Thesis (M.S.)--University of British Columbia, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81).

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2006. / Not embargoed. Vita. Bibliography: 73-74.

A literatura sustenta que os Xenarthras com sua longa e isolada existência podem ser a luz para entender a evolução dos mamíferos placentários. O tatu Euphractus sexcinctus é endêmico da América do Sul e têm sido pouco estudado. A morfologia e a relação entre tecidos moles e duros do aparelho genital, pelve e períneo de nove animais adultos foi descrita utilizando-se as técnicas de mesoscopia, microscopia (eletrônica e luz) e tomografia computadorizada. O desenho anatômico da pelve e períneo do Euphractus sexcinctus apresentou características basais, conferindo um excelente modelo de estudo para desvendar o desenvolvimento dos tetrápodes. A região perineal conteve os trígonos (anal e urogenital) e a região pubiana exibiu a genitália externa com o clitóris pronunciado pela ausência dos lábios vulvares, sendo diferente dos mamíferos recentes, apresentando característica semelhante ao cliteropênis de crocodilos, isto possibilita questionamentos interessantes acerca da importância da manutenção desta genitália tão protusida. Os ossos da pelve no animal adulto apresentaram-se fundidos, constituindo o sinsacro. Com relação ao aparelho genital interno, o extenso comprimento da cérvix em relação ao corpo do útero chamou a atenção, provavelmente, porque o grande volume dos músculos coccígeos na pelve menor empurraram o útero para a pelve maior. Os ovários, a tuba uterina e a vagina assemelharam-se aos órgãos de mamíferos recentes, portanto não surgiram novidades evolutivas. A placenta nos animais estudados (Chaetophractus villosus, Chaetophractus vellerosus e Euphractus sexcinctus) foi classificada como hemocorial e altamente invasiva, diferindo entre as espécies na disposição do córion viloso em contato com o útero. / The literature maintains that Xenarthra and isolated with its long existence may be the light to understand the evolution of placental mammals. The armadillo Euphractus sexcinctus is endemic in South America and has been poorly search. The morphology and the relationship between hard and soft tissues of the female genital, pelvis and perineum of nine adult animals has been described using techniques: mesoscopy, microscopy (electron and light) and computed tomography. The anatomical design of the pelvis and perineum of the Euphractus sexcinctus presented baseline characteristics, being an excellent study model to understand the development of tetrapods. The perineal region contained the trines (anal and urogenital) and pubic area exhibited the external genital with clitoral pronounced by the absence of labia, with different mammalian recent cliteropenis presenting feature similar to that of crocodiles, this enables interesting questions about the importance of maintenance of such protruding genitalia. The bones of the pelvis in the adult animal had cast up, constituting the sinsacrum. Regarding the internal genital tract, the extensive length of the cervix in relation to the uterus called the attention, probably because the bulk of the pelvis minor has been filled by coccygeal muscles. Than this muscles pushed the uterus to the pelvis higher. The ovaries, oviducts and vagina resembled recent mammalian organs, so there appeared no evolutionary novelties. The placenta in animal studies (Chaetophractus villosus, Chaetophractus vellerosus and Euphractus sexcinctus) were classified as highly invasive and hemochorial, differing between species in the layout of the chorionic villi in contact with the uterus.

Stair climbing is a common activity encountered in daily living. Stair ascent is a demanding task that requires a large range of motion of the joints, strong muscle strength, good cardiovascular fitness, and fine balance control. Given this, the activity can be difficult for different populations that lack muscle strength and coordination. To train and assist people in this activity, several robotic platforms have been proposed, but these limit the natural motion of the individual. For example, these devices fix the placement of the feet and reduce the natural swing of the lower limbs. This makes it difficult to manipulate the center of mass, which is crucial to stair ascent. In this dissertation, we present a novel parallel cable-driven platform in which the end effector is the user’s pelvis; the stairmill tethered pelvic assist device. This architecture allows the user to retain their natural movement and relation between the feet and the center of mass, all while applying three dimensional forces on the pelvis during continuous stair ascent on a revolving stairmill. In this work, we show the design, fabrication, and validation of this robotic system. Various force strategies were explored during stairmill ascent using this robotic platform. A characterization experiment was conducted to investigate gait performance and muscle coordination. Two simple interventions were tested to show the potential for long-term training program. This work sheds light on the different strategies of stair climbing and how we can use cable driven platforms to train and assist individuals during this challenging task. The knowledge gained by this work allows for the expansion of designing training paradigms for stair climbing with natural motion. These can assist individuals in improving their quality of life.

Differences between humans and extant apes in the pelvis and its key muscle attachment sites are thought to reflect a trade-off between arboreal and bipedal locomotor abilities. Human pelvic morphology enables the hamstrings to effectively power the hip hyperextension necessary for efficient bipedal locomotion, but this morphology is thought to reduce the capacity of these muscles to powerfully extend the hip when in a flexed position typical of arboreal locomotion. This research tested whether the enlarged human gluteus maximus may have been shaped by the continued importance of climbing among humans, as it has been suggested that it plays a compensatory role during powerful hip extension due to the reduced ability of the hamstrings. Musculoskeletal modeling and electromyography were used to assess the relative function of the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings in a human participant across two movement trials that required different amounts of hip extension: 1) bipedal walking, and 2) standing from a deep squat. It was hypothesized that the gluteus maximus would perform more effectively than the hamstrings to power hip extension from the flexed position of the squat. Differences in relative muscle activity across the two motions support this hypothesis in general, and implications for the evolutionary significance of the human gluteus maximus are that this muscle plays an important and likely compensatory role with the hamstrings during both standing up from a squat and bipedal walking. Results support the growing body of research that indicates that it is important to consider a broader range of human locomotive repertoires as of evolutionary significance, beyond solely terrestrial bipedal locomotion. / Graduate

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Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction: Chronic groin injuries are common among athletes and have the potential to lead to chronic and career-ending pain. There is no evidence available whether pelvic kinematics can be perceived as a risk factor in developing chronic groin pain in sport or be the cause of further injuries of the lower quadrant or lumbar spine. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are any differences in pelvic kinematics of active sports participants with chronic groin pain compared to healthy controls during a single-leg drop-landing. Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted. The three-dimensional (3D) pelvic kinematics of ten cases with chronic groin pain and ten asymptomatic controls was analyzed. Pelvic kinematics was analyzed at the FNB 3D Vicon Laboratory at Stellenbosch University using an eight camera Vicon system. A physical examination, including functional movements, posture analysis, hip, knee and ankle passive range of motion measurements, sacro-iliac tests and anthropometric measurements was done by two physiotherapists prior to the 3D analysis. To analyze the pelvic kinematics, each participant performed six single-leg drop-landings. The main outcome measure was 3D pelvic kinematics at initial foot contact (IFC) and foot contact at lowest vertical position (LVP). The following sub-groups were analyzed: seven with unilateral groin pain and three with bilateral groin pain; the latter was further divided into those with the most painful leg and the least painful leg. Mean and standard deviations (SD) for pelvic kinematics were calculated and significant differences between sub-groups were determined using two-tailed Student’s t-tests. The Cohen’s D effect size calculator was used to calculate the effect size of significant differences in pelvic kinematics between case and control groups. Results: The findings indicated a significant difference (p=0.03) in frontal plane pelvic kinematics at IFC for the unilateral group. The most painful groin group showed significant differences at IFC (p=0.004) and at LVP (p=0.04) in the frontal plane pelvic kinematics. The least painful groin group showed a significant difference at LVP (p=0.01). All cases landed with pelvic downward lateral tilt during the landing phase compared to matched controls. The groin pain group with bilateral pain showed significant differences at IFC (p < 0.001) and LVP (p=0.005) for the most painful groin; and the least painful groin at IFC (p=0.01) and LVP (p=0.01) in the sagittal plane pelvic kinematics. The bilateral groin pain group showed an increase of anterior pelvic tilt in the sagittal plane during the landing phase when compared to matched controls. Increased internal pelvic rotation in the transverse plane was significant for the unilateral group at IFC (p=0.04) and for the most painful groin group at IFC (p < 0.001) and LVP (p < 0.001) compared to matched controls. Conclusion: Results from this study shows that pelvic kinematic changes in the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes do occur in patients with chronic groin pain when compared to controls. This may imply that muscle weakness around the hip and pelvis may contribute to the development of chronic groin pain in active sports participants. Rehabilitation of these muscles should be taken into consideration when treating patients with chronic groin injuries. Further research should be focused on muscular recruitment patterns in sports participants with groin pain to critically define the muscular causal factors in more depth. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inleiding: Kroniese lies beserings is ‘n algemene verskynsel onder die aktiewe sport populasie. Dit mag tot kroniese pyn lei en het die potensiaal om ‘n sport loopbaan te be-eindig. Tans, is daar geen verdere navorsing beskikbaar oor die invloed van bekken kinematika op onderste ledemaat beserings asook die moontlike oorsaak tot kroniese lies pyn in atlete nie. Oogmerk: Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel watter verskille in die bekken kinematika ontstaan tussen aktiewe sport deelnemers met kroniese lies pyn teenoor aktiewe sport deelnemers sonder enige pyn of beserings tydens ‘n enkel been aftrap beweging. Metodologie: Tien deelnemers met kroniese lies pyn en tien asimptomatiese deelnemers is gebruik om die verskille tussen die 3D bekken kinematika te bepaal. Die FNB 3D Vicon Lab by die Stellenbosch Universiteit is gebruik vir die data analise en insameling. Deelnemers het ‘n fisiese ondersoek ondergaan wat die voglende ingesluit het: funksionele bewegings, postuur analise, omvang van beweging van die heup, knie en enkel, toetse ter uitsluiting van die ilio-sakrale gewrig asook antropometriese aftmetings. Elke deelnemer is versoek om ses enkel-been aftrap sessies te doen. Die hoof uitkomsmeting was die bekken hoeke in the frontale vlak by inisiële voet kontak (IVK) asook die voet kontak teen die laagste vertikale posisie (LVP). Resultate: Die resultate wys ’n beduidende verskil (p=0.03) in die frontale vlak vir bekken kinematika by IVK vir die unilaterale groep. Die mees geaffekteerde been wys ’n beduidende verskil by IVK (p=0.004) en by LVK (p=0.04) in die frontale vlak vir bekken kinematika. Die groep met die minste geaffekteerde been toon ’n beduidende verskil by LVP (p=0.01). Alle simptomatiese deelnemers het met die bekken in afwaartse bekken kanteling geland tydens die landings fase. Die groep met bilaterale pyn toon ’n beduidende verskil by IVK (p < 0.001) en by LVP (p=0.005) vir die mees geaffekteerde been en vir die minste geaffekteerde been by IVK (p=0.01) en LVP (0.01) in die sagittale vlak vir bekken kinematika. Die bilaterale groep met kroniese lies pyn land met meer anterior bekken kanteling in die sagittale vlak gedurende die landings fase teenoor die asimptomatiese groep. Interne bekken rotasie was beduidend meer vir die unilaterale groep by IVK (p=0.04) en vir die mees geaffekteerde been by IVK (p < 0.001) en LVP (p < 0.001) teenoor asimptomatiese deelnemers. Gevolgtrekking: Die resultate van hierdie studie bewys dat daar wel ‘n verskil is in die bekken kinematika van deelnemers met kroniese lies pyn teenoor asimptomatiese deelnemers. Hierdie verskille is waarneembaar in die frontale, sagittale en transverse vlakke. Dit impliseer dat spier swakheid van die bekken en heup spiere ‘n bydrae mag he tot die ontwikkeling van kroniese lies beserings in atlete. Rehabilitasie van bogenoemde spiere is belangrik in die behandeling van kroniese lies beserings. Verdere navorsing oor spier aktiverings patrone in aktiewe, sports deelnemers met kroniese lies pyn word benodig, om die oorsprongs faktore te ondersoek.