Background: Unilateral transtibial amputees (TTAs) show subtle gait variations while using different prosthetic feet. These variations have not been detected consistently with previous experimental measures. In this research project a novel measure for quantifying kinetic gait differences among prosthetic feet, called Symmetry in External Work (SEW), was introduced. The reliability of the SEW measure was calculated and its correlation with selected clinical measures was determined. The SEW measure was then applied to determine gait differences among four categories of prosthetic feet during various functional activities. Methodology: The study was conducted in three phases. Phase I was a single subject Pilot study to determine the sensitivity of the SEW measure to different prosthetic feet and functional activities. In Phase II, test-retest reliability of the SEW measure was determined for 5 TTAs during the functional activities of level walking, incline walking, decline walking, ascending stairs, descending stairs, sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit. The agreement between SEW values obtained from F-scan and force plates was also calculated. In Phase III, 11 subjects underwent 6 testing sessions over a period of 10-12 weeks. In session 1 subjects were tested wearing their existing prostheses (Baseline session), were given specialized prosthetic training and were tested again after 2 weeks (Training session). For sessions 3 through session 6, subjects were tested with a study socket and one of four randomized test feet. The test feet were SACH, SAFE, Talux and Proprio foot, classified as K1_foot, K2_foot, K3_foot and MP_foot, based on Medicare Functional Classification Level. The Step Watch Activity Monitor (SAM) recorded their daily activities in the 10-14 day accommodation period between two sessions. At each testing session, subjects completed the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ-13) and Usability questionnaire, and were evaluated using the Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP) and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Ground reaction forces were collected using F-scan in-sole sensors as subjects performed the above mentioned functional activities. SEW values between the intact limb and the prosthetic limb were computed by integrating vertical ground reaction forces. Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to determine test-retest reliability and a repeated measure ANOVA was used to establish differences between the prosthetic feet. Results: The ICC values for Test-Retest reliability ranged from 0.84-0.94 for the various functional activities. There was moderate agreement between the SEW values calculated with F-scan and force plates. The SEW values were significantly different between the K3_foot and other feet during level walking and decline walking. During stair ascent, the MP_foot had a significantly higher SEW value than the other feet. There were no differences between feet during incline walking and stair descent. Training resulted in a significant improvement in symmetry from the Baseline session during sit-to-stand, while for stand-to-sit there were no differences between sessions. The PEQ-13 score was not different between sessions, while the Usability scores were significantly different between the K3_foot/MP_foot and K1_foot/K2_foot. The AMP score had a significant increase following Training while the 6MWT score showed a significant increase in the distance walked with the K1_foot, K3_foot and MP_foot over Baseline. The output of SAM did not show any difference in the number of steps or activity level of subjects. There was good to excellent correlation between the SEW values for level walking and other clinical outcome measures. Discussion and Conclusion: The SEW measure had excellent test-retest reliability and the agreement between the F-scan and force plates values could not be established because of a small sample size. The variations in SEW values were the result of distinctive designs of prosthetic feet. The high SEW value of the K3_foot can be attributed to its heel-toe foot plate and "J" shaped ankle spring design, which allowed for greater late stance stability. The active dorsiflexion feature of the MP_foot caused a change in strategy, typically used during stair ascent, resulting in a greater inter-limb symmetry. The SEW measure is a viable method to detect kinetic gait differences among prosthetic feet and represents a resource-effective alternative to traditional gait laboratories. It has several advantages and with further development of in-sole sensor technology, the potential for clinical use due to its relatively low cost instrumentation and minimal subject intervention.

Yes / To terminate gait, the mechanical work-done by the lower-limbs is likely to be predominantly negative but how such work is produced/completed has not previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of negative mechanical (external) work-done by the lower-limbs, along with the associated joints (muscle) work, to terminate gait and how these work contributions were affected by a change in surface angle. Eight males completed terminations on the level floor and a declined ramp. Negative mechanical limb-work (limbW(−ve)) was computed (each orthogonal direction) as the dot-product of the ground-reaction-force and centre-of-mass (CoM) velocity. Inverse dynamics was used to calculate ankle, knee and hip negative joints (muscle) work (Wj(−ve)). Measures were determined for each limb for the two-locomotor steps of gait termination. The trailing-limb did 67% (−0.386 J/kg) of the overall limbW(−ve) to terminate gait on the level; and this increased to 74% (−0.451 J/kg) for ramp trials. Wj(−ve) was greater for the trailing- (ankle −0.315; knee −0.357; hip −0.054 J/kg) compared to terminating- limb (ankle, −0.063; knee −0.051; hip −0.014 J/kg), with the increases in ankle Wj(−ve) being temporally associated with increases in perpendicular limbW(−ve). Wj(−ve) increased on both limbs for declined compared to level surface, particularly at the knee (declined −0.357, level −0.096 J/kg), with such increases being temporally associated with increases in parallel limbW(−ve). These findings provide new perspectives on how the limbs do work on the CoM to terminate gait, and may be helpful in designing prosthetic limbs to facilitate walking on ramps. / ZA was funded by the Higher Committee of Education Development in IRAQ (HCED).

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:21:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Denis Domingues Hermida.pdf: 8446847 bytes, checksum: 8056c52cc4f1b810717f8365e1494a66 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-10 / Technologies based on mobile devices, telematics wireless networks and sensors have given rise to changes in the regime of visibility which is the way people see and are seen in society. At present the regime of visibility is based not only on the physical space or on the limits of human vision, but also on cyber space, the so-called enlarged space . The concept of enlarged space includes representations in the form of images, sounds and even tactile sensations relating to a reality that may be physically far from the individual. Despite the physical distance, the enlarged space allows individuals not only to have access to this reality but also to interact with it. The regime of visibility is a value appreciated by society in factual realities and therefore is part of the juridical experience and it should, in the light of 'ethicity', govern normatized facts when the legal norm is construed. Changes in the regime of visibility in a society may give rise to a change in the norm, which is to be understood as a change in the content of a norm despite the fact that the statute (the legal text) may remain unchanged. This is so especially for those legal rules which constitutive elements are based on visibility. Automatic Vehicle Location systems are an assembly of technologies and pieces of equipment which allow the position of a vehicle to be known. These systems also allow related operations to take place such as transmission of information available on board, and at their current stage, these systems also allow their users to have access to reliable and highly accurate information in real time. The systems managers therefore have access to an enlarged space of the work environment which goes well beyond the limited physical space of the company s headquarters. This new space is limitless and managers are able to monitor the vehicle and the driver as they travel, and to monitor the driver s behavior during work activities outside the headquarters. The Automatic Vehicle Location systems available in the Brazilian market allow employers to control the work hours, compliance with orders and the quality of service of driver employees who work on the road. It is no longer justifiable to rule out the right to overtime pay of this type of employees based on Item I of Article 62 of CLT, Consolidation of Labor Laws. The change in the regime of visibility has given rise to a change in the legal norm construed based on Item I of Article 62 of CLT, Consolidation of Labor Laws / As tecnologias fundadas em dispositivos móveis, redes telemáticas sem fio e sensores geraram mudança no regime de visibilidade, que é a forma como os indivíduos vêem e são vistos na sociedade. Atualmente, o regime de visibilidade baseia-se não exclusivamente no espaço físico ou nos limites de alcance do olho humano, mas também no espaço informacional, que é denominado espaço ampliado e conceituado como representações, sob a forma de imagens, sons e até mesmo de sensações táteis, de uma realidade que natural e fisicamente seria distante do cidadão comum, permitindo ao indivíduo não só ter efetivo acesso a essa realidade, como também com ela interagir. O regime de visibilidade é um valor cultuado pela sociedade em realidades factuais que se apresentam e, portanto, faz parte da experiência jurídica, devendo, frente à eticidade , incidir sobre os fatos normados quando da construção da norma jurídica. A mudança, numa sociedade, do regime de visibilidade é capaz de gerar mutação normativa, entendida como modificação do conteúdo de uma norma jurídica apesar da manutenção do enunciado prescritivo (texto legislativo), especialmente naquelas normas jurídicas cujos elementos constitutivos baseiam-se na visibilidade. Os sistemas Automatic Vehicle Location são resultado de uma montagem de tecnologias e equipamentos que permitem o conhecimento da posição de um determinado veículo, bem como a realização de operações associadas, como a transmissão de informações disponíveis a bordo, sendo que o atual estado da técnica de tais sistemas permite aos seus usuários o acesso a informações fidedignas com alto grau de precisão e em tempo real, proporcionando ao seu gestor um espaço ampliado do ambiente de trabalho, que extrapola em muito o limitado território físico da sede da empresa e é ilimitado, acompanhando o deslocamento do veículo e de seu condutor, bem como revelando o comportamento do condutor no transcurso da atividade laboral externa. Através dos sistemas Automatic Vehicle Location disponíveis no mercado brasileiro é absolutamente possível ao empregador controlar a freqüência, o cumprimento de ordens e a qualidade do serviço do empregado-motorista rodoviário com atividade eminentemente externa, não mais se justificando o afastamento do direito a horas extras à essa categoria de empregados sob o fundamento de enquadramento no inciso I do artigo 62 da CLT. Tem-se, pois, que a mudança no regime de visibilidade gerou mutação na norma jurídica construída a partir do inciso I do artigo 62 da CLT

The master thesis devotes to value of external works by cost method and simplified manner in Nový Jičín. The theoretical part describes a terminology of real estates, value and worth of affair. The main purpose is to value of external works and describe relevant methods. The practical part includes both methods which conduce to value external works and compare both methods in time and figures of external works for purpose how to assess the official price.

Sverige är Europas mest jämställda land. Däremot anser männen i större utsträckning än kvinnorna att vi lever i ett jämställt samhälle. Den föreliggande studien genomfördes för att undersöka könsskillnader i upplevd jämställdhet i en arbets- och organisationskontext. Studien syftade även till att undersöka samband mellan upplevd jämställdhet och arbetsmotivation. Datainsamlingen genomfördes via en webbenkät vilken besvarades av 60 deltagare. Resultatet visade ingen skillnad i upplevd jämställdhet mellan kvinnor och män. Vidare visade resultatet att graden av jämställdhet förklarade 22 procent av arbetsmotivationen hos kvinnorna och 19 procent hos männen. / Sweden is Europe's most gender-equal country. On the other hand, men to a greater extent than women believe that we live in an equal society. The present study was conducted to investigate gender differences in perceived gender equality in a work and organizational context. The study also aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived gender equality and work motivation. The data collection was carried out via an online questionnaire which was answered by 60 participants. The results showed no difference in perceived equality between women and men. Furthermore, the results showed that the degree of gender equality explained 22 percent of the work motivation for women and 19 percent for men.

The dissertation deals with problems in the valuation of parts and accessories of land with an emphasis on the difference between landscaping and engineering structure. Despite the existence of defined components and accessories immovable in the Civil Code in practice often appear doubts about whether in a particular case is still part of the real property, or whether it is already a matter of self. The work addresses this issue in detail only for roads, drainages and retaining walls. There were studied various laws and the earlier Court decisions. The Court judicature often solves problems of ownership determination. Can be seen as an example: Determining ownership of the rock, that is formed by hardening the land surface rocks and planting permanent crops. Whether the owner of the land owner or the person who built it. Likewise, there are disputes to determine ownership of utility connections, ownership structures, which are kept below the surface of the land. Based on the new Civil Code no. 89/2012 Coll. there has been extensive changes in the field of things and their allocation. There is a new concept existing, instead of the current concept of property. There is existing a new concept called Real property. A very important change is that the engineering structures are parts of the land, but based on the § 509 utilities, especially water, sewer or power lines or other, are not parts of the land. It is believed that parts of the utilities are also buildings and technical equipment that is connected to them operationally. Also important is the § 3055 para. (1): Engineering structure which is connected to the ground with a solid foundation, which is under the existing legislation part of the land on which it is established, and the effective date of this Act, owned by a person different from the owner of the land, and the bottom the entry into force of this Act does not become part of the land and immovable property. The same applies to the building, which is co-owned, if one of the joint owners and the owner of the land or if they are just some of venturers building co-owners of the land. The author presents the general specifics valuation external works and civil engineering in selected cases and the valuation of construction law. Work includes a chronological overview of valuation rules.