement créé à cet effet :l'Oeuvre nationale de l'enfance (ONE). L'ONE, qui dépend directement du Gouvernement, contrôle et finance durant l'entre-deux-guerres plus d'un millier d'oeuvres de l'enfance. À la veille de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, près de la moité des enfants âgés de moins d'un an, accompagnés de leur mère, y sont suivis de manière plus ou moins prolongée. Ces oeuvres participent à un vaste mouvement d'éducation maternelle et d'assignation des femmes à la sphère reproductive et domestique, tout en favorisant la médicalisation de la grossesse et de l'accouchement.

Cette thèse étudie le mouvement de protection sanitaire du jeune enfant et la médicalisation de la maternité dans une perspective de genre. À travers une analyse des discours de ses promoteurs et des principes d'organisation des oeuvres, elle montre combien les enjeux politiques, sociaux, démographiques et sexués ont durablement influencé l'organisation de la protection infantile et maternelle. Elle apporte de nouvelles réflexions sur la dimension sociale de l'éducation maternelle. Elle met par ailleurs en exergue le rôle essentiel joué par les femmes, aux côtés des médecins, dans la gestion des oeuvres de l'enfance et analyse le statut et les relations de pouvoir qui se sont tissées entre les médecins, les dames patronnesses, les travailleuses sociales et les représentants de l'État. Les investissements sociaux féminins sont analysés sous l'angle de leur autonomie, de leur visibilité et de leur portée émancipatrice. Ce faisant, cette thèse montre de quelle manière les œuvres de l'enfance ont favorisé, de manière assez paradoxale, une transgression des modèles sexués en favorisant un questionnement sur la condition maternelle et l'intervention des femmes dans la sphère publique et politique.
Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Cette thèse vise à reconstituer la genèse et le développement des politiques publiques du handicap (1956-1982), dans une perspective croisée entre l’Espagne, l’Argentine et le Brésil. La méthode de l’histoire croisée nous incite à envisager la singularité de la trajectoire nationale des politiques publiques en fonction de l'étendue du champ des possibles imaginés à l'échelle internationale et des normes diffusées par les organisations intergouvernementales. A la sortie de la seconde guerre mondiale, les organisations intergouvernementales (ONU, OMS, OIT) promeuvent un nouveau projet d’innovations sociales dans le domaine de la réadaptation, qui s’inspire des expériences anglo-saxonnes et scandinaves. Ce projet est qualifié de « moderne » afin de discréditer les méthodes européennes de la rééducation développées après la première guerre mondiale. Nous le qualifions de modernité nord-atlantique de la réadaptation. Il se caractérise avant tout par une légalité libérale dans le domaine de l’emploi (refus des mesures de quota appliquées aux entreprises privées, placement sélectif, constitution d’ateliers protégés pour les personnes jugées peu productives), mais aussi par le principe de coordination des politiques sectorielles, et par une tendance à l’égalisation des droits entre toutes les catégories d’invalides. L’objectif de notre thèse est de comprendre les mécanismes et les limites de l’internationalisation de cette modernité nord-atlantique dans ces trois pays. A l'échelle nationale, les multiples acteurs qui construisent les politiques publiques du handicap s’approprient les principes de la modernité nord-atlantique pour les défendre ou les contester
This tesis aims at reconstituting the genesis and the development of the public policies of disability (1956-1982), with an entangled perspective between Spain, Argentina and Brazil. The method of entangled history encourages us to consider the singularity of the national development of public policies according to the scope of the feasibilities imagined at an international scale and to the standards promoted by the intergovernmental organisations. At the end of the Second World War, the intergovernmental organisations (UN, WHO, ILO) develop a new social innovations project in the field of rehabilitation, which is inspired by the anglo-saxon and scandinavian experience. This project is qualified as « modern » in order to discredit the european methods of reeducation developed after the First World War. We name it north-atlantic modernity of rehabilitation. It is mostly defined by a liberal legality in the field of work (refusal of quotas measures applied to private companies, selective placement, creation of sheltered workshops for people which are considered less productive), but also by coordination's principle of the sectorial policies, and by a tendency to equalization of the rights of all categories of disabled. The objective of our thesis is to understand the mechanisms and limits of the internationalization of this north-atlantic modernity in these three countries. At a national scale, the multiple actors who build the public policies of disability appropriate themselves the north-atlantic modernity principles to defend or contest them
Esta tese pretende reconstituir a gênese e o desenvolvimento das políticas públicas sobre as deficiências (1956-1982), na perspectiva da história cruzada entre a Espanha, a Argentina e o Brasil. O método de história cruzada nos incita a considerar a singularidade da trajetória nacional das políticas públicas, em função das ideias imaginadas na escala internacional e das normas difundidas pelas organizações intergovernamentais. No final da segunda guerra mundial, as organizações intergovernamentais (ONU, OMS, OIT) promoveram um novo projeto de inovações sociais na area da readaptação, as quais se inspiraram nas experiências anglo-saxonias e escandinavas. Esse projeto foi considerado "moderno", afim de descreditar os métodos europeus de reeducação desevolvidos depois da primeira guerra mundial. Nós o qualificamos de modernidade norte-atlântica de readaptação, o qual se distingue, primeiramente, pela legalidade liberal na área do emprego (rejeição de medidas de cotas aplicadas na empresas privadas, cargos seletivos, constituição de atêlies protegidos para pessoas consideradas pouco produtivas), mas também pelo princípio de coordenação das políticas setoriais, e por uma tendência à compensação dos direitos entre todas as categorias de deficientes. Sendo assim, o objetivo da nossa tese é de compreendrer os mecanismos e os limites da internacionalisação dessa modernidade norte atlântica nos três países. Na escala nacional, os múltiplos atores que constroem as políticas públicas da deficiência se apropriam dos princípios da modernidade norte atlântica para defendê-la ou contestá-la
Esta tesis tiene por objectivo reconstituir la génesis y el desarrollo de las políticas públicas de la discapacidad (1956-1982), en una perspectiva cruzada entre España, Argentina y Brasil. El método de la historia cruzada nos incita a considerar la singularidad de la trayectoria nacional de las políticas públicas en función de la amplitud de las posibilidades imaginadas al nivel internacional y de las normas difundidas por las organizaciones intergubernamentales. Después de la segunda Guerra Mundial, las organizaciones intergubernamentales (ONU, OMS, OIT) promueven un nuevo proyecto de innovaciones sociales en el ámbito de la readaptación, que se inspira en las experiencias anglosajonas y escandinavas. Los expertos califican este proyecto como "moderno" con el fin de desacreditar los métodos europeos de la reeducación desarrollados después de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Lo calificamos como modernidad norte-atlantica de la readaptación. Se caracteriza sobre todo por una legalidad liberal en el ámbito del empleo (denegación de las medidas de cuota aplicadas a las empresas privadas, colocación selectiva, constitución de talleres protegidos para las personas juzgadas poco productivas), y también por el principio de coordinación de las políticas sectoriales, y por una tendencia a la igualación de los derechos entre todas las categorías de inválidos. Nuestra tesis intenta entender los mecanismos y los límites de la internacionalización de esta modernidad norte-atlantica en estos tres países. Al nivel nacional, los múltiples protagonistas que construyen las políticas públicas de la discapacidad se apropian los principios de la modernidad norte-atlantica para defenderlos o impugnarlos

Depuis 2001 et la recomposition des équilibres de puissance, l'Inde s'affirme comme l'un des acteurs qui compte dans un espace international de plus en plus multipolaire. Les mouvements de fond actuels provoquent une redistribution de cette puissance imposant de nouvelles alliances et de nouveaux jeux de pouvoirs. L'Inde n'est pas étrangère à cette tendance et encore plus depuis l'arrivée au pouvoir, en 2014, de l'actuel Premier ministre, Narendra Modi. Ce dernier conduit une politique extérieure ambitieuse pour que son pays accède à un statut de puissance mondiale. C'est dans ce cadre que se pose notre problématique qui est de savoir dans quelle mesure la place de l'Afrique dans la politique étrangère indienne permet-elle justement à l'Inde de parvenir à se hisser à ce statut de puissance. Pour y répondre, cette thèse investigue trois directions. D'abord, la place de l'océan Indien dans la relation indo-africaine doit rendre compte du rôle de l'Afrique dans la volonté indienne de faire de cet océan un espace pacifique et sécurisé sur lequel l'Inde puisse être un acteur incontournable face à des acteurs politiques puissants et hétérogènes. Ensuite, cette thèse s'attache à déterminer le rôle que l'Afrique joue dans la volonté de l'Inde d'être une puissance ayant une capacité d'influence politique sur la scène internationale au travers des instances internationales, de ses relations bilatérales avec les États africains et de la diaspora indienne installée dans ces pays. Enfin, cette recherche de statut passe par le champ économique et la nécessaire évaluation de l'empreinte économique que l'Inde souhaite imprimer en Afrique pour mieux asseoir ses capacités d'influence. Cette étude doit permettre de donner un éclairage sur la politique extérieure indienne à l'heure où les États-Unis réévaluent leur implication dans l'océan Indien, où la Chine met en place la « One Belt, One Road » et où l'Inde et le Japon viennent de s'unir pour proposer un nouveau partenariat à l'Afrique
Since 2001 and the reshuffling of the balance of power, India has become one of the influential actors in an increasingly multipolar international context. The current groundswells are reshuffling powers between Nations in shaping new alliances and new power games. India is, more than ever, involved in this trend since the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, came to power in 2014. He conducts an ambitious foreign policy as a means to make his country a global and respected power. The context of the issue detailed in this document is: to what extent does Africa's place in India's foreign policy enables India to reach this status of power? This thesis investigates the following three themes: Firstly, the Indian Ocean's place in the Indo-African relationship should reflect Africa's role in India's will to make the Indian Ocean region a peaceful and secured space in which India is a decisive player in front of powerful and heterogeneous political actors. Secondly, this thesis focuses on assessing Africa's role in India's initiatives to be an influential player on politics on the international agenda through international bodies, its bilateral relations with African states and the Indian diaspora settled down in these countries. Thirdly, India's search for that particular status goes through the economic area and the assessment of India's economic footprint in Africa to better establish its influence on that Continent. This study tries to shed the light on India's foreign policy while the United States are reassessing their involvement in the Indian Ocean, and while China is setting up its "One Belt, One Road" and India and Japan have just come together to propose a new partnership to Africa

Technology pervades our daily living, and is increasingly integrated into the vehicle – directly affecting driving. On the one hand technology such as cell phones provoke driver distraction and inattention, whereas, on the other hand, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) support the driver in the driving task. The question is, can a driver successfully adapt to the ever growing technological advancements? Thus, this thesis aimed at improving safe driver behaviour by understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavioural change. Previous research on ADAS and human attention was reviewed in the context of driver behavioural adaptation. Empirical data from multiple data sources such as driving performance data, visual behaviour data, video footage, and subjective data were analyzed to evaluate two ADAS (a brake-capacity forward collision warning system, B-FCW, and a Visual Distraction Alert System, VDA-System). Results from a field operational test (EuroFOT) showed that brake-capacity forward collision warnings lead to immediate attention allocation toward the roadway and drivers hit the brake, yet change their initial response later on by directing their eyes toward the warning source in the instrument cluster. A similar phenomenon of drivers changing initial behaviour was found in a driving simulator study assessing a Visual Distraction Alert System. Analysis showed that a Visual Distraction Alert System successfully assists drivers in redirecting attention to the relevant aspects of the driving task and significantly improves driving performance. The effects are discussed with regard to behavioural adaptation, calibration and system acceptance. Based on these findings a novel assessment for human-machine-interaction (HMI) of ADAS was introduced. Based on the contribution of this thesis and previous best-practices, a holistic safety management model on accident prevention strategies (before, during and after driving) was developed. The DO-IT BEST Feedback Model is a comprehensive feedback strategy including driver feedback at various time scales and therefore is expected to provide an added benefit for distraction and inattention prevention. The central contributions of this work are to advance research in the field of traffic psychology in the context of attention allocation strategies, and to improve the ability to design future safety systems with the human factor in focus. The thesis consists of the introduction of the conducted research, six publications in full text and a comprehensive conclusion of the publications. In brief this thesis intends to improve safe driver behaviour by understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavioral change, thereby resulting in more attention allocation to the forward roadway, and improved vehicle control
Technologie durchdringt unser tägliches Leben und ist zunehmend integriert in Fahrzeuge – das Resultat sind veränderte Anforderungen an Fahrzeugführer. Einerseits besteht die Gefahr, dass er durch die Bedienung innovativer Technologien (z.B. Mobiltelefone) unachtsam wird und visuell abgelenkt ist, andererseits kann die Nutzung von Fahrerassistenzsystemen die den Fahrer bei der Fahraufgabe unterstützten einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Fahrsicherheit bieten. Die steigende Aktualität beider Problematiken wirft die Frage auf: "Kann der Fahrer sich erfolgreich dem ständig wachsenden technologischen Fortschritt anpassen?" Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist der Erkenntnisgewinn zur Verbesserung des Fahrverhaltens indem der Verhaltensänderungen zugrunde liegende psychologische Mechanismen untersucht werden. Eine Vielzahl an Literatur zu Fahrerassistenzsystemen und Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung wurde vor dem Hintergrund von Verhaltensanpassung der Fahrer recherchiert. Daten mehrerer empirischer Quellen, z. B. Fahrverhalten, Blickbewegungen, Videomitschnitte und subjektive Daten dienten zur Datenauswertung zweier Fahrerassistenzsysteme. Im Rahmen einer Feldstudie zeigte sich, dass Bremskapazitäts-Kollisionswarnungen zur sofortigen visuellen Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung zur Fahrbahn und zum Bremsen führen, Fahrer allerdings ihre Reaktion anpassen indem sie zur Warnanzeige im Kombinationsinstrument schauen. Ein anderes Phänomen der Verhaltensanpassung wurde in einer Fahrsimulatorstudie zur Untersuchung eines Ablenkungswarnsystems, das dabei hilft die Blicke von Autofahrern stets auf die Straße zu lenken, gefunden. Diese Ergebnisse weisen nach, dass solch ein System unterstützt achtsamer zu sein und sicherer zu fahren. Die vorliegenden Befunde wurden im Zusammenhang zu Vorbefunden zur Verhaltensanpassung zu Fahrerassistenzsystemen, Fahrerkalibrierung und Akzeptanz von Technik diskutiert. Basierend auf den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen wurde ein neues Vorgehen zur Untersuchung von Mensch- Maschine-Interaktion eingeführt. Aufbauend auf den Resultaten der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein ganzheitliches Modell zur Fahrsicherheit und -management, das DO-IT BEST Feedback Modell, entwickelt. Das Modell bezieht sich auf multitemporale Fahrer-Feedbackstrategien und soll somit einen entscheidenen Beitrag zur Verkehrssicherheit und dem Umgang mit Fahrerunaufmerksamkeit leisten. Die zentralen Beiträge dieser Arbeit sind die Gewinnung neuer Erkenntnisse in den Bereichen der Angewandten Psychologie und der Verkehrspsychologie in den Kontexten der Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung und der Verbesserung der Gestaltung von Fahrerassistenzsystemen fokusierend auf den Bediener. Die Dissertation besteht aus einem Einleitungsteil, drei empirischen Beiträgen sowie drei Buchkapiteln und einer abschliessenden Zusammenfassung

碩士
東海大學
資訊工程與科學系
96
In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), energy is one of the most important resources that should be economically used. But most routing approaches deployed by WSNs are hop-by-hop relay schemes, causing that sensors along a routing path should not only collect its environmental data, and then sending the data to base station, but also relay data received from its neighbors toward the base station. This will result in an unbalance energy consumption problem for WSNs, i.e., nodes near the base station will exhaust their energy more quickly than those far away, which is so-called energy hole problem. This problem appears in both message-evenly generated environment and event-driven WSNs. In the paper, we propose a routing assistant scheme with localized movement (RASLM) by using mobile nodes to help nodes along an active routing path to prevent them from dying much earlier than others. This scheme can also stabilize the routing path to ensure that the sensed data can be sent to base station safely and smoothly. The experimented results show that the RASLM can effectively improve the system lifetime in event-driven wireless sensor networks.

The author in its Dissertation thesis deals with the concept of worker under the free movement rights in EU law. Following the introduction, the thesis itself focuses on the positive and negative delimitation of the concept. One of the core chapters of the "positive part" tries to find an answer on the research question whether any "Keck-like" principle exists as a criterion for defining obstacles to the free movement of workers. The aim of the chapter is to find an answer what shall be subsumed under the obstacles to free movement of workers and what are Member States left with to regulate freely on their territories. In regard with the negative delimitation of the concept, the author deals with the diversion between workers and non-economically active citizens of the EU. The core chapter deals with the growing tendency of Union citizens to move to the host Member States to study while retaining the status of a worker.

Unmanned aircraft vehicles were primarily used for military purposes and are still used for them. Not only for this reason is their introduction for humanitarian aims disputable, raising various dilemmas. Supporters of humanitarian drones put emphasis on/emphasize their speed, security, data amount and the possible employment of new technology in extreme environments. Critics of humanitarian technologization stress the loss of neutrality and impartiality, politicization and militarization of humanitarian aid. Consensus does not even exist amongst academics in the field. Contemporary literature is primarily targeted on the controversy of dual-usage of UAVs and on potential technical advantages with emphasis on immediate assistance. The literature dealing with ethical issues of humanitarian drones in connection to humanitarian and development practice outside the conflict zone is almost absent, and only marginally or indirectly treats the issue. The aim of this paper is to analyse potential advantages and disadvantages of humanitarian drones' proliferation within the theoretical framework of The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations in Disaster Relief, which deals with basic dilemmas in humanitarian aid. This thesis does not...

Technology pervades our daily living, and is increasingly integrated into the vehicle – directly affecting driving. On the one hand technology such as cell phones provoke driver distraction and inattention, whereas, on the other hand, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) support the driver in the driving task. The question is, can a driver successfully adapt to the ever growing technological advancements? Thus, this thesis aimed at improving safe driver behaviour by understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavioural change. Previous research on ADAS and human attention was reviewed in the context of driver behavioural adaptation. Empirical data from multiple data sources such as driving performance data, visual behaviour data, video footage, and subjective data were analyzed to evaluate two ADAS (a brake-capacity forward collision warning system, B-FCW, and a Visual Distraction Alert System, VDA-System). Results from a field operational test (EuroFOT) showed that brake-capacity forward collision warnings lead to immediate attention allocation toward the roadway and drivers hit the brake, yet change their initial response later on by directing their eyes toward the warning source in the instrument cluster. A similar phenomenon of drivers changing initial behaviour was found in a driving simulator study assessing a Visual Distraction Alert System. Analysis showed that a Visual Distraction Alert System successfully assists drivers in redirecting attention to the relevant aspects of the driving task and significantly improves driving performance. The effects are discussed with regard to behavioural adaptation, calibration and system acceptance. Based on these findings a novel assessment for human-machine-interaction (HMI) of ADAS was introduced. Based on the contribution of this thesis and previous best-practices, a holistic safety management model on accident prevention strategies (before, during and after driving) was developed. The DO-IT BEST Feedback Model is a comprehensive feedback strategy including driver feedback at various time scales and therefore is expected to provide an added benefit for distraction and inattention prevention. The central contributions of this work are to advance research in the field of traffic psychology in the context of attention allocation strategies, and to improve the ability to design future safety systems with the human factor in focus. The thesis consists of the introduction of the conducted research, six publications in full text and a comprehensive conclusion of the publications. In brief this thesis intends to improve safe driver behaviour by understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavioral change, thereby resulting in more attention allocation to the forward roadway, and improved vehicle control.:Abstract i Zusammenfassung iii List of included publications v Acknowledgements vii Previously published work ix Table of contents xi Preface xii 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Outline 1 1.2 Objectives 2 1.3 Background 8 1.3.1 Behavioural adaption to ADAS 8 1.3.2 Driver distraction and inattention 9 2 Chapter 2 Paper I 23 3 Chapter 3 Paper II 47 4 Chapter 4 Paper III 61 5 Chapter 5 Paper IV 91 6 Chapter 6 Paper V 117 7 Chapter 7 Paper VI 143 8 Chapter 8 Conclusions and discussion 161 8.1. Contributions 161 8.2. Implications 171 8.3. Limitations and research needs 173 9 References 177 Curriculum Vitae 199 Eidesstattliche Erklärung 201
Technologie durchdringt unser tägliches Leben und ist zunehmend integriert in Fahrzeuge – das Resultat sind veränderte Anforderungen an Fahrzeugführer. Einerseits besteht die Gefahr, dass er durch die Bedienung innovativer Technologien (z.B. Mobiltelefone) unachtsam wird und visuell abgelenkt ist, andererseits kann die Nutzung von Fahrerassistenzsystemen die den Fahrer bei der Fahraufgabe unterstützten einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Fahrsicherheit bieten. Die steigende Aktualität beider Problematiken wirft die Frage auf: "Kann der Fahrer sich erfolgreich dem ständig wachsenden technologischen Fortschritt anpassen?" Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist der Erkenntnisgewinn zur Verbesserung des Fahrverhaltens indem der Verhaltensänderungen zugrunde liegende psychologische Mechanismen untersucht werden. Eine Vielzahl an Literatur zu Fahrerassistenzsystemen und Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung wurde vor dem Hintergrund von Verhaltensanpassung der Fahrer recherchiert. Daten mehrerer empirischer Quellen, z. B. Fahrverhalten, Blickbewegungen, Videomitschnitte und subjektive Daten dienten zur Datenauswertung zweier Fahrerassistenzsysteme. Im Rahmen einer Feldstudie zeigte sich, dass Bremskapazitäts-Kollisionswarnungen zur sofortigen visuellen Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung zur Fahrbahn und zum Bremsen führen, Fahrer allerdings ihre Reaktion anpassen indem sie zur Warnanzeige im Kombinationsinstrument schauen. Ein anderes Phänomen der Verhaltensanpassung wurde in einer Fahrsimulatorstudie zur Untersuchung eines Ablenkungswarnsystems, das dabei hilft die Blicke von Autofahrern stets auf die Straße zu lenken, gefunden. Diese Ergebnisse weisen nach, dass solch ein System unterstützt achtsamer zu sein und sicherer zu fahren. Die vorliegenden Befunde wurden im Zusammenhang zu Vorbefunden zur Verhaltensanpassung zu Fahrerassistenzsystemen, Fahrerkalibrierung und Akzeptanz von Technik diskutiert. Basierend auf den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen wurde ein neues Vorgehen zur Untersuchung von Mensch- Maschine-Interaktion eingeführt. Aufbauend auf den Resultaten der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein ganzheitliches Modell zur Fahrsicherheit und -management, das DO-IT BEST Feedback Modell, entwickelt. Das Modell bezieht sich auf multitemporale Fahrer-Feedbackstrategien und soll somit einen entscheidenen Beitrag zur Verkehrssicherheit und dem Umgang mit Fahrerunaufmerksamkeit leisten. Die zentralen Beiträge dieser Arbeit sind die Gewinnung neuer Erkenntnisse in den Bereichen der Angewandten Psychologie und der Verkehrspsychologie in den Kontexten der Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung und der Verbesserung der Gestaltung von Fahrerassistenzsystemen fokusierend auf den Bediener. Die Dissertation besteht aus einem Einleitungsteil, drei empirischen Beiträgen sowie drei Buchkapiteln und einer abschliessenden Zusammenfassung.:Abstract i Zusammenfassung iii List of included publications v Acknowledgements vii Previously published work ix Table of contents xi Preface xii 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Outline 1 1.2 Objectives 2 1.3 Background 8 1.3.1 Behavioural adaption to ADAS 8 1.3.2 Driver distraction and inattention 9 2 Chapter 2 Paper I 23 3 Chapter 3 Paper II 47 4 Chapter 4 Paper III 61 5 Chapter 5 Paper IV 91 6 Chapter 6 Paper V 117 7 Chapter 7 Paper VI 143 8 Chapter 8 Conclusions and discussion 161 8.1. Contributions 161 8.2. Implications 171 8.3. Limitations and research needs 173 9 References 177 Curriculum Vitae 199 Eidesstattliche Erklärung 201

The thesis is focussed on social work with visually impaired clients. The theoretical part deals with eyesight, anatomy, physiology of the eye and various visual defects; further, on personality of handicapped individuals, quality of their lives, provided social assistance, methods of typhlo- rehabilitation and appropriate utensils. The application section searches by means of qualitative research, namely semi-structured interview and observation, complex functioning of an asylum for the handicapped - Home for Visually Impaired Clients PALATA, Prague. The dissertation presents, according to the findings, personalities of the interviewed, their subjective difficulties, the way they cope with the obstacles, their level of contentment, and considers bounds of assistance possibilities from the social background. The objective of the thesis is to describe options of social work with visually impaired clients. To present their personalities and difficulties they deal with due to their handicap. And as well as to show how they cope with them and how their social environment can help with the acceptance of their impairment. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This dissertation examines the dominant discourse of welfare dependency and its implications for lone mothers in Ontario, Canada. This hegemonic discourse has been instrumental in positioning lone mothers as deviant, pathologically flawed and ineffective citizens. Using a repeated survival analysis, I examine the spells of participants identifying the significant variables influencing social assistance exit rates. Social constructionism and critical feminism are the theoretical lenses underpinning the analysis. The quantitative study examines the current composition of the Ontario Works caseload, interrogates the legitimacy of the welfare dependency supposition, debunks numerous social constructions surrounding welfare receipt and highlights the barriers impeding participants. The study culminates with a new understanding to counter the welfare dependency paradigm, recognizing the overlooked provisioning work of women in the neoliberal post welfare state.

The main aim of the master thesis titled "Syria and the concept responsibility to assist: new approach towards conflict resolution?" is to find out whether the extension of the doctrine of responsibility to protect by the concept of responsibility to assist that is based on the support of nonviolent movements could work as a new approach towards conflict resolution and thanks to this it could constitute another way of international assistance and civilian protection in cases when it is the regime that perpetrates the violence against its own population. For this reason the thesis, via the Syrian civil war that offers wide range of internal responses to the violence perpetrated by the regime against civilians, focuses on three different forms of international involvement and assistance. These are the international military intervention under the third pillar of R2P, the backing of domestic violent groups and insurgents and last but not least the assistance to nonviolent movements and civil initiatives in the form of R2A as a potential expansion of the second pillar under the R2P doctrine. These approaches are analyzed with regard to the issues of state sovereignty and moral responsibility to protect civilians that arises from the inconsistency of these two aspects in relation to any kind of...

Trade unions have been in existence for many years. Although their introduction was generally met with resistance, since their establishment trade unions have been important agents of social change worldwide. Over the years, trade unions have been involved in politics and other societal activities. In South Africa, trade unions for many years not only fought for worker’s rights within the workplace but also beyond the workplace. Trade unions started as friendly societies aimed at assisting their members with various matters, including offering financial help for education purposes and also in cases of illnesses. Although the main purpose of trade unions is to regulate relations between employees and their employers, trade unions perform other functions in society which can be broadly referred to as their social responsibility role. Unlike corporate social responsibility, which is recognised and formalised, trade union social responsibility is not, with the role and importance of social responsibility for trade unions having been largely ignored. This thesis aims at changing this by investigating their core responsibilities and their social responsibilities and subsequently making recommendations on how trade unions could recognise and accommodate their social responsibilities in their activities. It also considers factors that could assist trade unions in fulfilling their social responsibilities. Trade unions generally obtain legislative support for their core responsibilities, but not their social responsibilities; however this should not obstruct trade unions in such endeavours. As modern organisations it is high time that trade unions make a contribution towards sustainable development through their social responsibility role.
Private Law
LLD