Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Every living creature meets with pain up to these days. Many researches are made in labour conditions, we try to find out how the pain works and how we can suppress it or how we can utilize it in our welfare. Our work is focused on the effect of aging, season, acclimatization and ambient temperature on thermal and mechanic pain threshold in laboratory rats. We were interested how these factors affect the results of the research. Adult male Wistar rats were used in all experiments. Thermal pain thresholds were measured by withdrawal reaction of three body sites: forelimbs, hind limbs and tail. Mechanic pain thresholds were measured by von Frey filaments and a skin temperature was measured by IR thermometer, both of three body sites. Our results demonstrate that : (i) aging have effect on nociceptive pain threshold; (ii) there is presence of cranio-caudal distribution of nociceptive sensitivity in aging and in changing of ambient temperature - forelimbs have lower latency than hind limbs; (iii) thermal pain threshold depends indirectly on ambient and skin temperature; (iv) there was no effect of repeated measurement on nociceptive thresholds of the three body sites; (v) hind limbs and tails are more sensitive to changes of ambient temperature than forepaws; (vi) mechanic pain threshold not change...

Introduktion: Vid perifera nervundersökningar med elektroneurografi spelar temperaturen i vävnaden som undersöks stor roll. Kall vävnad leder till försämrad funktion i nervernas jonkanaler, vilket leder till att aktionspotentialer utlöses långsammare och nervledningshastigheten minskar vilket därmed kan ge falskt patologiska undersökningsresultat. För att minska den risken mäts och korrigeras alltid hudtemperaturen. Vid registrering från övre extremiteter mäts hudtemperaturen standardmässigt på handryggen. Trots att stimulering sker från handflatan och från fingrar så mäts inte temperaturen där. Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka om kalla fingrar på en i övrigt varm hand påverkar conduction velocity och peaklatenstiden, jämfört med när hand och fingrar har samma varma temperatur. Metod: 30 unga, friska personer deltog i studien. Ortodrom elektroneurografiundersökning utfördes på nervus medianus sensoriska del. Handryggstemperaturen var konstant 32° Celsius (C) och fingertoppstemperaturerna var 32° C, 27° C respektive 22° C. Vid varje fingertoppstemperatur registrerades conduction velocity och peaklatenstiden vid stimuleringar från handflatan, fingerbasen och fingertoppen på digitorum III. Resultat: En statistiskt signifikant skillnad fanns i både nervledningshastigheten och peaklatenstiden vid registrering från fingerbasen vid fingertoppstemperaturen 32° C jämfört med såväl 27° C som 22° C. Slutsats: Kalla fingrar på en varm hand ger en statistiskt signifikant påverkan på både nervledningshastigheten och peaklatenstiden. / Background: In peripheral nerve examinations with electroneurography, temperatures in the tissue that is being examined is important. Cold tissue leads to impaired function of the ion channels of the nerves, which causes action potentials to be triggered more slowly and the nerve conduction velocity to decrease, which can cause false pathological examination results. To reduce this risk, the skin temperature is always measured and corrected. When registering from the upper extremities, the skin temperature is measured by default on the back of the hand. Despite stimulating in the palm and on the fingers, the temperature is not measured there. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether cold fingers on a warm hand affects the conduction velocity and peak latency time, compared with the hand and the fingers having the same warm temperature. Methods: 30 young, healthy persons participated in the study. An orthodrome electroneurography examination was performed on the sensory part of the median nerve. The backhand temperature was constant 32° Celsius (C) and the fingertip temperatures were 32 ° C, 27 ° C and 22 ° C. Results: A statistically significant difference was found in both nerve conduction velocity and peak latency time when registering from the finger base with fingertip temperature 32 ° C compared with both 27 ° C and 22 ° C Conclusions: Cold fingers on a warm hand give a statistically significant effect on both the nerve conduction velocity and the peak latency time.

Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa e à Inovação Tecnológica do Estado de Sergipe - FAPITEC/SE / Introduction: Martial art is an activity practiced for millennia and in recent years is growing in Brazil, due to the media's own publicity regarding the positive results in relation to the physical and mental health gain in its practitioners. Among the different types of martial arts we have Kung Fu and his Eagle Claw style in the traditional training situation and post-workout recovery Objective: To analyze the active recovery, with the cryotherapy, evaluating the muscular damage, peak of torque and fatigue in Kung Fu practitioners. Methods: The study sample consisted of 16 males, aged between 18 and 39 years old, graduated with training time of at least 1 year continuous and with experience in competition in this year of practice. All were submitted to the traditional training simulations, but only 8 of the 16 individuals were submitted to the cryotherapeutic treatment with the immersion in ice water, the simulations were carried out at an appropriate training site and the body recovery in a 2000 liter capacity pool. Venous blood collection was performed for the analysis of muscle damage indicators, before, after, 24 and 48 hours after the training, as well as the collection of thermographic images for thermal asymmetric skin temperature analysis. Results: The results presented on muscle power in the lower limbs showed a significant difference after the cold water recovery method in relation to the damage, with squat jump 48h after and the Counter Moviment Jump after 24h and 48h. Regarding muscle damage, the LDH and AST indicators showed a significant improvement after 24 hours in cryotherapy. In the thermography, the asymmetry demonstrated the skin temperature comparing individuals submitted to recovery treatment and those who did not, and the active group had the best results 24h and 48h after. Conclusion: The cryotherapy method promotes improvement in the power in the lower limbs reducing muscle damage mainly after 24 hours serving as an alternative procedure in the recovery and prevention of injuries in Kung Fu practitioners. / Introdução: A arte marcial é uma atividade praticada a milênios e nos últimos anos bastante crescente no Brasil, devido a divulgação da própria mídia quanto os resultados positivos em relação ao ganho de saúde física e mental em seus praticantes. Dentre os diferentes tipos de artes marciais temos o Kung Fu e seu estilo Garra de Águia na situação de treino tradicional e recuperação pós treino Objetivo: Analisar a recuperação ativa, com a crioterapia , avaliando o dano muscular, pico de torque e fadiga em praticantes de Kung Fu. Métodos: A amostra do estudo foi composta por 16 indivíduos do sexo masculino, com idade entre 18 e 39 anos, praticantes graduados com tempo de treino de pelo menos 1 ano continuo e com experiência em competição neste ano de prática. Todos foram submetidos as simulações de treino tradicional, mas somente 8 dos 16 indivíduos foram para o tratamento crioterápico com a imersão em água gelada, realizado as simulações em local apropriado de treino e a recuperação corporal em piscina montável com capacidade de 2000 litros. Foi realizada coleta de sangue venoso para análise dos indicadores de dano muscular, antes, após, 24 e 48 horas após a realização do treino, bem como a coleta de imagens termográficas para análise de temperatura da pele de assimetria térmica. Resultados: Os resultados apresentados sobre potência muscular, em membros inferiores houve diferença significativa após o método de recuperação em água fria em relação ao dano, com squat jump 48h após e o Counter Moviment Jump após 24h e 48h. No que se refere a dano muscular os indicadores LDH e AST houve uma melhora significativa após 24h na crioterapia. Na termografia, a assimetria demonstrou a temperatura da pele comparando indivíduos submetidos ao tratamento de recuperação e aos que não efetuaram, tendo o grupo ativo os melhores resultados 24h e 48h após. Conclusão: O método de crioterapia promove melhora na potência em membros inferiores reduzindo o dano muscular principalmente após 24h servindo como procedimento alternativo na recuperação e prevenção de lesões nos praticantes de Kung Fu. / São Cristóvão, SE

Abstract The purpose of the study was to create a comprehensive view and add understanding about the childcare practice of children sleeping outdoors in the context of Northern Finnish winter. A general view of the topic was described, the thermal insulation of clothing of infants sleeping outdoors in northern winter climate was evaluated and the relationships among thermal environment, infants’ skin temperatures and daytime outdoor sleep duration were described. Mixed methods research design was used. A questionnaire was distributed to the parents (n=116) of children under 2 years of age in the city of Oulu. Skin temperatures of about three-month-old infants were recorded from seven skin sites throughout a daytime sleep outdoors (n=34) and indoors (n=33) in the families’ homes. The duration of the infant’s sleep was observed and air temperature and velocity of the outdoor environment were recorded. Clothing data of infants were collected and microclimate temperatures and humidity inside middle wear measured. The insulation of clothing ensembles was measured by using a baby-size thermal manikin. The required clothing insulation was estimated according to ISO 11079. Mothers (n=21) from Northern Finland were interviewed. A fit can be found between family – cultural outdoor sleeping childcare practice – and Northern Finnish winter environment, but also factors that decreased the fit existed. Winter environment was seen as an affordance for the child to sleep outdoors. Infants usually slept outdoors in the daytime once a day in different kinds of environments, the best temperature being -5 °C. Outdoor sleeping was a self-evident and common culturally bound custom. Guidelines and encouragement were given to mothers from different sources, and by sharing their own experiences, mothers participated in the cultural knowledge-building processes. The outdoor sleeping practice was commonly accepted collective behavior. Many risk factors also existed, but when all security perspectives were first taken into account it promoted family well-being by creating rhythm and strengthening the fluency of everyday life. The optimal thermal insulation was difficult to adjust systematically and both cooling and sweating existed. When ambient temperature decreased, the cooling rate of Tsk increased. Children slept longest outdoors when the cooling rate of Tsk was minimal. The basic idea was that outdoor sleeping promoted children’s health. A comprehensive view of the phenomenon was gathered into the evaluation model, which can be utilized in nursing practice. The findings give detailed information that is utilized when updating guidelines. This study also creates ground for international comparative studies. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli muodostaa kokonaiskuva ja lisätä ymmärrystä lasten ulkona nukuttamiskäytännöstä pohjoissuomalaisessa talvikontekstissa lasten ja perheiden hyvinvoinnin lisäämiseksi. Tarkoituksena oli kuvata lasten ulkona nukuttamiskäytäntöä, ympäristön ja ihon lämpötilojen sekä unen pituuden yhteyttä ja arvioida vaatetuksen lämmöneristävyyttä. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin mixed methods -lähestymistapaa monipuolisen kokonaiskuvan tavoittamiseksi. Pilottikysely tehtiin alle 2-vuotiaiden lasten vanhemmille (n=116) Oulun alueella. Ihon lämpötiloja mitattiin seitsemästä eri kehon osasta noin kolmen kuukauden ikäisiltä lapsilta (n=34) heidän nukkuessaan kotona päiväuniaan sisällä ja ulkona Pohjois-Suomessa talvella. Unen pituutta havainnoitiin ja ympäristön lämpötilaa ja tuulen nopeutta mitattiin. Lasten talvivaatetuksesta kerättiin tietoa ja lämpötiloja mitattiin vaatetuksen eri kerroksista sekä kosteutta välivaatetuksen alta. Vaatetuksen lämmöneristävyyksiä mitattiin lasten kokoa vastaavalla lämpönukella. Vaadittava lämmöneristävyys arvioitiin ISO 11079 – standardin mukaisesti. Pohjoissuomalaisia lapsiperheiden äitejä (n=21) haastateltiin kulttuurisen tiedon esille tuomiseksi. Yhteensopivuus perheen, kulttuurisen ulkona nukuttamiskäytännön ja pohjoisen talviympäristön välillä voidaan saavuttaa, mutta toisaalta myös tasapainoa vähentäviä tekijöitä löytyi. Talviympäristö nähtiin tarjoumana lapsen rauhalliselle nukkumiselle sen puhtaan ja raikkaan ilman ja luonnon sekä hiljaisuuden ja rauhallisuuden takia. Talvinen sää vaihteli auringon paisteesta kovaan lumipyryyn ja lämpötila muutamista lämpöasteista lähes kolmenkymmenen asteen pakkaseen lasten nukkuessa vaunuissaan. Paras lämpötila ulkona nukkumiselle oli -5  °C. Ulkona nukuttamista pidettiin itsestään selvänä kulttuurisena tapana. Äidit saivat ohjeita ja kannustusta lasten ulkona nukuttamiseen eri lähteistä. Vertailemalla ja jakamalla kokemuksiaan he osallistuivat myös itse kulttuurisen tiedon rakenteluun. Lasten ulkona nukuttaminen talvella osoittautui yleisesti hyväksytyksi kollektiiviseksi käyttäytymiseksi, joka toisinaan aiheutti paineita äideille. Lapsen ulkona nukkumiseen liittyi monia riskitekijöitä, mutta kaikki turvallisuusnäkökohdat ensin huomioon ottamalla se edisti perheen hyvinvointia luomalla säännöllistä rytmiä ja vahvistamalla arjen sujuvuutta. Optimaalisen vaatetuksen lämmöneristävyyden löytäminen systemaattisesti eri lämpötiloissa oli vaikeaa; sekä jäähtymistä että hikoilua esiintyi. Ympäristön lämpötilan laskiessa keskimääräisen ihon lämpötilan jäähtymisnopeus lisääntyi. Lapset nukkuivat ulkona pisimpään silloin, kun ihon lämpötilan jäähtyminen oli hitainta. Ensisijaisesti ulkona nukkumisen ajateltiin edistävän lapsen terveyttä. Lasten ulkona nukuttamisen arviointimallia voidaan hyödyntää käytännössä ohjauksen yhteydessä ja tutkimuksen tuottamaa yksityiskohtaista tietoa ohjeistusten päivittämisessä. Tutkimus antaa lähtökohtia kansainväliselle vertailevalle tutkimukselle.

Neurografi är en grundläggande metod för att diagnosticera perifera nervsjukdomar, metoden reflekterar det funktionella tillståndet av myeliniserade axon. Neurografi är uppdelat i två delar, motorisk och sensorisk neurografi. Vid undersökningen erhålls va-riabler så som amplitud, latenstid och nervledningshastighet, samtliga variabler är på-verkade av vävnadstemperatur. Vid kalla temperaturer sjunker nervledningshastigheten, amplituden förändras och latenstiden förlängs. Syftet med studien är att kartlägga till vilken grad temperaturen påverkar sensorisk neurografi och om motorisk neurografi på-verkas av temperatur. I studien undersöktes den sensoriska och motoriska grenen på n. tibialis vid hudtempe-raturerna > 30° C, mellan 25 – 28° C samt < 24° C. Huden kyldes med vatten och hud-temperaturen mättes med en örontermometer. Sensorisk nervledningshastighet och amplitud visade en signifikant skillnad mellan de tre temperaturintervallerna medan motorisk nervledningshastighet och amplitud inte vi-sade någon signifikant skillnad. / Electroneurography is a fundamental method for diagnosing peripheral nerve disorder, the method reflects the functional condition of the myelin coated axons. Electroneurog-raphy is divided into two parts, sensory and motor neurography. During the examination are variables as amplitude, latency and conduction velocity acquired, all those variables are affected by temperature. At cold temperature conduction velocity declines, ampli-tude changes and latency extend. The purpose of the study is to map out to what degree the temperature is affecting sensory neurography and if motor neurography is affected by temperature. The study examined the sensory and motor branch of n. tibialis at the skin temperature > 30° C, between 25 – 28° C and < 24° C. The skin was cooled by water and the skin temperature was measured by an ear-thermometer. Sensory conduction velocity and amplitude had a significantly difference at the three temperature intervals meanwhile motor conduction velocity and amplitude did not.

Cette thèse a été effectuée sous le couvert d’une convention CIFRE issue d’une collaboration entre la Société Cryantal (Lognes, France) et les laboratoires universitaires C3S (EA 4660) et MOVE (EA 6314) de Franche-Comté et de Poitiers. Elle a été articulée autour du développement d’une nouvelle technologie de chambre de Cryothérapie Corps Entier (CCE). Le travail mené au cours de ces quatre années a eu pour objectifs : 1) L’identification des besoins technologiques et méthodologiques à partir d’études conduites sur le terrain et de l’analyse de la littérature scientifique ; 2) Le développement d’un prototype de chambre CCE à partir des besoins identifiés ; 3) La validation technologique du prototype en vue de son industrialisation ; 4) D’apporter des perspectives d’évolutions futures pour le développement du prototype afin qu’il devienne une chambre CEE commercialisable. Afin de répondre à ces objectifs, la thèse a été divisée en deux parties distinctes.La première partie met en évidence les applications pratiques et les besoins technologiques afin d’identifier les limites et avantages des différentes méthodes et techniques utilisées en vue du développement d’un nouveau prototype de chambre CCE. Les études conduites sur le terrain dans les conditions réelles de compétition ont montré que la CCE n’était pas vécue comme une contrainte importante par les athlètes et qu’elle leur permettait d’améliorer la qualité de leur sommeil perçu. Nous avons également montré que des individus avec un indice de masse corporel moins élevé supportaient moins bien les expositions au froid extrême en cabine comparé à ceux possédant un indice de masse corporel plus important. La revue de littérature scientifique a mis en évidence le manque crucial de données valides concernant les températures d’exposition dans les chambres et cabines. Elle pointe également pour la première fois, l’ensemble des protocoles d’expositions utilisés à ce jour dans les domaines d’applications relatifs aux pathologies traumatiques et de récupération physique. Elle crée le lien indispensable entre les différents domaines d’utilisation de la CCE et les différentes technologies utilisées.La seconde partie expose l’ensemble du développement technologique du prototype de la nouvelle chambre CCE, sa validation et son optimisation pour pouvoir prétendre à sa commercialisation. Elle comporte une étude scientifique de validation technologique du prototype de chambre de CCE basé sur la variation de la température cutanée des individus exposés. Les résultats ont montré que les variations de température cutanée engendrées par l’exposition avec la nouvelle technologie étaient similaires aux variations rapportées avec les autres technologies existantes. Les mesures préliminaires réalisées sur le prototype ont permis d’apporter des perspectives d’évolutions futures en vue de la commercialisation de la chambre. / This thesis has been completed as part of a CIFRE agreement between the research and development department of the Cryantal Company (Lognes, France) and the C3S (EA4660) and MOVE (EA6314) laboratories from the Universities of Franche-Comté and Poitiers. The aim of the thesis was the development of a new technology of whole-body Cryotherapy (WBC) chamber. The various studies that we conducted centred on : – the identification of technological and methodological requirements from field studies and the analysis of scientific literature; – the development of a WBC chamber prototype according to the identified requirements; – the technological validation of the prototype to its industrialization; and – the evolution of the prototype toward a marketable version. The thesis was divided into two parts. The first part highlights the practical applications and the technological requirements to identify the limits and the advantages of the existing methodologies and technologies in order to develop a new WBC chamber device. Studies performed in the field during competitions showed that WBC is well tolerated by athletes and can be used during heavy competition periods and/or during training periods. We also demonstrated that female athletes with lower body-mass indexes seem to be much more sensitive to cold than female athletes with higher body-mass indexes. The literature review reported a lack of data concerning the actual temperature inside the WBC chamber and cabin. The lack of methodological information for the exposure protocol was also pointed out. It creates the link between the field of application of the WBC and the different technology used. The second part presents the technological development of the new WBC chamber prototype, its validation, and its optimisation in order to be commercialized. This part includes a validation study of the prototype based on the effects of a 3-minute exposure on the skin temperature decrease of exposed individuals. The results showed a similar decrease to those observed with other WBC existing technologies. This is certainly due to the homogeneity of the temperature of exposure and the new technology developed. Preliminary measurements of the prototype allowed for the prospect of the commercialization of this new WBC chamber.

The use of autonomous robots in our society is increasing every day and a robot is no longer seen as a tool but as a team member. The robots are now working side by side with us and provide assistance during dangerous operations where humans otherwise are at risk. This development has in turn increased the need of robots with more human-awareness. Therefore, this master thesis aims at contributing to the enhancement of human-aware robotics. Specifically, we are investigating the possibilities of equipping autonomous robots with the capability of assessing and detecting activities in human teams. This capability could, for instance, be used in the robot's reasoning and planning components to create better plans that ultimately would result in improved human-robot teamwork performance. we propose to improve existing teamwork activity recognizers by adding intangible features, such as stress, motivation and focus, originating from human behavior models. Hidden markov models have earlier been proven very efficient for activity recognition and have therefore been utilized in this work as a method for classification of behaviors. In order for a robot to provide effective assistance to a human team it must not only consider spatio-temporal parameters for team members but also the psychological.To assess psychological parameters this master thesis suggests to use the body signals of team members. Body signals such as heart rate and skin conductance. Combined with the body signals we investigate the possibility of using System Dynamics models to interpret the current psychological states of the human team members, thus enhancing the human-awareness of a robot. / Användningen av autonoma robotar i vårt samhälle ökar varje dag och en robot ses inte längre som ett verktyg utan som en gruppmedlem. Robotarna arbetar nu sida vid sida med oss och ger oss stöd under farliga arbeten där människor annars är utsatta för risker. Denna utveckling har i sin tur ökat behovet av robotar med mer människo-medvetenhet. Därför är målet med detta examensarbete att bidra till en stärkt människo-medvetenhet hos robotar. Specifikt undersöker vi möjligheterna att utrusta autonoma robotar med förmågan att bedöma och upptäcka olika beteenden hos mänskliga lag. Denna förmåga skulle till exempel kunna användas i robotens resonemang och planering för att ta beslut och i sin tur förbättra samarbetet mellan människa och robot. Vi föreslår att förbättra befintliga aktivitetsidentifierare genom att tillföra förmågan att tolka immateriella beteenden hos människan, såsom stress, motivation och fokus. Att kunna urskilja lagaktiviteter inom ett mänskligt lag är grundläggande för en robot som ska vara till stöd för laget. Dolda markovmodeller har tidigare visat sig vara mycket effektiva för just aktivitetsidentifiering och har därför använts i detta arbete. För att en robot ska kunna ha möjlighet att ge ett effektivt stöd till ett mänskligtlag måste den inte bara ta hänsyn till rumsliga parametrar hos lagmedlemmarna utan även de psykologiska. För att tyda psykologiska parametrar hos människor förespråkar denna masteravhandling utnyttjandet av mänskliga kroppssignaler. Signaler så som hjärtfrekvens och hudkonduktans. Kombinerat med kroppenssignalerar påvisar vi möjligheten att använda systemdynamiksmodeller för att tolka immateriella beteenden, vilket i sin tur kan stärka människo-medvetenheten hos en robot. / <p>The thesis work was conducted in Stockholm, Kista at the department of Informatics and Aero System at Swedish Defence Research Agency.</p>

thermal manikin, thermophysiological model, thermal comfort, climatic chamber, clothing thermal resistence