Thesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (xv, 121 leaves : col. ill. ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 612.76 MON)

Physical examination of the articulations between the dorsal vertebrae and the dorsal ribs of the sauropod dinosaur Camarasaurus (Upper Cretaceous, Wyoming or whatever) shows that the dorsal vertebral column has a slight double curve and the torso is more narrow and volumetrically smaller than previously reconstructed. The shape of the dorsal vertebrae series was based upon the position of the zygopophyses and centrum spacing. The dorsal ribs were placed on the vertebrae based upon the position of tuberculum/diapophysis, capitulum/parapophysis, and the lateral edge of the rib head. Comparisons between the articulated torso of Camarasaurus and extant relatives allowed for the first attempt in reconstructing the three intercostal muscle groups. The newly defined torso shape in combination with the presence of scapular facets on the ribs allowed the scapulocoracoid to be placed upon the torso at an angle of 20-30°.

Military, Medical, Exploratory, and Commercial robots have much to gain from exchanging wheels for legs. However, the equations of motion of dynamic bipedal walker models are highly coupled and non-linear, making the selection of an appropriate control scheme difficult. A temporal difference reinforcement learning method known as Q-learning develops complex control policies through environmental exploration and exploitation. As a proof of concept, Q-learning was applied through simulation to a benchmark single pendulum swing-up/balance task; the value function was first approximated with a look-up table, and then an artificial neural network. We then applied Evolutionary Function Approximation for Reinforcement Learning to effectively control the swing-leg and torso of a 3 degree of freedom active dynamic bipedal walker in simulation. The model began each episode in a stationary vertical configuration. At each time-step the learning agent was rewarded for horizontal hip displacement scaled by torso altitude--which promoted faster walking while maintaining an upright posture--and one of six coupled torque activations were applied through two first-order filters. Over the course of 23 generations, an approximation of the value function was evolved which enabled walking at an average speed of 0.36 m/s. The agent oscillated the torso forward then backward at each step, driving the walker forward for forty-two steps in thirty seconds without falling over. This work represents the foundation for improvements in anthropomorphic bipedal robots, exoskeleton mechanisms to assist in walking, and smart prosthetics. / Master of Science

Abe Gaustad's first collection of stories, Welcome to Boomland, explores the lives of disparate characters longing for some escape. Whether a paraplegic blues aficionado or a boy who finds a strange object in the woods, they are each searching for a way out of their stagnation. Yet each character is trapped by their own unique circumstance: some of them by their mistakes, some by ruthless dictators, some by the very notion of death. As they search for their freedom, they find out new things about themselves and manage to wage quiet rebellions against those that would control them. In the end, they earn small victories, but noble ones.

Medical imaging modalities provide effective information for anatomic or metabolic activity of tissues and organs in the body. Therefore, medical imaging technology is a critical component in diagnosis and treatment of various illnesses. Medical image segmentation plays an important role in converting medical images into anatomically, functionally or surgically identifiable structures, and is used in various applications. In this study, some of the major medical image segmentation methods are examined and applied to 2D CT images of upper torso for segmentation of heart, lungs, bones, and muscle and fat tissues. The implemented medical image segmentation methods are thresholding, region growing, watershed transformation, deformable models and a hybrid method / watershed transformation and region merging. Moreover, a comparative analysis is performed among these methods to obtain the most efficient segmentation method for each tissue and organ in torso. Some improvements are proposed for increasing accuracy of some image segmentation methods.

The electrical currents generated in the heart propagate to the outward direction of the body by means of conductive tissues and these currents yield a potential distribution on the body surface. This potential distribution is recorded and analyzed by a tool called electrocardiogram. It is not a problem, if this process continues normally / however, when it is distorted by some abnormalities, the results will be fatal. Electrocardiography (ECG) is the technique dealing with the acquisition and interpretation of the electrical potentials recorded at the body surface due to the electrical activity of the heart. This can be realized by using one of the two approaches utilized in ECG namely / forward and inverse problems. The former one entails the calculation potentials on the body surface from known electrical activity of the heart and the latter one does the reverse. In this thesis, we will construct the body surface potentials in a realistic torso model starting from the epicardial potentials. In order to solve the forward problem, one needs a geometric model that includes the torso and the heart surfaces, as well as the intermediate surfaces or the intervening volume, and some assumptions about the electrical conductivity inside the enclosed volume. A realistic torso model has a complex geometry and this complexity makes it impossible to solve the forward problem analytically. In this study, Boundary Element Method (BEM) will be applied to solve the forward problem numerically. Furthermore, the effect of torso inhomogeneities such as lungs, muscles and skin to the body surface potentials will be analyzed numerically.

People with severe trunk impairments cannot maintain or control upright posture during sitting or reaching out with the upper body. Passive orthoses are clinically available to support the trunk and promote the use of upper extremities in this population. However, these orthoses only rigidly position the torso on a wheelchair but do not facilitate movement of the trunk. In this dissertation, we introduce a novel active-assistive torso brace system for upperbody movements by a subject while seated. We have named this system as Wheelchair Robot for Active Postural Support (WRAPS). We propose designs of two robots, one for the pelvis and the other for the trunk. Each of the two devices has a parallel chain architecture to accommodate the range of motion (ROM), respectively for the pelvic and thoracic segments. The first thoracic robot was designed for the upper trunk motion relative to the pelvis. It has a 2[RP]S-2UPS architecture which provides four degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) to the end-effector placed on the upper trunk. The second is a pelvic robot which is designed to orient the pelvic segment relative to the seat. It has a 3-DOF [RRR]U-2[RR]S architecture, coupled with translation to accommodate pelvic movements relative to the seat. These robot architectures are synthesized based on human movement data. WRAPS can modulate the displacement of both the pelvic and the thoracic segments. Additionally, the forces can be applied on the torso through the end-effectors of these robots. Each of the robot prototypes was evaluated with able-bodied subjects to assess the device wearability, kinematic performances, and control system.

Title: Effect of mobility exercises in offline and online environment on subjective perception of back pain Objectives: The main goal of this work was to determine whether the onset of daily mobility contributes to the reduction of individual's back pain perception. Within the work the results between the offline and online group was compared. Methods: The diploma thesis has the character of qualitative research, where case study of 20 probands was applied. Online input and output questionnaires were compiled to obtain data, which respondents filled in at the beginning and end of the intervention. Results: The research included 11 women and 9 men aged 21 - 44 years. Individuals have mostly sedentary jobs and some of them play recreational sports in their free time. At the end of the intervention, all individuals showed an improvement on the scale of the pain intensity, when the perceived back pain was alleviated or disappeared. The offline group performed better than the online group. Conclusion: The study confirmed that the inclusion of daily mobility contributes to the reduction of subjectively perceived back pain. It confirmed that exercising in offline lessons is more effective than in an online environment. Keywords: mobility, back pain, diaphragmatic breathing, torso stabilization, DNS

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Introdução: O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar o efeito da instrução para ativação consciente da musculatura abdominal sobre a atividade dos músculos escapulotorácicos durante exercícios de ombro. Métodos: Foram avaliados sessenta e cinco indivíduos assintomáticos do sexo feminino e masculino (média de idade de 23,5 ± 3 anos). Cinco exercícios enfocados no músculo serrátil anterior foram avaliados antes e depois do comando verbal e do estímulo táctil para ativação da musculatura abdominal. Foi utilizado o teste ANOVA para medidas repetitivas com teste Bonferroni post-hoc para comparar os valores eletromiográficos normalizados. Tamanhos de efeito com magnitudes moderadas e grandes foram considerados indicadores de significância em termos práticos. Resultados: Ativação consciente dos músculos abdominais resultou em um incremento significativo (p<,05) na atividade eletromiográfica dos músculos serrátil anterior e trapézio em suas fibras descendente, transversa e ascendente durante os exercícios dinâmicos (Wall Slide, Wall Press e Knee Push). A instrução aumentou a atividade eletromiográfica somente do músculo serrátil anterior durante os exercícios isométricos (Inferior Glide e Isometric Low Row). Conclusão: Ativação consciente dos músculos abdominais incentivada por comando verbal e estímulo tátil foi efetiva para incrementar a ativação dos músculos escapulotorácicos durante exercícios de ombro, principalmente para o músculo serrátil anterior com um tamanho de efeito de moderado a grande. / Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the instruction for conscious contraction of the abdominal muscles on the scapulothoracic muscles activation during shoulder exercises. Methods: Sixty healthy male and female subjects (mean age 23.5 ± 3 years) volunteered for this study. Five exercises focusing on the serratus anterior muscle were assessed before and after standardized verbal, and tactile feedback applied to encourage abdominal muscle contraction. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used to compare normalized EMG amplitudes. Moderate and large magnitudes of effect size were considered indicators of the practical significance of our findings. Results: Conscious contraction of the abdominal muscles resulted in significant increase (p<.05) in serratus anterior, upper, middle and lower trapezius EMG amplitude, during dynamic exercises (Wall Slide, Wall Press, and Knee Push). Instruction increased EMG amplitude only for serratus anterior muscle during isometric exercises (Inferior Glide and Isometric Low Row). Conclusion: Conscious activation of the abdominal muscles, encouraged by verbal and tactile feedback was effective to increase the activation of periscapular muscles during shoulder exercises, in particular, the serratus anterior with large and moderate magnitudes of effect size.