Dynamic transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) video allows for kinematic analysis of urogenital morphology and mobility, however, measures are often limited to peak displacements of anatomical landmarks and are vulnerable to error incurred by probe rotation during imaging. This thesis aimed to (1) develop an algorithm to calculate kinematic curves of urogenital landmark motion from TPUS video and to (2) investigate the error incurred in these kinematic measures due to in-plane ultrasound probe rotation. UROKIN, a semi-automated software, was developed and, as a proof of concept, was used to identify differences in urogenital kinematics during pelvic floor muscle maximum voluntary contractions between women with and without stress urinary incontinence. A mathematical model revealed that the error incurred by TPUS probe rotation in the x- (anterior-posterior) and y- (cranial-caudal) directions, was a factor of: r, the radius of rotation; Ɵ, the in-plane angular probe rotation; and α, the angular deviation between the anatomical planes and the coordinate system in which error was calculated. As an absolute measure, the error incurred by in-plane probe rotation is reduced to a factor of only r and Ɵ. Moving forward, UROKIN must be adapted to include findings from (1), and must be tested for validity and reliability.

Orientadores: Simone Botelho Pereira, Cássio Luís Zanettini Riccetto / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T06:45:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alves_FabiolaKenia_M.pdf: 1692641 bytes, checksum: 229f8f470a88f89b5d3255ed8cccd5e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O processo de envelhecimento é um dos principais fatores de disfunções uroginecológicas. O treinamento dos músculos do assoalho pélvico (TMAP) é o método de primeira escolha para o tratamento de incontinência urinária e também recomendado para a prevenção e tratamento de prolapsos dos órgãos pélvicos. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito de um programa de TMAP em grupo sobre a contratilidade muscular em mulheres na pós-menopausa, assim como sobre a presença de sintomas urinários e prolapsos de órgãos genitais. Métodos. Foi realizado um ensaio clínico, randomizado, controlado e cego com 30 mulheres na pós-menopausa (idade média de 65.93 ±8.76 anos), divididas em dois grupos: Resumo: Grupo Tratado (n=18) e Grupo Controle (n=12). A avaliação foi realizada antes e após o tratamento em ambos os grupos e consistiu de palpação vaginal (Escala Modificada de Oxford), eletromiografia de superfície dos músculos do assoalho pélvico, avaliação da presença de prolapsos dos órgãos pélvicos e avaliação de sintomas miccionais e vaginais por meio da aplicação dos questionários validados: International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF); International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder (ICIQ-OAB) e International Consultation Questionnaire on Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS). O protocolo de tratamento consistiu de 12 sessões em grupo de 8-10 participantes, duas vezes na semana, por 30 minutos, totalizando seis semanas. Foram utilizados para análise estatística os Testes ANOVA, Teste de Comparação múltipla de Tukey, Teste de Wilcoxon e Teste Perfil de Contrastes. Resultados. A contratilidade dos músculos do assoalho pélvico aumentou significativamente depois do programa de treinamento tanto na eletromiografia (p=0.003) quanto na palpação digital (p=0.001). Houve decréscimo do escore do questionário ICIQ-OAB apenas no grupo tratado (p<0.001) com diferença significativa entre os grupos através do tempo (p=0.002). Houve decréscimo do escore do questionário ICIQ-UI SF com diferença significativa entre o grupo controle e o grupo tratado depois do tratamento (p=0.03). O grau do prolapso anterior também diminuiu apenas no grupo tratado (p=0.03). Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas no grau do prolapso posterior e no questionário ICIQ-VS. Conclusão. O programa de TMAP em grupo foi eficaz para o aumento da contratilidade muscular, diminuição da gravidade do prolapso de parede anterior e dos sintomas urinários em mulheres na pós-menopausa. / Abstract: Introduction. The aging process is one of the major reasons for urogynecological dysfunctions. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is the method chosen in the first place for the treatment of urinary incontinence, also indicated for the prevention and treatment of the pelvic organs' prolapses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a group pelvic floor muscle training program on post-menopausal women's pelvic floor muscle contractility , as well as on the presence of urinary symptoms and genital organ prolapses. Methods. A clinical, randomized, controlled and assessor-blinded study was conducted with 30 post-menopausal women (mean age 65.93 ±8.76 years), divided into two groups: Treatment Group (n=18) and Control Group (n=12). The evaluation was carried out using digital palpation (Modified Oxford Grading Scale), pelvic floor surface electromyography (sEMG), the Pop-Q System to evaluate the presence of pelvic organ prolapse using validated questionnaires: International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF); International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder (ICIQ-OAB) and International Consultation Questionnaire on Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS). The treatment protocol consisted of 12 group sessions, with 8-10 participants, carried out by a physiotherapist (main investigator), twice a week, with 30 minutes of duration each, totaling six weeks. The statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA, Tukey¿s Multiple Comparison Test, McNemar¿s Test and the Contrast Profile Test. Results. The pelvic floor muscle contractility increased after the training program, assessed by sEMG (p=0.003) and by vaginal palpation (p=0.001). There was a decrease in the ICIQ-OAB scores only in the treated group's final evaluation (p<0.001) with a significant difference between the groups along the time (p=0.002). There was a decrease in the ICIQ-UI SF scores (p=0.03) between the treated and control groups after the treatment. There was a significant decrease in the anterior pelvic organ prolapse (p=0.03) in the treated group. No significant differences were found in the posterior pelvic organ prolapse and the ICIQ-VS scores. Conclusion. Group pelvic floor muscle training program is an effective way to increase the pelvic floor muscle contractility and to decrease the anterior pelvic organ prolapse as well as urinary symptoms in post-menopausal women. / Mestrado / Fisiopatologia Cirúrgica / Mestra em Ciências

The continuous population increase in recent years requires a greater number of households to be built quickly, with good materials and produced under quality standards that guarantee their manufacturing process. The prefabricated concrete, produced and supplied by concrete plants, is poured into the different structural elements, the mezzanine slabs being the most careful surfaces in the appearance of fissures; because being horizontal and having larger dimensions, the dimensional changes in the concrete appear more frequently due to the rapid loss of water from the surface of the concrete before setting; which generates superior stresses to the resistant capacity of the concrete at early ages, which affect the durability and reduce the resistance of the structures, causing greater economic expenses in maintenance and repairs. In the present investigation, 5%, 10% and 15% of rice husk ash was used as a replacement for cement and 900g/m3 of polypropylene fiber; The results indicate that as the percentage of rice husk ash increases, there is a reduction in the slump and the crack fissures, and that the resistance to compression and flexion decreases, with respect to the concrete pattern.

In this thesis, I investigate the seismic structure of oceanic lithosphere and asthenosphere with a particular focus on seismic anisotropy, using high-resolution surface waves recorded on ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The NoMelt (~70 Ma) and Young OBS Research into Convecting Asthenosphere (ORCA) (~43 Ma) OBS experiments located in the central and south Pacific, respectively, provide a detailed picture of ``typical'' oceanic lithosphere and asthenosphere and offer an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the age dependence of oceanic upper mantle structure. The Eastern North American Margin Community Seismic Experiment (ENAM-CSE) OBS array located just offshore the Eastern U.S. captures the transition from continental rifting during Pangea to normal seafloor spreading, representing significantly slower spreading rates. Collectively, this work represents a diverse set of observations that improve our understanding of seafloor spreading, present-day mantle dynamics, and ocean basin evolution. At NoMelt, which represents pristine relatively unaltered oceanic mantle, we observe strong azimuthal anisotropy in the lithosphere that correlates with corner-flow induced shear during seafloor spreading. We observe perhaps the first clear Love-wave azimuthal anisotropy that, in addition to co-located Rayleigh-wave and active source Pn constraints, provides a novel in-situ estimate of the complete elastic tensor of the oceanic lithosphere. Comparing this observed anisotropy to a database of laboratory and naturally deformed olivine samples from the literature leads us to infer an alternative ``D-type'' fabric associated with grain-size sensitive deformation, rather than the commonly assumed A-type fabric. This has vast implications for our understanding of grain-scale deformation active at mid-ocean ridges and subsequent thermo-rheological evolution of the lithosphere. At both NoMelt and YoungORCA we observe radial anisotropy in the lithosphere with Vsh > Vsv indicating subhorizontal fabric, in contrast to some recent global models. We also observe azimuthal anisotropy in the lithosphere that parallels the fossil-spreading direction. Estimates of radial anisotropy in the crust at both locations are the first of their kind and suggest horizontal layering and/or shearing associated with the crustal accretion process. Both experiments show asthenospheric anisotropy that is significantly rotated from current-day absolute plate motion as well as rotated from one another, at odds with the typical expectation of plate-induced shearing. This observation is consistent with small-scale density- or pressure-driven convection beneath the Pacific basin that varies in orientation over a length scale of at most ~2000 km and likely shorter. By directly comparing shear velocities at YoungORCA and NoMelt, we show that the half-space cooling model can account for most (~75%) of the sublithospheric velocity difference between the two location when anelastic effects are accounted for. The unaccounted for ~25% velocity reduction at YoungORCA is consistent with lithospheric reheating, perhaps related to upwelling of hot mantle from small-scale convection or its proximity to the Marquesas hotspot. While lithospheric anisotropy is parallel to the fossil-seafloor-spreading direction at both fast-spreading Pacific locations, it is perpendicular to spreading at the ENAM-CSE in the northwest Atlantic where spreading was ultra-slow to slow. Instead, anisotropy correlates with paleo absolute plate motion at the time of Pangea rifting ~180–195 Ma. We propose that ultra-slow-spreading environments, such as the early Atlantic, primarily record plate-motion modified fabric in the lithosphere rather than typical seafloor spreading fabric. Furthermore, slow shear velocities in the lithosphere may indicate that normal seafloor spreading did not initiate until ~170 Ma, 10–25 Myr after the initiation of continental rifting, revising previous estimates. Alternatively, it may shed new light on melt extraction at ultra-slow spreading environments.

The diploma thesis focuses on the analysis and comparison of rental flats in Hradec Králové. It compares the rent of flats located in different parts of the city. The thesis deals with factors determining the monthly rental. The data obtained in the research are divided into four categories according to floor space. A price map has been compiled for each of the four categories. The findings are summarized in tables and charts and commented on in the text.

The diploma thesis deals with the structural design of a solid manure spreader and the subsequent strength control of self-supporting construction. The introduction of the work consists of a research analysis of current design solutions of spreaders on the market with similar parameters as in the assignment. Subsequent chapters deal with the conceptual design of the spreader, preparation of the calculation model, suitable replacement of the components and evaluation of the strength analysis itself. The diploma thesis is accompanied by partial drawing documentation. The work was created in cooperation with ZDT Nové Veselí.

The main purpose of the essay is to serve as a documentation of my research practice on the movement of the tailbone and its connections to my dancing body. The essay is being written from my personal perspective which springs out of my interest in the importance of using the tailbone whilst dancing. In the first part of the text I have included personal information to the reader about where my interest in the movement of the tailbone arose. One of the methods during the research was to write a process diary as a way to combine a physical practice and writing practice. This process diary is now a big part of this essay. In the essay you as a redear can follow how the research has transformed and changed throughout working time on the project. The second part of the essay reflects on the process of researching the tailbone-ing movement practice and what the practical presentation should look like. In the last pages of the essay you find a choreographic score which is both a documentation of the practice as well as a score to perform it. Working on the essay opens up new possibilties for further research on the importance of the tailbone and the pelvic floor in the dancing body. / <p>This master work includes both a performing and a written part. </p>

In the light of the complex and dynamic factors that exist in a typical production facility, manual development of an optimal shop-floor schedule is computationally impractical. This paper discusses the effective use of an heuristic algorithm approach to shop-floor scheduling at the TRW Rack and Pinion Division (RPD) Plant in Rogersville, Tennessee. The study documents the introduction of FAST, a computerised scheduling system that employs the Genetic Optimisation Algorithm. Results demonstrate a real potential advantage using this system for shop-floor scheduling, thus facilitating TRWs journey of continuous improvement.

Gymnastics tumbling has occurred on large spring floor apparatuses for several decades. The spring floors have used a variety of elastic materials and designs to provide an increased take-off velocity and a forgiving landing surface. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a standard cylindrical spring (10.7 cm x 5 cm diameter, 9 coils) and a modified spring (10.7 cm, 5 cm widening to 6.7 cm diameter, 9 coils) in tumbling take-offs. Specifically, take-off foot contact durations and center of mass (COM) velocities from female gymnasts (14.8±2.8 y, 159.0±7.2 cm, 49.3±7.1 kg) were measured. Gymnasts performed two trials each of a round off, flic flac, to a layout rearward somersault on each spring-type attached to a tumbling strip (12.19m x 2.41m). Data were acquired via a ViconTM kinematic system using 43 markers and 10 cameras at 200 Hz. Data were found to be reliable across trials. Analysis consisted of two, 2x3 repeated measures ANOVAs. The results showed no statistical differences between spring-types in terms of contact durations or COM component velocities. Spring-type design differences may lead to disparate spring constant and frequency effects, however, these effects of may be overwhelmed by the influences of gymnast skill, matting, carpet, and the wood and fiberglass laminate panels.

Introduktion: I Sverige finns många licensierade spelare där målvakterna utgör en minoritet. I dagsläget finns inga publicerade vetenskapliga studier som har undersökt innebandymålvakternas spelmoment. Det saknas också studier som undersökt biomekaniska krav och skadeproblematik hos innebandymålvakter.   Syfte: Syftet var att kartlägga vilka spelmoment som ingår för kvinnliga innebandymålvakter i division ett samt i vilken utsträckning dessa utförs. Sekundärt syfte var att undersöka finns samband mellan erfarenhet och olika spelmoment.   Metod: Tolv kvinnliga innebandymålvakter (medelålder 22 år) från division ett ingick i studien. En kvantitativ observationsmetod med videofilmning användes för att analysa deras spelmoment under match. Datan som samlades in analyserades utifrn ett analysprotokoll innehållades beräkning av tid i tre olika positioner samt där tolv olika förflyttning räknades i antal.     Resultat: Videoanalyserna visade att innebandymålvakter står på knä stora delar av speltiden. Individuella skillnader sågs på den totala knästående tiden där målvakten med störst andel knäståendetid stod 49% medan målvakten med lägst andel knäståendetid stod 21% av den totala speltiden. De tolv innebandymålvakterna gjorde tillsammans 6237 förflyttningar av de tolv förflyttningar som observerades. Korta sidoförflyttningar, pull, uppresningar, små rotation med ben samt längre bolltäck vid stolpe var det mest vanligaste förflyttningar. Målvakten med flest antal förflyttningar/minut utförde 34 stycken medan målvakten med minst antal gjorde 14 stycken/minut. Det fanns inget signifikant samband mellan antal målvaktsår med knäståendetid respektive korta sidoförflyttningar.   Konklusion: Innebandymålvakterna gjorde många förflyttningar på kort tid och spenderade stora delar av matchen stående på knä. Det finns ingen forskning gällande hur dessa spelmoment kan påverka belastningen på kroppen och därför bör mer forskning bedrivas inom området.