No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Grounded at the intersection of rhetorics of health and medicine (RHM), technical and professional communication (TPC), and transnational institutional communication, my study aimed to explore the transnational issues of negotiation and power and (mis)articulations within the realm of global maternal nutrition (MN) communication design. Specifically, I sought to demystify the behind-the-scenes interactions and negotiations among funders (in this case, USAID headquarters), contractors (global health designers for a project called "Advancing Nutrition"), and local partners (Global South program implementers). To achieve this goal, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of twenty-eight publicly available Advancing Nutrition MN artifacts, including program guides, worksheets, toolkits, and multimedia discourses. Additionally, I performed fifteen episodic narrative interviews with key informants from the Advancing Nutrition team, USAID, and local implementing agencies in India, Kyrgyz Republic, and Ghana. Through the theoretical lenses of power as assemblage and articulation, my findings suggested a continual flux of (re)articulation tension within global MN communication design. This tension stemmed from power assemblages—a confluence of historical-political-ideological forces at the production site in the Global North and the rigid socio-cultural framework at the implementation site in the Global South—in transnational content creation spaces. This tension manifested in maternal-child nutrition indicators, temporally bound MN program design, community narratives in local implementation sites, and an emphasis on normative views of women's nutrition. Despite the power differentials among funders, contractors, and implementers, global health designers employed tactical technical communication approaches, including coalitional actions and reconstructive moves, to empower women and mothers in the Global South. Thus I conclude that technical and health communication scholars can help global institutional actors create socially-inclusive communication design and foster intentional community-engaged interventions by both attuning themselves to and exposing globalized power structures in the context of public health document creation. / Doctor of Philosophy / Situated at the crossroads of health and medical rhetoric, technical and professional communication, and cross-border institutional interaction, my research set out to delve into the complexities of negotiation, power dynamics, and communication challenges in the global arena of maternal nutrition. Specifically, I aimed to shed light on the behind-the-scenes dealings and discussions among key players such as funders (like USAID headquarters), contractors (working on projects such as "Advancing Nutrition"), and local partners (implementing programs in the Global South). To accomplish this, I conducted a detailed analysis of twenty-eight publicly available materials related to the Advancing Nutrition initiative, including program guides, worksheets, toolkits, and multimedia presentations. Additionally, I conducted fifteen interviews with individuals from the Advancing Nutrition team, USAID, and local agencies in India, Kyrgyz Republic, and Ghana. Using the theoretical frameworks of power dynamics and articulation, my findings revealed a continual tension in how maternal nutrition communication is (re)shaped and understood on a global scale. This tension arises from a blend of historical, political, and ideological forces influencing content creation in the Global North, juxtaposed with the socio-cultural realities at the implementation sites in the Global South. It is evident in various aspects such as maternal-child nutrition metrics, the design of time-sensitive nutrition programs, local community narratives, and the portrayal of women's nutrition. Despite the inherent power imbalances among funders, contractors, and implementers, those involved in global health initiatives employed strategic communication methods, including collaborative efforts and reconstructive strategies, to empower women and mothers in the Global South. As a result, I argue that scholars in technical and health communication have a vital role to play in fostering inclusive communication design and facilitating community-focused interventions by both understanding and exposing global power dynamics in the realm of public health document creation.

Le présent mémoire comporte deux volets, soit 1) une revue systématique portant sur les qualités métrologiques de questionnaires auto-administrés utilisés auprès d’une population présentant une atteinte de la coiffe des rotateurs et 2) l’adaptation en canadien-français et la validation auprès d’un échantillon présentant une atteinte de la coiffe des rotateurs d’un questionnaire auto-administré, le Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index (WORC). En ce qui a trait à la revue systématique, nos résultats mettent en lumière que tous les questionnaires inclus peuvent être utilisés auprès de cette population. Pour l’adaptation du questionnaire, nos résultats démontrent que la version canadienne-française du WORC présente des qualités métrologiques comparables à la version originale, ainsi qu’aux autres versions traduites. / This Master’s thesis includes two objectives. The first one is to conduct a systematic review on the psychometric properties of self-administered questionnaires used with individuals presenting rotator cuff disorders. The second objective is to translate and validate the Canadian French version of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC). The results of the systematic review show that all the included questionnaires can be used for assessing individuals with rotator cuff disorders. Our results for the second objective is that the Canadian French version of the WORC shows similar psychometric properties to the original version of the WORC and the other translated versions of the WORC.

Articulation is an element of musical performance that affects the attack, sustain, and the decay of each sound. Musical articulation facilitates the degree of clarity between successive notes and it is one of the most important elements of musical expression. Many believe that the expressive capabilities of percussion instruments, when it comes to musical articulation, are limited. Because the characteristic attack for most percussion instruments is sharp and clear, followed by a quick decay, the common misconception is that percussionists have little or no control over articulation. While the ability of percussionists to affect the sustain and decay of a sound is by all accounts limited, the ability of percussionists to change the attack of a sound with different implements is virtually limitless. In addition, where percussion articulation is limited, there are many techniques that allow performers to match articulation with other instruments. Still, percussion articulation is often a topic of little concern to many musicians. The problem is not that this issue has been completely ignored, but rather that a vast number of contradictory and conflicting viewpoints still permeate pedagogical methods and literature. This is most certainly the case with the marimba, where a review of method books reveals a multitude of confusing statements about marimba articulation. It is clear that there is still widespread confusion about marimba articulation from composers, conductors, and most importantly percussionists themselves. This study attempts to advance percussion pedagogy in this area through a better understanding of the terminology of musical articulation, the acoustical principles of the marimba, and the techniques that affect sound production on this instrument. After a review of these three areas, this study examines 166 recordings, which look at the actual effect of specific techniques carried out on the marimba. Finally, the project offers a set of recommendations for composers, conductors, and percussionists on all aspects of marimba articulation, in the goal of increasing marimbists' potential for greater musical expression.

INTRODUCTION : La tendinopathie de la coiffe des rotateurs (CR) entraîne de la douleur et des limitations fonctionnelles qui seraient expliquées en partie par une perturbation du contrôle neuromusculaire de l’épaule. L’entrainement sensorimoteur a été démontré efficace pour rééduquer le contrôle neuromusculaire suite à cette atteinte. Chez des populations neurologiques, l’ajout de stimulation anodale transcrânienne par courant direct (a-tDCS) à un entrainement sensorimoteur permet d’améliorer plus rapidement la condition des patients. Ainsi, l’ajout de l’a-tDCS pourrait optimiser l’efficacité de l’entrainement sensorimoteur à la suite d’une tendinopathie de la CR. OBJECTIF : Comparer un groupe recevant un programme de réadaptation centré sur l’entrainement sensorimoteur et l’a-tDCS, à un groupe recevant le même programme mais avec une a-tDCS placébo. MÉTHODOLOGIE : Quarante adultes présentant une tendinopathie de la CR ont pris part aux 4 évaluations (0, 3, 6, 12 semaines) et au programme de réadaptation de 6 semaines (incluant éducation, entrainement sensorimoteur et renforcement musculaire) de cet essai clinique randomisé à triple insu (participants, physiothérapeute traitant, évaluateur). Les symptômes et limitations fonctionnelles (questionnaires Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand [DASH] et Western Ontario Rotator Cuff [WORC]) et la distance acromiohumérale (DAH ; mesures échographiques à 0°, 45°, 60° d’élévation du bras) étaient les variables à l’étude. L’a-tDCS était positionnée au-dessus du cortex moteur controlatéral à la douleur (stimulation 1,5 mA pour 30 minutes) et appliquée pendant l’entrainement sensorimoteur. RÉSULTATS : Une amélioration statistiquement significative aux DASH et WORC à 3, 6 et 12 semaines et de la DAH à 45° et 60° à 6 semaines chez les deux groupes a été démontrée (effet Temps P < 0,05). Toutefois, aucune différence entre les groupes n’a été observée dans cette amélioration pour toutes les variables (interaction Groupe X Temps P > 0,43) CONCLUSION : L’ajout de l’a-tDCS ne semble pas améliorer l’efficacité de l’entrainement sensorimoteur pour les personnes atteintes d’une tendinopathie de de la CR. / BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff (RC) tendinopathy results in pain and functional limitations, and these deficits can be explained, in part, by an alteration of shoulder motor control. For treatment of RC tendinopathy, sensorimotor training has been shown to be effective to reduce symptoms and improve function, as well as optimize shoulder motor control. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS), an electrostimulation technique known to modulate the motor cortex excitability, has been shown to enhance the effects of sensorimotor training in neurological populations. The addition of a-tDCS during a rehabilitation program centered on sensorimotor training could enhance motor learning associated with sensorimotor training and thus improve treatment outcome. OBJECTIVE: To compare a group receiving a rehabilitation program centered on sensorimotor training with a-tDCS to a group receiving the same rehabilitation program with sham a-tDCS. METHODS: Forty adults with RC tendinopathy part in the 4 evaluation sessions (0, 3, 6, 12 weeks) and the 8 supervised physiotherapy treatments during the 6-week rehabilitation program (education, sensorimotor training, strengthening) of this triple-blind randomized control trial (evaluator, physiotherapist and participants). Outcome measures were symptoms and functional limitations (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand [DASH] and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff [WORC] index), as well as acromiohumeral distance (AHD; ultrasonographic measurement at 0° and 60° of elevation arm). A-tDCS (1.5 mA for 30 minutes) was applied during sensorimotor training on the motor cortex contralateral to the side of pain. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant improvement in DASH and WORC at 3, 6 and 12 weeks and in AHD at 45° and 60° at 6 weeks (P < .05). However, no significant Group-by-Time interaction was observed for all outcomes (P > .43). CONCLUSION: Results do not demonstrate any added effects of a-tDCS during a rehabilitation program in individuals with RC tendinopathy.