The thesis examines those students in the department of Information Studies at Curtin University of Technology who have articulated into the Bachelor of Applied Science (Information and Library Studies) through holding an Associate Diploma which qualifies them as paraprofessional library technicians.An analysis of students in the department over a period of ten years examines the number and characteristics of library technicians upgrading their qualifications and compares the academic performance of articulating students with those who have no previous qualifications in librarianship. This examination reveals little difference in the academic performance of the two groups. Interviews with academic staff and students reveal attitudes towards articulation, articulating students, education and the relationship between the professional and paraprofessional levels in librarianship which will need to be taken into account in future curricula and course development.

L'articulation trapézométacarpienne est fréquemment l'objet de consultations en pratique clinique courante. En effet, c'est une articulation régulièrement atteinte par l'arthrose responsable de douleurs et d'une diminution de la mobilité. Néanmoins, elle demeure difficile à analyser cliniquement, sur le plan cinématique, du fait de sa complexité anatomique et biomécanique. Nous avons donc développé et validé un protocole d'examen cinématique de l'articulation trapézométacarpienne in vivo. Pour ceci, nous avons utilisé un système de mesure optoélectronique. La précision du système de mesure a été déterminée, puis, nous avons quantifié la reproductibilité du protocole d'analyse cinématique. Un logiciel a été développé pour quantifier les amplitudes de mobilités, en utilisant une séquence d'axes mobiles. La détermination des axes hélicoïdaux finis, au cours de deux mouvements purs a permis d'analyser les axes du cardan qui peut modéliser cette articulation. La cinématique de l'articulation trapézométacarpienne de 101 sujets sains a été étudiée afin de constituer une base de données. La méthodologie proposée étant portable, il a été possible d'étudier la cinématique articulaire de patients au cours de leur consultation à l'hôpital. 14 patients présentant une arthrose trapézométacarpienne, puis 9 patients opérés pour une arthrose trapézométacarpienne par ablation du trapèze (trapézectomie) ont été analysés. Ce protocole permettra d'évaluer le retentissement d'une atteinte trapézométacarpienne et l'efficacité de son traitement. Il pourra, de plus, apporter une aide à la conception d'implants trapézométacarpiens.

Le mouvement de préhension est un mouvement très complexe qui a fait l'objet de nombreuses recherches, non seulement dans le domaine ergonomique mais aussi dans le domaine clinique, en neurophysiologie, en robotique ou dans l'animation. Dans le contexte ergonomique, il est de plus en plus usuel d'utiliser un mannequin numérique pour reproduire et simuler des mouvements de préhension. Un tel outil, MAN3D, a été développé à l'INRETS. MAN3D permet la représentation des sujets humains (homme et femme) dans un environnement, ainsi que des interactions entre ces sujets et leur environnement. Cependant, dans l'état actuel de développement, les mouvements au niveau de la main sont peu réalistes et certaines postures réelles sont impossibles à reproduire. Cette limite est principalement liée à la modélisation trop simplifiée du modèle cinématique de la main. L'objectif de cette thèse est donc en premier lieu de développer un modèle cinématique de la main, intégré dans le mannequin numérique MAN3D, capable de reproduire et de simuler, de la manière la plus réaliste possible, des postures de préhension. Un second objectif est d'exploiter ce modèle pour réaliser une base de données de postures de préhension adoptées naturellement lors de la prise et la manipulation de plusieurs types d'objets.

Approximately 80% of the population will experience low-back pain within their lifetime. Significant research efforts have focused on compressive loading as an injury mechanism that could lead to low-back pain and injury. However, the influence of shear loading, and its relationship to vertebral tissue tolerances as well as modulating factors for these tolerances have not been studied as extensively. The primary objective of this thesis was to produce a series of investigations that begin to determine the roles of different modulating factors such as posture, compression, bone density, bone morphology, and repetitive load magnitude on measured vertebral joint shear failure tolerances. The thesis comprises four independent studies using in vitro mechanical testing, imaging modalities, and finite element modeling. Each of the in vitro studies within this thesis used a validated porcine cervical model as a surrogate for the human lumbar spine. The first study employed in vitro mechanical testing to investigate the combined roles of flexion/extension postural deviation and compressive load on the measured ultimate shear failure tolerances. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans of the pars interarticularis and measurements of vertebral bone morphology were used in the second investigation along with in vitro mechanical testing to identify the morphological characteristics that can be used to predict ultimate shear failure tolerances. The influence of sub-maximal shear load magnitude on the cumulative shear load and number of loading cycles sustained prior to failure were investigated with in vitro mechanical testing in the third study. Finally, a finite element model of the porcine C3-C4 functional spinal unit was used to investigate the plausibility of hypotheses, developed from previous research and the findings of the first investigation for this thesis, surrounding alterations in measured ultimate shear failure tolerances as a function of changes in facet interaction. Results from the first investigation showed that there was no statistically significant interaction between postural deviation and compressive force on ultimate shear failure tolerance. However, ultimate shear failure tolerance was reduced (compared to neutral) by 13.2% with flexed postures, and increased (compared to neutral) by 12.8% with extended postures. Each 15% increment (up to a maximum of 60% of predicted compressive failure tolerance) in compressive force was met with an average 11.1% increase in ultimate shear failure tolerance. It was hypothesized that alterations in flexion/extension posture and/or compressive force altered the location for the force centroid of facet contact. These changes in the location of facet contact were hypothesized to produce subsequent changes in the bending moment at the pars interarticularis that altered the measured ultimate shear failure tolerance. The three leading factors for calculating of measured ultimate shear failure tolerance were the pars interarticularis length for the cranial vertebra, the average facet angle measured in the transverse plane, and cortical bone area through the pars interarticularis. A bi-variate linear regression model that used the cranial vertebra’s pars interarticularis length and average facet angle as inputs was developed to nondestructively calculate ultimate shear failure tolerances of the porcine cervical spine. Longer pars interarticularis lengths and facets oriented closer to the sagittal plane were associated with higher measured ultimate shear failure tolerances. Fractures observed in this investigation were similar to those reported for studies performed with human specimens and also similar to reported spondylolitic fractures associated with shear loading in humans. This provided additional evidence that the porcine cervical spine is a suitable surrogate in vitro model for studying human lumbar spine mechanics. Altered sub-maximal shear load magnitude create a non-linear decrease in both the number of cycles and the cumulative shear load sustained prior to failure. These findings suggested that estimates of cumulative shear load should assign greater importance to higher instantaneous shear loads. This was due to an increased injury potential at higher instantaneous shear loads. Cumulative load sustained prior to failure was used to develop a tissue-based weighting factor equation that would apply nonlinearly increased weight to higher shear load magnitudes in estimates of cumulative shear load. A finite element model of the porcine C3-C4 functional spinal unit was created, and simulations were performed using similar boundary conditions as the comparable in vitro tests, to assess the plausibility of the moment arm hypothesis offered within the first investigation of this thesis. Moment arm length between the force centroid of facet contact and the location of peak stress within the pars interarticularis was increased for flexed postures and decreased for extended postures. Alterations in moment arm length were larger for postural deviation than compressive force, suggesting a secondary mechanism to explain the observed increase in shear failure tolerance with higher compressive loads from the first investigation. One such possibility was the increase in the number of contacting nodes with higher compressive forces. Alterations in moment arm length were able to explain 50% of the variance in measured ultimate shear failure tolerances from the first study. Thus, the finite element model was successful in demonstrating the plausibility of moment arm length between the force centroid of facet contact and the pars interarticularis as a modulator of measured ultimate shear failure tolerance. This thesis has developed the basis for understanding how failure of the vertebral joint exposed to shear loading can be modulated. In particular, this thesis has developed novel equations to predict the ultimate shear failure tolerance measured during in vitro testing, and to determine appropriate weighting factors for sub-maximal shear forces in calculations of cumulative shear load. Evidence presented within this thesis also provides support for the long-standing moment arm hypothesis for modulation of shear injury potential.

Proposes a new method to model the geometric form of articulated mechanical parts while simultaneously testing their range of motion in relation to other nearby parts. Utilizing a database of mechanical parts in virtual three-dimensional form, a software tool assists users in quickly building a complex high-level mechanical object which can be placed directly into a visual effects production pipeline. The tool creates a workflow that allows modeling and rigging problems to be solved concurrently within the same interface. Optimized animation controls are generated automatically to expedite the rigging process. A system of standardization provides a framework for each part?s functionality within the hierarchy of each new assembly, while also guaranteeing reusability and backwards compatibility with all other assemblies created with this tool. A prototype has been developed as a plug-in to existing commercial software to showcase the described methodology. This prototype provides a unique solution to common modeling and rigging problems in the field of visual effects and animation.

Multicasting in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is an efficient method for group communications that has received considerable attention. However, developing a scalable, robust and efficient multicast method in MANETs is difficult owing to group membership management and the ability to maintain a multicast structure over a dynamic topology. This work presents a novel Robust Mesh-based Multicast Protocol (RMMP) that integrates the advantages of tree-based and mesh-based multicast protocols and reduces data recovery time when paths break. The proposed RMMP is performed in two ways. One is to construct a multicast structure using a binary tree, and the other is to provide a second-route discovery scheme. The former distributes transmission averagely among member nodes, and the latter reduces the number of articulation nodes to eliminate loss of data packets. Simulation results demonstrate that the RMMP is suitable for heavy traffic loads, and achieves a high delivery ratio. Furthermore, the RMMP is robust in recovering data transmission when paths break.

Thèse doctorat : Mécanique : Villeurbanne, INSA : 2003. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p. 151-160.

Thèse de doctorat : Sciences du vivant : Strasbourg 1 : 2007. / Thèse soutenue sur un ensemble de travaux. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p. 160-172.

Reproduction de : Thèse d'exercice : Médecine : Nancy 1 : 2003. / Thèse : 03NAN1107. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre.

Reproduction de : Thèse d' exercice : Médecine spécialisée : Nancy 1 : 2002. / Thèse : 2002NAN11111. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre.