To understand the grasping abnormalities in Parkinson's or stroke patients, normal grasping must be examined, and whether that normality is determined by biological factors or experiential influence must also be considered. The purpose of this thesis is to determine what normal variations of precision grasping exist in healthy, normal adults, children and elderly people. Using Eshkol-Wachmann Movement Notation, five types of contact strategies were interpolated, based on the digit that contacts the object first, and whether that digit dragged or stabilized the object for grasping. Each contact strategy was associated with an ideal graphical representation of the thumb and index finger velocities. There were seven variations of purchase patterns, based on the digits used to contact the objects, and four variations of postures of the non-grasping digits on top of the five contact strategies. Object size affected purchase pattern preference: smaller objects elicited the pincer grasp more than the larger objects. The purchase pattern distribution of variation is similar in adults and children, although children exhibit an extra purchase pattern, and older adults exhibit less variation purchase patterns. The findings from this thesis suggest that central factors, such as gender and handedness, as well as external factors, such as size of the object, determine individual preference of grasping. The loss of variation with age can be attributed to the developing corticospinal tract in children as well as the deterioration of normal hand function in the elderly. / ix, 116 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.

The human face and hands, as well as the animation thereof, are very complex and are difficult to model realistically in computer graphics. A lot of research, that deals with the different aspects involved in modelling the idiosyncrasies of the face and hand, has been devoted to the accomplishment of this task. In this dissertation, we will focus on the human hand, one of the most complex and useful tools humans have at their disposal. The hand and its agility are attributes which differentiate us from most living mammals. Previous papers focusing on the human hand have dealt with the construction and animation of realistic looking human hands, the stability of a hand grasp and automatic grasping techniques. Papers on forward and inverse kinematics of articulated structures provide background knowledge useful in animating the hand. We want to accomplish the automated grasping of an arbitrary object by our hand model using evolutionary algorithms to determine the final placement of the hand and fingers, instead of telling each finger where to touch or grasp the object. The program should allow the hand to learn by itself where to place each finger, based on heuristic information that is supplied by the program. To successfully imitate the grasping hand in a computer graphics environment we have to investigate the restrictions placed on motion by the skeletal structure of the hand, the effect of the palm, the deformation of the skin and tissue, as well as attributes of the hand and objects to be grasped. Physical properties of the object such as the strength and weight of the material and physical forces influence the grasp. What adds further to the complexity of animating the hand, is the intricate design and structure of the hand itself: The great number of degrees of freedom enables the hand to adapt to a large number of goal specific configurations, where the hand can appear as a flat surface, rounded fist, etc. / Hardy, A.

The aim of the study was to obtain preliminary normative data for two tests of hand motor function (Successive Finger Tapping and Purdue Pegboard tests) and two tests of verbal fluency ("S"-Words-In-One-Minute and Words-In-One-Minute), administered in English, on a non-clinical sample of black, isiXhosa-speaking unskilled workers with a background of relatively disadvantaged former DET education (N = 33). The sample was equally distributed for gender; educational level was restricted to 11 - 12 years; age range was 18 - 40 years divided further into two age categories (18 - 29 and 30 - 40 years). Results of t-test comparative analyses revealed significant age effects on both trials of the Successive Finger Tapping test in the direction of the younger age group outperforming the older age group, and a marginal but consistent tendency towards poorer performance at an earlier age stage than proposed by the available literature, for the Purdue Pegboard, "S"Words- In-One-Minute and Words-In-One-Minute. Gender effects were only in evidence on the Purdue Pegboard in the direction of females outperforming males. A descriptive comparison of the norms acquired for the present study with available normative data for English first language speaking populations with higher levels and/ or relatively advantaged quality of education revealed consistently poorer performance for the present study. The findings highlight the effect of relatively low levels and/ or poor quality of education on both verbal and non-verbal neuropsychological test performance and confirm the need for demographically specific normative data.

No description available.

Darbo tikslas yra palyginti teksto redaktorių grafinių vartotojų sąsajų efektyvumą vertinant akių ir rankos judesius. Šiame darbe yra apžvelgtos grafinės vartotojų sąsajos charakteristikos, akių ir rankų judesių matavimo metodai ir atlikti tyrimai. Atlikti tyrimai su teksto redaktorių vartotojų sąsajom. Tyrimų metu atlikti akių ir rankos judesių matavimai, išanalizuoti tyrimų rezultatai ir panaudoti nustatant vartotojo sąsajų efektyvumo palyginimui. Pagal gautus rezultatus nustatyti vartotojų sąsajų efektyvumai ir atlikta jų palyginimo analizė. Gautos išvados, kad su Microsoft Office 2007 teksto redaktoriais užduotims atlikti buvo sugaišta mažiausiai laiko ir pasiektas didžiausias greitis. Eksperimentiniais tyrimais patvirtinta, kad Microsoft Office 2007 redaktoriaus vartotojo sąsajos efektyvumas buvo didžiausias. / The goal of thesis is to compare the effectiveness of text editors graphical user interface estimating eye and hand movements. In this thesis the characteristics of GUI, the methods and techniques of eye and hand movements measurement are reviewed and researches are done. Researches were carried out with text editor user interfaces. Eye and hand movements measurements were made, results analyzed and used to compare user interface efficiency. According to the results the efficiencies of user interface were made and the analysis of comparison was carried out. It was conluded that with the Microsoft Office 2007 text editors the least time was spent and the maximum speed reached in order to do tasks. Experimental studies proved that the Microsoft Office 2007 User Interface Editor efficiency was highest.

Au sein du règne animal, les humains sont considérés comme possédant des capacités manuelles uniques. Cependant, nous ne savons toujours pas quelles sont les réelles capacités manuelles des primates, ni comment elles ont évolué. Les humains sont-ils réellement uniques ? Cette thèse vise à étudier les capacités de manipulation chez des Hominidés en lien avec l’anatomie et la fonction de leur main, en utilisant une approche interdisciplinaire combinant différentes approches : comportementale, morphologique, fonctionnelle et biomécanique. Pour quantifier les stratégies comportementales et les capacités de manipulation chez des Hominidés, j’ai mené une étude éthologique sur différents grands singes captifs et sur les humains au cours d’une même tâche complexe d'utilisation d'outils. J’ai utilisé des approches comparatives de morphométrie géométrique 3D sur le complexe trapézio-métacarpien combiné avec un modèle musculo-squelettique pour mieux interpréter les résultats comportementaux et pour tester le lien entre la morphométrie de la main et les contraintes biomécaniques durant l’utilisation d’outils chez les Hominidés. Les résultats de cette thèse montrent que les grands singes manifestent des capacités dynamiques de manipulation, mais que chaque espèce a ses propres spécificités. Plus de capacités dynamiques complexes, comme les mouvements intra-manuels, sont observés pour les bonobos et les gorilles que pour les orangs-outans. Les différents modes de vie des espèces peuvent expliquer cette variabilité. En outre, au cours de la tâche complexe d’utilisation d’outils, les humains montrent une meilleure performance que les grands singes et montrent des spécificités. Cette nouvelle approche intégrative montre clairement aussi que les différentes capacités de manipulation des Hominidés ne peuvent pas seulement être une conséquence des différentes morphologies de l’articulation trapézio-métacarpienne, mais aussi des différentes contraintes mécaniques liées à la morphométrie globale de la main. Ces résultats mettent en évidence la difficulté de déduire les capacités manuelles d’espèces fossiles à partir de certaines informations provenant de la forme de l'os, sans tenir compte de la morphométrie globale de la main et de son lien possible avec les contraintes biomécaniques. Cette thèse fournit de nouvelles informations sur les capacités manuelles des Hominidés, sur les différentes contraintes entourant ces capacités, et de nouvelles informations afin de mieux comprendre l'évolution des capacités manuelles chez les primates. / Humans are considered to have unique manual abilities in the animal kingdom. However, we still do not know what the real manual abilities of primates are, nor how they evolved. Are humans really unique? This dissertation aims to investigate the manipulative abilities in Hominids related to their hand anatomy and function, using an interdisciplinary framework combining behavioral, morphological, functional, and biomechanical approaches. To quantify the behavioral strategies and manipulative abilities in Hominids, I have conducted an ethological study on different captive great apes and on humans during the same complex tool use task. I used 3D geometric morphometrics and comparative approaches on the trapeziometacarpal complex combined with a musculo-skeletal model to better interpret the behavioral results and to test the link between hand morphometric and biomechanical constraints during tool use in Hominids. The results of this PhD show that great apes demonstrate dynamic manipulative abilities but that each species has its own specificities. More complex dynamic abilities, such as in-hand movements, are observed for bonobos and gorillas than for orangutans. The different lifestyles of the species may explain this variability. Moreover, during the complex tool use task, humans perform better than great apes and show specificities. The new integrative approach also clearly shows that the different manipulative abilities of Hominids cannot only be a consequence of the different morphologies of the trapeziometacarpal joint but also of the different mechanical constraints related to the overall hand morphometric. These results highlight the difficulty to infer manual abilities in fossils from some bone shape information, without taking into account the overall morphometric of the hand and its possible link with biomechanical constraints. This PhD thesis provides new information on the manual abilities of Hominids, on the different constraints surrounding these abilities, and new information to better understand the evolution of manual abilities in primates.

Abstract The aims of the present study were to clarify the antenna function and radio frequency radiation (RFR) sensitivity of human subjects using theoretical calculations and field tests. The weak very high frequency (VHF) electromagnetic fields and spontaneous hand movements were recorded. Groups of university students, other volunteers and as a very interesting group, experienced well finders, were used as test subjects. The VHF field was studied using a spectrum analyser and tuneable narrow-band or broad-band meter with a dipole antenna. The hand movements were registered by potentiometric systems and electromyography (EMG). The test subjects (altogether n = 140) in different tests were walking, sitting in a cart being pulled slowly forward, or sitting in a moving car. The responses were observed and hand movements were recorded and analysed by personal computers. By visual inspection and using the Pearson's correlation, the results of different individuals have been compared with the measured intensity of far fields of a radio mast. Reaction spots and graphs defined by different individuals in the same experiment areas have been compared to each other. Hand movement correlated with the reactions of the forearm and shoulder muscles, e.g., pronator teres and trapezius, by EMG measurements. The reactions of some persons correlated with each other. Experiments in a slow moving wagon and in a moving car showed a correlation between the test subjects’ hand movements and the intensity of below 1 mV/m radio and TV signals measured in the vicinity of the test subject. In open field tests different persons usually reacted in widely different ways. The most evident results were recorded near the buildings, where the radio waves reflected from the wall and patterns of standing waves were clear. Many VHF frequency modulated (FM) broadcasting signals were summed at these places at the same time. It is concluded that the spontaneous hand movement reactions occurred as a response of the human body to the gradients of the VHF field intensity. The reaction generally occurred in interference patterns of multipath propagation or standing waves originating from the radiation of FM radio and TV broadcasting transmitters and radiation reflected from the walls of buildings or from other objects. This non-thermal reaction was clearly observable as spontaneous arm movements by 39 percent of the 85 tested students. / Tiivistelmä Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin ihmisen herkkyyttä radiotaajuiselle säteilylle. Ihmisen toimimista radioaaltojen antennina tarkasteltiin teoreettisesti ja kenttäkokein. Heikkojen VHF-alueen radioaaltojen voimakkuutta ja tahattomia käsien liikkeitä rekisteröitiin valituilla koepoluilla. Koehenkilöinä on ollut yliopiston opiskelijoita ja muita vapaaehtoisten ryhmiä. Kiinnostavin ryhmä oli kokeneet kaivonkatsojat, joiden käsienliikereaktioihin radioaaltojen vaikutuksista löytyy viitteitä kirjallisuudesta. Radioaaltojen voimakkuuden vaihteluja mitattiin spektrianalysaattorilla ja laajakaistaisella VHF-alueen integroivalla mittarilla. Käsien liikkeitä rekisteröitiin potentiometriin perustuvilla liikeantureilla. Lihasten sähköimpulsseja rekisteröitiin elektromyografia- eli EMG-laitteella. Eri koesarjoissa koehenkilöt (yhteensä 140) kävelivät, istuivat hitaasti vedettävässä vaunussa tai istuivat liikkuvassa autossa. Reaktioita tarkkailtiin ja käsien liikkeet ja mitatut kentänvoimakkuudet rekisteröitiin ja analysoitiin tietokoneella. Eri koehenkilöiden tuloksia, reagointipaikkoja ja rekisteröityjä käyriä 5–35 km:n etäisyydellä mastoista tarkasteltiin silmämääräisesti. Pearsonin korrelaatiolaskentaa apuna käyttäen tuloksia verrattiin radiomastojen säteilyn voimakkuuteen. Eri ihmisten reagointikohtia ja käyriä samoilta koealueilta vertailtiin keskenään. Koeasetelmassa käsienliikkeiden todettiin korreloivan joidenkin kyynärvarren ja hartialihasten (mm. pronator teres ja trapezius) EMG-signaaleihin. Joidenkin koehenkilöiden tulokset korreloivat keskenään. Hitaasti vedettävässä vaunussa ja liikkuvassa autossa tehdyissä kokeissa tuli esille korrelaatio vartalon edessä olevien käsien loittonemis-lähestymis-liikkeiden ja koehenkilön välittömässä läheisyydessä mitattujen 1 mV/m -tasoisten radio- ja TV-signaalien voimakkuusvaihtelujen välillä. Avoimella kentällä henkilöt reagoivat hyvin eri tavoin. Parhaiten yhteys tuli esille rakennusten lähellä sijaitsevilla koealueilla, joissa radioaallot heijastuivat rakennuksen seinästä muodostaen selkeitä seisovan aallon kuvioita. Useat taajuusmoduloidut VHF-alueen radiosignaalit summautuivat näissä paikoissa samanaikaisesti. Johtopäätöksenä on, että tahattomat käsienliikkeet tapahtuvat kehon vasteena VHF-kentän voimakkuuden muutoksille. Reaktio tapahtui yleensä interferenssi-kuvioissa tai seisovissa aalloissa, jotka muodostuvat FM-radio- ja TV-lähetysten monitie-etenemisestä radioaaltojen heijastuessa rakennusten seinistä tai muista kohteista. Tämä ei-lämpövaikutustason reaktio oli selvästi havaittavissa olkapään tasalle koukistetun käden tahattomana ojennus-koukistus-liikkeenä 39 prosentilla testatuista 85 opiskelijasta.