Дисертації з теми "Movement parameter"

In this thesis, we present a dynamical systems analysis of models of movement coordination, namely the Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) model and the Jirsa-Kelso excitator (JKE). The dynamical properties of the models that can describe various phenomena in discrete and rhythmic movements have been explored in the models' parameter space. The dynamics of amplitude-phase approximation of the single HKB oscillator has been investigated. Furthermore, an approximated version of the scaled JKE system has been proposed and analysed. The canard phenomena in the JKE system has been analysed. A combination of slow-fast analysis, projection onto the Poincare sphere and blow-up method has been suggested to explain the dynamical mechanisms organising the canard cycles in JKE system, which have been shown to have different properties comparing to the classical canards known for the equivalent FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model. Different approaches to de fining the maximal canard periodic solution have been presented and compared. The model of two HKB oscillators coupled by a neurologically motivated function, involving the effect of time-delay and weighted self- and mutual-feedback, has been analysed. The periodic regimes of the model have been shown to capture well the frequency-induced drop of oscillation amplitude and loss of anti-phase stability that have been experimentally observed in many rhythmic movements and by which the development of the HKB model has been inspired. The model has also been demonstrated to support a dynamic regime of stationary bistability with the absence of periodic regimes that can be used to describe discrete movement behaviours.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-107).
Parameter search in an agent-based model of pedestrian movement in retail environments is part of a research effort by data-driven architecture in the Cognitive Machine Group at the MIT Media Lab. The approach pursued in this thesis is agent-based modeling, with an ultimate goal to use generative behaviors in agents to study effects of architectural and managerial decisions on retail environments. In this thesis, I designed and implemented an agent training module as a part of a software system which simulates and learns patterns of human pedestrian movement in retail environments. This thesis covers two different components: (1) the implementation of a hill-climbing training module and (2) a pedestrian path comparison metric. To measure the module's performance, the system is tested against video sequences collected from the actual retail environment.
by Thananat Jitapunkul.
M.Eng.

This study focuses on evaluating a system containing five different mappings of physical movement parameters to auditory parameters. Physical parameter variables such as size, location, among others, were obtained by using a motion tracking system, where the two hands of the user would work as rigid bodies. Translating these variables to auditory parameter variables gave the ability to control different parameters of MIDI files. The aim of the study was to determine how well a total of five participants, all with prior musical knowledge and experience, could adapt to the system concerning both user generated data as well as overall user experience. The study showed that the participants developed a positive personal engagement with the system and this way of audio and music alteration. Exploring the initial mappings of the system established ideas for future development of the system in potential forthcoming work.

In this thesis I do a comparative study between the Brazilian Portuguese Grammar (henceforth BP) and European Portuguese Grammar (henceforth EP) concerning to the word order, more specifically, with respect to the subject order in relation to the verb in finite declarative phrases. One defends that Verb-Subject order (VS) has been lost in the first language in (in)transitive contexts due a parametric change in the marking of Null Subject Parameter caused by weakness of AGR, what implies to consider that BP is losing the characterization of a prototypical null subject language as the EP for become a non-prodrop subject language as English. In this order, in inaccusative contexts, the visible morphologically agreement between a verbal inflection and the post-verbal DP is generally not observed and this DP can also be definite or indefinite, unlike what is proposed by Belletti s approach. Futhermore, researches have assumed that the subject position with respect to the verb comes from the fact of the syntax be conditioned by discoursive constraints. Therefore, with respect to these aspects, the goals of this research are: a) to develop an analysis about VS order in both grammars, considering the implications of the AGR richness for the position of the subjects ; b) to characterize this richness from the rediscussion of some theoretical proposals; c) to show counter-evidences to the proposal of that the word order codifies the informational structure; d) to explain the possibility of the non-visible morphologically agreement between the post-verbal DP and the verbal inflection in inaccusative contexts and its implications for the type of mechanism concerned to the nominative Case assignment and e) to argue against the universality of the Definiteness Efect on the post-verbal DP. To develope this study, the analysis bases itself on Pricinciples and Parameters, and the Distributed Morphology frameworks. The sentence structures are results from introspection data. During this research, it was possible to conclude that rich AGR that licences and identifies referential null subjects in null subject languages has no correlation with rich AGR that causes the verb movement in the syntax, and that preverbal subjects occupy an A-position in BP and in EP, unlike what is generally proposed. Futhermore, the different behaviour of VS order observed among these languages receives explanatory support from the type of syntactic output generated by each grammar in particular but not from discoursive constraints. With respect to the order in which there is no visibility of morphological agreement between the verbalinflection and the post-verbal DP in inaccusative contexts, I argue that it is a pseudo- VS order, in which Definiteness Efect does not act on.
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Nesta tese realizo um estudo comparativo entre a gramática do português brasileiro (doravante PB) e a do português europeu (doravante PE) no que diz respeito à ordem dos constituintes, mais especificamente, do sujeito em relação ao verbo em frases declarativas finitas. Tem-se defendido que a ordem Verbo-Sujeito (VS) tem sido perdida na primeira língua em contextos (in)transitivos em virtude de uma mudança paramétrica na marcação do Parâmetro do Sujeito Nulo ocasionada pelo enfraquecimento de AGR, o que implica considerar que o PB está deixando de ser uma língua de sujeito nulo prototípica como o PE para tornar-se uma língua de sujeito não-nulo como o inglês. Nessa ordem, em contextos inacusativos, a concordância morfologicamente visível entre a flexão verbal e o DP pós-verbal, em geral, não é observada e, ainda, esse DP pode ser definido ou indefinido, ao contrário do que é proposto pela análise belletiana. Ademais, estudos têm assumido que a posição do sujeito em relação ao verbo decorre do fato de a sintaxe estar a serviço de requerimentos de ordem discursiva. Portanto, face a esses aspectos, os objetivos desta pesquisa são: a) desenvolver uma análise sobre a ordem VS em ambas as gramáticas, levando em conta as implicações da riqueza de AGR para a posição dos sujeitos; b) caracterizar essa riqueza , a partir da rediscussão de algumas propostas teóricas; c) apresentar contra-evidências à proposta de que a ordem dos constituintes codifica a estrutura informacional; d) explicar a possibilidade de concordância morfologicamente não-vísível entre o DP pós-verbal e a flexão verbal em contextos inacusativos e suas implicações para o tipo de mecanismo relacionado à atribuição de Caso nominativo e e) argumentar contra a universalidade do Efeito de Definitude sobre o DP pós-verbal. Para a realização desse estudo, a análise fundamenta-se no arcabouço teórico do Modelo de Princípios e Parâmetros e da Morfologia Distribuída, sendo as estruturas frasais resultados de dados de introspecção. No decorrer desta pesquisa, é plausível concluir que AGR rico que licencia e idendifica sujeitos nulos referenciais em línguas de sujeito nulo não tem a ver com AGR rico que motiva o movimento do verbo na sintaxe, e que sujeitos pré-verbais ocupam uma posição-A no PB e no PE, ao contrário do que é comumente proposto na literatura. De mais a mais, o comportamento diferenciado da ordem VS atestado entre essas línguas ganha suporte explicativo no tipo de output sintático gerado por cada gramática em particular e não em requerimentos de ordem discursiva. No que concerne à ordem em que não há visibilidade da concordância morfológica entre a flexão-verbal e o DP pós-verbal em contextos inacusativos, argumento que seja uma pseudo-ordem VS , não sendo atuante sobre esse DP o Efeito de Definitude.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Kinesiology, 2007.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: B, page: 5772. Advisers: David M. Koceja; Dale R. Sengelaub. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 12, 2008).

This thesis sets out to test the Full Transfer Full Access hypothesis (FTFA), which claims (i) that second language (L2) learners start out with the parameter settings instantiated in their first language (L1) grammars ('full transfer') and (ii) that they can subsequently reset parameters to the target L2 settings where these differ from the L1 settings, provided the required (triggering) positive evidence is available in the L2 input ('full access').
Three studies on the L2 acquisition of two verb movement parameters, the V2 parameter and the Split-IP parameter (SIP), are reported. The first study investigates 'full access', testing whether English-speaking learners of Afrikaans, who started acquiring the L2 in early childhood and are thus child L2 learners, can reset the two parameters. The second study investigates 'full transfer' and 'full access' by testing whether English-speaking and German-speaking learners start out with different settings of the two parameters and whether the English-speaking learners can reset the parameters. All participants in this study are adult L2 learners, which facilitates a comparison of child L2 acquisition (first study) with adult L2 acquisition. The third study investigates whether Afrikaans-speaking learners of French can acquire knowledge of the ungrammaticality of certain construction types that are allowed in their L1 but not in the L2 (although the languages share the same parameter setting), despite the fact that there seems to be no positive evidence to this effect in the L2 input. It is argued that, taken together, the studies provide evidence in support of the FTFA.
The original contribution of this thesis lies in (i) investigating both verb movement parameters (instead of only one), (ii) providing a thorough discussion of the relevant syntactic properties of Afrikaans, (iii) investigating the L2 acquisition of Afrikaans, and (iv) addressing the question of how learners go about acquiring a parameter setting ([+SIP]) in cases where both the L1 and the L2 share the parameter setting but the L1 exhibits a superset of the properties exhibited by the L2.

The aim of this work is description of a device developed at Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Geodesy for the purpose of absolute calibration of geodetic GNSS antennas. Thanks to calibration it is possible to remove systematic error of antenna's phase centre. The device consists of moveable arm and processing unit. The moveable arm is able to set up calibrated antenna to required azimuth and elevation angle. This work introduces the issue of absolute calibration, describes the moveable arm and the process of its assembling. Further, it defines geometrical parameters of moveable arm, describes their determination and their independent verification by geodetic method. Finally, the model of movement of antenna's reference point is described.

Clinicians are becoming increasingly aware of the effect of various pathologies on the characteristics of saccadic eye movements. As such, an efficient and non-invasive means of measuring eye-movement in a clinical environment is of interest to many. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the clinical application of a non-invasive eye movement recording technique as a part of a clinical examination. Eye movements were measured using an IRIS 6500 infrared limbal eye tracker, which we customized for the direct recording of oblique eye movements as well as horizontal and vertical. Firstly, the eye-tracker itself was assessed. Visually normal observers made saccadic eye movements to a 10' stimulus in eight directions of gaze. Primary (ANOVA) and secondary analyses (mean error less than 5%) resulted in acceptance that averaging four measurements would give a representative measurement of saccadic latency, peak velocity, amplitude and duration. Test-retest results indicated that this technique gives statistically (± 1.96*STDEVDifference) repeatable responses. Several factors that could potentially influence clinically based measures of eye-movements were examined. These included, the effect of ageing, viewing distances, dioptric blur and cataract. The results showed that saccadic latency and duration are significantly (p < 0.05) longer in older (60-89 years) observers compared to younger (20-39 years). Peak velocity and amplitude were not significantly affected by the age of the observer. All saccadic parameters (SP) were significantly affected by direction (Chapter 5). The compact nature of this eye movement methodology is obtainable since there is no significant effect on viewing distance (300 cm vs. 49 cm) (Chapter 6). There is also no significant effect of dioptric blur (up to +LOODS) on any of the four SP. In contrast, a higher level of defocus (+3.O ODS) has a larger probability of interfering with the measurements of peak velocity and duration (Chapter 7). Saccadic eye-movements were also recorded whilst normally sighted subjects wore cataract simulation goggles. The results suggested that the presence of dense cataract introduces significant increases in saccadic latencies and durations. No effect was found on the peak velocities and amplitudes. The effect of amblyopia on SP was also investigated in order to examine if this methodology is able to detect normal from abnormal responses (i.e. increased saccadic latencies). This set of data (Chapter9 ) showed that using IRIS 6500, longer than normal latencies may be recorded from the amblyopic eye but no consistent effect was found for the other SP (peak velocity, amplitude, duration). Overall, the results of this thesis demonstrate that the IRIS 6500 eye-tracker has many desirable elements (it is non-invasive; comfortable for the observers and gives repeatable and precise results in an acceptable time) that would potentially make it a useful clinical tool as a part of a routine examination.

Foal scores from the International Sporthorse Registry and Oldenburg Registry North America were used for statistical and genetic analysis. Scored traits include type and conformation (TC), athletic ability of movement (AM), overall development as related to age (OD), and total score (TS) calculated as a weighted average of TC, AM, and OD. Premium status (PS) was analyzed as a binary trait. Preliminary statistical analysis determined significant fixed effects of sex, year of birth, dam breed, and inspection period. Offspring of stallions with only one offspring in the dataset and non-warmblood sires were deleted. Non-warmblood or non-Thoroughbred dams were also removed. Variance components were estimated using ASReml methodology to obtain genetic parameters. Traits were moderately to highly heritable with heritabilities of 0.45, 0.47, 0.49, and 0.55 for TC, AM, OD, and TS, respectively. PS had a heritability of 0.32 on a binary scale and 0.51 when transformed to the normal scale. Genetic correlations between TC, AM, OD, and TS were all high and favorable, ranging from 0.80 to 0.99. Genetic correlations with PS were inestimable. Foal inspection scores are heritable and should respond to selection. Selection for improvement in one trait should result in improvement in all traits. If genetic parameters can be correlated to data obtained in older horses, incorporating foal scores in selection decisions could improve warmblood breeding programs. Utilizing foal inspection scores should be beneficial to breeding objectives of the International Sporthorse Registry and Oldenburg Registry North America.
Master of Science

In this paper I argue that both parametric variation and the alleged differences between languages in terms of their internal complexity straightforwardly follow from the Strongest Minimalist Thesis that takes the Faculty of Language (FL) to be an optimal solution to conditions that neighboring mental modules impose on it. In this paper I argue that hard conditions like legibility at the linguistic interfaces invoke simplicity metrices that, given that they stem from different mental modules, are not harmonious. I argue that widely attested expression strategies, such as agreement or movement, are a direct result of conflicting simplicity metrices, and that UG, perceived as a toolbox that shapes natural language, can be taken to consist of a limited number of markings strategies, all resulting from conflicting simplicity metrices. As such, the contents of UG follow from simplicity requirements, and therefore no longer necessitate linguistic principles, valued or unvalued, to be innately present. Finally, I show that the SMT does not require that languages themselves have to be optimal in connecting sound to meaning.

The aim of this thesis work is to investigate the possibility of applying a sensor fusion algorithm with a focus on estimating vehicle dynamic states, mainly the vehicle body accelerations. Modern passenger vehicles have several mechatronic systems such as active safety, comfort, driver assistance etc., which are highly dependant on accurate knowledge of such states. This work focuses on the mechatronic suspension system, which makes use of the body accelerations measurements to control the dynamics of the vehicle body in order to provide an improved driving experience. This work can be split up into two major parts, the first being the identification of available onboard sensors for measuring the vehicle body accelerations. Five different sensor combinations are considered and compared with each other. The next part is to develop a sensor fusion algorithm, in this case, a Kalman Filter (KF) based algorithm, which uses vehicle dynamic modelling knowledge to obtain accurate, reliable and less uncertain estimates of the states. Specifically, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) and Cubature Kalman Filter (CKF) were built and compared with each other. Two different vehicle dynamic models, a vehicle planar dynamic model and a full car suspension model, were implemented to capture both the effects of road disturbances and drivingmanoeuvres on the vehicle body dynamics. Both these fusion algorithms were tested using simulation data and logged data and validated by comparing with an ideal sensing method to measure the body accelerations used currently at Volvo Car Corporation.
Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka möjligheten att tillämpa en sensorfusionsalgoritm med fokus på att uppskatta fordonets dynamiska tillstånd, främst karossens acceleration. Moderna personbilar har flera mekatroniska system som aktiv säkerhet, komfort, förarassistans etc., som är mycket beroende av exakt kunskap om sådana tillstånd. Detta arbete fokuserar på det mekatroniska fjädringssystemet, som använder karossens accelerationsmätningar för att styra fordonets dynamik och för att ge en förbättrad körupplevelse. Detta arbete kan delas upp i två huvuddelar, den första är identifiering av tillgängliga inbyggda sensorer för mätning av fordonets accelerationer. Fem olika sensorkombinationer övervägs och jämförs med varandra. Nästa del är att utveckla en sensorfusionsalgoritm, i detta fall en kalmanfilter baserad algoritm, som använder kunskap om fordonets dynamik för att få exakta, pålitliga och mindre osäkra uppskattningar av tillstånden. Specifikt byggdes en UKF och CKF som jämfördes med varandra. Två olika fordonsdynamiska modeller, en plan dynamisk modell och en full hjulupphängningsmodell, implementerades för att fånga både effekterna av vägstörningar och körmanövrer på fordonets karossdynamik. Båda dessa fusionsalgoritmer testades med hjälp av simuleringsdata och loggade data och validerades genom att jämföra med en idealisk avkänningsmetod för att mäta karossaccelerationerna som används för närvarande på Volvo Car Corporation.

The erosion of mixed sediment deposits is described, under the action of unidirectional steady currents and (simulated) waves, separately, and in combination. The experiments were undertaken using a rectangular recirculating flume, incorporating an oscillating tray. The mixtures consisted of angular fine-grained quartz sands (D50=152.5 m and 215 m) combined with a very cohesive estuarine mud. Time-averaged erosion threshold current speeds, during the unidirectional and combined flow experiments, were measured. In addition, pore (water) pressure measurements, during the oscillatory and combined flow experiments, have been monitored. The results obtained under the action of currents show that there is an incremental increase, with clay content, in critical erosion shear stress. This increase is small for clay percentages lower than 11% (dry weight); it is larger for clay contents in excess of 11-14%. The quantity and cohesive nature of the clay fraction are suggested as the mechanisms to explain the bi-modal pattern of sediment erodibility. When the mixtures were subjected to different pre-threshold current speeds, together with various time-periods of flow, the critical erosion shear stress was higher than the original. In this process, current velocity is more important than flow duration. Data obtained under the influence of simulated wave action show that, for clay contents 11%, sediment erodibility is unaffected by the increasing clay concentrations. However, with clay contents in excess of 11-14%, a positive linear function may describe the variation in erosion threshold with clay content. Results obtained under the co-linear combined action of waves and currents demonstrate a significant and positive linear relation between erosion threshold and the cohesive additive. Furthermore, waves protect the sediment/water interface from the eroding competence of the steady currents. The resistance to erosion increases with a decrease in wave period (from 10 s to 6 s).

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Animal and Avian Sciences. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

To date, the exercise-induced immune response in has only been evaluated in subjects performing aerobic exercise. The primary purpose of this study is to determine if repeated bouts of anaerobic exercise will induce a similar immune response in human subjects as exhibited by aerobic exercise. Secondary to immune function, an analysis of performance from trial to trial will be made. Nine males between the ages of 18-25 were selected on a volunteer basis to participate in this study. Subjects performed Wingate tests set in 3 series with 120 seconds between trials within series and 405 seconds between series for an exercise duration of 30 minutes. Blood samples were taken again immediately post test, and 1 hour post test and analyzed for cytokine secretion, epinephrine, and Caspase-3. The present study found that repeated bouts of anaerobic exercise did not alter immune function.

This study investigated the effects of a South African Black youth jive on selected Biophysical, Physiological and Psycho-social parameters, using 31 Black youths, males and females (mean age 19.29 yrs) as subjects. All subjects participated in the pre- and post-programme testing protocols (acting as their own control) and in a 7-week jive programme. While the female subjects were significantly (p<0.05) heavier with a greater percentage body fat than their male counterparts, a two factor analysis of variance revealed no significant changes in body composition (p<0.05) of either sex group. However, significant improvements did occur in the cardio-respiratory . parameters of working and recovery heart rates, predicted V0₂ max, and the anaerobic capacity. Here, the males exhibited superior cardio-respiratory qualities and performed better in all motor fitness parameters except flexibility, where no significant sex difference occurred. Also, there were significant improvements in all motor fitness tests with the exception of power (as tested in the 18-Item Illinois test). No significant differences occurred between male and female psycho-social responses with no changes occurring after the 7- week programme. It can be concluded that involvement in the 7-week jive programme improved physiological parameters but failed to bring about alterations in the biophysical and psycho-social domains..

Technology has during the last decades been adopted into the dance art form which has appeared as interactive dance. Many studies and performances have been conducted investigating this merging of dance and technology and the mapping of the motion data to other modalities. But none have previously explored how the introduction of technology affects the mutually interdependent relationship, the co-play, between a dancer and a live musician in a completely live setting. This thesis specifically explores this novel stting by investigating which sound parameters of a live drummer’s sound a dancer should be able to manipulate, through the usage of motion tracking sensors, to alter the dancer’s experience positively in comparison of without the usage of the tool. For this purpose, two studies have been conducted. First, a development study to create a prototype from the first person perspective of a professional dancer and choreographer. Second, an evaluative study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of the prototype and the experience of the manipulation of the sound parameters chosen, on a larger group of professional dancers. The studies showed that the sound parameters of delay and pitch altered a dance experience most positively. This thesis further shows that it is important for the user to get enough time to truly get to know the interactions allowed by the system, to actually be able to evaluate experience of the sound parameters.
Teknik har under de senaste decennierna anammats in i danskonsten vilket har framträtt som interaktiv dans. Många studier och föreställningar har genomförts för att undersöka denna sammanslagning av dans och teknik, och mappningen av rörelsedata till andra modaliteter. Men ingen har tidigare undersökt hur introduktionen av teknik påverkar samspelet, den ömsesidigt beroende relationen, mellan en dansare och en live-musiker i en fullständigt live inramning. Den här avhandlingen utforskar specifikt denna nya inramning genom att undersöka vilka ljudparametrar av en live-trummis ljud en dansare ska kunna manipulera genom användning av rörelsesensorer, för att förändra en dansarens upplevelse positivt i jämförelse med utan användning av verktyget. För detta ändamål har två studier genomförts. Först en utvecklingsstudie för att skapa en prototyp från ett förstapersonsperspektiv av en professionell dansare och koreograf. Sedan genomfördes en utvärderingsstudie för att utvärdera användbarheten av prototypen och upplevelsen av att manipulera de valda ljudparametrarna, på en större grupp professionella dansare. Studierna visade att ljudparametrarna av fördröjning och tonhöjd förändrade en dansupplevelse mest positivt. Denna avhandling visar vidare att det är viktig för användaren att få tillräckligt med tid för att verkligen lära känna de interaktioner som systemet tillåter, för att faktiskt kunna utvärdera upplevelsen av själva ljudparametrarna.

This diploma thesis describes optimization of the experimental parameters for Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of plant samples. First part deals with the theoretical method of LIBS and explains the principles and terms. In the next part there is described device which was used for measurements. Main part of diploma thesis describes creation of program for measurement-automation. Main task of program was to solve the connection of autofocus on the sample with the sample automatic movement. Furthermore are described and elaborated specific measurements for optimization of the experimental parameters for Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of plant samples.

All states have different perspectives and various statutes within broader constitutional law. Perception of public dissatisfaction with public schools has led to choice schooling options for parents. One of the fastest growing choice options in schooling is charter schools; schools privately run by organizations through public funds. This study analyzes the governance of charter schools and how charters operate under legal guidelines and Florida statutes, with significant legislative events cited. This study answers the following questions as they relate to evolution and legal parameters surrounding the charter movement using exploratory case study method: 1) What is the evolution of the charter school movement in the United States and specifically in Florida, and the legal precedence that comes from this reform effort? 2) What are legal parameters regarding the charter school movement nationally? (e.g. constitutional law, statutory law, administrative law, common or court/case law, and contract law) and 3) What present legal structures and parameters affect Florida’s charter school movement? The significance of this study lies in the need to understand significant legal parameters surrounding the current charter school movement and how policies and law related to charter schools impact stakeholders. All of the findings together signify the important role legislators and the judicial powers execute in the ongoing realization of the charter school movement. The legal support of the charter school movement fosters an opportunity for the development of charter schools. With charter school implementation, several issues arise in the process of the charter school practice. The study shows the following themes impacting the charter school movement: regulations, accountability, Special Education, facility concerns, innovations, and employee and legislative issues. Charter schools provide a niche for certain parents desiring a different approach from the local public school. Charter schools provide a niche to parents seeking alternatives to traditional public school education. Charter schools will continue to exist and cater to parents desiring school choice options.

This thesis presents an assessment of the variation in solifluction occurrence, morphometry and movement rates in the Abisko region, northern Sweden. Variations in movement rates are analyzed both on a regional and local scale. The main methodological contributions of this thesis have been to provide new techniques of analyzing spatial and temporal variations of solifluction in order to detect long term temporal trends and to regionalize the variations in movement rates. The spatial analysis is achieved by using a combination of field measurements, GIS and remote sensing techniques and statistical analysis. The results are presented in six papers, focusing on the morphometry of solifluction landforms (paper I), the occurrence of permafrost (paper II), the spatial and temporal variations of lobe front movement rates using aerial photographs (paper III), the temporal, regional and local spatial variations in movement rates (paper IV – VI) and statistical modelling of the occurrence of solifluction landforms and calculation of geomorphic work (paper V and VI). The results show that, on a regional scale, vegetation patterns are a major control on the occurrence of turf-banked solifluction landforms, with high NDVI-values (vegetation) associated with the presence of forms. Elevation is also a major control on a regional scale with a decrease in lobe dimensions and movement rates with increased elevation. High soil moisture values are associated with larger landforms and increased movement rates. Movement rates are generally higher in the western part of the region and appear to increase with higher MAAT. Equally, geomorphic work is greatest in the western part of the region. The important controls on a local scale vary from site to site, but include vegetation, slope angle and soil moisture. The photo analysis indicates that annual movement rates of lobe fronts in Kärkevagge and Låktatjåkka valley over the period 1959-2000 ranges from not-detectable to 63mm/yr. The permafrost model shows probabilities >0.8 for permafrost at elevations above 1300 m a.s.l. in the western part of the region, decreasing to altitudes over 850 m a.s.l. in the eastern part of the region. Calculated geomorphic work suggests that solifluction is a significant denudational agent in the sub-Arctic mountains of northern Sweden, but less so than previously estimated.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The design of railway station environments in South Africa and to a certain extent internationally, is based on rules of thumb. These rules, using general macroscopic principles for determining peak passenger loads are inadequate and misleading for detailed design purposes. The principles advocated in local design guideline documents are erroneous and ignore the highly variable flow nature or “micro-peaking” effects that typically occur within railway station environments. Furthermore, there are no procedures proposed in these guideline documents, which leads to ambiguous assessment techniques used by practitioners in the determination of pedestrian spatial areas. It is evident that the knowledge in the area of pedestrian movement contained within the design guidance is far from comprehensive. Without a reliable method for estimating pedestrian levels-of-service and capacities, design of new facilities does not follow a uniform process, resulting in high levels of uncertainty in determining if the time, money and resources invested in upgrading facilities will actually cater to the demand. The situation is further exacerbated by current industry thinking towards pedestrian modelling in South Africa, where it is perceived by both clients and practitioners to be more cost effective to use macroscopic techniques and designing infrastructure according to a “one-level-up” level-of-service method. Working with architects confirmed that the area of circulation design was lacking in data and guidance and that associated quantified assessments of pedestrian movement was rarely, if ever, carried out. Towards addressing these issues, the development of a Spatial Parameter (SP)-model spreadsheet application became the main objective of the study. The model contributes towards addressing the needs of individual station users based on the trade-off between level-of-service and infrastructure costs. The output of the model allows the designer to avoid the under-provision (detrimental to operations) and oversizing of railway station infrastructure (with obvious financial implications). The author recognised the lack of pedestrian movement data in South Africa and addressed this by conducting extensive video-based pedestrian observations aimed at exploring the macroscopic fundamental relationships and the ways in which these relationships might be influenced by the various personal, situational and environmental factors that characterise the context in which pedestrians move. The movement trajectories of 24,410 pedestrians were investigated over three infrastructure environments at Maitland and Bonteheuwel stations in Cape Town, carefully selected to incorporate the cultural diversity common in South Africa. Tracking of pedestrians was achieved via the use of an in-house developed “video annotator” software tool. Boarding and alighting rates of 7,426 passengers were also observed at these stations incorporating contributory attributes such as age, gender, body size, encumbrance, group size, time of day, and location. The research makes a number of significant advances in the understanding of pedestrian flow behaviour within railway station environments and provides recommendations to industry of what issues to consider. The empirical study has provided comprehensive pedestrian movement characteristics incorporating the relationships between density, speed and flow including the effect of culture and other context factors unique to the local South African environment. New methods for determining spatial requirements are proposed, together with new and unique empirical data for use by the local industry. A calibrated spreadsheet SP-model for assessing the design of concourse type railway stations is developed and presented in the study. The advance in local pedestrian flow knowledge, together with the SP-model, is shown to be practical through application to two real railway station case study projects. The results of this study constitute an important contribution to local pedestrian flow knowledge and is considered a valuable resource for those developing pedestrian models in practice. It is expected that the results will be useful in the planning and design of pedestrian environments in South African railway stations and can be applied to other African metro railway stations with similar pedestrian characteristics. Overall, this research has succeeded in advancing the approach to railway station design, empirical data, knowledge and methods held within the local engineering industry. However, the contribution of this study and associated conference papers is an early step in changing the perceptions in this country towards ensuring fully informed and appropriate performance-based spatial designs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontwerp van areas binne Suid-Afrikaanse spoorweg stasies en ook tot ‘n sekere mate internasionaal, is gebaseer op historiese ondervindings asook riglyne wat tans in die praktyk gebruik word. Die riglyne gebruik algemene makroskopiese beginsels om die spits passasiersvrag te bepaal vir gedetaileerde ontwerp doeleindes. Hierdie riglyne is egter ongeskik en misleidend aangesien dit nie die hoogs wispelturige natuur van vloei en mikrospits effekte wat binne die stasies plaasvind, in ag nie. Die riglyne ontbreek ook van prosedures wat gevolg moet word vir die bepaling van ruimtelike areas vir voetgangers wat die gevolg het dat dubbelsinnige beramingstegnieke deur praktisyne gebruik word. Die kennis oor voetganger bewegings in die ontwerp riglyne is nie omvattend genoeg nie. Sonder ‘n betroubare beramings metode vir die bepaling van voetganger diensvlak en kapasiteit kan daar nie bepaal word of die tyd, geld en hulpbronne wat in die fasilitieit geinvesteer word, aan die behoeftes gaan voldoen nie. Die situasie word verder vererger deur die huidige persepsie oor voetganger modellering in Suid-Afrika, waar dit deur beide kliënte en praktisyne, as ‘n meer koste effektiewe oplossing gesien word om makroskopiese tegnieke te gebruik en om infrastruktuur te ontwerp volgens ‘n metode waar ‘n hoër diensvlak as die teiken diensvlak gebruik word. In samewerking met argitekte is dit bevestig dat die area van sirkulasie ontwerp ‘n tekort het aan data en riglyne en dat die kwantitatiewe skattings verbonde aan voetganger beweging selde, indien ooit, uitgevoer word. Die ontwikkeling van ‘n Spatial Parameters (SP)-model om die bogenoemde problem te oorkom, is die hoofdoel van hierdie tesis. Die model poog om die behoeftes van individuele stasie gebruikers aan te spreek gebaseer op die wisselwerking tussen diensvlak en infrastruktuur kostes. Die uitsette van die model stel die ontwerper in staat om ondervoorsiening en oorvoorsiening van spoorweg stasie infrastruktuur te voorkom wat nadelige vir die bedryf is en ook ooglopende finansiële implikasies tot gevolg het. Die skrywer het die tekort aan data aangaande voetganger bewegings in Suid-Afrika geidentifiseer en dit aangespreek deur omvattende video gebaseerde voetganger waarnemings te maak met die doel om die basiese makroskopiese verhoudings te ondersoek asook in hoe ‘n mate hierdie verhoudings beinvloed word deur verskeie persoonlike, liggings- en omgewingsfaktore wat die konteks waarin voetgangers beweeg, karakteriseer. Die bewegingsprofiel van 24,410 voetgangers is ondersoek by drie infrastruktuur omgewings by Maitland en Bonteheuwel stasies in Kaapstad. Die stasies is noukeurig uitgesoek om Suid-Afrika se kulturele diversiteit te verteenwoordig. Die voetgangers is nagevolg deur gebruik te maak van ‘n selfontwikkelde video-annoteerder sagteware. Waarneming van die opklim- en afklimspoed van 7,426 passasiers is gemaak by hierdie stasies en faktore soos ouderdom, geslag, liggaamsgrootte, mobiliteit, grootte van groepe, tyd van die dag en ligging was ingesluit by die waarnemings. Hierdie navorsing maak belangrike bydraes tot die begrip van die vloei van voetgangers binne spoorweg stasies en aanbevellings word aan die industrie gemaak oor die faktore wat in ag geneem moet word by ontwerp van fasilitieite. Die empiriese studie het omvattende voetganger beweging karakteristieke uitgewys wat die verhoudings tussen digtheid, spoed en vloei inkorporeer asook die effek van kultuur en ander faktore wat verband hou met die unieke konteks van die plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse omgewing. Nuwe metodes om ruimtelike-vereistes te bepaal word voorgestel, saam met nuwe en unieke empiriese data vir gebruik deur die plaaslike industrie. ‘n Gekalibreerde en gevalideerde SP-model is ontwikkel om die ontwerp van spoorweg stasies te assesseer en word in hierdie tesis beskyf en aangebied. Die studie toon dat akkurate data en kennis oor plaaslike voetganger vloei met die SP-model verkry kan word, soos bewys uit twee spoorweg stasie studiegevalle. Die resultate van hierdie tesis dien as ‘n belangrike bydrae tot die kennis van plaaslike voetganger vloei en word geag as ‘n waardevolle hulpbron vir die ontwikkeling van voetganger modelle in die praktyk. Hierdie resultate mag nuttig wees gedurende die beplanning en ontwerp van voetganger-areas in Suid-Afrikaanse spoorweg stasies. Dit kan ook toegepas word vir spoorweg stasies in die res van Afrika wat soortgelyke voetganger karaktereienskappe het. Die navorsing het daarin geslaag om die benadering tot spoorweg stasie ontwerp te verbeter, asook om empiriese data, kennis en die metodes wat binne die plaaslike ingenieurs industrie voorgehou word, te verbeter. Let egter daarop dat die bydrae wat hierdie tesis maak, asook bydraes deur relevante konferensie verhandelinge, ‘n vroeë stap is in die verandering van persepsies in Suid-Afrika om geskikte prestasie-gebaseerde ruimte ontwerpe te verseker.

Att köra fastän trötthet upplevs är en erkänd trafikfara. Om en förare idag kör när denne är trött klassas det som vårdslöshet i trafiken. Dock är det nästan omöjligt att vid en olycka påvisa att olyckan skedde för att en förare var trött. Det praktiska resultatet är att det lämnas åt föraren att själv avgöra om denne är för trött för att föra fram fordonet säkert. Hela situationen om att vara en trafikfara eller ej lämnas då åt en subjektiv bedömning.   I denna rapport undersöks olika sömnstadier, och metoder för att avgöra när och hur det är lämpligast att vakna för att vakna i ett mer alert tillstånd. För att sedan använda de metoder som visar sig vara lämpade som indata och parametrar till en algoritm som ska avgöra när det är som lämpligast att vakna för att vakna mer alert. Rapporten gör också en kalkyl som kan användas för att fastställa prototypens utvecklingskostnader.   Arbetet resulterar i en prototyp som föreslår en lösning till problemet med trötthet i trafiken. De kostnader som framkommer i samband med prototyputveckling fastställs och presenteras.   Undersökningen och utvecklandet av den tekniska lösningen har delats upp i två moduler och kommer att göras i samverkan med en extern studentgrupp på skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS) vid Kungliga Tekniska högskolan.
Driving although experiencing fatigue is a recognized traffic hazard. Today, if a driver is driving despite being tired, it is considered to be reckless driving. However, in the event of an accident, it is almost impossible to prove that the accident occurred because the driver was tired. The practical result is that it is left to the driver to decide if one is too tired or not to drive the vehicle safely. The whole situation of being a traffic hazard or not is then subjected to a subjective assessment. This report examines different sleep stages and methods for determining when it’s most appropriate, and how it’s most appropriate to wake up, with the aim on waking up in a more alert state. Further, to use the methods that prove to be suitable as inputs and parameters of an algorithm. The report also examines different calculations that can be used to determine the development cost of the prototype. The result consists of a prototype that is a beginning on addressing the problem with fatigue in traffic. It also consist of a calculation determining the development cost. The research and development of the technical solution has been divided into two modules and will be done in collaboration with an external student group at School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

The introduction of this document presents some basic principles of visual telepresence with analysis of important aspects of the design. Afterwards there is a brief ovrewview of some of the applications of telepresence systems. Subsequently there is a description of the basic parameters and functions of the human visual perception system including the head motion parameters. This document examines the creation of telepresence apparatus through which is the user able to percieve visual stimuli accross distance. The device consist of camera with wide FOV positioned on the last link of the servo-motor chain with 3 DOF. Camera view is projected into scene in position read from actual motor posture. The scene is perceived through the HMD Oculus Rift (DK1, DK2) where the actual head-orientation read from the HMD inertial sensors is the entered end value for the rotation angles of the servomotors. A \csharp (WPF) program was developed for the controling and setting of motors which handles the byte communication through RS485-USB converter and also configures and starts the telepresence mode. The telepresence scene is drawn with help of SharpDX and SharpOVR - the \csharp wrappers of DirectX and LibOVR.

This work presents a research in the field of robotic visual telepresence. At the beginning explains the principle of teleprezence and it makes classification of robots according to their properties and concepts. Furthermore, there is a review of modern existing robots. The following chapter discusses the human visual system, the basic parameters and functions including parameters of head movements. Subsequently have been selected critical parameters for visual telepresence. At the conclusion of the theoretical part were designed some experiments to validation of human body biological parameters. In the practical part was conducted measuring the extent and speed of head movements, eye distinction depending on the lighting and measurement of visual field man. Also, a series of experiments was performed for practical technical embodiment of the telepresence system rescue robot for class Orpheus.

Human functional laterality, typically involving a right-sided preference in most sensory-motor activities, is still a poorly understood issue. This is perhaps particularly true in terms of what underlying mechanisms that may govern lateral biases, as well as the developmental origins and course of events. The present thesis aims at investigating functional asymmetries in the upper and lower body movements of young human infants. In Study I, the presence of side biases in the stepping and placing responses and head turning in healthy fullterm newborns were explored. No evident lateral bias for the leg responses in terms of the first foot moved or direction of head turning was found. However, a lateral bias was revealed for onset latency in relation to the first foot moved in both stepping and placing. Asymmetries in head turning did not correspond to asymmetries in leg movements. In Study II, functional asymmetries in the stepping response of newborn infants were investigated in more detail by means of 3-D kinematic movement registration. Evident side differences were found in relation to smoother movement trajectories of the right leg by means of less movement segmentation compared to the left leg. Side differences were also found in relation to intralimb coordination in terms of stronger ankle-knee couplings and smaller phase shifts in the right leg than the left. In Study III, using the same movement registration technique, the kinematics of left and right arm movements during goal-directed reaching in infants were prospectively studied over the ages 6, 9, 12, and 36 months. Main findings included side differences and developmental trends related to the segmentation of the reaching movements and the reaching trajectory, as well as the distribution of arm-hand-use frequency. The results from Study I and II are discussed in relation to underlying neural mechanisms for lateral biases in leg movements and the important role of a thorough methodology in investigating newborn responses. Findings from Study III are discussed in terms of what they imply about the developmental origins for hand preference. An emphasis is also put on developmental differences between fullterm and preterm infants. Overall, the studies of the present thesis show that an increased understanding of subtle expressions of early functional asymmetries in the upper and lower body movements of young infants may be gained by means of refined measurements. Furthermore, such knowledge may provide an insight into the underlying neural mechanisms subserving asymmetries in the movements of young infants. The present studies also add new information to the current understanding of the development of human lateralized functions, in particular the findings derived from the longitudinal data. Apart from theoretical implications, the present thesis also involves a discussion with regard to the clinical relevance of investigating functional asymmetries in the movements of young infants.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
A coordenação postura e movimento é um importante requisito para realizar tarefas diárias. Para investigar esta coordenação, dois experimentos foram conduzidos. No primeiro, a demanda cognitiva adicional associada ao controle da postura e do movimento foi estimada usando o paradigma da dupla-tarefa. No segundo, foram investigados os efeitos da fadiga muscular de membros inferiores nesta coordenação. Trinta e seis homens adultos, 20 a 30 anos, futebolistas amadores, foram voluntariamente recrutados, vinte para o primeiro e dezesseis para o segundo experimento. A tarefa consistiu em lançar uma bola até o alvo, o mais precisamente possível, com a parte interna do pé. Parâmetros biomecânicos foram analisados: centro de pressão (CP), centro de massa (CM) e atividade eletromiográfica (EMG). Os valores foram comparados por ANOVAs (p=5%). Resultados do primeiro experimento mostraram que a condição de dupla-tarefa produziu uma diminuição na performance e significante aumento no tempo de execução do movimento. Resultados dos deslocamentos do CP e CM mostraram significantes diferenças somente na direção anteroposterior (p<0,05). Análises do sinal EMG mostraram que a condição dupla-tarefa modificou o modo que os ajustamentos posturais antecipatórios (APAs) foram gerados, enfatizando que os processos cognitivo, postural e motor trabalharam dependentemente. No segundo experimento, os resultados mostraram que a eficácia do lançamento diminuiu com a fadiga. Resultados dos deslocamentos do CP e CM mostraram significantes diferenças entre condições, nas direções anteroposterior e médio-lateral (p<0,05). Análises EMG mostraram que em condição de fadiga houve um aumento da atividade dos músculos posturais, ao passo que na análise temporal EMG uma diminuição da ativação ocorreu em relação ao início do movimento. Em conclusão, os resultados de ambos os experimentos sugeriram que uma adaptação funcional resultou numa invariância global dos APAs, e independente da condição, foi aplicada, garantindo desta maneira uma performance relativamente eficaz do movimento.
The coordination of posture and movement is a necessary requirement to perform daily life tasks. To investigate this coordination, two experiments were conducted. In the first, the additional cognitive demand associated to postural and movement control was estimated using a dual-task paradigm. In the second, were investigated the effects of lower limbs muscular fatigue on this coordination. Thirty six adult men, 20 to 30 years old, amateur footballers, were voluntary recruited, twenty to first and sixteen to the second experiment. Participant’s task was to kick a ball with the inside of the right foot, as accurately as possible, toward a target. Biomechanical parameters were analyzed: center of pressure (CP), center of mass (CM) and electromyographic activity (EMG). The values were compared by ANOVAs (p=5%). Results of the first experiment showed that dual-task yielded a decreased kicking performance and a significant increased timing to perform the movement. CP and CM displacements results showed significant differences only in anteroposterior direction (p<0,05). EMG signal analysis showed that dual-task condition modified the way of adjustments postural anticipatory (APAs) were generated, emphasizing that cognitive, postural, and motor processes worked dependently. In the second experiment, results showed that kicking accuracy decreased with fatigue. CP and CM displacement results showed significant differences between conditions, in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions (p<0,05). EMG analysis showed that in fatigue condition, postural muscles were important, mainly for stabilizing the body during the unipodal stance. EMG analysis showed that the fatigue condition was increased activity of the postural muscles, while in the EMG temporal analysis a decrease in activation occurred in the beginning of the movement. In conclusion, the results of both experiments suggested that a functional adaptation resulting in an invariance of overall APAs, whatever the condition, was applied and ensured a relatively efficient performance.
CAPES PDSE: 99999.014828/2013-08

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico
Cyanobacterial blooms are common in eutrophic reservoirs in Brazilian northeastern semi-arid. Given this reality, the present study aimed to analyze the effect of potentially toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Gargalheiras reservoir (semi-arid) on the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia gessneri. In vitro chronic bioassays were performed with reservoir water dilutions from August/2011 to May/2012 and the following effects were evaluated on: intrinsic rate of population growth (r), reproductive parameters (age of first reproduction and fecundity per capita) and cladocerans movements. Phytoplankton was dominated by Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Planktothrix agardhii and saxitoxin and microcystin were detected in reservoir water. In most months C. dubia showed differences in r between control (absence of cyanobacteria) and treatments, and has shown negative effects on reproductive parameters. In all months paralysis of swimming movements was observed in C. dubia when both C. raciborskii and saxitoxin (cyanotoxin neurotoxic) were present in water. While C. dubia was sensitive to the reservoir water containing cyanobacteria, D. gessneri showed less intense negative effects in r and reproductive parameters. Furthermore, D. gessneri showed no paralysis of swimming movements. These results support the hypothesis in the literature that D. gessneri is resistant to the Cylindrospermopsis effects. The clone‟s life history may be a key to understand the results. The C. dubia clone, isolated from eutrophicated environment, is in the lab for ten years and it is an exotic species in Brazil. D. gessneri is a common species in the country and this clone was isolated from the Gargalheiras reservoir (where there are constant blooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria) a year ago. Perhaps the recent contact with cyanobacteria explain the higher resistance presented by this D. gessneri clone. In conclusion, the cladocerans studied have different levels of sensitivity to cyanobacteria, characterizing species-specific responses
Flora??es de cianobact?ras s?o frequentes em reservat?rios eutr?ficos do semi-?rido do nordeste brasileiro. Diante dessa realidade o presente trabalho objetivou analisar o efeito de flora??es de cianobact?rias potencialmente t?xicas do reservat?rio Gargalheiras (semi-?rido brasileiro) sobre os clad?ceros Ceriodaphnia dubia e Daphnia gessneri. Foram realizados ensaios cr?nicos in vitro com dilui??es de ?gua do reservat?rio de agosto/2011 a maio/2012 e foram avaliados efeitos sobre: taxa intr?nseca de crescimento populacional (r), par?metros reprodutivos (idade da primeira reprodu??o e fecundidade per capita) e movimenta??o dos clad?ceros. O fitopl?ncton foi dominado por Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii e Planktothrix agardhii e houve detec??o de saxitoxina e microcistina na ?gua do reservat?rio. Na maioria dos meses C. dubia apresentou diferen?a em r entre controle (aus?ncia de cianobact?rias) e tratamentos, al?m de ter apresentado efeitos negativos nos par?metros reprodutivos. Observou-se ainda um efeito de paralisia dos movimentos natat?rios de C. dubia em todos os meses, concomitante ? presen?a de C. raciborskii e saxitoxina (cianotoxina neurot?xica) na ?gua. Enquanto C. dubia apresentou-se sens?vel ? ?gua do reservat?rio contendo cianobact?rias, D. gessneri apresentou efeitos negativos menos intensos em r e nos par?metros reprodutivos. Al?m disso, esta esp?cie n?o teve os movimentos paralisados. Esses resultados apoiam a hip?tese levantada na literatura de que D. gessneri apresenta resist?ncia aos efeitos da Cylindrospermopsis. A hist?ria de vida dos clones pode ser uma chave para compreens?o dos resultados. O clone de C. dubia, isolado de ambiente eutrofizado, est? em laborat?rio h? dez anos e essa ? uma esp?cie ex?tica no Brasil. D. gessneri ? uma esp?cie comum no pa?s e este clone foi isolado h? um ano do reservat?rio Gargalheiras, onde h? constantes flora??es de cianobact?rias potencialmente t?xicas. A hip?tese mais prov?vel ? que o contato recente deste clone de D. gessneri com cianobact?rias tenha lhe conferido maior resist?ncia. Conclui-se que os clad?ceros estudados apresentam diferentes n?veis de sensibilidade ?s cianobact?rias, caracterizando respostas esp?cie-espec?ficas

Master's thesis is dealing with desgin of a measuring unit incorporating inertial sensors, used for analysis in canoe sprint. Data from a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope were combined using an extended Kalman filter, yielding speed, roll, pitch and yaw of the boat and stroke rate. Calculated values were verified by a GPS. Furthermore, parameters describing dynamic behaviour of the system were identified, allowing an inclusion of dynamic quantities like force and power into the analysis.

Yes
In spite of the many signi cant improvements in car chassis design over the past two decades, steering drift during braking where the driver must apply a corrective steering torque in order to maintain course can still be experienced under certain conditions while driving. In the past, such drift, or `pull¿, would have been attributed to side-to-side braking torque variation [1], but modern automotive friction brakes and friction materials are now able to provide braking torque with such high levels of consistency that side-to-side braking torque variation is no longer regarded as a cause of steering drift during braking. Consequently, other in uences must be considered. This paper is the rst of two papers to report on an experimental investigation into braking-related steering drift in motor vehicles. Parameters that might in uence steering drift during braking include suspension compliance and steering o set, and these have been investigated to establish the sensitivity of steering drift to such parameters. The results indicate how wheel movement arising from compliance in the front suspension and steering system of a passenger car during braking can be responsible for steering drift during braking. Braking causes changes in wheel alignment which in turn a ect the toe steer characteristics of each wheel and therefore the straight-line stability during braking. It is concluded that a robust design of suspension is possible in which side-to-side variation in toe steer is not a ected by changes in suspension geometry during braking, and that the magnitude of these changes and the relationships between the braking forces and the suspension geometry and compliance require further investigation, which will be presented in the second paper of the two.

The hand is a marvellous organ. With our hands, we explore the world by contacting and manipulating the objects that we are interested in. The hand also presents one of the most complex structures in the body for its numerous degrees of freedom at the level of the joints and muscles. Because of these characteristics and for its peculiar shape, “the hand in action” is capable of complex skills. Due to the complexity of “the hand in action”, previous studies at first focused on classifying different hand postures and configurations based on anatomical and functional categorizations, considering the thumb, the fingers and the palm shaping in a huge range of motor tasks. Within a specific set of hand movements, multiple components were taken into account: the type of grip, the activation of muscle synergies, and in combination with object properties. An additional way to consider hand complexity was to count the number of muscles involved, the forces and the momentums produced, along with the neuromuscular connections. Indeed the act of prehension has been defined as "the application of functionally effective forces by the hand to an object for a task, given numerous biomechanical constraints". Aside from the behavioural and biomechanical studies, neuroscientists looked into the neurophysiology of the hand in action from a top-down perspective by focusing their attention on the brain-hand connection in order to investigate how such a complex apparatus is controlled. The main question then was: “How does the brain control the hands?” Actions have been shown to be represented in the brain during action execution, observation, and even during motor imagery. A neural model of the representation of movements was proposed to understand how action pre-planning can be transformed into a sequence of actual movements and where action representations are generated in the neural structures. Other lines of research have been followed to attempt to discover links between brain activity during mental imagery. Indeed, mental imagery, or motor imagery, is a pure mental state of an action, and can be considered as the ability to generate a conscious simulation of self-acting. Studying brain activity while a person is imagining performing an action, provides the opportunity to investigate how our motor system deals with planning in the absence of an actual action. These types of studies became available at the end of the past century when the development of new technology (e.g., fMRI and TMS) gradually overcame the difficulty of testing brain activity non-invasively. Since that time, studies significantly increased our understanding about the link between hand movements and relative brain activity. However, laboratory's studies limit the natural motor coordination as the one performed by people in everyday life. Grasping indeed is a complex action and its complexity is particularly expressed when the action is performed without constraints. This concept was well expressed by Newell and his model provides a valid perspective by suggesting that complex forms of motor behaviour could be viewed as products of self-organization arising from interactions between task, environment and organism constraints. Napier (1956) already recommended the necessity to incorporate as much complexity as possible in hand action when research is carried out. The core idea of the present study is to investigate the neural correlates of the hand in action during motor imagery. To address this issue, we will first deal with the studies that considered the hand’s shape in relation to its functions. Then we will tackle the problem from a neuronal level of analysis with particular attention to the studies that considered action imagination. Following this literature review, we will then point out some still-open questions and then state our research hypothesis. Two separate experiments will be described: “Grip-dependent cortico-spinal excitability during grasping imagination and execution” (Experiment 1), and “Motor system resonance for movement direction and amplitude during imagery and motor performance” (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 Studies converge in indicating a substantial similarity of the rules and mechanisms underlying execution, observation and imagery of actions, along with a large overlapping of their neural substrates. Recent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have demonstrated a muscle-specific facilitation of the observer’s motor system for force requirement and type of grip during grasping observation. However, whether similar fine-tuned muscle-specificity occurs even during imagination, when subjects are free to select the most convenient grip configuration, is still unknown. Here we applied TMS over the primary motor cortex and measured the corticospinal excitability (MEP) in three muscles (FDI, ADM and FDS) while subjects imagined grasping spheres of different dimensions and materials. This range of object weights and sizes allowed subjects to freely imagine the most suitable grip configuration among several possibilities. Activation measured during grasping imagination has been also compared to that obtained during real execution (EMG recorded from the same muscles). We found that during imagination of grasping small objects, the FDI muscle was more active than the ADM and the FDS, whereas the opposite pattern was found for big objects. Imagination of medium size objects, instead, required an equal involvement of the three muscles. The same pattern was observed when subjects were asked to perform the action. This suggests that during imagination, the cortico-spinal system is modulated in a muscle-specific/grip-specific way, as if the action would be really performed. However, when force was required (i.e. for the aluminum objects), the motor activation obtained during action execution was more fine-tuned to object dimensions than the activation recorded during imagination, suggesting a separate processing and control of force production. These findings underline a dissociation in grasp kinematics versus grasp kinetics depending on object properties. Experiment 2 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation studies have shown that the motor system is facilitated by the sole imagination of motor actions. However, it is not clear whether the individual’s motor system resonates bilaterally and selectively for task parameters as movement direction and amplitude. To investigate this issue we apply a single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) over the left and right primary motor cortex (M1) of healthy subjects that had to imagine to grasp and to rotate a clock hour hand, having a starting position at noon, toward four different hours: 2, 5, 7 and 10. Rotations toward 7 and 10 hours were in counter-clockwise direction, but required small movement amplitudes at 10 and large at 7 hour. Conversely, rotations toward 2 and 5 hours followed a clockwise direction and required small movement amplitude at 2 and a large at 5 hour. TMS motor evoked potentials were recorded from three hand muscles and movement imagined with the right and the left hand. Results showed that during motor imagery, the motor system activates the hand-intrinsic muscles specifically for movement direction by showing a mirroring pattern between the right and the left side of the motor cortex. Interestingly none muscle modulation, nor for hand-intrinsic or extrinsic, was observed for movement amplitude suggesting either that amplitude is modulated during the ongoing of the action or that selective inhibition is present in decreasing the otherwise elevated muscle activity evoked. We suggest that the plausibility of a movement is computed in regions upstream the primary motor cortex, and that motor imagery is a higher-order process not fully constrained by the rules that govern motor execution.
The hand is a marvellous organ. With our hands, we explore the world by contacting and manipulating the objects that we are interested in. The hand also presents one of the most complex structures in the body for its numerous degrees of freedom at the level of the joints and muscles. Because of these characteristics and for its peculiar shape, “the hand in action” is capable of complex skills. Due to the complexity of “the hand in action”, previous studies at first focused on classifying different hand postures and configurations based on anatomical and functional categorizations, considering the thumb, the fingers and the palm shaping in a huge range of motor tasks. Within a specific set of hand movements, multiple components were taken into account: the type of grip, the activation of muscle synergies, and in combination with object properties. An additional way to consider hand complexity was to count the number of muscles involved, the forces and the momentums produced, along with the neuromuscular connections. Indeed the act of prehension has been defined as "the application of functionally effective forces by the hand to an object for a task, given numerous biomechanical constraints". Aside from the behavioural and biomechanical studies, neuroscientists looked into the neurophysiology of the hand in action from a top-down perspective by focusing their attention on the brain-hand connection in order to investigate how such a complex apparatus is controlled. The main question then was: “How does the brain control the hands?” Actions have been shown to be represented in the brain during action execution, observation, and even during motor imagery. A neural model of the representation of movements was proposed to understand how action pre-planning can be transformed into a sequence of actual movements and where action representations are generated in the neural structures. Other lines of research have been followed to attempt to discover links between brain activity during mental imagery. Indeed, mental imagery, or motor imagery, is a pure mental state of an action, and can be considered as the ability to generate a conscious simulation of self-acting. Studying brain activity while a person is imagining performing an action, provides the opportunity to investigate how our motor system deals with planning in the absence of an actual action. These types of studies became available at the end of the past century when the development of new technology (e.g., fMRI and TMS) gradually overcame the difficulty of testing brain activity non-invasively. Since that time, studies significantly increased our understanding about the link between hand movements and relative brain activity. However, laboratory's studies limit the natural motor coordination as the one performed by people in everyday life. Grasping indeed is a complex action and its complexity is particularly expressed when the action is performed without constraints. This concept was well expressed by Newell and his model provides a valid perspective by suggesting that complex forms of motor behaviour could be viewed as products of self-organization arising from interactions between task, environment and organism constraints. Napier (1956) already recommended the necessity to incorporate as much complexity as possible in hand action when research is carried out. The core idea of the present study is to investigate the neural correlates of the hand in action during motor imagery. To address this issue, we will first deal with the studies that considered the hand’s shape in relation to its functions. Then we will tackle the problem from a neuronal level of analysis with particular attention to the studies that considered action imagination. Following this literature review, we will then point out some still-open questions and then state our research hypothesis. Two separate experiments will be described: “Grip-dependent cortico-spinal excitability during grasping imagination and execution” (Experiment 1), and “Motor system resonance for movement direction and amplitude during imagery and motor performance” (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 Studies converge in indicating a substantial similarity of the rules and mechanisms underlying execution, observation and imagery of actions, along with a large overlapping of their neural substrates. Recent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have demonstrated a muscle-specific facilitation of the observer’s motor system for force requirement and type of grip during grasping observation. However, whether similar fine-tuned muscle-specificity occurs even during imagination, when subjects are free to select the most convenient grip configuration, is still unknown. Here we applied TMS over the primary motor cortex and measured the corticospinal excitability (MEP) in three muscles (FDI, ADM and FDS) while subjects imagined grasping spheres of different dimensions and materials. This range of object weights and sizes allowed subjects to freely imagine the most suitable grip configuration among several possibilities. Activation measured during grasping imagination has been also compared to that obtained during real execution (EMG recorded from the same muscles). We found that during imagination of grasping small objects, the FDI muscle was more active than the ADM and the FDS, whereas the opposite pattern was found for big objects. Imagination of medium size objects, instead, required an equal involvement of the three muscles. The same pattern was observed when subjects were asked to perform the action. This suggests that during imagination, the cortico-spinal system is modulated in a muscle-specific/grip-specific way, as if the action would be really performed. However, when force was required (i.e. for the aluminum objects), the motor activation obtained during action execution was more fine-tuned to object dimensions than the activation recorded during imagination, suggesting a separate processing and control of force production. These findings underline a dissociation in grasp kinematics versus grasp kinetics depending on object properties. Experiment 2 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation studies have shown that the motor system is facilitated by the sole imagination of motor actions. However, it is not clear whether the individual’s motor system resonates bilaterally and selectively for task parameters as movement direction and amplitude. To investigate this issue we apply a single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) over the left and right primary motor cortex (M1) of healthy subjects that had to imagine to grasp and to rotate a clock hour hand, having a starting position at noon, toward four different hours: 2, 5, 7 and 10. Rotations toward 7 and 10 hours were in counter-clockwise direction, but required small movement amplitudes at 10 and large at 7 hour. Conversely, rotations toward 2 and 5 hours followed a clockwise direction and required small movement amplitude at 2 and a large at 5 hour. TMS motor evoked potentials were recorded from three hand muscles and movement imagined with the right and the left hand. Results showed that during motor imagery, the motor system activates the hand-intrinsic muscles specifically for movement direction by showing a mirroring pattern between the right and the left side of the motor cortex. Interestingly none muscle modulation, nor for hand-intrinsic or extrinsic, was observed for movement amplitude suggesting either that amplitude is modulated during the ongoing of the action or that selective inhibition is present in decreasing the otherwise elevated muscle activity evoked. We suggest that the plausibility of a movement is computed in regions upstream the primary motor cortex, and that motor imagery is a higher-order process not fully constrained by the rules that govern motor execution.

碩士
國立台灣工業技術學院
管理技術研究所
85
The current research designed an experiment to investigate the effects on three important task factors in dynamic visual information presentation on mental workload as reflected in the eye movement parameters. Ten subjects tracked the scanning line at two different speeds. They were required to respond to a designed targets presented at two different frequency. The difficulty of the reaction time task was manipulated by the difference between a simple reaction task and a physical match task. Reaction time, pupil diameter and eye movement speed were collected to observed the impacts of three important task factors to the human information processing load. The result proved that reaction time was significantly affected by the task difficulty and target presentation frequency while eye movement speed was affected by the tracking speed and target presentation frequency. The magnitude of increase and curve amplitude and standard deviation of the pupil diameter can partially explain the increase in information processing load due to increase in eye movement speed.Keyword: mental load, eye movement speed, pupil diameter

Goal-directed movements are an important part of daily life. The conditions under which they are enacted can influence the success of these fine motor movements. Primarily this thesis aims to investigate the impact that changes in visual attention, created by dividing attention, have on pointing movements. All studies used a novel experimental design consisting of a central alphanumeric search presented with a concurrent pointing task. This design required the division of attention between central and peripheral vision. In order to assess the participant’s performance of these tasks, data on several outcome measures were obtained. The pointing endpoint yielded a measure of movement accuracy (or how far the touch was from the target) and how variable the movement endpoint was (precision). Movement time was divided into two sections; the movement latency (ML) or the time between target onset and movement commencement and reach time (RT) the time the hand was in flight. Additionally participant responses to the search task were measured. In study one dual-task performance of a cognitive and motor task was used to assess the effect of the presence or absence of attentional division and therefore the impact of shared resources. While reaching quickly the impact of attentional division was restricted to ML the phase associated with the initial movement plan. Study two built on the findings from the first study to investigate if RT was truly independent of attentional effects by substituting fast reaching times with slow ones. The results of study two showed dual-task interference in both stages of the movement. This suggests resource sharing between the search and at least one factor involved in MT, possibly feedback and updating. The third and final study aimed to assess task parameter influences on movement production. The search task was manipulated by use of high and low difficulty (load) searches combined with either fast or slow movement speeds. When reaching slowly pre-movement planning time was longer, as was MT which reflected the area of experimental manipulation. Slow reaches were also more accurate than fast reaching and more prone to the impact of target eccentricity. The eccentricity of the pointing target only significantly impacted performance while moving slowly coinciding with high accuracy. Fast reaching produces greater variability in performance possibly masking eccentricity effects. The manipulation of cognitive load impacted search performance as expected with high load conditions producing less accurate responses. While cognitive load had some impact upon goal-directed movement performance did not vary in a predictable pattern. Overall attentional effects were evident throughout the reach, not only in ML and pre-movement planning time but also during the reaching stage. The impact of attention on RT was only observable during slow reaching. Although it may be inferred that attentional effects to RT in this experiment were mediated by online updating, this idea needs explicit testing in future studies. We also found that the parameters (and difficulty) of the tasks undertaken did impact goal-directed movement performance. Based on the difference in the patterns of effects when load was modulated via the cognitive (search load) compared to motor task (movement speed), it appears modifications to the motor element displayed more predictable load dependant effects. Overall, the pattern of results in this thesis demonstrate that dividing attention does have systematic effects on reaching performance and the predictable effects dependent on task load appear at this time to be modality specific.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2017

Thesis title: Reduction of body weight and body composition based on diet and movement regime Object of the thesis: Investigate whether it is possible by changing diet, adding the movement activities, to achieve weight loss and changes in body composition. The research was conducted on a sample of seven people who were selected only on the basis of his personal interest in this issue and who wanted to reach just a weight loss. The age range of this research group is 21 to 51 years. Method of the thesis: To obtain the data was during the research measuring physical parameters used bioelectrical impedance analysis. Another fact was control detection of current diet and movement regime of examined persons. The research survey was conducted anonymously, nowhere does not appear the names of participating persons. Results of the thesis: Our first task was to confirm that all probands achieve due to modified diet on the basis of model diet regime and participation on physical activities a reduction in body weight. Then it was followed by another task, which we should confirm that the proposed regime's treatment causes weight loss of 4 kg or more. The first question on the basis of the results was confirmed in part only because the weight reduction achieved 5 out of 7 probands. Similarly, the second task...

Im Beitrag werden zwei alternative Methoden zur inversen Schätzung der Parameter für Bodenbewegungsvorausberechnungsmodelle aus Messdaten zu Höhenänderungen an Höhenfestpunkten gegenübergestellt, ein Ansatz unter Nutzung der Ausgleichungsrechnung sowie ein Bayes’scher Ansatz unter Nutzung der Monte-Carlo-Simulation. Der Vergleich erfolgt im Kontext eines Kavernenfeldes. Es wird gezeigt, dass durch beide Verfahren aus Höhenbeobachtungen an der Tagesoberfläche die Parameter Hohlraumkonvergenz und Einwirkungswinkel signifikant präzisiert werden können, was zu verbesserten Vorhersagen führt. Im Ergebnis der Studie lassen sich Möglichkeiten ableiten, das Messnetz zu optimieren.
The paper compares two alternative methods for inverse estimation of the parameters for ground movement prediction models from elevation change measurements at fixed levelling points, an approach using the geodetic adjustment theory and a Bayesian approach using Monte-Carlo simulation. The comparison is performed in the setting of a cavern field. It is shown that both methods allow utilizing elevation-change observations on the surface to significantly improve the prediction of the parameters convergence and angle of influence. Such an approach will lead to improved predictions. As a result of the study, opportunities for optimizing the elevation measurement network can be lifted.

碩士
國立勤益科技大學
機械工程系
100
Screening classification is a key technique for the industry. For instance, diamond grits leveling for diamond disk can affect markedly the wafer performance. This paper presents analysis of movement types and screening efficiency for diamond grit under different ultrasonic vibration parameters. The experimental results show that screening rate of broken diamond grit reduces due to increase of contact area leading to diamond grits to build up on the mesh or running out to the mesh. The screening of multi-diamond grits shows easily aggregated to decrease screening rate. It is found that high frequency screening equipment has high velocity and continuous vibration, so using low amplitude only can change the grits movement type and decrease between grit and mesh friction effectively to increase screening efficiency. Low frequency screening equipment has low amplitude and discontinuity vibration, although it can reduce build up on the mesh, the screening times increase due to the grit easily jumping. The experimental results also show that the screening movement types include stagnation, rotation, and jumping. In summary broken diamond grits is easily to lock on the mesh, suggesting using low frequency with high amplitude screening equipment. The complete diamond grits can use high frequency with low amplitude screening equipment due to that it can reduce screening passing times and enhance screening efficiency.

碩士
逢甲大學
環境工程與科學所
100
This study analyzes transport parameters and flux components for dense gas transport in a one-dimensional soil column. A binary gas diffusion experiment was firstly conducted for the effective diffusion coefficient in a column composed of dry sea sand with a porosity of 0.3676, similar to the column used in the transport experiment of Cheng (2011). Results show that the effective diffusion coefficient for N2-CO system ranges between 8.27×10-6 and 9.59×10-6 m2/sec；for N2-SF6 system 3.65×10-6 and 4.23×10-6 m2/sec； and the Knudsen diffusion coefficient for air ranges between 2.67×10-3 and 8.89×10-3 m2/sec. The Dusty Gas Model (DGM) theory and Fick’s first law were then applied to analyze various flux components based on the experimental measurements in Cheng (2011). Results show that the dominant diffusion component is the molar-fracton gradient term in the DGM. However, the nonequimolar and gravity-induced diffusion component can be at most 10% and 30%, respectively, of the total diffusive flux. Magnitudes of the diffusive flux given from two diffusion theories are of the same order. The viscous flux induced by gravity is dominant between the SF6 gas entrance to the soil column and the 5-cm location from the entrance in the soil column. But pressure gradient-induced viscous flux is dominant between 5-cm and 15-cm from the entrance in the soil column. Thus, magnitude of the total flux affected by the viscous one, can be one order of magnitude in difference between these two different theories. Besides, the time-varied SF6 density in the transport column for the experiment in Cheng (2011) was simlated with a numerical model – MISER developed by Rathfelder et al. (1997), to investigate how the discrepancy between the experimental measurement and the prediction from a Fickian-type, molar based transport equation, used in MISER is. Results show that prediction from the transport modeling with MISER can have great difference from the experiment measurement, especially for systems in vertically upward and downward transport directions, due to the inadequacy of considering diffusion only induced by molar fraction variation. However, Altevogt et al. (2003) used predictions from a mass-based transport equation and compared with in experiment measurements. They showed a result more consistently than ours. This issue needs advanced study in the future.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
工業工程與管理系碩士班
101
Researchers of industrial quality have often suggested that experimental cost and yield about quality manager would likely affect their use of quality method and ultimate success in experimental performance. In the industry, Taguchi methods used had been considerably. However, research which has empirically documented the link between medical experiments and their use of Taguchi method is scant. This paper presents the experiments have been designed using an L8 orthogonal array with three factors and two levels each, in order to customized physiotherapist’s hand protective device by Taguchi method of parameter design. Because everyone has inherent genetic differences, so, we must use customized to make physical therapist hand thumb protector. Taguchi experimental design is the most rapid and effective method for customized.

碩士
國立體育學院
教練研究所
91
The block is an important winning factor for modern volleyball. The height and the skill itself of the block are integral parts in competition. Sixteen elite male volleyball players participated in this study. The performance of the subjects was filmed using 3 high-speed video cameras from different angles at a speed of 60 frames per second. With the use of the Ariel Performance Analysis System (APAS) software, kinematical parameters were derived from the take-off to the peak-reaching positions of the blocking jump. The data were tested along with the results of expert’s evaluation applying Pearson product-moment correlation analyses. The findings of the study were as follows: 1.Block jumps of a short assisting running distance, with the legs squatting deeply and the knee joint angle being narrow, resulted in a smooth motion execution process. A consistency of the right and left knee joint angles facilitated the block jumping. The effect was especially obvious for jumps of a short or no assisting running distance. 2.The lower limbs were the main source generating power for jumping. Joint angular movement depicted the working distance of the extended muscle. The longer the working distance, the better results the jump performed. 3.In blocks with long-distance assisting running, swings of the shoulder joints were needed to assist the direction change of the center of gravity in order to reduce energy loss. A decrease of the movement time length, therefore, was effective in increasing the vertical speed. 4.The blocking effects were significantly different among blocks with different assisting running distance. Among them, blocks without running assistance had the best effect, blocks with a short running distance the second, and those with a long running distance the third. 5.The evaluation of the experts showed different results comparing moving directions in block execution. Blocks with a right hand side moving were better performed, which probably attributed to the biological habits of the human body.