The following thesis applies equations of motion used in linear locomotion (gait analysis) to the analysis of the purely rotational motion of the fouetté or tour à la seconde. Modifications to the method of analysis include the creation of several MATLAB programs to compute improved estimates of the moment of inertia tensor, three-dimensional angular momentum about the dancer’s centre of mass. The results of this investigation—the quantification of angular momentum and external moments—are compared to similar results from gait analysis to demonstrate how the dancer maintains balance during rotational motion. The variables calculated by the MATLAB programs are particularly relevant in the field of balance control research in the context of inputs into the body’s balance control systems.

The City of Regina Fleet Street landfill, north-east of Regina, Saskatchewan, is approaching its maximum capacity after a 47-year operating life and plans are now being made for its closure. As part of closure planning work, four test plots encompassing two different cover designs (a capillary break cover and a store-and-release cover) were constructed on the landfill in the summer of 2004. One cover of each design was constructed on both the north facing and the south facing slopes.<p> The overall objective of this thesis is to evaluate the preliminary performance of the four test plots on the City of Regina landfill with regards to net percolation, gas flux, water balance and vegetation. To meet this overall objective three specific objectives were developed as follows:<p> Evaluate the performance and integrity of the monitoring scheme. <p> Characterize the properties of the soil covers on the four test plots. <p> Develop a preliminary water balance using the monitoring field data. <p> A field instrumentation program was carried out which included detailed monitoring of gas composition, volumetric water content, matric suction and temperature within the cover profile as well as measurements of interflow, runoff and site-specific meteorology. Generally, the instrumentation performed well with the exception of the tipping bucket which did not accurately measure precipitation.<p> Evaluation of the covers revealed that the slope aspect exerts greater influence over the water balance than that exerted by cover design itself. The south test plots were drier than the north, experienced more net radiation, and generally had more abundant vegetation. A water balance was conducted for each test plot at the upper, mid and lower slope. It is clear that a capillary break was not maintained on the north slope for the entire monitoring period and the percolation from the store-and-release cover was less than that of the capillary break cover. The south test plots were very dry and net percolation was nearly the same for both test plots. Therefore, it is believed that the store-and-release covers are performing better than the capillary break covers.

Syftet med denna undersökning är att djupare undersöka vad fenomenet work-life balance innebär i en svensk kommun. I teoriavsnittet behandlas delar om hur det såg ut tidigare på arbetsmarknaden och Sveriges lagar angående föräldraledighet. Det ges en förklaring till work-life balance begreppet som är förmågan att hantera både arbetssfären och icke-arbetssfären utan att någon av sfärerna tar över eller sätter press på den andra. Vårdkapital är även ett viktigt begrepp i denna undersökning och det står för omsorg, att ta hand om andra som t.ex. barn, äldre eller sjuka familjemedlemmar. Vidare beskrivs flexibilitet då det är ofta en bidragande faktor för att nå balans mellan hemmet och arbete. Andra delar som behandlas är organisationens påverkan på den anställda, att medarbetaren bör ses som en tillgång och organisationen bör underlätta för medarbetaren att ha ett liv utanför arbetet som följs av företagskultur. Även obalans som ofta bidrar till stress och utbrändhet tas upp vilket och teoridelen avslutas med obetalt arbete och genus på arbetsmarknaden. För att kunna få en djupare kunskap om ämnet har jag valt att använda sig av en kvalitativ metod, varav intervjuer, för att ge en större flexibilitet i frågorna kring ämnet work-life balance. Urvalet kom att bestå av 7 medarbetare på Sunne kommun som alla hade barn i olika åldrar. Det utfördes även en pilotintervju för att höja validiteten i undersökningen, att rätt ämne undersöktes. Även etiska aspekter har tagits hänsyn till i denna undersökning. Resultatet kom att bestå av fjorton delar där de första fyra består av Sunne kommuns honnörsord som är frihet, flexibilitet, förnyelse och förståelse i förhållande till de intervjuade. I resultatet finns även delar om vårdkapital, om arbetsdagen räcker till, sociala relationer mellan kollegor, om arbetssfären eller hemmasfären någon gång tar över. Avsnittet avslutas med de intervjuades reflektion över kollegornas balans, deras egna balans och Sunne kommun som arbetsgivare. Resultatet visar medarbetare som uppfattar en balans vilken sker utifrån att de själva ser till att balansen fungerar och samtidigt att Sunne kommun bidrar med faktorer som skapar hanterbarhet.

This qualitative study will examine the concept of work/family demand specifically through the lens of male student affairs practitioners. Work family balance has been identified as a critical issue for the field of HRD impacting both individual and organizational performance. The profession of student affairs was chosen, due to its nature of requiring long hours and encouraging unhealthy practitioner behavior. A qualitative, case study approach was used. Seven men representing a wide variety of years of service, marital status, and university environments were selected and asked to share their impressions and experience with work/family balance within their profession. Clark's Work/Family Border theory was used to guide this study. The emergent themes indicate that men create definitions for the boundaries between work and home based on their individual station in life including marital and parental status. The men face emotional consequences for their actions, and in essence learn their boundaries based on how they impact other people. The findings of this study will assist HRD practitioners in the ability to create individualized means by which to help men achieve work/family balance and maintain mental and emotional health. This in turn will allow them to be as productive as they can be within their organizational setting. Furthermore, this dissertation will encourage HRD practitioners to consider the full context of the day to day stressors, from both work and home that impact an individuals' overall performance.

Due to the background discrepancy, the regulations of healthy insurance, and the different situation of medical service, there is different perception of balance billing between patients and physicians. The promotion of balance billing is based on the request by law, paid by the users, and medical budget control, which can lead to lower growth rate of medical fee. The purpose of this study is not only to reveal the difference of perception of balance billing between patients and physicians, but also to find out the relationship between service satisfaction and perception gap. Cross-section research method was used to investigate the opinions of admitted patients and physicians in 65 hospitals, located in southern Taiwan and affiliated with the Bureau of National Health Insurance, by questionnaire during a 2 months period. We¡¦d performed various statistical analyses in order to identify the different perception between patients and physicians, and the relationship between perception gap and medical service satisfaction. After extensive research on the related factors, including medical service situation, individual need, and past experience of patients, we can predict their expectation to balance billing. Besides, the discrepancy of expectation and perception between patients and physicians can cause the satisfaction gap, which may influences medical service satisfaction. Our results provided the related factors of satisfaction to the Bureau of National Health Insurance, in effort to help the promotion of balance billing.

Zugl.: Darmstadt, Techn. University, Diss., 2009.

An evaluation of the global water storage contribution to the Chandler wobble has never been undertaken because: (1) the hydrological data necessary for the reconstruction of an extended monthly time series have not been available; and (2) the water storage contribution has traditionally been regarded as relatively unimportant because of its minor role in the excitation of the annual wobble. However, a crude approximation of the global water storage series is possible using worldwide records of monthly precipitation and temperature, accumulating precipitation at individual locations whenever temperatures are at 0° Celsius or below. Comparison of this modeled series with a previous estimate of the annual component of the global water balance, and with the observed monthly polar motion series, indicates good agreement with the former, and a significant correlation with the latter near the Chandler frequency. / text

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with a five-year survival rate under 5%. Given the disease’s deadliness, increasing our understanding of the molecular nature of the pancreatic cancer is key to developing more effective preventive measures and treatments. Dietary energy restriction (DER) has been shown to have potent anticancer effects in pancreatic cancer, but the mechanism of action has yet to be completely elucidated. Here we investigate the potential of altered microRNA expression as a mechanism by which DER exerts its anticancer effect. Using the Exiqon microRNA Array, we identified several microRNAs of interest for further study. This includes microRNA (mir) 669c, a known regulator of glutathione-S transferases (linked to carcinogen metabolism and oxidative stress) that increases with age. To our knowledge, this is the first exploration of the effects of DER (which is known to suppress oxidative stress and other processes associated with aging and cancer) on microRNA expression. These findings may provide the initial steps towards identifying novel targets for pancreatic cancer prevention or treatment. / text

There are limited tools available for clinicians to affordably and objectively assess balance control to prescribe treatments and measure progress post-stroke. The objectives of this thesis were to: 1) develop a toolkit to quantitatively measure dynamic balance control and determine the repeatability of outcomes within and between-sessions in healthy adults; and 2) determine the repeatability of the tasks and the association between outcomes of an advanced clinical model of care in a post-stroke population. In study 1 a wireless balance assessment toolkit was developed using a grid of four Nintendo Wii Balance boards and custom software and repeatability of the outcomes were established in healthy adults. Study 2 revealed the measures to be repeatable in a sub-acute stroke population while further evidence is required to validate the toolkit, as it did not associate with outcomes from an advanced clinical model of care.

There are limited tools available for clinicians to affordably and objectively assess balance control to prescribe treatments and measure progress post-stroke. The objectives of this thesis were to: 1) develop a toolkit to quantitatively measure dynamic balance control and determine the repeatability of outcomes within and between-sessions in healthy adults; and 2) determine the repeatability of the tasks and the association between outcomes of an advanced clinical model of care in a post-stroke population. In study 1 a wireless balance assessment toolkit was developed using a grid of four Nintendo Wii Balance boards and custom software and repeatability of the outcomes were established in healthy adults. Study 2 revealed the measures to be repeatable in a sub-acute stroke population while further evidence is required to validate the toolkit, as it did not associate with outcomes from an advanced clinical model of care.