Thesis (L.L.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Globe University/Minnesota School of Business, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-41).

Le geste médical assisté par ordinateur en salle d'opération n'a pas cessé de progresser lors de ladernière décennie. Ce phénomène est lié à l'évolution des techniques de chirurgie et notamment àl'apparition des techniques dites mini-invasives. Cette pratique bien que révolutionnaire car ellepermet de diminuer les risques d'infection a introduit de nombreux problèmes. En effet, lechirurgien est limité dans ses gestes à cause de la restriction de mouvement imposée par les trocarts.De ce fait, la communauté robotique s'est assez rapidement intéressée aux problématiques deschirurgiens afin de développer des dispositifs robotisés adaptés. Un des grands thèmes étudié estcelui de la téléopération. Cette dernière consiste à utiliser deux dispositifs robotisés communémentappelés: maître et esclave. Dans le contexte médical, le robot maître est manoeuvré par le chirurgienet le robot esclave est au contact de l'organe à opérer. La première génération de ces systèmes nepermettait pas au chirurgien de ressentir les efforts qu'il exerçait sur les organes du patient. Unedeuxième génération de dispositifs est apparue en introduisant le retour d'efforts. Au delà desproblèmes de stabilité et de commande rencontrés, de tels systèmes permettent de réduire lesimperfections du geste humain ou d'en augmenter les capacités. Une des gênes constatées par leschirurgiens lors de l'utilisation de tels systèmes est le mouvement physiologique des organes àopérer.Cette thèse s'est principalement focalisée sur le thème de la compensation des mouvementsphysiologiques dans le cadre de la téléopération avec retour d'efforts. L'objectif étant de démontrerqu'il est possible pour le chirurgien de téléopérer un organe soumis à des mouvementsphysiologiques, et notamment le mouvement respiratoire, sans qu'il ne ressente cette perturbation.[...] / Computer aided medical gesture kept increasing during the last decade. This phenomenon is linkedto the evolution of surgical technique and specially the use of minimally invasive surgery. Thisrevolutionary technique allows reducing infection risks but introduces new problems. Indeed, thesurgeon has limited motion capability because the use of trocars. Therefore, robotics communityinterest has kept growing in order to develop specific robotized devices. One of the most currentstudied topics is teleoperation in which two robots are used: the master and the slave. In a medicalcontext, the master robot is manipulated by the surgeon and the slave robot is in contact with theoperated organ. The first generation of those systems did not allow the surgeon to feel how muchforce he applies on the patient. Then with the second generation, force-feedback was introduced.Even if this technique introduces new problems such as control and stability, it also allows medicalgesture improvements. One commonly cited problem is the physiological motion of organs forexample.This thesis mainly focuses on the subject of physiological motion compensation in the context ofmedical force feedback teleoperation. The aim is to prove that the surgeon is able to teleoperate anorgan submitted to a physiological motion, and especially respiratory motion, without feeling thisdisturbance.First of all, the choice of the teleoperation scheme is important. In the literature, many can be found.To simplify this study, a two communication channel scheme has been chosen. This means that onlyone information is sent from the master to the slave and another one from the slave to the master. Inorder to fulfill a task in the free space and in contact with the environment, and to compensate aforce disturbance, the force-position scheme is selected. In this case, the slave sends forceinformation and the master sends back position information.[...]

O presente trabalho busca verificar qual a influência da tributação sobre os incentivos dos sistemas de remuneração e se o efeito da tributação e de incentivos diferencia-se entre níveis hierárquicos. A literatura de teoria de agência sugere que maior ênfase nos propósitos de incentivo da remuneração culminará em maior proporção de pagamentos via bônus anuais. A consulta da legislação tributária, por sua vez, cria a expectativa de que a priorização de propósitos tributários na determinação das formas de remuneração refletirá em maior proporção de participação nos lucros. Essa ordenação diferenciada é adequada a perspectiva da teoria do trade-off, que argumenta que a ênfase em um fator gera um efeito inverso em outro, e que diante disso, as organizações procuram equilibrar as dimensões consideradas. Além disso, é esperado que, em função de mais níveis de monitoramento e também em função da menor precisão de opções de ações para níveis hierárquicos mais baixos, apresente-se ênfase em propósitos de incentivo na remuneração executiva enquanto se priorize propósitos tributários na remuneração de média gerência. Para a análise empírica destas relações, os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário enviado para as empresas que publicaram balanços no ano de 2012 e participaram da base da Revista Exame, Melhores e Maiores, bem como, numa segunda análise empírica, coletou-se dados disponíveis no relatório de referência, disponibilizado pela Comissão de Valores Mobiliários. A principal expectativa do trabalho é de que efeitos tributários sejam importantes na determinação da forma como se dá a remuneração, principalmente no que tange a escolha pela Participação nos Lucros ou Resultados. Os resultados suportam essa expectativa. Quanto a importância de incentivo, identificou-se que todas as formas de remuneração citadas são usadas com esse propósito, no entanto, participação nos Lucros ou Resultados foi a que apresentou um efeito significativamente inferior às demais. Já em relação ao efeito tributário, a hipótese é confirmada, sugerindo a ênfase no uso de Participação nos Lucros ou Resultados. Além disso, especificamente em relação a Participação nos Lucros ou Resultados, verificou-se uma interação significante entre incentivos e tributação o que sugere a existência de um trade-off na escolha entre esses propósitos, ou seja, ao priorizar o propósito tributário está-se sacrificando o propósito de incentivo, em relação a Participação no Lucros ou Resultados. No que se refere a diferenças quanto a níveis hierárquicos, não foram identificados resultados significantes. / This study seeks to evidence the influence of tax considerations on incentives in compensation systems, as well as establish whether tax and incentive effects differ across the organization\'s structure. Agency theory literature suggests that a greater emphasis on incentive purposes leads to a higher proportion of annual bonuses in compensation packages. Tax legislation, on the other hand, presents the expectation that a prioritization of tax purposes will be reflected in a greater proportion of profit and gain sharing when determining compensation packages. These differing orders are congruent with the perspective based in trade-off theory, which posits that a greater emphasis on one factor creates an opposite effect on another, and in light of this, companies seek to set a balance between various items under consideration. Beside this, an emphasis on incentive-based goals is expected in executive compensation when tax considerations take precedence over that of middle management, as a result of increased supervision and the lesser need for stock options at lower levels of the organization\'s structure. In order to analyze these relationships, empirical data were gathered using a questionnaire submitted to the companies that both reported balance sheets in 2012 and participated in the Biggest and Best (Melhores e Maiores) ranking published by Exame magazine in 2013, following which data were also gathered from the companies\' reference forms for a secondary empirical analysis, as provided by the CVM (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários). The main expectation of this study is that tax effects are significant in the determination of how compensation is structured, particularly in respect to the decision to use Profit and Gain Sharing. The results support this claim. Regarding the importance of incentives, it was shown that all of the types of compensation in question are used pursuing this aim; however, profit and gain sharing displayed a significantly lesser effect than the others. Concerning tax effects, the hypothesis is confirmed, suggesting more intense use of Profit and Gain Sharing. Further, and in relation to Profit and Gain Sharing specifically, a significant interaction between incentive and tax considerations was shown, suggesting the existence of a trade-off inherent to the selection of the same, or rather, when tax considerations take priority, incentives purposes are sacrificed in the case of Profit and Gain Sharing. No significant results were established regarding differences across the organization structure.

L'analyse du dispositif législatif reconnaissant des droits aux personnes handicapées nous conduit à nous interroger sur son utilité au regard des objectifs poursuivis, notamment l'intégration et l'autonomie. La mise en place d'un statut induit une opération de catégorisation. Basée sur une différenciation des personnes handicapées, celle-ci comporte en elle-même un risque de stigmatisation. En outre, bien que la différenciation des droits tende principalement à un traitement égalitaire, les textes consacrent parfois leur exclusion. L'approche catégorielle adoptée peut ainsi conduire à la mise à l'écart de la personne handicapée. Par ailleurs, le dispositif législatif vise à assurer l'autonomie de la personne handicapée. L'enfermement de la personne handicapée qu'il induit constitue un obstacle à la reconnaissance de cette dernière en tant que personne. Cependant, une approche renouvelée des situations de handicap est perceptible. Celle-ci doit être poursuivie car l'appréciation de l'efficience des droits reconnus à la personne handicapée révèle le caractère perfectible du statut. / The analysis of the laws and regulations recognizing rights for the disabled persons leads us to wonder about the utility of such laws and regulations towards the pursued objectives, in particular integration and autonomy. The implementation of a status leads to an operation of categorization. Based on a differentiation of the disabled persons, this categorization entails a risk of stigmatization. Moreover, although the differentiation of rights aims mainly at an equal treatment, laws and regulations sometimes confirm exclusion of disabled persons. The chosen category-specific approach can thus lead to the exclusion of the disabled person.Besides, laws and regulations aim at ensuring the autonomy of the disabled person. The confinement of the disabled person which such laws and regulations lead to constitutes an obstacle to the recognition of the disabled person as a person. However, a renewed approach of the different situations of handicap is perceptible. This approach shall be pursued as the assessment of the efficiency of the rights granted to the disabled person reveals that the status is perfectible.

This thesis outlines the structural problems that, affect the operation of the Workers' Compensation Board within the industrial economy of B.C. The study confines itself to the years between 1972 and 1937, a period in which workers' compensation in B.C. underwent political and economic transformations under the governmental aegis of the New Democratic Party government and then the Social Credit Party. In order to understand the ostensibly contradictory functions of the WCB, a partially autonomous component of the state, liberal-pluralist and Neo-Marxist models are compared and contrasted. The thesis concludes that the UCB serves two principal functions: capital accumulation and legitimation of the status quo. Historical and contemporary evidence shows that the WCB continues to serve the interests of employers at the expense of workers. Low government expenditure on health and safety safeguards, delaying of workers' claims, weak penalties against employers violating safety legislation, the chronic scarcity of safety inspectors, and the habitual undercompensation of claims, are clear indications that the WCB puts costs ahead of workers' health. The WCB's rejection of radical solutions to the problems, solutions likely to offend employers, is further evidence of the pro-capital bias of the WCB. Thus the study rejects the liberal-pluralist interpretive framework and reaffirms the structuralist, interpretation as an appropriate schema for understanding how the WCB operates within a capitalist economy. Alternatives to the WCB policy such as a universal disability plan, are explored. The chief method of investigation used in this research study was to interview workers and their representatives, lawyers specialising in the WCB, and WCB staff. Available WCB data and various evaluative reports on the WCB were important secondary sources of information. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

Compensation Services manages return to work, wage loss, pension and health-care benefits to injured workers, and those suffering from occupational diseases. This thesis presents the methodology and results of a comprehensive study conducted to determine the relationships between existing performance measures, quantify the factors influencing these performance measures, and deterrriine relative efficiencies across case management operations. We use principal components analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression to derive the relationships between performance outcomes and influencing factors. We then use data envelopment analysis, incorporating these multiple inputs and outputs, to assess overall relative efficiencies and set performance targets. The analysis has brought about an increased understanding of service delivery location performance and performance measurement. Results may be used to provide managerial decision support, communicate best practices, and serve as a basis for further efficiency or quality initiatives. The factors accounted for in the multivariate analysis can explain between 20% - 50% of the variability in key performance outcomes across case management desks. The overall efficiency analysis revealed strong performers both within case management offices and across regions. Four case management offices consistently contain strongperforming case management desks across several methods of evaluating efficiency. Transferring best practices has the potential to significantly increase relative efficiency improvements for case management desks across the province. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

The challenges in human resource allocation drive the present project. Conducted at an office of the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia (the WCB), the project aims at developing a simulation model of claim management operations to facilitate decision-making in resource allocation. In this context, resource allocation refers to the alignment of staff to claims. The components of the problem include the number of staff required and the types of staff required, given targeted system performance. The volume of claims, the profile of claims, the Workers Compensation Act, the board's business guidelines and the board's operational targets all influence staffing requirement. It is far from straightforward to answer the following questions: what is the optimal level of staffing? What is the right mix of skills? And what is the proper alignment of staff with claims? How will the system perform given a certain staffing level? How will change in the profile of incoming claims influence staffing requirement? A discrete-event simulation model was developed as a decision support tool in this project. The model was used to evaluate several resource allocation scenarios. Simulation showed that timeliness measures such as time to decision and time to closure would improve with additional resources, but the improvement was not drastic. At the staffing level of 14, compared to the current level of 12, time to decision for unadjudicated claims would reduce by 6%. Simulation further showed that specialization of staff by claim type might have a negative impact on system performance measures, because economics of scale were compromised. Finally, simulation showed that if Site Visits, a required procedure for adjudicating claims related to Activity-Related Soft Tissue Diseases, could be conducted by dedicated personnel, time to decision for these claims might reduce by as high as 60%. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Workers’ compensation insurance (WCI) is the highest cost to an employer following accidents. It is needed to predict the benefits value without taking into account the past records of an employee, which is not readily available in most cases. Employment and workers’ compensation data were acquired from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Academy of Social Insurance, respectively. The statistical model was developed with SAS using multiple regression and the process was simplified using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The model predicted future values of workers compensation given a known number of covered workers for all U.S. states. The model is statistically proven to be fit for all states. The states were compared on the basis of percentage deviation from the actual values. By using this model, insurance companies and policymakers can have better understanding of workers’ compensation trend and they can quotes premiums and develop policies more accurately.

This Master’s thesis subject is communication link modeling, what means exploring and subsequent connect of blocks QPSK modulator – raised cosine filter – quadrature modulator – nonlinear amplifier – quadrature demodulator – raised cosine filter – QPSK detector. All work proceeded in simulation world VisSim 6.0, manual of this software is opened in this thesis. Individual blocks are analyzed in this scheme including description and configuration. Main theme was exploring error rate of transmission in modulator imbalance, using nonlinear amplifier TWTA or in calculations in fixed and floating point. Theoretically is examined and practically implanted method of modulator imbalance compensation. Circuits with QPSK and 16QAM modulator were analyzed. Circuits are filled in with transparent tables and graphs. In the end of this thesis is applied to generating of source codes in C language by the help of upgrade C-Code, which can be useful in practical realization on DSP.