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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

An acht isolierten Hinterbeinen gliedmaßengesunder Rinder wurden röntgen- und querschnittsanatomische Untersuchungen des Tarsus, Metatarsus und der Phalangen durchgeführt. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Tierarten gab es bisher für das Rind noch keine Erkenntnisse zur Interpretation von MRT-Befunden. Zur besseren Orientierung werden magnetresonanztomographische und anatomische Schnitte gegenübergestellt und bewertet. Es sind 23 transversale Ebenen in T1-gewichteten Sequenzen beschrieben worden. Die röntgenanatomischen Untersuchungen erfolgten immer in den beiden Standardebenen und für Sprunggelenk und Zehe zusätzlich in zwei schrägen Aufnahmerichtungen. Mit den Untersuchungen wurde nachgewiesen, dass die verwendeten Röntgenrichtungen für eine umfassende Darstellung von Knochen und Gelenken geeignet sind. Durch die verschiedenen Aufnahmerichtungen konnten die meisten Bereiche überlagerungsfrei herausprojiziert und der Beurteilung zugänglich gemacht werden. Fast alle anatomischen Strukturen wurden in der MRT-Untersuchung dargestellt und voneinander differenziert. Über den direkten Vergleich zum anatomischen Sägeschnitt zeichneten sich die MRT-Befunde durch einen sehr hohen Informationsgehalt aus. Das Magic Angle Phänomen konnte im Bereich von Sehnen und Bändern nachgewiesen werden. Die Aufzweigungen des Ramus profundus des N. plantaris lateralis konnten im Rahmen dieser Untersuchung bis in den mittleren Metatarsusbereich nachgewiesen werden. Sie sind bei anderen Tierarten als Nn. metatarsei plantares in der Nomenklatur zu finden. Ausgehend von einer sehr umfangreichen Literaturauswertung erfolgte eine umfassende Zusammenstellung des Erkenntnisstandes unter anatomischen und orthopädischen Gesichtspunkten. Die dabei zusammengetragenen Ergebnisse bilden eine entscheidende Grundlage für die Auswertung und Interpretation von Befunden der Hintergliedmaße des Rindes mit Hilfe der bildgebenden Diagnostik. / The study was based on the evaluation of eight hindlimbs from animals free from orthopedic disease. The tarsus, metatarsus and phalanges were examined radiographically and by MRI to characterize anatomical structures. Twenty-three transverse MRI sections of each limb were collected using T1 weighted images. Corresponding MRI and cross-section anatomical preparations were compared to optimize understanding of structural features. In addition to standard 0° and 90° views of the hindlimbs, oblique views of the tarsus and phalanges were made. Comparison of photographs and images was satifactory for the evaluation of bony structures without superimposition in most cases. MRI examination resulted in visualization and differentiation of tissues in almost every situation. The magic angle phenomenon was observed in areas of tendons and ligaments. The terminal branches of the R. profundus of the N. plantaris lateralis were discernable to the level of the middle of the metatarsus. These branches are described in other species as the Nn. metatarsei plantares. This work was undertaken to document anatomical findings and relationships which may be used as a resource for interpretation of images obtained from the hindlimbs of cattle using various diagnostic imaging modalities.

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Neurosurgery is a demanding medical discipline that requires a complex interplay of several neuroimaging techniques. This allows structural as well as functional information to be recovered and then visualized to the surgeon. In the case of tumor resections this approach allows more fine-grained differentiation of healthy and pathological tissue which positively influences the postoperative outcome as well as the patient's quality of life. In this work, we will discuss several approaches to establish thermal imaging as a novel neuroimaging technique to primarily visualize neural activity and perfusion state in case of ischaemic stroke. Both applications require novel methods for data-preprocessing, visualization, pattern recognition as well as regression analysis of intraoperative thermal imaging. Online multimodal integration of preoperative and intraoperative data is accomplished by a 2D-3D image registration and image fusion framework with an average accuracy of 2.46 mm. In navigated surgeries, the proposed framework generally provides all necessary tools to project intraoperative 2D imaging data onto preoperative 3D volumetric datasets like 3D MR or CT imaging. Additionally, a fast machine learning framework for the recognition of cortical NaCl rinsings will be discussed throughout this thesis. Hereby, the standardized quantification of tissue perfusion by means of an approximated heating model can be achieved. Classifying the parameters of these models yields a map of connected areas, for which we have shown that these areas correlate with the demarcation caused by an ischaemic stroke segmented in postoperative CT datasets. Finally, a semiparametric regression model has been developed for intraoperative neural activity monitoring of the somatosensory cortex by somatosensory evoked potentials. These results were correlated with neural activity of optical imaging. We found that thermal imaging yields comparable results, yet doesn't share the limitations of optical imaging. In this thesis we would like to emphasize that thermal imaging depicts a novel and valid tool for both intraoperative functional and structural neuroimaging.

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Without question, it is apparent that organizations are predominantly dependent on the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to conduct their daily operations. As a result, information is rapidly flowing throughout the workplace and being exchanged at a rate unlike ever before. Unfortunately, this rapid flow of information has increased the potential for information overload to occur among employees. Through a phenomenological based approach, this study explored the experiences of information overload that occur as a result of CMC use in the workplace, from the subjective point of view of ten participants. Findings indicated that the experiences described among these participants can be understood through the examination of four descriptive themes: Constant Communication, Unpredictability, Miscommunication, and lastly Increased Workload and Responsibilities. Furthermore, two theories: Media Richness Theory (MRT) and Social Influence Theory (SIT), served as the theoretical framework for this study.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The objective of this research is to investigate the factors at plant level which impact on the diffusion of Japanese Manufacturing Techniques to enterprises in developing countries generally, and South Africa specifically. This informs the development of meaningful supply-side measures to improve the competitiveness of South African manufacturers. This has been achieved through both a thorough examination of the literature and through field research. The field research documents the implementation experiences in fifteen South African plants which participated in the Shopfloor Best Practice workshops of the Manufacturing Roundtable (MRT). I chose to examine these examples of transfer as I was a participant researcher, attached to the MRT. The central question which guided my research is what are the factors which affect the depth of systemic adoption of Japanese Manufacturing Techniques on the shopfloor in South Africa, and what this indicates for the breadth of diffusion of the techniques across the manufacturing sector as a whole. The research argument is that for sustainable adoption both social and technical aspects of Japanese Manufacturing Techniques need to be addressed. Focusing on the technical aspects only and presenting a universally applicable model obscures the realities of transfer, as the embeddedness of the techniques in the social and institutional context is ignored. The point of departure for analysis in this thesis is thus real examples of transfer, as opposed to a universally defined and abstracted model. The experience and opinions of the workshop participants, and those of managers in their plants, have been gathered through individual in-depth interviews and site visits. The evidence indicates that there are many factors both internal and external to the firm which are likely to constrain significantly the ability of some firms to move in the systemic direction. These include the poor primary education of much of the workforce, poor management skills, wage and social inequality and a lack of participation in the workplace. It becomes apparent that the process of diffusion amongst South African manufacturers is not likely to be rapid or steady, and that the most likely path is one of uneven diffusion.