This work focuses on the use of 3D motion capture data to create and optimize a robotic human body model (RHBM) to predict the inverse kinematics of the upper body. The RHBM is a 25 degrees of freedom (DoFs) upper body model with subject specific kinematic parameters. The model was developed to predict the inverse kinematics of the upper body in the simulation of a virtual person, including persons with functional limitations such as a transradial or transhumeral amputation. Motion data were collected from 14 subjects: 10 non-amputees control subjects, 1 person with a transradial amputation, and 3 persons with a transhumeral amputation, in the University of South Florida's (USF) motion analysis laboratory. Motion capture for each subject consisted of the repetition of a series of range of motion (RoM) tasks and activities of daily living (ADLs), which were recorded using an eight camera Vicon (Oxford, UK) motion analysis system. The control subjects were also asked to repeat the motions while wearing a brace on their dominant arm. The RoM tasks consisted of elbow flexion & extension, forearm pronation & supination, shoulder flexion & extension, shoulder abduction & adduction, shoulder rotation, torso flexion & extension, torso lateral flexion, and torso rotation. The ADLs evaluated were brushing one's hair, drinking from a cup, eating with a knife and fork, lifting a laundry basket, and opening a door. The impact of bracing and prosthetic devices on the subjects' RoM, and their motion during ADLs was analyzed. The segment geometries of the subjects' upper body were extracted directly from the motion analysis data using a functional joint center method. With this method there are no conventional or segment length differences between recorded data segments and the RHBM. This ensures the accuracy of the RHBM when reconstructing a recorded task, as the model has the same geometry as the recorded data. A detailed investigation of the weighted least norm, probability density gradient projection method, artificial neural networks was performed to optimize the redundancy RHBM inverse kinematics. The selected control algorithm consisted of a combination of the weighted least norm method and the gradient projection of the null space, minimizing the inverse of the probability density function. This method increases the accuracy of the RHBM while being suitable for a wide range of tasks and observing the required subject constraint inputs.

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This research focus on key groups; students with dyslexia, librarians and teachers, and interaction between these two professional groups regarding students with dyslexia. In searching for the exchange of knowledge and experience to meet dyslexic students needs, I have in this study turned the attention to librarians and their experiences with students with dyslexia.The purpose of the research has been through semi-structured qualitative interviews with four librarians, to explore and describe how they experience their work, in working with pupils with severe reading and writing problems, dyslexia, and interaction with teachers on this user group. The qualitative approach in the gathering of the empirical evidence is based on a desire to have an indepth and thoroughly understanding of the librarians experience.All informants in this study indicate that they see it as a natural part of their duty to keep themselves updated about dyslexia and what materials to suit the dyslexic user group. The informants have knowledge of dyslexia and have great knowledge and keep abreast on the latest technology of compensatory aids - alternative tools.The informants have primary a consulting and supply function for teachers and dyslexic students, where they are consulted on  suitable material in both fiction and facts in various disciplines. The informants highlights the importance of planning and preparation time to find suitable material, as audio books or easy read, so students who have a need for this also can be provided. They also have a major role in seeking information, then todays school is very demanding on the students to seek information themselves. The informants experience is that this requirement pose serious difficulties for dyslexic students.There is some discrepancy in the informants role depending on the library that they are employed at, where assignments and resources are of importance. Interaction between teacher and librarian occurred in a greater proportion with the secondary scool librarians than with the municipal and city librarian. Secondary school libraries are direct target at school activities and assignments and secondary school librarians are situated in school. They have transparency and participation in school activities, facilitating the work to catch up and assist the dyslexic students needs, as well as interaction with teachers and school staff.The informants desire greater interaction and requested guidance to specify their work both on their own behalf, but above all to be clear externally. Since their experience is that teachers have little knowledge of what the library and the librarian may contribute with as resource in general and in particular for students with dyslexia and compensatory aids. This was particular the teachers who are referred to the municipal and city library, ie. those teachers who do not have the librarian in their immediate vicinity. The informants request more knowledge from the teachers regarding librarian skills to utilise the libraries potential as a collaboration partner.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka, beskriva och problematisera Reading Recovery samt att ta reda på varför två nyzeeländska skolor har valt att behålla respektive sluta med programmet. Undersökningen baseras på fyra kvalitativa intervjuer samt en kvalitativ observation, vilka skedde på två skolor där den ena slutade med Reading Recovery för några år sedan och där den andra skolan fortfarande använder programmet. Undersökningen syftar inte till att jämföra de båda skolornas språkundervisning, utan till att ge en bild av hur det kan fungera på en nyzeeländsk skola. Intervjuerna ägde rum på Nya Zeeland och de intervjuade hade olika anknytning till Reading Recovery. I uppsatsens bakgrundsdel beskrivs den tidigare forskningen om uppsatsens tre grundteman, det nyzeeländska skolsystemet, språkpedagogik samt stödundervisning. I resultatet sammanfattas de intervjuades svar kring de tre huvudteman samt dess underteman. De intervjuade som arbetar på skolan som har Reading Recovery berättar här hur klassrumsundervisningen ser ut hos dem och Reading Recovery-läraren ger sin bild av yrket. Två av de som intervjuas arbetar som SENCO, vilket betyder att de koordinerar och ansvarar för de två skolornas specialpedagogiska insatser. De två personerna berättar om sina och deras skolors syn på programmet. Genom undersökningen framkommer att kostnaden för den 1:1-undervisning som sker i Reading Recovery är ett starkt själ för skolor att inte använda programmet. / The purpose of this essay is to explore, describe and problematize the Reading Recovery Programme and to find out why two New Zealand schools have chosen to keep or discontinue the program. The study is based upon four qualitative interviews as well as a qualitative observation, which took place in two schools. One of the schools stopped using Reading Recovery a couple of years ago, on the other school the program is still in progress. The aim of the study isn’t to compare the both school’s literacy programs, but to picture how these programs may work. The interviews took place on New Zeeland and the respondents were, or had been, in one way or another involved in the Reading recovery program. Earlier studies are presented in the theory chapter of this essay and contains; the New Zeeland school system, literacy education and special needs education. These three subjects is forming the main themes for this essay. The respondent’s answers regarding these themes and sub themes are summarized in the results part. The respondents at the school with a currently active Reading Recovery program tells us about how the classroom education works, and the Reading Recovery teacher gives us her point of view about the profession. Two of the respondents work’s as Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCO), which means, they coordinate and are responsible of the two schools special needs education efforts. These SENCO´s gives us theirs and their schools views on the program. Thru the study it is imminent that the cost of the 1:1 education used in the Reading Recovery program is a strong reason for schools not using the program.

Research object: Farms producing ecological production, participating in “Agrarian environment protection” instrumentality ecological farming programme of Plan for Rural Development for 2004–2006 year. Research subject: impact of European Union Compensatory Support for Ecological Farming. Research aim: to evaluate influence of European Union Compensatory Support for Ecological Farming development. Objectives: 1. To sift condition of Ecological Farming and support amount till membership in European Union. 2. To sift Ecological Farming development potentiality after membership in European Union and changes in amount of European Union Compensatory Support. 3. To evaluate influence of European Union Compensatory Support for Ecological Farming development during first year of membership in European Union. Research methods: to sift influence of European Union Compensatory Support for Ecological Farming development nonfiction analysis, statistical analysis, comparative analysis, logical abstract, monographic, graphical depiction and other research methods were used. Using support, emerge possibility to develop production for domestic demand and to integrate it into the common market of Europe Union. Purpose of the Ecological Farming support is that major part of Lithuanian Agriculture became orientated to the sparing, harmonious with environment and human farming.

Experiments were conducted to assess effects of nursery feeding programs (using complex or simple diets, including or excluding antibiotics) on growth performance of barrows and gilts up to market weight (approximately 115 kg body weight), plasma levels of growth-related hormones, chemical body composition and carcass traits at market weight. Reducing nursery diet complexity decreased (P < 0.05) growth performance and plasma levels of triiodothyronine during the nursery period, but had no negative carry-over effects on growth performance or hormone plasma levels thereafter. Excluding antibiotics from nursery diets reduced nursery growth performance and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and triiodothyronine but appeared to induce subsequent compensatory growth. In general, nursery feeding programs had no effect on body composition and carcass traits at market weight and no effect on wean-to-finish growth performance or carcass value at market weight. This represents an opportunity to improve profitability in commercial pork production. / Ontario Pork; The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Swine Research Cluster

No description available.

In this thesis the role of the Shengen Information Sytem (SIS) in the field of security of the Member States was evaluated and legislation of the aforementioned system was analysed. The curent version of SIS was dissertated and componed with a new version of SIS (SIS II) of with creationis is in progress. The attention was paid to the advantages and disadvantages of both current version of SIS and the new one. Significance of SIS in the field of protection of the Shengen area was evaluated. In the thesis SIS was presented as one of the most important compensatory tools.

The ability to correct balance disturbances is essential for maintaining upright stability. Recent literature highlights a potentially important role for the cerebral cortex in controlling compensatory balance reactions. The objective of this research was to provide a more detailed understanding of the specific neurophysiologic events occurring at the cortex following balance disturbances. More specifically, the focus was to determine whether the N1, a cortical potential evoked during balance control, and the error-related negativity (ERN), a cortical potential measured in response to errors during cognitive tasks, have similar cortical representation, revealing a similar link to an error detection mechanism. It was hypothesized that the N1 and ERN would have the same generator located in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Fourteen healthy young adults participated in a balance task (evoked N1) and a flanker task (evoked ERN). Temporally unpredictable perturbations to standing balance were achieved using a lean and release cable system. Electromyography and centre of pressure were measured during the balance task. Reaction times and error rates were measured during the flanker task. Electroencephalography was recorded during both tasks. Source localization was performed in CURRY 6 using a single fixed coherent dipole model to determine the neural generator of the N1 and ERN. The results revealed that the locations of the N1 and ERN dipoles were different. The mean (n=9) distance between N1 and ERN dipoles was 25.46 ± 8.88 mm. The mean Talairach coordinates for the ERN dipole were (6.47 ± 3.08, -4.41 ± 13.15, 41.17 ± 11.63) mm, corresponding to the cingulate gyrus (Brodmann area 24). This represents the ACC, supporting results from previous literature. The mean Talairach coordinates for the N1 dipole were (5.74 ± 3.77, -11.81 ± 10.84, 53.73 ± 7.30) mm, corresponding to the medial frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 6). This is the first work to localize the source of the N1. It is speculated that the generator of the N1 is the supplementary motor area and that it represents the generation of a contingency motor plan to shape the later phases of the compensatory balance response based on sensory feedback from the perturbation.

A decline in the size of fish within a population is concerning. Large-sized fish are ecologically important and valued for social and economic reasons. Following widespread collapses from angling overharvest, the densities of Walleyes Sander vitreus in Albertas lakes increased rapidly with large-minimum-size limits. Anglers were unhappy, however, as catch rates increased (>1 Walleyes*hour-1) but fish remained small and did not exceed the minimum size limit. The two alternate explanations for the small, yet old Walleyes were either compensatory growth because of high density (stunting) or size-selective mortality (overfishing). Size-selective mortality has evolutionary consequences. Paradoxically, the management solutions for these problems are in opposition (more harvest versus less harvest), and a wrong diagnosis could exacerbate the problem. I used nested hypotheses, and implemented active adaptive management at several Alberta lakes, to diagnose the causal mechanism creating the small fish problem. For inferences on the source of the mortality, I analysed backcalculated growth rates from pelvic fins. Walleyes that had fast-growth to an early maturity, and then subsequent slow-growth, had greater survival. This hockey stick-shaped growth allows for successful reproduction while the Walleyes remain below the minimum size limit, avoiding harvest. Using changes to sport fishing regulations, I then modified angler effort and harvest at four different Alberta lakes to increase or decrease size-selective harvest and Walleye densities. I found that size-selective mortality from angling rapidly truncated the population-size structure. With concerns of evolutionary consequences because of evidence of size selective harvest, I used an age- and size-structured, single-species model, parameterized with data from Albertas Walleye fisheries, to evaluate the selectiveness of various management regulations. I found that the 50-cm minimum size limit used to recover Albertas Walleye populations did indeed select for the hockey stick life history, although this regulation allowed for sustainable populations (>5 Walleyes*hectare-1) and angler effort up to 16 angler-hours*ha-1*year-1. The optimal regulation to reduce life history selection and allow for population sustainability was a 40-50 cm harvest-tag regulation. This regulation reversed the selection for the hockey stick life history, yet produced sustainable fish densities and allowed angler effort up to 30 angler-hours*ha-1*year-1. However, increasing angler-noncompliance reduced the sustainability of this regulation. / Wildlife Ecology and Management