Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental deseases. The brain lesion may disturb upper extremity functioning in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This thesis aims to create a therapeutic program focused on movability of upper limbs in school-aged children with CP and and verify the efficiency of this therapeutic program. Another goal is to consider the applicability of the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function for assessment of hand function in children with CP. The theoretical part deals elaborately with cerebral palsy, therapeutic interventions in children with CP and its efficiency according to the evidence based medicine. This part also deals with standardized assassment tools and pays close attention to the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) and the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS). The practical part presents six case studies of children with cerebral palsy who attended the occupational therapy three times a week over three weeks. The created therapeutic program includes three areas focused on the bimanual training, grips and grafomotorics. This program was appropriate for four of six children patients. The program was too hard for children with quadruparesis classified as MACS IV. The other children were classified as MACS II. The efficiency of...

The objective of this work has been to investigate the applicability of the gas gun to study the armature-rail interface wear characteristics relevant to rail gun operations. The approach involved developing constitutive models for armature materials (aluminum 6061) as well as oxygen-free high-thermal conductivity copper as the rail material. Taylor rod-on-anvil impact experiments were performed to validate the accuracy of constitutive strength models by correlating predictions of dynamic simulations in ANSYS AUTODYN with experimental observations. An optical comparator was used to discretize the cross sectional deformation profile of each rod-shaped sample. Parameters of the Johnson-Cook strength model were adjusted for each material to match deformation profiles obtained from simulations with profiles obtained from impact experiments. The fitted Johnson-Cook model parameters for each material were able to give overall deformed length and diameter values within 2% of the experimentally observed data. Additional simulations were then used with the validated strength model parameters to design the geometry involving cylindrical rods of armature material accelerated through a concentric cylindrical extrusion die made of copper, to emulate the interface wear effects produced in a rail gun operation. Experiments were conducted using this geometry and employing both the 7.62mm and 80mm diameter gas guns. Microstructural analysis was conducted on interfaces of the recovered samples from both designs. Hardness measurements were also performed along the interface layer to evaluate the structure formation due to solid-state wear or melt formation. The stress and strain conditions resulting in the observed microstructural effects were correlated with predictions from numerical simulations performed using the validated material models. The overall results illustrate that the stress-strain conditions produced during acceleration of Al through hollow concentric copper extrusion die, result in interface deformation and wear characteristics that are influenced by velocity. At velocities (less than 800m/s), interface wear leads to formation of layer dominated by solid-state alloying of Cu and Al, while higher velocities produce a melted and re-solidified aluminum layer. Hence, use of different armature (Al-based) and rail (Cu-based) materials can be evaluated with the gas-gun set-up employed in the current work to study the effects of interface wear ranging from formation melt layer to solid-state alloying as a function of material properties and velocity.

Though the portrayal of African American mothers in cinema has been diverse, it has too often misrepresented the lived experiences of mothers and has contributed to negative stereotypes about African American motherhood. Existing analyses have not provided an Afrocentric examination of these specific depictions and their broader societal impact. This dissertation aims to address this gap by investigating the representation of African American mothers in film. Grounded in Afrocentric research, scholarship, and theories, the project seeks to develop a framework centered on African Matriarchy and the experiences of African American mothers. This paper introduces the Taylor Test, a comprehensive rubric informed by the Afrocentric paradigm, film theories, and feminist and womanist theories. Through the application of the Taylor Test, a content analysis was conducted on select films by renowned African American filmmaker Spike Lee, including Crooklyn (1994), She Hate Me (2004), and Chi-Raq (2015). The findings of this research contribute to the development of an Afrocentric film analysis framework, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Taylor Test. Additionally, it offers insights into fostering a "liberated maternal" identity by leveraging media, particularly film, to reshape narratives surrounding African American motherhood. / Africology and African American Studies

Motor skills disorder of upper limb motor disorders is currently a frequent reason for large population disability. That is why it is necessary to adress this issue and look for possibilities of proper evaluation and therapy. One of the standard methods is Jebsen- Taylor test (JTT). This thesis deals with theoretical aspects of the Jebsen-Taylor test and presents results of the research verifying psychometric characterictics of the test as well as influence of demografic characteristics on the performance in the test. The theoretical part deals with motor skills disorder that are closely related with the test. The practical part presents results of the research using the sample of nonrandomised Czech non-clinical population. The aim is to create basic norms of the Jebsen-Taylor test and this particular population.The norms were created on a sample of 180 persons separately for men and women divided into three age groups (20-59, 60-75, 76-99). The age of the participants influences the results in most subtests of the Jebsen-Taylor test. With the increasing age, an average time of particular subtests increases, too. The gender influence was not notably manifested in most subtests. In the group of men the performance of the upper limb showed significant difference. On the other hand, in the group of...