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The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the CNS produces relatively simple alterations in muscle activity to accomplish goal-directed reaching motions of the upper limb under a variety of movement conditions. / To this end, six subjects performed goal-directed arm movements in the horizontal plane. Two movement amplitudes (300 mm and 400 mm) were completed at a moderate speed (1050 mm/s) and as-fast-as possible. The speed and amplitude conditions were repeated for the 45$ sp circ$ and 90$ sp circ$ movement directions. Finally, each of the movement conditions mentioned thus far, were performed within the right and left sections of the work-space. Surface electro-myographic activity was recorded from the pectoralis major, posterior deltoid, biceps brachii short head, brachioradialis, triceps brachii long head, and triceps brachii lateral head. Motion recordings were obtained with a spatial imaging system that monitored the positions of infrared emitting diodes attached to the subject's upper arm and forearm-hand complex. / Several simplification schemes were found to be operative at the level of the electro-myogram. These include: (a) simple timing relationships for agonists between joints and agonist/antagonist intermuscle latencies within each joint; (b) tightly coupled timing between agonists within a single joint; (c) for a particular movement direction, the form and shape of EMG burst activity followed a strategy associated with modulation of pulse height and width; (d) the slope, duration, and onset were further affected by the direction of hand movement which resulted in the greatest RMS-EMG signal amplitude, changing in a predictable manner, and finally (e) there was tuning in which elbow muscles were activated earlier for goal-directed arm movements in the left area of the work-space.

Born in Russia in 1904, Alexandre Marc was very active among the French non-conformist movements of the thirties. He attempted to federate them around the Ordre Nouveau group he founded in 1930; there, under the impulse of Arnaud Dandieu (1897-1933), a philosophy of personalism was elaborated, in a Nietzschean and federalist form, a few years before it was taken up and adapted in a communitarian Catholic version by the review Esprit of Emmanuel Mounier, where the term was made famous. Marc had brought there the idea of personalism, which he had derived from his Russian background and his German philosophical formation. With the aim of forming a revolutionary common front of European youth beyond national and party divisions, he made contacts on behalf of O.N. with a number of youth movements in Germany, most notably that of the review Gegner of Harro Schulze-Boysen, who would become a controversial leader of the Resistance against Hitler.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the fixational stability (FS) of the amblyopic eye (AME) in strabismics will improve when binocular integration is enhanced through ocular alignment and inter-ocular suppression is attenuated by reducing the contrast to the fellow eye (FFE). Methods: 7 strabismic amblyopes (age: 30.8±9.7 yrs) (5 esotropes and 2 exotrope) (VA: AME=0.50±0.30; FFE=-0.12±0.04) showing clinical characteristics of central suppression were recruited. Suppression was then attenuated by a balance point procedure where the contrast to the FFE was reduced in order to maximize binocular integration during a global motion task (GMT) (Baker, 2007). In one case the balance point could not be determined, and the participant was excluded. Ocular alignment was established with a haploscope. Participants dichoptically viewed similar targets [a cross (2.3°) surrounded by a square (11.3°) visual angle] set at 40cm. Target contrasts presented to each eye were either equal (EQ) or attenuated in the FFE (UNEQ) by an amount defined by the GMT. FS was measured over a 5 min period (Viewpoint® Eye Tracker, Arrington Research) and quantified using bivariate contour ellipse areas (BCEA) in four different binocular conditions; unaligned/EQ, unaligned/UNEQ, aligned/EQ and aligned/UNEQ. FS was also measured in 6 control subjects (Age: 25.3±4 yrs; VA: -0.1±0.08). Results: Alignment of the AME was transient and lasting between 30 to 80 seconds. Accordingly, FS was analyzed over the first 30 seconds using repeated measures ANOVA. Post hoc analysis revealed that for the amblyopic subjects, the FS of the AME was significantly improved in aligned/EQ (p=0.015) and aligned/UNEQ (p=0.001). FS of FFE was not different statistically across conditions. BCEA(FFE) & BCEA(AME) were then averaged for each amblyope in the 4 conditions and compared with normals. This averaged BCEA (reduced FS) was significantly greater (p=0.0205) in amblyopes compared to controls except in the case of alignment coupled with reduced suppression (aligned/UNEQ) (p=0.1232). Conclusion: Fixation stability in the amblyopic eye of strabismics appears to improve directly with the degree of binocular integration. The hypothesis is therefore retained.

This thesis assesses several theories about the social basis of the Quebec independence movement. The most prevalent of these theories locates the core of support for Quebec independence in the Francophone new middle class. The Marxist perspective offers a closely related hypothesis, according to which the independence movement is based in the Francophone new petite bourgeoisie. A third theory sees the new class as at the helm of the new social movements, among which is the Quebec independence movement. Finally, a fourth hypothesis is that the Francophone intellectuals and professional intelligentsia are the foremost separatists. / The results of tabular and logistic regression analysis of data on referendum support for sovereignty-association refute the new middle class and new petite bourgeoisie hypotheses. The analyses indicate considerable support for sovereignty-association among a narrow variant of the new class. Within this narrow new class, or professional intelligentsia, support for sovereignty is most heavily concentrated among the Francophone intellectuals. The most discriminating predictor of separatism is not class, but the opposition between those in intellectuals vs. the business/managerial occupations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This thesis interprets the unification process that the Turkish left undertook during the 1990s as a redefinition and re-identification of leftist values according to the recent changes in the economic and political areas in the world. This redefinition process will be investigated by looking at the &Ouml / DP (Freedom and Solidarity Party) case, the main task of which was defined by the founders as the unification of various leftist movements as well as the representation of the new social movements. For this purpose, different theoretical perspectives concerning the new social movements will be read by means of observation of their position in the &Ouml / DP. It will be investigated, to what degree the &Ouml / DP was successful in unifying and including the new social movements. In that sense, this work will emphasize the role of the &Ouml / DP in the history of the Turkish leftist movement.

The vulnerability and movement behaviour of slow moving slides are investigated. The study focuses on slides moving at rates ranging from a few millimetres a year like extremely slow slides, to 13 meters per month, the upper velocity range of slow slides. An extensive review of the effect of pore pressure changes on movement reactivation of shallow and moderately thick slides is presented. The time dependent behaviour of fine geotechnical materials is also reviewed. Although the literature has reported many cases where the accumulation of slow movements led to a complete collapse of buildings, failure of embankment slopes carrying highways or railways and serviceability problems for dams and bridges, little attention has been paid to the vulnerability to slow moving slides. Hence, this thesis aims to provide more insight into the actual damage to facilities founded on slow moving slides. More than fifty cases of extremely slow, very slow and slow slides adversely affecting urban communities, highways, railways, bridges, dams and linear infrastructure are reviewed. The survey enables the development of new damage-extent scales that use the slide velocity to help assess the degree of damage to a facility founded on a landslide-prone area. Vulnerability is an important component of the specific risk. The other component is the hazard or the probability of occurrence of a certain damaging phenomenon like landslides. Defining the causal factors of the landslide movements and their contributions to the total movement is an important step towards the evaluation of the hazard. Hence, the geomechanical behaviour of two typical deep-seated and moderately thick slides, the Little Chief Slide and the Little Smoky Slide, respectively, are investigated. The objective is to determine all the triggers and causal factors of movement and to quantify their contribution to the total movement. The study involves groundwater flow modeling of one of the two slides, an extensive field monitoring of pore pressures and displacements and an investigation of the creep behaviour both in the field and in the laboratory. The outcome of the study shows that the total movement of each of the two slides can be separated into creep and seasonal movements. The contribution of each component is quantitatively defined. The quantification of the different causal factors aids in choosing the proper mitigation option in addition to predicting the future movement rates after the chosen remedial measures have been installed. / Geotechnical Engineering